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Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
lacquer with pewter and mother-of-pearl inlay
Overall: 24.2 x 21.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.)
Gift of Mary B. Lee, C. Bingham Blossom, Dudley S. Blossom III, Laurel B. Kovacik, and Elizabeth B. Blossom, in memory of Elizabeth B. Blossom
This precious volume was obviously highly prized by its owner, the French-born King of Navarre, who had his coat of arms painted on no less than twenty folios. Rather than directly commissioning this manuscript from a specific workshop, it seems that Charles the Noble acquired his book of hours -- perhaps ready-made for the luxury market -- while on a trip to Paris in 1404-05. A collaborative effort, six painting styles are evidenced within the pages of this codex, those of two Italians, two Frenchmen, and two Netherlanders. The painter who was responsible for the planning and decoration of the book, and who produced seventeen of the large miniatures, was a Bolognese artist known as the Master of the Brussels Initials. His principal assistant, responsible for most of the borders, was a Florentine who signed his name "Zecho" da Firenze on folio 208 verso.
France, Paris
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Codex: 20.3 x 15.7 x 7 cm (8 x 6 3/16 x 2 3/4 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
The Moche were unique in ancient Peru in creating realistic human portraits, usually in the form of ceramic vessels. This large example may represent an important captive who, like some Moche prisoner figures, wears double earrings and a hank of hair over the forehead.
Peru, North Coast, Moche style
earthenware with colored slips
Overall: 30.5 x 28.9 x 25 cm (12 x 11 3/8 x 9 13/16 in.)
Gift of Guerdon S. Holden
This tsuba depicts a lotus pond with lotus flowers blossoming. The plants are depicted in gold and silver relief. On the back of the tsuba, a water bug skims the water between the lotus. The lotus is associated with Buddha and a state of purity. The construction of this tsuba is unusual. The front is made of a copper and gold alloy called shakudo, while the back is silver. They have been fused together, creating a wavy pattern along the tsuba's edge.
Japanese
at center: 2 11/16 x 2 7/16 x 1/8 in. (6.9 x 6.13 x 0.34 cm)
medium: silver, shakudo, gold, copper
style: Goto School
culture: Japanese
Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Iran, possibly Tabriz or Shiraz, Timurid Period, early 15th century
ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Overall: 23.2 x 15.5 cm (9 1/8 x 6 1/8 in.); Text area: 18.2 x 12 cm (7 3/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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