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This oil lamp is in the shape of Silenus, the Greco-Roman god of drunkeness and tutor to thewine god Bacchus, sitting on an inflated oxhide that is serving as a large wine skin. He reaches back and holds the ox's tail thus creating a handle for the lamp. The child Bacchus holds up a bunch of grapes to him. This is the sort of humorous interpretation of an ancient myth that was very popular in the circle of classical scholars in the the university city of Padua in the early 1500s. The subject and the execution, although rough, are generally characteristic of Riccio, but the specific attribution of hte piece to the master has not been pursued. See 54.234 for a statuette that is universally accepted as one of Riccio's masterpieces.
H: 3 11/16 × W: 6 1/4 × D: 2 13/16 in. (9.3 × 15.9 × 7.2 cm)
medium: bronze, the wineskin originally plated with silver
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
The ancient Egyptians donated figures of their gods for use in temple rituals; smaller images served as amulets to ensure divine protection. Goddesses in particular were viewed as protective deities. From earliest times, Egyptian venerated a wide circle of feline-headed female deities, such as Sakhmet, Tefnut, Wadjet, and Bastet. Leonine goddesses, usually Sakhmet or Wadjet (daughters of the sun-god Re), were often associated with an obelisk - a symbol of the sun god - demonstrating both their close relationship to the supreme god and his powers of renewal.
Egyptian
H: 10 3/16 x W: 2 7/8 x D: 4 5/8 in. (25.9 x 7.3 x 11.7 cm)
H with tangs: 11 x W: 2 7/8 x D: 4 5/8 in. (27.9 x 7.3 x 11.7 cm)
H with base: 12 5/16 x W: 3 5/16 x D: 7 1/2 in. (31.2 x 8.4 x 19.1 cm)
medium: bronze
culture: Egyptian
dynasty: 26th-30th Dynasty
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
A fishing village is being lashed by a violent gale. The fisherman's wives struggle across the dunes to mount an old fortification at the left. Beyond are an Argand lighthouse and the village houses with red tile roofs glistening in a shaft of light that has pierced the glowering sky. Several men struggle to raise a blue and white signal flag at a post near the sea's edge.
The former identification of the site as the coast at the village of Scheveningen, near The Hague, cannot be substantiated. The presence of a lighthouse in close proximity to houses did not occur at Scheveningen nor elsewhere, given the danger of fire.
H: 23 1/2 x W: 31 13/16 in. (59.7 x 80.8 cm)
medium: oil on wood (mahogany) panel
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Each of the four gospels in this book opens on a page with brilliantly illuminated borders depicting the author of the text as well as birds—principally peacocks, symbols of the immortality of the soul—and fountains, representing the fountain of life and the salvation of the soul. This volume consists of 428 leaves with texts in Greek. Its level of sophistication suggests that it was probably written and decorated in a monastery in Constantinople.
Byzantium, Constantinople
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; leather binding
Sheet: 28 x 23 cm (11 x 9 1/16 in.)
Did you know...
Gospel books were carried in procession through Byzantine churches.
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
One of the 1000's of high resolution textures available.from Mayang's Free Textures - see.http://www.mayang.com/textures/..This texture may not be sold without permission from the authors.
Pendant crosses show the inventiveness of Ethiopian metalworkers in embellishing the simple form of the cross with a rich variety of designs. Worn around the neck by the faithful to ward off evil, these small crosses could be made of braided leather, carved wood, or cast metal.
Christian Highland Ethiopian
H: 1 15/16 x W: 1 13/16 x D: 5/16 in. (5 x 4.6 x 0.9 cm)
medium: cast, stamped, and engraved silver alloy
culture: Christian Highland Ethiopian
Walters Art Museum, 1997, by gift.
John La Farge
American, New York 1835–1910 Providence, Rhode Island
12 7/16 x 18 3/16 in. (31.6 x 46.2 cm)
medium: Watercolor and gouache on Japanese tissue laid down on white wove paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY 17.180.2 1917
Rogers Fund, 1917
Dürer conceived this fantastical chariot as part of a larger commission to depict Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (reigned 1486–1519) in a triumphal procession. The ruler sits enthroned in the lavish car, as Victory holds a laurel wreath above his imperial crown. Her feathered wings list Maximilian’s military campaigns. Nearly every component of the allegorical pageant—from the entourage of female attendants to the laurel garlands—has a Latin label describing honorable qualities of an ideal prince. The car rolls on wheels of Magnificence, Honor, Dignity, and Glory. Its driver is Reason, who guides a team of 12 horses with reins of Nobility and Power. Virtues of Justice, Strength, Wisdom, and Temperance, stand on pedestals arranged around the emperor. Maximilian died in 1519, before the ambitious commission could be completed. Dürer published <em>The Great Triumphal Car</em> at his own expense with text composed by his friend Willibald Pirckheimer (1470–1530).
Germany, 16th century
woodcut
Dudley P. Allen Fund
A young gentleman wearing a sword and a lady with a pet squirrel meet in the woods, indicated by trees in the background. The scene is set within a frame of nine lobes, whose spandrels are filled with bearded masks. Two of the four crouching-monster corner terminals have been damaged by burial. There are losses on the back as well, and a new hole is drilled at the top.
The lobed frame is usually considered a sign of a date after the mid-century, but the figure style suggests that this may be an early use of the mask frame.
Medieval European
H: 3 3/4 x W: 3 3/4 x D: 3/16 in. (9.5 x 9.5 x 0.5 cm)
medium: ivory
style: Gothic
culture: Medieval European
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.