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Youth Swinging from a Tree

French (Artist)
ca. 1300 (Gothic)
parchment with ink and paint
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)

In this charming image, a young boy has climbed a tree and is swinging from one of its limbs. This is an extremely rare depiction, and it has nothing to do with the text it accompanies (Psalm 5, a reading for the dead) but is simply an opportunity for the artist to have fun. The small size of the tree in comparison with the child focuses our attention on his antics, inviting us to imagine ourselves as carefree.

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Henry Walters, Baltimore, after 1894, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

2010 Checkmate! Medieval People at Play. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
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Geographies

French Flanders (Place of Origin) France, Cambrai (Place of Origin)

Measurements

H: 4 5/16 x W: 2 3/4 in. (11 x 7 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, after 1894

Location in Museum

Not on view

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

W.88.76R

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Parent Object

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Book of Hours

French
1st quarter 14th century (Gothic)
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Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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