16th Century More Art

LARGE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE MARBLE CAPITAL Florence, 15th/16th Century marble 38 x 47 x 47 cm 15 x 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 in

Mechelen dolls are rare wooden devotional figurines (mainly walnut was used), which were made by some members of the Guild of Saint Luke. The figures, all individual saints, were made from reference models using highly regulated carving and polychrome techniques. They had to meet several requirements. The shape of the rug had to meet certain criteria and the letter M (from Mechelen) had to be visible in the shape. These devotional or saint figurines...

Hiroshi Sugimoto The Necklace of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's Third Wife, 2000 Limited Edition Signed pendant of silver-plated brass, imitation pearls, Swarovski glass stones, handmade...

Richly decorated on the side and with finely sculpted female faces, these carved stone architectural brackets are a great example of the Tuscan production of the late 16th Century. O...

Interpres Homeri Pervetustus, Scholia Vetera in Rome, 1517.  Vol. in 8º, cm 27.5 x 3 x 21, in Greek. Missing sheets pp 70 -79,  122-128, 171-189 Binding half-leather and marbeliz...

Complete title: Opera di Andrea Fulvio delle antichità della Città di Roma, & delli edificij memorabili di quella. Tradotta nuovamente di latino in lingua toscana, per Paulo dal Ross...

Attentive observer, may I challenge you to find some unusual elements in this panel painting? One detail has to do with the symbolic use of color, the other with a later adjustment of the image. Indeed! The Blessed Virgin is not dressed in her usual sky blue cloak, which refers to her purity, but in a red robe. During the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, the Virgin often wore such a red garment to refer to the Passion of Christ. After all, the blessing Christ child with his orb would shed his blood for the redemption of mankind. The second strange element catches the eye when one looks closer at the little Jesus. It appears that he was originally depicted completely naked, but got on a transparent loincloth over time. In the past there were several times when nudity in art was subject to some form of censorship. For example, the supervision of Christian art was strongly encouraged by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). This assembly was dealing with the inner-ecclesiastical reform of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the important theologians who followed the council’s guidelines was Joannes Molanus (1533-1585). He did not consider the nakedness of the Christ Child to be edifying and pointed out that children could be endangered in this way. He may have been referring to the dangers of paedophilia. During the 19th century, puritanism emerged. A famous example of a moral preacher was Pope Pius IX...