European Art
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Worksop Bestiary – Day 9
Bestiaries – books about animals and their qualities – are my favorite kind of medieval illuminated manuscript because of their great imagery.
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The Manuscript Collection of Jean de Berry – Day 7
Instead of focusing on a manuscript or a component of one, I’ve chosen to write today about medieval history’s most prolific manuscript collector.
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A Fourteenth-Century Italian Choir Book – Day 3
Today’s entry features a page from a 14th-century choir book called an antiphonary. Like most medieval choir books, it’s huge and has big illustrations.
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The Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux – Day 2
The early-14th century Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux introduces us to the Book of Hours, surprising scale in manuscripts, and the wacky world of marginalia.
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Gargoyle and Grotesques of Windsor Castle
I’ve noticed that many of the quirkiest and most unique gargoyles that catch my eye are from England. This little man looks almost like he could be a cartoon character or a figure in an animated movie about the Middle Ages.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Reims Cathedral, France
This gargoyle is so strange! From the differences in the stone, I assume that the creepy head is a later alteration or restoration, but I’m still not sure what the figure is supposed to represent. The words “crazed donkey” come to mind, however.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Notre Dame de Paris
This 19th-century grotesque comes from the great Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Westminster Abbey and Palace, London
An introduction to the gargoyles and grotesques of Westminster Abbey and Westminster Palace – two important Gothic and Gothic Revival structures in London.
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Leonardo’s Lost Princess
Some thoughts on Leonardo’s Lost Princess, a book about a drawing controversially attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.
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Art O’Murnaghan and the Book of Resurrection
As I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned several times before, I am a big fan of medieval illuminated manuscripts. I’ve always found it a bit sad that the tradition has very little place in the modern world, which is why I was quite intrigued to read about this manuscript in a book about Celtic art. I’ve…
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Meet Swedish Portraitist Anders Zorn
Isabella Stewart Gardner by Anders Zorn, 1894. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. Next up in what is becoming a recurring series of featured artists is Anders Zorn. Zorn is very interesting, and not just because his name is so much fun to say. This Swedish artist was a favorite of the great early-twentieth century American…
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An Old Dutch Skating Painting
A pair of paintings from the Rijksmuseum collection show the popularity of outdoor ice skating in the history of the Netherlands.
