2 janvier 2017

Finial in Form of "Master of Animals", Iran, Luristan, 11th century B.C.-7th century B.C., middle to late Iron Age. Bronze; height: 7.25 in, 18.41 cm; width: 2 in, 5.08 cm. Funds from George Berger bequest by exchange, 1963.7 © Denver Art Museum. Animal-adorned finials like this have been unearthed from the sites of both shrines and tombs. They are unique to the Luristan region of western Iran, and, having been made by the lost wax technique, no two are exactly the same. This is a typically decorative example with the two faces on... [Lire la suite]

Bowl with Horseman, Iran, Nishapur, 10th century. Glazed earthenware,height: 3.5 in, 8.89 cm; diameter: 8.5 in, 21.59 cm. Museum exchange, 1967.93 © Denver Art Museum. Nishapur, in northeastern Persia, was once a thriving cosmopolitan city on the east-west trade rout between China and the Mediterranean. The brown, green, and yellow underglaze on this bowl probably reflects the popularity of Chinese ceramics of the Tang dynasty (618-907), which have been found there. Though Arab Muslims were ruling the area by 900, their prohibition... [Lire la suite]

Seal Chest, China, 17th century, Ming-Qing dynasties. Huanghuali wood, brass, height: 8.25 in, 20.95 cm; width: 8.375 in, 21.27 cm; depth: 8.25 in, 20.95 cm. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Bunker 1991.813 © Denver Art Museum. This chest with lidded compartment and three drawers is made from huanghuali wood, a material admired for its beautiful grain and warm color. It would likely have been used to hold a scholar's implements.

Table, China, 1500s-1600, Ming dynasty. Huanghuali wood, height: 33 in, 83.82 cm; width: 64.25 in, 163.19 cm; depth: 19.375 in, 49.21 cm. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Bunker in memory of Otto and Cile Bach 1991.811 © Denver Art Museum This table illustrates the simplicity of form achieved by Chinese furniture makers during the Ming period (1368-1644). The beautiful grain of the huanghuali wood suited the taste of Chinese scholars, who surrounded themselves with objects made of fine natural materials. The skilled craftsmanship... [Lire la suite]

Padmasambhava, Tibet, 1400s. Bronze with silver, copper and turquoise inlay, height: 8.625 in, 21.91 cm; width: 5.25 in, 13.33 cm; diameter: 4 in, 10.16 cm. Gift of Mrs. Florence J. Ruest in memory of her son, Mr. Ralph W. Jacobs, 1980.57 © Denver Art Museum Padmasambhava means “lotus-born” and refers to the legend that he was found on a lotus in a lake in Northwest India. He is greatly revered in Tibet as a founder of the Nyingma (Red Hat) order of Buddhism and the country’s first monastery, Samye. He sits here in his... [Lire la suite]

Lord of the Faith-Guarding Deities (Mahakala), Tibet, 1700s. Brass, height: 14 in, 35.56 cm; width: 4.875 in, 12.38 cm; depth: 12.25 in, 31.11 cm. Walter C. Mead Collection, 1933.14 © Denver Art Museum Mahakala, the Great Black One, is the most popular of the protectors of Tibetan Buddhism, and is often found at the inner entrance of a temple or at his own special shrine.  Here he appears in his six-armed manifestation, clothed in an elephant hide and a tiger pelt, trampling the prone elephant-headed figure of Ganesha. ... [Lire la suite]

Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (Italian, Pisa or Verona by 1395–1455), Portrait medal of Cecilia Gonzaga (obverse); Innocence and a Unicorn in a Moonlit Landscape (reverse), model 1447 (old aftercast). Bronze (copper alloy with warm brown patina under a worn layer of black wax). Diam. 8.4 cm, wt. 142.55 g. Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.1307 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Active in Verona and the Italian courts, the celebrated master Pisanello left behind a significant legacy, including a large corpus of drawings... [Lire la suite]

Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (Italian, Pisa or Verona by 1395–1455), Portrait medal of Vittorino Rambaldoni da Feltre (obverse); A Pelican (reverse), model 1446–47 (possibly cast 15th or 16th century). Bronze (yellowish copper alloy with brown patina and traces of black lacquer or wax). Diam. 6.5 cm, wt. 107.27 g. Robert Lehman Collection, 1975, 1975.1.1302 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Active in Verona and the Italian courts, the celebrated master Pisanello left behind a significant legacy, including a large corpus... [Lire la suite]

Plate with Paris Killing Achilles and arms of the Calini family, Nicolo da Gabriele Sbraghe (Italian, active by 1520–37/38), ca. 1525, Italian, Urbino. Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware). Overall: 1 1/8 × 10 1/2 in. (2.9 × 26.7 cm). Purchase, Funds from various donors, 1884, 84.3.2 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Classical mythology and biblical history are the most popular themes found on Renaissance maiolica. For inspiration, painters looked to widely circulated prints, carefully modifying the rectangular... [Lire la suite]

Dish with two lovers, ca. 1520–50, Italian, Deruta. Maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware), lustered. Overall (confirmed): 3 5/8 × 16 5/8 in. (9.2 × 42.2 cm). Purchase, 1884, 84.2.11 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The likely contexts for the display of large dishes are not easily identified. Clues might be found in a dish's subject matter, which was often either amorous—as with this embracing couple—or religious. Both subjects are essentially domestic, lending themselves to the private spaces of a wealthy home. The... [Lire la suite]