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After dreaming of its famous bell, a grieving mother seeks her lost child at Mii Temple. She arrives on the night of a full autumn moon, wearing a traveler's hat and grasping a branch of bamboo, a symbol of female frenzy. In an emotion-filled dance, the woman begs the priests to let her ring the bell, which is represented on stage by a miniature construction. At its sound, the child recognizes his mother immediately.
Japanese
H: 9 13/16 x W: 14 5/8 in. (25 x 37.2 cm)
medium: pigments on mulberry paper
culture: Japanese
Walters Art Museum, 1989, by gift.
This engraving is part of the Tarocchi group marked with the letter “A”, and named<em> Firmaments of the Universe</em>. This series comprises the seven planets from the classical astronomy (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and the three celestial spheres that separate them from the Supreme Entity (<em>Prima Causa</em>) from which everything was originated. <br><br>Here, <em>Primo Mobile</em> (Prime Mover or the Angel of the Ninth Sphere) is personified as a full-length angel, turned to left, and holding up a large sphere in its hands while only standing on its left foot. The Prime Mover corresponds to the ninth and last of the material spheres, beyond the region of the fixed starts. It was believed to be crystalline and invisible, as well as in direct contact with the First Cause—God himself—from which it takes its infinite speed. Thus, it is here shown as an empty disc held by an angel in a dancing pose.
Italy, Ferrara, 15th century
engraving
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Because large prints were often displayed on a wall, they were susceptible to damage and often have not survived. This large print of the <em>Last Supper</em>, however, is in excellent condition. It was engraved on two plates and printed on two separate sheets of paper. The composition is believed to be a fairly close copy of a fresco by Perugino in the convent of San Onofrio in Florence, around 1495. The scene is set within an arched interior embellished by a frieze of eagles and by half pilasters with floral decorations and putti. Fluffy clouds are visible beyond the archways. Christ and the apostles are on a bench arranged behind the table. Judas, instead, sits on a stool in the middle of the room, looking over his shoulder towards the viewer. The engraver included two reliefs at both ends of the bench. The panel on the right shows Judas with four soldiers, while the one on the left features a knight, a squire, and a banner. On it, the letters <em>LVC . . . TNO</em> have been interpreted as the artist's signature.
Italy, 16th century
engraving on two sheets printed from two plates
Did you know...
This print is the only known impression of the entire composition. A copy with only the right side is preserved today at the British Museum in London.
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Stylized waves with foam highlighted in gold fill the tsuba. This is part of a mounted set.
Japanese
H: 2 3/16 x W: 1 11/16 x D: 1/4 in. (5.6 x 4.3 x 0.6 cm)
medium: silver, shibuichi, gold
culture: Japanese
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Perhaps the finest of the early Limoges enamellers was the Master of the Triptych of Louis XII. The name given to this anonymous artist, who must have enjoyed considerable princely patronage, derives from a triptych in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which has on its wings portraits of King Louis XII of France and his consort, Anne of Brittany.
The luminous blues, the mulberry, ochre and greens of this triptych are subtly balanced to create an intimate and tragically moving mood. The intensity and purity of the colors recall the splendor of stained-glass windows and it is not surprising, therefore, to find that such windows did in fact occasionally serve as models for this artist's compositions.
Center panel H: 7 3/8 x W: 6 5/8 in. (18.8 x 16.9 cm)
Each wing H: 7 3/8 x W: 2 13/16 in. (18.8 x 7.2 cm)
medium: translucent enamels on copper
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Closely associated with the Barbizon school artists, Daubigny began his career painting landscapes in the Forest of Fontainebleau. His love of water scenes led him to portray innumerable sites along the rivers of France. In 1857, Daubigny launched his "botin," the studio boat that fostered the development of his plein-air aesthetic by enabling him to paint while traveling the French waterways, such as the Oise, the Marne, and the Seine rivers. This etching of the artist in his "floating studio" is from <em>Voyage en Bateau</em>, an album of etchings recording Daubigny’s river travels with his friend Camille Corot.
France, 19th century
etching on chine collé
Sheet: 26.9 x 36.7 cm (10 9/16 x 14 7/16 in.); Platemark: 11 x 13.8 cm (4 5/16 x 5 7/16 in.)
Gift of Ralph King, the Frederick Keppel Memorial
The calligraphy brushed on this paper, decorated with a cherry tree seen through clouds, narrates a portion of <em>The Tale of Genji</em>. A scene often illustrated in painted albums and later woodblock prints, it describes Genji taking leave of his love, Murasaki, to see the Akashi Lady, his other love, whose daughter, now in Murasaki's care, clings to Genji's hem as he moves to depart.
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
album leaf; ink on dyed paper with gold
23.3 x 21.3 cm (9 3/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
Did you know...
Some say <em>The Tale of Genji</em> is the world's first novel.
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
The underside of this Zuni (A:shiwi) jar (<em>olla</em>), made by a woman to collect and store water in the 1800s, curves upward to allow the jar to be carried atop the head. Today, this traditional skill is celebrated by the Zuni Olla Maidens, a nationally known dance group that performs while balancing ollas on their heads. Ollas naturally keep water cool via evaporation through their porous walls, a valuable trait in the desert Southwest. Many Zuni say that water from an olla tastes better than water from a tap.
Native North America, Southwest, New Mexico, Zuni (A:shiwi) Pueblo
ceramic, slip
Overall: 26.5 x 37.5 cm (10 7/16 x 14 3/4 in.)
Gift of the Smithsonian Institution