https://art.thewalters.org/feed/ Images from the Walters Art Museum, in Baltimore, Maryland en-us Copyright 2020 The Walters Art Museum https://art.thewalters.org/images/logo_feed.png https://art.thewalters.org/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/80195/seated-female-figure-2/

The ceramic sculpture shows a woman holding a cup, wearing finery including nose- and earrings, bracelets at her upper arms, and a wrapped skirt with an elaborate woven pattern. This seated female figure may have been a pair to WAM 2009.20.42, and many West Mexican figures have been found in male-female pairs. In the past, these figures, often found in tombs, were interpreted as representations of the people, perhaps married couples, buried there, but more recently, they have been interpreted as guardian figures.]]> 2020-09-12T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/80195/seated-female-figure-2/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/11121/monstrance-of-thadea-petrucci/

An inscription around the stem of this fourteenth-century reliquary from Florence celebrates "Mistress Thadea Petrucci," who had the receptacle made "for the salvation of her dead." Thadea's gift, made during a period dominated by the experience of the Black Death (1347-1351) poignantly demonstrates the redemptive value attributed to such offerings. Contributing to the beauty of the Lord's temple was a way to gain God's benevolence at the time judgment. Here, the act of giving is sanctioned by the patron.]]> 2020-09-11T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/11121/monstrance-of-thadea-petrucci/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/35961/adam-and-eve/

The first two humans are depicted with ideal bodies that recall ancient marble sculptures. The snake has a woman's face that resembles Eve's. During this period, women were often described as untrustworthy, and this negative idea is reflected in the gender of the face of the snake. The primary visual source for the compostion is an engraving representing Adam and Eve by the German master Albrecht Dürer and dated 1504. Besides the figures, the engraving features a dense wall of forest foliage that has been taken over by the sculptor to create a rich backdrop in relief for his figures. The German master populated the underbrush with a variety of animals, which in the sculture have been greatly reduced in number. Nevertheless, there is one detail that has tantalized scholars. The tall plants with yellow heads of grain have been interpretated by some as corn or maize from the Americas. This would indeed be remarkably early for their inclusion in European imagery; nevertheless, recent techncal examinations have concluded that the passages where this appears to be the clearest is in fact a replacement from the 1800s. The inscription on the base indicates that this is one of the many works of art made in Florence to celebrate the triumphal entrance of Pope Leo X, a member of Florence's Medici family, into the city on November 30, 1515. The central coat of arms is the pope's. To the right is that of the Salviati family, and to the left is that of the Buondelmonti family, demonstrating their support of the pope. For several generations, the artists of the Della Robbia family in Florence were noted for the production of brightly colored, glazed terracottas, often produced for architectural settings.]]> 2020-09-10T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/35961/adam-and-eve/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/2301/fuzoku-ga/

With a delicate willow tree as a framing device, the artist focuses solely upon his subjects. The two women, carefully balanced, one standing, elongated and sinuous, and her companion, more solidly grounded in her vibrant purple robe, intently focus on the beautiful flower blooming in the garden. This is an image of elegance, both in terms of the women's fashions and the carefully arranged landscape. The poem at the top reads, "Beautiful face like a hibiscus, eyebrow like a willow leaf."]]> 2020-09-09T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/2301/fuzoku-ga/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/88823/leaf-from-a-book-of-hours-men-playing-tennis/

This small Book of Hours, made for use in the diocese of Cambrai ca. 1300-10, is especially interesting for its profusion of humorous drolleries. Humans, animals, and hybrids are featured in the margins of each page of the book. Small scenes record a variety of activities, such as cooking, playing games, climbing, fishing, making music, and dancing. Two of these scenes may depict the earliest known images of tennis being played. These drolleries amused the faithful during their prayers, while showing scenes that work as metaphors for the soul fighting the vices. The original female owner seems to have been established in the diocese of Cambrai, judging from clues in the text in the Office of the Dead. A number of signatures on the leaves at the beginning and end of the manuscript provide the book with a rich provenance. A priest in the sixteenth century wrote a message in code on fol. 1v asking that the book be returned to him if lost. Members of the ducal house of Savoy owned this book in the seventeenth century, as evinced by the gilt armorial shield of Charles Emmanuel II (1634-75), duke of Savoy, stamped on the covers.]]> 2020-09-08T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/88823/leaf-from-a-book-of-hours-men-playing-tennis/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/1188/a-hindu-goddess/

Inside a Hindu shrine or temple, worshipers gaze into the eyes of Devi, the Great Goddess. Her mouth curving in a delicate smile, Devi gazes back down at them through enormous, almond-shaped eyes. By offering herself for "darshan"—a sacred gaze exchanged with the deity during worship—she bestows her blessings on the faithful, who, by the act of focused looking, have made themselves receptive to this transfer of divine grace. Revered from the soaring Himalayan mountains in the north to the southernmost tip of India, Devi is the force that animates all living things. Her power manifests itself in every aspect of the natural world, including trees, water, and rocks. Devi also vitalizes believers, strengthening their hearts during times of adversity.]]> 2020-09-07T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/1188/a-hindu-goddess/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/1693/brooch-of-leaves-and-berries/

This magnificent brooch is an outstanding example of Lalique's jewelry creations inspired by a close observation of natural forms. Here, three parts connected by hinges are composed of elongated mistletoe leaves, in mottled brownish-green enamel, and berries, of translucent glass, mounted with prongs to olive-toned, enameled grounds. Within the central unit is mounted a cushion-shaped faceted citrine of champagne color. Henry Walters bought this piece from Lalique in 1904 at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. The symmetrical design anticipates Lalique's future work. Within several years, the artist abandoned both jewelry and the Art Nouveau style to devote himself to the production of glass molded in the Art Deco style.]]> 2020-09-06T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/1693/brooch-of-leaves-and-berries/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/14770/priest-holding-the-figure-of-osiris/

Statues such as this were placed in temples and show the owner presenting a divine image to his god. This statue represents Djed-khonsu-iuef-ankh, a priest of the god Montu of Thebes. He holds a statuette of Osiris, god of the underworld. Priests cared for cult images of the gods by cleaning and clothing them, as well as, offering them daily food and drink. The inscriptions on this statue indicate that it was placed in the Temple of Montu at Karnak and was dedicated on behalf of Djed-khonsu-iuef-ankh by his son, Khonsu-mes. The owner of such a statue benefited during his life, but also after his death, from the rituals for the god with whom he is represented.]]> 2020-09-05T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/14770/priest-holding-the-figure-of-osiris/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/10210/festival-image-of-vishnu/

Here, Vishnu, preserver of cosmic order, wears a tall crown and royal dress while holding his radiant conch shell and discus; his lowered hand once rested on his club. The small triangle on his chest, called a "shrivatsa," signals the presence of Shri (also called Lakshmi), Vishnu’s consort and goddess of wealth. Many devotees of Vishnu—especially in southern India, where this sculpture was made—believe that Shri dwells within Vishnu and mediates between him (the supreme god) and human beings. Widely admired today for their craftsmanship, this festival bronzes was produced in southern India, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, during the Chola dynasty (9th–13th century). The Chola kings and their people spoke Tamil; the language continues to be used in southern India. Part of a rich and still living tradition of casting solid metal sculpture in South India, this image of Vishnu was made using the lost-wax casting technique. First, a model of the final sculpture is created from a mixture of wax and resin. Every detail that is seen in the cast metal sculpture is captured in this wax-resin model. The model is then encapsulated in a mold, leaving an opening at its base. The mold is heated, which solidifies the mold material, while the wax within is melted and poured out. The mold is then inverted, metal is melted in a crucible, and the molten metal is poured into the void left by the melted wax. Once cooled, the mold is broken, revealing the cast metal sculpture.]]> 2020-09-04T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/10210/festival-image-of-vishnu/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/84245/two-young-men-riding-a-white-elephant/

This Mughal painting of the early 11th century AH/AD 17th, Walters W.693, depicts 2 young men on a white elephant. The seated man is being served wine. The painting is surrounded by a frame of illuminated buff-colored paper with four panels inscribed with Persian verses written in black Nasta'liq script. The border is of salmon-colored paper with illuminated floral motifs.]]> 2020-09-03T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/84245/two-young-men-riding-a-white-elephant/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/79377/post-with-carved-faces/

Placed beside or inside a tomb, this grave marker resembles a human figure. If buried, the post would have supported the roof of a tomb of the Ica-Chincha people, who lived on the central coast of Peru. Crowned with a two-pronged headdress, the post was treated the same way as a human skull in a tomb: the red colorant that can still be seen on the post is the same red cinnabar pigment used after death to paint the skeletal remains of the Ica-Chincha people. ]]> 2020-09-02T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/79377/post-with-carved-faces/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/13833/eagle-fibula-2/

This object along with Walters 54.422 form a pair of superb eagle-shaped fibula found at Tierra de Barros (Badajoz, southwest Spain) made of sheet gold over bronze inlaid with garnets, amythysts, and colored glass. Pendants once dangled from the loops at the bottom. The eagle, a popular symbol during the Migration period adopted from Roman imperial insignia, was favored by the Goths. Similar eagle-shaped fibulae have been excavated from Visigothic graves in Spain and Ostrogothic graves in northern Italy, but this pair is one of the finest. These fibula would have been worn at the same time to fasten a cloak at either shoulder.]]> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/13833/eagle-fibula-2/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/18168/black-figure-amphora-with-ajax-carrying-the-dead-achilles/

The death of Achilles, which occurred after the events recounted in "The Iliad," was described in another epic poem called "The Aethiopis", which has not survived. On the front of this amphora, the dead Achilles is carried from the Trojan battlefield by his comrade, Ajax. In front of Ajax, a woman leads the way and raises her hand to tear at her hair in a gesture of mourning. Two armed warriors follow behind. On the back, two armed horsemen clash on the battlefield, their horses rearing above a fallen warrior trapped beneath them.]]> 2020-08-31T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/18168/black-figure-amphora-with-ajax-carrying-the-dead-achilles/ https://art.thewalters.org/detail/21019/finial-with-the-head-of-the-god-brahma-2/

At the same time that Thai sculptors were casting what are now considered the classic bronze images of the Buddha, potters in the Sukhothai region were producing vast quantities of ceramics. Thousands and thousands of dishes and covered bowls were shipped to the islands of Southeast Asia. This architectural fixture was made for local use. The four-faced god is probably a Buddhist manifestation of the Hindu creator-god Brahma. He and other Brahmas reside in the upper tiers of heaven, which are reserved for gods in deep, long-lasting trances. This sculpture might once have been placed atop a gate. ]]> 2020-08-30T00:00:00-04:00 https://art.thewalters.org/detail/21019/finial-with-the-head-of-the-god-brahma-2/