Getty 1986

The J.
Paul Getty Museum

JOURNAL Volume 15/1987
Including Acquisitions/1986
1987 The J. Paul Getty Museum
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Mali bu, California 90265
(213) 459-7611
I SBN 0-89236-133-6
ISSN 0362-1979
T H E J. P AUL GE T T Y M U S E U M J OU R NA L V o l u m e 1 5 / 1 9 8 7
Contents
A N T I Q U I T I E S
A Byzantine Pendant i n the J. Paul Getty Mu se u m 5
Jeffrey Spier
Kopie oder Nac hsc hpf u ng. Eine Bronzekanne i m J. Paul Getty Mu se u m 15
Michael Pfrommer
The Go d Apol l o, a Ceremonial Table wi t h Grif f ins, and a Votive Basin 27
Cornelius C Vermeule
DE COR A T I V E ARTS
Two Pieces o f Porcelain Decorated by Ignaz Preissler 35
i n the J. Paul Getty Mu se u m
Maureen Cassidy-Geiger
MA NU S CR I P T S
Theoktistos and Associates i n Twel f t h-Cent ury Constantinopl e: 53
A n Il l ustrated Ne w Testament o f A . D . 1133
Robert S. Nelson
P AI NT I NGS
A Cel ibate Marriage and Franciscan Poverty Reflected i n a Neapol itan 79
Trecento Di pt yc h
Carl Brandon Strehlke
The Nobl est o f Livestock 97
Peter Sutton
The Blessed Bernard Tolomei Interceding for the Cessation of the Plague in Siena: 111
A Rediscovered Painting by Giuseppe Mari a Crespi
John T Spike
A Roman Masterpiece by Hubert Robert: A Hermit Praying in the Ruins 117
of a Roman Temple
Victor Carlson
P HOT OGRAP HS
True Il l usions: Earl y Photographs o f Athens
Andrew Szegedy-Maszak
125
S CU L PTU R E A N D WOR KS OF A R T
Di e Bathseba des Gi ovanni Bologna
Herbert Keutner
A CQU I S I TI O N S /1986
I nt r oduct i on 153
Notes to the Reader 158
Ant i qui t i es 159
Manuscri pts 167
Paintings 177
139
Dr awi ngs 188
Decorative Ar t s 210
Sculpture and Works o f Ar t 216
Photographs 222
Trustees and Staff Li st 239
A Byzantine Pendant in the J. Paul Getty Museum
Jeffrey Spier
A collecti on o f Greek and Etruscan gems acquired by
the J. Paul Get t y Museum i n 1981 includes an engraved
Graeco-Persian gem set i n a gold pendant. The entire
collecti on was publi shed by John Boar dman i n 1975,
1
and the gem i n the pendant was described, no doubt
correctly, as belongi ng to Boardmans "Ber n gr oup" o f
the late four t h century B . C .
2
Based upon the engraved
design on its back, the pendant was classed as Greek
and j udged to be o f early Helleni sti c date contemporary
wi t h the gem.
3
However, more pendants o f this type, as
wel l as other gold objects o f si mi lar style, are known,
and thei r early Byzanti ne or i gi n can be f i r ml y estab-
lished. The nucleus o f the group was or i gi nally i dent i -
fied by Mar v i n Ross i n his discussion o f the examples
i n Dumbar t on Oaks,
4
and others can be added here,
i ncl udi ng r oughl y datable examples wi t h reliable prove-
nience. They are as follows:
1. Gol d pendant set wi t h a Graeco-Persian gem
(figs. l a- c ) . H: 2.9 cm (lVs"). Mal i bu, The J. Paul
Get t y Museum 81. AN.76.101. J. Boardman, Intaglios
and Rings ( London, 1975), no. 101, p. 99, i l l .
p. 31 (color).
2. Gol d pendant on gold l oop-i n-l oop chain wi t h
openwor k termi nals (figs. 2ab). H (pendant): 3.2
c m ( l
1
/ / ) . Ne w Yor k, The Met r opol i t an Museum
o f Ar t 17.190.1659. Ex-col l . J. Pi erpont Mor gan,
purchased fr om Amadeo Canessa, Paris, 1911.
Unpubli shed.
3. Gol d pendant, inscribed <|xos/(of|, on gold chain
made o f six short chains j oi ned by hookssome
ornamented wi t h gemstones (fig. 3). H: 2.6 c m (1").
I would like to thank Dr. Myrt ali Acheimastou-Potamianou,
Byzantine Museum, Athens; Amy S. Hatleberg, Dumbarton Oaks
Research Library and Collection, Washington, D C ; Dr. Alfred
Bernhard-Walcher, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; Helen C.
Evans, The Metropolitan Museum of Ar t , New York; and V. Suslov,
State Hermitage, Leningrad, for their generous assistance i n provi d-
ing information, photographs, and permission to publish the items i n
this article.
Abbreviations
Dalton, Early Christian: O. Dalton, Catalogue of Early Christian An-
tiquities and Objects from the Christian East
(London, 1901).
Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 1: M. Ross, Metalwork, Ceramics, Glass, Glyp-
tics and Painting, vol. 1 of Catalogue of the
Ne w Yor k, The Met r opol i t an Museum o f Ar t
17.190.1660. Ex-col l . J. Pi erpont Mor gan, purchased
fr om Amadeo Canessa, Paris, 1911. Unpubli shed.
4. Gol d pendant set wi t h agate cameo o f Apol l o and
Daphne (figs. 4a-b) . H: 2.5 cm (1"). Washi ngton,
D.C., Dumbar t on Oaks Research Li br ar y and Co l -
lecti on 69.15. Said to have been found i n Sicily wi t h
t wo gold buckles. Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 2, no. 5c,
pp. 2, 8-9.
5. Gol d chain wi t h three gold pendants set wi t h
banded agates (figs. 5ab). Leni ngrad, State
Hermi t age 2134/1. Found i n Kuban, 1892. A.
Bank, Byzantine Art in the Collections of Soviet
Museums ( Leni ngrad, 1985), nos. 9394, wi t h
further literature.
6. Gol d pendant set wi t h clear glass, under whi ch
is an enamel wi t h a seated Vi r g i n hol di ng a
Chi l d (figs. 6a-b) . H: 4 cm ( l
9
/ i
6
" ) . Switzerland,
private collecti on. Said to be fr om Asia Mi nor .
Unpubli shed.
7. Gol d pendant fr om the Lesbos treasure, found wi t h
j ewel r y and coins o f Phocas and Heraclius (figs.
7ab). H: 2 cm ( W) . Athens, Byzanti ne Museum
3039. BCH 79 (1955), pp. 284-286, figs. 5-8; M.
Chatzidakis i n The Greek Museums (Athens, 1975),
no. 17; Depart ment o f Ant i qui t i es and Archaeologi -
cal Restoration, Offi ce o f the Mi ni st er to the Pr i me
Mi ni st er, Greece, Catalogue of the Ninth Exhibition
of the Council of Europe: Byzantine Art, An Euro-
pean Art (Athens, 1964), no. 388, pp. 365-366,
no i llust rat i on.
Byzantine and Early Mediaeval Antiquities in
the Dumbarton Oaks Collection (Wash-
ington, D C, 1962).
Ross, D.O. Cat., vol. 2: M. Ross, Jewelry, Enamels and Art of the Mi-
gration Period, vol. 2 of Catalogue of the By-
zantine and Early Mediaeval Antiquities in the
Dumbarton Oaks Collection (Washington,
D C, 1965).
1. J. Boardman, Intaglios and Rings (London, 1975).
2. Ibid., no. 101, p. 99.
3. Ibi d., pp. 34-35.
4. Cf. Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 2, no. 5c, pp. 8-9; no. 31, p. 31; no. 35,
p. 33.
6 Spier
Figures la-c. Left, Pendant set wi t h Graeco-Persian gem. Byzantine, circa si xt h century. Gol d set wi t h earlier chalcedony scaraboid.
Center, back. Right, back. Dr awi n g by Mar t ha Breen Bredemeyer. Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 81.AN.76.101.
8. Gol d pendant found wi t h j ewel r y and gold coins o f
Constans I I , Constanti ne I V, and Ti beri us I I I (fig.
8). H: 2.6 c m (1"). Found i n Pantalica, Sicily; pres-
ent locat i on unknown. P. Or si , Sicilia bizantina
(Rome, 1942), vol . 1, no. 7, p. 138, pi . 9.
9. Gol d disc wi t h engraved cross, perhaps fr om a pen-
dant (fig. 9). H: 2.1 cm (
7
/s"). Washi ngton, D.C.,
Dumb ar t on Oaks Research Li br ar y and Col l ect i on
53.12.51. Said to have been found i n Const ant i -
nople. Ross, D.O. Cat., vol . 2, no. 35, p. 33.
10. Silver reli quary pendant wi t h glass cover, relics i n -
side, found wi t h a hoard o f gol d j ewelry. H: 3 c m
(l
3
/ i 6"). Mi l an, Ci vi co Museo Archeologi co. Found
i n the excavations at Caesarea Mar i t i ma, Israel,
1962. Ant o ni o Frova, Scavi di Caesarea Maritima
( Mi l an, 1965), pp. 236-238, figs. 295-297.
The Get t y pendant (figs, lac) is composed o f a ci r -
cular piece o f sheet gold, sli ght ly convex on the back,
wi t h the edges folded over the gem on the front side.
The back is decorated wi t h an engraved circle; wi t hi n
this is a pattern o f four acanthus leaves arranged so that
the central unengraved space forms the shape o f a cross.
Out si de the engraved circle is a border o f punched dots.
A t hi n, beaded wi r e is attached along the entire ci r cum-
ference o f the pendant, and a ri dged stri p o f gold is
folded to f or m a loop for suspension. The gem is a
chalcedony scaraboid engraved wi t h a r unni ng horse,
and as not ed above, i t belongs to a Graeco-Persian
wor kshop o f the late four t h century B . C . Few Byzant i ne
5. An unpublished Graeco-Persian chalcedony scaraboid i n Mal -
ibu (85.AN.444.1) was reengraved wi t h magical inscriptions i n the
thi rd or fourth century A. D. , and another Graeco-Persian scaraboid i n
Oxford bears Koranic texts i n Kufic script, whi ch were added i n the
intaglios appear to have been made, and the reuse o f
earlier gems i n the Byzanti ne peri od was not an unusual
practice. Large Graeco-Persian gems were probably
found frequently, as they are today, and may have been
t hought to have magical properti es.
5
Closest i n style to the Get t y pendant is a fine example
i n Ne w Yor k ( No. 2, figs. 2ab) on a gold l oop-i n-l oop
chain wi t h r ound openwor k termi nals typi cal o f si xt h-
century Byzanti ne wor k. The engravi ng and pat t erni ng
are very si mi lar to the Get t y example, although some-
what more careful, and the border o f punched dots is
the same. A beaded wi r e is also added to the edge, but i t
is somewhat thi cker than that on the Get t y pendant.
Whatever was set i n the pendant is no w mi ssi ng.
Anot her pendant i n Ne w Yor k ( No. 3; fig. 3) is
smaller than No. 2 but is si mi lar ly constructed. The
shape o f the engraved cross is sli ght ly different,
however, and the c ommon Byzanti ne cr uci for m i nscri p-
t i on c()cbs/oi)f| ( li ght/ li fe) is added on the cross; this is
the onl y example among the pendants presently under
consideration to have an i nscri pt i on. The other side o f
No. 3 is undecorated. The chain is composed o f six
short l oop-i n-l oop chains j oi ned together wi t h hooks
on whi ch gems were set; onl y three o f thesean emer-
ald and t wo amethystssurvive. The gold termi nals are
heart shaped wi t h filigree openwork. A very si mi lar
chain wi t h i denti cal termi nals was found wi t h a si xt h-
century Byzanti ne treasure now i n Dumb ar t on Oaks.
6
A pendant ( No. 4; figs. 4ab), whi ch was supposedly
found i n Si ci ly wi t h t wo gold belt buckles and is no w i n
seventh or eighth century A. D. : See J. Boardman and M.L. Vollen-
weider, Catalogue of the Engraved Gems and Finger Rings in the Ash-
molean Museum (Oxford, 1978), vol. 1, no. 178, and a photo of the back
i n P. Zazoff, Die antiken Gemmen (Muni ch, 1983), p. 4, pi. 41.
A Byzantine Pendant 7
Figure 2a. Pendant on l oop-i n-l oop chai n wi t h openwor k termi nals. Byz-
antine, circa si xt h century. Gol d. H (pendant): 3.2 c m ( l
1
/ / ) .
Ne w Yor k, The Met r opol i t an Mus eum o f Ar t , Gi ft o f J. Pi er-
pont Mor gan, 17.190.1659. Phot o: Court esy The Met r opol i t an
Mus eum o f Ar t , Ne w Yo r k
Dumbar t on Oaks, is very si mi lar to the others. It is,
however, more oval shaped than the previous circular
examples. Thi s pendant again has the border o f
punched dots, and the added beaded wi r e is t hi n, li ke
that o f the Get t y example. I t is set wi t h a cameo depict-
i ng Apol l o and Daphne. Thi s may be a rare example o f
contemporary Byzanti ne glypti c, since i t has li t t le i n
common wi t h Roman cameos and its i conography is
not out o f place i n this per i od.
7
A gold necklace found at Kuban on the nor t h coast o f
the Black Sea i n 1892 and now i n Leni ngr ad ( No. 5; figs.
5ab) has three pendants as wel l as a clasp set wi t h a
6. Ross, D O Cat, vol. 2, no. 179 C, p. 136.
7. Cf. Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 2, p. 9, and the fifth-century Ravenna
ivory he cites. There is also an unpublished Byzantine belt buckle
wi t h the scene i n a Swiss private collection.
Figure 2b. Det ai l o f fi gure 2a. Dr awi n g by Mar t ha
Breen Bredemeyer.
8 Spier
Figure 3. Pendant on a chai n composed o f six short l oop-i n-l oop seg-
ments. Byzant i ne, circa si xt h century. Go l d or nament ed wi t h
gemstones. H (pendant): 2.6 c m (1"). Ne w Yor k, The Me t r o -
pol i t an Mus eum o f Ar t , Gi ft o f J. Pi er pont Mor gan, 17.190.1660.
Photo: Courtesy The Met r opol i t an Museum o f Ar t , Ne w Yor k.
gold solidus struck at Constanti nople dur i ng the br i ef
j o i nt rei gn o f Justi n I and Justi ni an i n A . D . 527. The
pendants are again oval shaped but are o f sli ght ly di f-
ferent manufacture fr om the previous examples. They
are flatter, and the front sides are set wi t h banded-agate
gems surrounded by t wo rows o f beaded wi r e wi t h a
plai t ed-wi re band between t hem. They do not have the
border o f punched dots. A l l three pendants have a loop
at the b o t t o m for a small pendant, onl y one o f whi c h
survivespear shaped wi t h a beaded-wire r i m set wi t h
a gem. Two o f the pendants have patterns si mi lar to
those seen on No. 4, whi l e the larger central pendant
has a modi fi ed pattern so that an I X Chr i st ogr am is
formed, again out li ned by the stylized acanthus leaves.
The engraved pattern o f a pendant i n a Swiss private
collecti on ( No. 6; figs. 6ab) is hi ghl y stylized, but the
wor kmanshi p is very fine. The engravi ng is bold, and
the leaves are accentuated by rows o f punched dots
do wn the spines. The added beaded wi r e is t hi ck and
carefully molded, and the pendant i t self is one o f the
largest o f the group. It is set wi t h a remarkable con-
structi on consisting o f a glass cover over an enamel that
8. Ross, D O Cat, vol. 2, no. 145, pp. 100-101. See K. Wessel,
Byzantine Enamels (Shannon, Ireland, 1969), no. 16, pp. 6667, who
dates the Dumbarton Oaks example circa A. D. 900.
9. The enamel is both stylistically and technically very unusual
and needs further examination. The goldwork appears certainly
genuine.
10. P. Orsi, Sicilia bizantina (Rome, 1942), vol. 1, pp. 135-141. That
the pendant belongs to the group here under discussion was already
depicts a seated Vi r g i n and Chi l d; all o f this is mount ed
i n a gold frame. The enamel is unl i ke the mai n series o f
the Mi ddl e Byzanti ne peri od but seems stylistically
close to one relatively early example i n Dumbar t on
Oaks showi ng a standing Vi r g i n and Chi l d, most l i kel y
dati ng fr om the late ni nt h or early t ent h century A . D .
8
I n bot h examples the unusual colors, notably the whi t e
ski n, and the large, r ound eyes are similar. A t ent h-
century date is therefore best for the enamelwork o f
No. 6, but the pendant i t self clearly belongs wi t h the
others i n the si xt h or seventh century. The pendant,
whi ch probably ori gi nally held a gemstone or relic,
must have been reused several hundred years after its
manufacture.
9
The Lesbos treasurenow i n At hensof Byzanti ne
gold j ewel r y wi t h coins o f Phocas ( A . D . 602610) and
Heraclius ( A . D . 610641) i ncluded another example ( No.
7; figs. 7ab). It is very small, and the wo r k is crude.
The stylized leaves are barely distinguishable, and addi -
ti onal hatch marks are added i n the field. There is no
border o f punched dots.
Anot her pendant ( No. 8; fig. 8) was found early i n
this century i n a hoard o f gold j ewel r y and coins at
Pantalica, Sicily. The i l l i ci t find was qui ckly dispersed,
but P. Or si was able to reconstruct much o f i t usi ng
photos o f the j ewel r y and descriptions o f the coins.
1 0
The phot ograph published by Or si shows the pendant
vi ewed t hr ough the openi ng where the gemstone or
other object, no w mi ssi ng, was set. The engravi ng ap-
pears to be somewhat better than that o f the Lesbos
treasure example ( No. 7; figs. 7ab) but is st i l l si mple
and stylized. No border o f punched dots is visible, nor
is there an added beaded wi r e. I n addi t i on to a suspen-
sion loop on top, there are t wo on the sides and one
below, perhaps for suspension o f smaller pendants
i n the manner o f the Leni ngrad examples ( No. 5;
figs. 5ab). The coins said to have been found at Pan-
talica i nclude soli di o f Constans I I ( A . D . 641668),
Constanti ne I V ( A . D . 668685), and Ti beri us I I I
( A . D . 698705). Most o f the other j ewel r y fr om the
Sicilian hoard is o f unusual style and not easily paral-
leled by other Byzanti ne wor k; a late seventh-century
date is most li kely. Thi s addi ti onal j ewel r y may have
been manufactured i n a local workshop.
1 1
Ross has plausibly suggested that a gold disc i n Du m-
bart on Oaks ( No. 9; fig. 9) may be a fragmentary pen-
dant; i n whi ch case, i t wo ul d be another crude example.
Figure 4a. Pendant set wi t h agate cameo o f Apo l l o and
Daphne. Supposedly found i n Sicily, circa
si xt h century. Gol d. H: 2.5 c m (1"). Wash-
i ngt on, D. C. , Dumb ar t o n Oaks Research
Li br ar y and Col l ect i on 69.15. Phot o: Co ur -
tesy Dumb ar t o n Oaks Research Li br ar y and
Col l ect i on, Washi ngt on, D C.
Figure 4b. Back o f fi gure 4a. Phot o: Cour t esy Dumb ar -
t on Oaks Research Li br ar y and Col l ect i on,
Washi ngt on, D C
The acanthus leaf pattern is abandoned i n this instance
for si mple hatch marks that appear between the arms o f
the cross.
Finally, a hoard o f Byzanti ne j ewel r y found i n the
excavations at Caesarea Mar i t i ma i n Israel includes a
comparable example i n silver wi t h a glass cover ( No.
10). It is very corroded, and pieces o f the back are mi ss-
noted by Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 2, p. 9. an antique heirloom at the time of its burial.
11. A fine ring set wi t h an aquamarine intaglio depicting Nemesis
was also said to be from the find, Orsi (supra, note 10), no. 1, p. 137,
fig. 60, pi. 9. It appears to be of first-century date and must have been
10 Spier
Figure 5a. Chai n wi t h three pendants set wi t h banded
agates. Found Kuban, Russia, circa si xt h cen-
t ury. Gol d. Leni ngr ad, State Her mi t age
2134/1. Phot o: Cour t esy State Her mi t age,
Leni ngr ad.
Figure 5b. Det ai l o f fi gure 5a. Dr awi n g by Mar t ha
Br een Bredemeyer.
i ng, maki ng i t di ffi cult to see the engraved pattern. It
appears to be a facing, ni mbat e bust rather than the
cross and acanthus leaf design. Ot her details, such as
the circular shape, the border o f punched dots, and the
added beaded wi r e, however, all correspond to the
mai n series o f pendants under consideration. Thi s par-
ti cular example served as a reliquary.
Wi t h the exception o f the last ( No. 10), the pendants
all share a basic decorative pattern: a central cross sur-
rounded by engraved acanthus leaves placed between
the arms and sometimes addi ti onal hatched lines i n the
fi eld. The f or m o f the cross varies, as does the quali ty o f
the engravi ng and the care gi ven to the pattern. The
cross may have arms o f equal lengt h wi t h flaring ends
(Nos. 13); i t may have longer vertical than hori zont al
branches ( No. 4; t wo o f the pendants i n No . 5; and Nos.
7, 8); or i t may approach the for m o f a Maltese cross
(Nos. 6, 9). I n one example ( No. 5) the cross is modi fi ed
to become an I X monogr am.
Or i gi nal l y the i nt ent i on was t o make a simple, un -
der r at ed cross subtly stand out fr om the complex
background o f floral decoration that outli nes i t . The
most successful examples are i n Mal i b u and Ne w Yor k
(Nos. 1, 2), where the carefully engraved acanthus pat-
terns are bolder than the cross. The crosses on the sub-
sequent pendants are more easily visible, and the
acanthus leaves hence become more stylized; they no
longer appear rounded i n shape wi t h cur vi ng veins but
as si mple oval or tri angular areas wi t h a central spine
and straighter veins. They fill the fields i n a more hap-
hazard manner and may degenerate to a state where the
leaves are almost i ndi sti ngui shable among the lines
( No. 7) or are replaced enti rely by si mple hatch marks
( No. 9).
Al t hough the pattern o f acanthus leaves out l i ni ng a
cross does not appear elsewhere i n Byzant i ne art, the
use o f the acanthus leaf as a subsidiary decorative device
on met al wor k was very popular. It is frequently seen
engraved on silver plate i n the four t h century A . D . and
continues i nt o the si xt h and seventh centuries, as Ross
has observed.
1 2
Elaborate patterns based on acanthus
leaves are also t ypi cally found engraved below the bowls
o f si xt h- and seventh-century, silver li t urgi cal spoons.
1 3
A related pattern o f acanthus leaves and cross is seen
on the gold box-pendant reli quary o f Saint Zacharias
said to be fr om Constanti nople and now i n Dumb ar t on
Oaks (figs. 10ac).
14
The back, carefully executed i n
12. Ross, D.O. Cat., vol. 1, no. 7, p. 9, and cf. E. Dodd, Byzantine
Silver Treasures (Bern, 1973), pp. 1213. In addition, the cross and
acanthus leaf pattern of the pendants is seen as a decorative mot i f i n
the borders of a pair of unpublished sixth- or seventh-century, silver
Figures 6a-b. Left, Pendant set wi t h a glass-covered enamel o f the Vi r g i n and Chi l d.
Supposedly found i n Asi a Mi no r , circa si xt h or seventh century. Gol d
wi t h enamel o f later date. H: 4 c m (l
9
/ie"). Right, back. Swi tzerland,
pri vate collect i on.
Figures 7a-b. Left, Pendant. Found i n Lesbos, circa si xt h century. Gol d. H: 2 c m
( W) . Right, back. Athens, Byzant i ne Mus eum 3039. Photos: Court esy
Byzant i ne Museum, Athens.
repousse, shows a cross wi t hi n a wreat h surrounded by
four acanthus leaves, all wi t hi n a square linear border;
around this central composi t i on is a cable border. The
sides are decorated wi t h acanthus patterns, also wor ked
i n repousse. The front is set wi t h an engraved gem
(perhaps not the or i gi nal setting, as Ross notes) sur-
rounded by vegetal and lozenge patterns i n fine opus
interrasile and a beaded-wire border.
The reli quary o f Saint Zacharias is o f exceptional
quali ty and stands apart technically fr om other si xt h-
book covers now i n a Swiss private collection.
13. Cf. the examples i n Dalton, Early Christian, p. 35.
14. Ross, D.O. Cat, vol. 2, no. 31, pp. 30-31.
15. Cf. most recently D. Buckton, "The Beauty of Holiness: Opus
century goldwor k. The differences are most notable i n
the execution o f the fine opus interrasile and repousse
wor k. The opus interrasile is si mi lar to the best four t h-
century Const ant i ni an wo r k fr om the Eastern Empi r e
(probably fr om Const ant i nople) ,
1 5
and i t is unl i ke the
less ski l l ful openwor k frequently seen i n si xt h- and
seventh-century Byzanti ne j ewel r y; the careful repousse
wo r k also has li t t le i n common wi t h the kn o wn gol d-
wo r k o f the si xt h century. The si mi lari ti es to four t h-
century wo r k and the differences fr om typi cal si xt h-
Interrasile from a Late Antique Workshop," Jewellery Studies 1
(1983-1984), pp. 15-19, see p. 17 for attribution to Constantinople.
12 Spier
Figure 8. Pendant. Found i n Pantalica, Sicily, circa si xt h
century. Gol d. H : 2.6 c m (1"). Present l ocat i on
un k n o wn . Dr awi n g by Mar t ha Breen Br e-
demeyer after P. Or si , Sicilia bizantina (Rome,
1942), vol . 1, no. 7, p. 138, pi . 9.
and seventh-century Byzant i ne gol dwor k suggest a
sli ght ly earlier date for the reli quary than that proposed
by Ross, perhaps i n the fi ft h century, alt hough no close
parallels are kno wn.
The wel l - kno wn gold reli quary box found i n the ol d
basilica at Pola (present-day Pula, Yugoslavia) and no w
i n Vi enna
1 6
forms a l i n k between the Dumb ar t on Oaks
reli quary and the group o f pendants (figs. 11ac). Its l i d
appears to have been i nspi red by the design o f the
Dumb ar t on Oaks reliquary, but this has become hi ghl y
stylized. The repousse cross wi t hi n a wreat h is replaced
by a cross wi t h glass paste i nlay surrounded by a wreat h
o f plaited gold wi r e. Four pyr ami dal clusters o f gold
beads appear i n the corners instead o f the four acanthus
leaves. The short sides have crosses bordered wi t h cables
as i n the Dumb ar t on Oaks example, but here, unl i ke
the Saint Zacharias reliquary, the stylized acanthus
leaves fill the areas between the arms o f the cross i n the
manner o f the pendants.
Perhaps fr om the same wor kshop is a gold cross i n
Dumb ar t on Oaks, whi c h shares wi t h the Vi enna r el i -
quary box the addi t i on o f plaited gol d wi r e, clusters o f
16. H. Buschhausen, Die spaetroemischen Metallscrinia und
fruehchristlichen Reliquiare (Vienna, 1971), no. B 20, pp. 249-252, pi .
57, and K. Weitzmann, ed., The Age of Spirituality (New York, 1979),
no. 568, pp. 630-631.
17. Ross, D.O. Cat., vol. 2, no. 10, p. 15.
18. Ibid., no. 10, p. 15; E. T. Leeds, Antiquaries Journal 20 (1944), no.
4, p. 334, pi . 51.
19. Other gold objects that display similarities i n manufacture and
Figure 9. Engraved disc, perhaps f r o m a pendant. Sup-
posedly found i n Const ant i nople, circa si xt h
century. Gol d. H: 2.1 c m (
7
/s"). Washi ngt on,
D. C. , Dumb ar t o n Oaks Research Li br ar y and
Collect i on 53.12.51. Photo: Courtesy Dumbar -
t on Oaks Research Li br ar y and Collect i on,
Washington, D. C.
gold beads, and central glass paste i nlay on one side.
I n a vari ati on o f the pendants' mot i f, the other side o f
the cross has engraved acanthus leaves i n each ar m
(fig. 12).
1 7
Ot her si mi lar crosses are noted by Ross,
as are rings decorated wi t h si mi lar plaited wi r e, i ncl ud-
i ng an example i n Oxfor d set wi t h a coi n o f Zeno
( A . D . 474-491) .
1 8
The si mi lari ti es i n the decoration o f the Dumb ar t on
Oaks cross, the Vi enna reli quary box, and the group o f
pendants indicate that all are products o f the same koine
style. A Byzanti ne koine style o f j ewelry, attested by a
large number o f finds fr om all parts o f the Byzanti ne
Empi re, developed by the early si xt h century, flourished
i n the rei gn o f Justi ni an, and cont i nued wel l i nt o the
seventh century. There can be li t t le doubt that much o f
the materi al was manufactured i n Constanti nople and
that workshops located elsewhere, whet her i n the east
or the west, closely followed the fashions set i n the
capital. The style encompasses a large body o f materi al
( i ncludi ng personal j ewelry, such as belt buckles, ear-
rings, finger rings, necklaces, and pendants, as wel l as
crosses and reliquaries), and the sharing o f decorative
decorative detail can also be identified. For example, a small gold
cross ( H: 2.83 cm [ l W] ) engraved wi t h the same pattern as the larger
example at Dumbarton Oaks (fig. 12) is now i n a Swiss private collec-
tion; i t is unpublished. Another similar example was on the London
market a few years ago and was exhibited by Jack Ogden Ltd. (In the
Wake of Alexander, November 17December 1, 1982, no. 27). The use
of punched-dot borders is seen, for example, on an openwork ring
from Smyrna (British Museum M& L A AF 308; Dalton, Early Chris-
Figures Wa-c. Left, Box-pendant reli quary o f Saint Zacharias. Supposedly found i n Const ant i nople, circa fi ft h century. Go l d set
wi t h an engraved gem, possi bly o f later date. H: 3 c m ( l W) ; W: 2.5 c m (
1 5
/ i 6 " ) . Center, back. Right, side.
Washi ngt on, D. C. , Dumb ar t o n Oaks Research Li br ar y and Col l ect i on 57.53. Photos: Court esy Dumb ar t o n Oaks
Research Li br ar y and Col l ect i on, Washi ngt on, D. C.
Figures lla-c. Left, Reli quar y Box. Found i n Pula, Yugoslavi a, circa si xt h century. Go l d wi t h glass paste inlay. H: 1.6 c m (Vs");
W: 2.3 c m (
7
/s"); D: 1.9 c m ( W) . Center, top. Right, side. Dr awi ng by Mar t ha Breen Bredemeyer. Vi enna,
Kunsthi stori sches Mus eum V I I 761. Photos: Cour t esy Kunsthi stori sches Museum, Vi enna.
patterns and technical details among different types o f
objects is t ypi cal.
1 9
The circumstances o f discovery o f the pendants ex-
ami ned here f i r ml y place t hem i n the si xt h and seventh
centuries and associate t hem wi t h other j ewel r y o f the
koine style. The silver example fr om Caesarea Mar i t i ma
was found i n the excavations wi t h a hoard o f j ewel r y
that, although not precisely datable, is o f typi cally
si xt h- or early seventh-century style. Mor e helpful is
the Leni ngrad necklace ( No. 5), whi ch has a clasp set
wi t h a coi n precisely datable to the j o i nt rei gn o f Justi n I
and Justi ni an i n A . D . 527. The Lesbos treasure contained
Han, no. 212, p. 33) and on the ubiquitous pear-shaped and lunate
openwork earrings, whi ch usually show two confronted peacocks (cf.
the recent summary of the literature, T. Ergi l, Earrings [Istanbul,
1983], no. 157, p. 62, to whi ch others could be added). The tails of the
peacocks often resemble the stylized acanthus leaves of our No. 6,
wi t h a row of punched dots down the spine from whi ch engraved
veins branch off (cf. A. Pierides, Jewellery in the Cyprus Museum [ Ni c-
osia, 1971], no. 10, p. 56, pi. 38).
Also apparently related to the style and technique of the goldwork
under consideration is the Olbia treasure o f Gothic jewelry from
south Russia, now i n Dumbarton Oaks (Ross, DO. Cat, vol. 2, no.
166, pp. 117118). The date is controversial, but the similarity o f the
engraved decoration and pattern to Byzantine goldwork, as well as
other details, suggests a dependence on Byzantine prototypes. A
sixth- rather than early fifth-century date may be preferable.
14 Spier
Figure 12. Cross. Circa si xt h century. Go l d w i t h glass
paste inl ay. H : 2.7 c m (IVI"). Washi ngt on,
D. C. , Du mbar t o n Oaks Research Li br ar y and
Col l e c t i on 50.20. Phot o: Court esy Du mbar -
t o n Oaks Research Li br ar y and Col l e ct i on,
Washington, D C .
a quantity o f j e we l r y o f typical type, as we l l as coins o f
Phocas and Heracl ius datable to the mid-seventh cen-
tury. The pendant i n this hoard shows a further diver-
gence f r o m the ori gi nal pattern and may be indicative o f
the later examples o f the group. The pendant f r o m the
Pantalica hoard, whi c h contained coins spanning the
second hal f o f the seventh century, is also rather crude
but fits we l l i nt o the mai n group, al though the accom-
panying j e we l r y is not typical o f the seventh-century
Byzantine style. The wi de di st ri but i on o f the pendants
incl udes Asia Mi no r , south Russia, Palestine, Lesbos,
and Sicily, and a simil ar range is seen for the compar-
able j ewel ry. Thi s again suggests a central or i gi n for
the style, i f not for the actual manufacturesurel y
Constantinopl e itself.
Me r t o n Col l ege
Oxf o r d
Kopie oder Nachschpfung.
Eine Bronzekanne im J. Paul Getty Museum
Michael Pfrommer
Di e be r dre i i g Zent i met er hohe Kanne mu zu den
qual i t t vol l st e n erhal tenen Br o nze ge f ae n mi t orna-
mental em De kor gerechnet werden ( Abb. 13, 5) .
1
Di e reiche Dekorat i on der Kanne ist von au e r ge -
w hnl i c he r Qual i t t , sowohl i m Ent wu r f wi e auch
i n der Au sf hr u ng. De n Ge f kr pe r s c hm c kt ein
zweireihiger, gypt i sc he r Nymphaea Ne l umbo-Ke l c h,
zwischen dessen Bl attspitzen italische St o c kwe r kbl t e n
geschaltet sind ( Abb. 1012). Ei n plastisch gegebenes
lesbisches Kymat i o n akzentuiert den Halsansatz. De n
Hal s selbst sc hm c kt eine aus Sil berbl ech geschnit-
tene u nd eingelegte Weinranke. Fi grl i ch verziert ist
al l ein der Henkel , bei dem ein Panskopf die untere At -
tasche bil det ( Abb. 6), w hr e nd ein kl einer Silens-
ko pf als oberer He nke l absc hl u i n das Ge f i nne re
bl i ckt ( Abb. 7).
Das Gef wurde mgl i c he r we i se vor der g ypt i -
schen K st e i n der N he von Al exandria i m Meer ge-
funden. Muschel n u nd andere Abl agerungen be st t i ge n
eine marine Herkunf t , ohne da eine exaktere Ei ngre n-
zung des Fundortes auf diesem Wege m g l i c h w r e .
2
Wi e zu zeigen sein wi r d, vermag die Ornamentanal yse
die Zuwei sung an eine gypt i sc he Werkstatt zu st t ze n.
T E C H N I K
Wi e das Fehlen jegl icher Spuren vo n Treibarbeit i m
Inneren bezeugt, wurde die Kanne trotz der extrem
Fr die Publikationserlaubnis bin ich M. True zu herzlichem Dank
verpflichtet. Fr Hil fe und Hinweise verschiedener Ar t danke ich
ebenfalls K. Manchester und J. Podany. Verbunden bin ich weiterhin
i m besonderen Mae M. Breen-Bredemeyer fr die Erstellung der
Zeichnungen.
Abkrzungen
Auer den i m AJA bl ichen Abkrzungen wi rd i m folgenden
verwendet:
Pfrommer, "Studien": "Studien zu alexandrinischer und grogrie-
chischer Toreutik frhhel l enistischer Zeit, "
Archologische Forschungen 16 (Berl in, 1987).
1. Mal ibu, The J. Paul Getty Museum 85.AB.78. Hhe : 32 cm;
Durchmesser: 20.3 cm.
2. Nach Auskunft des ozeanographischen Instituts i n Los Angeles
zeigen die Ablagerungen, da die Kanne aus dem Meer und nicht aus
Swasser geborgen wurde.
d nne n Wandung gegossen.
3
Dies gi l t auch fr den i n
Kal tarbeit be r g ang e ne n Bl attkel ch. I m Gegensatz zu
der vol l st ndi g mi t Silber eingel egten Weinranke auf
dem Hal s, zeigen auf dem Ge f kr pe r nur einige we -
nige Bl t e nde t ai l s sil berne Einl agen, die i n Abb. 12
schwarz gekennzeichnet sind. Das gleiche gi l t auch fr
das lesbische Kymat i on. Der He nke l ist separat ge-
gossen u nd ange l t e t bzw. mi t Ni e t e n befestigt.
GE F S S F OR M
Typol ogisch f ol gt die Kanne i n etwa der von J. D.
Beazley als 5a bezeichneten Gruppe.
4
Bronzekannen
dieses Typs sind meines Wissens kau m erhal ten, doch
zeigt eine g r o e Bronzekanne aus dem thrakischen Tu -
mul us vo n Ma l Tepe, da der Typus i m 3. Jahrhundert
gel uf ig war ( Abb. 4) .
5
Das i n der Au sf hr u ng ungl eich bescheidenere Ma l
Tepe-Exempl ar l t sich i n einigen f ormal en Datail s
mi t der Mal i bu-Kanne vergl eichen. Dies gi l t etwa fr
die mi t einem Eierstab verzierte Lippe, den mi t einem
Prof i l von der Schulter abgesetzten Hal s u nd ebenso fr
die spu l e nf r mi ge Fi nge rst t ze auf der oberen He nke l -
biegung. Di e Ent wi c kl u ng der Fi nge rst t ze l t sich i m
makedonischen u nd ital ischen Raum seit dem aus-
gehenden 4. Jahrhundert beobachten, doch besitzen
diese Ge f e i n der Regel gedrungenere Proportionen
u nd keine von der Schulter abgesetzte Hal spartie.
6
3. Fr diese technische Auskunft bin ich J. Podany und seinem
Stab verbunden. Die Technik des Gusses derartig dnnwandiger
Gefe, einschlielich eines reliefierten Dekors, hat i n der gypti-
schen Toreutik lange Tradition: Pfrommer, "Studien," 77f, 84 KBk 1,
7-15, Taf. 6-9; 11; 12; 48c, d.
4. Als Beispiel klassischer Zeit vgl . man etwa eine Kanne des
Mannheimer Malers i n Oxford, Inv. 298, Ashmolean Museum: CVA
Oxford I ( III 1), Taf. 43, 14.
5. Sofia, Archol . Mus.: B. Filow, BIABulg 11 (1937), 56, Nr. 18,
Abb. 55, 56. Als sicher rmisches Beispiel mi t einem lesbischen
Kymation am bergang von Hals und Schulter vgl . eine Kanne i n
Belgrad br. 2835/III: Lj. B. Popovic, D. Mano-Zisi, M. Velickovic,
B. Jelicic, Anticka Bronza u Jugoslaviji, Narodni Muzej Beograd
(Belgrad, 1969), 124, Nr. 217, Abb. 217.
6. Kannen aus dem "Phil ippgrab" von Vergina i n Thessaloniki
Mus.: M. Pfrommer, Jdl 98 (1983), 239. M. Andronicos, Vergina. The
16 Pfrommer
Abb. 1. Bronzekanne. H: 32 cm (127s"); D: 20.3 cm (8"). Malibu, TheJ. Paul Getty Museum 85.AB.78.
Kopie oder Nachschpfung 17
Abb. 2. Bronzekanne. H : 32 c m ( 12
5
/
8
")
;
D: 20.3 c m (8"). Mal i bu , The J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m 85. AB. 78.
18 Pfrommer
Abb. 3. Profilzeichnung der Bronzekanne i n Abb. 1. Zeichnung von Martha Breen Bredemeyer.
I n f r hhel l en i s t i s cher Zei t fi ndet sich auch der
Eierstabdekor der M n d u n g
7
un d das lesbische Kyma-
t i on an der Naht st el l e von K r p e r un d Hal s.
8
Di e f or -
mal en Det ai l s der Mal i bu-Kan n e k n n t e n somi t fr
eine Dat i er un g i m 3. Jahrhundert v. Chr. sprechen.
DER HE NKE L U N D DER F I G RL I CHE DEKOR
Di e He n ke l f or m mi t der g r o e n Pansattasche un d der
s pul e n f r mi ge n Fi n ger s t t ze (Abb. 3, 5, 6) l t sich, wi e
gesagt, bereits i n f r hhel l en i s t i s cher Zei t bel egen.
9
Di es gi l t auch fr Det ai l s wi e den ins Gef i n n er e
schauenden Si l enskopf (Abb. 7),
1 0
oder die Vol ut en zu
bei den Seiten des Panskopfes.
11
Di e Mi t t el r i ppe des Henkel s gestaltete der Toreut als
si l bern eingelegte Schlange, ei n Det ai l , fr das mi r
keine f r he Parallele gel uf i g ist.
W h r e n d man dem Schlangendekor schwerl i ch chr o-
nologische Si gni fi kanz zubi l l i gen wi r d, l i egt der Fall bei
den i n For m von Sc hwan e n kpf e n gebi l det en oberen
En den des Henkel s gn zl i ch anders. Schwanenkopfat-
taschen dieser Ar t si nd ganz al l gemei n t ypi sch fr kai -
serzeitliche Tor eut i k, wi e et wa ei n silberner Skyphos-
henkel des f r hen 1. nachchristlichen Jahrhunderts aus
Vi ze i n Ost t hr aki en bezeugt (Abb. 8).
1 2
Neben pompe-
jani schen Fun den
1 3
ist vor al l em auch auf Gu f or me n
derartiger Hen kel aus dem r mi s c h e n g yp t e n zu ver-
wei sen.
1 4
Trot z der zahlreichen f r hhel l en i s t i s chen De -
t ai l f or men ist die Kanne somi t schwerl i ch vor der au-
gusteischen Zei t gefertigt wor den .
Auc h der g r o e Panskopf zeigt un be r s e h bar spt e,
eklektische Z g e . Di e Ges i cht s zge mi t den or n amen -
talen Ube r aug e n b g e n un d der wul s t i gen Nase er i n -
nern n och durchaus an f r hhel l en i s t i s che Beispiele,
doch wi r d unschwer ei n Man gel an plastischer Dur c h -
bi l dun g deut l i ch, der ei nen beinahe maskenart i gen Ei n -
dr uck her vor r uf t , ei n Ei n dr uck, der dur ch die kl ei ne,
Royal Tombs and the Ancient City (Athens, 1984), 152, Abb. 115, 116,
158, Abb. 124. Zu weiteren Beispielen dieses Kannentyps vgl . Pfrom-
mer, op. cit., 239-240, Abb. 1, 2.
7. S.o. An m. 6.
8. Als Beispiel des ausgehenden 4. Jhs. vgl . man eine Silberkanne
thrakischen Typus aus Varbitza i n Sofia, Archol . Mus. 51: Gold der
Thraker, Ausstellung Kl n, Mn chen , Hildesheim (Kln, 1979), 161,
Nr. 318, Abb. 318. Fr das 3. Jh. vgl . man kleine Si l berknnchen i n
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Ar t 1972.118.156; 1982.11.13: D. v.
Bothmer, BMMA 42 (1984), 49, Nr . 84, Abb.; 57, Nr . 96, Abb.
9. S.o. An m. 6.
10. Dieses Mot i v findet sich i n klassischer Zei t etwa bei Kannen
des Typs 2: T. Weber, Bronzekannen (Frankfurt am Mai n , 1983), 91ff,
Taf. 13. Vgl . weiterhin Pt ol emer kannen: D. B. Thompson, Ptole-
maic Oinochoai and Portraits in Faience (Oxford, 1973), Taf. 49, 60,
Nr . 218, 220.
11. Vgl . die Kannen o. An m. 6.
12. Istanbul, Archol. Mus.: L. Byvanck-Quarles van Ufford,
Abb. 4. Br on zekan n e aus de m Ma l Tepe. Sofia, Ar c h o-
logisches Mus e um. Zei chn un g von Mar t ha
Br een Bredemeyer.
gebleckte Zun ge n och ver s t r kt wi r d.
Eine Reminiszenz an frhhel l eni st i sche Formen fassen
wi r wei t er hi n i n den steil aufgerichteten Pan s hr n e r n .
1 5
Wei t entfernt von der differenzierten, teilweise n at u-
ralistischen Bar t behandl ung f r hhel l en i s t i s cher Be i -
spiele
1 6
ist schl i el i ch die schematische, unplastische
Wiedergabe des Bartes, der von dem Toreut en n ur
Melanges Mansel I (Ankara, 1974), 335-343, Taf. 113-116.
13. Aus Boscoreale, Paris, Louvre: A. Heron de Villefosse, MonPiot
5 (1899), Taf. 20; 23, 3; 24, 2.
14. Turin, Museo Egizio: T. Schreiber, Die Alexandrinische Toreutik
(Leipzig, 1894), Taf 1, i n London, Bri t . Mus.: op. cit, Taf. 3b.
15. Man vgl . eine Bronzekanne i n Boston (Mus. of Fine Arts
99.485), bei der die Hr n er zweier antithetischer Bockskpfe i n
analoger Weise auf dem Henkel angeordnet sind. M. Pfrommer,
Jdl 98 (1983), 240, Abb. 2 (mi t Parallelen). Zu dem Kannentypus
s. o. An m. 6.
16. Pan-Attasche eines Hol zkohl en-Behl t ers (?) oder einer Lampe
aus dem "Philippgrab" von Vergina i n Thessaloniki: M. Pfrommer,
Jdl 98 (1983), 255-256, Abb. 15. M. Andronicos, Vergina. The Royal
Tombs and the Ancient City (Athens, 1984), 162f, Abb. 130, 131. Der
Kopf wurde von mi r versehentlich als Silen mi t einem Bl t t erkranz
angesprochen. Es handelt sich jedoch fraglos um einen fr Pan ver-
wendeten Silenskopftypus. Die Attasche der Kanne ist allerdings auch
nicht mi t dem tierischen Pansbild einer Eimerattasche i n Toronto zu
20 Pfrommer
Abb. 5. Bronzekanne. H : 32 c m (12
5
/s"); D: 20.3 c m (8").
Mal i bu , The J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m 85.AB.78.
Abb. 6. He nke l der Kanne i n Abb. 1 mi t e i ne m Pans-
ko pf als Attasche.
durch parallele, straffe St r hne n gegl iedert wurde.
Vergleiche w r e n hier eher i n f rhkl assi scher Ze i t
zu suchen.
1 7
De mg e g e n be r entspricht das plastisch aber ko m-
pakt gegebene Haupthaar spt he l l e ni st i sche n Bi l dunge n
( Abb. 9). Di e erste u nd die zweite Reihe der zapfenar-
tigen, symmetrisch geordneten Locken sind streng
voneinander abgesetzt u nd die hintere Reihe steil aufge-
richtet ( Abb. 3, 6).
Verwandt, we nn auch nicht identisch, ist die Haaran-
lage bei den Sil enskopf-Attaschen spt he l l e ni st i sche r
u nd f rhkai serzei t l i cher Marmorkratere. Zu nennen ist
hier der bereits i n dem gegen 100 v. Chr. gesunkenen
Mahdi aschi f f vertretene Typus Mahdia-Borghese,
1 8
sowie der j ng s t vo n H. Froni ng dem mi t t l eren 1. vor-
christl ichen Jahrhundert zugewiesene Medicikrater.
1 9
Das Ende der Reihe bil det ein f rhkai serzei t l i cher Kr a-
ter mi t Rankendekor i m Kapitol inischen Mu se u m
( Abb. 9 ) .
2 0
Wi r fassen hier somit einen be r l nge re Ze i t
bel iebten Attaschentypus, der sich insbesondere auf-
grund der Haaranlage vo n f rhhe l l e ni st i sche n Bi l du n-
gen absetzt.
21
Das spt he l l e ni st i sche Mo t i v der pr o t u be r anz hnl i c h
hochfl iegenden Haare ist bei unserer Bronzekanne zi -
tiert, j edoch ekl ektisch mi t einer Bart bi l dung des 5.
Jahrhunderts kombi ni ert .
Der vor die spu l e nf r mi ge Fi nge rst t ze gesetzte
kl eine Sil enskopf ( Abb. 7) zeigt eine hnl i ch ekl ektische
Mi sc hung hel l enistischer u nd klassischer Charakteri-
stika. Di e etwas schematische Wiedergabe des Bartes
erinnert durchaus an den Panskopf ( Abb. 6). Detail s,
wi e der Efeukranz mi t den gr o e n Korymben, folgen da-
gegen Vorbi l dern des sp t e n 4. u nd 3. Jahrhunderts.
2 2
Auf f l l ig sind j edoch die nach spt he l l e ni st i sche r Ma -
nier eingezogenen Kont ure n einiger Ef e ubl t t e r.
2 3
Der f i grl i che De kor steht somit einem bereits vo n
vergleichen (Toronto 910.205.3): J. W. Hayes, Greek, Roman, and Re-
lated Metalware in the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, 1984), 26ff., Nr.
31, Abb. 31.
17. Silenskopf an einem Kantharos des 5. Jhs. aus Goljamata
Mogil a i n Plovdiv, Archol . Mus. 1634: I . Venedikov, T. Gerassimov,
Thrakische Kunst (Wien, 1973), 344, Taf. 168.
18. Kratertypus Mahdia-Borghese: H. Froning, Marmor-Schmuck-
reliefs mit griechischen Mythen im 1. Jh. v. Chr. (Mainz, 1981), 141142,
Taf. 56, 1; 57, 1 (mit Li t . ) . Zu einem antiquarischen Detail vgl . Pfrom-
mer, "Studien," Anm. 73, 77. KP 117 (3. Jh.).
19. Froning, op. cit. 140-153, Taf. 57, 2.
20. Rom, Kapitolinisches Museum 275: Froning, op. cit. 141f.,
Anm. 9
21. Man vgl . etwa die Attasche eines Bronzeeimers aus Derveni.
Thessaloniki Mus.: M. Pfrommer, Jdl 98 (1983), 254, Abb. 12 (mit
Parallelen). Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 11 (1983), 142, Abb. 16.
22. S. o. Anm. 21.
23. Zu Vorstufen: Pfrommer, "Studien," 114. Die Einziehung ist
Abb. 7. Obere Henkelattasche der Bronzekanne in Abb.
1 mit dem Kopf eines Silens.
Abb. 8. Henkel eines silbernen Skyphos aus Vize. Istan-
bul, Archologisches Museum. Photo: mit
freundlicher Genehmigung, Deutsches Archo-
logisches Institut, Istanbul; W. Schiele.
den Schwanenattaschen der He nke l nahegelegten f rh-
kaiserzeitl ichen Ansatz nicht i m Weg.
DER BLATTKELCH
Wi e die Gef f or m l t sich auch der groe , den Ge-
f krpe r u mh l l e nde Bl attkel ch auf Vorbil der f rhhe l -
lenistischer Ze i t zurc kf hre n. Di e dreireihige, i n fla-
chem Rel ief ausge f hrt e Dekorat i on ge hr t zu den
Nymphaea Ne l umbo-Ke l che n mi t be rf al l e nde n Trauf-
spitzen gypt i sc h-f rhhe l l e ni st i sc he n Typs.
2 4
Di e Trauf-
spitzen sind nach pt ol e m i sc he r Tradition ornamental
verziert.
2 5
Wi e bei einer Reihe f rhhe l l e ni st i sche r De -
korationen wurde n zwischen die Bl attspitzen Bl t e n
eingeschal tet.
2 6
Wi e zu zeigen sein wi r d, erweist sich, ungeachtet
einiger spt erer Detail s, der gesamte De kor als Au f g r i f f
einer Dekorat i on des mi t t l eren 3. Jahrhunderts.
jedoch bei weitem nicht so stark wie an anderen frhkaiserzeitlichen
Denkml ern. Man vgl . etwa Efeu am Bel-Tempel von Palmyra:
H. Seyrig, R. Amy, E. Wi l l , Le temple de Bei Palmyre (Paris, 1975),
Taf 45, oben links.
24. Zu m vorhellenistischen Typus, Pfrommer, "Studien," 8691.
Zu frhen Beispielen mit eingeschalteten Bl ten, Pfrommer, "Stu-
dien," 87, KBk 58, 61, Taf 60. Aus frhhel l enistischer Zeit sind bis
heute nur mi t Akanthus gemischte Kelche bekannt, Pfrommer, "Stu-
dien," 95ff, doch drfte dies dem Zufal l der berl ieferung
zuzuschreiben sein. Fr einen reinen Nymphaea-Kelch mi t gypti-
schen Kronen anstelle der Bl ten, vgl . Pfrommer, "Studien," 100, 116,
120f, KBk 60, Taf 61. Pfrommer, GettyMusJ\2> (1985), 15, Abb. 9. Zu
einem reinen Nymphaea-Kelch vgl . auch ein Bronzebecken i m J. Paul
Getty Mus. 80.AC.84:. Pfrommer, GettyMus] 13 (1985), 9-18, Abb. 1.
25. Pfrommer, "Studien," 111, 120f Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 13
(1985), 14-17.
26. Pfrommer, "Studien," 95-116, Taf. 52; 53a, b.
Abb. 9. Henkelattasche eines Marmorkraters. Rom, Ka-
pitolinisches Museum 275.
22 Pfrommer
Abb. 10. Bl t e ns c hmu c k des Bl attkel chs auf de m K r pe r Abb. 11. Bl t e ns c hmu c k des Bl attkel chs auf de m K r pe r
der Bronzekanne i n Abb. 1 ( Bl t e ngr u ppe A) . der Bronzekanne i n Abb. 1 ( Bl t e ng r u ppe B) .
De r Bl t e ns c hmu c k der be rf al l e nde n Traufspitzen
der ersten u nd zweiten Kel chreihe schl i et eine Dat i e-
r ung der mu t ma l i c he n Vorbil der vor dem mi t t l eren 3.
Jahrhundert aus.
2 7
Di e De t ai l durchf ormung des N y m -
phaeabl attwerks selbst ist unmi t t el bar mi t dem De kor
einer Bronzevase vorgebl ich iranischer Provenienz zu
verbinden, die nicht f rher als das 1. vorchristl iche Jahr-
hundert angesetzt werden kann.
2 8
Zu vergl eichen sind
vor al l em Detail s wi e die feine Doppe l kont ur der Bl at t -
r nde r u nd Mi t t e l ri ppe n. Abwei chend vo n klassischen
u nd f rhhe l l e ni st i sche n Beispiel en mi t Nymphaea
Ne l umbo- De kor at i on wur de n die Bl attadern nicht ko n-
vex herausgearbeitet,
2 9
sondern wi e bei der Bronzevase
u nd bei einem Becken gl eichen Material s i m J. Paul
Getty Muse um eingetieft.
3 0
Frhhel l enistische und
spthel l enistisch-frhkaiserzeitl iche Bl attprofil ierungen
verhalten sich somit bei diesen Beispielen wi e Positiv
zu Negativ.
I m Gegensatz zu der normalerweise bl ichen Kel ch-
anordnung reduzierte der Toreut bei der Mal ibu-Kanne
die H he der zweiten und dritten Kelchreihe, u m Raum
fr die gr o e n Bl t e nkomposi t i one n zu schaffen. Bemer-
kenswert ist weiterhin der alternierende Wechsel der
Bl attformen i n dem hintersten Kelchregister. Neben w i n-
zigen Nymphaea Ne l u mbo - Bl t t c he n findet sich hier
miniaturisierter Akanthus,
3 1
sowie einfach gezahntes
Bl attwerk. I m Grundaufbau ist der Bl attkel ch jedoch
nicht von f rhhel l enistischen Beispielen zu trennen. Dies
gil t auch fr die Verwendung ornamental gefl l ter Trauf-
spitzen bei den Nymphae abl t t e rn.
DI E B L T E N F O R M E N
Di e zwischen den Bl attspitzen stehenden Bl t e nko m-
positionen fol gen dem ital isierenden, makedonischen
Bl t e nr e pe r t o i r e .
3 2
Sowohl der Bl t e ng r u ppe A ( Abb.
10, 12) wi e auch B ( Abb. 11, 12) l iegen St o c kwe r kbl t e n
ital ischen Typs zugrunde ( Abb. 13) .
3 3
Be i m Typus A w c hst aus einer g r o e n Ke l c hbl t e
mi t auf wendigem Basiskel ch eine g r o e Knospe, die
ihrerseits aus einem g r o e n Kel ch mi t zur Seite geschla-
genen Bl t t c he n entwickel t ist. Di e Ko mpo si t i o n ist i n
der ital isch-makedonischen Orname nt i k bereits i m aus-
gehenden 4. Jahrhundert angelegt, wi e etwa die Bl t e n-
komposi t i on auf Textil ien des "Phil ippgrabes" i n Ver-
gina zeigt ( Abb. 13) .
3 4
Verwandte Komposi t i one n f i n-
den sich auch i m f r hpt o l e m i sc he n Repertoire.
3 5
Au c h
die aus dieser g r o e n Bl t e wachsenden kl einen Bl t -
chen unterschiedl ichen Typs kehren i n nahezu i de n-
tischer Fo r m auf den zitierten Textil ien wi e de rwi e
etwa die kl einen, i m Prof i l gegebenen Ke l c hbl t e n mi t
27. Als eines der frhesten Beispiele vgl . einen Becher i n New
York, Brookl yn Mus., 55.183: Pfrommer, "Studien," 119 KBk 66, KaB
A 48, Taf. 61. Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 13 (1985), 15, Abb. 8. Bei diesem,
aus einer gyptischen Werkstatt stammenden Gef, ist das Fl l motiv
rein abstrakt und nicht pflanzlich.
28. New York, Metropol itan Mus. of Ar t 66.235: Pfrommer,
GettyMusJ 13 (1985), 12, Abb. 5a. Pfrommer, "Studien," Anm. 518.
Vgl . auch das o. Anm. 24 zitierte Becken.
29. Vgl . Pfrommer, "Studien," 8691 und die dort zitierten
Beispiele.
30. S.o. Anm. 24.
31. Mgl icherweise bezog der Toreut seine Anregung von den
Miniaturakanthusbl ttchen i n ptol emischen Blattkelchdekorationen
des 3. Jhs.: Pfrommer, "Studien," 116.
32. Zu diesem Repertoire Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 119-190, bes.
140-147.
33. Zur Definition: Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 126, Abb. 1.
34. Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 145, Abb. 8. M. Andronicos, Vergina.
The Royal Tombs and the Ancient City (Athens, 1984), 195, Abb. 156,
157. Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 13 (1985), 17, Abb. 11.
Abb. 12. Ze i c hnung des Bl attkel chs u nd des l esbischen Kymat i ons am Halsansatz der Kanne i n Abb. 1. Ze i c hnung vo n Mar t ha
Breen Bredemeyer.
den sil bern eingel egten Fruchtknoten. Spt e Beispiele
dieses Typs begegnen noch i m mi t t l eren 3.
Jahrhundert.
3 6
Einige Ei ge nt ml i c hke i t e n unterscheiden die Bl t e n-
gruppe A ( Abb. 10, 12) von spt kl assi sch-f rhhe l l e ni -
stischen Beispiel en. Zu nennen ist etwa die Lo t o sbl t e n
ange n he r t e Ausgestal tung der eigentl ichen Ke l chbl t e .
Diese Variante des spt kl assi schen Mo t i vs begegnet als
be kr ne nde Bl t e auch bei der Bl t e nko mpo s i t i o n B
( Abb. 11, 12) u nd ist, wi e das zitierte Bronzebecken i n
Mal i bu zeigt, i n dieser Ausgestal tung wahrscheinl ich
dem 1. Jahrhundert v. Chr. zuzuweisen.
3 7
Auc h hier
l iegen j edoch die Wurze l n i m f rhhe l l e ni st i sche n Re-
pertoire, wi e ein Gi psabg u einer pt o l e m i sc he n Phiale
des f rhe re n oder mi t t l eren 3. Jahrhunderts be st t i gt .
3 8
Be i der Ko mpo si t i o n A ist wei t erhi n die be r aus feste
Verbindung vo n Ke l c hbl t e u nd be kr ne nde r Knospe
bemerkenswert. Di e beiden Bl t e n stecken f rml i c h i n-
einander, wi e w i r es spt e st e ns seit augusteischer Ze i t
an Bl t e nkande l abe r n kennen.
3 9
Auc h dieses De t ai l
spricht fr eine Entstehung der Vase nicht vor dem aus-
gehenden 1. Jahrhundert v. Chr.
Beachtung verdient we i t e rhi n die Ausgestal tung des
oberen Bl t e nr ande s der Ke l c hbl t e n. A u f den be r -
fal l enden Bl t e nr and setzte der Toreut eine Perlreihe.
Abb. 13. Bl t e nko mpo si t i o n eines Stoffes aus dem " Phi l -
i ppgrab" vo n Vergina. Thessal oniki, Ar c h o -
l ogisches Mu se u m.
Diese De t ai l f orm ist meines Wissens i m Repertoire
des sp t e n 4. u nd f rhe re n 3. Jahrhunderts nicht ge l u-
f ig, sie findet sich j edoch i n der zweiten Hl f t e des
3. Jahrhunderts auf dem Giebel des Sirenensarko-
phags aus Me mphi s,
4 0
eine Parallele, die angesichts des
gypt i sc he n Nymphaea Nel umbo-Kel ches der Kanne
u nd ihres mu t ma l i c he n Fundortes sicherl ich nicht
zuf l l ig ist.
Di e Bl t e ng r u ppe B ( Abb. 11, 12) ist hnl i ch aufge-
baut wi e A, doch ko mmt hier das f rhhe l l e ni st i sche
35. Man vgl . etwa Bl ten auf den Reliefs des Petosirisgrabes von
Hermupolis: Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 180, Abb. 20b, sowie einen
Gipsabgu aus Mi t Rahine i n Hildesheim, Pelizaeus Mus. 1161: C.
Reinsberg, Studien zur hellenistischen Toreutik (Hildesheim, 1980), 66f.,
303, Nr. 19, Abb. 32. Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 186, Abb. 23, 34.
36. An den Antenkapitellen des Naiskos von Didyma: Th.
Wiegand, H. Knackfu, Didyma. Die Baubeschreibung (Berl in, 1941), F
530, Taf. 190. Zur Datierung vgl . Pfrommer, Istanbuler Mitteilungen 37
(1987), i m Druck.
37. Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 13 (1985), 17.
38. Hildesheim, Pelizaeus Mus. 1141: Reinsberg, op. cit., 55f., 299,
Abb. 21. Pfrommer, "Studien," 153, Anm. 375, 990.
39. Man vgl . etwa die ra Pacis: G. Moretti, ra Pacis Augustae
(Rom, 1948), Taf. 1 (Rankenpfeiler).
40. Kairo, gyptisches Mus. CG 33102: C. C. Edgar, Graeco-Egyp-
tian Coffins, Masks and Portraits, Catalogue Generale des Antiquites Egyp-
tiennes (Kairo, 1905), 2f. Taf. 2. Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982), 179f, Abb. 19
(Blte). Pfrommer, "Studien," 135, Anm. 884, 1079 (mit Li t . ) .
24 Pfrommer
Formengut noch unverkennbarer zu m Tragen. Di e bei -
den Bl t e n der St ockwe rkkomposi t i on sind noch re-
gel recht mi t ei nem Stiel verbunden u nd stecken nicht
so fest ineinander. De r drei bl t t ri ge Basiskel ch der
g r o e n Ke l c hbl t e erinnert al l erdings an sp t e st he l l e -
nistische Bi l dunge n wi e an de m Bronzebecken i n
Mal i bu ,
4 1
j edoch lassen sich fr den Bl t e nt ypu s mi t
gezacktem Kel chrand unschwer spt kl assi sche u nd
f rhhe l l e ni st i sche Anal ogi en anf hr e n.
4 2
Dasselbe gi l t
fr die Dif f erenzierung zwischen dem dreidimensional
gegebenen unteren Bl at t we rk der Lo t o sbl t e u nd den
i n Profil ansicht ausge f hr t e n oberen Bl t t e r n.
4 3
Chronol ogi sch vo n g r o e r Bedeutung sind sc hl i e -
l i ch die l ngl i che n Arazeen, die sich f ormal an Beispiele
am Laodikebau i n Mi l e t anschl i e e n, ein Ge b u de , das
wahrscheinl ich i n das mittl ere 3. Jahrhundert datiert.
4 4
Au c h diese Bl t e nf o r m deutet somi t auf ein f r hhe l -
lenistisches Vor bi l d der Dekorat i on.
I m Gegensatz zu diesen f rhe n Formen steht der erst
i m ausgehenden Hel l enismus auf kommende Typus der
be kr ne nde n Lo t o sbl t e mi t be r di me nsi o ni e r t e r Ze n-
t ral bl t e, auf den bereits verwiesen wur de .
4 5
DI E B L T E N I N D E N BL A T T S P I T ZE N DE R
N Y MP H A E A - BL T T E R
Eine Lo t o sbl t e wi e die be kr ne nde Bl t e der
Gruppe B dient auch als F l l mo t i v der be r h ng e nde n
Traufspitzen der ersten Kel chreihe ( Abb. 12). Al s
Fl l bl t e des Lotos ist diesmal eine Ke l c hbl t e mi t
gewel l tem, j edoch nicht be r f al l e nde m Rand g e w hl t .
4 6
Di e beiden rahmenden, aus der g r o e n Lo t o sbl t e
entwickel ten Bl t e n mi t dr e i bl t t r i ge m Basiskel ch
f inden engste Anal ogi en auf einem f rhhe l l e ni st i sche n
Kiesel mosaik aus Pella V I .
4 7
A u f der Kanne sind bei
diesen Bl t e n die Fruchtknoten bzw. das Bl t e ni nne r e
mi t Sil ber eingelegt. Di e ganze Bl t e ng r u ppe w c hst
aus zwe i wi nzi ge n, ge ge nst ndi ge n Vol uten, die i n ganz
unnatural istischer Weise aus den R nde r n der g r o e n
Nymphae abl t t e r entwickel t wurde n.
I m Aufbau verwandte Bl t enkomposi t i onen schmcken
schl i el i ch die be rf al l e nde n Bl attspitzen der zweiten
g r o e n Kel chreihe ( Abb. 12). Di e aus einem Akant hus-
kel ch bzw. aus gl attem Bl at t we rk wachsende Knospe
41. Pfrommer, GettyMus] 13 (1985), 17, Abb. I d ( A- C) . Weiterhin
17, Abb. 5b.
42. Etwa ein Kieselmosaik aus Athen: Pfrommer, Jdl 97 (1982),
168, Abb. 14, oder eine apulische Schale i n Ruvo: op. cit., 125, Abb. 27.
43. Vgl . etwa Bl ten an der Goldlarnax des "Philippgrabes." Thes-
saloniki Mus.: Pfrommer, Jdl98 (1983), 249, Abb. 7.
44. M. Pfrommer, Istanbuler Mitteilungen 36 (1986), 84, Taf 27.1.
45. S.o. Anm. 24.
46. Al s Beispiel fr viele: Krater i n Neapel, Privatbesitz: A. D.
i m Ze nt rum findet sowohl sptkl assische wi e auch f rh-
hel l enistische Paral l el en.
4 8
Dasselbe gi l t fr die kl ei nen
rahmenden Bl t c he n mi t sil bernen Frucht knot e n.
4 9
Entgegen der h ng e nde n Ori e nt i e rung der Pal metten
i n den Traufspitzen auf dem e r w hnt e n Bronzebecken
i n Mal i bu
5 0
sind die Bl t e ng r u ppe n i n den Bl attspitzen
der Oi nochoe nach oben orientiert. Da es sich j a u m
nach vorne be r h ng e nde Traufspitzen handel n sol l ,
w r e eine h ng e nde Ano r dnu ng der De korat i on an u nd
fr sich konsequenter, doch finden wi r seit f rhhel l eni-
stischer Zeit i n der Regel stehende Bl t e nkomposi t i one n.
BL A T T K E L CH U N D BL T E N .
Z U S A MME N F A S S U N G
Sowohl i m Bl attkel ch wi e auch i n den Bl t e nf o r me n
spiegeln sich zwei unterschiedl iche Phasen der Orna-
ment ent wi ckl ung. De r Ent wu r f wi e auch die be r -
wiegende Zahl der Einzel f ormen sind dem Reper-
toire des ausgehenden 4. u nd der ersten Hl f t e des 3.
Jahrhunderts verpfl ichtet, wobe i die entwickl ungsge-
schichtl ich spt e st e n Det ai l f ormen i n die Mi t t e des 3.
Jahrhunderts datieren. Dies gi l t insbesondere fr die i n
dieser Ze i t i m pt o l e m i sc he n Bereich auf kommenden
" ge f l l t e n" Bl attspitzen.
A u f der anderen Seite sprechen einige Ei g e nt ml i c h-
keiten der Bl t e n wi e auch die Gestal tung der R nde r
der Nymphaea Ne l u mbo - Bl t t e r fr eine Entstehung
der Vase nicht vor dem sp t e n 1. Jahrhundert v. Chr.
Angesichts dieses Befundes bieten sich zwei De u -
t u ng sm g l i c hke i t e n an. Entweder haben w i r es bei der
Dekorat i on mi t einer Nac hsc h pf u ng i m Stil des 3.
Jahrhunderts zu t un, oder es handel t sich u m eine ge-
ri ngf gi g i m Stil der f rhe n Kaiserzeit modif izierte
Kopi e eines f r hpt o l e m i sc he n Ornaments. Dies ist or-
namentgeschichtl ich vo n g r o e m Interesse, da bisher
unter den erhal tenen f r hpt o l e m i sc he n Dekorat i onen
die auf der Kanne vertretene Entwickl ungsstuf e al exan-
drinischer Bl attkel chornamentik nicht berl i ef ert ist.
DI E WE I N R A N K E
Di e Weinreben sind zeitl ich weitaus schwerer einzu-
grenzen. Vergleichbar, we nn auch ohne die kompl i zi e r-
ten Verschl ingungen, ist der De kor des Kratertypus
Trendall, A. Cambitoglou, The Red-Figured Vases of Apulia I I (Oxford,
1982), 923, Taf. 358 (unten Mitte, hinter dem l inken Eros). Ver-
gleichbar ist hier nur die perspektivische Ansicht und nicht der Bl -
tentypus an sich.
47. D. Salzmann, "Untersuchungen zu den antiken Kieselmo-
saiken," Archologische Forschungen 10 (Berl in, 1982), 29f, Nr. 105, Taf.
38, 5 (links). Pfrommer, "Studien," 128f, 131, 138.
48. Als Beispiel fr viele etwa ein Kieselmosaik aus Pella: Salz-
mann, op. cit., 105f, Nr. 98, Taf. 31, 4.
Abb. 14. Ze i c hnung der Weinranke auf de m Hal s der Bronzekanne i n Abb. 1. Ze i c hnung vo n Mar t ha Breen Bredemeyer.
Borghese-Mahdia,
5 1
doch l t sich der gestreckte Ran-
kenverl auf der Zwe i ge bereits i n spt kl assi scher Ze i t
bel egen.
5 2
Di e We i nbl t t e r der Oi nochoe entsprechen nicht
mehr den vi e rsi ge n Beispiel en des spt e re n 4. u nd 3.
Jahrhunderts, doch ist zu beachten, da bei Weinbl att-
we rk i n der Regel ohnehin mehrere Varianten nebenein-
ander stehen.
5 3
Di e kompl izierte Verschl ingung der Zwe i ge an den
Kreuzungspunkten l t sich bereits an einer pt o l e m -
ischen Dekorat i on des 3. Jahrhunderts belegen ( Abb.
15) ,
5 4
so da auch hier ein f rhhe l l e ni st i sche s Vorbi l d,
unter Ums t nde n sogar ein pt ol e m i sc he s, angenom-
men werden kann.
DAS LES BI S CHE K Y M A T I O N
Das lesbische Kymat i o n l t sich ebenfalls auf eine
Anre gung des f rhe re n 3. Jahrhunderts zur c kf hr e n.
Beispiele mi t geschwungener Ko nt u r u nd rel ativ hoher
Bl attspitze erscheinen bereits gegen 300 v. Chr .
5 5
De r
Verzicht auf eine breite Bl attspitze deutet eher auf einen
Ansatz i m f rhen als i m mittl eren 3. Jahrhundert. Etwas
befremdl ich w i r kt die i n der Traufspitze der Bl t t e r mi t
einem Kni c k we i t e rge f hrt e , dreifach konturierte Bl at t -
rahmung des Kymations. Mgl i c he r we i se zeigt sich
hier die Handschrif t des f rhkai serzei t l i chen Toreuten.
Wahrscheinl ich ist dies indes bei der kurzen, kei l f r-
mi ge n Spal tung der Kymat i e nbl t t e r, eine Ei g e nt m-
l ichkeit, die sich auch an anderen toreutischen Kymat i e n
Abb. 15. Gi ps abg u aus Me mphi s. Hi l de she i m, Pel i-
zaeus Mu s e u m 1135.
49. Man vgl . etwa das Gnosismosaik aus Pella: Salzmann, op. cit.,
107f., Nr. 103, Taf. 29 (neben dem Petasos des rechten Jgers).
50. Pfrommer, GettyMusJ13 (1985), 15, Abb. I d: H.
51. H. Froning, Marmor-Schmuckreliefs mit griechischen Mythen im
l.Jh. v. Chr. (Mainz, 1981), 146, Taf. 58, 1.
52. Golddekorierte Schwarzfirniskeramik. Krater aus Capua i n
London, Brit. Mus. 71.7-22.3: G. Kopeke, AM 79 (1964), 32, Nr. 42,
Beil . 19, 1 (oben rechts).
53. Zu m viersigen Typus vgl . man etwa den Alexandersarkophag:
V. v. Graeve, "Der Alexandersarkophag und seine Werkstatt," Ist-
Forsch 28 (Berlin, 1970), Taf. 57. Als Gegenbeispiel vgl . man zwei
der Begleittheken: op. cit., Taf. 3.
54. Abgu, wahrscheinlich eines Schwertknaufs aus Mi t Rahine i n
Hildesheim, Pelizaeus Mus. 1135: Reinsberg, op. cit., 64f, 302, Nr. 17,
Abb. 25. Pfrommer, "Studien," 94, Anm. 65, 1324 KBk 95.
55. vgl . etwa Pfrommer, GettyMusJ\2> (1985), 12, Abb. 4.
26 Pfrommer
des ausgehenden Hel l enismus nachweisen l t .
5 6
Di e anstelle der Zwischenspitzen i n dem Kymat i o n
verwendeten Pal metten u nd Bl t e n entsprechen de m
Repertoire spt kl assi scher u nd f rhhe l l e ni st i sche r To-
reutik, so da man auch das Kymat i o n auf ein f r hhe l -
lenistisches Vorbi l d zu r c kf hr e n darf .
5 7
Z U S A MME N F A S S U N G
Obwo hl bei der Kanne i n Fo r m u nd De kor i n be-
t r c ht l i c he m Umf ang f rhhe l l e ni st i sche Formen zitiert
sind, ist sie schwerl ich vor der augusteischen Ze i t gear-
beitet worden. Diese spt e Entstehungszeit schl gt sich
unter anderem i n der ekl ektischen Bi l du ng der Pans-
kopf-Attasche nieder. I m ornamental en Bereich findet
sie i hren besten Ausdruck i n den Schwanenatt as chen
des Henkel s.
Insbesondere der Bl attkel ch l t sich auf das f r h-
al exandrinische Repertoire zu r c kf hr e n u nd auch bei
anderen Formen l i e e n sich Verbindungen zu pt o l e m -
ischen Formen ziehen, wobe i die i m pt o l e m i sc he n
g ypt e n vorauszusetzende italisierende, makedonische
Ornament t radi t i on i mme r wieder bei dem Bl t e nr e pe r -
toire zu m Tragen kam. Di e Dekorat i on i mi t i e r t oder
kopiert eine Stilstufe pt ol e m i sc he r Orname nt e nt wi ck-
l ung, die uns bisher an Beispiel en dieser Qu al i t t nicht
erhal ten ist.
Das Ori gi nal oder die Vorbil der der De korat i on w i r d
man i m pt o l e m i sc he n Bereich zu suchen haben. Ver-
bindet man dies mi t dem mu t ma l i c he n Fundort i m
Meer vor Al exandria, so w i r d man auf ein al exandri-
nisches Atel ier etwa der augusteischen Ze i t schl i e e n
drf en, das gezielt auf das be r ko mme ne eigene
Formengut zurckgrif f . Trotz ihrer sp t e n Entstehung
steht die Kanne somit i n der Tradition hellenistischer Ge-
f ko pi e n.
5 8
Ni c ht mehr zu kl re n ist, ob die Kanne
i n Fo r m u nd De kor auf ein einziges Vorbi l d zu r c kge ht ,
oder ob der al exandrinische Toreut seine Anr e gung vo n
verschiedenen Ge f e n u nd Dekorat i onen bezog.
Deutsches Arch ol i gi sche s
I nstitut, Istanbul
56. Pfrommer, Getty Mus] 13 (1985), 12, Abb. 1, e: A. Diese Eigen-
tml ichkeit findet sich auch gelegentlich auf l teren Kymatien. Situla
aus Pastrovo i n Plovdiv, Archol ogisches Museum 1847: I . Venedikov,
T. Gerassimov, Thrakische Kunst (Wien, 1973), 339, Taf. 107.
57. Zu diesem Mot i v: Pfrommer, GettyMusJ 13 (1985), 11, Abb. 1,
c; e.A.
58. Vgl . M. Pfrommer, GettyMusJW (1983), 135-146.
The God Apollo, a Ceremonial Table with Griffins,
and a Votive Basin
Cornelius C. Vermeule
Three very different wor ks o f Greek art have come to
Mal i b u together (figs. 13). The most reliable i nfor ma-
t i on seems to indicate that they were found as a group
i n ruins i n a mound, probably i n western Greek lands.
The statue o f Apol l o has been carved fr om marble
whi ch certainly comes fr om At t i ca, and the t wo elegant
objects o f furni turea ceremonial table and a vot i ve
basinhave been fashioned out o f marble fr om the
Aegean Islands o f Greece, not Thasos i n the nor t h but
the area o f Paros or Naxos i n the Cyclades.
The purpose o f this study is to argue that all three
sculptures were fashioned about the same t i me, near the
end o f the four t h century B . C . or at the begi nni ng o f the
t hi r d, and that they were made or assembled as a cohe-
sive group i n anti qui ty.
1
Furthermore, when considered
together, the subjects and iconographic details o f the
three objects suggest connections between the Macedo-
ni an ki ngdoms after the death o f Alexander the Great
and Megale Hellas, the Greek wo r l d i n southern Italy.
The powerful personality who l i nked these regions t o-
gether at this t i me was Pyrrhus, Ki n g o f Epi rus
(319272 B . C . ) , who for a peri od before 283 B . C . con-
t rolled hal f o f Macedoni a and Thessaly. Shortly thereaf-
ter, he came to the southernmost part o f Italy to help
Tarent um i n the struggle against the Romans.
At Locr i Epi zephyr i i , located on the ball o f the foot
o f the Italian "boot , " i n ancient Br ut t i um (Reggio Cal -
abria), Ki n g Pyrrhus struck a silver di drachm that is, to
At the Getty Museum thanks are due to John Walsh, Director,
Mari on True, Curator, and Arthur Houghton, former Associate
Curator, for permission to publish these sculptures. Sandra Knudsen
Morgan, former Editor, was, as she has been for well over a decade, a
constant source of help and inspiration. Ji fi Frei was extremely helpful
wi t h scholarly ideas and general information at the time these sculp-
tures first came to notice. At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Jan
Fontein, Director, and colleagues i n the Department of Classical
Ar t Mar y Comstock, John Herrmann, Florence Wolsky, Emi ly Ver-
meule, and Michael Padgetthave been most supportive.
1. These sculptures were catalogued by the present writer as nos.
8, 9, and 10 i n Catalogue of a Collection of Greek, Etruscan and Roman
Antiquities (Cambridge, Mass., 1984), when they were i n private hands
i n New York and London. Thanks also are offered to the former
owners for help i n studying the three sculptures, and other works of
art, over the past years.
my mi nd, one small piece o f evidence connecti ng the
lekanis, or louter (basin), wi t h the trapezophoros (table
support); after a few myt hologi cal and geographical
speculations, this l i nk can be made to extend to the
statue o f Apol l o. These connections suggest that an i m-
portant person i n t ouch wi t h bot h Macedoni an and I t al -
ian-Greek affairs, perhaps Ki n g Pyrrhus himself, dedi -
cated this ensemble i n a sacred area somewhere along
the western coast o f the Adri at i c Sea.
A P O L L O
The yout hful god stands wi t h his wei ght on the left
leg, the left hi p t hr own sli ghtly out war d (fig. 1). The
r i ght leg and r i ght foot were sli ghtly advanced. There
are remains o f a gr i ffi n seated at the left foot, its r i ght
wi n g cur l i ng up between the god's left hi p and the
cloak wrapped around his left arm. Thi s cloak is dr awn
around, and covers most of, the back; i t hangs over the
r i ght shoulder wi t h an extra fold. I n his hair the god
wears a fi llet, flanked by braids. Thi s fi llet is ti ed wi t h a
knot at the back; the t wo ends lie over the carefully
arranged hair. At the brow, the hair is tucked under the
fillet i n such a way as to allow t wo curls to spiral do wn
i n front o f the ears.
2
Apollo' s lowered left hand, perhaps hol di ng an arrow,
rested above the wi ngs o f the gr i ffi n, and the r i ght
hand, perhaps hol di ng a bow, was raised and extended.
Alternati vely, the extended r i ght hand may have held a
2. Accession number 85.AA.108. H (max.): 148 cm (58V4"); W
(max. at the rib cage): 46 cm (Wis), (max. at plinth): 57.5 cm (22
5
/s");
D (max. at the left side of the pli nth between the griffin's forepaws):
24.8 cm (9
3
A"). H (max. o f plinth): 3 cm ( I W) .
Greek marble wi t h fine but evident crystals, i n my opinion, proba-
bly Pentelic and surely from Attica. Remains of an i ron dowel are
found i n the rectangular hole below the cloak, against the right shoul-
der. The mark of a modern plow runs from below the right shoulder
to the middle of the right thigh. The breaks are visible i n the photo-
graphs. There are no restorations. The surfaces of the flesh were well
finished but were not highly polished. The same is true of the drapery
or cloak, both front and back. Hair and diadem are less finely
finished, save for the diadem i n front whi ch matches the flesh sur-
faces. There are root marks and encrustation at various places over the
god, the griffin, and the plinth. See "Acquisitions/1985," The J . Paul
Getty Museum Journal 14 (1986), no. 6, p. 181.
28 Vermeule
l i bat i on dish (phiale) and the l owered left, the bow, or
even bot h a bo w and an arrow.
3
Thi s impressive statue is neither a wo r k o f the pe-
r i o d between late Archaic and early Transitional Greek
scul pture nor a sleek eclectic creation o f the Pasitelean
period i n Naples and Rome o f circa 85 B . C . and later i n
the first century.
4
Whi l e incorporating memories o f At -
tic and South Ital ian Greek scul pture at the t i me o f the
Persian Wars, the stance and the softened forms o f the
body mark this carving as a wo r k o f the late f ourt h
century B . C . or a generation later, infl uenced by the so-
called Praxitel ean traditions o f Greek scul pture. The
techniques o f carvingthe f i ni shi ng i n the hair, flesh,
diadem, and drapery and the details o f animal and
pl inthas we l l as the simpl if ied piecing w i t h dowel s,
conf orm to practices o f around 300 B . C . Thi s Apo l l o
bel ongs among the rare examples o f so-called " A r -
chaizing" Greek art o f the period before the late
Hel l enistic age.
Research over the past century, particul arl y since the
First and Second Wo r l d Wars, makes i t evident that
" Archai st i c" Greek art began i n the fifth or f ourt h cen-
tury, rather than i n the period o f copyism i n the first
century B . C . Mo de r n terminol ogies ( " Archai zi ng, "
"Archaistic, " and " Li nge ri ng Archaic") are expl ained by
B. S. Ri dgway i n The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture.
5
The Getty Apol l o, by Ridgway's criteria, can be classed
as " Archai zi ng. " I t is "a wo r k o f scul pture whi c h be-
l ongs clearly and unequivocal l y to a period later than
480 and whi c h, for al l its differences i n plastic treatment
o f drapery and t ri di mensi onal i t y o f poses, retains a few
f ormal traits o f Archaic style, such as coiffure, pattern o f
folds, gestures or the l i ke . "
6
Unl i ke the Apo l l o f r o m the
House o f Menander at Pompei i w i t h its col d, pol ished
Figure 1. Statue of the god Apol l o. Greek, circa
320-280 B . C . Marble. H (max.): 148 cm
(58
1
/ / ); W (max. at the rib cage): 46 cm
(18V8
W
); D (max. at the left side of the pl inth):
24.8 cm ( 9W) . Mal ibu, The J. Paul Getty
Museum 85.AA.108.
3. A precedent for the griffin as attribute and support placed close
to one leg is found i n a statue o f Dionysos wi t h his panther positioned
at the bottom o f the drapery that falls from his right wrist; the sculp-
ture was found i n a house at Priene. See Theodor Wiegand and H.
Schrder, Priene (Berl in, 1904), pp. 368-369, fig. 463.
4. The trul y Roman version o f such a statue is the youthful Ap-
ollo i n the Archaic style i n the Museo Nazionale, Naples, from the
House o f Menander at Pompeii. See J. B. Ward-Perkins, A. Claridge,
and J. Herrmann, Pompeii, A.D. 19 (Boston, 1978), vol . 2, no. 83, p.
148. The archetype o f the Apol l o studied here was copied i n Jul io-
Claudian times i n the small marble statue i n the Palazzo della Banca
d'ltalia, Via Nazionale, Rome, showing that the original belonged to
the first years after, or, i n Sicily, the last moments of, the Persian-
Carthaginian wars. See E. Paribeni, " Di un nuovo tipo di Apol l o di
stile severo," Antike Plastik 17, Teil 6 (1978), pp. 101-105, pis. 50-52.
5. See Christine Mitchel l Havelock, "Archaistic Reliefs of the
Hellenistic Period," AJA 68 (1964), pp. 42, 44, pi. 17, fig. 1, a relief o f
Hermes and the nymphs belonging to the fourth century B . C ., circa
320. See B. S. Ridgway, The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture (Prince-
ton, 1977), pp. 303-319, and bibliography, pp. 320-322.
6. Ridgway (supra, note 5), p. 303.
The God Apollo 29
Figures 2a-b. Top, Cer emoni al table wi t h gri ffi ns. Greek, circa 320280 B . C . Mar ble. H ( max. at t op o f wi ngs) : 95 c m (37
7 i
6
") ; W ( max. at pl i nt h) : 20 c m (77s"), (at t op o f wi ngs) : 22 c m (87s"); L ( max.) : 148 c m ( 587
2
") . Bottom, back.
Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um 85. AA.106.
30 Vermeule
Figure 3a. Vot i ve basin. Greek, circa 320280 B . C . Mar bl e. H ( max.) : 30.8 c m (1276"); Di a m ( max. i ncl udi ng handles): 60 c m
(237s"), ( max. at r i m) : 56 c m (22"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um 85. AA.107.
body and its si lly gr i ffi n l ooki ng li ke a puppy beggi ng
for a biscuit, this Apo l l o shows its or i gi nal i t y by i ncor-
porat i ng onl y those "Ar chai zi ng" elements, notably the
coiffure, necessary to i dent i fy the statue as a moder n
( fourt h century B . C . ) restyli ng o f a venerable i mage
wi t h no attempts at academic i mi t at i on.
TA B L E SUPPORT: T WO GRI FFI NS A T T A CK I N G A
F A L L E N DEER
The t wo gri ffi ns crouch over thei r fallen prey, a deer,
on a r ough base si mi lar to those used for At t i c funerary
animals i n the four t h century B . C . (figs. 2ab). The
cur l i ng "I oni c, " or t radi t i onally East Greek, wi ngs are
soli d between, each havi ng a large, rectangular and
hori zont al slot and a vertical groove on the facing, i nner
surface. Thi s arrangement was probably designed for a
7. Accession number 85.AA.106. H (max. at top of wings): 95 cm
(37
7
he"); W (max. at plinth): 20 cm (7 7s"), (at top of wings): 22 cm
( 8W) ; L (max.): 148 cm (58V
2
").
Crystalline Greek island marble. There are numerous breaks care-
fully mended wi t h small pieces attached but wi t h no restorations.
Many traces o f the red, blue, and golden brown colors surviveto
wi t , the blue for the griffins' wings, bright red for the griffins' combs,
brown or fawn color for the fallen quadruped, red also for the blood
around the mouths of the griffins and the areas where their claws have
metal or wooden support for the table top, whi ch rested
on the cur l i ng upper surfaces o f these wi ngs.
7
The hi gh quali ty o f the carvi ng and the stylistic de-
tails o f the animals, notably the eye treated as a raised
circle or hal f a ball, all indicate a date o f executi on
wi t hi n the peri od o f the last At heni an funerary beasts,
whi ch extended fr om around the t i me o f Alexander the
Great's death t o the second decade o f the t hi r d century
B . C . For the functi onal use o f these gri ffi ns and the deer
as part o f a piece o f furni ture, however, we have to seek
parallels i n the best decorative carvi ng o f the peri od
around 80 B . C . and later, when so many more mo nu-
mental marble tables and thei r components survi ve.
8
Evidence fr om Pompei i and Herculaneum confi rms that
elaborate tables i n marble or metal had thei r places i n
the homes o f the wealthy, but they were also defi ni tely
dug into the unfortunate beast. The eyes of the griffins and especially
their eyeballs had brown underpainting, and the fallen animal's eyes
were red. The pli nth is roughly finished; the griffins' bodies are the
smoothest parts of the sculpture. See "Acquisitions/1985," The J. Paul
Getty Museum Journal 14 (1986), no. 4, p. 180.
8. This ensemble has also been published, wi thout illustration, by
the writer i n "Bench and Table Supports: Roman Egypt and Beyond,"
Studies in Ancient Egypt, the Aegean, and the Sudan: Essays in Honor of
Dows Dunham on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday, June 1, 1980, ed. W.
The God Apollo 31
Figure 3b. I nt er i or o f fi gure 3a.
part o f the furni shi ngs o f temples and had thei r places
i n elaborate tombs. Thi s was probably even more the
case i n the peri od around 300 B . C .
Gri ffi ns were myt hologi cal creatures associated wi t h
Apol l o i n the east, and by Classical ti mes the mo t i f o f
these beasts attacki ng a weaker quadruped symboli zed
the forces o f ci vi li zat i on over barbarism, the power o f
the sun rising fr om the east, or the divine determination
o f death (sometimes sudden and qui xoti c) to mortals.
9
As a piece o f furni ture, the subject as treated here was
no mere decoration for a Greek garden but was a power-
ful statement to be installed i n a major vot i ve context.
1 0
K. Simpson and W. Davis, Jr. (Boston, 1981), p. 183.
9. The ensemble has its painterly parallel on the front side of the
neck of the red-figured volute krater by the Aurora Painter, from
Falerii of about 325 B . C . See M. Sprenger, G. Bartolini, and M.
Hirmer, Die Etrusker, Kunst und Geschichte (Munich, 1977), p. 149,
pi. 228.
Dietrich von Bothmer has adduced and discussed parallels for the
griffins attacking a fallen deer i n Etruscan painting and sculpture of
about 300 B .c. i n the publication of an Etruscan red-figured kantharos
i n the Metropolitan Museum of Ar t (51.11.10): BMMA 10, no. 5 (1952),
pp. 145149, wi t h illustrations of the subject on both sides of the
kantharos, on the wall of the Francois Tomb, and on the end of the
older of the two Prince of Canino sarcophagi from Vulci i n the Mu-
seum of Fine Arts, Boston (86.145). For the sarcophagi, see also M. B.
Comstock and C. C. Vermeule, Sculpture in Stone (Boston, 1976), no.
383, pp. 244-246.
10. The same school of Attic or South Italian Greek sculptors who
carved the magnificent table support also modeled the two large ter-
32 Vermeule
BASI N WI T H SCULPTED DETAILS A ND A
PAI NTED SCENE I N THE I NTERI OR
The pai nt i ng i n the bowl ' s interior comprises a w hi r l -
i gi g o f three nereids, one on a hippocamp and t wo o n
ketoi; Thetis is shown hol di ng the shiel d o f Achil l es
(figs. 3ab). One other nereid hol ds a cuirass and the
t hi r d a hel met. The bo wl has ovol o, or egg-and-dart,
mo l di ng around the l i p; fluted handles w i t h floral bases,
whi c h j o i n the body as i f cast i n metal and riveted or
soldered on; a circul ar f oot enriched w i t h waterl eaf de-
sign; and, final l y, bel ow the fillet o f this foot, three
animal -f oot supports rising to the circul ar foot w i t h
I onic fluting.
11
These animal feet are set o n a t hi n,
sl ightl y irregul ar base, and there is a heavy, col umnar
support for the entire ensemble underneath.
1 2
Mu c h o f
the paint remains, and the colors used are: gol d for the
shiel d; purpl e for the nereids' garments; reds and blues
for the marine creatures as we l l as the foot o f the bo wl ,
the ani mal feet, the support, and the pl i nt h.
The fragil e nature o f the pai nt i ng i n the interior o f
this bo wl , a traditional Greek f ootbath, indicates that
the object was not made for practical use but for cere-
moni al purposes. Such a basin wo u l d have made a per-
fect dedication i n a templ e or shrine; i t coul d also have
been made as an of f ering to the gods and shades i n a
t omb, al though this particul ar pai nt i ng wi t hi n an object
carved circa 300 B . C . wo u l d have conveyed a poi nt ed
myt hol ogi cal , dynastic, and pol itical message. The
scene o f Thetis w i t h the shiel d o f Achil l es as focal poi nt
o f a whi r l i g i g o f nereids and sea creatures is watery i n-
deed, as befits a footbath, but its symbol i sm is del iber-
ately associated w i t h the Epi rot e ancestry o f the r u l i ng
Macedonians ( Al exander the Great t hrough his mother
Ol ympi as) and their cousins and renewed connections
i n Epi rus.
1 3
The most memorabl e o f these at this t i me
was Ki ng Pyrrhus.
CONCLUSI ON
Between about 320 and 280 B . C . , probabl y closer to
the latter date, an Apo l l o standing w i t h his gri f f i n at
racotta heads o f stags or deer i n Wrzburg. See E. Simon et al., Fhrer
durch die Antikenabteilung des Martin von Wagner Museums der Universitt
Wrzburg (Mainz, 1975), p. 226, pi. 56. There are Roman decorative
carvings o f comparable quality, but they are rare, e.g., the head of a
panther from a table support. See Jacques Chamay i n J. Dri g et al.,
Art antique: Collections privees de Suisse Romande (Geneva, 1975),
no. 375.
11. The famous nereid on a sea beast (ketos) depicted i n relief on
the l i d of a pyxis (jar) i n gold and silver from Canosa di Puglia that is
now i n the Museo Nazionale, Taranto, is a contemporary parallel. See
E. Langlotz and M. Hirmer, Ancient Greek Sculpture of South Italy and
Sicily (New York, 1965), pp. 69-70, pi. XX. For other, varied views o f
the subject, see H. Sichtermann, "Nereo e nereide," i n Enciclopedia
his side was carved i n a style that bl ended late Ar -
chaic features w i t h the softened forms o f Praxitel ean
youthful ness. To this spl endidl y accompl ished statue
was added a table supported by an ensemble consisting
o f t wo griffins sl aying a deer. The l eg o f this table
was large and strong enough to support a l i ght top o f
stone, metal , or wo o d on its o wn; there has been some
specul ation that there may have been a pendant trape-
zophoros, whi c h wo u l d be i n keeping w i t h the con-
struction o f such tables i n the Greek wo r l d f r o m early
Hel l enistic to Jul io-Cl audian and Fl avian (Pompeiian)
times. Final l y, there is a basin w i t h a l ow, rounded foot,
handles, and careful enrichment i mi t at i ng Greek metal -
wo r k o f the f ourt h century B . C . The interior o f the
basin was painted w i t h a marine myt hol ogi cal w hi r l -
i gi g, featuring Thetis r i di ng o n a sea beast and carryi ng
the shiel d o f Achil l es.
The table support and the basin were also probabl y
carved duri ng the years whe n Al exander the Great's
successors were consol idating their power, 320 to 280
B . C . The griffins ki l l i ng the deer were carried out as a
masterful el aboration i n painted marbl e o f motif s and
compositions f amil iar i n South Ital y f r o m the gil ded
terracotta reliefs o f Tarent um.
1 4
The basin represented
the best i mi t at i o n i n marbl e o f me t al work f rom the
Peloponnesus or Tarentum, embel l ished w i t h a painted
design popul ar i n the koine o f the f ourt h and t hi r d cen-
turies B . C . f r o m Ol ynt hos i n Macedonia to Tarentum
and beyond to Etruria.
To my mi nd, the chain that l i nks these three works o f
art together is the silver didrachm struck by Pyrrhus o f
Epirus, Macedonia, and Thessaly at Lo c r i sometime be-
fore 280 B . C . (figs. 4ab).
1 5
The reverse o f Thetis o n a
sea beast w i t h the shiel d o f Achil l es symbol izes the de-
scent o f bot h Al exander the Great and Pyrrhus f r o m
that hero; i t is also the mai n device painted i n the i nt e-
ri or o f the Getty' s marbl e basin. Grif f ins appear o n the
sides o f the hel met o f Achil l es o n the coin's obverse,
and these fantastic creatures who conquer i n the east, as
di d Al exander and Achil l es, are identif ied w i t h Apol l o,
delVarte antica, classica e Orientale (Rome, 1963), vol. 5, pp. 421423, and S.
Reinach, Repertoire de peintures grecques et romaines (Paris, 1922), p. 40.
12. Accession number 85.AA.107. H (max.): 30.8 cm (12V8"); Diam
(max. including handles): 60 cm (23
5
/s"), (max. at rim) : 56 cm (22").
Crystalline Greek island marble. A curved section is missing at the
bowl's ri m, and there are chips around the mol ding o f the ri m. The
handles have been broken, repaired, and rejoined. See "Acquisi-
tions/1985," The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 14 (1986), no. 5, p. 180.
13. Gol d medallions from Aboukir wi t h the bust of Olympias on
the obverse and Thetis i n a nereid and triton composition on the
reverse are work o f the late Severan period (A . D . 230) i n the tradition
of early Hellenistic Macedonia. See The Search for Alexander: An Ex-
hibition (Boston, 1980), nos. 10, 11, pp. 103-104. A ful l bibliography on
The God Apollo 33
Figures 4a-b. Left, Didrachm (obverse). Struck at Locri by Ki ng Pyrrhus of Epirus,
before 280 B . C . Silver. Diam: 23.5 mm (
1 5
/ i 6 " ) . Right, reverse. Boston,
Museum of Fine Arts, Theodora Wil bour Fund i n Memory of Zoe
Wilbour, 1985.235. Photos: Courtesy Museum o f Fine Arts, Boston.
Figure 5. Roundel wi t h bust of Apol l o.
Early Hellenistic period.
Gilded silver. Diam: 7 cm
(2
3
A ") . Boston, Museum of
Fine Arts, Theodora Wil bour
Fund in Memory of Zoe
Wilbour, 1985.333. Photo:
Courtesy Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston.
a fact made clear by the presence o f the beast beside the
god i n the Getty's marbl e statue.
Zeus, Demeter, and Kore, rather than Apol l o, were
the major divinities o f Lo c r i .
1 6
Apo l l o was present i n a
secondary way at Rhegi um, around the toe o f the I t al -
ian " bo o t " f r o m Lo c r i Epizephyrii, but at Caul onia j ust
to the northeast, across the Sagras River, he was the
major patron di vi ni t y. Caul onia, however, was de-
stroyed by Dionysius I o f Syracuse about 388 B . C . , and
its t erri t ory was presented to the Locrians.
1 7
Rhe gi um
was treated i n simil ar fashion i n 387, but this ci t y was
restored by Dionysius I I before 350 B . C . I t was at this
t i me (350300 B . C . ) that Rhegium' s bronze coinage fea-
tured a yout hf ul Apo l l o w i t h l ong hair simil ar to the
image on a sil ver-gil t plaque o f the f ourt h century B . C .
(fig. 5) .
Thus, i n a shrine to Apo l l o early i n the t hi r d century
B . C . , i t wo u l d seem suitable that a statue o f the god be
" Archai st i c" to recall Caul onias famous image o n silver
staters o f 550 to 480 B . C . , al beit i n an updated scul ptural
f orm. Apo l l o Katharsios had cured the Sagras coast o f
plagues. Co u l d this ensemble, the statue, the table, and
the basin have been the dedication o f a promi ne nt Epi -
rote Macedonian, l i ke Ki ng Pyrrhus, intended to keep
the armies i n Megal e Hel l as free o f illness as we l l as
f r o m the surging power o f Rome? Such is a possible
expl anation for three such unusual masterpieces o f
Greek scul pture and pai nt i ng i n a single context.
Gi ven the theme o f Thetis w i t h the shiel d o f Achil l es
on the inside o f the marbl e basin (fig. 3b) and o n the
reverse o f the didrachm o f Pyrrhus (fig. 4b), there
shoul d have been arms and armor f ound w i t h this dedi-
cation. Such armor ought to have been o f the highest
artistic l evel and finest qual ity produced i n the Greek
wo r l d i n the age o f Al exander the Great or the t wo
generations o f his successors and relatives. Figural de-
nereids wi t h the arms o f Achilles is given by Stella G. Mil l er, "Eros
and the Arms of Achilles," AJA 90 (1986), p. 159, n. 2.
14. See Lidia Forti and At t i l i o Stazio, "Vita quotidiana dei Greci
d'ltalia," i n Megale Hellas: Storia e civilt della Magna Grecia ( Mil an,
1983), p. 699, fig. 720, an example of a griffin and a stag, a heavily
gilded relief i n just the schema o f this table support. H. Hoffmann,
Ten Centuries That Shaped the West: Greek and Roman Art in Texas
Collections (Houston, 1970), no. 135, p. 280, on the general meaning of
these plaques. H. Herdejrgen, Die tarentinischen Terrakotten des 6. bis
4. Jahrhunderts v. Chr. im Antikenmuseum Basel, Verffentl ichungen des
Antikenmuseums Basel, Band 2 (Basel, 1971), nos. 71, 72, pp. 6869,
pl . 21, a stag facing a griffin as pendant plaques.
15. This specimen is from the J. Vinchon sale, Monte Carlo, Apri l
13, 1985, l ot 269. E. S. G. Robinson, Lloyd Collection, vol . 2 o f Sylloge
Nummorum Graecorum (London, 1933), no. 657, pl . XXI .
16. See E. Langlotz and M. Hirmer (supra, note 11), p. 271, pis.
7175, terracotta reliefs from Locri, dating about 450 B . C . These re-
liefs feature stylistic details o f up to hal f a century earlier, perhaps
setting the taste that produced the "Archaistic" marble Apol l o of the
late fourth century B . C .
17. B. V. Head, Historia Numorum (Oxford, 1911), pp. 92-94. At -
til io Stazio, "Moneta e scambi," i n Megale Hellas: Storia e civilt della
Magna Grecia (Mil an, 1983), pp. 122-123, 136, figs. 94-99.
18. See Sale 6, Bank Leu A. G, Zurich, May 8, 1973, lots 43, 44.
34 Vermeule
tails certainly wo ul d have been i ncluded, and the sub-
jects, again, ought t o have been l i nked wi t h the myt hs
o f Achi lles, the greatest Greek hero and an ancestor o f
Alexander and Pyrrhus.
There is a scrap o f evidence that meets all these cri te-
ria, i ncl udi ng the possibilities o f provenance. The left
shoulder-plate o f a bronze cuirass features a female head
i n an Amazoni an cap, the side flaps o f whi c h t ur n i nt o
decorative volutes at the cur vi ng edges o f the back-
gr ound (fig. 6). She wears earrings o f Lydi an or I oni an
for m and a slender torque wi t h a flower suspended fr om
i t . Thi s sad-faced Amazon can onl y be Queen Penth-
esilea, and her sli ght i nwar d t ur n o f the head affirms the
deducti on that another head rose out o f the opposite
shoulder-plate.
1 9
The head on the wearer's ri ght , the
place o f honor, could onl y have been Achi lles. The
body o f the cuirass was probably undecorated, beyond
suggesting the ideal anatomy c o mmo n t o such objects
at the t i me, but the complete ensemble wo ul d have been
fully wor t hy o f a pri ncely dedication i n the Italic after-
mat h o f Alexander the Great.
2 0
Museum o f Fine Ar t s
Bost on
Figure 6. Queen Penthesilea on the left shoulder-plate
of a cuirass. Early Hellenistic period. Bronze.
H: 16 cm ( 6
5
/ i 6") . Boston, Museum of Fine
Arts, Frank B. Bemis Fund, 1986.242. Photo:
Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
19. H (max.): 16 cm ( 6
5
/ i 6") ; W (max.): 12 cm (4
n
/ie"). The patina
is the rich, deep green of the finest Greek metalwork from 350 to
275 B . C .
20. The comparable right shoulder-plates (covering the straps) of
Greek bronze cuirasses of the fourth century B . C . are collected on pp.
5154 of Arnold Hagemann, Der Metallharnisch, vol. 1 of Griechische
Panzerung: Ein entwicklungsgeschichte Studie zur antiken Bewaffnung
(Leipzig and Berlin, 1919). The famous Siris Bronzes i n the British
Museum (pp. 5152, fig. 62) are basically the left and right shoulder-
plates and back o f the neck and shoulders of such a piece of armor.
Also, H. B. Walters, Catalogue of the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan
Bronzes in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities (London,
1899), no. 285, pp. 39-40, pi. VI I I . In reasonably high relief, mirrored
pairs of Greeks attack fallen Amazons, similarly balanced. They are
possibly Achilles slaying Penthesilea on the left, and Ajax Oileus
dispatching Derinoe on the right. The southeast coast of Italy as well
as western Mainland Greece, the Peloponnesus, and, lately, Mace-
donia or Thrace are the sources for a number of these plates or cover-
ings for cuirass fastenings.
Two Pieces of Porcelain Decorated by
Ignaz Preissler in the J. Paul Getty Museum
Maureen Cassidy-Geiger
The Bresl au physician and chronicler, Johann Chri s-
tian Ku ndmann (16841751), wr i t i ng i n 1726 on the no-
table col l ections o f art, books, instruments, and c u r i -
osities to be f ound i n his city, reported that a man
named "Preussler" had worke d for seven years decorat-
i ng over one hundred pieces o f porcel ain i n grisail l e and
wi t h gi l di ng for the promi ne nt col l ector He rr Ernst
Benj ami n von Lwe nst dt und Ronneburg (d. 1729). I n
the mi ddl e o f the l engthy descriptions o f von
Lwe nst dt ' s Kunst- und Raritten-Kammerwhich f o l -
l o w an enumeration o f the paintings, bronzes, and
carved scul pture and a summary o f the artists repre-
sented i n prints and drawings and whi c h precede a
comprehensive l i st i ng o f the numerous and varied c ur i -
osities i n the col l ect i onKundmann states that "Gantz
was sonderbares hat Er i n Ost-Indischen Porcellain
gesamml et von al l erhand Farben; insonderheit besitzet
Er be r 100. St ck grosse Schalen, Teller u nd andere
Gef sse vo n Preusslern i n grau u nd grau gemahl et; Ja Er
hat Selbsten es so wei t gebracht, dass Er unter-
schiedliche Porcellaine Becher vergol den und doch noch
darauf mahl en lassen: Worzu er gantzer V I I . Jahr
gedachten Preussler gehalten."
1
I n 1737, Ku ndmann reported that after von
Lwe nst dt ' s death his entire "cabinet" o f porcel ain
decorated by "Preussler," i ncl udi ng many vessels,
plates, bowl s, teabowls, and saucers, was acquired by
Franz, Co u nt von Hatzfel d, I mperi al Counci l or and
Frey Standes-Herr i n Silesia.
2
A fire at the Hatzf el d
estate i n the eighteenth century is presumed to have
destroyed most o f the f ami l y treasures, i ncl udi ng the
porcel ain col l ect i on.
3
I t therefore becomes obvious f rom
the large body o f remai ni ng wo r k by Preissler (the cor-
rect spel l ing o f the artist's name) that he had other c l i -
ents duri ng the seven years he was wo r ki ng on von
Lwe nst dt ' s commission.
1. Johann Christian Kundmann, Promtuarium rerum Naturalium et
Artificialium Vratislaviensae (Vratislaviae, 1726), p. 62. I wish to thank
the Archdiocese o f Wroclaw for permitting me the use of their library
where I consulted this and other volumes by the same author.
2. Johann Christian Kundmann, Rariora naturae & artis oder Selten-
Bresl au (present-day Wrocl aw, Poland) was the capital
o f Silesia, a province under Hapsburg rule. From the
Renaissance, i t was an i mport ant center for the arts,
notabl y met al worki ng, and i n the eighteenth century i t
developed i nt o an i mport ant intel l ectual and rel igious
center. Cont emporary travel guides praised the city for
its many fine l ibraries and museums. The nobi l i t y wi t h
estates i n Silesia and palaces i n Prague and Vienna bui l t
new palaces i n Breslau, thereby attracting l eading artists
and craftsmen to the city. The gl assmaking industry
was l ong established i n the region, and the heavil y
wooded estates were cleared by the glassworks, whi c h
were permi t t ed to operate on their lands. Given these
developments, Bresl au i n the 1720s became a center o f
Hausmaler activity (a Hausmaler being a craftsman who
decorated glass and ceramic wares on a free-lance basis,
either independently or i n a workshop not affiliated wi t h
any factory operation). I t is therefore not surprising that
the wo r k o f the Hausmaler referred to as "Preussler"
(also the name o f a promi ne nt f ami l y o f glassmakers i n
Bohemia) was described i n detail i n contemporary
chronicles and was val ued as a collector's i t em.
Various porcelains wi t h Schwarzlot decoration ( l iter-
al l y Schwarzlot means "bl ack lead," but i t is actually a
transparent black enamel painted onto the surface and
scratched t hrough wi t h a needle before f iring) that can
be attributed to Preissler were already i n the col l ection
o f Augustus the Strong i n 1721, and others were added
i n 1722. These pieces are described i n the Inventarium
ber das Palais zu Alt-Dresden Anno 1721 under the chap-
ter heading "Weiss Schsische Porcelain" as f ol l ows:
N.7. 3. Stk. extra feine runde am Rand vergoldete
Chocolate Tassen u. Schaalen, darauff mit einer
rothen Couleur sauber en Crotesque gemahlet ist;
Diese Arbeit is in Phmen gefertiget worden, und
jede Tasse und Schaale ist von differenter
heiten der Natur und Kunst des Kundmannischen Naturalien-Cabinets
(Breslau and Leipzig, 1737), pp. 640641.
3. Gustav E. Pazaurek, Deutsche Fayence- und Porzellan-Hausmaler
(Leipzig, 1925), vol . 1, p. 209, n. 6.
36 Cassidy-Geiger
Ze i chnung. Zwe y Tassen darvon sind schadhafft,
jede aber 3. Z. t i e f f u nd 272. i n di am. eine Schaale
aber
3
A . Z. t i e f f 5. Z. i n di am.
( The above entry correctl y assigns the decoration to a
Bohe mi an painter.)
N. 8. 3. Stk. dergl . Chocol ate Tassen u. Schaalen, so mi t
schwarzer Farbe en Crotesque gemahl et sind, es
sind alle vo n differenter Ze i c hnung u nd jede Tasse
3. Z. tieff. 272. Z. i n di am. eine Schale aber 74.
Z. tieff. 5. Z. i n di am. Hi e r zu g e h r e t ein auswen-
di g brauner Spiel Napf f darauf f Ne pt unus mi t al -
l erhandt Nayaden u nd Tri t onen, sehr sauber
schwarz u nd gol dt Gemahl et ist, i nwe ndi g ist f ein
schwarz Crotesque Arbe i t . 3. Z. tieff. 672. Z.
i n di am.
4
Anno 1722 i m Mo nat h Juny haben I hr o K ni g l . Mayt .
vo n de m He r r n Grafen Lagnasco be ko mme n u. i n das
Palais gegeben, wi e fol get:
N. 64. 2. stk. Kr uge i ge n darauf Ho l l . Paysagen mi t r o t h
u nd schwartzer Coul e ur amal iret sind, mi t
He nc ke l n so vergol det sind. 4. Z. t i e f f u. 372 Z.
i n di am.
N.65. 2. stk. dergl . darauf f Wasser Jadgen mi t schwart-
zer Coul e ur amal iret sind, vo n obiger H he .
5
A beaker, saucer, and bo wl corresponding to those
numbered "N. 7. " and " N. 8. " are st i l l i n the Porzel l an-
samml ung o f the Staatliche Kunst samml ungen Dresden
( PO 3130 and 3132).
6
A l l three are not, however, o f
Meissen porcel ain but are o f Chinese porcel ain deco-
rated i n underglaze bl ue or iron-red. Two smal l tan-
kards corresponding to those numbered "N. 64. " and
"N. 65. " were il l ustrated i n 1925 but are no l onger i n
the col l ect i on.
7
Kundmanns accounts and the 1721 i nvent ory o f A u -
gustus the Strong's col l ection demonstrate that Preissler
obviousl y worke d for patrons o f weal th and rank and
that his wo r k was wi de l y admired and col l ected i n his
o wn l i f et i me by members o f the aristocracy. I t was not
u nt i l the t we nt i e t h century, however, that authors
returned to the subject o f Ignaz Preissler and brought
to l i ght church and archival records that provided his
given name, the correct spel l ing o f his surname, and
some details o f his l ife. I n the i nt erveni ng centuries, his
works retained their appeal for collectors, but because
4. Parts o f the inventory are transcribed i n Bttgersteinzeug Bttger-
porzellan aus der dresdener PorZellansammlung (Dresden, 1969). This sec-
tion appears on p. 36.
5. Ibid., p. 40.
6. I woul d l ike to express my thanks to Dr. Ingelore Menzhausen
and Dr. Friedrich Reichel for their generous assistance during my visit
to the collection. The bowl is illustrated i n Dr. Menzhausen's article
"Das erste Inventar der dresdener Porzellansammlung," Keramos 12
none are signed and few are dated, their histories
were lost.
I nf ormat i on publ ished i n the 1920s and 1930s i nt r o -
duced Ignaz Preissler as a porcel ain and glass painter
wo r ki ng i n Kronstadt (present-day Kunst t ) , Bohemia,
circa 17291732, for Franz Kar l , Co u nt Liebsteinsky vo n
Kol owrat (d. 1753).
8
That the "Preussler" wo r ki ng i n
Bresl au i n the 1720s is the same Ignaz Preissler wo r ki ng
i n Kronstadt circa 1729 was ori gi nal l y debated but is
no l onger i n doubt. He was born i n Friedrichswal de
(present-day Bedrichovka), on the border o f Bohemia and
Silesia, i n 1676, the son o f a porcel ain painter named
Dani el Josef Norbert Preissler (circa 16361733) and his
wife, Dorot a (nee Kel l er, d. 1723). He moved w i t h his
f ami l y to Kronstadt, his mother' s vil l age, i n 1680/81 and
returned there later i n his l ife to wo r k and care for his
el derl y father, whose second wi f e had died i n 1730. I g -
naz Preissler's o wn first wife, Anna Steiner, also died i n
1730, and the f ol l owi ng year, he married Zuzana
Uhr ban o f the nei ghbori ng vil l age o f Kerndorf . He died
i n 1741 at the age o f sixty-five. A son, also named Ignaz,
was apprenticed to a tail or i n Reichenau (present-day
Rychnov) , the Kol owrat f ami l y seat, l ocated about t hi r -
ty-f ive kil ometers f rom Kronstadt.
The wo r k o f the Kronstadt period can be determined
using documents f rom 17291732, whi c h consist o f
invoices and letters exchanged between Preissler and
his patron, Co u nt von Kol owrat , or his patrons ser-
vant Tobias Hannusch, a close f riend o f Preissler's and
hi mse l f a porcel ain and glass decorator at Reich-
enau.
9
The documents reveal, among other things, that
Preissler painted chiefl y chinoiseries, but also " di f f i cul t
poetic subjects," on porcel ain ( pri mari l y oriental ) and
glass provided by the count. He worke d pri mari l y
i n Schwarzlot and i ron-red wi t h gol d but began to use
purpl e monochrome and pol ychrome colors at the end
o f this period.
The wo r k bel onging to the Bresl au period was
brought i nt o focus i n 1983 i n an article by Annedore
M l l e r - Ho f st e de , whi c h was publ ished i n Keramos.
10
Thi s year w i l l see the publ ication i n the Journal of Glass
Studies o f an article by Ru do l f Strasser i n whi c h he at-
tributes a group o f glasses to the Bresl au period and
another group to an even earlier period, circa 16951715,
whe n the painter was i n his twenties and thirties. The
(1961), p. 27, fig. 1.
7. Illustrated by Pazaurek (supra, note 3), p. 219, figs. 183, 184.
8. See the fol l owing: F[rantisek] X[aver] Jink, " K dejinam por-
cul nu v Cechch. Domcky malir skia a porcul nu v Kunsttu Igna-
tius Preissler (17281732)," i n Zprdva Kuratoria za Spravni Rok 1923
(Prague, 1924), pp. 24-41, pis. I I I , I V; Pazaurek (supra, note 3), pp.
209-249; Frantisek Xaver Jifik, Ceske Sklo . . . (Prague, 1934), pp.
5152; Annedore Ml l er-Hofstede, "Der schl esisch-bhmische
Two Pieces of Porcelain 37
Figure la. Ignaz Preissler ( Bohemi an, 16761741). Bo w l decorated w i t h allegories o f spring ( interior) and summer ( exterior) , circa
17151720. Chinese porcel ain w i t h undergl aze-bl ue decoration and overglaze decoration i n Schwarzlot and gol d. H :
7.3 c m (27s"); Di am: 14.9 c m (57s"). Mal i bu , The J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m 86.DE.738.
decoration o f these groups o f glasses, i n particul ar, sug-
gests that Preissler may have trained i n Nure mbe rg be-
fore arri vi ng i n Bresl au and therefore wo u l d have been
one o f the last o f the fol l owers o f Johann Schaper
(16211670), the glass painter credited wi t h the transfer
o f the Schwarzlot technique f r o m flat glass to hol l ow
glass and faience.
I n the wake o f this recent interest i n Ignaz Preissler's
early years i n Breslau, the Department o f Decorative
Art s o f the J. Paul Getty Mu se u m has acquired t wo
i mport ant examples o f his wo r k f rom this period.
One is a bowl o f Chinese porcelain decorated i n Schwarz-
lot w i t h myt hol ogi cal scenes. The other is a leaf-
Hausmaler Ignaz Preissler," Keramos 100 (1983), pp. 350. I wish to
acknowledge the generous assistance of the late Dr. Zdenka Munzer
in the translation of the works published in Czechoslovakian.
9. These documents were first published by Jink (supra, note 8)
in 1923 and were reprinted by Ml l er-Hof stede (supra, note 8),
pp. 4450. The surname of the painter referred to as "Tobias" in the
documents was provided to me in 1984. The significance of his rela-
tionship to Ignaz Preissler wi l l be brought to l ight i n Rudol f Strasser's
shaped dish o f Meissen porcel ain w i t h decoration i n
iron-red and gol d.
The bo wl (figs, lah) is a type o f porcel ain produced
between circa 1710 and 1740.
11
I t has incised floral-scroll
decoration beneath the glaze on the outside, framed by
diaper-patterned borders i n underglaze blue; on the i n-
side, the same borders are painted around the r i m and i n
the center, f o r mi ng a wreath. Thi s was the type o f o r i -
ental porcel ain used most frequentl y by Preissler, and i t
was also used by Hausmaler wo r ki ng i n Augsburg, circa
17251730.
12
It is obviousl y that described i n the i n-
voices f rom the Kol owrat commissions as "Weijss
mi t Bl awen Randt." The lack o f bol dl y decorated sur-
forthcoming article in the Journal of Glass Studies.
10. Ml l er-Hofstede (supra, note 8).
11. Regina Krahl et al., Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray
Museum Istanbul . . . (London, 1986), vol . 3, p. 952.
12. Rainer Rckert, Meissener Porzellan 1710-1810, ex. cat. (Munich,
1966), nos. 53-55, pp. 60-61, pis. 17, 18.
38 Cas sidy-Geiger
Figure lb. De t ai l o f the exterior o f f igure l a. Figure 1c. De t ai l o f the exterior o f f igure l a.
Figure Id. De t ai l o f the exterior o f f igure l a.
faces probabl y made this type o f bl ue-and-white ware
less attractive as a cabinet piece and more suitable for
use as a sort o f " bl ank" ware to be painted by the
Hausmaler and refired i n their muf f l e-kil ns.
Preissler added the myt hol ogi cal scenes painted i n
Schwarzlot w i t h touches o f gol d that decorate the inside
and outside o f the bo wl . He often decorated the inside
or underside o f dishes, bowl s, and vases, t hough gener-
al l y not w i t h such f ul l pictorial scenes but wi t h a f o r m
o f auxil iary decoration. The l atter was often comprised
o f ornamental wo r k, i n some cases encl osing isolated
f igural elements. Traces o f gol d over the undergl aze-
bl ue borders on the Getty bo wl suggest that they were
ori gi nal l y hi ghl i ght ed w i t h gi l di ng, a feature o f other
wares o f this type decorated by Preissler.
The scenes depicted can be traced to a series o f en-
gravings after a cycle o f the four seasons by Pierre I .
Mi gnar d (16121695), whi c h was painted i n 1677 for the
Galerie d' Apol l on i n the Chateau de Saint-Cl oud. The
scene on the interior o f the bo wl , whi c h shows the
marriage o f Flora and Zephyr (fig. l g) , represents
spring, and the sacrifice o f Ceres on the exterior (fig. I d)
represents summer.
Louis XI V' s brother, Monsi eur ( Phil ippe I , due d' Or-
leans), acquired the chateau i n 1655 and commissioned
Mi gnard, Le Bruns rival and later his successor, to deco-
rate the galerie. The compl eted program was wi de l y
acclaimed, according to Mignard' s biographer, the
Abbe de Mo nvi l l e , and even the ki ng is reported to have
said, "Je souhaite fort que les peintures de ma gallerie
de Versailles repondent la beaute de cel l es-ci."
1 3
The paintings, whi c h were destroyed i n the 1870 fire
Figure le. I nt eri or o f f igure l a.
at the chateau, are evoked i n Monvil l e' s el oquent de-
scriptions o f them:
La Terre sous le symbol e de Cybel e, elevant vers le de l
ses tristes regards, i mpl o r e le retour de Sol eil , qu' on
appercpit dans l ' el oignement, sans eclat, presque sans
l umiere. C' est une image si vraie t out ensembl e & si
poetique, que le spectateur reconnoit l ' hyver, dont les
f c he u x effets sont excel l emment exprimez. I ci le Di e u
d' un fleuve appuie sur son urne, n en voi t sortir que des
glacpns: l des vaisseaux sur une mer agitee paroisserit
le j oue t des vents & de la tempete; Boree & les
f ougueux Aqui l ons souffl ent par t out la neige, le gresil
Sc les f rimats: les Hyades i nondent les campagnes de
pl uyes; Vul cai n presente Cybel e u n brasier, auquel se
chauffe u n enfant qui est derriere la Deesse; ses l ions
sont ses pieds, il s sembl ent avoir perdu une partie
de l eur ferocite, & partager l ' abattement de t out le reste
de la nature.
40 Cassidy-Geiger
Figure If. Detail of the interior of figure la.
Figure lg. Detail of the interior of figure la.
Figure lh. Detail of the interior of figure 1;
Le Printems designe par l ' Hymen de Zephire & de
Flore, offre aux yeux une belle campagne, ou la nature
rajeunie, prodigue les fleurs les plus precieuses: Flore en
recpit rhommage des mains de Zephire; les Amours,
les Ris & les jeux melez avec les Nymphes, paroissent
occupez choisir les fleurs les plus belles, & en
composer des des [sic] guirlandes: un elegant badinage
prete encore des graces nouvelles l'agrement infini de
tableau: les personnages episodiques qu'on y a introduit
sont enjoez.
Le Peintre a represents l'Ete par un sacrifice en l ' hon-
neur de Ceres. Au mil ieu d'un champ fertile, des
moissonneurs dont on l it la joye sur le visage, rendent
genoux, graces cette Deesse: tous ont des flambeaux
la main, la reserve d'un petit nombre de laboureurs
chargez des premices de leurs gerbes, qu'ils offrent la
Divinite qui preside l'Agriculture: son image est por-
tee par quatre de ses Pretresses d'une beaute & d'une
modestie admirable. Un Sacrificateur amene un agneau
orne de fleurs, pret etre immole. Dans l'enfoncement
on appercpit le Temple de Ceres, l'architecture en est
simple, mais noble; i l en fort de jeunes Pretresses dan-
sant au son de leurs tambours. L'on a ressemble avec
soin tout ce qui peut servir caracteriser la saison; Mi -
gnard a sou peindre, pour ainsi dire, la chaleur de l'Ete.
On ne pouvoit rien choisir de plus convenable pour
faire de l'Automne le sujet d'un tableau, que le triomphe
de Bacchus & d'Ariane: ils descendent d'un char,
d' o les Amours detellent les pantherres qui l'ont traine:
une troupe d'hommes couronnez de pampre, & qui
embouchent la trompettte [sic] les entourent; une
Bacchante les precede en dansant: pleins du Dieu
qui les possede, ils semblent tous crier euoe) euoe. Le pere
Silene porte par des Sylvains, & suivi de son cortege or-
dinaire, est v dans l'eloignement un sep de vigne
charge de raisins la main. Le Amours qui se con-
fondent dans cette troupe bachique, montrent qu'ils ont
part la fete.
14
I n the "Catal ogue Des oeuvres graves d'apres les
Tableaux de Pierre Mi gnar d premier Peintre du
Roy, " whi c h Mo nvi l l e incl uded i n his biography o f the
painter, t wo o f the engraved series are mentioned:
Les quatre Saisons de l'annee, representees par des su-
jets de la Fable, en quatre tableaux, peints dans la gal-
lerie de S. Cloud, gravez par Jean-Baptiste de Poilly
[1669-1728].
D'autres estampes en petit des memes tableaux, gravees
d'apres les precendens, sous la conduite de Jean-Bap-
tiste de Poilly.
Le Printems: Thymen de Zephyre & de Flore. L'Este: un
13. Simon Philipe Maziere de Monvil l e, La vie de Pierre Mignard . . .
(Amsterdam, 1731), p. 102. The first edition was published i n Paris
i n 1730.
Figure 2a. Jean Bapti ste de Poi l l y (French, 16691728),
after Pierre I . Mi gnar d. he Printems, circa
1710. Engr avi ng. H: 51.7 c m ( 20W) ; W: 69.4
c m ( 27
5
/ i 6") . L o n d o n , Br i t i s h Mus e um
195140-6-21.
Figure 2c. Jean Bapti ste de Poi l l y (French, 16691728),
after Pierre I . Mi gnar d. L'Automne, circa
1710. Engr avi ng. H: 51.2 c m ( 20
3
/ i
6
") ; W:
69.1 c m ( 27
3
/ i 6") . L o n d o n , Br i t i s h Mus e um
1951-10-6-23.
Sacrifice en l' honneur de Ceres. LAut o mne: le Tr i omhe
[sic] de Bacchus & Ar i adne. L' Hyver : Cybel l e i mpl or ant
le ret our du Solei l.
1 5
De Poilly's engravings (figs. 2ad) are the reverse o f
Mi gnard' s studies for the pai nti ngs and therefore were
either engraved di rectly fr om the pai nti ngs or fr om the
studies.
1 6
The scenes on the Get t y b o wl are i n the re-
Figure 2b. Jean Bapti ste de Poi l l y (French, 1669-1728),
after Pierre I . Mi gnar d. L'Este, circa 1710.
Engr avi ng. H: 51.8 c m ( 20W) ; W: 69.5 c m
(277s"). London, Br i t i sh Mus eum 1951-10-6-22.
Figure 2d. Jean Bapti ste de Poi l l y (French, 16691728),
after Pierre I . Mi gnar d. L'Hyver, circa
1710. Engr avi ng. H: 51.5 c m ( 20
5
/ i
6
") ; W: 69.2
c m ( 27
1
/ / ) . L o n d o n , Br i t i s h Mus e um
1951-10-6-24.
verse o f de Poilly's engravings for spri ng and summer,
and therefore, they must derive fr om a reengraving o f
de Poi lly s series, perhaps the second series described by
Monvi l l e. The pri nts fr om this second series are smaller
i n scale. Since they were produced under de Poilly's
di recti on, they are probably accurate copies but wo ul d
read i n the reverse o f his ori gi nal series. Prints fr om the
14. Ibid., pp. 94-97.
15. Ibid., pp. livlv.
16. Jean Guiffrey et al., Inventaire general des dessins du Musee du
Louvre et du Musee de Versailles (Paris, 1928), vol. 10, nos. 9949-9952,
pp. 52-55.
42 Cassidy-Geiger
Figures 3a-b. Left, Ignaz Preissler ( Bohe mi an, 16761741). Top o f a dish decorated w i t h al l egories o f f al l ( top) and wi nt e r
( bot t om) , circa 17151720. Chinese porcel ain w i t h undergl aze-bl ue decoration and overglaze decoration i n Schwarz-
lot and gol d. Di am: 22 c m (S
n
7\6
f
). Right, bo t t o m. Sevres, Musee Nat i onal de Cerami que M N C 9703. Photos:
Court esy Musee Nat i onal de Ceramique, Sevres.
second series are not kno wn.
The prints representing fal l and wi nt e r are the
sources for the scenes on a dish i n the Musee Nat i onal
de Ceramique at Sevres ( MN C 9703). The dish (figs.
3ab) was il l ustrated by M l l e r - Ho f st e de who at-
tributed i t to Preissler wo r ki ng i n Bresl au "before
1720."
1 7
I t is o f the same Chinese porcel ain as the Getty
bo wl w i t h incised and undergl aze-bl ue decoration and is
decorated o n bot h sides i n Schwarzlot w i t h touches o f
gol d. The r i m is edged i n sil ver-gil t. The t r i u mph o f
Bacchus and Ariadne is painted on the top (fig. 3a), a
conventional al l egory for fal l . The scene on the under-
side (fig. 3b) was interpreted by M l l e r - Ho f st e de as the
Ovi di an flood w i t h the survivors, Deucal i on and Pyr-
rha, i n the f oreground. I n the context o f the pri nt series
and Mi gnar d s cycle, however, the scene is intended as
an al l egory for wi nt e r and depicts Mignard' s unusual
and hi ghl y ori gi nal rendering o f the subject. Cybel e, the
"earth mother, " wearing her turreted crown and recl i n-
i ng o n the l ions usual l y shown pu l l i ng her chariot, i m -
plores the sun to ret urn whi l e Boreas, the col d nor t h
w i nd and personification o f winter, releases his snow-
17. Ml l er-Hof stede (supra, note 8), pp. 23-26, figs. 34-37.
18. This information courtesy o f Elisabeth Fontan, formerly con-
servateur, Musee National de Ceramique, who wi t h Mme Antoinette
Halle graciously permitted me access to this and other pieces i n the
filled breath over the earth. Vul can tries to war m the
recumbent Cybel e w i t h a pot o f coals f rom his forge.
The incl usion o f a river god relates to the story o f
Cl audia, the vestal vi r g i n who pul l ed a ship l oaded w i t h
a sacred image o f Cybel e f r o m the mu d at the mo u t h o f
the Tiber. Since the images o n the t wo pieces bel ong to
the same series, there is no question that the Getty bo wl
and the dish at Sevres were commissioned together and
f o r m a set.
The dish was acquired by the Musee Nat i onal de Ce-
ramique f r o m the 1894 sale o f the col l ection o f Octave
Du Sartel .
1 8
D u Sartel had assigned the origins o f this
type o f decoration to Venice i n his book La porcelaine de
Chine . . ., publ ished i n 1881, and called i t "extremel y
rare."
1 9
The dish appeared i n l ot 150 i n the catalogue o f
the sale as the pair to another dish o f the same so-called
Japanese porcel ain, whi c h was also painted o n bot h
sides i n Schwarzlot touched w i t h gol d and edged i n si l -
ver-gil t. The subject o f the scene on the top o f the other
dish i n the l ot (fig. 4a) was identif ied i n the catalogue as
Diana and Endymi o n, but the dish is al most certainl y
that f ormerl y i n the vo n Dal l wi t z col l ection, whi c h de-
museum.
19. Ofctave] Du Sartel, La porcelaine de Chine . . . (Paris, 1881),
p. 219.
Figures 4a-b. Left, Ignaz Preissler (Bohemian, 16761741). Top of a dish decorated wi t h Venus and Adonis wi t h cupids (top) and
nymphs disarming sleeping cupids on the order of Diana (bottom), circa 17151720. Chinese porcelain wi t h
underglaze-blue decoration and overglaze decoration i n Schwarzlot and gold. Formerly Berlin, von Dallwitz collec-
tion; present location unknown. Illustrated i n Kunst and Kunsthandwerk 8 (1905), p. 29. Right, bottom. Photo:
Courtesy Verlag Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart.
Figure 5a. Benoit I . Audran (French, 16611721), after
Francesco Albani. Venus and Adonis wi t h
cupids. Engraving. H: 29.4 cm ( l W) ; W: 34
cm (13W). New York, The Metropolitan
Museum of Art , Harris Brisbane Dick Fund,
1953 (53.600.4138). Photo: Courtesy The
Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York.
Figure 5b. Benoit I . Audran (French, 16611721), after
Francesco Albani. Nymphs disarming sleep-
ing cupids on the order of Diana. Engrav-
ing. H: 29.7 cm ( ll
1 1
/ * ") ; W: 34 cm (13
3
/s").
New York, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art , Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
(53.600.4137). Photo: Courtesy The Metro-
politan Museum of Art , New York.
44 Cassidy-Geiger
picts Venus and Adoni s w i t h cupids after the rendering
o f the subject by Francesco Al bani (15781660).
20
The
scene on the underside (fig. 4b) shows nymphs disarm-
i ng sleeping cupids on the order o f Diana. Engravings
after Al bani by Benoi t I . Audran (16611721) were i den-
tif ied as the source for the scenes on bot h sides o f the
dish by A. Br ni ng i n 1905 (figs. 5a- b) .
2 1
Al bani' s
paintings, l i ke Mignard' s cycle, were popul arized i n sets
o f tapestries as we l l .
2 2
That the myt hol ogi cal scenes were not recognized as
al l egorical subjects as we l l is made clear by the fact that
the bowl s that shoul d have been paired w i t h the dishes
i n the D u Sartel sale were instead paired together i n l ot
151: "Paire de bols de meme porcelaine et de meme
decor pr i mi t i f , bordures bleues et gravures dans la pt e
avant la mise en couverte; ils on ete egalement sur-
decores de sujets mythol ogiques en noi r rehausse d'or.
Iis sonts garnis de montures pied en bois sculpte et
dore les transformant en sortes de coupes."
2 3
One o f the D u Sartel bowl s is probabl y that whi c h
was later i n the List col l ection and was described by
Pazaurek as mount e d on an ol d woode n base and deco-
rated on bot h sides w i t h myt hol ogi cal scenes showi ng
Jupiter, Juno, and Amo r e t t i .
2 4
I n the same paragraph
Pazaurek also mentions the dish i n the museum at Sevres
as we l l as a bo wl f r o m the von Parpart col l ection, whi c h
was acquired by the No r db hmi s c he Gewerbemuseum
i n Reichenberg (present-day Liberec) and was also deco-
rated on bo t h sides w i t h "dichten Landschaftsfriesen
vo n weiter Perspektive nebst figurenreicher Staffage
(antikes Opferfest u nd Bacchanalien) i n go l dge hht e r
Schwarzl otmal erei."
2 5
The bo wl is il l ustrated and de-
scribed i n the 1912 vo n Parpart sale catal ogue,
2 6
and the
same description is repeated al most wo r d for wo r d i n
the new acquisitions l i st i ng publ ished i n the Zeitschrift
des Nordhhmischen Gewerbemuseums for 1912:
3. Runde Ku mme mi t untergl asbl auen Bo r d r e n, aufs
reichste be r de ko r i e r t i n Schwarzl ot, mi t Go l d
g e h ht . Landschaftsfries mi t weiter Perspektive,
Ortschaf ten, zwischen B u me n versteckt, Fel dern,
Te mpe l n u nd Burge n. A u f der Aussenseite als
20. The sale took place at the Hotel Drouot, Paris, June 4-9, 1894;
see the catalogue: Catalogue des porcelaines et faiences europeennes et de
Vextreme-orient . . . formant la collection de feu M. O. Du Sartel . . . ,
p. 30, l ot 150. The wi dt h o f the dishes is given as 21 cm. The onl y
illustration o f the top o f the other dish is i n an article published i n
1905, see infra, note 22.
I n the story of Diana and Endymion, Endymion endures eternal
sleep i n return for perpetual youth and so is generally depicted asleep
when visited by Diana, his lover. For this reason, it is l ikel y that the
subject o f the decoration was misinterpreted at the time of the 1894
sale. The figure standing wi t h a spear and a dog does not represent
Diana, but rather Adonis, and the sleeping figure is intended to
Staffage ein antikes Opferfest, auf der Innenseite
Bacchanal ien mi t viel en Figuren. Das Porzel l an
Chi na XV I I . Jahrh. die Mal e re i vo n e i ne m deutschen
Uberdekorateur. Meissen, Anf ang XV I I I . Jahrh.
Ohne Marke . H h e 7.5 cm. , Du r c hm. 15 c m. Er -
wo r be n auf der Au kt i o n Parpart i n Be r l i n.
2 7
The bo wl il l ustrated i n the von Parpart sale catalogue
appears to be the one no w owned by the J. Paul Getty
Mu se u m and was undoubtedl y one o f the pair o f bowl s
sol d f rom the Du Sartel col l ection. By the t i me o f the
von Parpart sale, i t had l ost its woode n stand and ex-
hibited a crack. I t is possible, however, that a second
bo wl exists, for another exampl e o f a dish l i ke that
i n the Sevres museum was il l ustrated by Ho f mann
i nl 9 32.
2 8
The decoration o f the Getty bo wl can be dated to
circa 17151720. As noted above, the type o f porcel ain
used by Preissler wo u l d not have been available i n
Europe u nt i l after circa 1710 whe n i t was first produced
i n China. The i ni t i al engraved series by de Poil l y has
been dated to circa 1710,
29
and the second series, pre-
sumabl y the source for the Getty bo wl and the Sevres
dish, was already i n use i n Augsburg circa 17101712
whe n Elias Adam executed a beaker enamel ed w i t h the
t r i u mph o f Bacchus after Mi g nar d.
3 0
M l l e r - Ho f st e de
has pointed out the strong styl istic and thematic ties
between the Sevres dish and a large covered gobl et i n
the Umel eckopraumysl ove Mu ze u m i n Prague ( U P M
10017/1906).
31
The gobl et is compl etel y painted i n
Schwarzlot and gol d w i t h foliate strapwork and t wo
myt hol ogi cal scenes f r o m the ceil ing o f the Palazzo Far-
nese, painted by Annibal e Carracci (d. 1609). The t r i -
u mph o f Bacchus and Ariadne, a version different f r o m
that by Mi gnar d, is depicted as a frieze r unni ng around
the cup, and the procession o f nereids, tritons, and
cupids accompanying Peleus and Thetis advances
around the cover. The scenes were copied f rom one o f
the sets o f engravings that il l ustrate the painted ceil ing,
probabl y that by Pietro Aqui l a (16501692). Thi s seems
to be the onl y set f rom the period i n whi c h the scenes
o f Bacchus and Ariadne and Peleus and Thetis are not
be Venus.
21. A. Brning, "Kupferstiche als Vorbilder fr Porzellan," Kunst
und Kunsthandwerk 8 (1905), pp. 28-29.
22. See Maurice Fenaille, Etat general des tapisseries de la manufacture
des Gobelins . . . (Paris, 1903), vol . 2, pp. 399-417, and H. C. Maril l ier,
"The Venus and Adonis Tapestries after Al bani, " Burlington Magazine
54 (1929), pp. 314-320, pis. I I I I .
23. Du Sartel sale catalogue (supra, note 20), pp. 3031. The
heights of the bowls are given as 13 cm, a measurement which ob-
viously includes the wooden mounts; the diameter o f the bowls is
given as 16 cm.
24. Pazaurek (supra, note 3), p. 214.
i n the reverse o f those on the gobl et or on the ceil ing
itsel f .
3 2
The gobl et was certainl y intended to be a cabi-
net or display piece, as were the Sevres dish and the
Getty bo wl . I t has been publ ished as dating to circa
17251730, but some believe i t coul d be dated earlier.
A comparison o f the scenes on the Getty bo wl wi t h
25. Pazaurek (supra, note 3), p. 214.
26. Kunstsammlungen Fjamilie] von Parpart, sale catalogue:
Berl in, Lepke, March 18-22, 1912, l ot 488, p. 76, pi. 39 (view
of inside).
27. Zeitschrift des Nordbhmischen Gewerbemuseums, neue Folge: VI I
Jahrgang, Nr. 3 u. 4 (1912), no. 3, p. 95.
28. Friedrich H. Hofmann, Das Porzellan: Der europischen Man-
ufakturen im XVIII. Jahrhundert (Berlin, 1932), p. 229, fig. 220. Inqui-
ries have determined that the dish is no longer i n Berl in and may have
been lost during the war. Slight variations i n the decoration indicate
this is not the dish now i n the museum at Sevres.
29. Dagmar Srnensk, Franzsische Rokokographik (Hanau, n.d.),
Figure 6. Left, Ignaz Preissler ( Bohemi an, 16761741).
Vase decorated w i t h st i l l lifes o f fl owers i n
vases, first quarter o f the eighteenth century.
Chinese porcel ain (blanc-de-chine) w i t h over-
glaze decoration i n Schwarzlot and gol d. H :
15.9 c m ( 6 V 4 " ) . Nure mbe rg, Germanisches
Nat i onal muse um Ke 2261. Phot o: Courtesy
Germanisches Nat i onal muse um, Nure mbe rg.
Figure 7. Top, Ignaz Preissler ( Bohemi an, 16761741).
Saucer decorated w i t h figures representing the
mont hs, circa 17151720. Chinese porcel ain
w i t h undergl aze-bl ue decoration and overglaze
decoration i n Schwarzlot and gol d. Di am: 13.3
c m (5V4"). Lo ndo n, Br i t i sh Mu s e u m Franks
Co l l . 124.
those i n de Poilly' s engravings illustrates we l l Preissler s
confidence and ski l l i n adapting a pri nt ed design o f
rectangular f ormat to a surface o f an entirel y different
conf iguration. The engraved scenes have been stretched
and their components woven i nt o the landscape. Stands
o f trees, saplings, and stumps, as we l l as views o f bu i l d-
nos. 2629, pp. 6673.
30. Hel mut Seling, Die Kunst der augsburger Goldschmiede 1529-1868
(Munich, 1980), vol . 2, fig. 1053.
31. Ml l er-Hofstede (supra, note 8), p. 24. The goblet is illustrated
i n The Corning Museum o f Glass and Umel eckoprmysl ove
Muzeum, Prague, Czechoslovakian Glass 1350-1980, ex. cat. (Corning,
N.Y., 1981), no. 28, p. 149, i l l . p. 63 (color).
32. For the engravings of the Palazzo Farnese ceiling by Pietro
Aquila, see Ecole Franchise de Rome, Annibale Carracci e i suoi incisori,
ex. cat. (Rome, 1986), no. XLI I D, pp. 169183. The scenes depicted on
the goblet are nos. 10 and 17.
46 Gassidy-Geiger
Figure 8. Ignaz Preissler ( Bohe mi an, 16761741). Saucer
decorated w i t h al l egory o f November, circa
1720. Schwarzlot decoration. Present l ocat i on
u nkno wn. Phot o: Court esy Verl ag Ant o n
Hi ersemann, Stuttgart.
ings and distant vil l ages, have been composed to bridge
the ends o f the pri nt source, creating a continuous i m -
age. M l l e r - Ho f st e de particul arl y noted Preissler's use
o f e nt wi ne d trees at the ends o f a scene taken f rom an
engraving. The inserted landscapes recall the prints o f
Paul Br i l (1554-1626), Johann Teyler (1648-after 1697),
and Gabriel Perelle (circa 16031667), whi c h were
wi de l y col l ected f r o m the late seventeenth century and
are recognized sources for some o f Preissler's c o m-
positions. Occasionally, the buil dings i n these i mag-
ined landscapes, l i ke the towered compl ex on the i n-
side o f the Getty bo wl , seem specific enough to
have been taken f rom a real setting, perhaps the estate
o f the patron.
The scenes on the bo wl and on the Sevres dish incor-
porate many elements and motif s that are considered
signatures o f Preissler's wo r k, such as the bi l l o wi ng
cl ouds and cresting waves, the sail ing ships at sea, and
the distant hil l s, whi c h seem at times to lean to the
right. Preissler's masterful use o f the Schwarzlot tech-
nique is evident i n every aspect o f the decoration, where
i t was used to give vol ume to the painted forms and
define edges and smal l details. Preissler was very careful
Figure 9. Ma r t i n Engel brecht ( German, 16841756),
after Paul Decker. November. Engravi ng. H : 27
c m ( 1 0W) ; W: 18.9 c m ( 77i
6
") . Nure mbe rg,
Germanisches Nat i onal muse um H B 23789
b
.
Phot o: Courtesy Germanisches Nat i o nal -
muse um, Nure mbe rg.
i n his use o f gol d, appl ying i t i n hai r-t hi n lines to hi gh-
l i ght edges and folds or i n patterns o f smal l dots spri n-
kl ed across draperies.
The bouquet i n the center o f the Getty bo wl (fig. I f ) ,
at once a reference and a tribute to Flora, is a rare exam-
ple o f Preissler's flower painting. The onl y comparable
exampl e by Preissler is that on a hlanc-de-chine l i on-mask
j ar i n the Germanisches Nat i onal museum i n Nu -
remberg (Ke 2261), whi c h consists o f t wo st i l l lifes
o f flowers i n gl obul ar glass vases (fig. 6) .
3 3
However,
on t wo saucers o f Chinese porcel ain w i t h undergl aze-
bl ue borders that Preissler painted i n Schwarzlot and
33. I wish to particularly thank Dr. Klaus Pechstein for the oppor-
tunity to examine this piece and others i n the collection.
Figures Wa-c. Top, Ignaz Preissler ( Bohe mi an, 16761741). Leaf-shaped dish decorated w i t h put t o and sea dragon ( interior) and
st rapwork and fol iate scrolls w i t h amoret t i , fountains, birds and baskets o f f rui t ( exterior) , circa 17151725.
Meissen porcel ain decorated w i t h i ron-re d and gol d. H : 4 c m ( W) ; W: 8.3 c m
1
/ / ) ; D: 11.1 c m ( 4W) . Left,
interior. Right, bo t t o m. Mal i bu , The J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m 86.DE.541.
48 Cassidy-Geiger
Figures 10d-e. Detai ls o f exteri or o f fi gure 10a.
Figure 11. Ignaz Preissler (Bohemian, 16761741). Bowl decorated wi t h sea gods and dolphins, circa 17151725.
Japanese porcelain wi t h decoration i n polychrome enamels and i n Schwarzlot and gold. Diam: 17.3 cm
( 6
1 3
/ i 6") . Formerly Dr. Joseph Kler collection; present location unknown. Photo: Courtesy Christie's,
New York.
Figure 12a. Barthel Beham (German, 1502-1540). Bat-
tling sea god, 1525. Engraving. H: 4.7 cm
( 170; W: 27 cm (V/m"). London, British
Museum 1870-10-8-2394.
Figure 12b. Barthel Beham (German, 1502-1540). Bat-
tling sea god, 1525. Engraving. H: 4.3 cm
(PViO; W: 2.7 cm (lVie"). London, British
Museum 1870-10-8-2395.
50 Cassidy-Geiger
Figure 13. Ignaz Preissler ( Bohe mi an, 16761741). Plate
decorated w i t h a put t o i n the guise o f a river
god, circa 1725. Schwarzlot and go l d decora-
t i on. Formerl y Be rl i n, vo n Dal l wi t z col l ection;
present l ocation u nkno wn. Photo: Co u r -
tesy Verl ag Ant o n Hi ersemann, Stuttgart.
gol d w i t h figures representing the months after Hans-
Sebald Beham (15001550), the inner circular border en-
closes a wreat h o f f rui t or flowers (fig. 7 ) .
3 4
These
saucers are presentl y i n the Ume l e c ko pr mys l o v e
Mu ze u m i n Prague (18.959) and i n the Bri t i sh Mu se u m
(Franks Co l l . 124).
Preissler's oeuvre incl udes other al l egorical themes
and cycles as we l l , such as the elements, the continents,
and the months. A saucer obviousl y f rom a service i l -
l ustrating the latter is decorated w i t h a hu nt i ng al l egory
representing November (fig. 8 ) .
3 5
The image derives
f r o m a Paul Decker design engraved by Mar t i n Engel -
brecht and publ ished i n Augsburg by Jeremias Wo l f f
(fig. 9). Compari son o f the scene on the saucer to the
image i n the engraving illustrates again ho w Preissler
adds his o wn elements to the scene to make i t better
accommodate the circul ar surface. I n this case, a zodiac
sign has been empl oyed to identif y the subject; a tree is
used to anchor the figure i n the f oreground; and back-
ground details enhance the recession o f space. Many o f
34. Dr. Dagmar Hejdov and Dr. Olga Drahotov deserve special
mention here for their generous assistance, support, and hospitality
during the many days that I was permitted to study the collection i n
Figure 14. Mu ni c i pal di pl oma issued to Mi c hae l Stein-
metz o n February 26, 1678. Augsburg, 1678.
Sepia i nk o n parchment, heightened w i t h
gray wash and gol d leaf. H ( f ul l y opened):
64.5 c m ( 25
3
/
8
") ; W: 68 c m ( 26
3
/
4
" ) . Col ogne,
Bu nde s zahn r zt e kamme r . Phot o: Courtesy
Bu nde s zahn r zt e kamme r , Col ogne.
these al l egorical works date f r o m the Bresl au period,
but the " di f f i cul t poetic subjects" described i n the
Kronstadt invoices indicate that al l egorical subjects were
st i l l requested by the artist's patrons later i n his l ife.
The Getty's leaf-shaped dish o f Meissen porcel ain
adapted f rom a blanc-de-chine mode l and painted i n i r o n-
red w i t h gol d highl ights represents another popul ar
theme f r o m Preissler's Bresl au period (figs. 10ae). The
dish is decorated on the inside wi t h a wi nge d put t o
hol di ng a marsh reed and seated backwards on a do l -
phi nl i ke sea dragon w i t h a spiral ing tail . The inside r i m
shows Preissler's characteristic f o r m o f Laub- und Band-
werk. On the outside, strapwork and foliate scrolls
course around the sides sprouting leaves and tendril s.
Amo r e t t i , fountains, baskets o f f ruit, and birds are
perched among the scrol l work. The l eaf work i n rel ief
on the underside is out l i ned i n i ron-red and gol d.
Some o f the many si mi l arl y decorated leaf-shaped
dishes i n various museums are painted l i ke this one i n
i ron-red w i t h gol d, and others are painted i n a corn-
Prague. I wish also to thank Aileen Dawson of the British Museum
for al l owing me to see this piece and others i n storage.
35. Pazaurek (supra, note 3), p. 219, fig. 181.
Figure 15. Ignaz Preissler ( Bohemi an, 16761741). Plate
decorated wi t h Fortune r i di ng a dol phi n,
circa 1725. Decorated i n Schwarzlot and gol d.
For mer l y Wroclaw, Muz e um Nar odowe we
Wr ocl awi u; present l ocat i on unkno wn.
Phot o: Court esy Verlag An t o n Hi er semann,
Stuttgart.
bi nat i on o f Schwarzlot and i ron-red wi t h gol d.
3 6
It is not
clear i f the dishes were produced i ndi vi dually, as small
decorative tokens o f friendship or esteem, or as sets,
perhaps belongi ng to a larger table service. A l l have a
for m o f Preissler's Laub- und Bandwerk around the inside
r i m and scrollwork on the outside, whi ch contains a
standard repertoire o f elements, i ncl udi ng r unni ng stags
and covered urns i n addi t i on to those listed above. Thi s
seemingly i ncongruous auxi li ary decoration derives
ult i mat ely fr om French and German ornamental en-
gravings and constitutes the pr i mar y decoration o f
other Preissler pieces. The way i t has been fi tted to an
object o f such i rregular for m typifies Preissler's crea-
t i vi t y and ski l l as an ornamentalist, and i t . is this that
makes such wor ks so i nteresti ng and engaging.
The executi on o f the figure on the inside o f the dish
(fig. 10b), however, lacks the same ki nd o f energy and
assurance. Preissler probably received no for mal t r ai n-
i ng as an artist, and as a result, his renderi ng o f the
human figure and other three-dimensional forms often
36. Other examples known to the author are i n the Germanisches
Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg (inv. nr. Ke 765), the Umelecko-
prumyslove Muzeum, Prague (inv. nr. 5291), and the National Mu-
Figure 16. Johann Fri edri ch Probst, after Hi er onymus
Sperli ng ( German, 16951771). Fortune
r i di ng a dol phi n f r o m Trojano regio Principi
Paridi. . . . Engr avi ng. H: 34. 3 c m ( 1372"); W:
22.9 c m (9"). Ne w Yor k, The Met r opol i t an
Mus eum o f Ar t , Har r i s Bri sbane Di c k Fund,
1951 (51.540.6). Phot o: Court esy The Me t r o -
pol i t an Mus eum o f Ar t , Ne w Yor k.
makes t hem appear st i ff and awkwar dly posed, whi l e
the aggressive model i ng gives t hem a sort o f impressive
wei ght and substance. Thi s may partly result fr om the
use o f pr i nt sources or other models that feature the
bol d chiaroscuro effects favored by Baroque artists.
By the eighteenth century, parades o f sea creatures
and put t i on dolphi ns had become a generic sort o f
"classical" decoration, comparable to the Bacchanalian
t ri umphs and celebrations that were si mi lar ly portrayed
by Renaissance and Baroque artists, often wi t hout spe-
cific connotations or deeper i ndi vi dual meani ng for
either the artist or his patron. Thi s was certainly
the case wi t h Preissler's frequent treatment o f these
themes. I n addi t i on to the leaf-shaped dishes, he deco-
rated other dish types, bowls, plates, and glassware wi t h
such figures.
The exact sources for some o f Preissler's sea gods and
put t i suggest that those on the leaf-shaped dishes proba-
bly derive fr om engraved and other models as wel l . A
b o wl o f Japanese porcelain sold at Christie's, Ne w Yor k,
seum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
D.C. (SyzColl. 355).
52 Cas sidy-Geiger
i n 1985 (fig. 11) is painted on the outside w i t h sea gods
wi e l di ng swords and seated astride sea creatures w i t h
horny snouts and spiral ing tail s.
3 7
These figures were
taken directl y f r o m a pair o f engravings by Barthel
Beham (1502-1540) dated 1525 (figs. 12a-b) . Preissler
inserted t he m i n a seascape o f his o wn i nvent i on i nf l u -
enced by seventeenth-century engraved sources. The
Christie' s bo wl was probabl y painted circa 17151725.
As w i t h the Bri t i sh Mu se u m saucer (fig. 7), the i de nt i -
f ication o f the pri nt source demonstrates the persistence
o f certain engraved images and themes t hrough t wo
centuries o f Baroque art.
A plate f ormerl y i n the von Dal l wi t z col l ection is
painted i n the center wi t h a put t o i n the guise o f a river
god w i t h his trident resting against an overturned vase
f r o m whi c h water flows (fig. 13). A vignette w i t h the
same figure on the riverbank and one o f the birds i n the
background occurs on a di pl oma issued i n Augsburg i n
1678 ( fig 14). The di pl oma is bordered at the bo t t o m by
a series o f related images o f wi nge d pu t t i on sea ani-
mals. Anot he r plate f ormerl y i n the Mu ze u m Narodowe
we Wrocl awi u (fig. 15) shows the female figure o f For-
tune w i t h a bi l l o wi ng sail seated on a dol phi n i n a
storm-tossed sea; this image appears i n a frame bor-
dered by figures representing the wi nds and the seas.
The entire scene was taken f r o m an engraving after
Hi eronymus Sperl ing (16951771), whi c h was publ ished
i n Augsburg, circa 1724 (fig. 16). The vo n Dal l wi t z and
Wrocl aw museum plates were probabl y painted circa
1725 or later, after Sperling's design was publ ished.
Preissler's talents and his reputation as a Schwarzlot
painter were we l l established early i n the eighteenth
century whe n his works entered the col l ections o f many
promi ne nt citizens and members o f the nobi l i t y i n east-
ern and central Europe. I n technique as much as subject
matter, they reflect the persistence o f seventeenth-
century tastes and traditions t hrough the first quarter o f
the eighteenth century. I n 1731, at the age o f f if ty-f ive,
Preissler continued to defend the Schwarzlot t radi t i on i n
his repl y to an apparent request f r o m his patron for
decoration i n pol ychrome enamels. He stated i n a l etter
that, l ike his father, he considered Schwarzlot pai nt i ng
i n red and black to be the finest and most subtle f o r m o f
decoration ( " Me i n Vatter, auch ich al l zeit schwarz u nd
roht bemohl et, disses, undter aller Parcellan Mahl erey
dass feinste undt Suptieleste i st " ) .
3 8
Yet by January o f
1732, Preissler had compl eted an order that incl uded
several pieces w i t h pol ychrome decoration,
3 9
a sign that
the t radi t i on established al most one hundred years ear-
l ier i n Nure mbe rg was at its close.
The Me t ropol i t an Mu se u m o f Ar t
Ne w York
37. Important European Porcelain and Pottery, sale catalogue: Chris-
tie's, New York, Apri l 27, 1985, l ot 96. This view is not shown i n the
catalogue.
38. Ml l er-Hof stede (supra, note 8), p. 47; originally transcribed
and published by Jink i n 1923 (supra, note 8), p. 31.
39. Ml l er-Hof stede (supra, note 8), p. 49; originally transcribed
and published by Jifik i n 1923 (supra, note 8), p. 34.
Theoktistos and Associates
in Twelfth-Century Constantinople:
An Illustrated New Testament of A. D. 1133
Robert S. Nelson
Thi s bo o k was f inished by the grace o f Chri st i n the
year 6641 [A . D . 1133], the el eventh i ndi c t i on, the t hi r -
t i e t h o f Ap r i l , the t hi r d hour o f the day, the fifteenth
year o f the emperor John Comnenus, the Porphyrogen-
netos, and the most pious augusta Irene, by the hand o f
the sinner Theoktistos.
1
Wi t h these words the humbl e scribe Theoktistos
ended the Ne w Testament section o f a handsome Greek
manuscript, f ormerl y i n the Di onysi ou monastery on
Mo u nt Athos (cod. 8) and presentl y at the J. Paul Getty
Mu se u m ( Ms. Lu dwi g I I 4) .
2
No w decorated wi t h
twel ve pages o f canon tables (figs. 612), six ornamen-
tal headpieces (figs. 25), and four evangelist portraits
(figs. 2225), the manuscript once contained other i l -
l umi nat i ons as we l l . A ful l -page miniature o f the twel ve
apostles (fig. 21), f ormerl y f ol io 134v, served as a f ron-
tispiece to the Acts o f the Apostl es and is no w i n the
Paul Canel l opoul os col l ection i n Athens.
3
Two more
pages o f canon tables were removed between folios 1
and 2 and were recentl y discovered by Hu go Buchthal
i n the l ibrary o f the Zographou monastery on Mo u nt
At hos.
4
Final l y, as discussed bel ow, an offset o f col or
I began this paper as a Guest Scholar of the J. Paul Getty Museum
and completed it whil e I was a Fellow at the National Humanities
Center. For making my stay at the Museum so enjoyable and produc-
tive, I wish to thank Thomas Kren and Ranee Katzenstein o f the
Department of Manuscripts. Others who facilitated my research were
Fran Terpak, who secured important photographs quickly, Frank Preus-
ser and Michael Schilling, who provided technical advice concerning
the Ludwig manuscript, and Andrew Dyck of UCLA, who discussed
texts wi t h me.
Abbreviations
Anderson, "Examination": J. C. Anderson, " An Examination
of Two Twelfth-Century Centers o f
Byzantine Manuscript Production"
(Ph.D. diss., Princeton University,
1975).
H. Buchthal, "Disiecta Membra, "
The Burlington Magazine 124 (1982),
p. 214, figs. 15-17.
H. Buchthal, " A Greek New Testa-
ment Manuscript i n the Escorial L i -
brary: Its Miniatures and Its Bi nd-
ing, " Byzanz und der Westen: Studien
zur Kunst des europischen Mittelal-
ters, ed. I . Hutter (Vienna, 1984),
pp. 85-98.
H. Buchthal, " An Illuminated Byz-
antine Gospel Book of about 1100
A . D . , " i n Art of the Mediterranean
World A.D. WO to 1400 (Washington,
D C , 1983), pp. 140-149, reprinted
from the Special Bulletin of the
National Gallery of Victoria ( Mel -
bourne, 1961).
I . Hutter, Corpus der byzantinischen
Buchthal, "Disiecta Membra"
Buchthal, "Escorial"
Buchthal, "Mel bourne"
JOB:
Spatharakis, Corpus:
Spatharakis, "Grammar"
Von Euw and Plotzek:
Miniaturenhandschriften (Stuttgart,
1977-1982), 3 vols.
Jahrbuch der sterreichischen
Byzantinistik
I . Spatharakis, Corpus of Dated Il-
luminated Greek Manuscripts (Leiden,
1981).
I . Spatharakis, " An Illuminated
Greek Grammar Manuscript i n
Jerusalem: A Contribution to the
Study of Comnenian Illuminated
Ornament" JOB 35 (1985),
pp. 231-244.
A. von Euw and J. M. Plotzek, Die
Handschriften der Sammlung Ludwig
(Cologne, 1979), vol . 1.
Hutter, Corpus:
1. Fol.268v:
5
ETeA eico9(T|) r\ Trapo(aa) iXo(s) x<*piTi x( P
L ( J T 0
) ^
kv
5
er(ei) TW ax|xa (LVLKTLWVOS) ia p/n(vl) carpi.A .i) Xwpa 7' T(-qs)
T)|jLepas TW TrevTeKaieKaTO) T(ei) TTJS aaiA eia; K(vpo)\) uo(avvou)
Kai TTOp(|)\)po7evvf|T(ov) TOV KO(xvr|Voi3 Kai eipT)vins TT|<; eixreeaTcmis
mryoixrrfiqs) 01a xîps
T
v aixapTwA oO eoKTioTOU
2. Description and bibliography fol l ow i n the appendix.
3. Council o f Europe, Byzantine Art: An European Art, 2nd ed.
(Athens, 1964), pp. 317318. The leaf is now mounted on wood. The
manuscript's opening, folios 134v135r, showing the miniature before
the beginning of Acts, is illustrated i n F. Dl ger, E. Weigand, and A.
Deindl , Mnchsland Athos (Munich, 1942), fig. 116. The folio is also
visible i n the Library o f Congress' microfil m of the manuscript made
i n 1953. See E. W. Saunders, A Descriptive Checklist of Selected Manu-
scripts in the Monasteries of Mount Athos (Washington, D C , 1957),
pp. xi , 3. Thus the leaf was removed sometime after 1953.
4. Buchthal, "Disiecta Membra, " p. 214, figs. 1516.
54 Nelson
Figure 1. Co l o pho n and l ater ex l i bri s o f the Di o nysi o u
monastery. Ne w Testament, f ol . 268v. Co n-
stantinopl e, 1133. Pen and i nk o n ve l l u m. H :
220 m m (8
5
/s"); W: 180 m m (7"). Mal i bu , The
J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m Ms. L u dw i g I I 4;
83. MB. 68.
o n f ol io l r is the onl y trace o f yet another decorated
page, whi c h must have served as the frontispiece to
the vol ume.
Del uxe i l l umi nat e d Byzantine manuscripts w i t h such
precise indications o f date and, as we shall see, prove-
nance are not c ommon, and doubtl essl y for this reason
the earliest students o f the subject were attracted to the
manuscript. I n 1891 He i nri c h Brockhaus first me n-
tioned and il l ustrated the portrait o f Mat t he w i n a gen-
eral book o n art at Mo u nt At hos.
5
Thereafter, the book
was briefly noted i n art historical studies by C. R. Morey
(1914)
6
and by A. M . Friend, Jr. (1927),
7
who re-
produced al l four o f the manuscripts evangelist por-
traits. I t figured i n various paleographical studies and
catalogues and was presented i n another general wo r k
on Mo u nt Athos, publ ished i n 1942 by F. D l g e r et al .
8
None o f these authors, however, studied the manuscript
i n detail , and i n more recent years few have had the
opport uni t y to examine the book personally.
Since I 960,
9
the manuscript has passed t hrough t wo
rel ativel y inaccessible private col l ections before the M u -
seum acquired i t i n 1983 as part o f the Lu dwi g col l ec-
t i o n and thereby made i t available to a wi de r audience.
Sequestered for over t wo decades, the Getty Ne w Testa-
ment has not been f ul l y incorporated i nt o recent schol -
arship on twel f th-century Byzantine i l l umi nat i on.
Thus, whi l e its publ ished miniatures have l ong been
used as chronol ogical guides to the dating o f other
manuscripts, the manuscript i t sel f has not received the
close scrutiny that its hi gh qual ity i l l u mi nat i o n and its
wel l -def ined provenance warrant. The present attempt
at such an i nqui ry w i l l first expl ore the circumstances o f
the manuscripts creation and then consider its decora-
t i o n i n the larger context o f t wel f t h-cent ury Byzantine
book i l l umi nat i on.
The col ophon, wri t t en i n the customary passive voice,
documents the moment o f the manuscript's compl etion i n
exhaustive fashion: the years elapsed since the creation o f
the worl d (i.e., 5,508 years before the bi rt h o f Christ); the
indiction number, or year during a repeating fifteen-year
cycle; the day o f the month, but not i n this case the day o f
the week; the hour o f the daythe third, corresponding
to mi dmorni ng; and the regnal year o f the Byzantine em-
peror John I I Comnenus (r. A . D . 11181143), Porphyrogen-
netos, or " born to the purple," and his consort, Irene.
1 0
At
the end comes the name o f the scribe, who as usual pro-
fesses his humil ity, fortunately not to the extent o f omi t -
t i ng his name. Theoktistos tells us nothing else about
himself, but his name, not a common one for scribes,
appears i n several other manuscripts, whi ch C. R. Morey
i n 1914
11
and J. Bick i n 1920
1 2
attributed to the same hand.
Recently, however, H. Hunger and O. Kresten have split
apart this group, assigning three manuscripts i n Vienna to
a second Theoktistos, who worked i n the fourteenth cen-
5. H. Brockhaus, Die Kunst in den Athos-Klstern (Leipzig, 1891),
pp. 183, 211, 231-233, pi. 21.
6. C. R. Morey, East Christian Paintings in the Freer Collection
(Washington, D.C., 1914), pp. 28, 30.
7. A. M. Friend, Jr., "The Portraits o f the Evangelists i n Greek
and Latin Manuscripts," Art Studies 5 (1927), pp. 125, 133, figs. 9-12.
8. Dl ger et al. (supra, note 3), pp. 194197.
9. Date noted by Buchthal, "Disiecta Membra, " p. 214.
10. The basic source for these chronological details is V. Grumel,
Traite d
f
etudes byzantines: I. La Chronologie (Paris, 1958).
11. Morey (supra, note 6), pp. 2729.
12. J. Bick, Die Schreiber der wiener griechischen Handschriften
(Vienna, 1920), pp. 65-66.
13. H. Hunger and O. Kresten, "Archaisierende Minuskel und
Hodegonstil i m 14. Jahrhundert: Der Schreiber Theoktistos und die
KpdXatva TWV TpiaXwv, " JOB 29 (1980), pp. 187-236.
14. Illustrated i n Morey (supra, note 6), pl . I I . This scribe uses an
entirely different zeta from the characteristic type of the copyist of
Ms. Ludwig I I 4.
15. On the manuscript see Hunger and Kresten (supra, note 13),
pp. 210-212 wi t h further bibliography.
16. Texts i n ibid., p. 211.
Theoktistos and Associates 55
tury.
1 3
The script o f a fourth manuscript, represented onl y
by t wo folios i n the Freer Gallery o f Ar t i n Washington,
D.C., shoul d also be divorced f rom the group, for i t is by
neither Theoktistos I nor I I .
1 4
Thus at present the onl y
other manuscript by the scribe o f the Getty Ne w Testa-
ment is a copy o f saints' lives for the mont h o f November
i n Paris (Bibliotheque National e gr. 1570).
15
Accordi ng to notes on f ol io 213r, Paris gr. 1570 was
compl eted on June 9, 1127, and was wr i t t e n by The ok-
tistos for the Abbot Maxi mos. A further entry on f ol io
214v records the book' s ownership by the monastery o f
Saint John the Baptist i n Petra, l ocated i n the no r t h-
western corner o f the city o f Constantinopl e, not far
f rom the i mperi al Blachernae palace.
1 6
The scripts o f al l
three notices i n the Paris vol ume agree wi t h each other
and wi t h the mai n text o f the manuscript and closely
resemble the Getty Ne w Testament.
1 7
Because the t wo
books, wr i t t e n i n 1127 and 1133, are near contempo-
raries, there can be no doubt that the same Theoktistos
wrot e bot h. Whether the scribe was actually a mo nk at
this establishment, also kno wn as the Prodromos-Petra
monastery, is unclear; i n neither the Paris nor the Getty
manuscript does he call hi mse l f a monk. I n this respect
Theoktistos' manuscript for the Prodromos-Petra mo n-
astery contrasts wi t h one copied by his contemporary
Arsenios. The latter inscribed the monastery's ex l ibris
i n Paris, Bibl iotheque National e gr. 891, stating i n the
col ophon that the book was compl eted i n 1136 by "the
mo nk Arsenios" for "the abbot o f the same monastery,
the mo nk Maxi mos. "
1 8
Thi s Arsenios then was def i-
nitel y a member o f the Prodromos-Petra communi t y,
whose abbot, Maxi mos, commissioned manuscripts
f rom the t wo scribes. Even i f Theoktistos di d not be-
l ong to the monastery, the Paris manuscript o f 1127 at
the very least locates hi m i n Constantinopl e six years
before he wrot e the Getty Ne w Testament and associ-
ates hi m w i t h a major monastery i n the capital.
Li t t l e kno wn before the t we l f t h century, the monas-
tery o f Saint John the Baptist i n Petra became pr o mi -
nent at the end o f the el eventh and the begi nni ng o f the
t we l f t h centuries, i n part as a result o f i mperi al sup-
port .
1 9
I n 1200 a Russian visitor to Constantinopl e re-
17. Cf., ibid., figs. 3-6, 8.
18. The manuscripts o f Arsenios are surveyed i n E. D. Kakoul idi,
"
C
H iXioTJKTi TTJS ixovrjs IIpo8p| Xoverpas OTTJV KoovoTav-
TLVOUTTOXT]," Hellenika 21 (1968), pp. 2124. The Paris manuscript
(Bibliotheque Nationale gr. 891) has a decorated headpiece. See
Spatharakis, Corpus, p. 42, fig. 262.
19. The basic sources on the monastery are collected i n R. Janin,
La geographie ecclesiastique de Vempire byzantin, 2nd ed. (Paris, 1969),
part 1, vol . 3, pp. 421429; and G. P. Majeska, Russian Travelers to
Constantinople in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries (Washington,
D.C., 1984), pp. 339-345.
ported that the monastery had t wo hundred monks.
2 0
Its prosperity is attested by an event that t ook place
duri ng the reign o f John Comnenus' son Manuel .
Wi shi ng to have an i mperi al banquet on very short
notice, the emperor succeeded i n obtaining the neces-
sary provisions f rom the monastery, i ncl udi ng whi t e
bread, vegetables, olives, cheese, several kinds o f fish,
and black and red caviar.
21
Fol l owi ng the Lat i n occupa-
t i o n o f Constantinopl e duri ng the thirteenth century,
the monastery was again prominent, and i n the early
fifteenth century a Spanish visitor to the city extol l ed
the monastery's rich mosaics, marbles, pavements, metal
and glass l amps, and gil ded doors.
2 2
I t also possessed
a considerable l ibrary, whi c h can be reconstructed
t hrough a characteristic ex l ibris, the same one that The -
oktistos and Arsenios copied i n their manuscripts.
Amo ng its hol dings were t wo art historical l y i mport ant
vol umes, the famous sixth-century Dioscurides manu-
script i n Vienna and a fine el eventh-century Gospel
book i n Athens ( National Li brary cod. 57) .
2 3
Di d Theoktistos wri t e the Getty Ne w Testament for
the Prodromos-Petra monastery, as von Eu w and
Pl otzek have assumed?
24
The book' s rel ativel y large size
(220 X 180 mm) , its l iturgical rubrics, and the presence
o f the Ne w Testament, not j ust the four Gospels, mi ght
suggest an institutional patron. Certainl y i t is larger
than a class o f di mi nut i ve Gospel books, measuring 120
X 90 m m or less, that were made i n the later eleventh
and t we l f t h centuries for the personal use o f priests and
monks.
2 5
Yet i n Byzant i um, unl i ke the Lat i n West,
sharp distinctions cannot be made between private and
publ ic rel igious texts, and not hi ng prevents the Getty
Ne w Testament f rom being the commission o f an i ndi -
vidual , either lay or rel igious. The onl y evidence i n this
regard is o f a negative nature. Unl i ke Paris gr. 1570,
Theoktistos di d not add to the Getty Ne w Testament
the traditional ex l ibris o f the Prodromos-Petra monas-
tery, verses that were considered i mport ant enough to
be inscribed i n over t we nt y survi vi ng manuscripts.
Such an omission might indicate a patron other than the
monastery. Thus, whi l e the Getty Ne w Testament re-
veals much more about the circumstances o f its creation
20. Majeska (supra, note 19), p. 341.
21. Janin (supra, note 19), p. 422.
22. Ibid., pp. 425426; S. Cirac, "Tres monasterios de Con-
stantinopla visitados por espanoles en el afio 1403," Revue des etudes
byzantines 19 (1961), pp. 366373; G. Le Strange, Clavijo Embassy to
Tamerlane (New York, 1928), pp. 62-63.
23. Manuscripts associated wi t h the monastery are surveyed i n
Kakoul idi (supra, note 18), pp. 339.
24. Von Euw and Plotzek, p. 162.
25. A. Weyl Carr, "Diminutive Byzantine Manuscripts," Codices
Manuscripti 6 (1980), pp. 133-136.
56 Nelson
Figure 2. Fi rst page o f the Gospel o f Mat t hew. Ne w
Testament, fol . Ur. Const ant i nople, 1133.
Tempera and gol d on vel l um. H: 220 mm
( 8 W) ; W: 180 mm (7"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul
Get t y Mus eum Ms. Lud wi g I I 4; 83.MB.68.
Figure 3. Fi rst page o f the Gospel o f Mar k. Ne w Testa-
ment , fol. 46v. Const ant i nople, 1133. Tempera
and gol d on vel l um. H: 220 mm (87s"); W:
180 mm (7"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mu -
seum Ms. Lud wi g I I 4; 83.MB.68.
than the great maj ori t y o f i l l umi nat ed Byzanti ne manu-
scripts wi t ho ut colophons, the t rai l o f easily available
evidence ends all t oo soon. At that poi nt one must re-
sort to codicological, paleographical, and art historical
analysis o f the manuscri pt i n the context o f Co n-
stanti nopoli tan book pr oduct i on o f the second quarter
o f the t wel ft h century, a fertile peri od i n the hi st ory o f
Byzanti ne i l l umi nat i on.
The codi cology and paleography o f the Get t y Ne w
Testament provi de the first set o f clues to its process o f
creation. Two scribes wor ked on the manuscript. The-
oktistos, the pri nci pal scribe, wr ot e the entire Ne w Tes-
tament (fols. Ur268v; figs. 15). A second scribe di d
the pr el i mi nar y letter o f Eusebius (fol. lrv; fig. 13) and
the concludi ng li t urgi cal tables (fols. 269r280r) and
added the numbers to the canon tables (fols. 2r7v; figs.
612). The colophon appears not i n the usual posi t i on at
the end o f the manuscri pt on foli o 280r, but many pages
earlier on foli o 268v (fig. 1), because Theokti stos com-
pleted his wo r k at that poi nt .
2 6
The t wo wr i t i n g styles,
whi l e related, are nonetheless rather different i n overall
effect and specific letters. Theokti stos achieves a rapi d
r hyt hm fr om narrow, t hi n letters, especially the nu, and
frequent slashing abbreviation marks (figs. 15). Hi s
collaborator (fig. 13) wri tes a more conventi onal hand
wi t h fluid transitions and curvi li near letters, for exam-
ple, the lambda, whi ch contrasts wi t h the more angular
ductus o f Theokti stos. To the latter's text, the second
scribe added margi nal li t urgi cal rubrics. The manuscri pt
is thus a j o i nt effort o f t wo contemporary scribes.
The decoration is consistent t hr oughout the manu-
script, the same colors and designs bei ng used i n the
full-page evangelist portraits (figs. 2225), the orna-
mental headpieces at the begi nni ng o f each Gospel (figs.
25), and the canon tables (figs. 612), as noted below.
However, this does not suggest that one or bot h scribes
were responsible for the i l l umi nat i ng o f the manuscript.
Rather the t wo operations were separate and not es-
26. The contrasting scripts of folios 268v and 269r are well illus-
trated i n K. Lake and S. Lake, Dated Greek Manuscripts to the Year 1200
(Boston, 1935), fasc. 3, no. 116, pi. 198.
Figure 4. First page o f the Gospel o f Luke. Ne w Testa-
ment, f ol . 70r. Constantinopl e, 1133. Tempera
and gol d o n ve l l u m. H : 220 m m (87s"); W:
180 m m (7"). Mal i bu , The J. Paul Get t y M u -
seum Ms. Lu dwi g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
Figure 5. First page o f the Gospel o f John. Ne w Testa-
ment, f ol . 107v. Constantinopl e, 1133. Te m-
pera and gol d o n ve l l u m. H : 220 m m (8
5
/s");
W: 180 m m (7"). Mal i bu , The J. Paul Get t y
Mu s e u m Ms. L u dwi g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
pecial l y we l l coordinated, and the five f igural mi ni a-
tures are painted o n single fol ios tipped i nt o regular text
quires (see appendix).
Thus Mat t he w (fol . l Ov; f ig. 22) is attached to the
preceding t wo fol ios (fols. 89), containing the l ist o f
chapters i n Mat t hew. Before i t was removed f rom the
manuscript, the page wi t h the twel ve apostles con-
stituted f ol io 134v (fig. 21) and must have been j oi ne d
either to the preceding or the f ol l owi ng quaternion.
Mar k (fol . 45v; f ig. 23) is put between bifol ios 3 and 4
i n an otherwise regul ar quaternion (fols. 4351), con-
t ai ni ng the end o f the Gospel o f Matthew, the l ist o f
chapters i n Mar k, and the begi nni ng o f the Gospel o f
Mar k. Si mi l arl y Luke (fol . 69v; f ig. 24) falls between
bifol ios 1 and 2 o f a f ormal l y regul ar quaternion (fols.
6876), compri si ng the l ist o f chapters i n Luke and the
begi nni ng o f the Gospel o f Luke. Final l y John (fol .
106v; fig. 25) is f ound between bifol ios 3 and 4 o f an
otherwise regular quaternion (fols. 101109) w i t h the
27. This opening i n the manuscript, folios 106v107r, is il l us-
trated by Dl ger et al. (supra, note 3), fig. 115.
end o f the Gospel o f Luke, the chapters i n John, and the
begi nni ng o f the Gospel o f John.
I n t wo cases the inserted miniatures actually interrupt
texts. Mar k (fol . 45v) comes i n the mi ddl e o f the l ist o f
chapters, whi c h begins on f ol io 44v and continues on
f ol io 46r. Worse st i l l , John (fol . 106v), designed to be a
frontispiece to his Gospel , appears before the end o f
Luke, so that Theoktistos' concl usion to Luke and his
l ist o f chapters i n John f ol l ow on f ol io 107r.
27
The o r i g-
inal l y bl ank rectos o f al l five miniatures (fols. lOr, 45r,
69r, 106r, 134r) make these interruptions even more dis-
concerting. A later owner was sufficientl y bothered by
the portrait o f John to wri t e the concl usion o f Luke's
Gospel on the back (fol . 106r) o f the miniature, thereby
maki ng redundant Theoktistos' original text on the f o l -
l o wi ng fol io.
The manner i n whi c h the parchment o f the ful l -page
miniatures is rul ed further distinguishes t hem f rom the
basic text o f the manuscript (see the appendix). Doubl e
vertical lines define the lateral borders o f the frame, and
single horizontal lines mark the upper and l ower l i mi t s
o f the miniature. The pattern thus aids the i l l umi nat or.
58 Nelson
Ot her special rul ings are f ound elsewhere i n the manu-
script. A distinctive pattern sets up some o f the l i t u r g i -
cal tables at the end o f the book (fols. 275r280r). I n the
i ni t i al quire w i t h the canon tables (fols. 17), three sets
o f doubl e vertical lines define the wi dt hs o f the three
painted col umns o f the tables (figs. 612). Onl y f ol io 1
w i t h Eusebius' l etter about the canon tables has ho r i -
zontal l ines for the text (fig. 13).
Taken together, these and other details pe rmi t a par-
tial reconstruction o f ho w the Getty Ne w Testament
was made. Theoktistos wrot e the mai n text, sometimes
i nde nt i ng one or more lines at the begi nni ng o f major
textual divisions for gil ded initial s (see figs. 25). These
initial s are al l by the same hand and resemble the mi no r
decoration and the gol d titl es, bot h surely by the scribe.
Theoktistos must have added the initial s after he
finished wr i t i ng his text; whe n a scribe makes the i ni -
tials before he writes the text, the indented lines o f text
often f ol l ow the particul ar prof il e o f the i ndi vi dual l et-
ter, an effect that can be especially noticeable w i t h the
beta for Mat t hew' s Gospel . The second scribe may have
wr i t t e n his sections o f the manuscript after Theoktistos;
certainl y he added the l iturgical marginal ia after the l at-
ter had finished.
Next , the scribes turned their text over to an i l -
l uminator, who painted the headpieces at the start o f
the four Gospels (figs. 25), the Acts o f the Apostl es,
and Paul's Epistl e to the Romans. That the ornament
came after the initial s is shown by the first pages o f
Mar k, Luke, and John. For Mar k (fig. 3), the l ower left
finial to the ornamented rectangle is abbreviated so as
to avoid the tal l gol d i ni t i al alpha. For the same reason
the corresponding finial o f John's headpiece (fig. 5) is
pushed to the side o f the large i ni t i al epsil on, whi l e the
one i n Luke's headpiece (fig. 4) is shrunken to a smal l
gol den teardrop, better to bl end w i t h the col or o f the
i ni t i al bel ow.
The i l l umi nat or o f the headpieces also painted the
figural miniatures and the canon tables. The same array
o f colors is used t hroughout the manuscript, and the
same scalloped design i n the borders o f the frames o f
28. Matthew (fig. 22) 160 X 108 mm; Mark (fig. 23) 165 X 105
mm; Luke (fig. 24) 163 X 108 mm; John (fig. 25) 163 x 108 mm.
Because the last two have the same measurements and all but Mark
share the same width, the evangelists were clearly made i n the same
campaign.
29. For example, the canon table on folio 5v (fig. 10) measures
160 X 140 mm.
30. P. McGurk, Latin Gospel Books from A.D. 400 to A.D. 800
(Paris, 1961), pp. 8-9.
31. I made some comments on the relative independence o f
scribes and illuminators i n regard to tenth-century il l umination i n
"Byzantine Miniatures at Oxford: CBM 1 and 2," forthcoming i n
Byzantine Studies/Etudes byzantines. Others have reached similar con-
the evangelists (figs. 2225) and the apostles (fig. 21)
appears i n the headpiece for Mar k (fig. 3) and i n certain
canon tables (figs. 7, 9, 11, 12). For the ful l -page mi ni a-
tures, the painter worke d w i t h separate pages o f parch-
ment, guided by the r u l i ng lines that he incised to
insure u ni f o r m proportions for the frames. He di d
not, however, rul e al l four evangelist portraits
simul taneousl y, because the miniatures' measurements
vary sl i ght l y.
2 8
The product i on stages o f the canon tables are more
dif f icul t to reconstruct, but the i l l umi nat or probabl y
t ook the lead here. Three sets o f doubl e vertical lines
define the wi dt hs o f the three painted col umns on each
page, so that i t must have been the i l l umi nat or who
started w i t h the bl ank parchment. Agai n his apparent
objective was u ni f o r mi t y i n the manuscript, because the
height o f the canon tables approximatel y equals that o f
the evangelist portraits.
2 9
He rul ed four bifolios o f parch-
ment, or sixteen pages, and painted tables on fourteen
o f these pages. The same r ul i ng pattern appears on the
first f ol io w i t h the l etter o f Eusebius, except that ho r i -
zontal lines were added for the text (fig. 13). The second
scribe used gol d i nk for the l etter on fol ios l rv and the
numbers o f the canon tables.
It appears therefore that whi l e there was some inter-
change between scribes and i l l umi nat or, they preferred
to wo r k separately. Thus, even t hough there was r o o m
for the portrait o f Mat t he w on the ori gi nal l y bl ank f ol io
9v, f ol l owi ng the concl usion o f the chapter lists for
Mat t he w o n f ol io 9r, the i l l umi nat or painted his mi ni a-
ture on a separate l eaf o f parchment to be attached to
the smal l quire w i t h the chapter lists. The manuscript
that resulted does not conf orm to the usual l ayout o f
del uxe books. Neither the evangelist portraits nor the
first pages o f each Gospel f ol l ow the predictable no r m.
As a rule, the evangelist portrait occupies a verso, so as
to face the begi nni ng o f a Gospel on a recto. For this
reason the evangelist normal l y is shown t urni ng i nward
toward the bi ndi ng. Moreover, each Gospel traditional l y
began a new quire, a centuries-ol d convention that went
back to the earliest Christian manuscripts.
3 0
elusions for later manuscripts. For the period o f the present essay, see
Buchthal, "Escorial," p. 93, and J. C. Anderson, "The Seraglio Oc-
tateuch and the Kokkinobaphos Master," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 36
(1982), pp. 103-104. For the Palaeologan period, see H. Buchthal,
"Toward a History of Palaeologan Illuminations, " Art of the Mediterra-
nean World A.D. W0 to 1400 (Washington, D. C, 1983), pp. 162-163; A.
Weyl Carr, "Two Manuscripts by Joasaph i n the United States," The
Art Bulletin 63 (1981), pp. 188-190; and H. Bel ting, Das illuminierte
Buch in der sptbyzantinischen Gesellschaft (Heidelberg, 1970), pp. 317.
32. Buchthal, "Disiecta Membra"; von Euw and Plotzek, p. 159.
33. The contents o f these pages are as follows (Zog refers to the
Zographou leaf):
Page 1 (Zog) I , I 8 (4v) V, V
The observed lack o f coordination between scribes
and painter does not mean that they were not cont em-
poraries or that the miniatures were inserted i nt o the
manuscript at a later date. As discussed bel ow, the deco-
ration is too f i r ml y embedded i n the context o f Co n-
stantinopol itan i l l u mi nat i o n o f the second quarter o f
the t we l f t h century to be attributed to a later period.
What the codicol ogical analysis o f the manuscript sug-
gests instead is a physical, not a temporal , distance be-
tween the wr i t i ng and the decorating o f the manuscript.
The i l l umi nat or probabl y di d not share the same wo r k-
table or scri pt ori um w i t h the scribes and may even have
had a separate shop to whi c h the master Theoktistos
brought his book for decoration. A simil ar modus ope-
randi best describes the product i on o f certain t we l f t h-
century manuscripts, to be discussed shortl y, and may
be deduced, as we l l , for other periods o f Byzantine
i l l u mi nat i o n.
3 1
Havi ng thus examined ho w the Getty Ne w Testa-
ment was made, i t is appropriate to evaluate the i l -
l umi nat i on that resulted by l o o ki ng first at the begi n-
ni ng o f the manuscript. Beginnings o f books are always
i mport ant , but perhaps more so than usual i n the case o f
Ms. Lu dwi g I I 4. One o f its more distinctive aspects is
its pre l i mi nary canon tables (figs. 612), whi c h have
heretofore been ignored. Thanks to Hu g o Buchthal ' s
discovery, their f ul l extent can no w be studied. The
single l eaf that he identif ied must be the f ol io that the
authors o f the Lu dwi g catalogue recorded as missing
between fol ios 1 and 2 o f the manuscript.
3 2
The leaf's
measurements agree wi t h those o f the Getty vol ume,
and its contents compl ete the missing section at the
begi nni ng o f the tables. The series o f decorated pages
may therefore be reconstructed as begi nni ng on the
recto o f the Zographou l eaf and extending t hrough
the verso o f f ol io 7, maki ng fourteen pages i n al l .
3 3
The canon tables consist o f three handsome mar-
bl eized col umns that frame t wo sections for the lists o f
numbers and support an ornamental superstructure. The
2 (Zog) I , I I
3 (2r) I I , I I
4 (2v) I I , I I
5 (3r) I I , I I I
6 (3v) I I I , I V
7 (4r) I V, V
9 (5r) V, V I
10 (5v) VI , VI I
11 (6r) VI I I , I X
12 (6v) X( Mt ) , X( Mk )
13 (7r) X (Lk), X (Lk)
14 (7v) X (Jn), X (Jn)
34. Because o f the vagueness of earlier accounts, it is unclear
when the Zographou leaf was removed from the manuscript. Unl ike
the missing apostles page, the leaf does not appear in the Library of
Congress microf il m made i n 1953 (see supra, note 3).
35. Von Euw and Plotzek, figs. 56-59.
36. In a forthcoming study on Armenian il l umination, Thomas
Mathews also underscores the importance and the seriousness of
columns, painted either blue or green, rest on round
or tripartite bases. The rectangular sections above are
variousl y f il l ed wi t h gables, arches, or ornamental pat-
terns, so that each opening o f the manuscript has the
same design. Thus the fact that f ol io 2r matches exactly
the design o f the verso o f the Zographou l eaf is concl u-
sive pr o o f that the latter bel onged to the manuscript.
3 4
These canon tables wo u l d seem to appeal less to mo d-
ern sensibilities than the manuscript' s figural miniatures
to j udge f rom the fact that the latter have been re-
produced several times since 1891, whereas the canon
tables were first il l ustrated onl y i n the Lu dwi g cata-
l ogue o f 1979.
35
Yet these ornate arches must have been
i mport ant to the manuscript' s medieval patron. They
are carefully executed i n the same array o f colors as the
evangelists and apostles, and i t may we l l have required
more o f the artist's t i me to paint fourteen canon tables
than five f igural miniatures.
3 6
Canon tables play a major role i n the decorative pro-
grams o f other Mi ddl e Byzantine Gospel books. Some
consist o f large il l usionistic architectural designs derived
f rom early prototypes, whi l e others set intricate genre
scenes atop the structures or introduce personifications
as caryatids. To understand better the context o f the
Getty canon tables, i t is necessary to locate t hem i n
the history o f this aspect o f the post-Iconocl astic Gos-
pel bo o k/ Ne w Testament, a formidabl e task since that
history has yet to be wri t t e n. The premier authority on
the subject, Carl Nordenf al k, di d consider the Greek
versions but principal l y i n regard to their potential for
reconstructing Eusebius' original design. The latter,
he showed, was reflected i n the seven-page series o f
some tenth-century Greek manuscripts, his "kl einere
griechische Kanonfol ge." He also isolated the " gr sse r e
griechische Kanonfol ge, " consisting o f ten pages and
represented by the masterpiece i n the Stavronikita monas-
tery on Mo u nt Athos (cod. 43). According to Norden-
falk, this series was a new redaction by Constantinopol i-
tan i l l umi nat ors o f the tenth century and consequently
o f lesser interest for his purposes.
3 7
Neither he nor
anyone else has taken up the subsequent history o f
canon tables. He is able to interpret their significance for Armenian
manuscripts by reference to medieval Armenian commentaries on the
Eusebian canons. I know of no similar texts for Greek manuscripts.
I thank hi m for letting me read a portion of his study coauthored
wi t h Avedis K. Sanjian, Armenian Gospel Iconography; The Tradition of
the U.C.L.A. Gospel.
37. C. Nordenfalk, Die sptantiken Kanontafeln (Gteborg, 1938),
pp. 5764. He also identifies an early eight-page series, as a variant on
the smaller seven-page format: ibid, pp. 149152, and idem, "The
Apostolic Canon Tables," Gazette des beaux-arts ser. 6, 62 (1963),
pp. 24-26.
60 Nelson
Figure 6. Canon table. Ne w Testament, fol . 2r. Co n -
stanti nople, 1133. Tempera and gol d on
vel l um. H: 220 mm ( 8 W) ; W: 180 mm (7").
Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum Ms. L ud -
wi g I I 4; 83.MB.68.
Figure 7. Canon table. Ne w Testament, fol . 2v. Co n -
stanti nople, 1133. Tempera and gol d on
vel l um. H: 220 mm (8
5
/s"); W: 180 mm (7").
wi g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
Byzanti ne canon tables, i n spite o f the fact that they
constitute major components o f deluxe manuscripts
and may wel l offer clues to the or i gi n and affi li at i on
o f such books.
The present study is not the place for such an inves-
t i gat i on, but a few pr el i mi nar y observations may aid i n
appreciating the series i n the Get t y manuscript. First,
the latter's fourteen pages are exceptional. Whi l e No r -
denfalk's seven-page series appears less frequently after
the t ent h century than ei ght- or ten-page sequences,
38. C. Stornajolo, Codices Urbinates Graeci Bibliothecae Vaticanae
(Rome, 1895), p. 4; Spatharakis, Corpus, p. 41, fig. 251.
39. Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 1115: Rome, Vatican gr. 354; Paris,
Bibliotheque Nationale gr. 70; Mount Athos, Lavra cod. A 19. I ex-
clude Oxford, Bodleian Library Auct. D. 4. 1, said to have two canon
tables (ibid., p. 12). These are canons for the Psalms: Hutter, Corpus,
vol. 1, p. 27.
40. Nordenfalk (supra, note 37), p. 60.
41. Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 19, 28, 33, 36. The other manuscripts
are a Trebizond manuscript divided between Mount Sinai gr. 172 and
Leningrad, Public Library gr. 291 dated 1067, and Paris, Bibliotheque
Nationale gr. 81 dated 1092. The tables i n the Dumbarton Oaks
manuscript are comparatively simple, being rendered only i n red ink.
42. Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 41-42, 44-48: Mount Sinai gr. 193
very few series are as extended as that o f Ms. Ludwi g I I
4. The contemporary Gospel book i n the Vatican L i -
brary ( Ur b. gr. 2), wi t h its portraits o f John I I Co m-
nenus and his son Alexi us, spreads the letter o f Eu-
sebius and the canon tables over sixteen pages (fols.
4r11 v) , but the tables proper occupy onl y the t radi -
t i onal ten pages.
3 8
Li ke the earlier series studied by No r -
denfalk, later canon tables may also be product i vely
classified by number o f pages.
Second, canon tables are more popular i n some per i -
dated 1124; Rome, Vatican Urb. gr. 2 of circa 1125; Mount Athos,
Esphigmenou cod. 25 dated 1129; Malibu, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Ms. Ludwi g I I 4 dated 1133; Princeton, University Library Garrett
3 dated 1136; Rome, Vatican Barb. gr. 449 dated 1153; Athens, Byzan-
tine Museum ms. 205 dated 1154; London, British Library Add. 5107
dated 1159; Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale suppl. gr. 612 dated 1164;
Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale gr. 83 dated 1167; London, British L i -
brary Add. 5111-5112, "shortly before 1189"; Rome, Vatican gr. 2290
dated 1197.
43. Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 49, 54: Athens, Gennadeios Library
ms. 1. 5 dated 1226; Athens, Byzantine Museum ms. 155 dated 1292.
Spatharakis included Mount Sinai gr. 2123 as dated 1242, but its date
has now been justly challenged by G. Prato andj. A. M. Sonderkamp,
"Libro, testo, miniature: II caso del Cod. Sinait. Gr. 2123," Scrittura e
Figure 8. Canon table. Ne w Testament, f ol . 3v. Co n-
stantinopl e, 1133. Tempera and gol d o n
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m (8
5
/s"); W: 180 m m (7").
Mal i bu , The J. Paul Get t y Mu s e u m Ms. L u d-
w i g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
ods than others, as shown by a perusal o f the dated
i l l umi nat e d Greek manuscripts i n the recent vol ume o f
I . Spatharakis. There the tenth century is represented by
three manuscripts,
3 9
one o f whi c h (Paris, Bibl iotheque
National e gr. 70) is a pri me exampl e o f Nordenfal k' s
seven-page sequence.
40
O f the five el eventh-century
manuscripts that Spatharakis catalogues, al l but one
( Mi l an, Bibl ioteca Ambrosiana Ms. B 56 sup., dated
1022) are f rom the second hal f o f the century. Two
( Washington, D. C. , Du mbar t o n Oaks cod. 3 and
civilt 9 (1985), pp. 309323. Other dated manuscripts have canon
tables but perhaps were not mentioned by Spatharakis because they
are not of sufficient art historical interest, e.g., Rome, Vatican Ottob.
gr. 381 dated 1281/82 and Wil l iamstown, Wil l iams College cod. De
Ricci 1 dated 1294/95. Perhaps for the same reason Oxford, Christ
Church gr. 20 dated 1291/92 is omitted entirely from the Corpus.
Gttingen, Universittsbibl iothek cod. Theol. 28, an il l uminated
manuscript dated 1289/90 wi t h canon tables, should be added to the
Corpus. The Oxford and Gttingen manuscripts are discussed i n my
paper, "Theodore Hagiopetrites and Thessaloniki," JOB 32/4 (1982),
pp. 7985, and the Gttingen manuscript alone i n "The Manuscripts
of Antonios Malakes and the Collecting and Appreciation of I l l u-
minated Books i n the Early Palaeologan Period," JOB 36 (1986),
pp. 235-238.
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m (8
5
/s"); W: 180 m m (7").
w i g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
Mo u nt Athos, Lavra A 61) are o f hi gh or moderatel y
hi gh qual ity, and each has ten pages o f canon tables.
41
The situation abruptl y changes, however, i n the t we l f t h
century. No w twel ve dated manuscripts have canon ta-
bles, incl uding, o f course, Ms. Lu dwi g I I 4.
4 2
I n con-
trast, tables are f ound i n onl y three manuscripts f rom
the thirteenth century,
4 3
t wo f rom the fourteenth cen-
t ury,
4 4
and none f rom the fifteenth century. I n the Late
Byzantine period canon tables decline i n importance
and are not incl uded i n many del uxe manuscripts.
4 5
44. Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 5657: Mount Athos, Pantocrator
cod. 47 dated 1301; Venice, Biblioteca Nationale gr. I . 20 dated 1302.
Again, at least one other manuscript, Venice, Biblioteca Marciana gr.
I . 19, has canon tables. The latter, however, are not richly decorated.
45. For example, Pistoia, Biblioteca Fabroniana ms. 307 dated
1330; Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana ms. F 17 (83) dated 1330; Mount
Athos, Lavra cod. A 46 dated 1333; Patmos, Monastery of Saint John
ms. 81 dated 1335; Mount Sinai gr. 152 dated 1346; London, British
Library Burney 18 dated 1366; Athens, National Library ms. 2603
dated 1418; and Mount Athos, Iviron cod. 548 dated 1433. See
Spatharakis, Corpus, pp. 6070.
62 Nelson
Iflflll^^
Figure 10. Cano n table. Ne w Testament, f ol . 5v. Co n-
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m ( 8 W) ; W: 180 m m (7").
Mal i bu , The J. Paul Ge t t y Mu s e u m Ms. L u d-
w i g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
Further research wo u l d be required to ascertain the
degree to whi c h the number o f canon tables is depen-
dent upon the number o f il l ustrated Gospel books and
Ne w Testaments being produced at various times.
However, i n the absence o f such a dif f icul t inquiry, the
evidence o f survi vi ng dated examples st i l l reveals that at
least the tables, i f not the manuscripts i n whi c h they are
f ound, enjoyed their greatest popul ari t y i n the later
el eventh and t we l f t h centuries. No t coincidental l y, this
was also the t i me o f their principal artistic success, a
devel opment that parallels the increased prominence o f
the decorated headpiece duri ng the same pe ri od.
4 6
Tenth-century tables mi ght be monument al and i l l u -
sionistic ( Mo u nt Athos, Stavronikita cod. 43) or flat and
46. On the headpiece see my forthcoming study, "Palaeologan
Il l uminated Ornament and the Arabesque," which wi l l appear i n the
Wiener Jahrbuch fr Kunstgeschichte.
47. K. Weitzmann, Die byzantinische Buchmalerei des 9 und 10. Jahr-
hunderts (Berl in, 1935), figs. 177-178, 148, 194-195.
48. J. Ebersolt, La miniature byzantine (Paris, 1926), pis. XLI I XLI I I .
A color reproduction of the page wi t h the boy and camel is found in A.
Grabar, The Art of the Byzantine Empire (New York, 1963), p. 39.
49. V. Lazarev, Storia della pittura bizantina (Turin, 1967), fig. 240.
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m ( 8
5
/
8
") ; W: 180 m m (7").
w i g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
decorative (Athens, Nat i onal Li brary cod. 56) and coul d
incl ude a variety o f smal l birds at the top (Rome, Vat i -
can gr. 364) ,
4 7
but i n the el eventh century, especially the
latter half, canon tables reached new levels o f embel l ish-
ment. At o p the intricate arcades o f one masterpiece o f
the period (Paris, Bibl iotheque National e gr. 64) cavort
menageries o f exotic animals. A cheetah and a hunter
race after stags; one gri f f on stands proudl y by whi l e
another l icks its paws; pairs o f l ong-necked wat erf owl
and peacocks dr i nk f r o m a f ountain; or a yout h goads a
camel, as an elephant drinks w i t h his t r u nk f r o m a
f ount ai n.
4 8
Mo r e fanciful st i l l are the myt hol ogi cal crea-
tures pl aying cymbal s and harp above a majestic table i n
the later el eventh-century Gospels i n Parma (Bibl ioteca
50. Hutter, Corpus, vol . 1, figs. 209-213; vol . 3.1, p. 333; Nelson,
"Byzantine Miniatures at Oxf ord" (supra, note 31).
51. Buchthal, "Mel bourne, " pp. 141-143, figs. 295-300. The Ven-
ice manuscript is discussed i n I . Furlan, Codici greci illustrati della Bibli-
oteca Marciana (Mil an, 1979), vol . 2, pp. 1318, without knowledge o f
the preceding, and most recently by Spatharakis, "Grammar," pp.
235237. On the Melbourne manuscript there is now M. M. Manion
and V. R. Vines, Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts in
Australian Collections (Melbourne, 1984), pp. 2326.
Figure 12. Canon table. Ne w Testament, fol. 7v. Co n -
stantinople, 1133. Tempera and gol d on
5
/s"); W: 180 mm (7").
wi g I I 4; 83 . MB. 68.
Palatina ms. palat. 5) ,
4 9
a manuscri pt that is closely
related to a smaller and si mpler Gospels at Oxfor d
( Bodlei an Li br ar y E. D. Clarke 10) .
5 0
I n the second quarter o f the t wel ft h century, Gospel
books belongi ng to the Nat i onal Gallery o f Vi ct ori a i n
Mel bour ne and the Bi bli oteca Nazionale Marci ana i n
Venice (cod. gr. Z 540) insert personifications o f the
labors o f the mont hs and the vi rtues between the capi-
tals and spandrels.
5 1
Bo t h the caryatids and the genre
scenes are combi ned at the end o f the t wel ft h century or
the begi nni ng o f the t hi rt eent h century i n the Vani Gos-
pels, a manuscri pt wr i t t en i n Georgian but decorated by
a Byzanti ne i l l umi nat or i n Constanti nople. Here mot i fs
li ke the boy and the camel, the elephant, or the person-
52. On the manuscript see E. Takaichvili, "Antiquites georgiennes:
I . L'evangile de Vani," Byzantion 10 (1935), pp. 655663; Sh.
Amiranashvili, Gruzinskaja Miniatjura (Moscow, 1966), pis. 3033; H.
Buchthal, "Studies i n Byzantine Illumination of the Thirteenth Cen-
tury," Jahrbuch der berliner Museen 25 (1983), pp. 36, 40, figs. 1416.
53. Buchthal (supra, note 52), pp. 37-44.
54. Hutter, Corpus, vol. 1, pp. 59-62, figs. 227-235. J. C. Ander-
son is preparing a monograph on the Kokkinobaphos group. For his
most recent paper on the subject see supra, note 31. Another man-
ifications are reproduced so fai thfully that the i l l umi na-
tor must have consulted one or more earlier manu-
scripts.
5 2
Finally, at the end o f the t wel ft h century, spec-
tacular profusions o f ornamental patterns envelop the
canon tables o f the appropriately named Decorative
style, perhaps best exempli fi ed by a manuscri pt i n the
Di onysi ou monastery on Mo un t At hos (cod. 4) .
5 3
Compared to such elaborate creations, the tables i n
the Getty Ne w Testament appear rather simple, lacki ng,
as they do, the fr oli cki ng animals or the genre scenes o f
other Comneni an manuscripts. Yet thei r ornament is
varied and wel l painted, and the series is significantly
longer than the tradi ti onal formats to whi ch all but a
very few deluxe manuscripts conform. The ten-page
sequence is favored by many o f the foregoi ng: Athens,
Nat i onal Li br ar y cod. 56; Rome, Vatican gr. 364;
Mo un t Athos, Stavroni ki ta cod. 43; Paris, Bi bli otheque
Nationale gr. 64; Oxford, Bodleian Li brary E. D. Clarke
10; Rome, Vatican Ur b. gr. 2. The Parma Gospels has
onl y ni ne pages o f tables, perhaps because i t is larger
than most Gospel books. Anot her pr omi nent manu-
script wi t h a nine-page series is the Codex Ebnerianus
at Oxfor d, a contemporary o f the Get t y Ne w Testament
and a member o f a large school o f Constanti nopoli tan
i l l umi nat i on o f the peri od, usually termed the Ko k -
kinobaphos group after pr omi nent manuscripts i n Paris
and Rome.
5 4
The scribe o f the Codex Ebnerianus also
wr ot e a Ne w Testament i n the Escorial wi t h eight pages
o f tables.
5 5
A Paris Gospel book ( Bi bli otheque Na-
tionale gr. 71), i l l umi nat ed i n the Kokki nobaphos style,
contains handsome tables, whi ch, however, are only
seven i n number .
5 6
Manuscri pts o f the later Decorative
style, recently studied by A. Weyl Carr, have either
seven or eight pages o f tables.
5 7
Amo n g the manuscripts
surveyed, the Mel bour ne and Venice manuscripts wi t h
fourteen and fifteen pages, respectively, offer the closest
parallels to the Getty Ne w Testament.
Hugo Buchthal, who first noted the relationship be-
tween the Mel bour ne and Venice Gospels, concluded
that they were produced i n the same monastic scri p-
t or i um, because o f the probable monastic or i gi n o f the
vi rtues i conography and the presence o f the portrai t o f
the mo nk Theophanes at the begi nni ng o f the
Mel bour ne manuscri pt (fig. 20) .
5 8
The i nscri pt i on ac-
uscript possibly relevant to the group is the Lafskali Gospels, men-
tioned i n Spatharakis, "Grammar," p. 241, and illustrated i n J.
Mourier, L'art en Caucase, 3rd ed. (Brussels, 1912), p. 239.
55. Buchthal, "Escorial," pp. 85-87.
56. Spatharakis, "Grammar," p. 235.
57. A. Weyl Carr, " A Group of Provincial Manuscripts from the
Twelfth Century," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 36 (1982), pp. 67-81.
58. Buchthal, "Melbourne, " pp. 145-146.
64 Nelson
Figure 13. Eusebi an letter. Ne w Testament, fol. l r .
Const ant i nople, 1133. Pen and i nk o n vel l um.
H: 220 mm ( 8
5
/
8
") ; W: 180 mm (7"). Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum Ms. L ud wi g I I 4;
83.MB.68.
Figure 14. Eusebian letter. Gospel book, fol. 2r. Co n -
stantinople, second quarter o f the t wel ft h
century. Tempera and gol d on vel l um. H: 242
mm (9V
2
"); W: 174 mm (67s"). Mel bour ne,
Nat i onal Gallery o f Vi ct or i a MS . Felt on
710/5 ( Felton Bequest 1959). Phot o: Court esy
Nat i onal Gallery o f Vi ct or i a, Mel bour ne.
companyi ng the mi ni at ur e identifies h i m as the donor,
scribe, and i l l umi nat or o f the manuscript. Cert ai nly
Theophanes must have been responsible for the book's
creation, but whether he was the actual scribe and
painter is not enti rely clear.
5 9
Thus the mi ni at ur e may
either be a rare self-portrait o f a scribe and i l l umi nat or
or yet another representation o f a patron presenti ng his
book to the Vi r gi n. I n any event, the connecti on be-
t ween the Mel bour ne and Venice Gospels may be dr awn
tighter, for they are not merely products o f the same
scri pt ori um. They are wr i t t en by the same scribe, as the
compari son o f the same texts i n the t wo wi l l indicate.
For example, the letters o f Eusebius at the begi nni ng
o f each volume (figs. 14, 15) not onl y have si mi lar or-
namental frames but also share the same letter forms
59. It was common for patrons of all sorts to claim i n an inscrip-
ti on that they had made, built, etc., the object. To take one example
close i n date, Mount Sinai gr. 339 of the mi d-twelfth century contains
a note stating that the Abbot Joseph of the Pantocrator monastery
"made the silver-white book dappled wi t h wrought gold" and gave it
and li gatures.
6 0
To j udge fr om the begi nni ngs o f the
Gospels, this scribe also wr ot e the mai n texts o f
bot h volumes.
Furthermore, the measurements o f the t wo Gospel
books are related. The Mel bour ne manuscri pt (242 x
174 mm) is t wi ce the size o f the Venice volume (175 x
123 mm) ; the wi d t h o f the former equals the lengt h o f
the latter, and t wi ce the wi d t h o f the latter approxi -
mates the lengt h o f the former. The books' scribe must
have folded the uni t o f parchment used for the larger
volume once more for the smaller volume. Ot her si mi -
lar pairs o f manuscripts are known, and one set is docu-
mented as havi ng been produced at the same t i me.
6 1
O f
the t wo manuscripts, the Mel bour ne Gospels wo ul d
have been the more expensive, because even t hough i t is
to the monastery of the Theotokos Pantanassa. Joseph is neither the
scribe nor the illuminator of the manuscript, but its patron. See J. C.
Anderson, "The Illustration of Cod. Sinai. Gr. 339," The Art Bulletin
61 (1979), pp. 167-168.
60. Compare the word btXegavopeus i n line 3 of Melbourne (fig.
Figure 15. Eusebian letter. Gospel book, fol . I r . Co n -
mm (67s"); W: 123 mm (47s"). Venice, Bi b l i o-
teca Nazi onale Marci ana cod. gr. Z 540. Pho-
t o: Cour t esy Bi bli ot eca Nazi onale Marci ana,
Venice.
Figure 16. Eusebian letter. Gospel book, fol. l r . Co n -
century. Pen and i nk on vel l um. H: 117 mm
( 4
5
/
8
")
;
W: 84 mm ( 3
5
/ i
6
") . Ne w Yor k, H. P.
Kraus collect i on. Phot o: Court esy H. P.
Kraus, Ne w Yor k.
t wi ce as large, i t has nearly the same number o f folios
(254) as the Venice manuscri pt (275). Gi ven that bot h
contai n the same text, one wo ul d expect the Mel bour ne
manuscri pt to have hal f the number o f folios o f its t wi n ,
i f thei r cost o f materials had been the same.
Theokti stos, wi t h his squarish letters and diagonal
abbreviation signs, wr ot e rather differently than the
scribe o f the Venice and Mel bour ne Gospel books, but
i n the latter context, the anomalous style o f Eusebius'
letter i n the Getty Ne w Testament (fig. 13) suddenly
becomes significant. A number o f letters and ligatures
here are so si mi lar to the Gospel books (figs. 14, 15) that
the same person probably penned the Eusebian letters
o f all three books.
6 2
It thus should not be surpri si ng that
the three sets o f canon tables employ the same orna-
mental repertory. For example, the marbleized columns,
painted alternately blue or green, and the many red
bases and capitals are practically identical to those i n the
onl y color reproducti on published fr om the Mel bour ne
Gospels. Moreover, a peculiar flower-leaf wi t h a hole at
the side is the pri nci pal decorative mo t i f o f a canon table
i n the Get t y volume (fig. 10) and a headpiece i n the
Mel bour ne manuscri pt .
6 3
The precise relationship be-
tween the i llumi nat or s o f the three books is not clear,
because, to take one example, the designs o f the canon
table spandrels and the headpieces are unrelated. At the
very least, however, i t may be concluded that all three
books are the products o f contemporary Constan-
t i nopoli t an painters.
These artisans may be traced i n yet one more manu-
14) and line 4 of Venice (fig. 15); the word 8iacJ)0apf|vai i n line 8 of
Melbourne and line 10 of Venice; or the words el\Ti(|)a)sa(|)op|x&s i n
line 14 of Melbourne and line 16 of Venice.
61. See R. S. Nelson and J. L. Bona, "Relative Size and Compara-
tive Value i n Byzantine Illuminated Manuscripts: Some Quantitative
Perspectives," forthcoming i n Biblioteca di scrittura e civiltd.
62. Compare the same words cited i n note 60 and found i n Getty
on lines 2, 7, 13. Or compare the form of the word d8eX(()win line 1 of
Getty wi t h that i n line 3 of Venice.
63. Buchthal, "Melbourne, " fig. 303.
66 Nelson
Figure 17. Canon table. Gospel book, fol . 5r. Co n -
stanti nople, second quarter o f the t wel ft h
mm (4
5
/s"); W: 84 mm ( 3
5
/ i
6
") . Ne w Yor k, H.
P. Kraus collect i on. Phot o: Cour t esy H. P.
Kraus, Ne w Yor k.
script, a di mi nut i ve Gospel book that has received li t t le
attenti on to date. Its canon tables (fig. 17) display the
same combi nati ons o f columns and capitals i n the i den-
tical shades o f red, green, and blue as the preceding
books. Formerly owned by the Marquess o f Bute, the
manuscri pt has been i n the collecti on o f Mr . H. P.
Kraus since 1983.
6 4
Its small size (117 X 84 mm) di s-
tinguishes i t fr om the average Gospel book and suggests
a private funct i on.
6 5
Decorated onl y wi t h canon tables,
the manuscri pt, nevertheless, is carefully wr i t t en and is
o f hi gh quality. Its tables are si mpler than those o f the
Get t y Ne w Testament, because the need to accommo-
64. I . C. Cunningham, Greek Manuscripts in Scotland: Summary
Catalogue (Edinburgh, 1982), p. 18; Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., Cata-
logue of the Bute Collection of Forty-Two Illuminated Manuscripts and Mini-
atures (London, 1983), pp. 69. Two tables are illustrated i n color on
p. 6. I thank Ms. Mary Ann Mi tchell of the fi r m of H. P. Kraus for
sending me information about the manuscript.
65. See the study of Weyl Carr (supra, note 25). The manuscript is
cited on p. 156. It should be noted that the manuscript is one-half the
size of the Venice Gospels and one-fourth that o f the Melbourne
Gospels, a further indication of the relationship of all three.
66. In the latter, the same band is repeated on folio 269r i n gold
date the lists o f numbers on a much smaller page neces-
sitated the abri dgment o f the decorated spandrels. Nev-
ertheless, li ke the Mel bour ne and Get t y manuscripts,
the Kraus Gospels has fourteen pages o f canon tables.
Its Eusebian letter (fig. 16) is wr i t t en by the person who
wr ot e the other three letters (figs. 1315) and is i nt r o-
duced by a si mple wavy band identical to that o f the
Getty manuscri pt (fig. 13) .
6 6
The general ornamental vocabulary o f the tables i n
these manuscripts belongs to the larger context o f
t welft h-cent ury Const ant i nopoli t an i l l umi nat i on and
leads qui ckly to the group o f the aforementioned Ko k -
kinobaphos manuscripts. The Codex Ebnerianus at Ox-
ford also uses the green and blue columns and the red
capitals i n its canon tables.
6 7
Moreover the scalloped de-
sign used for some arches (figs. 7, 9) and borders (figs.
2225) i n the Get t y manuscri pt frames the evangelists
i n another manuscri pt o f the group (Patmos, Monast ery
o f Saint John cod. 274) .
6 8
Yet whi l e certain ornamental
moti fs are generally characteristic o f hi gh quali ty i l -
l umi nat i on fr om the capital, the common format o f the
Getty, Kraus, and Mel bour ne manuscripts distinguishes
t hem fr om those Kokki nobaphos-school manuscripts
that st i l l preserve thei r canon tables
6 9
and suggests a
closer ki nshi p for these porti ons o f the three
manuscripts.
Paleography, however, leads i n different directions.
To recapitulate, Theokti stos, the copyist o f the mai n
part o f the Getty Ne w Testament, collaborated wi t h a
second scribe, who di d the Eusebian letter and the l i t ur -
gical tables. The latter also wr ot e the Mel bour ne and
Venice Gospels, as wel l as the Eusebian letter i n the
li t t le book o f H. P. Kraus (fig. 16). The mai n text o f this
last manuscri pt (fig. 18), however, is wr i t t en i n an en-
t i rely different style and should be assigned to another
scribe, whose hand can be detected i n yet another mem-
ber o f the Kokki nobaphos group, a Gospel book i n
Paris ( Bi bli otheque Nati onale gr. 75) .
7 0
A compari son
o f the first pages fr om Mar k i n the t wo books (figs. 18,
19) reveals a number o f i denti cal letter forms and li ga-
tures
7 1
and a si mi lar quiet, somber r hyt hm, so different
fr om the correspondi ng pages i n the Mel bour ne
7 2
and
(illustrated i n Lake [supra, note 26], pi. 198) and on the following
pages i n red. The mot i f is a common one, admittedly, but the precise
execution is consistent i n both the Getty and Kraus manuscripts and
is further evidence that these sections are by the same hand.
67. Described i n Hutter, Corpus, vol. 1, pp. 6162.
68. G. Jacopi, "Le miniature dei codici di Patmo," Clara Rhodos
6-7 (1932-1941), fig. 131.
69. For example, Rome, Vatican Urb. gr. 2 has ten pages; the
Codex Ebnerianus, nine pages; and Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale gr.
71, seven pages.
70. Anderson, "Examination, " pp. 3640, where the manuscript
Figure 18. Fi rst page o f the Gospel o f Mar k. Gospel
book, fol . 132r. Const ant i nople, second quar-
ter o f the t wel ft h century. Tempera and gol d
on vel l um. H: 117 mm (4
5
/s"); W: 84 mm
(37i6"). Ne w Yor k: H. P. Kraus col l ect i on.
Phot o: Court esy H. P. Kraus, Ne w Yor k.
Figure 19. Fi rst page o f the Gospel o f Mar k. Gospel
book, fol . 95r. Const ant i nople, second quar-
ter o f the t wel ft h century. Tempera and gol d
on vel l um. H: 179 mm (7"); W: 127 mm (5").
Paris, Bi bli ot heque Nat i onale gr. 75. Phot o:
Cour t esy Bi bl i ot heque Nati onale, Paris.
Getty manuscripts (fig. 3). Moreover the same decora-
tive flair seems to animate the i ni t i al alphas. The Kraus
Gospels has onl y a simple band o f pseudo-Kufic orna-
ment as headpiece for Mar k, whereas the Paris volume
opens each Gospel wi t h a framed mi ni at ure pai nted ac-
cordi ng to the style and i conography o f such Ko k -
kinobaphos-school manuscripts as Vatican Ur b. gr. 2.
7 3
The latter's script i n t ur n is to be di sti ngui shed fr om
that o f Paris, Bi bli otheque Nati onale gr. 75, whi ch bet-
ter resembles the Paris Kokki nobaphos manuscri pt
( Bi bli otheque Nati onale, gr. 1208).
7 4
To trace further the intricate affiliations o f this large
group is beyond the scope o f the present essay, but
some parts o f the puzzle are becomi ng clearer. Bucht hal
has shown that the Codex Ebnerianus and the Escorial
Ne w Testament were wr i t t en by the same scribe but
painted by different artists.
7 5
Thus i t is already possible
to conclude that manuscript producti on i n Constantinople
dur i ng the second quarter o f the t wel ft h century i n -
volved shi fti ng associations o f scribes and i llumi nat ors,
and i n this respect the Get t y Ne w Testament is a typi cal
product o f the peri od. Consequently, to make at t r i bu-
tions based onl y on script or i l l umi nat i on is to ignore
the larger reality o f medieval craft practices.
is compared wi t h Rome, Vatican Urb. gr. 2; and idem (supra, note
31), pp. 89, 95. It is unfortunate that someone erased two lines of
text at the end of the Gospel of John and the beginning of the li tur-
gical tables i n the Kraus manuscript (fol. 429r). These may well have
been the book's original colophon. They were not readable wi t h ultra-
violet light. In the Getty manuscript the colophon appears i n the same
position after the conclusion of the canonical texts and before the
Synaxarium.
71. Cf the words irpo<()TiTais i n line 2 of both and (jxovnn i n line 7
of the Kraus manuscript and line 6 of the Paris manuscript.
72. Buchthal, "Melbourne, " fig. 302.
73. C. Stornajolo, Miniature delle omilie di Giacomo Monaco (Cod.
vatic, gr. 1162) e delVevangeliario greco urbinate (Cod. vatic, urbin. gr. 2)
(Rome, 1910), pi. 86.
74. I follow Anderson ("Examination," pp. 143146) on these re-
lations. In the present context, I am not considering the intricate
codicological details of these manuscripts, a matter not wi thout inter-
est. Paris gr. 75, for example, is practically identical i n size (179 x 127
mm) to the Venice Gospels (175 X 123 mm) .
75. Buchthal, "Escorial," pp. 85-87.
68 Nelson
Figure 20. The mo nk Theophanes presenting a bo o k t o
the Vi r g i n and Chi l d. Gospel book, f ol . l v .
Constantinopl e, second quarter o f the
t we l f t h century. Tempera and gol d o n
ve l l u m. H : 242 m m (9V
2
"); W: 174 m m
(6
7
/s"). Me l bour ne , Nat i onal Gal l ery o f Vi c -
toria, MS . Fel ton 710/5 ( Fel ton Bequest
1959). Phot o: Court esy Nat i onal Gal l ery o f
Vi ct ori a, Me l bour ne .
The context thus established for the canon tables
o f the Lu dwi g manuscript provides a useful f ramework
for i nt erpret i ng the bits o f col or on f ol io l r (fig. 13),
the onl y traces o f a mi ni at ure on the no w l ost verso
fol io. Several o f these offsets may be seen at the upper
left. I n the inner margi n, a l i ght bl ue pal mette grows
f r o m a stem that twists and projects to the right. Be l o w
are the dark bl ue remnants o f a capital, and l ower st i l l ,
dots o f l i ght green t rai l i ng do wn the page between the
doubl e r u l i ng lines. Ext e ndi ng above and sl ightl y to
the ri ght o f the capital are other patches o f the dark
blue, the largest o f whi c h overlays the wo r d Encreios
and is j o i ne d to a spot o f dark green, whi c h obscures
the wo r d 'Afiuxiovios. Dot s o f red and orange adjoin
this offset. Final l y i n the top left corner o f the page,
76. The codicology o f the manuscript is analyzed i n Manion and
Vines (supra, note 51). The frames of the missing evangelist portraits
are visible on the first pages o f the Gospels, as noted by Buchthal,
Figure 21. The t wel ve apostles. Ne w Testament, f ol .
134v (excised). Constantinopl e, 1133. Te m-
pera and gol d o n ve l l u m. H : 185 m m (J
X
U")\
W: 135 m m ( 57i
6
") . Athens, Paul Canel l o-
poul os col l ection.
bits o f dark bl ue have adhered to an area between
the doubl e rul ings.
The key to interpreting these offsets is as close as
f ol io 2r (fig. 6). The pal mette corresponds to one here
or on f ol io 6v (fig. 11), and the bl ue area bel ow can onl y
be f rom a dark bl ue capital l i ke those o f the canon ta-
bles. These portions o f the missing l eaf must have been
coordinated w i t h the tables, for the offset pal mette is
onl y a few mi l l i met ers higher on the page than its ana-
l ogue on f ol io 2r. Li ke the capitals o f the canon tables,
the offset capital is bisected by the r u l i ng lines o f f ol io
l r. The specks o f col or bel ow also fal l between the r u l -
ings and must therefore be the remnants o f a green
c ol umn that corresponds to one o f the outer ones
elsewhere, for example, f ol io 2v (fig. 7). Above the capi-
"Mel bourne, " p. 145.
77. Hutter, Corpus, vol . 1, pp. 60-61, fig. 225.
78. Buch thai (supra, note 52), p. 36.
tal the dark blue and green patches wi t h red and orange
touches are fr om a leaf analogous to one i n the same
area o f foli o 5v (fig. 10), and the smear o f color i n the
upper left corner probably came fr om a projecti ng
fi ni al. Presumably the overall design was symmetri cal,
so that one may reconstruct another col umn, capital,
and palmette on the opposite side o f the page, but there
is no way to kno w i f the lost i l l umi nat i on had a central
col umn li ke the tables that follow. To achieve such pre-
cise agreement wi t h the tables, the mi ssi ng page was
doubtlessly ruled i n the pattern o f folios 17.
Fortunately or unfortunately, no more o f the mi ssi ng
page was damaged by rubbi ng, so that one is left wi t h
only these scattered clues; somethi ng, nevertheless, can
be said about the whole page. It must have been part o f
the ori gi nal pr ogr am o f decoration, because i t was ruled
li ke the first quire, and i t must have been pai nted by the
ori gi nal i llumi nat or , whose blues have also rubbed o f f
i n the same areas o f the canon tables (figs. 612). Whi l e
designed to match the tables, the page was probably not
part o f the book's i ni t i al quaterni on, qui ni ons bei ng
rare i n Byzanti ne manuscripts, but may rather have
been a si ngleton or a bi foli o set before the first regular
quire. It cannot, o f course, have been a canon table,
because these were complete, but the manuscri pt i t self
provides no further clues as to the content o f the mi ss-
i ng page, so one must l ook elsewhere.
Byzanti ne Gospel books or Ne w Testaments mi ght
be i ntroduced by a variety o f themes, Chri st and the
four evangelists, the Deesis, a cross, etc., but the con-
temporaries o f the Getty Ne w Testament suggest more
l i kel y possibilities. Once again the closest analogue is
the Mel bour ne Gospels. It too has lost various mi ni a-
tures, whose traces have also been preserved on the op-
posite pages. Its first foli o (fig. 20) is a singleton, whi ch
faces a regular quaterni on contai ni ng, as i n the Get t y
manuscript, the letter o f Eusebius (fols. 2rv; fi g. 14)
and or i gi nally seven folios, or fourteen pages, o f canon
tables.
7 6
Foli o l v depicts the scribe, i llumi nat or , and/ or
patron, Theophanes, presenting his manuscri pt to the
Vi r gi n. The three handsome columns here complement
the book's canon tables and suggest one way o f recon-
structi ng the lost Get t y page. A second possi bi li ty is
offered by the Codex Ebnerianus, where another large
triple-arched structure frames the probable portraits o f
Eusebius and Carpi anus.
7 7
The latter is the recipient o f
Eusebius' letter, whi ch follows on the next page, as i t
wo ul d have i n the Getty manuscript. Eusebius and Car-
79. Buchthal, "Escorial," pp. 8594. The Escorial manuscript
is illustrated here and the Ebnerianus i n Hutter, Corpus, vol. 1,
figs. 225-255.
pianus were popular subjects i n the Comneni an peri od,
appearing somewhat earlier i n the previ ously men-
t i oned Parma and Oxfor d manuscripts and later i n the
Vani Gospels, a book whose i l l umi nat i on follows Co m-
nenian models rather closely.
7 8
The general program o f figural decoration i n the Getty
volume is also understandable wi t hi n the context o f
Comneni an book product i on. I n the subclass o f i l l umi -
nated manuscripts, one volume Ne w Testaments are not
common. By a wi de mar gi n i llumi nat or s and thei r pa-
trons preferred the separate Gospel book over the less
commonl y i llustrated Acts and Epistles, and i n the elev-
enth and t wel ft h centuries they began to j o i n the Gos-
pels and/or Ne w Testament to the Psalter to for m a
personal devoti onal text. However, i n the peri od i n
whi ch the Getty manuscri pt was created, t wo other i l -
lustrated Ne w Testaments were also produced i n Co n-
stantinople, the often noted Codex Ebnerianus and ms.
X.IV.17 i n the li brary o f the Escorial, bot h wel l pub-
lished and convi nci ngly attri buted to the second quarter
o f the t wel ft h century.
7 9
Perhaps because such manu-
scripts were bot h uncommon and hi ghl y luxuri ous,
thei r i llust rat i on was not standardized. I n addi t i on to
Eusebius and Carpianus, the famed Ebnerianus is re-
plete wi t h ten author portraits j oi ned wi t h narrative
scenes i n the lunettes above. The Escorialensis contains
simpler seated evangelists wi t hout narrative accompani-
ment and standing portraits o f the Acts and Epistles,
arranged i n pairs over three consecutive pages.
Nei t her decorative scheme is especially close to the
Get t y volume, so that to understand more fully the
background o f the latter's fi gural decoration, the i co-
nography and style o f its mi ni atures require separate
scrutiny. Perhaps the most unusual is the gr i d o f apos-
tles that formerly prefaced the Acts and Epistles (fig.
21). As customary, the selection o f apostles includes
Paul and the four evangelists i n a hierarchical arrange-
ment, begi nni ng wi t h Peter and Paul at the top left.
Tradi ti onally the four evangelists fol l ow thereafter and
here f i l l the next four positions, but t radi t i on is con-
travened by the placement o f Luke. Mar k and Luke, the
j uni o r evangelists, nor mal l y defer to thei r senior col-
leagues, John and Mat t hew, and consequently one
wo ul d not expect to see Luke on the top r ow i n the
t hi r d posi t i on.
8 0
Hi s elevated status must be a conse-
quence o f the miniature's posi t i on before the Bo o k o f
Acts, o f whi ch Luke is the author. The mi ni ature, then,
is more a frontispiece to the Acts o f the Apostles than
80. One might compare the Acts frontispiece i n a late eleventh-
century Psalter-New Testament i n the Vatopedi monastery on Mount
Athos (cod. 762). The miniature, now i n the Walters Ar t Gallery,
70 Nelson
Figure 22. Port rai t o f Mat t hew. Ne w Testament, fol .
lOv. Const ant i nople, 1133. Tempera and gol d
on vel l um. H: 220 mm (8
5
/s"); W: 180 mm
(7"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum Ms.
L ud wi g I I 4; 83.MB.68.
an i nt r oduct i on t o the rest o f the Ne w Testament. The
for mal ori gi ns o f the composi t i on are to be sought i n
certain earlier group author portraits, and as Ander son
not ed,
8 1
the busts themselves wi t h thei r rounded si l -
houettes are derived fr om medalli on images.
The i conography o f the four evangelist portraits is
less complex, and l ong ago Fri end correctly associated
t hem wi t h evangelists fr om the ni nt h and t ent h cen-
turi es.
8 2
The standing, as opposed to the seated evange-
list, enjoyed its greatest populari t y at this t i me but ap-
peared rarely i n the eleventh and t wel ft h centuries.
Consequently i t evolved so li t t le that the Get t y evange-
lists fi nd close iconographic antecedents i n manuscripts
produced 150 years earlier. For example, a Gospel book
i n Vi enna (Osterreichische Nat i onalbi bli ot hek cod.
Theol. gr. 240) depicts Mat t hew standing (fig. 26),
t ur ni ng i nwar d t oward the bi ndi ng, and hol di ng a half-
shows six standing apostles i n two registers. At the top from left to
right are Paul, Peter, and John and on the bottom Luke, Matthew, and
Mark. Here the central position is the primary, so that Paul and John
turn toward Peter, while Matthew occupies the center post below.
The miniature is illustrated i n G. Vi kan, ed., Illuminated Greek Manu-
Figure 23. Portrai t o f Mar k. Ne w Testament, fol . 45v.
Const ant i nople, 1133. Tempera and gol d on
5
/s"); W: 180 mm (7").
Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um Ms.
L ud wi g I I 4; 83.MB.68.
open book i n his hand, the stance assumed by the first
three evangelists i n the Get t y manuscri pt (figs. 2224).
Each man s r i ght ar m is enveloped i n a sli ng o f drapery,
and bunches o f fabric fall fr om either side o f hi m.
On l y John (fig. 25) deviates fr om the earlier model by
t ur ni ng back to the hand o f God, whi ch projects fr om a
quadrant o f heaven at the upper left. Fri end t ook this to
be a "cont ami nat i on" fr om the common scene o f John
l ooki ng back to heaven for i nspi rat i on whi l e di ctati ng
to his disciple Prochoros,
8 3
a composi t i on that does ap-
pear i n the Gospel books o f the contemporary Ko k -
kinobaphos gr oup.
8 4
However, the wo r d contamination,
even i f its context for Fri end was probably phi lologi cal,
is pejorative, connot i ng a haphazard or even mi staken
alteration. I n a manuscri pt o f the quali ty o f the Get t y
Ne w Testament, not hi ng is accidental, and other ex-
planations for the portrai t should be sought. Indeed a
scripts from American Collections (Princeton, 1973), fig. 37.
81. Anderson, "Examination, " pp. 6768.
82. Friend (supra, note 7), p. 125.
83. Ibid.
84. For example, Mount Athos, Panteleimon cod. 25: S. M.
Figure 24. Portrait o f Luke. Ne w Testament, f ol . 69v.
Constantinopl e, 1133. Tempera and gol d o n
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m (8
5
/s"); W: 180 m m (7").
Mal i bu , The J. Paul Get t y Mu s e u m Ms.
Lu dwi g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
better analogy is provided by a rare seated portrait o f
John i n a later el eventh-century l ectionary i n the Vat i -
can Li brary (gr. 1156). There al l four authors t urn i n-
ward toward their texts on the facing rectos, but onl y
John twists his head back toward the hand o f God i n
the upper left corner o f the miniature. The type,
as Buchthal has shown, derives f rom early sources
c o mmo n to later Byzantine and Carol ingian i l l u mi na-
t i on and is to be explained by the Earl y Christian notion
that onl y John among the four evangelists was di vi nel y
inspired.
8 5
The Getty portrait may be interpreted
as a possibl y unique standing variation o f the inspired
evangelist painted by an i l l umi nat or, who doubtl essl y
was aware o f the contemporary depictions o f John
and Prochoros.
Formal l y the manuscript' s four evangelists are i mpo r -
tant witnesses to the styl istic concerns o f this particul ar
Pelekanidis et al., The Treasures of Mount Athos (Athens, 1975), vol . 2,
fig. 326.
85. H. Buchthal, " A Byzantine Miniature of the Fourth Evange-
list and Its Relatives," Art of the Mediterranean World A.D. 100 to 1400
(Washington, D.C., 1983), pp. 131-133, fig. 283. The most recent
Figure 25. Portrait o f John. Ne w Testament, f ol . 106v.
Constantinopl e, 1133. Tempera and gol d o n
ve l l u m. H : 220 m m ( 8 W) ; W: 180 m m (7").
Mal i bu , The J. Paul Get t y Mu s e u m Ms.
Lu dwi g I I 4; 83. MB. 68.
artist and to general trends i n Byzantine pai nt i ng o f the
period. Li ke the fourteen canon tables and the missing
frontispiece at the beginning, the portraits are products
o f a singul ar desire for uni f ormi t y. As noted above, the
i l l umi nat or rul ed the parchment especially for the evan-
gelists and the canon tables, so that al l are approx-
imatel y equal i n height. Wi t h such an artist, i t is not
surprising, i f a bi t disappointing, that the same figure
type was used for al l four evangelists. The i r dimensions
are so simil ar that he may have mechanical l y re-
produced his model i n some manner. What he varied
were the outer drapery, and hence the breadth o f the
figures; the head types; to some extent the position o f
the feet; and, o f course, the col oring o f the garments.
Even John fits the pattern, except for his turned head,
whi c h again can hardl y be a casual variation. Since the
draperies range wi de l y i n basic col or and hi ghl i ght i ng
study o f the portraits i n Vatican gr. 1156 is I . Spatharakis, " An
Unusual Iconographic Type of the Seated Evangelist," AeA/uov
Xpi ori avi KT^ pxai o. oyiK f| s
c
ETaipeias ser. 4, 10 (19801981),
pp. 137-146.
72 Nelson
Figure 26. Portrait o f Mat t he w. Gospel book, f ol . 8v.
Constantinopl e, t ent h century. Tempera and
go l d o n ve l l u m. H : 215 m m ( 8
7
/ i 6 " ) ; W: 154
m m (6"). Vi enna, Osterreichische Nat i o nal -
bi bl i ot he k cod. The ol . gr. 240. Phot o: Co u r -
tesy Osterreichische Nat i onal bi bl i ot he k.
and because each figure is separated by many pages i n
the manuscript, their c o mmo n design is not readil y per-
ceived, nor is i t particul arl y disconcerting i n situ.
The qual ity o f execution equals the finest achieve-
ments o f Constantinopol itan miniaturists i n what is a
major period i n the history o f Byzantine i l l umi nat i on.
The dark, ri ch colors o f figures, such as Mar k, are hal l -
marks o f the Kokki nobaphos style, and the l i ned fore-
heads and worri e d expressions o f the evangelists and
o f the apostles on the missing l eaf (fig. 21) find parallels
i n the Paris Kokki nobaphos vol ume and i n the vari -
ous Gospel books o f the group.
8 6
Whether the painter
o f the Getty miniatures was a member o f the inner ci r-
cle o f artists o f the Kokki nobaphos group or, as is more
l ikel y, an independent talent is, o f course, not easily
86. Anderson ("Examination, " p. 68) compared the faces of the
apostles on the missing leaf (fig. 21) wi t h some i n the Paris manuscript
(Bibliotheque Nationale gr. 1208, fol. l v) illustrated i n H. A. Omont,
"Miniatures des homelies sur la vierge du moine Jacques (Ms. Grec.
1208 de Paris)," Bulletin de la societe francaise de reproductions de
manuscrits peintures 11 (1927), p. 1. Some evangelists i n the group have
Figure 27. Portrait o f John. Cathedral , Cef al u, Sicil y,
1148. Mosaic. Phot o: Court esy Ernst
Ki t zi nger.
resolved and certainl y not wi t hi n the context o f the
present study. The Getty i l l umi nat i ons, nevertheless, do
hel p to define the achievements o f Constantino-
pol itan i l l umi nat ors duri ng the second quarter o f the
t we l f t h century.
At first, the styl istic j uxt aposi t i on o f the Getty Mat -
thew (fig. 22) w i t h the corresponding evangelist i n the
tenth-century Vienna codex (fig. 26) mi ght seem to be
to the detriment o f the later miniature. The massive,
statuesque figure o f the Vienna Gospels is more convinc-
i ngl y and subtl y model ed i n l i ght and shadow, so that i t
appears to occupy physical space, but the i l l usi on is i m -
mediatel y dispel l ed by the surrounding gol d ground
onto whi c h an architectural backdrop has been etched.
Perhaps sensing these and other contradictions, later i l -
unfurrowed brows (Oxford, Christ Church gr. 32; Rome, Vatican
Urb. gr. 2; Patmos cod. 274); others have even more troubled expres-
sions than the Getty evangelists and apostles (London, British Library
Burney 19; Mount Athos, Lavra A 44, two o f whose evangelists are i n
the Walters Ar t Gallery i n Baltimore).
87. D. Mouri ki , "Stylistic Trends i n Monumental Painting of
Figure 28. Portrai t o f Bar t hol omew. Chur ch o f the
Mar t or ana, Palermo, circa 1150. Mosai c.
Phot o: Court esy Al i nar i / Ar t Resource,
Ne w Yor k.
lumi nat ors di sconti nued the incised designs and aban-
doned, as wel l , the artificial classicism o f the t ent h cen-
tury. Gradually li ne and surface pattern became the
expressive tools o f the i llumi nat or , and by the end o f
the t wel ft h century, monument al and mi ni at ure pai nt-
i ng achieve remarkably expressionistic and mannered
effects t hr ough exaggerated facial lines and bol dl y pat-
terned hi ghli ghts.
The Get t y evangelists stand mi dway between the flat,
dematerialized, passive figures o f the eleventh century
and the turbulent excesses o f the late t wel ft h century
and are valuable witnesses to the stylistic preoccupa-
tions o f Byzanti ne painters dur i ng the first hal f o f the
t wel ft h century, a t i me when li t t le survives i n fresco or
mosaic.
8 7
A figure li ke the Get t y John (fig. 25) helps
explain the crucial transformati on i n Byzanti ne pai nt i ng
between the soft model i ng and gentle demeanor o f the
standing prophets at the late eleventh-century church o f
Daphni
8 8
and the taut, charged li neari sm o f the apostles
o f 1148 at Cefalu.
8 9
The large, expansive figure o f John
(fig. 27) i n the Sicilian apse has his r i ght ar m i n a drap-
ery sli ng li ke his earlier counterpart i n the Getty Ne w
Testament, but the formal differences between the t wo
figures separated by fifteen years are revealing. No w the
sli ng has become an autonomous for m, and the folds on
the r i ght t hi gh have been organized i nt o a l ong oval.
The standing apostles at the church o f the Martorana i n
Palermo, whi ch are contemporary wi t h those at Cefalu,
represent a further stage o f refi nement.
9 0
Here i n the
analogous figure o f Bar t hol omew (fig. 28), there is a
greater di sjuncti on between the sli ng and the folds on
the adjacent upper arm. Below, the lines on the t hi gh
have coalesced i nt o a single, t i ght l y coi led spiral that
spills do wn the mi ddl e o f the figure and unifies the
lower body.
Compared to the softer hi ghl i ght i ng i n earlier works,
such as the Daphni prophets, the garments o f Luke i n
the Getty Ne w Testament (fig. 24) are almost garishly
adorned wi t h stark whi t e lines. These no longer model,
so as to give the i llusi on o f the t hi r d di mensi on, as i n
the tenth-century mi ni at ure i n Vi enna (fig. 26), but flit
across the surface as r andomly as the patterns o f shat-
tered glass and wi t h such li t t le regard for the body un-
derneath that the figure is thereby flattened. The tech-
nique is used elsewhere i n the peri od, as, for example,
i n the figure o f Solomon i n an approxi mately cont em-
porary Psalter at the Di onysi ou monastery on Mo un t
At hos (cod. 65)
9 1
or the mosaics o f the Mar t or ana.
9 2
Thr ough these and other abstractions, the drapery be-
gins to divorce i t self fr om the under lyi ng anatomy i n
order to serve the expressive purposes o f the artist. The
stage is thus set for the rapi d evolut i on o f what has been
termed the Dynami c st yle
9 3
o f later t welft h-cent ury
pai nti ng. That phase o f monument al pai nt i ng is pr i n-
ci pally preserved i n provi nci al monuments. Because so
li t t le o f t welft h-cent ury monument al pai nt i ng survives
i n met ropoli t an centers, mi ni atures as wel l documented
as those o f the Get t y Ne w Testament constitute i m-
portant evidence o f the t welft h-cent ury Const ant i no-
poli t an t radi t i on.
Greece Duri ng the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries," Dumbarton Oaks
Papers 34-35 (1980-1981), pp. 102-103.
88. E. Diez and O. Demus, Byzantine Mosaics in Greece: Hosios
Lucas and Daphni (Cambridge, Mass., 1931), figs. 5463.
89. O. Demus, The Mosaics of Norman Sicily (New York, 1950),
pis. 1, 4.
90. Ibid., pis. 51-52.
91. Pelekanidis (supra, note 84), vol. 1, fig. 124.
92. Demus (supra, note 89), pi. 50 B.
93. The term is that of E. Kitzinger, see, for example, "The Byz-
antine Contribution to Western Ar t of the Twelfth and Thirteenth
Centuries," Dumbarton Oaks Papers 20 (1966), p. 30.
74 Nelson
Thr o u gh its expl icit col ophon and its script and i l -
l umi nat i on, Ms. Lu dwi g I I 4 also serves to introduce
the compl ex rel ationships that existed between the pro-
ducers and patrons o f del uxe books o f the period; this is
the last context i n whi c h the manuscript shoul d be con-
sidered. As the foregoing has shown, ever changing
combinations o f scribes and i l l umi nat ors col l aborated
to produce manuscripts, a wo r ki ng me t hod that wo u l d
have been facil itated by the large urban envi ronment o f
medieval Constantinopl e, as i t was i n major western
European centers o f the later Mi ddl e Ages.
9 4
Onl y the
scribes are documented by col ophons, the usual state o f
affairs for al l periods o f Byzantine manuscript i l l u mi na-
t i on. The existence o f separate i l l umi nat ors may be de-
duced, however, whe n one encounters different paint-
i ng styles i n manuscripts by the same scribe or, the
opposite, different wr i t i ng styles i n manuscripts wi t h
the same i l l u mi nat i o n.
Yet, whi l e i t seems noncontroversial to attribute the
decoration o f the Codex Ebnerianus and the Escorial
Ne w Testament to different individual s, the narrower
differences among members o f the Kokki nobaphos
group are more dif f icul t to expl ain. Are these manu-
scripts the product o f a single artist capable o f varyi ng
his style, a single artist wo r ki ng w i t h a number o f
younger assistants, an ongoi ng workshop o f several
painters, or a more amorphous " school " o f i l l u mi na-
tors? What is the rel ationship o f the group to the si mi -
lar, but not identical , style o f the Getty Ne w Testament?
Moreover, what is the connection o f the latter's decora-
t i o n w i t h the Gospels i n Mel bourne, Venice, and Ne w
York? A l l four share the same scribe, but there is a
considerable difference i n style between the large, v i g -
orous Getty evangelists and the thinner, more desic-
cated figures i n the Venice manuscript. One can onl y
concl ude tentativel y that three scribes and one to three
i l l umi nat ors col l aborated on the four books.
Whi l e Theoktistos regrettabl y does not state where
and for w ho m he wrot e his Ne w Testament, more is
becomi ng kno wn about the patrons o f simil ar manu-
scripts duri ng the second quarter o f the t we l f t h century.
I n concl uding this investigation i nt o ho w such manu-
94. For example, compare the situation i n thirteenth-century
Paris: R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint
Louis (Berkeley, 1977), pp. 111; or that i n fifteenth-century Bruges:
J. D. Farquhar and S. Hindman, Pen to Press (College Park, 1977),
pp. 27-29.
95. I have borrowed the metaphor of the l oom from J. G.
Wil l iams, The Art of Gupta India (Princeton, 1982), pp. 5-6.
96. Supra, note 59.
97.. Supra, note 58.
98. Weyl Carr (supra, note 25), p. 134. The Kraus manuscript
probably once contained a colophon. See supra, note 70.
scripts came i nt o being, i t is necessary to consider pa-
tronage. Scribes and painters f o r m onl y the wef t o f the
historical fabric; the warp is social context: the patrons,
audience, and f unction o f the books.
9 5
Because such is-
sues have been insufficientl y studied as they re-
late to Byzantine i l l umi nat i on, they are difficul t to probe
i n depth. I t is possible, however, to reconsider recent
studies that have so far remained isolated and indepen-
dent o f each other, to incl ude additional prosopographi-
cal details, and thereby to specify some o f the possible
patronage model s prevail ing i n Constantinopl e duri ng
the second quarter o f the t we l f t h century.
Monastic patronage is i ni t i al l y the most relevant to
Theoktistos and the Getty Ne w Testament for reasons
that shoul d no w be clear. Theoktistos and Arsenios
bot h copied manuscripts for the Abbo t Maxi mo s o f the
Prodromos-Petra monastery i n Constantinopl e. The
mo nk Theophanes was, at mi ni mu m, the patron o f the
Me l bourne Gospels and may also have been its scribe
and i l l umi nat or, i f the i nscri pt i on on the frontispiece
(fig. 20) is to be taken l iteral l y.
9 6
Thus i t may have been
Theophanes who col l aborated w i t h Theoktistos and
wrot e al l or part o f the Venice and Kraus Gospels. I n
any event, the monastic context o f the Me l bourne Gos-
pels is assured, and Buchthal has shown ho w its decora-
t i on and that o f the Venice manuscript were intended
for a monastic audience.
9 7
Al t ho u g h the Gospel book o f
H. P. Kraus is presentl y undocumented, A. Weyl Carr
has noted that the ex l ibris o f other such t i ny manu-
scripts refer "al most excl usivel y to priests and monks, "
not to lay people or wo me n.
9 8
Two other manuscripts w i t h monastic affil iations
provide further evidence concerning monastic patrons
and audiences i n this period. The first is the aforemen-
tioned Psalter at the Di onysi ou monastery (cod. 65),
whi c h has no w been correctl y assigned to the second
quarter o f the t we l f t h century.
9 9
I t contains a fascinating
series o f pre l i mi nary miniatures i l l ust rat i ng the death
and sal vation o f monks, f ol l owed by an image o f a
mo nk i n proskynesis before Mar y and the Christ chi l d.
At the end, a col ophon states that the manuscript was
wr i t t e n by the mo nk Sabas. On the next page, the five
99. I . Spatharakis, "The Date of the Illustrations of the Psalter
Dionysiu 65," AeA/riov XpiorioiPiKfjs Apxai o\ o7i Kf j s
c
ETai pe Ca< ; ser.
4, 8 (1975-1976), pp. 173-177.
100. Ibid. The miniatures i n question are illustrated i n Pelekanidis
(supra, note 84), vol . 1, figs. 121123, wi t h the exception of the cross
page, and have been studied by R. Stichel, Studien zum Verhltnis von
Text und Bild spt- und nachbyzantinischer Vergnglichkeitsdarstellungen
(Vienna, 1971), pp. 70-73.
101. Anderson (supra, note 59), pp. 167168, fig. 1
102. P. Gautier, "Le typicon du Christ Sauveur Pantocrator," Revue
des etudes byzantines 32 (1974), pp. 22-23.
letters o f Sabas' name, a pali ndrome, are inscribed i n
ni ne circles that f i l l a large full-page cross. Accor di ng to
I . Spatharakis, the uni nscri bed mo nk wi t h the Vi r g i n is
this Sabas. Al t hough Sabas states that he wr ot e the
manuscript, Spatharakis argues that he collaborated
wi t h other scribes.
1 00
Li ke the Mel bour ne manuscript,
then, the Di onysi ou Psalter portrays its monastic patron
and/ or scribe before the Vi r g i n and Chi l d, but its deco-
rative pr ogr am is more expli ci t ly addressed to monks.
Wi t h the second manuscript, document at i on is more
i nformat i ve than decoration. Toward the mi ddle o f the
t wel ft h century, the Abbot Joseph Hagi oglykeri tes o f
the Pantocrator monastery i n Constanti nople commi s-
sioned a handsome i llustrated manuscri pt o f the Homi-
lies of Gregory Nazianzenus at Mo un t Sinai (gr. 339). A n
impressive calligraphic i nscri pt i on at the begi nni ng an-
nounces that Joseph dedicated the book to the monas-
tery o f the Theotokos Pantanassa on the island o f Hagi a
Glykeri a near Constanti nople.
1 0 1
Thi s Joseph, who is
elsewhere attested as abbot o f the monastery i n 1149,
probably died about 1154/55.
1 02
The book's ornament
connects i t wi t h the Kokki nobaphos style, but its fi gural
mi ni atures poi nt i n other directions; exactly where is
unclear.
1 0 3
The abbot mi ght have commi ssi oned the
book fr om his o wn scri pt ori um, but unl i ke the Pr o-
dromos-Petra monastery, there is no other evidence
about the wr i t i ng or the decorating o f manuscripts at
this major Comneni an establishment.
1 0 4
Thus, i n vi ew
o f what has been learned about contemporary patterns
o f product i on, i t wo ul d be unwi se to associate those
who wr ot e and decorated the manuscri pt too closely
wi t h the Pantocrator monastery.
Wi t hout a doubt, the patron and the i ntended au-
dience for the book were monastic, but the extent to
whi ch these circumstances governed the manuscript's
i magery has scarcely been exami ned. Indeed, i t has onl y
been noted i n passing that Gregory is shown at the
begi nni ng as a monk, not a bishop, a change described
as "unhi st or i cal" and attri buted to "the direct influence
o f monasti ci sm, whi ch became very marked i n the
t hought o f Byzant i um i n the eleventh century and la-
ter."
1 0 5
Rather than resorti ng to a Zeitgeist, i t is more
103. Anderson (supra, note 59), pp. 170185.
104. Little is known about the monastery's library. See Janin (supra,
note 19), p. 521.
105. G. Galavaris, The Illustrations of the Liturgical Homilies of
Gregory Nazianzenus (Princeton, 1969), p. 25.
106. Most recently on the Pantocrator monastery there is R.
Cormack, Writing in Gold: Byzantine Society and Its Icons (New
York, 1985), pp. 200214. The charter is published by Gautier (supra,
note 102), pp. 1-145.
107. F. Chalandon, Les Comnene, etudes sur Vempire byzantin au Xle
et au Xlle siecles: II. 1 Jean I I Comnene et Manuel I Comnene (Paris,
reasonable to l ook to the donor and recipient o f the
manuscript. Pi ctori al genealogy, not mot i vat i on and i n -
t ent i on, has been the central concern o f previous schol-
arship. It has yet to be established to what elements o f
society the illustrated copies o f this text were addressed
and if, for example, i t makes a difference whether the
patron is a male aristocratas i n the case o f a manu-
script on Mo un t At hos ( Di onysi ou cod. 61)or the ab-
bot o f an i mper i al monastery.
Al t hough art historians have tended to di sti ngui sh
between monastic and aristocratic manuscripts, the dis-
tance fr om the Pantocrator or the Prodromos-Petra
monasteries to the i mperi al court was not far geographi-
cally, culturally, or socially. The association o f Emperor
Manuel Comnenus wi t h the Prodromos-Petra monas-
tery was noted previously. Manuel's parents, John I I and
Irene, the rei gni ng monarchs at the t i me when Theok-
tistos wr ot e the Get t y Ne w Testament, founded the
Pantocrator monastery, and its charter, signed by John
i n 1136, regulated myr i ad details o f dai ly life. A chapel
at the monastery served as a dynastic buri al place for the
Comneni , and various aristocrats and intellectuals were
associated wi t h the i nst i t ut i on i n one way or another.
1 0 6
For example, to protect his throne dur i ng the 1140s,
Manuel had sequestered at the Pantocrator monastery
his sister-in-law, the Sebastokratorissa Irene, the wi fe o f
his deceased older brother, Andr oni cus.
1 0 7
Thi s Irene was a major patroness o f arts and letters i n
t welft h-cent ury Constantinople. Constanti ne Manasses
dedicated to her his Chronicle of the History of the World
from Adam to 1081 and prepared an astrological treatise
for her as wel l . John Tzetzes, who held a post at the
Pantocrator monastery and corresponded wi t h its ab-
bot, Joseph, dedicated his Theogony to her. " Man -
ganeios" Prodromos wr ot e a number o f poems for her
and members o f her fami l y fr om 1138 unt i l her death i n
the early 1150s. Finally, Theodoros Prodromos dedicated
to her an astrological poem and a grammati cal treatise,
the ori gi nal version o f whi ch may st i l l exi st.
1 0 8
The manuscri pt i n question, now at the Greek
Or t hodox Patriarchate i n Jerusalem (cod. Taphou 52), is
decorated wi t h ri ch ornament i n the style o f the Ko k -
1912), reprint (New York, 1960), p. 213.
108. That patronage is surveyed i n ibid, and i n C. Diehl, Figures
byzantines ser. 2 (Paris, 1913), pp. 142153, but has now received a
more thorough treatment by E. M. Jeffreys: "The Comnenian Back-
ground to the 'Romans d'antiquite," Byzantion 50 (1980), pp.
473474, 478481; "The Sevastokratorissa Eirene as Literary Patron-
ess: The Monk Iakovos," JOB 32/3 (1982), pp. 63-71; "Western I nfi l-
tration of the Byzantine Aristocracy: Some Suggestions," The Byzan-
tine Aristocracy IX to XII Centuries, BAR International Series 221, ed.
M. Angold (Oxford, 1984), pp. 204-207. The individual authors are
76 Nelson
kinobaphos school .
1 0 9
The same ornament Anderson
noted i n a del uxe copy o f letters wr i t t e n by a mo nk
named Iakovos (Paris, Bibl iotheque National e gr.
3039).
1 1 0
Accordi ng to E. Jeffreys, the addressee o f these
letters was the Sebastokratorissa Irene.
1 1 1
Bo t h manu-
scripts may be reasonably credited to the patronage o f
Irene, who f r o m other poems is kno wn to have donated
hangings and l iturgical vessels to churches.
1 1 2
I t is
t empt i ng, therefore, to take the next step and also to
associate w i t h Irene the il l ustrated copies o f the ho mi -
lies o f the mo nk Iakovos Kokkinobaphos produced by
the " wo r ksho p" responsible for her manuscripts that
are no w i n Paris and Jerusalem and to equate the
Iakovos o f the letters w i t h the Iakovos o f the homil ies.
Jeffreys, once hesitant, is no w more amenable to
the idea.
1 1 3
Irene, thus, provides an excellent mode l o f aristocra-
tic patronage o f del uxe manuscripts, i n part because her
activities are so we l l documented. Amo ng the few other
individual s that emerge f rom the stark anonymi t y o f
most contemporary Byzantine i l l u mi nat i o n is the
Sebastokrator Isaac Comnenus, the renovator o f the
monastery o f the Chora i n Constantinopl e, near the
Blachernae palace and the Prodromos-Petra monastery,
and the founder o f the Kosmosoteira monastery i n
Thrace, whose frescoed church st i l l survives. Thi s Isaac,
the uncl e o f Irene's husband, is the probable patron o f
the Seraglio Octateuch, a manuscript wi t h extensive
narrative i l l ust rat i on painted i n several styles, i ncl ud-
i ng that o f the Kokki nobaphos group, as Anderson
has proposed.
1 1 4
Final l y, the name o f yet another Isaac Comnenus ap-
pears at the back o f a Gospel book o f this group ( Ox-
ford, Chri st Church gr. 32). Heretofore unnoticed en-
tries record the births o f chil dren to the Pansebastos
Sebastos Isaac i n 1172 and 1174 and perhaps 1171. The
owner is probabl y to be identif ied as the Isaac Co m-
nenus who was the grandson and namesake o f the pre-
ceding Isaac by his daughter Anna. The younger Isaac
surveyed in H. Hunger, Die hochsprachliche profane Literatur der Byzan-
tiner (Munich, 1978), vol . 1, pp. 419-422; vol . 2, pp. 59, 113, 118, 243.
109. Spatharakis, "Grammar," pp. 231243.
110. Anderson, "Examination, " pp. 9798.
111. Jeffreys, "Sevastokratorissa" (supra, note 108). She gives the
Paris manuscript's signature as gr. 3909, a slip. Anderson ("Examina-
tion, " p. 97) reports it as gr. 3039, as does H. Omont, Inventaire
sommaire des manuscrits grecs de la Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris, 1888),
vol . 3, p. 97. The latest study on the letters is M. J. Jeffreys, "Iakovos
Monachos, Letter 3," Maistor, Classical, Byzantine and Renaissance Stud-
ies for Robert Browning (Canberra, 1984), pp. 241257.
112. Jeffreys, "Sevastokratorissa" (supra, note 108), p. 69. To my
knowledge, none o f the other texts dedicated to Irene are preserved i n
il l uminated manuscripts that are contemporaneous wi t h the patron.
However, the Slavonic translation o f the Chronicle o f Manasses is il l us-
(circa 1140circa 1190) received his titl e f r o m his mo t h-
er's first cousin, the emperor Manue l I Comnenus.
1 1 5
Al t ho u gh the manuscript itsel f was produced duri ng
the second quarter o f the t we l f t h century, the added
notes, nevertheless, attest to the aristocratic connections
o f the Kokkinobaphos group and suggest that the book
functioned l i ke a modern f ami l y Bibl e. Mi g ht the later
Isaac Comnenus have chosen to commemorate his c hi l -
dren's births i n this particul ar manuscript because i t
had been passed do wn t hrough t wo generations o f
his famil y?
Aristocratic associations may also be i mpl i e d by
the famous portraits o f John I I Comnenus and his son
Al exius i n the Vatican Gospel book ( Urb. gr. 2) .
1 1 6
Exactl y who mi ght have been the patron o f the manu-
script is nevertheless unclear, i n spite o f the frequent
assumptions, expl icit and i mpl i ci t , that are made about
the matter. A n i mperi al portrait need not necessarily
signal an i mperi al patron or owner, and indeed, The -
odoras Prodromos wrot e a poe m about a pai nt i ng o f
Emperor John I I that his brother, the Sebastokrator
Isaac, commissioned for himsel f .
1 1 7
Unf ortunatel y,
not hi ng is kno wn about the patronage o f yet another
Gospel book o f the Kokkinobaphos group, the afore-
mentioned Paris gr. 75, whose scribe is indirectl y l i nke d
wi t h Theoktistos and the Getty Ne w Testament.
The generalized i l l u mi nat i o n i n the latter t wo manu-
scripts wo u l d have been suitable for a monastic or aris-
tocratic audience i n t wel f t h-cent ury Constantinopl e,
where compl ex associations among scribes, painters,
and patrons were permi t t ed and encouraged. I n such a
society, the distinction between monastic and aristocra-
tic has l i mi t e d ut i l i t y. Del uxe manuscripts were expen-
sive to produce. The materials used, gol d, precious col -
ors, and parchment, were costly, and the skil l s o f
artisans as tal ented as Theoktistos and his associates had
to be honed over an extended period o f time, necessitat-
i ng a hi gh l evel o f sustained patronage. I n general
terms, that support was provided by the economic re-
trated i n a mid-fourteenth-century Bulgarian manuscript, published
by I . Dujcev, Die Miniaturen der Manasses-Chronik (Leipzig, 1965).
Lazarev (supra, note 49, p. 395) thought that some of the miniatures
were based on a "metropolitan prototype" o f the twel fth century,
whil e others were created in the fourteenth century. A Greek copy of
the Chronicle from the Palaeologan period (Vienna, sterreichische
Nationalbibliothek Phil . gr. 149), contains a drawing of the author
and patron at the beginning. See I . Spatharakis, The Portrait in Byzan-
tine Illuminated Manuscripts (Leiden, 1976), pp. 158159, fig. 100. In
view of Irene's literary and artistic interests, it might be worthwhil e to
identify the Comnenian element i n these manuscripts.
113. E. Jeffreys expressed her reservations i n a JOB article (supra,
note 108), pp. 6970. In a letter o f January 1987, she was more wi l l i ng
to identify the Iakovos of the letters wi t h the Iakovos o f the homilies.
A fuller treatment o f the problem wi l l have to await the important
surgence o f the Comneni an period, but more specifi-
cally, i t was the product o f a compl ex social mat ri x.
1 1 8
One part comprised the Constantinopol itan elite, whi c h
at this t i me l argel y meant the extensive relations o f the
i mperi al f ami l y; and the other, the monasteries that
they financed and i n whi c h they prayed, retired, and
were buried. Theoktistos either resided i n a monastery,
such as that o f Prodromos-Petra, or else worke d for it.
Some o f the other scribes and i l l umi nat ors wi t h whi c h
he col l aborated were monks, whi l e others may have
been independent craftsmen. Bu t each mi ght at one
moment wo r k for an aristocrat and at another for a
mo nk or abbot o f an aristocratic monastery.
Uni versi t y o f Chicago
POSTSCRI PT
Since compl et i ng the foregoing, t wo relevant references
have come to my attention. The first, not available to
me, apparently bears on the fourteenth-century The ok-
tistos: G. A. Papademetriu, "
C
H ' KpdXai va TCOV T p i -
aXcov' Kai 6 Koa8LKcr/pdc(x)s teoKTtaros ( 1340) , " Me a-
ai wpi Ka Ka i Ne a
c
E \ \ T ] v i K a l (1984), pp. 419-451. The
article is cited i n Byzantinische Zeitschrift 79 (1986), p.
104. The second paper concerns the Lafskal i (or
Lapskald) Gospels, mentioned supra, note 54. A.
Saminski analyzes this and other Georgian manuscripts
i n his i mport ant study, "Masterskaja gruzinskoj i gre-
ceskoj kni g i v Konstantinopol e XIInacala XI I I v. , "
whi c h is to appear i n Izvestija Akademii Nauk Gruzinskoj
SSR i n December 1987. I wi sh to thank Dr. Saminski
for sending me his paper and photographs o f the
manuscript.
A P P E NDI X
C O D I C O L O G Y : Parchment. Fol ios 280. 220 X 180 m m ( bot h
l e ngt h and wi dt h have been t r i mme d) . 26 l ines i n 1 c o l u mn
(160 X 125 mm) .
Ruling: Leroy 42C1.
1 1 9
The canon tables, the l i t urgi cal tables,
studies that she and her husband are preparing.
114. Anderson (supra, note 31), pp. 83104. For Isaac and the two
monasteries see R A. Underwood, The Kariye Djami (New York,
1966), vol . 1, pp. 10-13; and Mouri ki (supra, note 87), pp. 103-106,
wi t h further references.
115. See my paper, supra, note 31, and K . Barzos,
C
H TeveaXo^ta
Tcav KOIJLVTJI'WV (Thessaloniki, 1984), vol . 2, pp. 507511. At the end
of the Codex Ebnerianus, a sixteenth-century owner recorded the
births of five children. See A. Turyn, Dated Greek Manuscripts of the
Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries in the Libraries of Great Britain
(Washington, D.C., 1980), p. 149.
116. Stornajolo (supra, note 73), pi. 83.
117. R Magdalino and R. Nelson, "The Emperor in Byzantine
Art of the Twelfth Century," Byzantinische Forschungen 8 (1982),
pp. 130-131.
and the evangelist portraits are rul ed dif f erentl y to suit
their respective designs. A l l o f quire I (fols. 17) shares the
same r u l i ng except that f ol i o 1 has l ines added for the Euse-
bian letter.
C O L L A TI O N : I
8
-
1
(fols. 1-7) ; I P (fols. 8-10) ; I I I - V I
8
(fols.
11-42) ; V I I
9
(fols. 43-51) ; V I I I - I X
8
(fols. 52-67) ; X
9
(fols.
68-76) ; X I - X I I I
8
(fols. 77-100) ; XI V
9
(fols. 101-109); X V -
X X X I I I
8
(fols. 110-262); X X X I V
6
(fols. 263-268) ; X X X V
8
(fols. 269-276) ; X X X V I
4
(fols. 277-280) . A few quire signa-
tures are visibl e (e.g., fols. 35r, 43r, 93r) i n the l ower inner
corner o f the first page o f a quire; the others have been t r i m-
me d off. As t radi t i onal , the nu mbe r i ng began w i t h the first
page o f Mat t he w' s Gospel , thus excl uding the pr e l i mi nar y
matter. One f ol i o o f the canon tables between fol ios 1 and 2
has been removed; an offset o n f ol i o l r indicates that at least
one f ol i o is mi ssi ng f r o m the be gi nni ng o f the manuscript;
and f ol i o 134 has also been excised. The f our evangelist por-
traits are t i pped i n o n separate fol ios. The mi ssi ng f ol i o 134
w i t h the mi ni at ure o f the twel ve apostles was also inserted
i nt o the regul ar quire structure and must have been attached
either to XV I I
8
(fols. 126-133) or t o XV I I I
8
(fols. 135-142).
S C R I P T: Me di u m br o wn i nk for the pri nci pal text; carmine i nk
for the margi nal notations and l i t urgi cal marki ngs i n the text;
gol d i nk for the numbers o f canon tables, the l ist o f chapters
i n Mat t he w, and parts o f other chapter lists. The basic script is
a typical t we l f t h-ce nt ury rel igious hand w i t h mi xt ures o f u n-
cial and mi nuscul e f orms. Di st i nct i ve to the scribe The o k-
tistos are the graceful l y c u r vi ng zeta; the occasional alpha w i t h
a l o ng diagonal stroke; frequent epsil on- or al pha-rho l i ga-
tures; the large phi ; the occasional mi nuscul e del ta w i t h
sweeping t ai l at the top; and the l ong, pr o mi ne nt abbrevia-
t i o n marks above words. The l etter o f Eusebius (fols. l rv)
and the l i t urgi cal tables (fols. 269r280r) are wr i t t e n by a
second scribe.
C O N TEN TS :
1 2 0
Fol ios l rv l etter o f Eusebius; 2r7v canon ta-
bles; 8r9r l ist o f chapters for Mat t he w; 9v ori gi nal l y bl ank,
no w w i t h text by a l ater hand; lOr bl ank; l Ov port rai t o f Ma t -
t hew; Ur44v Gospel o f Mat t he w; 44v subscription t o Ma t -
t hew; 44v l ist o f chapters to Mar k, incompl ete; 45r bl ank; 45v
port rai t o f Mar k; 46r cont i nuat i on o f l ist o f chapters to Mar k;
46v67v Gospel o f Mar k; 67v68v l ist o f chapters t o Luke;
118. On the economic history of the twel fth century see M.
Hendy, "Byzantium, 10811204: An Economic Reappraisal," Transac-
tions of the Royal Historical Society ser. 5, 20 (1970), pp. 3152. There
are important papers on contemporary social history in M. Angol d,
ed., The Byzantine Aristocracy IX to XII Centuries, BAR International
Series 221 (Oxford, 1984). There, R. Cormack ("Aristocratic Pa-
tronage of the Arts in 11th- and 12th-century Byzantium, " pp.
158172) also discusses "aristocratic" art.
119. The system used is that of J. Leroy, Les types de regime des
manuscrits grecs (Paris, 1976).
120. Those New Testament prefaces that are listed in H. F. von
Soden, Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments, 1,1 (Berlin, 1902) are de-
noted by the numbers given there.
78 Nelson
69r bl ank; 69v port rai t o f Luke; 70r105v Gospel o f Luke, but
not compl ete o n 105v; 106r ori gi nal l y bl ank, no w the concl u-
sion o f Lu ke by a l ater hand; 106v port rai t o f John; 107r o r i g i -
nal concl usion o f Lu ke and l ist o f chapters to John; 107v133v
Gospel o f John; 133v preface to Acts and, at the bo t t o m o f the
page, a l ater l ist o f the apostles that was cont i nued o n the
mi ssi ng f ol i o 134r, no w i n the Paul Canel l opoul os col l ection,
Athens; 134v ( missing) busts o f the t wel ve apostles; 135r171r
Acts o f the Apostl es; 171r preface to Cat hol i c Epistl es;
171 v172r preface to James ( Von Soden no. 134); 172r175v
James; 175v preface to I Peter ( Von Soden no. 135); 175v179r I
Peter; 179rv preface t o I I Peter ( Von Soden no. 137);
179v-182r I I Peter; 1 8 2r - v preface to I John ( Von Soden no.
137); 182v-186r I John; 186r preface to I I John ( Von Soden no.
137); 186r-186v I I John; 186v-187r preface t o I I I John ( Von
Soden no. 138); 1 8 7 r - v I I I John; 187v preface to Jude ( Von
Soden no. 139); 187v-188v Jude; 188v-189v preface t o Romans
( Von Soden no. 140); 190r-203r Romans; 203r - v preface to I
Cori nt hi ans ( Von Soden no. 140); 203v216r I Cori nt hi ans;
216v217r preface to I I Cori nt hi ans ( Von Soden no. 140);
217r225v I I Cori nt hi ans; 225v preface t o Galatians ( Von
Soden no. 140); 226r - 229v Gal atians; 230r preface t o Ephe-
sians ( Von Soden no. 140); 230r234v Ephesians; 234v preface
t o Phil ippians ( Von Soden no. 140); 234v237v Phil ippians;
237v238r preface t o Col ossians ( Von Soden no. 140);
238r241r Col ossians; 241rv preface to I Thessal onians ( Von
Soden no. 140); 241 v244r I Thessal onians; 244rv preface t o
I I Thessal onians ( Von Soden no. 140); 244v246r I I Thessal o-
nians; 246rv preface t o Hebrews ( Von Soden no. 140);
246v247r preface to Hebrews ( Von Soden no. 141);
247r-257v Hebrews; 257v-258r preface to I Ti mo t hy ( Von
Soden no. 141); 258r-261v I Ti mo t hy; 262r-262v preface t o I I
Ti mo t hy ( Von Soden no. 141); 262v265r I I Ti mo t hy;
265v266r preface to Ti t us ( Von Soden no. 141); 266r267v
Ti t us; 267v preface to Phi l e mo n ( Von Soden no. 141);
267v268v Phi l e mon; 268v col ophon and l ater owne r ent ry o f
the Di o nysi o u monastery; 269r274v Synaxari um; 275r280r
Ekl ogadi on.
D EC O R A TI O N : I l l u mi nat e d canon tables, fol ios 2r7v; portraits
o f Mat t he w ( f ol . l Ov) , Ma r k ( f ol . 45v) , Luke ( f ol . 69v) , and
John ( f ol . 106v); i l l u mi nat e d headpieces on fol ios l l r , 46v, 70r,
107v, 135r, 190r.
P R O VEN A N C E: Di o nysi o u monastery, Mo u nt At hos ( cod. 8),
perhaps f r o m the sixteenth century (see vo n Eu w and Pl otzek,
p. 160), removed f r o m the monastery around 1960 (see
Bucht hal , " Di si ect a Me mbr a" ) ; Oscar Me ye r col l ection, Los
Angel es; L u dw i g col l ection; acquired by the J. Paul Get t y M u -
seum i n 1983.
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : H . Brockhaus, Die Kunst in den Athos-Klstern
( Leipzig, 1891), pp. 183, 211, 231-233, pi . 21; S. P. Lambros,
Catalogue of the Greek Manuscripts on Mount Athos ( Cambri dge,
1895), vo l . 1, p. 319; M . Vogel and V. Gardthausen, Die
griechischen Schreiber des Mittelalters und der Renaissance
( Hi l de she i m, 1966), p. 143, repri nt ed f r o m Zentralblatt fr
Bibliothekswesen, Beihef t 33 ( Leipzig, 1909); C. R. Morey, East
Christian Paintings in the Freer Collection ( Washington, D. C. ,
1914), pp. 28, 30; J. Bi c k, Die Schreiber der wiener griechischen
Handschriften ( Vienna, 1920), p. 66; A. M . Friend, Jr., " The
Portraits o f the Evangel ists i n Greek and Lat i n Manuscri pt s, "
Art Studies 5 (1927), pp. 125, 133, figs. 9-12; K. Lake and S.
Lake, Dated Greek Manuscripts to the Year 1200 ( Bost on, 1935),
fasc. 3, no. 116, pis. 197-198; F. Dl ge r , E. Weigand, and A.
De i ndl , Mnchsland Athos ( Mu ni c h, 1942), pp. 194-197; E. W.
Saunders, A Descriptive Checklist of Selected Manuscripts in the
Monasteries of Mount Athos ( Washington, D. C. , 1957), p. 3;
K. Al and, Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des
Neuen Testaments ( Be rl i n, 1963), p. 110; M . Richard, Repertoire
des bibliotheques et des catalogues de manuscrits grecs: Supplement I
(1958-1963) (Paris, 1964), p. 12; V. Lazarev, Storia della pit-
tura bizantina ( Turi n, 1967), p. 252; M . Restle, Byzantine Wall
Painting in Asia Minor ( Greenwich, Conn. , 1967), vo l . 1,
pp. 81, 244; E. D. Kako u l i di , "
C
H iA.ioTJKT) TTJS | xopf| S
n p o p i x o i v e r p a s aTTjv KcovaTavTLVOtm-oXri," Hellenika 21
(1968), p. 19; H . Hunger, "Evangel isten, " Reallexikon zur by-
zantinischen Kunst 2 (1968), col . 458; K. Treu, " Byzant i ni sche
Kaiser i n den Schreibernotizen griechischer Handschri f t en, "
Byzantinische Zeitschrift 65 (1972), p. 17; S. De r Nersessian,
" The Praxapostol os o f the Wal ters Ar t Gal l ery, " Gatherings in
Honor of Dorothy E. Miner, ed. U. E. Mc Cr ac ke n et al . ( Bal -
t i more, 1974), p. 41; J. C. Ande rson, " A n Exami nat i o n o f Two
Twe l f t h- Ce nt ur y Centers o f Byzant i ne Manusc ri pt Produc-
t i o n" ( Ph. D. diss., Pri ncet on University, 1975), pp. 2, 66-69,
158159; A. vo n Eu w and J. M . Pl otzek, Die Handschriften der
Sammlung Ludwig ( Col ogne, 1979), vo l . 1, pp. 159163, figs.
5663; H . Hu nge r and O. Kresten, "Archaisierende Mi nu ske l
u nd Hode gonst i l i m 14. Jahrhundert: De r Schreiber The o k-
tistos u nd die K p&Xai pa TCOV Tpi aXcop, " JOB 29 (1980), pp.
188-191, 211-212, 214, 217, 220; R. Ne l son, " A Thi r t e e nt h-
Ce nt ur y Byzant i ne Mi ni at u r e i n the Vatican Li brary, " Gesta 20
(1981), p. 221; P. Magdal i no and R. Nel son, " The Empe r or i n
Byzant i ne Ar t o f the Twe l f t h Cent ury, " Byzantinische For-
schungen 8 (1982), pp. 150-151; H . Bucht hal , "Disiecta Me m -
bra, " The Burlington Magazine 124 (1982), p. 214, figs. 15-17;
H . Bucht hal , " A Greek Ne w Testament Manuscri pt i n the
Escorial Li brary: Its Mi ni at ure s and Its Bi ndi ng , " Byzanz und
der Westen: Studien zur Kunst des europischen Mittelalters, ed. I .
Hu t t e r ( Vienna, 1984), p. 90; I . Spatharakis, " A n I l l u mi nat e d
Greek Gr ammar Manuscri pt i n Jerusal em: A Co nt r i bu t i o n t o
the Study o f Co mne ni an I l l u mi nat e d Orname nt , " JOB 35
(1985), p. 237.
A Celibate Marriage and Franciscan Poverty Reflected
in a Neapolitan Trecento Diptych
Carl Brandon Strehlke
I n 1986 the J. Paul Getty Mu se u m acquired a f our-
teenth-century diptych (figs, lac)
1
that came f rom the
Sabran, a promi nent Provencal aristocratic f amil y. Rep-
resented i n the l eft-hand panel o f the diptych is Saint
Francis receiving the stigmata; the right-hand panel
portrays an angel suspended i n flight who bestows floral
crowns on a man and wo man kneel ing i n a bedcham-
ber. Tho u gh the picture's provenance cannot be docu-
mented before the t went i et h century, i n modern
hagiographical wri t i ngs the t wo kneel ing figures have
been identif ied as fourteenth-century members o f the
Sabran f ami l y: Saint Elzear de Sabran (12861323) and
his wif e, the Blessed Del phi ne de Signe (12841360),
courtiers to Ki ng Robert and Queen Sancha o f Napl es.
2
The scene i n the bedroom has been t hought to repre-
sent an angel crowni ng the coupl e to honor their fa-
mous vo w o f chastity. Because they were probabl y
members o f the lay, or tertiary, order o f the Franciscans,
the stigmatization o f Saint Francis represented i n the
l eft-hand panel also seemed to c onf i rm the diptych' s
connection to the Sabrans. However, the episode o f an
angelic coronation does not appear i n any extant f our-
teenth-century source concerning Elzear and Del phine.
I n later biographies, whi c h are perhaps based on no w-
lost documents, the onl y simil ar incident is one i n whi ch
an angel visits the couple i n their bedchamber and lays his
hands on their heads. Notabl y, the couple is described as
sleeping, and there is no me nt i on o f floral wreaths.
3
I n
addition, the identif ication does not stand on chrono-
l ogical grounds. Based upon its style and the costumes
o f the couple, whi c h reflect fashions before the mi d-
fourteenth century (as w i l l be discussed i n detail l ater),
the picture must date considerably before Del phine' s
death i n 1360 and Elzear's canonization, declared by his
o wn godson, Urban V de Gri moard (r. 13621370), i n
1369. Al t ho u gh Elzear and Del phi ne cannot possibly be
the subjects o f the diptych, other convincing i cono-
graphic reasons exist for associating i t wi t h them, and
there is historical and styl istic evidence for concl uding
that i t was commissioned by Del phi ne or someone close
Abbreviations
Actus: Paul Sabatier, ed., Actus beati Francisci et sociorum
eius, Collection d'etudes et de documents no. 4
(Paris, 1902).
Bologna: Ferdinando Bologna, / pittori alia corte angioma di
Napoli, Saggi e studi di storia dell'arte no. 2
(Rome, 1969).
Enquete: Jacques Cambell, ed., Enquete pour le proces de
canonisation de Dauphine de Puimichel comtesse
dAriano (Turin, 1978).
"Trois sermons": Wil l ibord Lampen, ed., "Trois sermons de Fran-
cois de Meyronnes sur la stigmatization de
Saint Francois," La France franciscaine 10 (1927),
pp. 371-397.
Vies occitanes: Jacques Cambell, ed., Vies occitanes de Saint
Auzias et de Sainte Dauphine, Bibliotheca Pon-
tificii Athenei Antoniani no. 12 (Rome, 1978).
1. 86.PB.490. Tempera and tooled gold on wood. Each panel
H: 31.2 cm ( 12
5
/ i6 ") ; W: 22.9 cm (9"). Exhibited i n Cent tableaux
d'art religieux de XIV
e
siede nos jours, Galerie Charpentier, Paris,
1952-1953, no. 38.
2. The earliest published source for the provenance states that a
copy of the diptych exists i n the castle o f Ansouis, ancestral seat of the
Sabran. Pierre Girard, Saint Elzear de Sabran et la Bienheureuse Delphine
de Signe (Paris, 1912), p. 6. The copy is unknown to me.
The identification o f the saints as Delphine and Elzear is followed
by Jacques Dupont, "Quelques exemples des rapports entre la France
et l'ltalie au XI V
e
et au XV
e
siecles," Cahiers de VAssociation interna-
tionale des etudes francaises 8 (1956), p. 8, and Michel Laclotte and
Dominique Thiebaut, L'ecole dAvignon (Paris, 1983), pp. 194195. The
former attributes the diptych to the Sienese school, and the latter call
it simply Italian, circa 13401350. Enrico Castelnuovo has identified
the saints as Quiricus and Julietta and the artist as from the circle o f
Paolo Veneziano, circa 1340; see "Ecole dAvignon, " Art de France 1
(1961), p. 284.
3. Garsende Alphant, Elzear's nurse and the couple's companion,
is said to have witnessed this, as was supposedly reported at Elzear's
canonization hearings, which took place over forty years after
Alphant's death. See Genevieve Duhamelet, Saint Elzear et la Bien-
heureuse Delphine (Paris, 1944), p. 17. Alphant's testimony was entered
i n the record but was obviously not first hand. See Jacques Cambell,
"Le sommaire de l'enquete pour la canonisation de S. Elzear de
Sabran," Miscellanea Francescana 73 (1973), p. 445. The first text that
describes the couple's angelic coronation is J. Raphael, L'ensuit la vie de
monseigneur Saint Aulzias de Sabran comte darian glorieux confesseur et
vierge (Paris, circa 1523), first part, chap. 1, unpaginated: "et en regar-
dant par alcune petite vuee dedans la chambre du dit sainct Garsende
Alphant vit quilz les dormoient encores et aussi ladicte Benoiste
Daulphine et vit une ange le quel tenoit chescune teste deux une
main. Si en remercia icelle a dieu et l uy en rendait graces car eile
cogneut bien que lange avoit specialle cure deulx."
80 Strehlke
to her f r o m an artist active i n Naples i n the 1330s.
Fr o m the minutes o f the canonization trials o f Elzear
and Del phine, hel d i n 1351 and 1363 respectively, and
f r o m t wo early paral l el biographies, the story o f a re-
markabl e marriage emerges.
4
The Sabran, l ords o f A n -
souis (located southeast o f Avi gnon) , were l oyal allies o f
the Angevins, a branch o f the French royal f ami l y since
the t i me o f the conquest o f southern Italy. The A n -
gevins maintained their power base i n Provence, an i n-
4. Elzear's proceedings survive i n a summarium, compiled for the
papal archives between 1362 and 1364. See Cambell, "Le sommaire"
(supra, note 3), pp. 438473, for its dating. The other sources, Enquete
and Vies occitanes, are also edited by Cambell. The probable authors o f
the latter's Latin text are Aimar and Guillaume de La Voutre, two
brothers from Apt (the burial place o f Elzear and Delphine), who had
distinguished and somewhat parallel church careers, both having
served as bishops of Marseilles. Soon after its publication i n Latin,
Vies occitanes was translated into the Provencal langue d'oc.
The most reliable secondary sources are Luke wadding, Annates
minorum seu trium ordinum a S. Francisco institutorum, 2nd ed. (Rome,
1733), pp. 278292, 378382, and Constantin Suyskens i n Acta sanc-
heritance o f the mother o f Charl es I I o f Anj ou, Ki ng o f
Naples. Hence, Provencal famil ies, l i ke the Sabran,
f i l l ed positions at the Neapol itan court, sat o n the
bench, and staffed the mi l i t ary. I n reward for mi l i t ar y
service, Charles I I created El zears father, Hermengaud,
Co u nt o f Ari ano, a titl e Elzear received i n 1310, after his
father's death, f r o m Ki ng Robert, Charl es' successor.
Elzear served the Angevins we l l . He successfully l ed
their troops i n defense o f Rome, then under seige
torum Septembris 7 (Antwerp, 1760), rev. ed. (Paris, 1867), pp. 494-555.
5. For additional information on the Angevins, see Emil e G.
Leonard, Les Angevins de Naples (Paris, 1954); Romolo Caggese, Roberto
dAngid e i suoi tempi (Florence, 1922, 1930), 2 vols.; and the appropriate
entires i n Dizionario biografico degli italiani (Rome, I960), 1 vol . to
date. For Sabrn genealogy, see [Francois A. A. ] de La Chesnaye-
Desbois and [?] Badier, Dictionnaire de la noblesse, 3rd ed. (Paris, 1873),
vol . 18, cols. 4-23.
6. Andre Vauchez, La saintete en Occident aux derniers siecles du
moyen age d'apres les proces de canonisation et les documents hagiogra-
phiques, Bibliotheque des ecoles franchises dAthenes et de Rome no.
241 (Rome, 1981), p. 419, no. 397.
Figure la. Neapolitan school. The Stigmatization of Saint Francis of Assisi and The Crowning of Saints Cecilia and Valerian of Rome,
1330s. Tempera and tooled gold on wood. Each panelH: 31.2 cm ( 12
5
/ i6") ; W: 22.9 cm (9"). Mal ibu, The J. Paul Getty
Museum 86.PB.490.
A Celibate Marriage 81
by the German emperor, Henr y VI I ; he acted as a mi n -
ister to Ki n g Robert's heir, the Duke o f Calabria; and
he arranged the latter's betrothal to a French pr i n-
cess. Whi l e on this last mi ssi on i n Paris, he di ed on Sep-
tember 27, 1323.
5
The marriage o f Elzear and Delphi ne was arranged
and mandated by Charles I I . The king's concern for his vas-
sal's family clearly lent dynastic implications to the union.
Despite this, Delphi ne, a headstrong twelve-year-old
orphan, objected to the proposed marriage because she
had sworn a vo w o f vi r gi ni t y. On l y after the Franciscan
mo nk Gui llaume de Sai nt-Marti ala compani on o f
the recently deceased Loui s o f Toulouse, Ki n g Charles'
sonconvinced her o f the propri et y o f obeyi ng the
ki ng di d Delphi ne concede. Fol l owi ng a three-year be-
trothal, she was marri ed to Elzear i n February o f 1300.
She di d not, however, at any t i me renounce her vow.
Elzear was a deeply reli gi ous yout h, kno wn to be
susceptible to mysti c trances, but he was apparently not
prepared for a chaste marri age.
6
Dur i ng the first nights
o f thei r life together, Delphi ne, empl oyi ng the gui le o f
a Scheherazade, delayed consummat i on by regaling her
husband wi t h stories o f vi r gi n saints unt i l he nodded
o f f to sleep. Accor di ng to bi ographi cal sources, she
recounted the legends o f Ceci li a and Valerian, Alexi s,
Catherine o f Alexandri a, Agnes, Lucy, and Agat ha.
7
Al t hough all were vi rgi ns, onl y the first three listed
preserved this state wi t hi n a marriage. Elzear and
Delphine's o wn si tuati on most closely paralleled that
o f Ceci li a and Valerian. Cecilia, li ke Delphi ne, had
converted her husband to chastity, and they remai ned
together despite thei r vow. ( By contrast, Alexi s on
his weddi ng ni ght i nspi red his young wi fe wi t h a "love
o f vi r gi ni t y, " but after deli veri ng a lecture on its vi r -
tues, he abandoned her.)
8
I n vi ew o f what Elzear and
Delphi ne wo ul d suffer for thei r devot i on to celibacy,
i t is understandable that the spi ri tual bond uni t i ng Ceci -
li a and Valerian wo ul d come to have a special sym-
boli c i mpor t for t hem and serve as a model for thei r
o wn marriage.
Lent, when abstension was an acceptable practice, oc-
7. Vies occitanes, pp. 147149.
8. Baudoin de Geffier, " 'Intactam sponsam relinquens' propos
de la vie de S. Alexis," Analecta Bollandiana 65 (1947), pp. 157197.
9. On the legal foundations, see Gabriel le Bras, "Le marriage
dans la theologie et le droit de l'eglise du XI
e
au XI I I
e
siecle," Cahiers
de civilisation medievale X
e
-XII
e
siecles 9 (1968), pp. 191-202, and
Vauchez (supra, note 6), p. 498, for bibliography and sources on vi r -
ginal marriages. On impotence as grounds for divorce, see Bernard
David, L'impuissance est-elle un empechement de droit naturel ou positi,
Analecta Gregoriana no. 220 (Rome, 1981), and Pierre Darmi on, Le
tribunal de l'impuissance virilite et defaillances conjugates dans Vancienne
France (Paris, 1979), pp. 78-81, 89-93, 106-161.
curred shortly after the Sabran weddi ng. Fol l owi ng this,
Delphi ne suddenly fell i l l and extracted a promi se o f
t wo years continence fr om Elzear. By the close o f this
peri od, the young gr oom had experienced di vi ne en-
li ghtenment, and carnal temptati ons never again
plagued hi m. Fearing fami l y opposi ti on, the couple
kept thei r vow secret, but as t i me passed, the lack o f
issue exposed t hem to ri di cule.
Thought s o f an hei r had i ni t i al l y troubled Elzear, but
he nevertheless acceded to Delphine's wishes. Hi s
grandfather, however, demanded that a doctor examine
t hem. Though the sources are scant, a separation may
have been contemplated. Canoni cal law decreed that
a divorce required pr oof o f the i mpotence o f one o f
the partners. I n such situations, Pope Innocent I I I
(r. 11981216) had legislated that matrons examine the
woman to determine physical capability for intercourse.
9
A male doctor was, nonetheless, summoned to this
case; the diagnosis was made public; and the process
resembled a t ri al.
The Catalan Ar nal d o f Vi llanova, physician to the
ki ng o f Ar agon, served as medical examiner, and he
could not have been more understandi ng o f the young
couple's pl i ght .
1 0
A radical Franciscan gi ven to prophet-
i sm and close to the Spi ri tual Franciscan partya sepa-
ratist group that felt that the order had strayed fr om
Saint Francis' i dealsArnald escaped bur ni ng at the
stake for unrecanted heretical wr i t i ngs onl y because o f
shrewd poli t i cal maneuveri ng and the acknowledged
value o f his medical skills. Hi s influence on Elzear and
Delphi ne was considerable and has been cited as an ex-
planati on for thei r subsequent religious leanings.
1 1
The
biographers make clear that bei ng secretly i nfor med o f
thei r vow, Ar nal d faked the inquest i nt o thei r mari t al
habits.
1 2
Havi ng prescribed a curative meat diet, he i n -
terrogated t hem publi cally on thei r sleeping habits but
pri vately spoke to t hem onl y o f reli gi ous matters.
1 3
Af -
ter fifteen days o f scrutiny, he presented the results to
a physicians' gathering wi t h such ski l l that no one con-
tradicted hi m. He contended that the couple was
physically underdeveloped and could not conceive chi l -
10. Raoul Manselli, Spirituali e beghini in Provenza, Studi storici
nos. 3134 (Rome, 1959), pp. 5580, wi t h earlier bibliography cited.
11. See Carles Campos, " A perpaus de la perfection dAlzeas et de
Delfina, " Annales de l'institut d'etudes occitanes 4, no. 1 (1965),
pp. 88-105.
12. Vies occitanes, pp. 161163.
13. He may also have recommended crayfish, pinecones, chestnuts,
nasturtiums, truffles, and onions, all of which encourage coitus, and
advised against lettuce and citrus-based wines, whi ch discourage it,
according to the Taciunum sanitatis, a health manual i n circulation i n
the late Mi ddle Ages. Luisa Cogliati Arano, The Medieval Health
Handbook (New York, 1976).
82 Strehlke
Figure lb. The Stigmatization of Saint Francis of Assisi (detai l o f fi g. l a) .
Figure lc. The Crowning of Saints Cecilia and Valerian of Rome (detai l o f fi g. l a) .
84 Strehlke
dreri unt i l thei r t went y-fi ft h year. Havi ng established
that the condi t i on was t emporary (canonical law re-
qui red that i mpotence be proven perpetual), Ar nal d
cleverly avoided establishing grounds for divorce.
Di sappoi nted, Elzear's fami l y resorted to other
means, such as sending entertai ni ng young girls i nt o
the couple's bedr oom at ni ght to encourage conjugal
relations.
1 4
I n 1307 Elzear and Delphi ne fi nally liberated
themselves fr om this pressure, r et i r i ng to a castle at
Puy-Mi chel , a paternal inheritance o f Delphi ne. They
ran thei r household along the lines o f a monastery.
Elzear, who functi oned more li ke an abbot than a grand
seigneur, wr ot e a rule, the first provi so o f whi ch en-
forced the strictest observance o f chastity by all i nhabi -
tants o f the castle; furthermore, wi t h the exception o f
Delphi ne, all mar r i ed women were excluded.
1 5
Thi s life
cont i nued unt i l Elzear's father di ed i n 1310, and Elzear
went to Naples t o be kni ght ed.
The vo w o f chastity di d not decrease the couple's
closeness and devot i on to each other. They seem to
have shared quarters and possibly a c ommon bed.
1 6
Ac -
cordi ng to all witnesses, Del phi ne went to bed dressed
and Elzear slept i n a hai r garment except when gravely
i l l ; this was considered unusual, as sleeping naked was
the n o r m at the t i me.
1 7
Four years after Elzear's death i n 1323, a Libellus sup-
plex, penned by the Provencal Franciscan mo nk Franqois
de Meyronnes, was presented to Pope John XXI I
d'Euse (r. 13161334) to pr omot e the cause o f his sanc-
t i t y.
1 8
The Libellus attaches great i mportance to the celi -
bate marriage; i n i t Elzear is called another Joseph, Val -
erian, or Al exi s.
1 9
The analogy o f the Sabran marriage
to that o f Ceci li a and Valerian apparently ori gi nated
wi t h the stories that Delphi ne t ol d on her weddi ng
ni ght , but the t r adi t i on was kept wel l enough alive dur -
i ng her l ong wi do who o d to be repeated i n the proposed
articles for her o wn unsuccessful canoni zati on, whi c h
were prepared i n 1363.
20
Delphi ne and Elzear must
therefore have closely associated thei r early days t o-
gether wi t h the story o f the ancient Roman newl y weds
who had si mi l ar l y cherished thei r vi r gi ni t y and were
persecuted for thei r Chri st i an beliefs.
Si gni fi cantly i n this context, alt hough the ri ght -hand
panel o f the Get t y di pt ych does not relate to any specific
14. Vies occitanes, p. 163.
15. Ibid., p. 77.
16. The evidence is conflicting. Article eleven of Delphine's hear-
i ng says that they shared (cohabitant) quarters and bed. Article fourteen
says that they lived together but did not sleep i n the same bed. See
Enquete, pp. 3738, 40, and Vies occitanes, p. 159.
17. Vies occitanes, p. 83. Only a nightcap was customarily worn. For
example, see the sculpture of the father of Saint Catherine of Alex-
i nci dent i n the lives o f Elzear and Delphi ne and is
chronologi cally impossible to associate wi t h t hem, i t
clearly follows the tradi ti onal representation o f an epi -
sode fr om the lives o f Saints Ceci li a and Valerian. Thi s
is related i n The Golden Legend, a late t hi rt eent h-cent ury
text by Jacopo da Voragi ne.
2 1
On her weddi ng day
Ceci li a wor e a hair shi rt concealed by a splendid gold
garment. Before the ceremony, she had entrusted her
mai denhood to God and that ni ght i nfor med her star-
tled gr oom that an angel, who guarded her body wi t h
"exceeding zeal," was her lover. The pagan Valerian was
also t ol d that he could meet this ri val i f he agreed to
bapti sm. As his bri de instructed, he i mmedi at ely sought
out the persecuted bishop o f Rome, Ur ban I (r.
222230), who was then hi di ng fr om the i mper i al au-
thorities, and he received bapti sm. Ret ur ni ng to the
marriage chamber, he witnessed Ceci li a and the angel
i n discourse, and "the angel held t wo crowns fashioned
o f roses and lilies, o f whi ch he gave one to Ceci li a and
the other to Valerian, saying: Guard these crowns
wi t h spotless hearts and pure bodies, because I have
brought t hem fr om God's Paradise to you, nor wi l l
they ever fade; and none can see t hem, save those
who love chasti ty!"
2 2
The ori gi ns o f the composi t i on o f Ceci li a and Val -
erian i n the Get t y pictureas wel l as most other four-
teenth- and fi fteenth-century representations o f this
rare subjectcan be traced at least to the late eleventh
century.
2 3
Images predati ng the Get t y di pt ych tend to
be more i coni c and show the angel standing between
the couple who may be represented either standing or
si tti ng. The scene was frequently conflated wi t h a sub-
sequent episode, the cr owni ng o f Valerian's brother,
Ti buri us, also a convert. These images probably or i gi -
nated wi t h the design o f a lost clot h altar frontal com-
mi ssi oned by Paschal I (r. 817821) for the church o f
Santa Ceci li a i n Trastevere, where the saint's relics were
transferred i n 821. Versions o f the scene occur at least
t wi ce i n t hi rt eent h-cent ury seals o f the church's t i t ular
cardinals, where Valerian and his brother are shown
flanking Ceci li a whi l e an angel swoops do wn cr owni ng
the brothers.
2 4
The di vi ng angel was adopted by Ar -
nolfo di Cambi o i n his ci bor i um for San Paolo fuori le
mura and reappears transformed i n the Get t y di pt ych.
2 5
andria dictating his wi l l by Giovanni and Pacio da Firenze i n Santa
Chiara, Naples, illustrated i n John Pope-Hennessy, Italian Gothic
Sculpture (London, 1972), pi. 37.
18. It was prepared by Meyronnes and presented to the pope by
Raymond Bot, Bishop of Apt. See text i n Acta sanctorum (supra, note
4), pp. 521-525.
19. Ibid., p. 522.
20. Enquete, p. 36.
tfflftun nolo
lQQ\tom<m
Figure 2. School o f Jean Pucelle. The Crowning of Saints
Cecilia and Valerian of Rome (detail) f r o m the
Br evi ar y o f Jeanne d' Evr eux, circa 1340.
I l l umi nat i o n on vel l um. Chant i l l y, Musee
Conde ms. 51, fol . 491v. Phot o: Court esy
Conway Li brary, Cour t aul d Inst i t ut e o f Ar t ,
negative 299/ 39 ( 30A) .
Figure 3. Mast er o f the Pesaro Cr uci fi x (Itali an, active
late fourt eent h and early fi fteenth cent ury) .
The Crowning of Saints Cecilia and Valerian of
Rome, circa 14251430. Tempera on wo o d. H:
55.3 c m (21
3
A"); W: 36.5 c m ( 14W) . Phi la-
delphi a, Phi ladelphi a Mus eum o f Ar t , The
Mc l l henny Col l ect i on: Bequest o f John D.
Mcl l henny, 43-40-51. Phot o: Court esy Phi l a-
delphi a Mus eum o f Ar t .
Similar treatments o f the angelic coronation o f Cecilia
and Valerian occur i n fourteenth-century French devo-
t i onal manuscripts fr om the circle o f Jean Pucelle and i n
others that are associated wi t h the royal fami ly, specifi-
cally the Brevi ary o f Jeanne d' Evreux, queen o f Charles
I V (fig. 2), and the Hour s o f Blanche o f Savoy.
26
The
presence o f this subject i n such books demonstrates an
interest i n the domestic aspects o f the legend o f the
Roman couple, as opposed to the more dramatic and
frequently depicted scenes o f mar t yr dom. Elzear and
Delphi ne may wel l have influenced French aristocratic
taste for this episode. The si mi lari ti es to early fi fteenth-
21. Granger Ryan and Helmut Ripperger, trans., The Golden Legend
of Jacobus da Voragine (New York, 1941), pp. 690-691.
22. Ibid., p. 691.
23. On the iconography, see Wolfgang Braunfels, ed., Lexikon der
christlichen Ikonographie (Freiburg, 1973), vol. 5, cols. 445463.
24. Julian Gardner, "Some Cardinals' Seals of the Thirteenth
Century," Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 38 (1975),
pp. 85-86, pi. 11 g-h.
25. Ibi d.; illustrated i n Adolfo Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana
(Milan, 1906), vol. 4, fig. 62.
26. Breviary of Jeanne d'Evreux: Chantilly, Musee Conde ms. 51,
fol. 49lv. See Jacques Meugey, Les principaux manuscrits peinture du
Musee Conde Chantilly (Paris, 1930), pp. 4042; photo: Courtauld
negative 299/39 (30A). Hours of Blanche of Savoy: New Haven, Yale
University Libraries ms. 390, fol. 18v. See P. Blanchard, Les heures de
Savoie (London, 1910), pi . 36.
86 Strehlke
century representationsa fresco i n the Car mi ne i n
Florence and a panel by the Master o f the Pesaro Cr u-
ci fi x i n the Phi ladelphi a Museum o f Ar t (fig. 3)attest
to the dur abi li t y o f the iconographic formula over t i me
and geography as wel l as to the pauci ty o f possible ways
o f pai nt i ng the scene as i t is narrated i n The Golden
Legend.
27
On l y rarely di d an artist approach the theme
wi t h the or i gi nal i t y o f the Master o f Santa Ceci li a. I n
his altarpiece dat i ng before 1307, now i n the Uf f i zi , the
angel crowns Valerian as he crosses the threshold o f the
bedr oom to receive Cecilia's joyous embrace.
2 8
The strong parallel that was perceived between the
marriage o f Ceci li a and Valerian and that o f Elzear and
Del phi ne is not the sole l i nk uni t i ng the celibate
Provencal couple wi t h the Get t y di pt ych. The sti gma-
t i zat i on o f Saint Francis on the left-hand panel and its
manner o f depi cti on also support such an association.
Tho ugh the earliest extant sources are silent, i t is often
stated that Elzear and Delphi ne were members o f the
Thi r d Order o f Saint Francis, as was Ki n g Robert o f
Naples, who wears its habit i n funeral effi gy.
2 9
On July
13, 1317, Elzear wr ot e his wi l l and specifically stated
that he was to be buri ed i n the Franciscan habi t .
3 0
Mor e-
over, Franciscans were the couple's confessors and com-
panions, as wel l as the champions o f thei r canonization.
The order soon clai med Elzear as its own; i n the church
o f San Francesco i n Lo di there is a late fourteenth-cen-
t ur y fresco o f h i m i n the tuni c o f the Thi r d Order.
3 1
Bei ng i nt i mat e members o f the Neapoli tan court, the
Sabrans undoubt edly shared the ki ng and queen's sym-
pathy for the Spi ri tual Franciscans. Thi s group, whi ch
flourished i n Provence and Naples, espoused the doc-
tri ne o f evangelical poverty, or adherence to what they
perceived as the unmedi ated ideals o f Francis and
Chr i st .
3 2
Fractious and uncompr omi si ng, the Spirituals
alienated the church hierarchy and the rest o f the or-
der, whi c h they accused o f laxi ty. Playi ng on the age's
propheti c mode o f t hi nki ng, they heightened thei r
sense o f mi ssi on i n a wo r l d awai ti ng the Second Co m-
i ng. By forci ng the issue o f Franciscan poverty, ho w-
ever, they i nvi t ed vi olent reactions ai med at thei r
o wn destructi on.
The Angevi ns' support o f the Spirituals ori gi nated
27. For the attribution of the Philadelphia panel, see the oral com-
munication of Mi kl s Boskovits i n Mi chel Laclotte and Elisabeth
Mognetti , AvignonMusee du Petit Palais: Peinture italienne (Paris,
1976), no. 132. For the Carmine fresco, see George Kaftal, Iconography
of the Saints in Tuscan Painting (Florence, 1952), fig. 287.
28. For the Master of Santa Cecilia, see Bernard Berenson, Italian
Pictures of the Renaissance: Florentine School (London, 1963), vol. 1, fig. 88.
29. For Robert's effigy, see Pope-Hennessy (supra, note 17), fig. 32.
On the Sabran as tertiaries, see Girard (supra, note 2), pp. 6164.
30. See Vies occitanes, p. 33, and Forbin d'Oppede, La Bse Delphine
wi t h Robert's brother Loui s.
3 3
Whi l e incarcerated i n
Ar agon as hostages for thei r father's freedom, the t wo
brothers solicited consolati on fr om the radical Spi ri tual
Peter Ol i v i , whose wr i t i ngs had been condemned as
heretical. I t was dur i ng his stay i n pri son that Loui s
decided to renounce his r i ght to the throne and j o i n the
Franciscans. Though he was later named bishop o f
Toulouse, he onl y begrudgi ngly accepted official hon-
ors, and his devot i on to the ideal o f evangelical poverty
was no secret. Hi s canoni zati on was celebrated on Apr i l
7, 1317, by John XXI I , but this occurred onl y after the
pope had suppressed any ment i on o f Loui s' sympathy
for poverty and, therefore, for the Spirituals i n the bul l .
To underscore this poi nt , a few mont hs later, John pr o-
mulgated three bulls condemni ng the Spirituals o f
Provence and launched an i nqui si t i on that i n 1318
culmi nat ed i n the bur ni ng o f four monks at the stake
i n Marseilles. The condemned had refused to abjure
paupertas evangelica.
Bur ni ngs and papal post uri ng di d not deter Ki n g
Robert. He succored Spi ri tual refugees and even wr ot e a
tract i n support o f thei r vi ews on poverty. Aft er the
issue o f the bul l Cum inter nonnullos (1323), whi ch de-
clared i t heretical to assert that Chri st and his apostles
owned no property, Robert repudiated the pope and
suppressed publi cat i on o f papal edicts against the Spir-
ituals. Queen Sancha and her brother Phi l i p o f Majorca
also cont ri but ed to the Angevi n court's i nflammat or y
stance. Al t hough the queen burdened the treasury wi t h
the fi nanci ng o f Spi ri tual Franciscan communi t i es, she
was admoni shed by John XXI I for t heologi zi ng about
holy poverty.
3 4
Her brother, meanwhi le, attempted to
establish his o wn order and publi cally preached against
the pope i n Naples.
3 5
Aft er John's death, Pope Bene-
dict XI I (r. 13341342) also t ri ed to br i ng the Angevi ns
back i n li ne.
I n 1316 at the start o f the controversies, Robert
granted Elzear and Delphi ne permi ssi on to leave Naples
for Ansoui s i n order to avow thei r celibacy publi cally
(apparently this was also an unfulfi lled desire o f Queen
Sancha).
3 6
Wi t h great rejoicing, the Sabrans celebrated
thei r chastity on the feast day o f Mar y Magdalene, pa-
t r on saint o f Provence. Bet ween that t i me and July 1317,
de Sabran et les saints de Provence au XIV
6
siede (Paris, 1883),
pp. 412425. On entry into the order, tertiaries were required to wri te
their final wi l l .
31. George Kaftal and Fabio Bisogni, Iconography of the Saints in the
Painting of North West Italy (Florence, 1985), fig. 354.
32. Literature on the Spirituals is vast. A clear summary of the
issues is found i n Michael Bi hl, "Fraticelli," The Catholic Encyclopedia
(New York), vol. 6, pp. 244249. Also useful are: Decima L. Douie,
The Nature and Effect of the Heresy of the Fraticelli (Manchester, 1932);
Malcolm D. Lambert, Franciscan Poverty: The Doctrine of the Absolute
when Elzear notari zed his wi l l at Toul on before again
embar ki ng for Naples, the couple probably entered the
Thi r d Order. I f he was not already a tertiary, i t is un-
l i kel y that Elzear wo ul d have requested buri al i n Fran-
ciscan habit. Thei r membershi p therefore coi nci ded
wi t h thei r publi c avowal o f vi r gi ni t y. It is certainly
significant that the t wo themes are also l i nked i n
the di pt ych.
Delphi ne and Elzear j oi ned the order dur i ng its most
troubled peri od. The decision could not have been un-
affected by Loui s' canoni zati on i n 1317; thei r o wn publi c
vow; and the intensified persecution o f the Spirituals
i n Provence. I n the papal condemnat i on called Sancta
romana, much o f the Thi r d Order o f Provence was i n -
di ct ed.
3 7
Many members, some loosely organized i n
groups called Beguines, were suspected o f heresy and
collusi on wi t h the Spirituals. Trials abounded and many
perished at the stake. The couple were i nti mates o f the
secular authorities who supported the Spi ri tual cause,
and thei r associates i n the religious wo r l d were all fierce
Spi ri t ualsArnald o f Vi llanova, Gui llaume de Saint-
Mar t i al , and Frangois de Meyronnes. It is, i n fact,
hi ghl y probable that John XXI I put o f f Elzear's canon-
i zati on because he was so closely associated wi t h the
Spi ri tual movement.
I f there is any doubt where thei r sympathies lay dur -
i ng Elzear's li feti me, there can be none that Delphi ne
became a radical Begui ne i n wi do who o d.
3 8
She is even
called such i n her first biographies. To the family's con-
sternation she obtained permi ssi on fr om Ki n g Robert
to divest herself o f all property r i ght ful l y hers. An d i n
1333 at the Angevi n castle o f Castellemare, she t ook
another publi c vow, this t i me o f poverty.
3 9
I n 1340 she
li qui dated her estates i n Provence. She passed most o f
her l ong wi do who o d i n Provence, except for a br i ef
peri od after Robert's death i n 1343, when she j oi ned
Sancha i n the convent o f Santa Croce i n Naples, a Spi r-
i tual house founded by the queen.
The st i gmat i zat i on o f Saint Francis i n the Get t y di p-
tych corresponds to a type favored i n Neapoli tan Spi r-
i tual Franciscan circles and includes several iconographic
i nnovati ons that ori gi nated i n that mi l i eu. It is closely
related to the most radical o f all Neapoli tan pai nti ngs o f
don, 1961); Manselli (supra, note 10); John R. H. Moorhead, A History
of the Franciscan Order from Its Origins to the Year 1517 (Oxford, 1968),
pp. 188-204, 307-338.
33. Edith Psztor, Per la storia di San Luodovico dAngio (1274-1297),
Studi storici no. 10 (Rome, 1955); Ferdinando Bologna, "Povert e
umilit: II San Ludovico di Simone Mar t i ni , " Studi storici 10, no. 2
(1969), pp. 231-259, and Bologna, pp. 157-170.
34. Caggese (supra, note 5), pp. 641-642, 651-652.
35. On Philip, see J. M. Vidal, " Un ascete du sang royal: Phi -
lippe de Majorque, " Revue des questions historiques n.s. 44 (1910),
Figure 4. Mast er o f the Franciscan Temperas (Itali an,
active circa 13301355). The Stigmatization of
Saint Francis of Assisi, before 1336. Tempera on
canvas. Pri vate collect i on. Phot o: Court esy
Ug o Bozzi Edi t or e s.a.s., Rome.
the sti gmati zati on, part o f a cycle o f canvases l i kel y
made for the Franciscan monastery o f Santa Chiara be-
fore 1336 as a royal commi ssi on fr om an artist who is
called the Master o f the Franciscan Temperas (fig. 4) .
4 0
The Spi ri tual Franciscan i mpr i nt i n the Master o f the
Franciscan Temperas' pai nt i ng is apparent i n Francis'
beard, his poor patched habit, and the detailed represen-
t at i on o f nature. Bellosi has argued that the saint rarely
appears bearded i n Italian art after 1296 except i n Spir-
itual-infested Naples or i n commissions that are associ-
ated wi t h the Angevi ns, such as Simone Mar t i ni ' s cha-
pel at Assi si .
4 1
Hi s observations are less vali d for the
1330s when the bearded Francis returns elsewhere (as
beards themselves come back i n style) and is not l i mi t ed
to Spi ri tual contexts. Nonetheless, i n Neapoli tan pai nt-
i ng, the beard remained a symbol o f the Spirituals, who
zealously conserved thei r i dent i t y by means o f thei r ap-
pearance, especially thei r dress. Controversies about the
pp. 361-403.
36. Vies occitanes, pp. 171173, and Enquete, p. 40. On Sancha's celi-
bacy, see Caggese (supra, note 5).
37. Moorhead (supra, note 32), pp. 417428, and Manselli (supra,
note 10), pp. 113-254.
38. Vies occitanes, p. 197; Enquete, pp. 327, 395.
39. Vies occitanes, pp. 9799; Enquete, pp. 4546.
40. Bologna, pp. 235-245, pi. XVI I I (color).
41. Luciano Bellosi, "La barba di San Francesconuove proposte
per i l 'problema di Assisi'," Prospettiva 22 (1980), pp. 1134, and idem,
88 Strehlke
Spirituals' ragged habits raged t hr oughout this peri od.
As Bologna has noted i n the context o f the Master o f
the Franciscan Temperas, i n 1336 Benedict XI I ordered
Robert to evict errant Franciscans fr om Santa Chi ara
who st i l l wor e "short habits wi t hout f or m or precise
color."
4 2
The Master o f the Franciscan Temperas is the
onl y artist I kno w o f who pai nted Francis i n t r ul y heret-
ical dress. I n other Neapoli tan depictions i nspi red by
the Spirituals, i ncl udi ng the same artist's altarpiece i n
Ottana (Sardinia), Francis' habit conforms to the
regulations o f the order and the long-established
visual t r adi t i on.
4 3
Francis is bearded i n the Get t y picture, but his dress
does not part fr om the no r m except i n t wo particulars,
the undergarment that appears beneath his habit and his
sandals. The former is clearly visible at the sleeves and
i n the tear on the saint's r i ght side. Tho ugh not i n art, i n
Franciscan literature the saint's undergarments fi gure
pr omi nent ly. I n Francis' Testamentum, a document sup-
pressed by the church but cherished by the Spirituals as
the saint's manifesto o f poverty, the first friars are de-
scribed as weari ng habits consisting o f a single patched
t uni c wi t h a cord and a trouserli ke undergarment, or
bracis
44
The undergarment is ment i oned several ti mes i n
accounts o f the st i gmat i zat i on and the events leading up
to i t . Accor di ng to the Actus beati Francisci et sociorum
eius (hereafter, Actus), an early fourteenth-century Spir-
i t ual text, whi l e fasting and medi t at i ng on Mo un t A l -
verna, Francis i n ecstasy saw God, who spoke to h i m as
he had to Moses. Francis replied " I am all yours. . . .
You kno w that I possess not hi ng but the habit, the cord,
and the undergarment and even these three thi ngs are
yours."
4 5
I n the Legenda maior, the saint's offi ci al bi ogra-
phy, Bonaventure describes a change i n Francis' under-
wear after the sti gmati zati on. I n order to conceal the
pai nful wo und i n his side Francis wore undergarments
that reached up to his armpi ts; these garments were
La pecora di Giotto (Turin, 1985), pp. 314, 3233, n. 17, for an answer
to his critics. See Bologna's and Stubblebine's reservations about Bel-
losi's theories: Ferdinando Bologna, "The Crowni ng Disc of a Due-
cento ' Crucifixion and Other Points Relevant to Duccio's Relation-
ship to Cimabue," Burlington Magazine 125 (1983), pp. 330340, and
James H. Stubblebine, Assisi and the Rise of Vernacular Art (New York,
1985), pp. 6970. Francis is bearded i n Taddeo Gaddi's work of the
late 1320s and 1330s; Andrew Landis, Taddeo Gaddi Critical Reappraisal
and Catalogue Raisonne (Columbus, Oh., and London, 1972), figs. 31,
4j _ l , 6c/3-13.
42. Bologna, p. 237.
43. Ibid., pis. V/ 10-2, VI/18, VI/ 68-70.
44. "Tunica una, intus et foris repeciata, cum cingulo et bracis."
See Kajetan Esser, ed., Die Opuscula des Hl Franzikus von Assisi: Neue
textkritische Edition (Grottaferrata, 1976), pp. 439-440.
45. "Domi ne, ego sum totus tuus, et ni hi l habeo nisi tunicam
et cordam et femoralia, et ista tua similer sunt." Actus, chap. 9,
pp. 57-58.
called femoralia by Bonaventure.
4 6
Tho ugh this under-
garment was put on after the miracle, i n the di pt ych the
artist anticipates the change fr om the si mple bracis to the
femoralia that was necessitated by the stigmata. A l l
sources ment i on that bl ood cont i nually stained Francis'
habit and femoralia, and t hough he never showed his
wounds, the friars who washed his bloodi ed clothes
suspected what had transpi red.
4 7
The underwear then is
li terally a pr o o f o f the sti gmati zati on.
The sandals can also be explained i n terms o f what
happened after the sti gmati zati on. When Francis first
converted, he cast o f f his shoes and went barefoot.
4 8
Therefore, i t wo ul d i ni t i al l y seem a gross mi sunder-
standing o f Franciscan i conography to show the lover o f
poverty i n the central poi nt o f his mi ssi on weari ng san-
dals. But they also bear witness to the miracle. Aft er
receiving the wounds, Francis never uncovered his
hands and feet, and the intense pai n prevented h i m
fr om setti ng his feet di rectly on the gr ound. The first
biographer, Celano, describes the coveri ng as wool en
socks wi t h a piece o f ski n placed di rectly over the
wounds to ease the wool' s roughness.
4 9
Bonaventure
si mply says his feet were calceatis, or covered.
5 0
A r el i -
quary i n Assisi conserves this gear. The sandals are
therefore also meant to r emi nd the vi ewer o f the suffer-
i ng Francis endured for the gi ft o f the stigmata.
The attenti on to odd details such as underwear and
sandals i mpli es that the picture's i conography depended
on a close rereading o f the available sources. I n the late
t hi rt eent h and early fourteenth century the Spirituals
were actively reevaluating texts o f Francis' life. Aft er
Bonaventure's offi ci al bi ography was finished i n 1266,
all earlier versions were supposed to have been de-
stroyed; many, however, st i l l circulated, and these ear-
lier, often eyewitness, accounts, i ncl udi ng the wor ks o f
Celano, were cherished and reused i n several new an-
thologies, all o f whi ch displayed overtly Spiritualist
46. "Proinde portabat ex tunc femoralia ita factam usque ad as-
cellae pertingerent ad vulnus lateris contegendum." Bonaventure,
Legenda maior 5. Francisci assisiensis et eiusdem legenda minor (Quaracchi,
1941), chap. 8, p. 8. On the word femoralia, see Octavianus a Rieden,
"De Sancti Francisci Assisiensis stigmatum susceptione: Disquistio
historico-critica luce testimoniorum saeculi XI I I , " Collectana Fran-
ciscana 34 (1964), pp. 259-260, n. 68.
47. "Fratres quoque, qui ilia lavabant vel tunicam excutiebant pro
tempore, quia inveniebant ea sanguine rubricata indubitanter per evi-
dens signum incognitionem sacri vulneris pervenerunt." Bonaventure,
Legenda maior (supra, note 46), chap. 8, p. 8; and for other testimony,
see Octavianus a Rieden (supra, note 46), pp. 259262.
48. "Solvit protinus calceamenta de pedibus [Actus, chap. 7, p. 33]
baculum deponit e manibus et, tunica una contentus, pro corrigia
funiculum immutavit." Thomas de Celano, Vita prima S. Francisci
Assisiensis et eiusdem legenda ad usum chori (Quaracchi, 1926), chap. 9,
p. 22.
The stigmatization i n Giuliano da Rimini's altarpiece, dated 1307, i n
leanings.
5 1
They fulfi lled a need for a narrative and an-
ecdotal renderi ng o f his life i n contrast to Bonaventure's
majestic but sparsely detailed vi si on; thus, they func-
t i oned much i n the same way that the Apocr ypha and
The Golden Legend di d for the lives o f Chri st and Mar y.
The most i mpor t ant o f these anthologies was the Actus.
Compi l ed fr om several sources at different times, i t was
defi ni t i vely put together circa 13271340, probably by
the Mar chi gi an Spi ri tual Franciscan Ugo l i no di Mo n -
tegiorgio, who is kno wn to have been i n Naples i n
1331.
5 2
The text was a popular success, and t oward the
end o f the century i t was rearranged and translated i nt o
Italian as I fioretti and Le considerazioni delle sacre stim-
ulate. The Actus gives a detailed descri pti on o f Francis'
forty-day fast on Alverna. It adds episodes, such as God
speaking to Francis fr om a bur ni ng bush as he had done
to Moses, and conflates incidents that were separated i n
earlier works.
The Actus pays particular attenti on to Francis' affi ni t y
wi t h nature, and t hough hardly an or i gi nal concept, i t is
a vi si on o f the saint that the Spirituals wi shed to appro-
priate for themselves. For instance, the wo l f o f Gubbi o
first appears i n the Actus, and the curious beast i n the
Getty painting' s foreground, most l i kel y a wolf, could
wel l refer to this i nci dent or one o f the other wo l f sto-
ries recounted by earlier biographers. Whi l e symbo-
l i zi ng Francis' great rapport wi t h the creatures o f the
earth, the presence o f a wo l f also testifies to the savage,
isolated spot on the wi l d mountai nsi de o f Alverna
where the st i gmat i zat i on t ook place. The mount ai n was
donated to Francis and his followers by a local noble-
man as a spot for a hermitage. I n the Actus i t is related
that before goi ng there hi mself, Francis sent some friars
to scout the terri tory, and they had to be accompanied
by fi ft y soldiers who cleared i t o f wi l d beasts.
5 3
Si m-
ilarly, i n a much earlier representation by Gui do da Si -
ena, the unt amed nature o f the mountai nsi de is con-
the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, also shows Saint Fran-
cis wearing sandals i n a departure from the Giottesque fresco i n the
upper church of Assisi on which Giuliano's depiction depends. See
Philip Hendy, European and American Paintings in the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum (Boston, 1974), pp. 110-112, i l l .
49. "Pedes laneis peduciis vestit, ne videri possint, pelle supra vul -
neribus posita, quae asperitatem laneam mitigaret." Thomas de Ce-
lano, Vita secunda S. Francisci Assisiensis (Quaracchi, 1927), chap. 98,
p. 136.
50. "Et pedibus ex tunc inuderet calceatis." Bonaventure, Legenda
maior (supra, note 46), chap. 8, p. 8. Also on the footwear, see Octa-
vianus a Rieden (supra, note 46), pp. 225226.
51. On the sources, see John R. H. Moorhead, The sources for
the Life of S. Francis of Assisi (Manchester, 1940), and John V. Flem-
ing, An Introduction to the Franciscan Literature of the Middle Ages
(Chicago, 1977).
52. For the bibliography on the Fioretti/Actus, see Mari on A. Habig,
ed., St. Francis of Assisi Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus
veyed by the presence o f a bear's den and t wo bears
cl i mbi ng about on the rocks.
5 4
Li ke the wolf, birds, also frequent Franciscan stories.
The sermon to the birds i n Bevagna is perhaps the most
famous episode, but t wo other incidents recounted bot h
by Bonaventure and i n the Actus l i nk birds to Alverna.
When Francis first arrived on the mount ai n, birds
greeted h i m i n great numbers, and a female falcon,
who bui l t a nest near his cell, woke the saint for mati ns
wi t h her si ngi ng.
5 5
The falcon's diligence is praised,
and i n the di pt ych she is pi ctured nur t ur i ng her
young, whereas the other birds gaze on Francis and the
falcon's nest near the cavernous hermitage. Bonaventure
allegorized the bi r d as a presage o f the seraphic vi si on
to come. The Master o f the Franciscan Temperas treated
the subject si mi lar to the handli ng o f i t i n the di pt ych,
t hough wi t h a greater interest i n the naturalistic depic-
t i on o f species.
5 6
The depi cti on o f such a large number
o f birds is uni que to the Get t y picture and the Master o f
the Franciscan Temperas' sti gmati zati on; i t represents a
departure fr om previous iconography.
The Get t y sti gmati zati on departs fr om several other
poi nts o f tradi ti onal Franciscan iconography. I n the
Giottesque tradi ti onthe fresco i n Assisi, the related
altarpiece i n the Louvre, and the fresco i n the Bardi
chapelas i n most earlier representations, the craggy
mountai nsi de is onl y sparsely vegetated and few signs
o f ani mal life appear.
5 7
Francis communes alone wi t h
the seraph. Even i n the earliest representation o f the
scene by Ber li nghi er i , t wo bui ldi ngs domi nate the land-
scape, Francis' o wn cabin and the fri ary i n the vale
below where Brot her Leo and other companions so-
j our ned. A n element di st i ngui shi ng the Getty st i gmat i -
zati on is the dark gr ot t o openi ng behi nd the saint,
whi ch silhouettes his for m and lends i t great relief. The
grot t o takes the place o f Francis' cabin i n Giotto's Bardi
chapel fresco o f the mi d to late 1320s, and is located
of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis (Chicago, 1983), pp. 16911693.
Stubblebine ([supra, note 41], pp. 8087) claims that the text was not
available unt i l the 1330s. According to some Franciscan scholars, parts
of it were circulating i n the late dugento, and the pieces were inte-
grated i n either the early 1320s or 1330s. Moorhead (supra, note 51),
pp. 165169; Fleming (supra, note 51), pp. 5859; and Giorgio
Petrocchi, "Dagli 'Actus beati Francisci' al volgarizzamento dei
Fioretti," Convivium 22 (1954), pp. 534-555, 666-667.
53. Actus, chap. 9, p. 19.
54. James H. Stubblebine, Guido da Siena (Princeton, N.J., 1964),
figs. 4, 101, as well as 35, 61, 100.
55. Bonaventure, Legenda maior (supra, note 46), chap. 8, p. 10;
Actus, chap. 9, pp. 24-26.
56. On monastic bird symbolism, see John V. Fleming, From Bona-
venture to Bellini: An Essay in Franciscan Exegesis (Princeton, N.J.,
1982), pp. 4144, and Gregorio Penco, " I I simbolismo animalesco
nella letteratura monastica," Studia Monastica 6 (1964), pp. 738.
57. Giancarlo Vigorelli and Edi Bacceschi, eds., Lopera completa di
90 Strehlke
above the saint. It also appears i n a few earlier, isolated
examples that probably neither Gi ot t o nor the Get t y
artist knew.
5 8
Aft er almost a century o f st i gmat i zat i on
images, the i nclusi on o f a grot t o on Mo un t Alverna can
onl y be explained i n terms o f a new way o f envi si oni ng
the narrative and its locale.
I n Celanos biography, rediscovered by the Spirituals,
the saint's abi li t y to meditate undi sturbed is described i n
the language o f the Canticle o f Canticles: "He nests
hi msel f i n the clefts o f the rock, and inhabits the hol l ow
places o f the walls."
5 9
Alverna i t self is a r ocky and pre-
ci pi tous place wi t h many natural grottos perfect for sol-
i tude and, according to the Actus, was chosen for that
reason. Stubblebine recently observed that i n several
pre-Actus, early fourteenth-century Spi ri tual texts, the
locus o f the st i gmat i zat i on is not di rectly outside o f
Francis' cell but i n a more soli tary and wi l d locati on. I n
the Speculum perfectionis o f circa 1318 Francis is described
as not wi l l i n g to have a wel l -bui l t cell or house but
wi shi ng to be sheltered beneath the rocks.
6 0
Giotto's
r endi t i on i n the Bar di chapel is a good example o f this
new vi si on o f the event. The pr omi nent dark and
empt y cave above Francis adds to the emot i onal and
dramatic i mpact. The Get t y artist is considerably less
hi stri oni c. Despite the changes based on a new reading
o f the texts, he clings to older pi ctori al conventions;
thus, even t hough Francis prays i n front o f a barren
cave, the older t r adi t i on o f i ncl udi ng t wo hermitages is
not abandoned.
The manner o f depi cti ng the saint emergi ng fr om the
cave ont o a nar r ow promont ory, as i f to greet the
seraph, is uni que to the Get t y di pt ych. Al t hough Fran-
cis' posture wi t h his arms raised above his head had
been previ ously employed by the Master o f Fi gli ne,
6 1
the combi nat i on o f the cave and pose can be traced to
a specific li terary source that wo ul d have been k n o wn
to Elzear and Delphi ne, a series o f sermons on the st i g-
mat i zat i on by the Provenqal Spi ri tual Franqois de
Meyronnes. Meyronnes was responsible for the Libellus
supplex wr i t t en i n Elzear's honor and, according to b i -
ographers, was a l ong-t i me i nt i mat e; he also served as
Giotto (Mi lan, 1977), figs. 38, 46, 138.
58. Examples dating from the dugento are found i n Pistoia, Museo
Civico, and Orte, Cathedral: Pietro Scarpellini, "Iconografia fran-
cescana nei secoli XI I I e XI V, " i n San Francesco d'Assisi storia e arte
(Mi lan, 1982), pp. 97, 104. See also the examples of Guido da Siena
and his school (supra, note 54).
59. "I n formainibus petrae nidificabat, et i n caverna maceriae hab-
itatio eius." Celano (supra, note 48), chap. 27, p. 71.
60. Stubblebine, (supra, note 41), p. 83; Habig (supra, note 52),
p. 1134.
61. Luciano Bellosi, Un pittore del trecento il Maestro di Figline, ex.
cat. (Florence, Comune di Figline Valdarno, 1980), pi. 2.
Elzear's last confessor and admi red Delphine's under-
standing o f theology.
6 2
The relevant passage is fr om his
second sermon and concerns the four vi rtues i mpr i nt ed
on Francis by the seraph:
Fourt hly, he possessed the vi r t ue o f i nfl ammat or y i n -
spi rat i on; " who l l y therefore" as i n the Legenda, "as one
mi ght say a coal is i gni t ed by di vi ne love" he t o wh o m
the si gn appeared was i nflamed and set on fire. When
thus i t [ the seraph] i nflamed the abbot [ Francis] as he
had prayed for, i t set over h i m and coaxed that man
wi t h upraised hand out o f the cavern. A n d the blessed
Francis was not acti ng out o f his o wn accord, but by
di vi ne di sposi t i on; because his spi ri t was exalted t o
seraphic perfecti on; therefore, i t is f i t t i ng the saying o f
the prophet ( Aggeus 2:4): " I shall raise thee up, my
servant, and I wi l l make thee as a signet for I have
chosen thee, saith the Lo r d o f Host s."
6 3
The Getty Francis closely reproduces Franqois de Mey-
ronnes' image o f Francis drawn fr om the cave wi t h raised
arms and suggests a dependence on the text itself. Since
Franqois was an i nt i mat e o f the Angevi n court and a
Spi ri tual, his ideas most probably circulated i n Naples.
Meyronnes also l i nked the st i gmat i zat i on to the
theme o f t r i umph. Thus, as ki ngs have thei r victories
painted, he maintains the vi ct or y o f Chri st was sculpted
on Francis dur i ng the sti gmati zati on, and he compares
the experience o f Alverna to the establishment o f the
celestial ci t y o f the mi l i t ant church placed on a soli d
rock foundat i on. The saint is further li kened to the l i on
that symbolizes Christ's t r i umph over the cross.
6 4
The
cave then mi ght be associated wi t h a lion's den i n the
figurative and the li teral sense.
I n the sermons, Meyronnes also develops the theme
o f alter Christus, or Francis' parallelism to Chr i st .
6 5
The
fissure i n the rock is part o f this allegory. The mo un-
tain's crags are attri buted to eruptions that occurred at
the t i me o f Christ's Cr uci fi xi on, and Alverna is com-
pared to Tabur where Chri st, li ke Francis, experienced a
t ransfi gurat i on.
6 6
The story o f Alverna's peculiar land-
scape bei ng formed at the t i me o f the Cr uci fi xi on be-
came a theme o f Franciscan literature. It was later i ncor-
62. See "Trois sermons." On his relationship to Elzear and Del-
phine: Enquete, pp. 54-55, 155, 159, 403, 540; Vies occitanes, pp. 15, 20,
22, 29, 112, 120. On Meyronnes himself, see Bartholomaeus Roth,
Franz von Meyronna, sein Leben, seine Werke, seine Lehre (Werl, 1936).
63. "Quarto habuit vi rtutem inflammativam; 'totus enim,' ut
habetur i n Legenda, 'sicut quidam carbo ignitus di vi ni amoris' erat
inflammatus et succensus, cuius signum apparuit, quando sic inflam-
mavit abbatem pro quo oravit, ut supra semtipsum poneret eum et
quando manu protensa i l i um hominem palpavit i n antro, quia talia
beatus Franciscus non habuit a natura propria, sed a dispensatione
divina; quia Spiritus eius fuit ad perfectionem seraphicam sublimatus,
ideo convenit et i llud prophetae Agg. 2, 24: 'Assumam te, serve meus,
porated i n the Fioretti ( t hough i t is absent fr om the
Actus) and Barth el my o f Pisa's De conformitate vitae beati
Francisci ad vitam Domini Iesu.
67
Francis' si mi lar i t y to Moses was another theme de-
veloped by Franciscan theologians. Franqois de Mey-
ronnes emphasizes that Alverna is li ke Sinai, but instead
o f stone tablets o f the law, Francis received the law o f
love fr om the hand o f the l i vi ng Go d.
6 8
I n the Actus i t is
recounted that God spoke to Francis i n his days o f con-
t emplat i on before the sti gmati zati on, j ust as he had spo-
ken to Moses. The analogy to Moses' bur ni ng bush
mi ght by symboli zed i n the curious solitary bowed tree
i n the lower ri ght -hand corner o f the Get t y picture.
Flemi ng i n his analysis o f Belli ni ' s Saint Francis in the
Wilderness i nterpreted the pr omi nent swayi ng laurel tree
i n the same terms. He cited a medieval Jewish i l l umi na-
t i on o f Moses and the "b ur ni ng" bush i n whi ch no
flames appear as an early precedent.
6 9
A st i gmat i zat i on
by a Ducci o follower i n Chri st Chur ch, Oxfor d, i n -
cludes a si mi lar emphatically bent tree.
7 0
These arcane
analogies were" part and parcel o f late medieval theology
and undoubt edly affected visual symboli sm, as they
may have i n these instances.
The i nvesti gati on o f i conography has demonstrated
that the di pt ych can be related to Elzear and Delphi ne,
but how specific this connecti on may be depends on
the dat i ng and at t ri but i on. Fortunately, Ceci li a and
Valerian's costumes provi de a valuable guide for dat-
i ng. They record luxuri ous dress o f the peri od before
the mi ddl e o f the century when fashion changed. I n
the forties the long, almost unisex, tunics the couple
wear went out o f fashion. Me n started sport i ng close-
fi t t i ng hose, and women's wear became decidedly more
revealing.
7 1
Thi s is i llustrated i n the manuscri pt o f the
Statuti delVOrdine del Nodo, i l l umi nat ed i n 13541355
by Cri st oforo Or mi ni a, i n whi ch Robert's successor,
Joanna I , and her consort are depicted, as are many
scenes o f court ly life (fig. 5) .
7 2
Two features di sti ngui sh
the cut o f later trecento fashions: the manicotti, or the
trai n on the sleeves, are l ong and attenuated, i n some
et ponam sicut signaculum, quia te elegi, dicit Dominus exercituum'."
See "Trois sermons," p. 383.
64. Ibid., pp. 386-387, 395.
65. On the theme of alter Christus, see Stansilao da Campagnola,
L'angelo del sesto sigillo et V "Alter Christus": Genesi e suiluppo di due temi
francescani nei secoli XIII-XIV (Rome, 1971), and Henk van Os, "St.
Francis of Assisi as a Second Christ i n Early Italian Painting," Simiolus
1 (1974), pp. 115-132.
66. "Trois sermons," p. 394.
67. For the Fioretti reference, see Habig (supra, note 52), p. 1438. De
conformitate vitae beati Francisci ad vitam Domini Iesu appears i n Analecta
Francescana 5 (1912), p. 387.
cases t r ai li ng to the ground, and the collars, parti cularly
o f female dress, are wi der and lower cut. Ceci li a and
Valerian's costumes reflect earlier styles. I n another
Angevi n manuscript, also i l l umi nat ed by Cri stoforo
Or mi ni a, the Bi ble o f Ni ccol d'Alife, whi ch can be
dated before January 20, 1343because Robert is pres-
ent and Joanna is shown as the hereditary princess not
the queenthe dress is closer to the type pi ctured i n the
di pt ych (fig. 6) .
7 3
Bo t h men and women wear loose
tunics, the manicotti are shorter and wi der, and the neck-
lines restrained. I f anythi ng, Ceci li a and Valerian are
more conservatively dressed; thei r collars are not as
open or thei r sleeves as elegantly cut. Though i t wo ul d
be fooli sh to date a picture precisely on costume alone,
and, i n particular, this picture, where perceptions o f the
clot hi ng are distorted by the fi gural poses, i t is reason-
able to suggest that the style o f the costumes is that o f
the thi rti es. It closely parallels, for example, the con-
t emporary dress depicted i n tri ptychs by Bernardo Dad-
di and Taddeo Gaddi dating 1333 and 1334 respectively.
7 4
Assi gni ng the di pt ych a date i n the mi d-t hi r t i es
means, o f course, that Elzear and Delphi ne are not re-
presented i n i t , not even i n the guise o f Ceci li a and
Valerian, because the pai nt i ng predates by about t hi r t y
years Delphine's death i n 1360 and also predates Elzear's
canoni zati on i n 1369. However, i t may mean that
Delphi ne was personally i nvolved i n its creation and
may have even commi ssi oned i t . It is, therefore, si g-
nificant that the di pt ych can be related stylistically to
wor ks o f art produced i n Naples fr om the late t wen-
ties to the early forties for the Angevi n circle to whi ch
Delphi ne belonged.
The at t r i but i on o f the Get t y di pt ych has l ong puzzled
art historians. Previously, Castelnuovo published i t as
Venetian circa 1340 and close to Paolo Veneziano; La-
clotte and Thi ebaut associated i t wi t h the Provencal
Avi gnon school wi t h the designation to an Italian artist
circa 1340-1350.
7 5
The first at t r i but i on t ook i nt o account the archaic
elements o f the composi t i on, such as the gold striations
on the angel's costume and the schematic renderi ng o f
68. "Trois sermons," p. 385.
69. Fleming (supra, note 56), pp. 5157, fig. 11.
70. James H. Stubblebine, Duccio di Buoninsegna and His School
(Princeton, N.J., 1979), vol. 2, fig. 295.
71. Luciano Bellosi, Buffatmacco e il trionfo della morte (Turin, 1974),
pp. 41-54.
72. Bologna, pp. 305-311, pis. VI I / 41-7.
73. Ibid., pp. 276-278, pis. VI/ 62-7.
74. Landis (supra, note 41), figs. 20, 17.
75. See supra, note 2.
92 Strehlke
the foliage and mountai nsi de, whi c h recall the byzan-
t i ni zi ng character o f early trecento Venetian art. These
characteristics as they appear i n the di pt ych, and specifi-
cally i n the st i gmat i zat i on panel, are, however, more i n
keepi ng wi t h what seems to be an i nt ent i onally conser-
vative t hrowback to dugento Tuscan images o f the st i g-
mat i zat i on by Berli nghi ero Ber l i nghi er i and Gui do da
Siena and his school. The choice o f an older formula
dat i ng to the begi nni ng o f Franciscan i magery was
probably mot i vat ed by the Spi ri tual Franciscans' obses-
sion wi t h the order's pr i mi t i ve, si mple begi nni ngs.
Gi ven its provenance fr om the Sabran fami ly, the di p-
t ych was probably i n Provence fr om its earliest history.
Whet her i t was actually executed there is another ques-
t i on; alt hough few wor ks survive for compari son, no
other pai nt i ng fr om the Avi gnon school can be i dent i -
fied as by the same hand. Thi s fact i n i t self does not
t ot ally di scount a Provencal manufacture. Many, i f not
all, o f the pri nci pal artists active i n Provence, and
largely at Avi gnon for the papal court, came fr om out -
side the regi on. Thei r patronage was almost exclusively
ecclesiastical. Stylistically, before 1350 the school was
enti rely Itali an, and nearly t ot ally Sienese, i n ori enta-
t i on. Si mone Mar t i ni , active i n Avi gnon fr om 1340/41,
was, o f course, fr om Siena, and artists li ke Mat t eo
Gi ovanet t i wor ked i n a recognizably Sienese style.
The Get t y di pt ych is somewhat dependent on Sienese
prototypes. Ceci li a and Valerian, wi t h thei r long, at-
tenuated noses, pursed lips, and oversize hands, reflect
Si mone Mar t i ni ' s types. They echo several figures fr om
his early peri od: the Saint Mar t i n bei ng invested as a
kni ght i n Assisi, the yout hful kneeli ng patron saints o f
Siena i n the frescoed Maest, as wel l as some o f the
figures i n the altarpiece dedicated to Saint Loui s o f
Toulouse, then i n San Lorenzo Maggi ore, Naples. Even
an archaic detail li ke the gold striations on the angel's
robe can be found i n the panel o f the angel Gabri el fr om
Si mones Orsini pol ypt ych i n the museum at Ant wer p.
7 6
The Simonesque elements o f the di pt ych are derivative,
however, and do not constitute a total assi mi lati on o f
the artist's style.
The hi st ory o f early trecento art i n Naples is si mi lar
to that o f Avi gnon, and indeed, as has been previ ously
discussed, the t wo cities enjoyed close ties, Avi gnon
bei ng, i n fact, a feudal dependency o f the Angevi ns. I n
Naples as i n Avi gnon, artistic and cultural life was
organized around the court. The former's school o f
76. Gianfranco Contini and Maria Cristina Gozzoli, eds., Lopera com-
pleta di Simone Martini (Mi lan, 1970), figs. IIII, V - V I , XXXI I , LVI .
77. For example, Saint Louis of Toulouse with King Robert and Queen
Sancha by the Neapolitan painter the Master of Giovanni Barrile was
most likely sent to the convent of Sainte Claire i n Ai x as a gift from
Figure 5. Cr i st ofor o Or mi n i a ( Itali an, active mi d- f o ur -
teenth cent ury) . Knights Paying Homage to
Lodovico di Taranto f r o m Statuti delVOrdine del
Nodo, 13541355. I l l umi nat i o n o n vel l um.
Paris, Bi bl i ot heque Nat i onale ms. 4274.
pai nt i ng and sculpture owed much to the enli ghtened
poli cy o f Ki n g Robert, who commi ssi oned outside art-
ists, such as Cavalli ni , Gi ot t o, Si mone Mar t i ni , and
Ti no di Camai no, for i mpor t ant projects.
Fr om this peri od onl y a few names o f purely local
painters are known, and even fewer artistic personalities
can be constructed fr om the sur vi vi ng wor ks o f art. A l l
the local painters bear the stylistic i mpr i nt o f the var i -
ous regional influences that abounded i n the ci ty: Ro-
man, Florentine, and Sienese. The Neapoli tan school
di d not produce a consistent and recognizable style i n
the same way that, for example, Sienese art is undoubt -
edly Sienese. Stylistically, Neapoli tan pai nt i ng was i n -
cohesive and eclectic. What the artists shared was thei r
i nvolvement i n an Angevi n-i nspi r ed cultural policy.
the queen between 1331 and 1332. See Bologna, pp. 211212, fig.
V25. Other Neapolitan artists like the Master of the Franciscan Tem-
peras worked for patrons from Sardinia and Prague. A tabernacle by
this artist, probably produced for Robert of Anjou, now i n the Mora-
vian Gallery i n Brno may have been i n Czechoslovakia from its ear-
Such condi ti ons make at t r i but i on o f any undocument ed
wo r k o f art to an eclectic school o f pai nt i ng li ke that o f
Naples or Avi gnon problematic; this si tuati on is further
compli cated wi t h an object as uni que as the Get t y di p-
tych. Few private pai nti ngs, especially examples wi t h
such an i denti fi ably personal iconography, survive. A l -
t hough i t mi ght be argued that gi ven the Sabran con-
necti on, the di pt ych could have been produced i n either
Naples or Avi gnon, the closest visual si mi lari ti es are to
be found i n Naples. It is i mpor t ant to bear i n mi n d the
fact that Neapoli tan artists di d wo r k outside o f Naples,
and there is also evidence that pai nti ngs manufactured
i n Naples were sent to Provence.
7 7
A compari son wi t h the cycle o f canvases probably
executed before 1336 for the convent o f Santa Chi ara by
liest history. See Olga Pujmanov i n Italske Goticke a Renesancni obrazy
v ceskoslovenskych Sbirkdch, ex. cat (Prague, 1987), no. 53, pp. 116118,
pi. IV, fig. 53. Sienese, Florentine, and Ligurian masters active i n
Naples also worked i n Provence making the artistic connections be-
tween the t wo regions even closer.
the Master o f the Franciscan Temperas proves i llust ra-
tive. The t wo painters are stylistically, as wel l as i con-
ographically, closely approxi mate.
7 8
I n addi t i on t o ob-
vi ous poi nts o f compari son, such as thei r interest i n
depi cti ng nature, the physi ognomy o f the representa-
tions o f Saint Francis and the si mi lari ti es o f Ceci li a and
Valerian i n the di pt ych to Robert and Sancha, who ap-
pear as donors i n the Cr uci fi xi on fr om the Master o f
the Franciscan Temperas' series (fig. 7), attest to the t wo
artists' common approach to concei vi ng the human fig-
ure. The Get t y painter, however, affects a gentle court ly
manner that differentiates his wo r k fr om the sharp
expressive quali ty o f the oeuvre o f the Master o f the
Franciscan Temperas.
The architectural setti ng o f the Ceci li a and Valerian
78. In a book that came out i n late 1986, after the present article
was prepared, Pierluigi Leone de Castris published the Getty diptych
as by the Master of the Franciscan Temperas i n an addendum, ac-
knowledging the advice of Enrico Castelnuovo to whom I had already
i n the summer of 1986 personally suggested the attribution. Leone
94 Strehlke
Figure 7. Mast er o f the Franciscan Temperas ( Itali an,
active circa 13301355). The Crucifixion with
King Robert and Queen Sancha of Naples as Do-
nors, before 1336. Tempera on canvas. Pri vate
collect i on. Phot o: Cour t esy Ug o Bozzo Ed i -
tore s.a.s., Rome.
scene and the landscape o f the st i gmat i zat i on recall
other Neapoli t an pai nti ngs. The landscapearchaizing
elements o f whi ch have been notedcan be compared
to earlier examples created by Cavalli ni and docu-
mented i n Naples i n 1308; these appear i n the frescoes o f
the Noli me lngere and Mary Magdalene Receiving Com-
munion i n San Domeni co (fig. 8). The Get t y artist has
adapted the jagged rock formati ons o f these frescoes,
alt hough he makes t hem much more undulat i ng, as
wi t h the ri dge that rises behi nd the grotto. He also
i mi tates Cavallini' s style o f depi cti ng foliage i n whi ch
broad areas o f dark vegetation are hi ghli ght ed wi t h
li ght -colored leaves.
7 9
Li ke the Get t y artist and the Mas-
ter o f the Franciscan Temperas, Cavalli ni deli ghted i n
the pai nt i ng o f naturalistic details such as foliage and
birds i n his San Domeni co frescoes.
Archi tecturally, the small boxli ke envi ronment o f the
Get t y Ceci li a scene recalls the si mple settings o f the
altarpiece o f circa 1340 by the Master o f the Franciscan
Temperas i n Ot t ana.
8 0
The secondary structures on the
de Castris, Arte di corte nella Napoli angioma (Florence, 1986), p. 459,
fig. 10 on p. 428.
79. On Cavallini, see Bologna, pp. 115146, pi. XI I (color),
figs. III/ 20-9.
80. Bologna, pis. VI/ 18-35, pis. XXI - I I I (color).
Figure 8. Pi et ro Caval l i ni (Itali an, active 12731308).
Noli me tangere (detai l), circa 1308. Fresco. Na-
ples, San Domeni co. Phot o: Cour t esy Ug o
Bozzi Edi t or e s.a.s., Rome.
r o o f and the attempt at depi cti ng perspective seen fr om
below, whi ch wor ks so wel l i n accommodat i ng the an-
gel's descent, are closer, however, to the wo r k o f an-
other unkno wn Neapoli tan artist, the Master o f the
Saint Eli zabeth Stories (figs. 9ab). Thi s painter, a
close, t hough sli ghtly later, follower o f Cavalli ni , ex-
peri mented wi t h architectural arrangements and narra-
tive settings i n a fresco cycle i n Santa Mar i a Do n -
naregina, whi ch depicts the legends o f saints Agnes and
Elisabeth o f Hungar y and is dated vari ously to the late
twenties or mi d-t hi r t i es.
8 1
A n i l l umi nat i on depi cti ng
the marriage o f Maur i zi o and Constanza (fig. 10) fr om
the second volume o f the Speculum historiale o f Vi ncent
de Beauvais ( commi ssi oned i n 1320 by Fi li ppo de Haye,
abbot o f the abbey o f Cava de Ti r r eni ) is very close i n
81. Ibid., pp. 135-138, pis. 111/48-52, 54-55, and George Kaftal,
Iconography of the Saints in Central and Southern Italy (Florence, 1965),
figs. 2226, 430445. Recognizing its Cavallinesque characteristics,
Leone de Castris dates this cycle i n the twenties and proposes sev-
eral groups o f artists for the scenes' design, whi ch I believe to be
Figure 9a. Mast er o f the Saint Eli sabeth Stories ( I t al-
i an, active second quarter o f the fourt eent h
cent ury) . Saint Agnes Led to a House of Pros-
titution, 1320s. Fresco. Naples, Santa Mar i a
Donnaregi na. Phot o: Court esy Al i n ar i / Ar t
Resource, Ne w Yor k.
style to the frescoes and may wel l be by the same artist
or one who wor ked i n Cavallini' s Neapoli tan cantiere.
82
The same contained structure seen i n the frescoes and
Get t y di pt ych, i n whi ch the side walls recede at i n -
congruent angles, is also found here.
Though the architecture o f the frescoes far surpasses
that o f the di pt ych i n spatial complexi t y and decoration,
there are definite si mi lari ti es. Details li ke the con-
structi on o f the tiles on the roofs o f the bui ldi ngs i n the
st i gmat i zat i on and i n the frescoes are the same; the ar-
chitectural detai li ng o f the di pt ych is, however, much
si mpler and lacks Cosmat i wo r k or compli cated mo l d-
ings. Also, the varied, colored stone fr ami ng o f the
chapel door and rose wi n d o w i n the sti gmati zati on is
remi ni scent o f more nor t h Italian, than Neapoli tan, ar-
Figure 9b. Mast er o f the Saint Eli zabet h Stories (Italian,
active second quarter o f the fourt eent h cen-
t ur y) . Scenes from the Life of Saint Elisabeth of
Hungary, 1320s. Fresco. Naples, Santa Mar i a
Donnaregi na.
Figure 10. Cavallinesque Mi ni at ur e Painter. Marriage of
Maurizio and Constanza f r o m Vi ncent de
Beauvais, Speculum historiale, circa 1320. I l -
l umi nat i o n on vel l um. Cava dei Ti r r eni ,
Abbazi a ms. 26, fol. 123r. Phot o: Court esy
Bi bli ot eca del Mo n umen t o Nazi onale, Badi a
di Cava.
stylistically coherent and unified. Leone de Castris (supra, note 78),
pp. 386-393.
82. Mari o Roti li , La miniatura nella badia di Cava. I : Lo scrittorio
i corali miniati per Vabbazia (Cava dei Ti rreni , 1976), pp. 5768,
pi. LXVI I a.
96 Strehlke
Figure 11. Mast er o f the Saint Eli sabeth Stories (Itali an, active second quarter o f the
fourteenth century) . The Apparition of Saint Agnes to Constance (detail), 1320s.
Fresco. Naples, Santa Mar i a Donnar egi na. Phot o: Cour t esy Al i n ar i / Ar t
Resource, Ne w Yor k.
chitecture and attests to the many influences acting
upon Neapoli tan painters. The fi gure style i n the
frescoes and the di pt ych is also close. Despite di f-
ferences i n scale and the frescoes' damaged state, the
hi nt o f deep-shadowed model i ng along the j awl i ne o f
figures, the rounded facial type, and the t i ny eyeballs
are treated so alike i n the Speculum historiale, the Santa
Mar i a Donnaregi na frescoes, and the di pt ych that they
may be presumed to have evolved fr om the same artistic
mi l i eu. A compari son o f the flying fi gure o f the Saint
Agnes i n the scene o f her appari ti on to Constance fr om
the fresco cycle wi t h the Getty's cr owni ng angel is par-
t i cularly t el l i ng (fig. 11).
Incidentally, the subject matter o f the Santa Mar i a
Donnaregi na frescoes wo ul d have had great appeal at
the Angevi n court. The saints were bot h aristocratic,
and Elisabeth was an Angevi n ancestor. The scenes cel-
ebrate thei r devot i on to poverty and vi r gi ni t y, themes
obvi ously i n vogue i n Naples, not onl y wi t h extraordi -
nary courtiers li ke Elzear and Delphi ne, but also wi t h
Queen Sancha and her circle.
Investi gati on o f the di pt ych therefore leads t o the
conclusi on that i t was made by a Neapoli tan artist, close
to an artist li ke the Master o f the Saint Eli zabeth
Stories, i n the 1330s. I t is also a hi ghl y personal wo r k o f
art. A new and careful reading o f Franciscan texts i n -
spired the depi cti on o f the st i gmat i zat i on, whi c h i n part
depends on a sermon by Franqois de Meyronnes, the
first scholar to study and wr i t e about Elzear and one
close to the Neapoli tan court and Spi ri tual circles. As i t
reflects Delphi ne and Elzear's ideals o f vi r gi ni t y and
Franciscan poverty, and i n the Ceci li a and Valerian
scene is i dent i fi ed wi t h thei r o wn mar r i ed life, Delphi ne
may have commi ssi oned i t herself I t is di ffi cult,
however, to reconcile her vo w o f poverty, sale o f fami l y
property, and the descri pti on o f her dress as "crude,
di rty, uncared for rags" wi t h the commi ssi oni ng o f such
a l uxur y i t em.
8 3
Tho ugh sli ght ly fanatical and certainly
sincere i n her renunci ati on o f wor l dl y wealth, Delphi ne
was closely associated wi t h the court and an i nt i mat e o f
Sancha. The queen shared Delphine's vi ews but also
assiduously patroni zed the arts for the cause o f hol y
poverty. Del phi ne may therefore have been able to j us-
t i fy o wni ng such a portable wo r k o f art. Since i t can be
so closely connected to Delphine's life, i f i t was not
ordered by her, i t had to have been created at the behest
o f someone close to her and to Elzear, possibly his
brother and heir, Gui l l aume.
8 4
Certai nly, i t is rare i n
the trecento that a small private wo r k o f art can be ap-
preciated bot h for i t self and for the remarkable couple
who i nspi red its manufacture.
Phi ladelphi a Museum o f Ar t
83. "Pannis grossis, vilibus et neglectis." Enquete, p. 45.
84. De La Chesnaye-Desbois and Badier (supra, note 5), cols. 1314.
The Noblest of Livestock
Peter Sutton
Gerard ter Bor ch is best remembered as a portrai ti st
i n mi ni at ur e and the preemi nent hi gh-li fe painter o f his
age. Hi s genre scenes depict a society at once elegant
and exquisitethe confidences o f hi ghbor n women,
sidelong glances shared i n courtshi p la mode, or the
gallantries o f officers. Occasionally, ter Bor ch also rep-
resented the noisier recreations o f the conscripted.
Many too wi l l recall his domestic scenesstill images
o f women absorbed i n the preparation o f a meal or the
care o f chi ldren. Less wel l kno wn are the artist's images
o f the wo r ki ng classes and rural life or his ani mal pai nt -
ings. Two splendid examples o f the latter are The Horse
Stall (fig. 1) and The Cow Shed (fig. 18), bot h recently
acquired by the Getty Museum.
I n The Horse Stall,
1
a dappled gray horse feeds at a
manger i n a stable wi t h a hayrack overhead. Behi nd the
horse a man rubs the ani mal down, whi l e at the r i ght a
woman appears at a door. The tack and horse blanket
hang fr om a post i n the r i ght foreground; a pi tchfork,
br oom, pai l, and other barnyard utensils complete the
scene. Wi t h the horse arranged parallel to the picture
plane, the composi t i on has an almost reli efli ke quality.
Gentle dayli ght i l l umi nat i on and subtle effects o f at-
mosphere complement the scene's quiet mood. The pal-
ette o f war m browns and grays is enlivened by color
accentsthe red o f the woman's ski rt, the man's cap,
and sections o f bri ck on the left-hand wal l . The author
o f the most recent monograph on ter Borch, S. J. Gud-
laugsson, has correctly observed the resemblance i n
technique to the artist's so-called "Paternal Admonition,"
datable not later than 1655 (fig. 2), a wo r k whi ch em-
ploys the same male model i n a different narrative con-
t ext .
2
Thus the pai nt i ng wo ul d seem to have been ex-
ecuted at the very begi nni ng o f ter Borch's mature
career, a peri od fr om whi ch he was to emerge as the
most i nfluent i al genre painter o f the latter hal f o f the
seventeenth century.
Ter Bor ch was pr i mar i l y a figure painter but had de-
picted horses i n his earliest works. Bo r n i n Zwol l e to a
wel l -t o-do fami ly, he first studied wi t h his father, who
encouraged h i m to draw even as a chi ld. A pai nt i ng o f a
rider vi ewed fr om the rear (fig. 3) employs a theme
and composi t i on that ter Bor ch first addressed as an
extraordi nari ly precocious seven-year-old i n a draw-
i ng dated 1625 ( Amst erdam, Ri jksprentenkabi net). A l -
t hough treated by earlier artists, the mo t i f o f a figure i n
lost profi le, or seen fr om behi nd, was to become a vi r -
tual trademark f t e r Borch's art; "The Paternal Admoni-
tion" (fig. 2) is onl y the most famous o f his several
images empl oyi ng this tantali zi ng device.
I n 1634 ter Bor ch left his native Zwol l e to move to
Haarlem, a far more i mpor t ant artistic center, where he
Ir Hi l Bos, Anthony Dent, Walter Liedtke, Otto Naumann, Jan de
Vries, Franklin Loew, Clifford S. Ackley, and Myr on Laskin are
gratefully acknowledged for advising i n the preparation of this article.
Abbreviations
Bartsch: Adam von Bartsch, The Illustrated Bartsch, ed.
Walter L. Strauss (New York, 1978-).
Gudlaugsson: S. J. Gudlaugsson, Gerard ter Borch (The
Hague, 1959-1960), 2 vols.
Hague/ Mnst er : Mauritshuis, The Hague, and Landesmuseum,
Mnster, Gerard ter Borch, ex. cat. (The Hague
and Mnster, 1974).
Hofstede de Groot: C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonne of
the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of
the Seventeenth Century: Based on the Work of
John Smith (London, 1913), vol. 5, no. 464.
1. Oi l on panel. H: 45.3 cm (17
13
/i
6
"); W: 53.5 cm (21Vi6
w
). Signed
on the reverse of the panel wi t h the monogram GTB, ligated i n the
artist's usual fashion. Accession number 86.PB.631. The literature is as
follows: Francois Basan, Tableaux du cabinet de M. Poullain (Paris,
1780), no. 103. John Smith, A Catalogue Raisonne of the Works of the
Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters (London, 1833), vol.
4, no. 21; G. G the, Wnas Collection (1895), no. 69; Charles Blanc,
Histoire des peintres de toutes les ecoles: Ecole hollandaise (Paris, 1863), vol.
1, p. 16; W. Mart i n, "Aanwinsten van het Mauritshuis," Bulletin van
den Nederlandschen Oudheidkundigen Bond 1, ser. 2 (1909), p. 239; Olaf
Granberg, Inventaire general des tresors d'art en Suede (Stockholm, 1912),
no. 2, i l l . ; Hofstede de Groot, vol. 5, no. 464; Eduard Plietzsch,
Gerard ter Borch (Vienna, 1944), no. 33, i l l . ; Gudlaugsson, vol. 1, p. 96,
i l l . p. 266, vol. 2, no. 109, pp. 115-116; Hague/ Mnst er, no. 31, i l l . ;
Horst Gerson "Gerard ter Borch, " Kunstchronik 27 (1974), p. 375; B.
Haak, The Golden Age (New York, 1984), p. 398, pi . 859; Philadelphia
Museum of Ar t , Gemldegalerie, Staatliche Museen Preussischer
Kulturbesitz, West Berlin, and Royal Academy, London, Masters of
Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting, ex. cat. (Philadelphia, 1984),
p. 143, n. 1; Eric Young, "Ol d Master Paintings i n the Collection
of the Fellowship of Friends at Renaissance, California," Apollo 121,
no. 280 (June 1985), pp. 375-376, pi. XI (color).
Exhibition: Gerard Ter Borch, Mauritshuis, The Hague, and Landes-
museum, Mnster, 1974, no. 31.
2. Gudlaugsson, vol. 2, no. 110.
98 Sutton
Figure t Gerard ter Bor ch ( Dut ch, 1617-1681). The Horse Stall, circa 1652-1654. O i l o n panel. H: 45.3 c m (17
1 3
/ i
6
"); W: 53.5 c m
(21Vi6"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um 86.PB.631.
The Noblest of Livestock 99
Figure 2. Gerard ter Bor ch ( Dut ch, 1617-1681). "The
Paternal Admonition," circa 16541655. O i l on
canvas. H: 70 c m ( 27
9
/ i 6 ") ; W: 60 c m (237s").
West Ber l i n, Staatliche Museen Preussischer
Kult ur besi t z no. 791.
studied wi t h one o f the city's leading landscapists,
Pieter de Mo l y n (15951661). The influence o f de
Mo l yn and other Haar lem circle artists, especially Isack
van Ostade (16211649), is detected i n The Peasant
Horse Cart (fig. 4), datable to the mi d 1640s. Whi l e this
wo r k is st i l l conceived enti rely wi t hi n the convent i on
o f the local peasant pai nt i ng t radi t i on, The Horse Stall
incorporates aspects o f the new and elegantly si m-
pli fi ed hi gh-genre style that ter Bor ch developed after
circa 1650.
Ter Borch's career prospered dur i ng the latter hal f o f
the 1640s, and he was commi ssi oned to pai nt equestrian
portraits. Hi s pai nti ngs o f Duke Henri de Longueville o f
circa 1646/47 (fig. 5; formerly i n the collecti on o f the
New-Yor k Hi st ori cal Society) and o f Archduke Karl
Ludwig von der Pfalz o f 1649 ( formerly i n the Thyssen-
Bornemi sza collecti on, Lugano) closely confor m to the
3. See respectively Gudlaugsson, vol. 2, nos. 50, 65. On the Ba-
roque equestrian portrait, see D. J. Kok, Wahrheit und Dichtung in den
Reiter-und Pferdegemlden und Zeichnungen berhmter hollndischer Maler
(Ph.D. diss., Universitt Wrzburg, 1923); H. Ltzeler, " Auf
Ikonologie des Pferdes i n der barocken Kunst," i n Festschrift fr Karl
Lohmeyer (Saarbrcken, 1954), pp. 118124; U. Keller, Reitermonumente
absotutischer Frsten (Muni ch and Zurich, 1971); Museum of Fine Arts,
Springfield, Mass., and J. B. Speed Ar t Museum, Louisville, Ky,
Figure 3. Gerard ter Bor ch ( Dut ch, 1617-1681). Rider
Viewed from the Rear, circa 1634. O i l on panel.
H: 54.8 c m ( 21
9
/ i 6") ; W: 41.1 c m ( 16
3
/ i 6") .
Bost on, Mus eum o f Fine Ar t s, Juliana
Cheney Edwards Col l ect i on, acc. no. 61.660.
Phot o: Court esy Mus eum o f Fine Ar t s,
Bost on.
i nternati onal Baroque t r adi t i on o f equestrian por t r ai -
ture.
3
I n bot h cases the noble subject is vi ewed on horse-
back wi t h the steed t urned i n profi le and ri si ng on its
hi nd legs i n the levade. One o f the most di ffi cult posi -
tions i n the art o f equi tati on, this pose was not onl y a
test o f the rider's ski l l i n cont r ol l i ng his mount but was
also considered to be an attri bute o f certain command
and leadership. Bo t h pai nti ngs are notable for depi cti ng
forei gn nobi li t y. Al t hough the t r adi t i on o f the ruiter-
portret was a l ong and venerable one i n the Net her-
lands,
4
the modest court i n The Hague, unl i ke its gran-
der counterparts elsewhere i n absolutist Europe,
Glorious Horsemen: Equestrian Art in Europe 1500-1800, (Springfield,
Mass., 1981).
4. For a good introduction to equestrian portraiture i n the
Netherlands, see Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, Noordbrabants Mu-
seum, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Provinciaal Museum van Drenthe,
Assen, In het zadel: Het Nederlands ruiterportret van 1550 tot 1900
('s-Hertogenbosch, 1980), wi t h bibliography
100 Sutton
Figure 4. Gerard ter Bor ch ( Dut ch, 1617-1681). The
Peasant Horse Cart, circa 1645. O i l on panel.
H: 28 c m (11"); W: 38 c m (14
1 5
/ i
6
"). For mer l y
Amst er dam, wi t h the dealer W. Paech.
Figure 5. Gerard ter Bor ch ( Dut ch, 1617-1681). Portrait
of Duke Henri de Longueville, circa 1646/47. O i l
o n canvas. H : 49 c m ( 19
5
/ i
6
")
;
W: 41 c m (16V
8
").
For mer l y Ne w Yor k, New- Yor k Hi st or i cal So-
ci ety no. B-104 (cat. 1915).
i ncluded no elaborate r i di ng school or extensive stables.
Whi l e Chr i spi j n van de Passe mi ght produce the en-
graved i llustrati ons for Ant oi ne de Pluvinel's Le maneige
royal (Paris, 1623)the most famous book on horse-
manship o f its dayvi r t ually all the early literature
on equi tati on and dressage was by Italian, French, or
Engli sh authors.
5
When ter Borch's Horse Stall (fig. 1) was sold i n
Amst er dam i n 1771, i t was said to portray the artist and
his wi fe but was wr ongl y attri buted to the painter
Gabri el Met su.
6
Gudlaugsson noted the resemblance o f
the woman i n the doorway to the sitter i n an uni dent i -
fied portrai t o f circa 1654 by ter Bor ch i n the J. Hage
Foundat i on (Nivaa, Denmar k) ; the same model was
also evi dently used i n several o f the artist's genre scenes
fr om this per i od.
7
Whi l e Gudlaugsson left the pos-
si bi li t y open that the woman could be ter Borch's wi fe,
Geertrui d Matthyss (16121672 or before), The Horse
Stall is clearly a genre scene, wi t h the i mpl i ci t anonym-
i t y o f that pai nt i ng type. Obvi ously, the pai nt i ng is also
to be di sti ngui shed fr om other genres o f pai nt i ng i n -
vol vi ng horses, such as depictions o f equi tati on, battle
scenes, and anatomy studies.
Before t ur ni ng to the work' s precedents i n the genre
pai nt i ng t radi t i on, however, we should note its relat i on-
ship to t wo other discrete equestrian pi ctori al types,
namely the depi cti on o f special breeds and types o f
horses and i ndi vi dual horse portraits. The fort y engrav-
ings executed circa 15761579 by Adr i aen Collaert,
Hendr i ck Goltzius, Phi li ps Galle, and Hi er onymus
Wi er i cx after the Flemi sh artist Jan van der Straet
(Johannes Stradanus; 15231605) for the Equile Ioannis
Austriaci Caroli V. Imp. F. (The royal stables o f Do n Juan
o f Austri a) (fig. 6) depict horses o f many types and
regionsSpanish, Turki sh, Dani sh, Tuscan, Campa-
ni an, and so fort h (see fi g. 7) .
8
Later pri ntmakers per-
petuated this t r adi t i on but i n the seventeenth century's
more naturalistic i di om. A series o f eight pri nts o f com-
mo n draft horses by Pieter van Laer (1599 or later1642)
attests to the seventeenth century's spi ri t o f i nqui r y and
5. In addition to the writings of the classical author Xenophon,
which were published i n Italian (Ii modo del cavalcare, 1580), see Leon
Battista Alberti , De equo animanto (Basel, 1556); Federigo Grisone, Gli
ordini di cavalcare (Naples, 1550); Cesare Fiaschi, Trattato dell'imbrigliare,
manggiare et ferrare cavalli (Bologna, 1556); Alessandro Massari, Com-
pendio dell'heroica arte di cavallieria (1600); Solomon La Broue, Preceptes
principaux que les bons cavalerises doivent exactement observer en leurs ecoles
(1593); J. Tacquet, Philippica, ou haras de chevaux (Antwerp, 1614); G. de
La Bistrate, Le par fait cavalier (Paris, 1616); Delcampe, Lart de monter a
cheval, 2nd ed. (Paris 1633/34); T. Blundeville, A New Booke Contain-
ing the Art of Rydinge and Breakinge Greate Horses (London, 1560); and
W. Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, La methode nouvelle et invention
extraordinaire de dresser les chevaux (Antwerp, 1658).
Figure 6. Adr i aen Co l b er t ( Dut ch, circa 1560-1618). T i - Figure 7. Phi li ps Galle ( Dut ch, 1537-1612), after Jo-
tle page for Equile loannis Austriaci Caroli V. hannes Stradanus (Jan van der Straet). Turcus,
Imp. E, circa 1576-1579. Engr avi ng. H: 20 c m circa 1578. Engr avi ng. H: 20.4 c m (87i6"); W:
(7 Vs"); W: 25.7 c m (lOVs"). 26.2 c m (10
5
/ i
6
").
factual observation; o f no special breed or di st i nct i on,
these animals are si mply depicted i n all thei r natural
aspects and activitiesstanding, dr i nki ng, grazing, r un-
ni ng, pissing, even dyi ng (fig. 8) .
9
However, st i l l an-
other series o f five etchings o f breeds o f horses dated
1652 by the famous ani mal painter Paulus Potter
(16251654) suggests that even the most factually exact
o f these wor ks mi ght carry an allegorical di mensi on.
1 0
A recent i nterpretati on o f the series has proposed that
they embody the five progressive "Ages" o f li fe.
1 1
A pai nt i ng dated 1603 i n the Ri j ksmuseum (fig. 9) by
Jacques de Gheyn I I portrays a specific Spanish stalli on
captured fr om Mendoza by Lodewi j k Gunt her o f
Nassau and offered to Prins Maur i t s after the Battle o f
Flanders.
1 2
Led by a gr oom i nt o a stable, the horse is
depicted nearly life size. Paulus Potter's Dappled Gray
Horse dated 1653 (fig. 10) is also depicted on a very large
scale and is probably a horse portrai t. Bo t h o f these
pai nti ngs are vastly larger than the ter Borch, yet all
Figure 8. Pieter van Laer ( Dut ch, 1599 or later1642).
Dead Horses, before 1642. Et chi ng. H: 8.4 c m
( 3
5
/ i
6
") ; W: 9.9 c m (3
7
/s").
6. Sale (as Metsu), Amsterdam, August 14, 1771, lot 3, to Nyman,
for Fl 300; Prince de Conti , Paris (sale, Paris, Apr i l 8-June 6, 1777, lot
832, to Lannoy, for Fr 400; M. Poullain, Receveur general des do-
maines du roi, Paris (sale, Paris, March 1521, 1780, lot 41 ( wi th an
engraved reproduction by Mme Marguerite Ponce), to [Langlier], for
Fr 2,400; Count G. A. Sparre, Sweden; by descent to Count G.
Wachtmeister, Wanas, Sweden, 1980; [ Edward Speelman, London,
1981]; Fellowship of Friends, Renaissance, California, 1981-1986.
7. Gudlaugsson, vol. 2, no. 108; cf. also the Reading Lesson, Paris,
Louvre no. M. L 1006; Galant Conversation, Schwerin, Gemldegalerie,
Staatliches Museum no. 242; Lady at Her Toilette, Dresden,
Gemldegalerie, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen no. 1830 (respectively,
Gudlaugsson, vol. 2, nos. 98, 112, 113).
8. See Bartsch, vol. 3, nos. 290-293, pp. 312-325.
9. Bartsch, vol. 1, nos. 9-14, pp. 9-11.
10. Bartsch, vol 1, pp. 42-46.
11. J. Verbeek, "Paulus Potter (16251654), paarden: Ets," Openbaar
kunstbezit 6 (1962), pp. 8ab. However, Clifford S. Ackley (Printmak-
ing in the Age of Rembrandt, ex. cat. [Boston, Museum of Fine Arts,
1980], p. 211) rightly questions Verbeek's further assertion that the
landscapes i n these prints allude to the cycle of the seasons. Amy L.
Walsh, "Imagery and Style i n the Paintings of Paulus Potter," (Ph.D.
Diss., Columbia University, 1985), p. 168, n. 34, also doubts Verbeek's
theory
12. I . Q. van Regteren Altena, Jacques de Gheyn: Three Generations
(The Hague, 1983), no. 15, pi. 2.
102 Sutton
Figure 9. Jacques de Gheyn I I ( Dut c h, 15651629).
Spanish Stallion, 1603. O i l on canvas. H: 228
c m ( 89
3
/ / ) ; W: 269 c m ( 105
1 5
/ i 6 ") . Amst er dam,
Ri j ksmuseum no. A4255. Phot o: Cour t esy
Ri j ksmuseum, Ast er dam.
three wor ks, as wel l as the maj ori t y o f pri nts i llust rat i ng
horse types, share the practice o f depi cti ng the horse i n
profi le. Thi s ancient convent i on enabled the artist to
give the fullest possible pi ctori al account o f the ani mal
i n a single i mage.
1 3
Thus i t was favored not onl y for
horse portraits and generic i llustrati ons o f horses but
also for genre scenes, such as Hendr i ck Avercamp's
early seventeenth-century pen dr awi ng o f a si mple
peasant standi ng behi nd his draft ani mal (fig. 11) or a
pai nt i ng, probably fr om the 1640s, by Pieter Cornelisz.
Verbeeck (circa 16101654) depi cti ng a more elegant r i d -
i ng horse (fig. 12). Unbur dened o f its saddle, whi ch
appears l yi ng on the gr ound at the ri ght , the latter horse
is tethered before a darkened wal l that enhances its
li ght -colored coat. The Verbeeck is preserved i n the
But ot collecti on, whi ch owns an analogous, t hough
somewhat later, pai nt i ng by Di r c k Stoop (circa
16101686) o f another gray horse standing si lhouetted
i n a dark gr ot t o (fig. 13).
1 4
Aelber t Cuyp, his close fol -
lower Abr aham van Calraet (see fig. 14), and Adri aen
van de Velde (see The Shoeing-Forge, 1658; o i l on panel;
H: 28 c m [11"], W: 38 c m [ 14
1 5
/ i
6
"] ; Rotterdam, Museum
13. The profile motif, whi ch also appears i n sixteenth-century Ger-
man model books for animals (see infra, note 44), had appeared i n
prints at least as early as Albrecht Drer' s The Small Horse engraving
of 1505 (Hollstein, vol. 7, no. 93, p. 85). However, the suggestion
under no. 35a i n the Hague/ Mnst er exhibition catalogue that Dr er s
print was a direct source for the ter Borch ignores many intermediary
images.
14. See Laurens K. Bol and George S. Keyes, Netherlandish Paintings
Figure 10. Paulus Potter ( Dut ch, 1625-1654). Dappled
Gray Horse, 1653. O i l on canvas. H: 155 c m
(61"); W: 199 c m ( 7 8 W) . Hambur ger Kunst -
halle no. 331. Phot o: Cour t esy Hambur ger
Kunsthalle.
Boymans-van Beuni ngen no. 1889) also pai nted stable
scenes wi t h dappled grays i n these and fol l owi ng years.
I n depi cti ng an iron-gray, dappled horse, kn o wn as a
schimmel or appelschimmel i n Dut ch, ter Bor ch stood
wi t hi n a popular t radi t i on. Al t hough Dut c h hi ppol ogy
is st i l l a l i mi t ed field,
15
the native Gelderland breed
today often appears wi t h this color coat and t r adi -
t i onally has been used bot h for r i di ng and l i ght far m
wor k. The moder n Friesian breed, on the other hand, is
always black, but i t too appeared i n li ghter colors i n
former times. I n the shape o f its croup and head, ter
Borch's horse also shares features wi t h horses o f oriental
bl ood.
1 6
Systematic breeding o f horses was not yet an
established practice when this wo r k was painted. The
Stettens o f Friesland, for example, onl y defined by law
the mi n i mum hei ght o f a stud i n 1663.
1 7
It seems li kely,
therefore, that ter Borch's horse is o f mi xed blood. Its
stature is di ffi cult to ascertain since the man behi nd i t
bends over slightly, but its wi thers are perhaps 1.5 me-
ters hi gh; thus, i t is closer i n size to a ponywhat at
this t i me the Engli sh, for r i di ng purposes, called a
padthan a full-size horse. The hei ght o f the rack and
and Drawings from the Collection ofF.C. Butot (London, 1983), nos. 14
and 13, respectively
15. See W. G. A. van Leeuwen, Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse
paardenfokkerij (Ph.D. diss., University of Utrecht, 1922).
16. I am grateful to Ir Hi l Bos of the Zootechnical Department of
the University of Utrecht for these observations.
17. See Jan de Vries, The Dutch Rural Economy in the Golden Age
(New Haven and London, 1974), p. 143.
Figure 11. Hendr i ck Avercamp ( Dut ch, 1585-1634).
Peasant beside a Horse, circa 16051610. Pen and
wash dr awi ng. H: 8.1 c m ( 37i
6
") ; W: 10 c m
(4"). Mun i c h, Staatliche Graphische Samm-
l ung i nv. no. 1359.
Figure 12. Pieter Corneli sz. Verbeeck ( Dut ch, circa
1610-1654). A Gray Horse, circa 1640s. Oi l on
panel. H: 38.5 c m (15
3
/i
6
"); W: 31 c m (12
3
/i
6
") .
F. C. But o t collect i on no. 14. Phot o: Co ur -
tesy F. C. But ot .
Figure 13. Di r c k Stoop ( Dut ch, circa 1610-1686). A
Gray Horse in a Grotto, circa 16501660. O i l
on panel. H: 52.5 c m (20
11
/i
6
") ; W: 44 c m
(177i6"). F. C. But o t collect i on no. 13. Phot o:
Cour t esy F. C. But ot .
Figure 14. Abr aham van Calraet ( Dut ch, 1642-1722).
Stable Interior with Two Dapple Grays, circa
1675-1700. O i l on panel. H: 31.4 c m ( 12W) ;
W: 40 c m (15
3
A"). Rot t erdam, Mus eum Bo y-
mans-van Beuni ngen i nv. no. 1395. Phot o:
Courtesy Museum Boymans-van Beuni ngen,
Rot t erdam.
104 Sutton
Figure 15. At t r i b ut ed t o Lamber t Do o mer ( Dut ch,
1624-1700). Horse Stall, circa 1645-1650. Oi l
o n panel. H: 27 c m ( l OW) ; W: 21.5 c m
(8V2"). The Hague, Mus eum Bredi us i nv. no.
212-1946.
manger also suggest that the stable mi ght have been
bui l t for heavier, larger horses. Al t ho ugh i n apparent
good health, ter Borch's horse is smaller and slighter i n
bui l d than the bi g t roop horses encountered i n battle
scenes depicted by Phi li ps Wouwermans. At this t i me
the size o f an army's chargers was st i l l a crucial logi sti cal
factor i n warfare. Bi g horses were bred, i mpor t ed, and
reserved for the cavalry, whi l e smaller animals were
t urned over for ci vi l use i n transportati on or i n draft and
pack on the farm. Obvi ously, ter Borch's li t t le horse is
wel l cared fori ts mane and t ai l have been pulled (i.e.,
18. See, for example, the page's attire i n Lady at Her Toilet, Detroit
Institute of Arts no. 65.10; Gudlauggson, vol. 2, no. 165.
19. Compare, for example, the costumes i n Cornelis de Man's
Geographers (Hamburg, Kunsthalle no. 239) and The Goldweigher
(Montreal, private collection; see Masters of Seventeenth-Century Dutch
Genre Painting [supra, note 1], no. 69).
20. Private communication from Professor Jan de Vries, University
of California, Berkeley.
21. See Hofstede de Groot, no. 464.
22. Hague/ Mnst er , no. 31, p. 124.
the hairs have been pulled out to a desired length) , its
coat brushed, and its hooves wel l t r i mmed and shod.
The man who curries the horse i n ter Borch's pai nt -
i ng has been assumed to be a gr oom or ostler. He has
been called a palfrenier i n the Poullai n sale (1780), a
gr oom by Smi t h (1833) and by Hofstede de Gr oot
(1913), and a Stallknecht by Gudlaugsson (1960). Whi l e
the li ver y wo r n by servants i n ter Borch's genre scenes
is often, at least i n part, i magi nary,
1 8
no professional
equerry wo ul d wear footgear as unsuitable as backless
slippers i n a stable. To j udge fr om other genre pai nti ngs
o f the peri od, the shor t -br i mmed red cap and three-
quarter-length trousers that the man wears could i n fact
be wo r n by middle-class gentlemen or even scholars.
1 9
The woman's pearl earring and gold chain also poi nt to
a hi gher social station than the servant class. The wel l -
bui l t stall and the fact that the stable apparently opens
di rectly ont o the house (note the woman's entrance)
suggest a moderately wel l -t o-do household, possibly
si mi lar to the enlarged farmhouse that appears i n the
background o f the Potter (fig. 10). For those burghers
who, t hough prosperous, could not afford the fashi on-
able indulgence o f a full-scale vi l l a on the Vecht or
Amst el , a converted farmhouse mi ght serve as a very
comfortable count r y home.
The ownershi p o f a horse i n the Dut ch mar i t i me
provinces i n the mid-seventeenth century was some-
t hi ng o f a pri vi lege. Many farms had onl y one horse,
and i n the cities, coach ownershi p, whi ch was taxed,
was less common than elsewhere i n Europe. The rela-
ti vely mi nor role that arable agriculture requi ri ng draft
animals played i n the Netherlands, coupled wi t h the
extensive use o f canals for transportati on, made the
horse a less than central player i n the workaday wo r l d o f
Hol l and. Moreover, keepi ng even a common horse was
expensive. Estimates for the eighteenth century sug-
gest, for example, that the feeding and maintenance o f a
horse o f the type used to pul l barges (trekschuiten) cost
nearly 300 guilders per year, an amount r oughl y equal
to the annual earnings o f a ski lled wor ker .
2 0
The abun-
dant hayrack and t i dy stable enjoyed by ter Borch's
well-fed steed clearly contrast wi t h the surroundi ngs o f
Lambert Doomer' s worki ng-class nag (fig. 15).
23. See Nicolaus Taurellus, Emblemata/Physico-ZEthica (Nuremberg,
1602), no. 6, " UT L EN IS C I C UR A T MA N US "; and Diego de Soavedra
Fajardo, Idea/de un Principe Politico/Christiano (Munich, 1640), no. 38,
" C O N H A L A G O I C O N R I G O R "; see A. Henkel and A. Sch ne, Emblemata
(Stuttgart, 1967), cols. 503-504.
24. See R. Hindringer, "Der Schimmel als Heiligenattribuut,"
Oberdeutsches Zeitschrift fr Volkskunde 5 (1931), pp. 9ff.
25. Oi l on panel. H: 47.7 cm (18
3
A"); W: 50.2 cm (19
3
//). Signed
wi t h a monogram. Accession number 83.PB.232. The literature is as
follows: W. Mart i n, "Aanwinsten van het Mauritshuis," Bulletin van
Figure 16. Phi li ps Wouwer mans ( Dut ch, 1619-1668).
Horse Stable, circa 16451650. O i l on panel.
H: 37 c m (14
9
/ i
6
"); W: 49.5 c m ( 19
1
/ / ) . Frank-
fur t am Mai n , St del sches Kunst i nst i t ut
no. 313.
Thus, whi l e Hofstede de Gr oot mi ght di sti ngui sh
ter Borch's pai nt i ng and his approxi mately cont empo-
rary depi cti on o f a modest Stonegrinder's Family in a
Courtyard (West Ber l i n, Geml degal er i e, Staatliche Mu -
seen Preussischer Kulturbesi tz no. 793)
2 1
fr om the mas-
ter's more socially elevated, hi gh-li fe subjects, The Horse
Stall also differs fr om the guar dr oom and peasant pai nt-
i ng traditions o f depi cti ng stables and barns. Earlier
practitioners o f the peasant pai nt i ng t ypeHer man and
Corneli s Saftleven, the Ostades, Govert Camphuysen,
Pieter de Bl oot , and Egbert van der Poelall placed
more emphasis on i nt eri or space and underscored the
figures' connections wi t h the rural peasantry. Gudlaugs-
son r i ght l y noted more composi t i onal analogies wi t h
the contemporaneous stable scenes o f Phi li ps Wouwer -
mans (fig. 16). Corneli s Visscher's earlier pri nts after
van Laer's stable scenes also reveal formal parallels and
si mi lar mot i fs (fig. 17).
I n i nt erpret i ng The Horse Stall, the authors o f the
catalogue o f the 1974 ter Bor ch exhi bi t i on cited
Hei nr i ch Hovel's bestiary, Neuwer wunderbarlicher Thier-
garten (Frankfurt, 1601), p. 134, whi ch quotes Seneca:
den Nederlandschen Oudheidkundigen Bond 1, ser. 2 (1909), p. 239;
Hofstede de Groot, vol. 5, no. 463; Plietzsch (supra, note 1), no. 32,
pp. 13-14, 52, fig. 32; Gudlaugsson, vol. 1, pp. 75-76, vol. 2, no. 74, p.
94; The J. Paul Getty Museum, "Acquisitions/1983," The J Paul Getty
Museum Journal 12 (1984), p. 311; Burton B. Fredericksen, "Recent
Acquisitions of Paintings: The J. Paul Getty Museum, " Burlington
Magazine 127, no. 985 (1985), p. 265.
Provenance: Samuel van Hls, The Hague (sale, The Hague, Sep-
tember 3, 1737, lot 87, to W. Lormier, The Hague); W. Lormier (sale,
The Hague, November 10, 1756, lot 298, to Prince "Galensin"
Figure 17. Corneli s Visscher ( Dut ch, 16191662), after
Pieter van Laer. Horse Stable, circa 1640. En -
gravi ng. H: 29.5 c m (UVs"); W: 39 c m ( 15W) .
" No n faciunt mel i or em equum aurei freni ." Thi s phrase
expresses the not i on that a golden harness cannot make
a horse nobler than he is by nature. The catalogue thus
concluded that ter Borch's horse, whose natural sheen is
enhanced by brushi ng, is "a sign o f nobi l i t y and beauty,
[ and] an exhort at i on to modesty."
2 2
Thi s i nterpretati on
ignores obvi ous discrepancies between the i mage and
the symbol; to name but one, the harness hangi ng fr om
the post is steel not gold. Some emblems fr om this
peri od l i ken the st roki ng or gr oomi ng o f a horse to the
mi t i gat ed cont rol required i n the exercise o f power.
2 3
It
seems unli kely, however, that ter Borch's lovely scene o f
equine domesti ci ty encodes a hectori ng moral lesson or
some recondite allegory o f good government. We also
probably need not delve i nt o the schimmeVs historic role
i n hagiography to discover ter Borch's purpose.
2 4
The Horse Stall is more profi tably considered i n the
larger context o f ter Borch's art and specifically i n rela-
t i on to The Cow Shed (fig. 18), also recently acquired by
the J. Paul Getty Museum.
2 5
Eduard Plietzsch was the
first to hypothesize that these t wo pai nti ngs were com-
pani on pieces. Hi s theory wo n Gudlaugsson's support
[ Galitzin] , Saint Petersburg); Dr. Paul van Delaroff, Saint Petersburg,
1908; [ Dr. A. K. K. W. Erasmus, Aerdenhout] ; Frau Bertha Krupp
von Bohlen und Halbach, Essen, by 1953; Dr. A. Krupp von Bohlen
und Halbach, Essen; Waldtraut Thomas (ne von Bohlen und Halbach);
sale, Christie's, London, December 11, 1981, lot 119 (property of two
sisters), withdrawn; [Edward Speelman, Ltd., London, 1983].
Exhibitions: Mauritshuis, The Hague, 1908-1912 (on loan); Villa
Hgel, Essen, 1953, no. 14; Aus der Gemldesammlung der Familie
Krupp, Villa Hgel, Essen, 1965, no. 7; Gerard Ter Borch, Maurits-
huis, The Hague, and Landesmuseum Mnster, 1974, no. 18.
106 Sutton
Figure 18. Gerard ter Borch (Dutch, 1617-1681). The Co, She, area 1652-1654. Oon panel. H: 47.7 cm (183//);
W : 5 0
. 2 cm
(19
3
//). Malibu, The J. Paul Getty Museum 83.PB.232.
despite the fact that the wor ks have different prove-
nances and seem to have been painted at different times;
Gudlaugsson believed that The Cow Shed, on stylistic
grounds, should predate The Horse Stall by several
years, dati ng "shor t ly after 1650." The fact, however,
that the t wo panel supports are complete (the ori gi nal
beveli ng on the reverse is intact) but differ i n thei r d i -
mensions by approxi mately three centimeters, as wel l as
i n make up (the grai n runs verti cally i n The Cow Shed,
hori zont ally i n The Horse Stall), vi r t ual l y eliminates the
possi bi li ty that they were designed as pendants. Though
not properly speaking compani on pieces, they nonethe-
less complement one another i n theme and design. I n
bot h pai nti ngs an ani mal i n profi le is tended by a figure
i n a shadowed i nteri or. I n The Cow Shed the mi l kmai d
squats to mi l k one cow as a second stands stoli dly to
one side. Barnyard utensils again complete the scenea
t rough, wat eri ng tub, mi l k i n g cushion, fodder sieve,
chamber pot, wooden bucket, ax, and choppi ng block.
The Horse Stall mi ght evoke a more socially elevated
setting, but its tone is the same. A st i l l and subdued
mood prevails i n The Cow Shed, "no other sound than
the spattering o f the mi l k and the heavy breathi ng o f
the beasts."
26
Ter Borch's healthy cows r emi nd us o f the advances
that were made i n ani mal husbandry at this t i me i n the
Netherlands. The Dut ch cont rol o f the Balti c grai n
trade freed the country's farmers fr om the burden o f
feeding thei r cities' burgeoni ng populations, enabling
t hem to t ur n to more profitable pursuits, such as i ndus-
tri al and hort i cult ural crops, cattle breeding, and dai ry
farmi ng. I mpr oved drainage and systematic fert i li zat i on
o f pasturage, as wel l as better fodder, such as oi l cakes
(pressed pulp o f rape and cole seed), contri buted to the
increased wei ght and size o f Dut ch cattle. The mi l k
pr oduct i on o f cows i n the provinces o f Hol l and and
Friesland was renowned, easily exceeding the yi el d o f
Engli sh and German cows.
2 7
Li ke many foreigners be-
fore hi m, Czar Peter the Great purchased Dut ch cattle
for breedi ng purposes i n 1725. The Dut ch themselves
di d not hesitate to boast about the commerci al value o f
thei r cattle.
2 8
Qui t e naturally, they associated cows wi t h prosperity.
I n the visual arts as wel l as i n literature, this l owl y
ani mal became a symbol o f fecundity, indeed o f Hol-
26. Gudlaugsson, vol. 1, p. 75.
27. On livestock husbandry and the mi l k production of Dutch
cows, see G. J. Hengeveld, Het rundvee (Haarlem, 18651870), 2 vols.,
and de Vries (supra, note 17), pp. 143144, wi t h additional literature.
28. See, for example, Kaerle Stevens and Jan Libaut, De veltbouw
(Amsterdam, 1622), and Wouter van Gouthoeven, D'oude chronijcke
end Historien van Holland (The Hague, 1636).
Figure 19. Hendr i ck Hondi us ( Dut ch, 1573-1650). Alle-
gorical Print on Dutch Prosperity, 1644. Et chi ng.
H: 20.6 c m (87s"); W: 15.7 c m ( 6
3
/ i
6
") .
Amst er dam, Ri j ksmuseum A14229. Phot o:
Court esy Ri j ksmuseum, Amst er dam.
Figure 20. Engl i sh school. The Milk Cow: Satire on the
Exploitation of the Netherlands by the Prince of
Orange, circa 1585. O i l oh panel. H: 52 c m
(207i6"); W: 67 c m ( 26W) . Amst er dam,
Ri j ksmuseum no. A2684.
108 Sutton
Figure 21. Jan van de Velde ( Dut ch, circa 1593-1641). Figure 22. Corneli s Bloemaer t ( Dut ch, 1603-1684), af-
The White Cow, 1622. Et chi ng and engravi ng. ter Abr aham Bloemaert . Terra ( Eart h) . Et ch-
H : 17.1 c m ( 6
3
/ / ) ; W: 22.7 c m ( 8
1 5
/ i
6
") . i ng. H: 9.5 c m ( 3 W) ; W: 14.9 c m ( 5
7
/
8
") .
Amst er dam Ri j ksmuseum FK409. Amst er dam, Ri j ksmuseum. Phot o: Cour t esy
Ri j ksmuseum, Amst er dam.
lands welvaren, the wel l bei ng o f the Dut c h nat i on i t -
self.
2 9
So t hor oughl y had these associations entered the
popular i magi nat i on that one o f a series o f five poli t i cal
pri nts o f 1644 by Hendr i ck Hondi us, whi ch depicts a
pair o f large, sturdy cows grazi ng beside a river before a
lush landscape (fig. 19), carries the i nscr i pt i on i n Dut ch:
Ghy Heeren wachters wel neerstelyck toesiet, Dat Ons gerooft
werd' de Hollandse koe niet ( watchmen be vi gi lant that the
Dut c h cow is not stolen) as an admoni t i on against a
hasty and unprofi table peace treaty wi t h Spain. When
this treaty was fi nally concluded at M n s t e r i n 1648, the
29. The first to discuss the political symbolism of the Dutch cow
was H. van de Waal, Drie eeuwen vaderlandsche geschied-uitbeelding
1500-1800 (The Hague, 1952), vol. 1, pp. 21-22. For a whole range of
different meanings and associations for the cow, see Alison Kettering
"The Batavian Arcadia: Pastoral Themes i n 17th Century Dutch Ar t "
(Ph.D. diss., University of California, Berkeley, 1979); Joneath Spicer,
" 'De koe voor d'aerde statt': The Origins of the Dutch Cattle Piece,"
i n Essays in Northern European Art Presented to Egbert Haverkamp-
Begemann on His Sixtieth Birthday (Doornspijk, 1983); A. Walsh (supra,
note 11); and Alan Chong i n Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Masters
of Seventeenth Century Dutch Landscape Painting (Amsterdam, 1987),
no. 21.
30. See van de Waal (supra, note 29), vol. 1, p. 22, n. 2: "Samuel
Coster, Verklaringh van de ses eerste vertoningen, gedaen binnen
Amsterdam . . . 5 Junij 1648."
31. The Rijksmuseum's painting is inscribed "Not longe time since
I sawe a cowe/ did Flaunders represente/ upon whose backe Kinge
Phillip rode/ as being malecontnt./ The Queene of England giving
hay/ wheareon the cow did feede/ as one that was her greatest helpe/
i n her distresse and neede. / The Prince of Orange mi l kt the cow and
made his purse the payle. / The cow did shyt i n monsieurs hand/ while
hie did hold her tayle." See also Jan Tengnagel's, Allegory of the Nether-
lands (Delft, Stedelijk Museum "Het Prinsenhof" ). For further dis-
poet and pl aywr i ght Samuel Coster presented a play on
the peace treaty i n whi ch, as he described the action, the
"Rul i ng States o f Hol l and, li ke the hundred eyed Ar -
gus" wat chi ng over the cow Io, must sleep no more but
forever play the watchful guardian o f "the cow (that is
her o wn agreeable Fatherland)."
3 0
Even outside the
country, the poli t i cal association o f the cow wi t h the
Dut ch nati ons prosperi ty was codified as early as the
late sixteenth century. A n anonymous Engli sh pai nt i ng
o f circa 1585 satirized the country' s exploi t at i on by the
prince o f Orange wi t h a brutali zed mi l k cow (fig. 20) .
3 1
cussion of the cow's political associations, see A. Walsh (supra, note
11), p. 343ff, and Chong (supra, note 29), no. 21, n. 9.
32. Van der Kellen, no. 409, dedicated to Jodocus (Joos) Vergraft.
The Latin verses (as translated by Irene de Groot i n Landscape Etchings
by the Dutch Masters of the Seventeenth Century [ Amsterdam, 1979],
p. 69) read: "The night is hardly gone before this industrious country-
man leaves for town wi t h goats and a cow. . . . The heavy work is
light for hi m as long as he comes home later loaded down wi t h the
money he has earned." The group of animals and peasant couple are
based on a drawing by Wi llem Buytewech (Cambridge, Fi tzwi lli am
Museum).
33. See Spicer (supra, note 29), pp. 251256; and A. Walsh (supra,
note 11), p. 249ff
34. Het schilder-boeck (Haarlem, 1604), fig. 125.
35. A. Walsh (supra, note 11), p. 239. In her excellent study of
Potter's art as it relates to Dutch attitudes toward country life, Walsh
relates these notions to neo-stoicism and seventeenth-century Dutch
literature, including arcadian poetry and the tradition of hofdichten
(country house poems).
36. Bartsch, vol. 7, no. 158. This work has been interpreted erot-
ically by Leo Wuyt ("Lucas van Leyden's Melkmeid, een proeve tot
ikonologische interpretatie," De gulden passer 5253 [19741975],
pp. 441-453), and J. P. Filedt Kok (in Lucas van Leyden [1489 of
By vi r t ue o f its associations wi t h fer t i li t y and i n rec-
ogni t i on o f the cattle drives that were held i n the
spring, the cow was also a vernal symbol i n a series o f
landscape etchings o f the seasons by Jan van de Velde or
Gi lli s van Scheyndel after Wi l l e m Buyt ewech (see Ver:
Franken-van der Kellen, no. 518). As an emblem o f
rural bount y (see fi g. 21) ,
3 2
the cow also embodi ed
Eart h i n pr i nt series by among others Corneli s
Bloemaert, after Abr aham Bloemaert (fig. 22), on the
Four Elements.
3 3
Af f i r mi n g these ideas, van Mander
stated i n his Wtbeeldinghen der figueren: "De Koe voor
d'aerde [ statt] " (the cow represents the earth) .
3 4
Mor e
general was the Dutchmen' s sense o f the contented cow
as a metaphor o f freedom, security, and the t ranqui li t y
o f l i vi ng life i n accord wi t h nature.
3 5
The ample hi st ory o f bovi ne i magery can be traced at
least as far back as Lucas van Leyden's engravi ng o f 1510
called The Milkmaid.
36
Anot her mi lestone i n this t r adi -
t i on is Rubens' Dairy Farm at Laeken ( London, Buck-
i ngham Palace, H. M. The Queen's Collect i on) o f circa
1620, whi ch again alludes to the earth's fer t i li t y wi t h a
scene o f cattle and mi l kmai ds.
3 7
Immedi at ely preceding
ter Borch's pai nt i ng i n date and anti ci pati ng aspects o f
its composi t i on is Aelbert Cuyp' s early Cow Shed o f
circa 16451650 (fig. 23) .
3 8
St i l l another predecessor is
Paulus Potter's famous Young Bull o f 1647 (The Hague,
Mauri t shui s i nv. no. 136). Though very different i n
conception, Potter's huge canvas, the related "port rai t s"
o f prize steers and bul l s,
3 9
and Cuyp' s many landscapes
wi t h fat cows grazing placi dly i n the sun express
the Dutchman' s pri de i n his ani mal husbandry no less
clearly than ter Borch's Cow Shed. By the same t oken,
The Horse Stall offers a comfor t i ng i mage o f Dut ch
1494-1533]grafiek, ex. cat. [ Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet, 1978],
pp. 3132, fig. 21). The basis of these erotic interpretations are the
connotations of the verb melken (to mi lk) which i n the sixteenth
century could also mean "to lure" (lokken). In the absence, however,
of Lucas' hulki ng farm boy or any other companion for ter Borch's
earnest and purposeful mi lkmai d, there scarcely seems reason to as-
sign sexual connotations to her work.
37. See Spicer's interpretation of the work as an "allegory of
Earth's fecundity" (supra, note 29, p. 254).
38. See Stephen Reiss, Aelbert Cuyp (Boston, 1975), no. 65, p. 100,
i l l . , and compare also no. 66. The stable scenes of Cornelis Beelt (circa
16301702) also resemble these works.
39. See the anonymous Portrait of a Prize Steer, 1564, Amsterdams
Historisch Museum inv. no. A3016, and Portrait of a White Bull, by a
follower of Paulus Potter, Dubli n, National Gallery of Ireland ( Ho-
man Potterton, Dutch Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Paintings
in the National Gallery of Ireland [ Dubli n, 1986], no. 56, pp. 116-118,
fig. 127). For a discussion of the tradition, see the entry on Potter's
Young Bull by Ben Broos i n the catalogue of an exhibition held at the
Grand Palais, Paris, De Rembrandt Vermeer: Les peintres hollandais
au Mauritshuis de La Haye, ex. cat. (The Hague, 1986).
40. See Wolfgang Stechow, Salomon van Ruysdael, 2nd ed. (Berlin,
1975), nos. 136A (dated 1626), 137 (Leiden, Stedelijk Museum de
Figure 23. Ael ber t Cuyp ( Dut ch, 1620-1692). Cow Shed,
circa 16451650. O i l on panel. H: 77 c m
( 30
5
/ i 6") ; W: 107 c m (42V
8
"). St ockhol m, Na-
t i onal museum no. N M 4441.
livestock, no less positive i n its fashion, than Salomon
van Ruysdael's several pai nti ngs o f the excited spectacle
o f the famous Valkenburg horse fai r.
4 0
The fact, however, that ter Bor ch selected these sub-
jects for his t wo most exceptional and ambi ti ous ani mal
pai nti ngs is probably not fort ui t ous.
4 1
Beyond acknowl-
edgi ng the creatures' natural barnyard complementarity,
the pai nti ngs may t ell us somethi ng about ter Borch's
concept o f the artist. The ni nt h chapter o f Karel van
Mander's Den grondt der edel vry schilder-const (The foun-
dati on o f the noble art o f pai nti ng) i n Het schilder-boeck
(Haarlem, 1604) is t i t led "Van beesten/dieren/en vogh-
els" ( Of beasts/animals/and bi r ds) .
4 2
He begins this
Lakenhal no. 823, dated 1633), 138A (Prague, Nr odni Galeri no. 494,
dated 1643), and 136 (dated 1643). See also Adriaen van de Vennes
Prince Maurits and Frederik Hendrik Visiting the Horse Fair at Valkenburg,
dated 1618, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum no. A674. On the horse market
at Valkenburg, see E. Pelinck, "De paardenmaarkt te Valkenburg."
Leids jaarboekje 50 (1958), p. 83ff; and Annette Hoogendoorn, i n
Kunsthistorische mededelingen (1947), vol. 2, pp. 3840. Pieter Wouwer-
mans' depiction of the horse market i n Delft, circa 1670, is i n the
Stedelijk Museum "Het Prinsenhof," Delft.
41. Analogous images of cows and horses often appear together i n
print series by, among others, Pieter van Laer and Paulus Potter, but
pendant paintings are only known from sales references and are hence
unverified. See, for example, sale, Gaillard de Gagney, Paris, May 29,
1762, lots 20 and 21 (Hofstede de Groot [Potter], nos. 29 and 317).
Smith's claim ([supra, note 1], vol. 5 [Potter], under no. 87) that the
Horse Stable of 1647 by Potter i n the Philadelphia Museum of Ar t
(no. E'24-3-17) is the pendant of the painting of Cattle and Sheep in
a Stormy Landscape, London, National Gallery no. 2583, has no basis;
the works differ i n design and early history. A. Walsh concluded that
Potter never painted pendants (supra, note 11), p. 276.
42. See, for a translation into modern Dutch and for commentary,
Hessel Miedema, Karel van Mander: Den grondt der edel vry schilder-
const (Utrecht, 1973) vol. 1, pp. 218-235; vol. 2, pp. 558-569.
110 Sutton
section o f his didactic poem for artists by assuring his
readers that a great "al l ar ound" (universael) painter
must master ani mal subjects, as wel l as (and here we
infer fr om the larger context o f the leerdicht) the pai nt -
i ng o f landscape, discussed i n the previous chapter, and
drapery, whi ch is taken up i n the fol l owi ng section. For
van Mander, ani mal pai nt i ng is a discrete pai nt i ng type
and discipline, albeit one at the service o f the pai nt i ng
o f the human figure, t radi t i onally the artist's noblest
calli ng. The t wo animals that he recommends for artis-
tic study, and to whi ch he devotes vi r t ual l y his entire
chapter, are not exotic or i conographi cally charged crea-
tures, such as the l i o n or the elephant, but the preemi -
nent tamme heesten (domestic animals), the horse and the
cow.
4 3
Wi t h his customary appeal to classical prece-
dents, van Mander refers to famous horses o f ant i qui t y
to praise the animal's nobi li t y, bravery, and loyalty
(chap. 9, 45). He alludes to systems for dr awi ng horses
fr om a series o f circles and to artists who make careful
measurements o f animals, but he has li t t le sympathy for
those who rely t oo much on the caliper and measuring
stick (chap. 9, 89).
44
Rejecting any rules for ideal
equestrian proporti ons, van Mander exhorts young art-
ists to study the out war d physical appearance o f horses,
thei r movements, types, colorati on ( i ncludi ng schoon ap-
pelgrau), and the way i n whi ch the l i ght plays on thei r
coats (chap. 9, 1017). I n stressing the need to observe
even such details as a horse's lather and spit, van Mander
digresses on the possi bi li ty o f pr ofi t i ng fr om accidental
effects i n art (chap. 9, 1723). To illustrate how effective
classical painters were i n achieving the goal o f the i l l u-
sion o f reality, he recounts Pliny's tale o f Apelles, the
greatest painter o f antiquity, t ur ni ng the j udgment o f
his pai nt i ng o f a horse and the wo r k o f a jealous ri val
over to the animals themselves (chap. 9, 2425). When
br ought before actual horses, the rival's wo r k elicited no
response, but Apelles' pai nt i ng made the li ve steeds
snort and whi nny. Accor di ng to van Mander, the classi-
cal artist's success was based on exhaustive research,
even to the poi nt o f usi ng horse cadavers (chap. 9, 28).
Tur ni ng to cattle, the author again stresses the need
for careful observation, enumerati ng physical attributes
(bearing, expression, colori ng, and details li ke the
lengt h o f horns and shape o f ears) that serve to dis-
t i ngui sh a cow fr om a bul l or ox. Once more, classical
precedents are cited, i ncl udi ng Pausias' abi li t y to pai nt
cattle not onl y i n profi le but also foreshortened (chap. 9,
3738); the celebrated Farnese bul l ; and the case o f the
great Myron' s masterpiece, a statue o f a cow i n the mar-
ketplace at Athens. Van Mander even offers his o wn
translation o f a dozen o f the t hi r t y-si x epigrams fa-
mously devoted to this statue and preserved i n the
Anthologia Graeca. But his ult i mat e purpose i n all this
display o f er udi t i on is si mply to confi r m "datter ni et
beter en is, als alle di nghen nae t'leven te schilderen"
(that there is not hi ng better than to pai nt all thi ngs
fr om life [chap. 9, 47] ).
St i ll the most i mpor t ant and i nfluenti al art treatise i n
Dut ch dur i ng ter Borch's li feti me, van Mander's Schil-
der-boeck could scarcely have escaped the painter's atten-
t i on. Tho ugh not van Mander's ideal hi st ory painter, ter
Bor ch was a devoted painter o f the human figure. By
pai nt i ng a pair o f domestic animals, he departed fr om
his customary genre themes and portraits, but i n so
doi ng, he fulfi lled van Mander's prescriptions for the
"al l ar ound" artist by pai nt i ng precisely those subjects
i n the very naturalistic style recommended by the theo-
rist. However, the real t r i umph o f ter Borch's pai nti ngs
is the complete absence o f any appearance o f theoretical
or methodologi cal i llust rat i on. As i n the greatest o f the
painter's domestic genre scenes, his ani mal companions
are subjects at once common and monument al, momen-
tary and timeless, conceived wi t h a compel l i ng si m-
pli ci t y and t r ut h to life.
Museum o f Fine Ar t s
Bost on
43. Van Mander, Grondt, chapter 9, verse 3: "Aen tamme Beesten
moghen wy aenveerden/ Onderwysich begin te desen Stonden/ Eerst
aen t'edelste der Vee/ groot van weerden/ Dats aen de behulpsaem
moedighe Peerden" (We begin this instruction wi t h domestic animals.
First, the noblest of livestock, highly valued [animals], the obliging,
brave horses).
44. Miedema (supra, note 42), vol. 2, p. 561, suggests that the
traditional formulae for designing the forms of horses from circles
descends from German model books by Heinrich Lautensack (1564)
and Sebald Beham (1582).
The Blessed Bernard Tolomei Interceding for the Cessation
of the Plague in Siena: A Rediscovered Painting by
Giuseppe Maria Crespi
John T. Spike
Dur i ng the plague o f 1348, kno wn to hi st ory as the
Black Death, the Blessed Bernard Tolomei , who had
founded a congregation o f Benedictine monks at Mont e
Oli vet o, forsook the sanctuary o f his monastery and
returned to his native Siena to offer whatever reli ef he
could. At first i t seemed that the courageous Olivetans
i n thei r whi t e habits wo ul d be mi raculously spared
fr om the pestilence that raged all about t hem. Soon
enough, however, this hope o f i mmun i t y was proved
to be vai n; one o f the first monks to give up his life
was their venerated abbot, Bernard Tolomei , who was
later beatified.
1
The heroic, i f tragic, last days i n Bernard Tolomei's
li fet i me o f good wor ks are the subject o f a pai nt i ng
recently acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum, The
Blessed Bernard Tolomei Interceding for the Cessation of the
Plague in Siena by Giuseppe Mar i a Crespi (fig. I ) .
2
Ni c k-
named 77 Spagnuolo because o f his sober "Spani sh" style
o f dress, the Bolognese Crespi (16651747) was one
o f the most independent and creative personalities i n
eighteenth-century Italian pai nt i ng.
3
Al one among his
contemporaries, Crespi could i nterpret the pathos i n a
story such as that o f Bernard Tolomei wi t h a depth and
1. Born Giovanni di Mi no Tolomei i n Siena i n 1272, Bernard
Tolomei (his monastic name) and two other Sienese nobles, Patrizio
Patrizi and Ambrogi o Piccolomini (one of whom may be indicated as
Tolomei's companion i n Crespi's painting), founded a monastery at
Monte Oliveto under the rule of Saint Benedict. As the Benedictine
rule does not prescribe the color of the monastic dress, the Olivetans
and the Camaldolesi wear white habits; the all-black habits of the
Vallombrosiani Benedictines are perhaps the most familiar. The best
available biography of Bernard Tolomei is i n the Bibliotheca sanctorum
(Rome, 1969), vol. 12, s.v.
Bernard is frequently styled as Saint Bernard Tolomei, which is
inaccurate as he has not been canonized by the Roman Catholic
church. His recognition as beato, or blessed, was already well estab-
lished by tradition when i n 1644 his cult was formally recognized by
papal decree. In 1680 Rome established his feast day as August 21 and
approved the texts for the Office and Mass for this observance.
2. Oi l on copper. H: 42.7 cm (16
13
/i6"); W: 66.6 cm (26 V/ ) .
86.PC.463.
P R O VEN A N C E: Abbot Corsi, Florence (original commission), circa 1735;
gravi ty o f expression unequaled i n eighteenth-century
art pri or to Goya.
The Getty Museum' s recent acquisition exemplifies
the drama, immediacy, and technical bravura o f Crespi's
art. The wo r k is a major rediscovery for his oeuvre as
wel l . I propose to i dent i fy this Blessed Bernard Tolomei
wi t h a pai nt i ng that, not wi t hst andi ng its small di men-
sions, was repeatedly singled out for praise by Crespi's
eighteenth-century biographers but remained untraced
for t wo centuries.
The combi ned testimonies o f Crespi's cont empo-
raries i nfor m us that i n about 1735 the artist executed a
commi ssi on for an Oli vet an abbot i n Florence. The as-
signment was for a pair o f Oli vet an subjects: The Blessed
Bernard Tolomei Interceding for the Cessation of the Plague
in Siena and a pendant o f Saint Francesca Romana Placing
the Infant Christ in the Arms of Her Confessor. Pri or to the
reappearance o f the Get t y Museum' s Blessed Bernard
Tolomei on copper, its composi t i on had already been
kno wn t hr ough the existence o f several wor kshop can-
vases, none o f whi ch could clai m to be autograph
wor ks fr om Crespi's o wn brush (fig. 2) .
4
The most i n -
teresting o f these wor kshop variants is a canvas i n the
Marchese Gino Capponi, Florence, 1767; sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris,
February 7, 1945, lot 383; private collection, Switzerland; [Piero
Corsini, New York, 1985-1986].
EXH IB ITIO N S : Esposizione de' quadri, cloister of the SS. Annunziata,
July 1767, no. 5; Giuseppe Maria Crespi and the Emergence of Genre
Painting in Italy, Ki mbell Ar t Museum, Fort Worth, September-
December, 1986.
3. The two principal works on Crespi are: Mi ra Pajes Merriman,
Giuseppe Maria Crespi (Milan, 1980), a catalogue raisonne of the paint-
ings, and John T. Spike, Giuseppe Maria Crespi and the Emergence of
Genre Painting in Italy, ex. cat. (Fort Worth, Ki mbell Ar t Museum,
1986). The present picture was exhibited at Forth Worth hors catalogue,
but was first published and illustrated i n this catalogue (p. 37, n. 89,
p. 162, fig. 26.2).
4. For these workshop canvases see Merriman (supra, note 3),
nos. 138141. Merriman leaves open the possibility of Crespi's par-
ticipation i n some or all of these works, contrary to my own view.
Pierre Rosenberg ("La Femme la puce de G. M. Crespi," La revue du
Louvre, 1971, p. 14, n. 3) has wri tten that the version i n the Musee des
ne nimselt contriD ute two aitarpieces to tne same Luccnese cnurcn at
this very time (see Merri man [supra, note 3] , no. 66). As a pair,
Closer to I/JD. Zj 'anoTTi {droria amYiccaaemicr"~î;emwfnna[r>-viogiia;--
1739], vol. 2, pp. 61, 64) is quite clear on the point that Crespi's
112 Spike
Figure 1. G iuseppe Maria C respi (Italian, 16651747). The Blessed Bernard Tolomei Interceding for the Cessation of the Plague in Siena,
circa 1735. O i l on copper. H : 42. 7 cm (16
, 3
/ iO ; W : 66. 6 cm (26V4"). Mal ibu, The J . P aul G etty Museum 86. P C . 463.
Akademi e der bi ldenden Kunste, Vi enna (about whi ch I
shall have more to say) (fig. 3). Si mi larly, studio ver-
sions o f his composi t i on o f Saint France sea Romana are
kno wn (fig. 4), and one hopes that the mi ssi ng or i gi -
nalseparated fr om its pendant at an unkno wn date
wi l l come to l i ght some day.
5
Four references, dat i ng between 1739 and 1775, make
ment i on o f Crespi's pai nt i ng o f The Blessed Bernard
Tolomei. ( The Saint Francesca Romana is cited i n onl y the
t wo Bolognese publications, the 1739 and 1769 bi ogra-
phies o f Crespi wr i t t en by Gi ampi et ro Zanot t i and
Lui gi Crespi, respectively.) Fr om these contemporary
Beaux-Ar t s, Ni mes , is o nl y wo r ks ho p quali t y. Me r r i man i n di scuss-
i n g the Ni me s pai nt i ng (no. 138) notes the references by Zan o t t i and
L ui g i Cr espi t o a wo r k commi ssi oned by "t he Ol i vet an fathers i n
Florence." Regar di ng its subject, she comment s, " What pr obabl y is
represented is the b r i n g i n g o f the Euchar i st t o b o t h the plague vi c t i ms
and St. Ber nar d Tol omei , wh o is pr o mi nent l y placed at t hei r side i n a
kneel i ng posi t i on. " A di fferent v i e w is pr oposed i n the present arti cle.
5. Me r r i ma n (supra, not e 3) , no. 115, publi shes the phot ogr aph o f
an unt r aced pai nt i ng, r epor t edl y o n copper, whi c h i n her o pi n i o n is
the Saint Francesca Romana pendant ci t ed by Zano t t i . To j udge f r o m
accounts, there emerges a detailed descri pti on o f the
subject, size, and copper support o f The Blessed Bernard
Tolomei that Crespi painted for the Oli vet an abbot i n
Florence. The Getty Museum' s picture accords i n every
respect wi t h these particulars and, no less i mpor t ant for
this i denti fi cati on, exhibits the master's hand i n ful l
measure. I n r evi ewi ng the li terary evidence, however,
an i nteresti ng poi nt arises apart fr om the issue o f i dent i -
fication. The sources tend to give subtly different read-
ings o f Crespi's picture whi l e underscori ng bot h the
rari ty o f the subject and the or i gi nali t y wi t h whi ch
Crespi has i nterpreted i t .
the phot ogr aph, t hi s i dent i fi cat i on mer i t s some consi der at i on, al -
t ho ugh the pai nt i ng is apparent ly handl ed wi t h consi derably smoot her
t ouch t han that evi nced i n the Get t y Mus e um Blessed Bernard Tolomei.
A st udi o ver si on o f the Saint Francesca Romana, at t r i but ed by Me r r i -
man t o L ui g i Cr espi , appeared at Chri sti e' s, Lo n d o n , Febr uar y 20,
1986, l ot 62.
For the li fe o f Sai nt Francesca Romana, see the arti cle i n the Bibli-
otheca Sanctorum ( Rome, 1964), vo l . 5, s.v. Thi s source cites Do nat o
Cr et i ' s altarpiece, n o w i n the Santuari o del Crocefi sso dei Bi anchi i n
Lucca but pai nt ed circa 1732 for the Ol i vet an chur ch o f S. Ponzi ano i n
The Blessed Bernard Tolomei 113
Figure 2. A ttributed to the Workshop of G iuseppe
Maria C respi. Bernard Tolomei Visiting Victims
of the Plague, circa 1735. O i l on canvas. H :
44. 2 cm (17W) ; W : 67. 7 cm (26
5
/s"). N imes,
Musee des B eaux-A rts. P hoto: C ourtesy Mu -
sees dA rt et d'H istoire de N imes.
The most authoritative account o f Crespi's life and
career is that published i n 1739 by Gi ampi et ro Zanot t i , a
painter and the perennial secretary o f the Accademia
Clement i na i n Bologna. A li felong fri end o f Crespi,
Zanot t i was able to draw upon the artist's active assis-
tance i n compi l i ng his biography. Zanot t i was the first
wr i t er to refer to a small pai nt i ng o f the Blessed Ber-
nard Tolomei , whi ch he specifies as a recent wor k. The
date o f the picture can be fixed between 1732 and 1736
since i t is si mi lar ly cited as a recent wo r k i n a late draft
o f ânb t t i ' s manuscript, whi ch was completed some-
t i me between those years.
6
Zanot t i provides careful de-
scriptions o f the unusual subjects o f The Blessed Bernard
Tolomei and of Saint Francesca Romana.
H e recently painted a small picture wit h many figures:
it is the liberation of S iena from the plague through
the intercession of the B lessed B ernard Tolomei; then
[he made] another work as a companion to this one,
in which there is S aint Francesca R omana who at
the same ci ty, as the o nl y k n o wn represent at i on o f Saint Francesca
Romana Placing the Infant Christ in the Arms of Her Confessor. Crespi ' s
subsequent t r eat ment o f thi s rare subject is not f o r mal l y i ndebt ed t o
Cret i ' s, but Cr espi undoubt edl y kn e w his colleague's pai nt i ng, since
he hi ms e l f cont r i but ed t wo altarpieces t o the same Lucchese chur ch at
thi s ver y t i me (see Me r r i ma n [ supra, not e 3] , no. 66) . As a pair,
Crespi ' s Saint Francesca Romana and Blessed Bernard Tolomei r ep-
resent i conogr aphi c solut i ons t hat wer e essenti ally unprecedent ed,
and the choi ce pr esumabl y reflected the interests o f his pat r on,
the Ab b o t Cor si .
Figure 3. A ttributed to the Workshop of G iuseppe Maria
C respi. Bernard Tolomei Visiting Victims of the
Plague, circa 1735. O i l on canvas. H : 77.5 cm
(30V
2
"); W : 96.5 cm ( 37
1 5
/ i
6
") . Vienna, G emal -
degalerie der A kademie der bildenden Kiinste.
Inv. N r. 1375. P hoto: C ourtesy A kademie der
bildenden kiinste, Vienna.
Figure 4. A ttributed to G iuseppe Maria C respi (Italian,
16651747). Saint Francesca Romana Placing the
Infant Christ in the Arms of Her Confessor, circa
1735. O i l on copper. P resent location un-
known. P hoto: C ourtesy Mira P ajesMerriman.
6. Thi s i nf o r mat i o n was k i n d l y pr ovi ded me by Professor Me r r i -
man. Ab o ut Zanot t i ' s late draft for his Storia delVAccademia Clemen-
tina ( Bol ogna, Bi bl i ot eca Co munal e MS . B 285) , Me r r i man (supra,
not e 3) , p. 255, has wr i t t en , " [ I t ] is dated after 1732 and is pr obabl y
closer t o 1735." Zan o t t i (Storia delVAccademia Clementina [ Bol ogna,
1739] , vo l . 2, pp. 61, 64) is qui t e clear o n the po i nt that Crespi ' s
commi ssi ons for the Ol i vet ans i n Florence postdate his wo r ks for
the Ol i vet an chur ch i n Lucca, whi c h can be dated f r o m 1732 or
shor t l y thereafter.
114 Spike
nighttime places the infant Jesus in the arms of her
confessor. These two pictures were commissioned by
the Olivetan fathers in Florence, to whom they were
greatly pleasing.
7
Thi r t y years later, Crespi's son and pupi l Lui gi un-
dert ook to expand upon Zanotti ' s biography. Al t hough
Lui gi Crespi (17081779) was less i nfor med on his
father's early career, i t is wo r t h bearing i n mi n d that
he and his brothers, Ferdinando (b. 1709) and Ant oni o
(b. 1712), were his father's pri nci pal assistants dur i ng
the 1730s, the t i me that this commi ssi on was executed.
Presumably some o f the studio versions o f these t wo
Oli vet an subjects were painted by one or other o f
Crespi's three sons. Lui gi Crespi had no dispute wi t h
Zanotti ' s descriptions o f these t wo pai nti ngs, saying
only: "The Padre Abate Corsi , Oli vet an i n Florence,
owned t wo small pictures [quadretti] by hi m. "
8
As scant
as this notice seems, i t helps to clarify the circumstances
o f the commi ssi on and its subsequent history. Lui gi
Crespi i nforms us that the assignment for these pai nt-
ings o f the Blessed Bernard Tolomei and o f Saint
Francesca Romana was not received fr om an Oli vet an
church or monastery, as one mi ght have construed fr om
Zanot t i , but rather fr om an Oli vet an abbot o f the noble
Cor si fami l y o f Florence. Indeed, the i nt i mat e scale o f
these pictures, thei r hori zont al format, and thei r execu-
t i on on copper suggest that these wor ks were i ntended
for private cont emplat i on and not for publi c display.
Lui gi Crespi was evi dently aware, moreover, that by
1769 the wor ks were no longer i n the possession o f the
Abate Corsi .
Lui gi Crespi's accuracy on these poi nts can be ver-
i fi ed fr om t wo Florenti ne sources. I n 1767, t wo years
before the publi cati on o f Crespi's biography, a quadretto
by Crespi ( "lo Spagnolo di Bologna") representing The
Blessed Bernard Tolomei Assisting the Victims of the Plague
was one o f fi ft y-ni ne pai nti ngs and sculptures that the
Marchese Gi no Capponi lent fr om his private collecti on
to a publi c exhi bi t i on organized i n the cloister o f SS.
Annunzi at a i n Florence.
9
That the Crespi lent by the
Marchese Capponi was the same as that executed some
t hi r t y years before for the Abbot Corsi is confi rmed i n
the last kno wn reference to this Blessed Bernard Tolomei.
Thi s is a helpful footnote inserted i n the otherwi se sec-
ondhand bi ography o f Crespi i ncluded i n a Florentine
di cti onary o f painters, Serie degli uomini i piu illustri nella
7. Zan o t t i (supra, not e 6) , vol . 2, p. 64.
8. L ui g i Cr espi , Vite de' pittori bolognesi non descritte nella Felsina
pittrice ( Rome, 1769), p. 216.
9. F. Bo r r o n i Salvadori , " Le esposi zi oni d' arte a Fi renze dal 1674 al
1767," Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz 18 (1974),
pp. 78, 141.
pittura, scultura, e architettura..., completed i n 1775. Thi s
reference supplies all the mi ssi ng connectives i n the
provenance and is the onl y early source that specifies the
copper support o f the pai nt i ng and its size (a braccio, or
arm length, r oughly t wo feet long) . It also provides st i l l
a t hi r d suggestion for the painting' s subject matter.
N ot of less excellence than every one of his perfect
works was a painting on copper of about a braccio in
breadth, that he made for a Padre Olivetan A bbot, rep-
resenting the Blessed Bernard Tolomei administering
the Eucharist to the plague stricken. This beautiful
work of his can be seen at present in Florence in the
palace of Marchese Capponi on the via Larga.
10
Three o f the four early sources give a ti tle for Crespi's
picture describing Bernard Tolomei among the vi ct i ms
o f the plague but cannot quite agree as to the event that
is actually depicted. The pr i mar y source, o f course, is
the pai nt i ng itself. The central action is the confronta-
t i on between a procession that enters fr om the left o f
the picture and, at ri ght, t wo monks i n whi t e Oli vet an
habits who are seen i n the mi dst o f a cr owd o f gri ev-
i ng, dyi ng people. At center, i n the distance, an angel
is seen ascending to Heaven. The procession is led
by an acolyte who carries a bell and a l ong candle. He
is followed by a man who has wrapped his cloak
around himself, coveri ng his arms. Behi nd this figure,
a r ound canopy is held aloft. Thi s canopy has the ap-
pearance o f a baldachin, whi ch mi ght have been used to
cover the Host or perhaps a sacred relic i n an open-air
procession. It is notable, t hough, that Crespi has not
i ncluded i n his picture any image o f a monstrance con-
t ai ni ng the Host, but the question remains open as to
whether such is carried by the man whose hands are
hi dden by his cloak.
One o f the t wo Olivetans kneels i n prayer before this
solemn procession; the more pr omi nent monk is Ber-
nard Tolomei , who holds one o f his attributes, a cr u-
ci fi x,
1 1
i n his ri ght hand, and gestures t oward the popu-
lace wi t h his left. Cont r ar y to the report o f 1775, the
pai nt i ng clearly does not represent the Oli vet an abbot
admi ni st eri ng Co mmun i o n to the plague stricken. That
Bernard Tolomei is "assisting" the people o f Siena (as
described i n the 1767 Capponi exhi bi t i on catalogue) is
undeniable, but this is too general a descri pti on for the
event represented i n Crespi's pai nti ng.
The r emai ni ng possibility, whi ch was ori gi nally sug-
10. " N o n di mi n o r eccellenza ri esci di qual unque pi u perfetta sua
un quadr o i n rame di larghezza circa un bracci o, che egli fece per un P.
Abat e Ol i vet ano, rappresentante i l Beat o Ber nar do Tol omei , che c o m-
uni ca gl i appestati. Quest o suo bel lavor o vedesi al presente i n Fi renze
nel palazzo del Marchese Cappo ni di vi a Larga." Thi s passage is
quot ed f r o m the Serie degli uomini i piu illustri nella pittura, scultura, e
The Blessed Bernard Tolomei 115
Figure 5. Domeni co Mar i a Canut i (16261684). Bernard
Tolomei Assisting the Plague Stricken, circa
1660s. O i l on canvas. H: 266 c m ( 1047/ ) ; W:
174 c m ( 68
1
/ / ) . Padua, Museo Ci vi co. Phot o:
Cour t esy Museo Ci vi co, Padua.
gested by Zanot t i , is that Crespi has portrayed the
Blessed Bernard Tolomei i n the act o f i ntercedi ng for
the cessation o f the plague. A pr el i mi nar y search, by no
means exhaustive, has failed to uncover any other pai nt-
ings o f this subject. One should note at this j unct ur e
that the i conography o f Bernard Tolomei is not exten-
sive, appearing almost exclusively i n altarpieces and
decorations executed for Oli vet an churches and i nst i t u-
tions. It is o f course consistent wi t h this pattern o f pa-
tronage that the Get t y Museum pai nt i ng was commi s-
sioned by an Oli vet an abbot, and i t is not surpri si ng
that early commentators were unsure o f Crespi's exact
subject. I n the 1660s Domeni co Mari a Canuti (16261684),
architettura... (Florence, 1775), vol. 12, p. 143, n. 1.
11. Domenico Maria Canuti portrayed hi m wi t h a crucifix i n an
altarpiece, The Blessed Bernard Tolomei in Prayer, of the 1670s for
the Roman church of S. Francesca Romana. In Crespi's picture, the
ladder seen against the city wall i n the distance is another attribute
of Bernard Tolomei, alluding to the abbot's famous vision of
Figure 6. Car l o Ci gnani (Itali an, 16281719). Pope Saint
Gregory the Great Interceding for the Cessa-
tion of the Plague in Rome, circa 1660s. Fresco.
Bologna, monast ery o f S. Mi chel e i n Bosco.
Phot o: Court esy Mi ni st er o per i Beni Cul -
t ur al i e Amb i ent al i di Bologna.
who was Crespi's master t went y years later, pai nted a
large altarpiece o f Bernard Tolomei br i ngi ng some sup-
plies to the plague stricken ( i n other words, "assisting"
them) for an Oli vet an church i n Padua, but Canuti's
interpretation was entirely different fr om that i n Crespi's
li t t le picture (fig. 5) .
1 2
I believe that Zanotti ' s i nterpretati on o f Crespi's pi c-
ture was correct, and that I have located the source for
Crespi's i magery i n a wo r k wel l kn o wn to h i m and,
indeed, very close to home. I refer to one o f the cele-
brated medallions that Carlo Ci gnani pai nted i n fresco
dur i ng the 1660s i n the Oli vet an monastery o f S.
Mi chele i n Bosco, Bologna.
1 3
The leading painter i n
Olivetan monks ascending a ladder to heaven.
12. See R. Roli, Pittura bolognese 1650-1800: Dal Cignani ai Gandolfi
(Bologna, 1977), s.v. "Canuti."
13. For photographs of all four frescoes, see C. C. Malvasia, Le
pitture di Bologna (1686), reprint, ed. A. Emi li ani (Bologna, 1969), figs.
327/11. For Cignani, see Roli (supra, note 12), s.v.
116 Spike
Bologna dur i ng the latter hal f o f the century, Ci gnani
(16281719) was called upon to pai nt four apparitions o f
the Archangel Mi chael i n circular composi ti ons sur-
rounded by elaborate cartouches. One o f these frescoes
depicts Bernard Tolomei's famous vi si on o f the Ar c h-
angel Mi chael, but this subject was not perti nent to
Crespi's plague scene. Di r ect l y to the poi nt , however,
was Cignani' s fresco o f Pope Saint Gregory the Great In-
terceding for the Cessation of the Plague in Rome (fig. 6).
Thi s composi t i on contains, i n mi r r o r image, the essen-
t i al elements o f Crespi's picture. The foreground is
fi lled wi t h plague vi ct i ms; at left, Pope Gregory (circa
540604) addresses a taper-bearing procession o f peni -
tents, whi c h enters fr om the ri ght -hand side. I n the
center, the Archangel Mi chael, the object o f Gregory's
intercession, replaces his retri buti ve sword o f pestilence
and ascends to Heaven, his deadly wo r k completed.
Since i t is kn o wn that Gregory the Great tirelessly
organized peni tenti al processions as part o f his efforts to
relieve a si xt h-cent ury plague i n Rome,
1 4
we can assume
that this is the ki nd o f procession that Ci gnani and
Crespi, fol l owi ng the former's example seventy years
later, have represented. I n the studio version o f Crespi's
composi t i on i n Vi enna (fig. 3), the bel l -t ol l i ng acolyte
is replaced by a fearsome skeletonan emblem o f death
that could not seemingly be substituted i n a procession
i f its purpose were to br i ng the Eucharist to the plague
stricken.
A correlati on to the i conography o f Saint Charles
Bor r omeo is perhaps i llustrati ve here. Fol l owi ng his
canoni zati on i n 1610, the role o f Saint Charles Bor -
romeo as intercessor for the reli ef o f the plague o f
15751576 very soon came to the fore o f his devoti onal
iconography. I n an altarpiece o f circa 1615 (Verona, S.
Carlo) , Pietro Bernardi represented the saint di rect i ng
his prayers to an angel who holds out a skull, emblem
o f the plague's devastation.
Crespi's pai nt i ng o f the Blessed Bernard Tolomei
thus i nt roduced a novel theme i nt o the i conography o f
the Blessed Bernard Tolomei , that o f di vi ne intercessor.
At the center o f Crespi's composi t i on, the Archangel
departs, si gnali ng that t hr ough Bernard Tolomei's i nt er-
vent i on, the plague wi l l now recede. Thus, Crespi (and
presumably the Abbot Corsi , his patron) has deli ber-
ately dr awn a parallel to one o f the most saintly actions
o f Saint Charles Borromeo, who exposed hi msel f t o
terrible dangers dur i ng the plague o f 15751576.
Crespi's i nt erpret at i on thereby constitutes an emphatic
clai m for the sanctity o f the Oli vet an founder, whose
candidacy for canoni zati on was debated at various ti mes
dur i ng the mi d-ei ght eent h century.
Ne w Yor k
14. J. N. D. Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes (Oxford, 1986),
p. 66.
A Roman Masterpiece by Hubert Robert: A Hermit
Praying in the Ruins of a Roman Temple
Victor Carlson
The J. Paul Get t y Museum has recently acquired a
masterful pai nt i ng by Huber t Robert (17331808),
whi ch constitutes a significant addi t i on to the Mu -
seum's gr owi ng collecti on o f wor ks o f art fr om the lat-
ter hal f o f the eighteenth century (fig. 1). The canvas is a
fully characteristic example o f Robert's fascination wi t h
the ruins o f ancient Romea subject matter that has
always been synonymous wi t h the artist's reputati on.
The Museum' s oi l shows a her mi t at prayer i n the ruins
o f a Roman temple, kneeli ng at the foot o f a stone altar
upon whi ch are placed a cruci fi x, books, an open Bi ble,
an hourglass, a skull, and a rosary. Absorbed i n his
devotions, he is obli vi ous to three young girls enteri ng
the temple at the far ri ght. One o f t hem is about to
make o f f wi t h some flowers fr om a vase that is placed
on a fragment o f antique sculpture used as an altar.
Above this i mpr ovi sed altar hangs a picture o f the
Madonna and Chi l d. I n the mi dgr ound a four t h gi r l on
a ladder leans over a l o w wal l and, usi ng a l ong reed,
attempts to distract the her mi t fr om his prayers and
alert h i m to the t r i o stealing the floral offeri ng. The
loft y barrel vault o f the abandoned temple wher ei n
these actions occur spans a very deep space. Double
rows o f columns wi t h Cor i nt hi an capitals support the
vault, but the monument' s neglected condi t i on belies its
ori gi nal grandeur and i mportance.
1
Robert disposed his l i ght i ng effects wi t h unac-
customed thoughtfulness to enhance the i mpact o f this
scene. A shaft o f sunli ght penetrates the d i m i nt eri or o f
the temple, streami ng t hr ough the columns and the
open door at the r i ght to i l l umi nat e the figure o f the
kneeli ng her mi t ; at the same t i me, a small oi l lamp
1. Oi l on canvas. H: 58 cm (22
1 3
/i
6
"); W: 70.5 cm (27
3
A"). Signed:
ROBERT'/FECIT7FIO...NT'/PORT...176-. Mali bu, TheJ. Paul Getty
Museum 86. PA.605.
P R O VEN A N C E: Louis Francois de Bourbon, prince de Conti , 1777 (sale,
Paris, Apr i l 8June 6, 1777, lot 752); Desmarets; Prince Pyotr
Ivanovitch Tufialkin, Paris, 1845 (sale, Paris, May 23, 1845, lot 65);
private collection, Paris, 1892 (sale, Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris, March
25, 1892, lot 53); Georges Berger, Paris; Georges Wildenstein, Paris,
by 1933.
EXH IB ITIO N S : Exposition Hubert Robert, Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris,
bur ni ng i n front o f the i mage o f the Vi r g i n directs at-
t ent i on to the i mpendi ng theft. Behi nd the fragment o f
stone wal l i n the mi dgr ound, a faint i l l umi nat i on sug-
gests l i ght comi ng t hr ough the far end o f the temple,
rei nforci ng the i mpressi on o f the monument' s vast and
loft y dimensions. To convey these l i ght i ng effects i n a
convi nci ng manner, Robert wor ked wi t h a fluid, rapid
application o f paint, creating a ri ch and li vely pi ctori al
surface executed wi t h consummate assurance. A variety
o f brushstrokes and densities o f pai nt define the gamut
o f atmospheric effects, fr om the dusky recesses o f the
temple to the br i ght l y l i t sky outside. Hi ghl i ght s were
added wi t h flicks or t i ny dabs o f the brush produci ng
the sci nt i llat i ng play o f l i ght over forms, whi ch is one
o f the work' s most attractive features.
On one level Robert painted a charmi ng, i f somewhat
frivolous, drama i n whi ch the i ntensi ty o f the hermit' s
religious absorpti on is contrasted wi t h the vi ol at i on o f
his sanctuary by the young girls at t empt i ng to steal the
Vi rgi n' s floral tri bute. To the eighteenth-century viewer,
however, the dilapidated condi t i on o f the temple surely
wo ul d have conveyed a mor ali zi ng lesson as wel l , re-
calli ng the transience o f the power and vani ty that or i g-
i nally caused such an i mposi ng structure to be bui lt .
Thi s i nterpretati on is reinforced by the hourglass and
skull on the altar, conventi onal allusions to the t em-
porali t y o f man and his endeavors. To understand more
ful l y the significance o f Robert's wor k, the pai nt i ng
must be placed i n the larger context o f his art and his
cont r i but i on to the development o f French pai nt i ng
dur i ng the latter hal f o f the eighteenth century.
Because the figures i n Robert's canvas act out a dra-
1933, no. 2 (catalogue by C. Sterling).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : Pierre de Nolhac, Hubert Robert 1733-1808 (Paris, 1910),
p. 98; G. Isarlo, "Hubert Robert," Connaissance des arts, no. 18 (August
15, 1953), p. 28; H. Burda, Die Ruine in den Bildern Hubert Roberts
(Munich, 1967), p. 80, n. 359, fig. 94; M. Beau, La collection des dessins
d'Hubert Robert au Musee de Valence (Lyons, 1968), no. 76, n.p.; Andre
Corboz, Peinture militante et architecture revolutionnaire: A propos du
theme du tunnel chez Hubert Robert (Basel and Stuttgart, 1978), p. 16,
fig. 13; J. de Cayeux [ Cailleux] , Les Hubert Robert de la collection
Veyrenc au Musee de Valence (Valence, 1985), no. 44, p. 186.
118 Carlson
Figure 1. Huber t Robert (French, 17331808). A Hermit Praying in the Ruins of a Roman Temple, circa 1760. O i l o n canvas. H:
58 c m ( 22
3
/ / ) ; W: 70.5 c m ( 27
3
/
4
") . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 86.PA.605.
mati c si tuati on, i t is t empt i ng to l ook for a li terary
source to explai n thei r actions. Al t ho ugh i t has not been
possible t o determi ne that the artist i ntended to i l l us-
trate the wo r k o f a specific author, the si tuati on repre-
sented recalls i n a general way the Contes et nouvelles en
vers (16641674) o f Jean de La Fontaine, whose stories
often i nvolved the clergy i n ri di culous or salacious
situations. The Contes et nouvelles en vers were st i l l
frequently read at this t i me, as evidenced by the numer -
ous re-editions that appeared dur i ng the mi ddl e o f the
2. See the artist's Frere Luce, 1742 (Moscow, Pushkin Museum
2765); The Metropolitan Museum of Ar t , New York, The Detroit
Institute of Arts, and Reunion des Musees Nationaux, Paris, Frangois
Boucher, 1703-1770, ex. cat. (New York, 1986), no. 45, i l l .
3. The figures of the Getty painting occur i n other canvases or
drawings by or attributed to Robert; all works cited are vertical i n
format. The five personages are found i n a pen and watercolor draw-
eighteenth century. O n occasion these stories di d
provi de subject matter for pai nti ngs by artists such as
Francois Boucher.
2
Whet her or not Robert based the Get t y pai nt i ng on a
specific li terary wor k, he arranged the figures to create
an allegory contrasti ng vi r t ue wi t h vice or dut y wi t h
pleasure, a moral theme that recurs i n each o f the artists
variants o f this composi t i on. Robert's li ghthearted treat-
ment o f the scene is not necessarily a reflection o f his
lack o f reli gi ous faith; our knowledge o f the painter's
ing, done over a highly finished chalk drawing, recently on the Paris
art market. The watercolor is probably a later addition, just as the
very mechanical, uninflected chalk study suggests that the entire work
is likely a copy by another hand ( H: 41 cm [ 16
3
/ i 6 "] ; W: 30 cm [ U
1 3
/ i 6 " ] ;
sale, Nouveau Drouot, Paris, June 18, 1986, lot 221, i l l . ) . Closely
related to this drawing is another watercolor of identical composition,
but i n reverse and of larger dimensions, dated 1786 ( H: 53 cm [20
7
/s"];
A Roman Masterpiece 119
Figure 2. Huber t Robert (French, 1733-1808). The Her-
mit in the Colosseum, 1790. O i l on canvas. H: 57
c m ( 22
7
/ i 6" ) ; W: 49 c m ( 19
1
/ / ) . For mer l y
Lucerne, Galerie Fischer; present l ocat i on
unkno wn.
private thoughts is t oo slight to support such an as-
sumpt i on. I n this connecti on, i t may be noted,
however, that the gl owi ng reports to Paris o f Robert's
progress as a student i n Romewhere the Get t y canvas
was pai nt edwoul d surely have been modi fi ed had he
been derelict i n observi ng religious obligations. Such
infractions were considered serious matters, whi ch
could compromi se a student's standing at the academy;
on the other hand, the mere observance o f such forms
cannot be considered evidence o f personal beliefs.
There are no preparatory drawi ngs kno wn for the
Get t y pai nt i ng. It is very probable, however, that the
artist had studies for the figures at hand, as they are
painted wi t h an uncharacteristic attenti on to detail and
gesture. Robert was never a confident figure draughts-
W: 37 cm [ 14
9
/ i 6"] ; sale Galerie Charpentier, Paris, December 2, 1958,
lot 114, illus.). This watercolor is very similar to an oi l signed and
dated 1790, the major difference being that the background of the
painting is loosely based on the interior of the Colosseum ( H: 57 cm
[ 22
7
/ i 6"] ; W: 49 cm [1974"]; sale, Galerie Fischer, Lucerne, August
1820, 1931, lot 295, i l l . ) . Another painting is known, the composi-
tion i n reverse to the 1790 version, wi t h only three figures and many
Figure 3. Huber t Robert (French, 1733-1808). The
Temptation of the Hermit, circa 1787. Oi l on
canvas. H: 59.7 c m ( 23V
2
")
;
W: 50.2 c m ( 19W) .
Present l ocat i on unkno wn. Phot o: Court esy
Fondat i on Wi l denst ei n, Paris.
man, consequently he must have studied i n advance the
most effective di sposi ti on o f the figures to relate the
dramatic i nci dent. Technical exami nat i on by the Mu -
seum's conservation staff has lent further credence to
this assumpti on by establishing that no significant
changes were made dur i ng the executi on o f the wor k.
These figures occur i n several other drawi ngs and pai nt -
ings by or attri buted to Robert and an aquatint by J. B.
Mor r et (figs. 24). Each o f the related works, however,
differs substantially fr om the present canvas either i n
the setti ng or the number o f figures employed. Chr ono-
logi cally the Get t y pai nt i ng is the earliest use o f this
subject matter, whi ch Robert referred to occasionally
unt i l 1790, the date o f the last kno wn representation.
3
The present canvas is signed and dated, although the
changes i n the background details, which are also derived from the
interior of the Colosseum (Collection of Count Leonardo Vi tetti ; see
Marguerite Beau, La collection des dessins d'Hubert Robert au Musee de
Valence [ Lyon, 1968], no. 12, fig. 12b).
Also related i n a general way to the subject of the Getty work is an
undated color aquatint by J. B. Morret (active circa 17901820), i n-
scribed Tandis que cet Hermite est en priere, deux jeunes files viennent lui
120 Carlson
Figure 4. J. B. Mo r r et (French, active circa 1790-1820).
Tandis que cet Hermite est en priere deux jeunes
filles viennent lui derober les fleurs qui sont devant
sa Madone, circa 1790. Aquat i nt . H: 36.7 c m
(147i
6
"); W: 29.8 c m ( U W) . Ne w Yor k, Paul
Mc Car r o n. Phot o: Court esy Paul Mc Car r o n.
last di gi t o f the date, 176, is now i llegi ble. Nonet he-
less, i t can be proposed that this wo r k was executed i n
Rome about 1760, by compari son to a dr awi ng i n the
Louvr e signed and dated fr om that year (fig. 5) .
4
The
Paris red chalk dr awi ng shows a group o f laundresses at
wo r k ami d the rui ns o f an antique Roman temple. The
general arrangement o f the architectural setti ng is st r i k-
i ngl y si mi lar to the Get t y canvas. Bo t h composi ti ons
are domi nat ed by a steeply raked barrel vault, supported
derober les fleurs qui sont devant sa Madone ( H: 36.7 cm [14
7
/ i6
w
] ; W: 29.8
cm [11
3
A "]; Roger Portalis and Henri Beraldi, Les Graveurs du dix-
huitieme siede [Paris, 1881], vol. 1, s.v. "Descourtis," no. 7, p. 747). The
print is based on a painting at one time wi t h Cailleux, Paris ( H: 46 cm
[18Vs"]; W: 49 cm [ l W ] ; Galerie Cailleux, Paris, Autour de neo-
classicisme, ex. cat. [Paris, 1973], no. 44, p. 45). The same gallery also
had a Robert red chalk drawing wi t h only three figures, showing two
girls making off wi t h something taken from a cupboard ( H: 27.3 cm
[10
3
//] ; W: 19.2 cm [77i6
w
]; ibid., no. 44, p. 45, i l l . ) . The figure group
i n the undated drawing occurs wi t h only mi nor changes i n a painting
The Temptation of the Hermit, circa 1787 ( H: 59.7 cm [23V/] ; W: 50. 2 cm
[1974"]; present location unknown, formerly wi t h Wildenstein, Paris).
Three other paintings are mentioned i n the literature, some of which
on either side by a l ong range o f columns. A device
placed i n the center o f the mi dgr oundt he cr umbl i ng
stone wal l behi nd the her mi t i n the Get t y pai nt i ng,
some laundry stretched out to dr y i n the dr awi ng
arrests the movement o f the viewer's eye, di rect i ng at-
t ent i on to the figure groups. At the left i n bot h works, a
col umn runs nearly the ful l hei ght o f the composi t i on.
Thi s device seems to suggest that Robert was not en-
t i r ely comfortable wi t h the hori zont al format and
needed some element to compress the space and thereby
emphasize the i mportance o f the fi gure group. De-
spite this, the figures remai n domi nat ed by the dra-
mati c architectural setti ng wi t h its exaggeratedly deep,
t unnel-li ke space. These parallels are so essential to
the organi zati on o f the pai nt i ng and the dr awi ng that
they cannot be explained satisfactorily as si mply unre-
lated coincidences.
There is no precise source for the rui ned Roman
temple seen i n the Get t y pai nt i ng. Such examples o f
i mper i al Roman architecture as were kn o wn i n the mi d -
eighteenth century could not i n themselves account for
the structure shown here. At this t i me even the most as-
siduous student o f Rome's past wo ul d have had onl y
a fragmentary sense o f ancient architectural styles and
constructi on practices. Excavations on a sufficient scale
to reveal ful l y this accompli shment were yet to be un-
dertaken, alt hough monument s such as the Colosseum
and the Pantheon were then, as they st i l l are, i mposi ng
examples o f Rome's architectural heritage. Robert's con-
temporaries often created thei r o wn evocations o f
Rome's lost grandeur, at ti mes based more on i magi na-
t i on than archaeology. For example, i t is enti rely possi-
ble that Robert knew Piranesi's 1743 engravi ng Vestibolo
d
}
antico tempio, a fanciful evocation o f an i mmense and
impressive barrel-vaulted structure wi t h an exaggerated
perspective leading the eye far back i nt o space (fig. 6) .
5
Consequently, Robert's vi si on o f i mper i al Rome as seen
i n wor ks such as the Get t y pai nt i ng is perhaps best
explained as an amalgam o f such archaeological data as
was then available, fi ltered t hr ough the i mpressi on
may be identical to the works cited above: Pierre de Nolhac, Hubert
Robert, 1733-1808 (Paris, 1910), pp. 95-96, 121; Claude Gabillot, Hubert
Robert et son temps (Paris, 1895), no. 243, p. 251.
4. Red chalk over black chalk. H: 52 cm (207/'); W: 63. 8 cm
(25Vs"). Signed: H ROBERT I/1760/D. ROMAE. Paris, Musee du
Louvre, Cabinet des Dessins R.F. 14791; see Marie-Catherine Sahut,
Les dossiers du Departement des Peintures: Le Louvre d'Hubert Robert, ex.
cat. (Musee du Louvre, Paris, 1979), p. 23, fig. 48.
5. Andrew Robison, Piranesi, Early Architectural Fantasies: A Cata-
logue Raisonne of the Etchings (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of
Ar t and Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press,
1986), no. 11, i l l .
Figure 6. Gi ambat t i st a Piranesi (Itali an, 17201778). Vestibolo d'antico tempio f r o m Prima parte di
architetture..., 1743. Engr avi ng. H: 25.7 c m (107s"); W: 35.6 c m (14"). Santa Moni ca, The
Get t y Center for the Hi st or y o f Ar t and the Humani t i es, Li br ar y 401R MU Z .
Figure 5. Huber t Robert (French, 1733-1808). Galerie, 1760. Red chalk over black chalk.
H: 52 c m ( 207
2
") ; W: 63.8 c m ( 25V
8
") . Paris, Musee du Louvr e, Cabi net des
Dessins R.F. 14791.
122 Carlson
made on the artist by the i mposi ng monument s o f
Rome's more recent past.
6
Also i nfluenti al were the
who l l y fanciful conceits o f contemporary artists such as
Piranesi or Robert's compatri ots Clerisseau and Challe,
each o f wh o m used the vestiges o f Rome's i mper i al
heritage t o evoke the magnificence o f that vanished ci v-
i li zat i on, then k n o wn onl y t hr ough some scant but
power fully movi ng remains.
The decade o f the 1760s was the crucial, formati ve
phase o f the artist's early career, a peri od di vi ded be-
t ween Rome and later Paris. Li ke many French artists,
Robert received much o f his t r ai ni ng at the Academi e
de France Rome, then housed i n the Palazzo Manci ni
on the Corso rather than its present locat i on i n the Vi l l a
Medi ci . No r mal l y admi ssi on to the Academi e was l i m-
i ted to Pr i x de Rome wi nners, who before leaving for
Rome fi rst spent some t i me perfecting thei r skills at the
Ecole Royale des Eleves Proteges. I n thei r 1777 essay on
the Academie, Deni s Di der ot and Jean d' Alembert
discuss the i mportance o f study i n Rome for the
young artist.
Young Fr enchmen who i nt ended t o study the fine arts
had t o go t o Rome and r emai n there for a fai r ly l ong
t i me. Thi s is wher e the wor ks o f artists l i ke
Mi chelangelo, Vi gnol a, Domeni chi no, Raphael, and
those o f the ancient Greeks gi ve silent lessons muc h
superior to those that coul d be gi ven by our greatest
moder n masters. . . . For artists, I t aly is t r ul y a classical
wo r l d. Ever yt hi ng there attracts the painter's eye, ev-
er yt hi ng teaches hi m, ever yt hi ng arouses his at t ent i on.
Asi de f r o m moder n statues, what a great number o f
ancient ones are contai ned wi t h i n the walls o f magni fi -
cent Rome; these ancient statues by the exact pr opor -
t i o n and the elegant vari et y o f t hei r forms served as
models for the artists o f recent peri ods and must serve
as models for those o f all centuries!
7
It is possible that before leaving for Italy i n 1754
Robert had some knowledge o f and enthusiasm for the
classical past. I n France at the t i me a reaction had begun
to what some critics described as the over wr ought orna-
ment at i on and fantasy o f the rocaille. Two articles by
Charles-Nicolas Cochi n, wr i t t en 17541755, together
wi t h his descri pti on o f the Marqui s de Mari gny' s voy-
age to Italy (17491751)undertaken wi t h the author i n
attendanceare often considered t ur ni ng poi nts for the
6. The Getty's painting is reproduced by Andre Corboz i n Peinture
militante et architecture revolutionnaire: A propos du theme du tunnel chez
Hubert Robert (Basel and Stuttgart, 1978), p. 16, fig. 13. This important
study traces many parallels between the architectural backgrounds of
Robert's paintings and current advanced architectural theory and prac-
tice i n France, whi ch advocated a severe columnar architecture based
on antique prototypes for use i n public buildings. Corboz's arguments
i nt r oduct i on o f Neoclassicism as an alternative to the
Rococo style. They are not, however, the earliest ex-
pressions o f dissatisfaction wi t h current taste.
8
At Paris
the designers o f decorative arts, rather than the painters,
led the vanguard o f those i nspi red by classical sources.
Al t hough no wor ks by Robert fr om his early years o f
study i n the French capital have been i denti fi ed, i t is
conceivable that he was aware o f this opposi t i on to the
populari t y o f the Rococo; his first recorded teacher,
Rene-Mi chel Slodtz, called Mi chel -Ange Slodtz, was a
sculptor whose wor ks at times evidence a knowledge o f
classical models.
Robert's entry i nt o the Academi e de France di d not
fol l ow the usual course, as he never competed for the
Pr i x de Rome. Instead, his place at the Academi e was
secured at the request o f a collector and patron,
Etienne-Francois de Choi seul, comte de Stai nvi lle and
later the due de Choi seul. Thr ough adroi t ly applied
pressure, i n 1754 Robert was allowed to li ve at the Aca-
demie as an independent student whose expenses were
paid i ni t i al l y by Choi seul. Such ci rcumvent i ons o f nor -
mal procedure were most exceptional, and Charles
Natoi re, then director o f the school, was insistent that
the artist confor m to the same regulations and courses
o f study as the other students. Choiseul's confidence i n
his protege was confi rmed by Robert's studious be-
havior, his rapi d progress, and the impressive quali ty o f
his wor k. Thus when a place became vacant as a regular
member, or pensionnaire, at the Academie, i t was
awarded to h i m on Natoire's strong recommendati on.
The French student remained at the Palazzo Manc i ni
unt i l the end o f October 1763, when his t er m expired.
However, other means o f support enabled Robert to
stay i n Rome unt i l July 24, 1765, when he left to ret urn
to France.
9
Dur i ng these years t wo Italian artists played
domi nant roles i n the for mat i on o f Robert's style.
Amo n g fellow artists, the single most decisive contact
Robert made i n Rome was his friendship wi t h Gi ovanni
Paolo Pani ni , who gave lessons i n perspective at the
Academie. The Italian's decoratively arranged composi -
tions o f antique and moder n Roman monument s
provi ded a model that Robert adopted and modi fi ed as
his own, usi ng i t for the rest o f his life. Perhaps the
most t el l i ng evidence o f Robert's admi r at i on for his
teacher is the collecti on o f more than t went y-fi ve Pani ni
are certainly i llumi nati ng for Robert's work from the 1770s onward;
however, there is no clear evidence that as a student i n Rome the artist
was aware of such trends. I am indebted to Christopher Riopelle,
Assistant Curator of Paintings, The J. Paul Getty Museum, for bri ng-
ing the Corboz article to my attention.
7. Denis Diderot and Jean d'Alembert, Encyclopedie (Paris, 1777),
pp. 238239 (my translation).
oils that were part o f the French artist's estate. Robert
also knew Piranesi, whose pr i nt maki ng wor kshop on
the Corso was di rectly across fr om the Academie. The
i mpr i nt made on Robert by Piranesi's grandi loquent
and megalomanic visions o f Rome is more di ffi cult to
assess because Robert never wor ked i n an overtly Pi -
ranesian manner, although certain drawi ngs may wel l
owe somet hi ng to the Italian artist's wonder fully evoca-
tive and rapi dly executed i nk studies. To be sure,
Robert's contacts at Rome extended beyond these t wo
artists, but thei r example was pervasive and inescapable.
The archaeological cli mate at Rome dur i ng the 1750s
and 1760s was parti cularly st i mulat i ng, not least because
excavations undertaken at Pompei i i n 1738 and Her -
culaneum i n 1748 brought to l i ght startli ng traces o f an
unsuspected ci vi li zat i on o f great accomplishment. As
knowledge o f these discoveries spread across Europe,
Rome became more than ever an antiquarians mecca.
Amo n g the notable archaeological publications issued
dur i ng Robert's student years i n Rome was Piranesi's
Delia magnificenza ed architettura de' Romani (1762), a di a-
tribe champi oni ng the superi ori ty o f Etruscan and Ro-
man architecture over that o f Greece. Robert must have
been aware o f this treatise since he is kno wn to have
been i n contact wi t h its author at this t i me. The Ger-
man philosopher and archaeologist Johann Joachi m
Wi nckel mann was also i n Rome wr i t i n g his An-
merkungen ber die Baukunst der Alten (1762) wi t h its de-
scri pti on o f the temples at Paestum and his more fa-
mous account o f Greek art Geschichte der Kunst des
Altertums (1764). Even t hough there is no evidence that
Robert ever read the German treatises, thei r publi cat i on
signals the cli mate o f i nqui r y and speculation that was
occurri ng t hr oughout Rome.
It remains unclear to what extent the students at the
Academi e de France knew the flood o f i nternati onal
visitors to the city, although i t is hard to believe that the
sociable Frenchman wo ul d have remained aloof fr om
t hem. Cert ai nly Robert saw at first hand the recovery o f
Rome's classical past, not onl y the monument s i n the
ci ty and the surroundi ng countryside, but remains as
far afield as Naples ( wi t h side trips to Pompei i , Her -
culaneum, and Pozzuoli) and Florence; the latter voyage
was made quite l i kel y i n the company o f Piranesi.
1 0
These br i ef remarks do not fully describe the artist's
8. For a discussion of this subject, see Svend Eriksen, Early Neo-
Classicism in France (London, 1974), pp. 2951. See pp. 3436 for a
discussion of Cochin's texts.
9. For a summary of Robert's years i n Rome, see Gabillot (supra,
note 3), pp. 7091, and Victor Carlson, Hubert Robert: Drawings and
Watercolors, ex. cat. (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art ,
1978), pp. 20-21.
kno wn activities and contacts among the antiquarians at
Rome, but they do serve to indicate some o f the attrac-
tions that i mpel l ed h i m to remai n there after his t er m at
the Academi e expired.
Wi t hi n a year after his arrival i n Paris, Robert was
received as a member o f the Academi e Royale de Pei n-
ture et de Sculpture on July 26, 1766. Hi s reception
piece, an i magi nar y vi ew o f the Porto di Ripetta at
Rome, was war ml y praised by Di der ot when i t was
exhi bi ted at the Paris salon the fol l owi ng year (although
not wi t hout some reservations, parti cularly concerni ng
the artist's figures). Not wi t hst andi ng these mi nor cav-
ils, Robert's pai nt i ng i nspi red Diderot' s often cited anal-
ysis o f his o wn fascination wi t h ruins, an enthusiastic
out pour i ng that vi vi dl y captures the period's deli ght i n
this subject matter.
The ideas aroused wi t hi n me by rui ns are lofty. Ever y-
t hi ng vanishes, ever yt hi ng perishes, ever yt hi ng passes
away, the wo r l d alone remains, t i me alone continues.
Ho w ol d this wo r l d is! I wal k between t wo eternities.
Wherever I t ur n my eyes, the objects that sur r ound me
foretell an end and help me resign mysel f t o the one
that awaits me. What is my ephemeral existence c o m-
pared t o that o f this r ock er odi ng away, o f this vale
gr o wi ng deeper, o f this forest staggeri ng wi t h age, o f
these masses hangi ng above my head and shaking? I see
the marble o f t ombs cr umbl i ng i nt o dust, and I do not
want to die! An d I am reluctant t o give a mere tissue o f
fibres and flesh t o a general law that affects even bronze!
A t orrent sweeps nati ons pel l -mel l d o wn i nt o the same
abyss, and I , I alone cl ai m t o be able t o stop on the edge
and t o wi t hst and the current gushi ng by me!
1 1
The generally favorable support o f this most i nfluenti al
critic effectively set the stage for Robert's succeeding
decades o f success and favorable acclaim, even i f fr om
t i me to t i me Di der ot was sharply critical o f the artist's
tendency to be overly facile and careless i n the execu-
t i on o f his paintings.
When Robert left Rome i n 1765, he was i n ful l com-
mand o f a subject matter and style that he wo ul d use
wi t hout radical modi fi cat i on for the remainder o f his
career. The attraction o f his vi ews o f Rome's past was
never dr yl y archaeological; Di der ot noted this i n his
revi ew o f the Paris Salon o f 1767, praising the verve and
spi ri t wi t h whi ch the artist painted or drew his scenes
10. Vi lla Medici Rome, Palais des Etats de Bourgogne Di jon, and
Hotel de Sully Paris, Piranese et les Francais (Rome, 1976), p. 305.
11. Denis Diderot, "Le Salon de 1767," i n Diderot: Salons, ed. Jean
Seznec and Jean Adhemar (Oxford, 1975), vol. 3, pp. 228229 (my
translation).
124 Carlson
o f Roman ruins, qualities that the cri ti c admi red be-
cause they left r o o m for the play o f the viewer's i mag-
i nat i on. The grandeur and magnificence o f the artist's
concepti on o f rui ns (to bor r ow Di derot' s adjectives),
expressed t hr ough a vi vi d and assured technique, were
for the cri ti c parti cularly appealing facets o f the artist's
genius. These are precisely the outstandi ng charac-
teristics o f the Get t y pai nt i ng, whi ch Di der ot surely
wo ul d have described as one o f Robert's most attrac-
tive canvases.
Los Angeles Count y Museum o f Ar t
What the Greeks were, was a reality, not a promi se.
Shelley
True Illusions: Early Photographs of Athens
Andrew Szegedy-Maszak
One o f the most i mpor t ant features o f the i ntellectual
life o f the mi d-ni net eent h century was an upsurge o f
interest i n ancient Greece. Al t hough there have recently
been t wo very good books on the influence o f Greek
culture on Vi ct or i an li fe,
1
neither o f t hem so much as
menti ons photography, and this omi ssi on i nspi red the
present essay. The ti tle originates i n a revi ew by
Wi l l i am Hazl i t t o f some watercolors by Hug h Wi l l i am
"Greci an" Wi l l i ams: "Some splenetic travellers have
pretended that At t i ca was dry, flat and barren. But i t is
not so i n Mr . Wi lli ams' s authentic draughts . . . and we
thank h i m for restori ng to us our old, and as i t appears,
true i llusi ons."
2
The phrase "t rue i llusi ons" could serve
as a capsule descri pti on o f the whole o f photography,
and i t is parti cularly apt when we come to consider
early photographs o f Greek antiquities. Athens provides
an excellent case study; i t has a relatively small number
o f i mpor t ant monuments, wi t h the Acropoli s obvi ously
pr i me among t hem, yet the photographers who wor ked
there br ought to t hei r vi ews diverse themes, ap-
proaches, and interpretations.
Extensive traditions, bot h pi ctori al and literary, un-
derlay the ni neteenth-century photographs o f classical
sites. Thi s essay wi l l first examine the cultural context
for the photographi c enterprise: what di d the people o f
the t i me want to see i n thei r images o f the ancient
world? The last part o f the essay wi l l concentrate on
t wo artists who are parti cularly wel l represented i n the
This article was begun i n the summer of 1985 during my tenure as
guest scholar i n the Department of Photographs o f the J. Paul Getty
Museum. I owe a great debt of gratitude to Weston J. Naef and the
other members of the department, as well as to the staff of the Getty's
Department of Education and Academic Affairs, Photo Archive, Ar -
chives of the History of Ar t , and Library. My thanks also to Mar-
guerite Waller and Ben Lifson for invaluable editorial advice.
1. Richard Jenkyns, The Victorians and Ancient Greece (Cambridge,
Mass., 1980); Frank Turner, The Greek Heritage in Victorian Britain
(New Haven, 1981).
2. W. Hazlitt, Essays on the Fine Arts (London, 1873), p. 144.
3. Felix Bonfils published two albums, five years apart, that i n-
cluded views of Athens. Architecture Antique (Paris, 1872) contains
eight photographs of Athens, and Souvenirs d'OrientAlbum pitto-
resque des Sites, Villes et Ruines les plus remarquables de la Terre
Sainte (Alais, 1877) has ten. Each set also includes pictures made i n the
Near East and Turkey. Souvenirs d'Orient was republished i n 1878 i n a
smallerhence presumably cheaperedition; i n this latter version,
Getty's ri ch assortment o f ni neteenth-century vi ews o f
Greek antiquities: the French-born commerci al pho-
tographer Feli x Bonfi l s
3
and the Amer i can di plomat,
author, and photographer Wi l l i am James St i l l man.
4
Bo t h men were phot ographi ng i n Athens i n the late
1860s and early 1870s, yet even a cursory glance at thei r
respective treatments o f the same subject (e.g., the Par-
thenon, figs. 4, 13) reveals how different thei r ap-
proaches could be. I n brief, Bonfi ls was an accom-
plished commerci al photographer, who made beautiful,
i f conventi onal, images to satisfy a broad audience.
St i l l man was an i nspi red amateur wi t h a complex pr i -
vate vi si on o f the Greeks and thei r relationship to his
o wn times. The wo r k o f these t wo men illustrates the
extraordi nary range o f true illusions made available by
the photographers to thei r audience.
Despite the precision o f renderings made by artists
li ke Jacques Carrey i n 1674
5
and James "At heni an"
Stuart and Ni cholas Revett (whose first volume o f
drawi ngs was published i n 1762),
6
most o f the pre-Vi c-
tori an drawi ngs and pai nti ngs o f At heni an sites were
distorted by li terary concerns. As Fani -Mari a Tsi gakou
has noted, "Characteristically, wr i t t en descriptions
often seem to have been more accurate than pi ctori al
representations . . . i t was the formali zed, li terary past,
not the present, that was the attraction o f Greece."
7
oddly enough, Bonfils adds two pictures of Constantinople and labels
them as belonging to "Grece."
4. Wi lli am James Stillman, The Acropolis of Athens: Illustrated Pic-
turesquely and Architecturally in Photography (London, 1870), wi t h one
small photograph on the title page and twenty-five full-size plates.
5. Carrey traveled to Athens wi t h the French ambassador to the
Turkish court and produced a set of drawings, now i n the Bi bli o-
theque Nationale, Paris. They are the best documentation of the
Parthenon before 1687, when it was being used as a powder magazine
and suffered a direct hit from a Venetian shell.
6. Stuart and Revett's travels and the publication of their Antiq-
uities of Athens, Measured and Delineated were sponsored by the Society
of Dilettanti, a group of British artistocrats dedicated to the study of
classical culture. See Jenkyns (supra, note 1), pp. 112, also James
Osborn, "Travel Literature and the Rise of Neo-Hellenism i n En-
gland," Bulletin of the New York Public Library 67 (1963), pp. 279-300.
7. Fani-Maria Tsigakou, The Rediscovery of Greece (New Rochelle,
N Y , 1981), pp. 26, 28-29.
126 Szegedy-Maszak
Painters also loved to exploi t whatever exotica they
could fi nd or confect. James Stuart produced a portrai t
o f hi mself, clad i n turban and robes, sketching the
Erechthei on, i n front o f whi ch passes a small procession
consisting o f a Turki sh pasha, his son-in-law, the son-
in-law' s small daughter, and the girl's black slave.
8
Ot her painters and draughtsmen often enlivened thei r
depictions wi t h si mi lar i magi nat i ve additions. Wi t h the
i nvent i on o f photography, however, the visual record
acquired a new pri macy, and a new set o f standards
developed for document ary precision.
Where we have evidence for a photographer's i nt en-
t i on, we generally find that he clai med accuracy as his
chi ef cont r i but i on. Indeed, on January 7, 1839, when
Francois Ar ago announced the i nvent i on o f phot ogra-
phy i n the Academi e des Sciences i n Paris, he said that
one o f its most pr omi si ng applications was the precise
copyi ng o f antiquities, specifically the hi eroglyphi cs
o f Egypt .
9
It was t hought that photography could re-
mai n unaffected by the prejudices and preferences o f
the artist. Wi l l i am Henr y Fox Talbot, the i nvent or o f
the paper negative process, wr ot e o f the camera that
"the i nst rument chronicles whatever i t sees, and cer-
t ai nly wo ul d delineate a chi mney-pot or a chi mney-
sweeper wi t h the same i mpar t i al i t y as i t wo ul d the
Apol l o o f Belvedere."
1 0
Thi r t y years later, when Wi l -
l i am James St i l l man composed the i nt r oduct or y note to
his album, li t t le had changed. St i l l man states that his
vi ews "have been left . . . untouched . . . so that not h-
i ng should di mi ni sh thei r accuracy."
1 1
On l y relatively recently have we come to admi t that
photography is cont rolled by pi ctori al conventions li ke
any other visual medi um;
1 2
for most ni neteenth-century
viewers the phot ograph was conceived o f as a trans-
parent wi n d o w ont o an objective reality. Al t hough the
camera, t o use Talbot's wor d, was i mpar t i al, the pho-
8. Ibid., p. 32, fig. I I .
9. See Aaron Scharf, Art and Photography (New York, 1974), pp.
2526; see also Louis Vaczek and Gail Buckland, Travelers in Ancient
Lands: A Portrait of the Middle East 1839-1919 (Boston, 1981), p. 34, and
more generally on photography and archaeology i n the Mi ddle East,
pp. 7677. The French calotypist Eugene Piot is credited wi t h being
the first actually to use photography to provide precise documenta-
ti on of antiquities; he worked i n Italy i n the late 1840s (publishing a
selection entitled Lltalie Monumentale i n 1851) and then i n Greece a
few years later. On Piot, see Andre Jammes and Eugenia Parry Janis,
The Art of Trench Calotype (Princeton, 1983), pp. 46-48, 234-235.
10. The remark is made i n Talbot's introduction to his Pencil of
Nature (London, 18441846), a collection of twenty-four calotypes
(salt prints from paper negatives).
11. In the case of Stillman s album, as wi t h many nineteenth-cen-
tury albums, lack of pagination makes an exact reference impos-
sible. Unless otherwise indicated, this is also the case wi t h excerpts
from additional photographic albums quoted throughout the present
article.
tographers were not, and to appreciate thei r wo r k fully,
i t is necessary to sort out the influences that shaped
thei r picture maki ng. We must first, therefore, under-
stand the locat i on o f Greece i n the mi d-ni net eent h-
century i magi nat i on.
The rediscovery o f Greece was already wel l under
way i n 1839 when photography was i nvented. Wi t hi n
the same year an entrepreneur named N . - M. P. Lere-
bours sent daguerreotypists to Athens. He then had
draughtsmen convert thei r pictures i nt o aquatints and i n
1842 publi shed the latter i n a collecti on whose ti tle,
Excursions daguerriennes: Vues des monuments les plus
remarquables du globe, promi sed "vi ews o f the most
remarkable monument s on earth."
1 3
Thi r t y-fi ve years
later, the photographi c representation o f the "most
remarkable" was st i l l a major concern, as is shown by
the ti tle o f one o f Bonfi ls' great collections, Souvenirs
d'OrientAlbum pittoresque des Sites, Villes et Ruines les
plus remarquables de la Terre Sainte. Fr om the age o f
Odysseus on, the prospect o f seeing the world' s wo n -
ders has been one o f the most powerful st i muli for travel-
ers, and the early photographers and their audience were
not i mmune to its appeal. The lure o f the marvelous,
leavened wi t h religious and cultural piety, was an or i g-
i nal and endur i ng mot i ve for the photographi c explora-
t i on o f ancient lands.
Set apart by its locati on, language, customs, and
poli ti cal circumstances, Greece seemed to belong bot h
to Europe and to the Near East.
1 4
We have already noted
the Or i ent ali sm i n Stuart's pai nt i ng, but to repeat, the
"Or i ent als" are Turks, not Greeks.
1 5
It was this ambi gu-
i t y that allowed for the i nclusi on o f Greece i n pho-
tographic document at i on o f the Ho l y Land. For the
Br i t i sh travel photographer Francis Fr i t h the fact that
12. On this subject i n general, the indispensable discussion is by
Ernst Gombrich, Art and Illusion, 3rd ed. (London, 1968).
13. N. M. P. Lerebours, ed., Excursions daguerriennes: Vues des
monuments les plus remarquables du globe (Paris, 18401842). In addition
to Athens, Lerebours dispatched his artists to Egypt, Nubia, the Holy
Land, and most countries i n Europe.
14. As Jenkyns observes, Greece "was near enough to be acces-
sible, remote enough to be exotic, wi t h a soupcon of danger to add
spice to the adventure" (supra, note 1), p. 4.
15. A similar phenomenon appears a century later i n the Shaw
album, whi ch was compiled i n the late 1860s or early 1870s by a
wealthy and knowledgeable traveler, whose name is all that is known
of hi m. It includes photos taken i n Greece and the Near East. It
contains many ethnographic portraits of Turkswarriors, dervishes,
members of the royal harembut none of Greeks, who presumably
were not sufficiently "exotic" to warrant that ki nd of attention on the
part of a collector. Moreover, the Shaw album is not unique i n this
regard. The Getty owns an anonymous travel album (see infra, note
39) that has exactly the same balance, or rather imbalance, between
True Illusions 127
Paul preached on the Areopagus (Acts 17:22) was reason
enough to put vi ews o f Athens i nt o a collecti on enti tled
Photo-Pictures from the Lands of the Bible.
16
I n the same
way, as noted above, Greece forms part o f Feli x Bonfi l s'
Terre Sainte. The paradox is that Greece is neither assim-
ilated i nt o Chri st i an Europe nor portrayed i n its
Or t hodox reality. Instead i t is l i mi nal , i denti fi ed as a
hybr i d that combines the best o f paganism wi t h early
Chri sti ani ty.
Greece was unusual i n other ways as well. Dr. Johnson
had declared "a man who has not been i n Italy is always
conscious o f an i nferi ori ty, fr om his not havi ng seen
what i t is expected a man should see."
17
Unl i ke Italy,
however, Greece had never become a requisite stop on
the Grand Tour. A small but t el l i ng sign o f the i ni t i al
domi nance o f Rome over Greece i n the Western Eur o-
pean perception o f the ancient wo r l d is the fact that, at
least for the Br i t i sh and the French, the names o f the
Ol ympi an gods were always Lati ni zed: Athena's Par-
thenon is the temple o f Mi ner va, Zeus Ol ympi os is
Jupiter, Ares is Mars, Demeter is Ceres, and so on.
Mor e i mport ant ly, much o f Western Europe's contact
wi t h classical ant i qui t y had sprung fr om the use o f clas-
sical canons i n bui ldi ngs li ke Palladian villas or the great
publi c edifices i n major cities. Students o f architecture,
such as the wi nners o f the Pr i x de Rome, went to Italy
for thei r classical models. Greece was too far away and
too wi l d .
1 8
It is true enough that i n the early part o f the
ni neteenth century, travel i n the Aegean was more haz-
ardous than i n other parts o f Europe. I n 1812, Wi l l i am
Gell, a member o f the Society o f Di l et t ant i , wr ot e to
the secretary o f the society that he and his compani on
wi shed to make the voyage fr om Athens to Turkey but
were forced to postpone thei r t r i p because o f the threat
fr om pirates and privateers.
1 9
Even after such dangers
had abated, some uncertai nty li ngered on. Al t hough
ethnographic studies from Turkey and unpopulated views of the
Greek monuments. This is not to say that there were no genre scenes
made i n Greecemany are reproduced i n a recent catalogue from the
Benaki Museum, Athens 1839-1900A Photographic Record (Athens,
1985)but they do not seem to have interested the typical western
traveler. The Shaw album is i n the collection of Daniel Wolf, and I am
grateful to hi m for having given me the opportunity to examine it.
16. This is a portfolio of views selected from the larger series called
Friths Europe and the East: Photo Pictures (Reigate, n.d.); i n the port-
folio each picture is captioned wi t h a biblical verse.
17. James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D, ed. C. Shorter
(New York, 1922), vol. 5, pp. 63-64.
18. It was thought of as "an exotic Oriental country, which pre-
sented physical danger and sensual seduction better avoided by the
serious student"; see The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Ecole Na-
tionale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, et al., Paris-Rome-Athens:
Travels in Greece by French Architects in the Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centuries, ex. cat. (Houston, 1982), p. xvi i i . I owe to this publication
all my information about the French studies i n Greece. See also the
the Pr i x de Rome had been i n existence since before
the French Revolut i on, i t was not unt i l 1845 that a wi n -
ner was per mi t t ed to go to Greece. The Ecole Fran-
chise d'Athenes was founded i n 1846, yet i t was almost
t hi r t y years before its students were allowed to i nvest i -
gate any sites outside the ci t y itself. Gradually, t hough,
fr om the 1820s on Greece di d overtake Rome, and its
attraction was made manifest by the large number o f
painters, architects, and photographers who chose to
wo r k there.
2 0
Henr y Cook, a painter and wri t er, traveled t hr ough
Greece i n 1849/50 recordi ng his impressions i n a series
o f short articles.
2 1
He reports that seeing the mo nu-
ments i nspi red t wo feelings o f almost equal power, "the
first, an over whel mi ng i mpressi on o f beauty and gran-
deur, the other (succeeding i mmedi at ely) , a sense o f
utter and irrepressible sadness."
22
The monument s thus
became part o f the sublime, i nspi r i ng phi losophi cal or
sentimental reflection on the depredations o f ti me.
Here, i n the direct t r adi t i on o f Romanti c phi lhelleni sm,
we fi nd the sense o f the ruins as evocative survivals o f
the "classical." Byr o n had expressed the same feelings
i n "The Giaour" (1813): "Such is the aspect o f this shore;/
' Tis Greece, but l i vi ng Greece no more!.../ Shrine o f the
mi ght y! can i t be,/ That this is all remains o f thee?"
2 3
Most o f the photographs fr om Athens are general
vi ews rather than fragments, whole bui ldi ngs rather
than architectural or sculptural details, possibly because
they were meant for the armchair traveler rather than
the specialist.
2 4
Whi l e photographers could emphasize
either the archaeological or the picturesque, all those
who made architectural views i n Greece were aware that
they were dealing wi t h the scantiest remnants o f what
had actually existed. The compari son was dr awn be-
review by Bernard Knox, "Visions of the Grand Prize," New York
Review of Books 31, no. 14 (1984), pp. 21-28.
19. The letter is i n the Archives of the History of Ar t of the Getty
Center for the History of Ar t and the Humanities (#840199).
20. Turner (supra, note 1) discusses the reasons behind the shift i n
interest from Rome to Greece and ascribes it to the combination of a
search for new cultural patterns, the influence of the new German
philologywhich revolutionized the understanding of the ancient
worldand "the stirring of liberal democracy that began wi t h the
American Revolution" (p. 3).
21. "The Present State of the Monuments of Greece," The Art
Journal 13 (1851), pp. 130-132, 187-188, 228-229.
22. Ibid., p. 131.
23. "The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale," The Works of Lord
Byron, ed. E. H. Coleridge (New York, 1904), vol. 3, pp. 90-91, lines
9091, 106107. Tsigakou (supra, note 7), p. 41, reproduces a water-
color of 1822 by Turner, which uses Byron's lines as an epigraph.
24. A very different approach is exemplified by the work of Au-
guste Salzmann, who photographed i n Jerusalem i n the early 1850s
128 Szegedy-Maszak
Figure 1. The Parthenon in Athens, 1842. Aquat i nt by
Frederic Mar t ens f r o m a daguerreotype.
H : 15 c m ( 5
7
/
8
")
;
W: 20.3 c m ( 7
1 5
/ i
6
") . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um 84.XB.U87.24.
t ween the physical rui ns and the fact that we have onl y a
fracti on o f ancient li terary pr oduct i on.
2 5
The pictures,
therefore, serve bot h t o preserve the treasures that sur-
vi ve and t o elegize vanished glories. I n the note accom-
panyi ng the vi ew o f the Parthenon i n Excursions daguer-
riennes (fig. 1), Joly de Lot bi ni ere gives voice to the
pri de and excitement aroused by the new i nvent i on:
"Thi s vi ew was made i n the aut umn o f 1839; I ment i on
this fact because i t was the first t i me the i mage o f the
Parthenon was fi xed on a plate by Daguerre's br i l l i ant
i nvent i on, and because each year can br i ng new changes
i n the appearance o f these famous ruins." De Lot bi ni ere
menti ons the damages the bui l di ng had sustained, mo d -
ern efforts to restore i t , and then significantly li nks the
archaeologists (and by i mpl i cat i on, the photographers)
to the ancient Greeks: "What glory, what pleasure, for
the one who can br i ng back this wor k, the masterpiece
o f Pheidias, o f Pericles; his name wo ul d thus be j oi ned
to theirs." Fr om this perspective, even overall vi ews of,
for example, the Acropoli s, can themselves be seen as
and shortly afterward published t wo large selections of architectural
studies. As noted i n the study by Jammes and Janis, "Salzmanns
photographs of details are selectively arranged like collages of ma-
sonry, architectural ornament and shadow which defy reference to a
larger context" (supra, note 9), pp. 246248. See also Richard Bretell
et al., Paper and Light: The Calotype in France and Great Britain
1839-1870 (Boston, 1984), pp. 168-172.
25. Commenti ng on the views of antiquities made by Eugene Piot,
the critic Philippe Burty wrote that they were "Comme ces lambeaux
de manuscrit dont nous retrouvons par hasard une scene, un mono-
logue, un choeur interrompu au vers le plus pathetique." (Like those
scraps of manuscript i n whi ch we chance to find a scene, a mono-
logue, a chorus, cut off at the most touching verse.) "Exposition de la
Societe franchise de Photographie," Gazette des beaux arts 1, no. 2
Figure 2. The Acropolis in Athens, 1842. Aquat i nt by
A. Apper t f r o m a daguerreotype. H: 14.1 c m
( 5
9
/ i
6
")
;
W: 19.2 c m ( 7
9
A
6
") . Mal i b u, The
J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.XB.U87.23.
synecdochic fragments o f some larger entity, the " A n -
t i que."
2 6
Li ke thei r li terary counterparts, bot h the rui ns
and the photographs reflect the entire social and artistic
complex wi t hi n whi ch they were created.
Anot her powerful i mpetus behi nd this ki nd o f pho-
tography was the medi um' s struggle to establish i t self
as a legi ti mate expression o f hi gh culture. It had to es-
cape the sti gma o f being, i n Peter Galassi's memorable
phrase, "a bastard left by science on the doorstep o f
art."
2 7
By phot ographi ng the acknowledged master-
pieces o f the western t r adi t i on, photographers staked
a clai m for themselves wi t hi n that t r adi t i on and con-
firmed the seriousness o f thei r o wn activity.
I n spite of, or perhaps because of, thei r ostensible
superi ori ty as li teral documents, the photographsli ke
the drawi ngs and pai nti ngs that preceded themwere
made under the spell o f the ancient texts. Photographs
offered a new oppor t uni t y to grati fy the desire for first-
hand experience o f the places that had been i mmo r -
talized i n the masterpieces o f classical li terature.
2 8
Li ke
(1859), p. 217.
26. Peter Galassi has commented that "the sense of a picture as a
detail, carved from a greater, more complex whole, is a characteristic,
original feature of nineteenth-century art. Perhaps most symptomatic
is the phenomenon of close variant views of the same site." See Peter
Galassi, Before Photography: Painting and the Invention of Photography
(New York, 1981), p. 26.
27. Ibid., p. 12.
28. Tsigakou comments, "European artists and their clients shared
the belief that certain places which had been dignified by past glory
possessed such powers of suggestion that their successful depiction
could stimulate the imagination and make more vi vi d the impression
of what had happened there" (supra, note 7), p. 27. See also Ti mot hy
Webb, English Romantic Hellenism 1720-1824 (Manchester, 1982), es-
True Illusions 129
de Lotbi ni ere, Paul de La Garenne wr ot e an essay for
Excursions daguerriennes, i n conjunct i on wi t h the l ong
vi ew o f the Acropoli s (fig. 2): "When I open the hi st ory
o f Athens i n the t i me o f Pericles, the most br i l l i ant
spectacle unfolds before my eyes: the whole ci t y is ful l
or orators, artists, renowned warri ors." Li kewi se, i t was
believed that one could not, for example, t hor oughly
understand Homer unt i l one had stood on the plai n
outside Troy, for, i n the words o f Robert Wood, "the
Iliad has new beauty on the banks o f the Scamander."
29
I n thei r absorpti on i n all thi ngs Greek, the phot ogra-
phers and thei r audience seem to have been li t t le t r ou-
bled by the difference between hi st ory and myt hol ogy
The locations made famous i n epic and tragedy shared
an appeal equal to those o f ancient mi l i t ar y campaigns
or poli t i cal debates as subjects o f photographs. Del phi ,
Mycenae, Cor i nt h, Argos, and, o f course, Athens were
all depicted by numerous photographers bot h forei gn
and domesti c.
3 0
Indeed an allusion to the greatness o f
times past occasionally compensates for some mediocre
imagery. I n the wo r l d o f Vi ct or i an photography, and
even for us today, an undi sti ngui shed seascape takes on
new resonance wi t h the i nfor mat i on that i t is Salamis,
and a dul l picture o f an empt y fi eld is transformed i nt o
a t el l i ng cultural and historical document wi t h the si m-
ple capti on "Mar at hon. "
3 1
Included i n the Get t y collecti on is a splendid copy o f
Lerebours' Excursions daguerriennes. The daguerreotyp-
ists' ori gi nal plates have l ong since disappeared, yet
one gets a sense o f "photographi c seeing," parti cularly
i n the vi ew o f the Parthenon, whi ch includes a deci d-
edly non-classical shed di rectly i n front o f the temple
(fig. 1). I n many o f the other pictures i n the book,
Lerebours' craftsmen added figures when copyi ng the
daguerreotypes and translating t hem i nt o engravings,
yet there are no such additions i n any o f the pictures
fr om Athens.
I n fact, the whol e issue o f the i nclusi on o f people
i n ni neteenth-century landscape photographs deserves
more attenti on. The standard explanations that they are
pecially pp. 16.
29. The Ruins of Palmyra (London, 1753), preface, unpaginated. The
remark is quoted by Jenkyns (supra, note 1), p. 7. Jenkyns' silence on
the topic of photography is all the more difficult to understand i n
view of his compelling account of the importance accorded by the
Victorians to seeing the original sites connected wi t h Greek literature.
30. Among the earliest photographers i n Greece were the da-
guerreo typists included i n Lerebours' Excursions daguerriennes
(18401842) and Baron Gros (1850). Early calotypists included George
Bridges (1850), Alfred Normand (1851), Eugene Piot (1851-1852),
Jean Walther (1851), and Claudius Wheelhouse (1850-1851). See Gary
Edwards, "Foreign Photographers i n Greece," i n the Benaki Museum
catalogue (supra, note 15), pp. 1624.
31. G. Charvet makes explicit this function of the photographs i n
meant to recall the conventions o f pai nt i ng or to i ndi -
cate scale seem true but insufficient. A more expansive
i nterpretati on has to take i nt o account the rhetoric o f
photography i t self and its peculiar relati on to the ob-
jects i t depicts. Al t hough pai nti ngs by an artist li ke
Ger me, for example, contai n a st unni ng amount o f
detail, the vi ewer is always aware that the scene depicted
is a product o f the i magi nat i on and the hand o f the
artist. There di d not have to be an actual event that
corresponded to the pai nted image. I n the presence o f
most photographs, on the other hand, the vi ewer be-
lieves i n the li teral veracity o f the rendering, or at least
i n the existence "out there" o f the objects recorded.
Paintings and drawings, no matter how accurate, always
have the character o f i llust rat i on, but photographs serve
bot h as i llust rat i on and as evidence. Al t hough we have
become less credulous about the factual status o f the
photographi c image, the ni neteenth-century vi ewer di d
not share such skepti ci sm.
3 2
A l l this has a particular poi nt when photographs have
been taken i n a land as li t t le kno wn as Greece. When the
figures i n a photograph were i denti fi ably western and
mi ddl e class (hence able to afford the expense o f the
t r i p) , thei r presence created a sense o f i denti fi cati on on
the part o f would-be travelers and pr omot ed the
acquisition o f fi rst-hand acquaintance wi t h classical
culture. Figures i n local costume were parti ci pati ng i n
another ki nd o f historical romance, one that bot h
emphasized cultural difference and pri vi leged the mys-
tique o f cont i nui t y wi t hi n change. I n either case, the
sites become stage sets, and the presence o f actors is
simultaneously provocative and reassuring. Wi t hout
r obbi ng the land o f its unusual qualities, photographs
nonetheless domesticated i t and conveyed the message
that i t was a safe place to go.
I n general the ni neteenth-century photographs fr om
Greece tend to have fewer figures i n t hem than vi ews
fr om Rome, the Ho l y Land, or elsewhere i n the Me d i -
terranean. Part o f the reason, as discussed above, is that
contemporary Greeks were not t hought to be as exotic
his preface to Bonfils' Souvenirs d'Orient: "Le philosophe et le penseur
voudront eux-memes se recueillir devant ces vieux temoins des ages
ecoules qui racontent l'histoire mieux que l'histoire elle-meme." (The
philosopher and the intellectual wi l l wish to stop and reflect before
these old traces of vanished ages, which relate history better than
history itself.) Photographs of Salamis and Marathon are included i n
the Shaw album (supra, note 15).
32. Again we may cite Charvet's remarks on Bonfils (cf note 31):
"Devant ces tableaux prestigieux, l'illusion est complete, et Ton
croirait se trouver en presence de la nature elle-meme, tellement 1'ar-
tiste a su mettre d'intelligence et de got au service de son art."
(Before these illustrious pictures, the illusion is complete; one could
believe that one was i n the presence of nature herself, so well has the
artist put intelligence and taste i n the service of his art.)
130 Szegedy-Maszak
as the inhabitants o f the Near East. I n addi t i on, the
cultural i mportance o f the Greek monument s gave rise
to a ki nd o f deference, or even reverence. It is as i f the
photographers wi shed to present the classical ruins as
relatively free fr om i nt r usi on by the moder n wor l d.
To summari ze, photography played t wo seemingly
contradi ctory but actually complementary roles i n mak-
i ng Greece more accessible to the wor l d. It afforded
vicarious grati fi cati on o f the need to see extraordi nary
places and at the same t i me encouraged travel to those
very places. O f course, photographs also came to serve
as the most c ommon trophies and souvenirs o f the
voyage. The medi um that began by pr omi si ng the re-
markable eventually brought its subjects i nt o the realm
o f the ordinary.
It is wo r t h repeating that the early photographers o f
Greece were heirs to a l ong pi ctori al t radi t i on. Jacob
Spon, a French physician, and George Wheler, a Br i t i sh
naturalist, made a t our t hr ough Italy, Greece, and the
Levant i n the mid-1670s. I n 1678 Spon publi shed an ac-
count o f thei r j our ney i llustrated wi t h engravings made
on the basis o f his o wn drawi ngs.
3 3
When the t wo men
were i n Athens i n 1676, they saw the Acropoli s wi t h
the Propylaea, Erechthei on, Parthenon, and temple o f
Athena Ni ke; the Thesei on;
3 4
the choregic monument
o f Lysicrates; the Tower o f the Wi nds; and the Ar c h o f
Hadrian. Mari e-Chri sti ne Hellmann and Philippe Fraicse
note: " Al o n g wi t h Philopappos's Monument , this
group o f bui ldi ngs formed, at the t i me, 'the rui ns o f
Athens, ' wi t ho ut any clear di st i nct i on bei ng made be-
t ween the Greek and Roman peri ods."
3 5
The ni ne-
teenth-century audience i denti fi ed ancient architecture
solely wi t h the publi c and monument al, and the Acr op-
o l i swi t h some allowance for the Ol ympei on, the
Thesei on, and one or t wo other siteswas believed to
represent the pinnacle o f the Greek accompli shment.
3 6
As noted above, most o f the photographi c images are
33. Jacob Spon, Voyage dTtalie, de Dalmatie, de Grece et du Levant
(Lyons, 1678). Tsigakou remarks that "Spon and Wheler were, i n fact,
the first travellers to wri te about Greece i n a way that combined
scholarship wi t h accurate observation" (supra, note 7), p. 18, see also
p. 192, and Osborn (supra, note 6), and David Constantine, Early
Greek Travellers and the Hellenic Ideal (Cambridge, 1984), especially
pp. 7-33.
34. This is the nineteenth-century name for the temple overlook-
ing the west side of the Athenian Agora. Scholars now unanimously
identify it as a temple of Hephaistos and call it the Hephaisteion. In
this paper I wi l l use the older appellation because that is how i t
appears i n the photographers' captions. On the controversy, see R. E.
Wycherley, The Stones of Athens (Princeton, 1978), pp. 68, 97.
35. Paris-Rome-Athens catalogue (supra, note 18), p. 25.
36. "The Athenian Acropolis and its different buildings [were]
"uni t ar y" views, that is, o f an entire bui l di ng or at least
an entire side. Moreover, there was a fai rly restricted
canon o f bui ldi ngs and even o f vi ews o f these bui ldi ngs.
The earliest photographi c vi ews o f the "rui ns o f
At hens" are the same as those o f Spon and Wheler, and
the set does not change appreciably for the next quarter
century.
3 7
A n excellent example is afforded by the t em-
ple o f Zeus Ol ympi os, almost always shot fr om the east
so as to emphasize the enormous hei ght o f its columns
and hi ghl i ght the Acropoli s hoveri ng behi nd i t . Such
conventions were established as early as the Excursions
daguerriennes (fig. 2). Some o f t hem were "self-evident, "
whi l e others were bor r owed fr om pai nt i ng.
3 8
We mi ght
compare this wi t h the i mpulse o f ni neteenth-century
landscape phot ogr aphy i n the Un i t ed States, wher e
there was, for example, a uni ver sally accepted "best
general vi ew" o f Yosemi te.
3 9
Feli x Bonfi ls and Wi l l i am James St i l l man were wo r k-
i ng largely i n the t wo decades fr om 1860 to 1880, when
photography had reached its maturi ty, and thei r pictures
exhi bi t almost all the features that have been described
earlier. Bonfi ls was bor n i n France on Mar ch 6, 1831. I n
1866 he moved to Bei r ut and established a photography
studio, specializing i n architectural and ethnographic
vi ews o f the Mi ddl e East.
4 0
Later, he was j oi ned by his
son, Adr i en, who cont i nued the operati on after his
father's reti rement i n 1878. Thei r oeuvre represents
commerci al wo r k o f hi gh quali ty and is thus a valu-
able i ndi cator for popular taste o f the t i me.
Fel i x Bonfi l s publi shed t wo albums, five years
apart, that i ncluded vi ews o f Athens: Architecture An-
tique (1872eight photographs o f Athens) and Souve-
nirs d'Orient (his last wor k, 1877ten photographs o f
At hens) .
4 1
Bo t h sets are more or less standard collec-
tions o f professionally made travel scenes, although pre-
sented i n the for m o f lavish foli o volumes wi t h near-
i mper i al size plates. Once again we see the power o f the
canon; bot h sets contai n vi ews o f the Parthenon, the
Erechthei on ( t wo each, one a more general depi cti on
thought to contain the very essence of Greek architecture." Ibid.,
p. 34.
37. Among the pictures i n the Getty collection there are three
views attributed to P. Margaritis, a local Athenian photographer.
There is a general view of the Acropolis from the south, a frontal
study of the temple of Athena Ni ke, and the interior (east) side of the
Propylaea wi t h the Venetian tower beyond. Interestingly, there is
nothing wi t hi n the images themselves that would identify their
maker as Greek. I began this study wi t h the impression that there
might be discernible variations i n the "national character" of the
views by photographers from different countries. Now, however, it
seems to me that the canon was strong enough to override any such
variations that might have existed.
38. Henry Cook (cf. note 21) painted Athens from the road to
Eleusis and described this view as giving "perhaps the most beautiful
True Illusions 131
Figure 3. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 1831-1885). The Parthe-
non As Seen from the PropylaeaAthens, circa
1872. Al b ume n pr i nt . H: 22.5 c m (87s"); W:
29.2 c m (1IV2"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus eum 84.XM.422.37.
and the other a close-up o f the caryatids), the Thesei on,
the theater o f Di onysus, and the choregic monument o f
Lysicrates. Bonfi ls, however, di d not reuse his old nega-
tives but made new pictures for each site, and so we are
provi ded wi t h a revealing gli mpse i nt o the development
o f his wo r ki ng methods.
Sometimes the differences are mi nor . For example,
the views o f the Thesei on are taken fr om sli ghtly di f-
ferent angles, wi t h the later one i ncl udi ng somewhat
more o f the surroundi ng landscape. The Parthenon is
seen fr om almost exactly the same vantage poi nt i n
bot h versions, but the foreground o f the later picture is
occupied by an assortment o f architectural and sculp-
tural fragments uncovered by recent excavations (figs. 3,
4). I n the first study o f the theater o f Di onysus (fig. 5),
Bonfi ls is at gr ound level, so that the picture becomes
almost an abstract study o f the cur vi ng rows o f seats
as well as the most explanatory idea of the position of the Acropolis."
Quoted i n Tsigakou (supra, note 7), p. 120.
39. The Shaw album contains several Athenian views, possibly by
the fi rm of Constantin, which are identified by numbers on the nega-
tive. The Getty Museum owns another travel album (84.XA.1499) that
also has scenes from Athens of a much lower quality both artistically
and technically (see supra, note 15). Curiously, several of the views
from the Getty album are o f the same sites, taken from the same
angle, and marked wi t h the same numbers as their counterparts i n the
Shaw album, although they are unmistakably from different nega-
tives. I assume that, like Bonfils (supra, note 3), the photographer
made both "deluxe" and "economy" versions of his images. It is also
possible that a less-skilled photographer got hold of the Constantin
catalogue and produced his own pictures, perhaps to sell at a lower
price. No matter what the motive, this illustrates again that there was
Figure 4. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 1831-1885). Greece: The
Parthenon in Athens, circa 1877. Al b ume n pr i nt .
H: 23.1 c m (9V
8
"); W: 28.4 c m ( l l W) . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.XO.1167.41.
wi t h a young boy placed i n the front r ow as a sample
spectator. I n r ewor ki ng this vi ew (fig. 6), Bonfi ls moves
his camera up i nt o the seating area and makes the cen-
tral element o f the picture the shed erected i n the mi d -
dle o f the orchestra to house the workmen' s tools. The
spectator is st i l l i ncluded, but his presence is now much
less i mpor t ant as a pi ctori al element.
Perhaps even more st r i ki ng is Bonfi l s' reinterpreta-
t i on o f the Erechthei on. As noted above, bot h albums
contai n t wo vi ews o f this edifice, one more general and
the other a close-up. I n Architecture Antique, however,
the general vi ew contains onl y a bi t o f the south wal l
and the famous caryatid porch (fig. 7). I n Souvenirs
d'Orient, the general vi ew is taken fr om the west, com-
pletely downplayi ng the caryatids and emphasizing
the Erechtheion's blend o f heterogeneous elements
(fig. 8 ) .
4 2
Thi s later photograph makes more demands
a li mi ted scope for what was considered acceptable or desirable i n
scenes from Athens.
40. See Ritchie Thomas, "Bonfils and Son, Egypt, Greece and the
Levant: 1867-1894," History of Photography 3, no. 1 (1979), pp. 33-46,
wi t h correspondence from Paul Chevedden, History of Photography 5,
no. 1 (1981), p. 82. See also Carney E. S. Gavin, The Image of the East:
Nineteenth Century Near Eastern Photographs by Bonfils from the Collec-
tion of the Harvard Semitic Museum (Chicago, 1982).
42. The Erechtheion was home to a number of very old cults, and
it incorporated several different structures from different periods. Its
western end has been described by R. E. Wycherley as a "peculiar and
ill-balanced conglomeration" (supra, note 34), p. 147.
132 Szegedy-Maszak
Figure 5. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 18311885). Interior of
the Theater of BacchusAthens, circa 1872. A l -
b umen pr i nt . H: 22 c m (8
5
/s"); W: 28 c m
(UVie"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum
84.XM.422.42.
on the viewer's concentration, and alt hough less i mme-
diately appealing than its predecessor, i t is more i nfor -
mati ve about the actual structure. I n fact, most o f the
pictures fr om the later series are bot h more complex
vi sually and evince a more developed interest i n the
archaeological, as opposed to the picturesque, details o f
the bui ldi ngs. It is as i f the self-described souvenirs are
now directed at a more sophisticated audience that can
appreciate a more austere and scholarly approach to the
sites. I n the mid-1870s a major campai gn o f excavation
on the Acropoli s and its environs began under the spon-
sorship o f the Greek Archaeologi cal Society, and i t is
t empt i ng t o see Bonfi l s' re-vi si on as at least i n part a
response to the new discoveries.
Bonfi l s' wo r k consistently shows visual intelligence
and technical ski l l . As a commerci al photographer, he
had to be attuned to the requirements o f his clients and
adept at pr ovi di ng images that wo ul d satisfy t hem. We
must also remember that he sold most o f his pictures
t hr ough catalogues, fr om whi ch his clients wo ul d make
thei r choice by number on the basis o f a cursory de-
scri pt i on along the lines o f "Parthenon, West Face." As
a result, he had t o l i mi t his vi ews to those that were
most canonical and keep his approach det ermi nedly
neutral. He remains outside the bui ldi ngs he is pho-
43. By contrast, Francis Frith (supra, note 16) regularly repackaged
his pictures i n different combinations and wi t h different titles for the
various collections.
44. By the end of the century, the Bonfils atelier received a lauda-
tory note i n the Baedeker guide to the region: "good photographs, a
Figure 6. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 18311885). Greece:
Temple [ Theater] of Bacchus in Athens, circa
1877. Al b ume n pr i nt . H: 23.1 c m ( W ) ; W:
28.6 c m ( l l
1
/ / ) . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus eum 84.XO.1167.45.
tographi ng, and he is almost always at a mi ddl e distance
that gives some sense o f the locat i on and allows for
correct perspective. Hi s met hod seems to embody the
disinterested i mpar t i al i t y that the early partisans o f
photography had proclai med as its chi ef vi rt ue. The
apparent absence o f i nterpretati on, however, i n i t self
indicates what he was t r yi ng to accomplish. Hi s pi c-
tures are not i ntended to be personal revelations but
documents accessible to a broad audience. Hi s phot o-
graphs are visual corollaries o f the standard gui de-
books o f the t i me. The buyer o f a Bonfi ls pr i nt could
be confident o f receiving the most wi del y accepted
version o f whatever vi ew he had chosen. Those wealthy
enough to afford an al bum got collections that wo ul d
allow t hem to feel that they possessed a representa-
tive i mage o f any subject that deserved thei r attenti on,
whether the rubric was "Anci ent Architecture" or " Me m-
ories o f the Orient."
Bonfi ls' photography is a publi c art. I n Athens, i t is
directed at the publi c face o f the ancient Greeks and the
timeless perfection o f thei r architecture. Gi ven all these
constraints, i t is all the more impressive that he strove to
keep his images fresh. As poi nt ed out above, he di d not
si mply keep r epr i nt i ng ol d negatives but returned to the
sites to revise his view, sometimes radically. A skeptic
large stock." Their catalogue at the time offered, among other things,
a choice of more than three hundred "costumes, scenes and types
from Egypt, Palestine, and Syria." This information is from Thomas
(supra, note 40), p. 41.
45. The details of Stillman s life are recounted i n his Autobiography
True Illusions 133
Figure 7. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 1831-1885). Caryatids
from the Temple of the ErechtheionAthens, circa
1872. Al b ume n pr i nt . H: 22.4 c m ( 8
1 3
/ i
6
") ; W:
28.9 c m ( 11W) . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus eum 84.XM.422.38.
mi ght suggest that this is j ust a response to the publi c 's
demand for novelty, whi l e a cyni c could call i t a pho-
tographer's version o f planned obsolescence. Since Bo n -
fils made his l i vi ng fr om selli ng photographs, commer -
cial considerations must have played some part i n his
decision to make new pictures o f ol d sites, but they are
not enough to j ust i fy all the expense and effort i n -
vol ved.
4 3
Rather, his revisions, li ke his self-effacement,
are another sign o f the conscientiousness that i nforms
all his wor k. I n thei r o wn t i me the pictures were hi ghl y
regarded,
4 4
and taken on thei r o wn terms, they are st i l l
successful today.
Wi l l i am James St i l l man was bor n i n Schenectady i n
1828 and educated there at Un i o n College.
4 5
Aft er grad-
uat i on he went to study pai nt i ng i n England, where
he became fri endly wi t h Ruski n. He returned to the
Uni t ed States and i n 1855 he founded The Crayon,
the first serious Amer i can j our nal o f the arts, for
whi ch he served as editor dur i ng the first year o f pub-
l i cat i on.
4 6
Shortly afterward, whi l e recovering fr om an
illness, he learned the basics o f photography. St i l l man
then embarked on a career as a di plomat and i n 1862 be-
came Amer i can consul i n Rome. Three years later, he
was posted to Crete, again as Amer i can consul, but his
support for the Cretan rebellion against Turkish rule made
of a Journalist (Boston, 1901). See also Richard Pare, Photography and
Architecture 1839-1939 (Montreal, 1982), pp. 241-242.
46. See Elizabeth Lindquist-Cock, "Stillman, Ruskin, and Ros-
setti: The Struggle between Nature and Ar t , " History of Photography 3,
no. 1 (1979), pp. 1-14.
Figure 8. Feli x Bonfi l s (French, 1831-1885). Greece:
Temple of the Erechtheion in Athens, circa 1877.
Al b ume n pr i nt . H : 23.2 c m (9V
8
"); W: 28.5 c m
(117i6"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum
84.XO.1167.42.
hi m persona non grata wi t h the local authorities and fin-
ally led h i m to take a leave o f absencewhich proved
to be permanentand move to Athens i n 1868. Once
there, as he notes i n his autobiography, he set about
phot ographi ng the ruins o f Athens; he had "ever yt hi ng
necessary to correct architectural wor k, " and moreover
"the ruins . . . had never been treated i nt elli gent ly by
the local photographers."
4 7
Thi s was a g r i m t i me for St i llman. Hi s wi fe, Laura,
had been gr owi ng increasingly despondent, first be-
cause o f the trials o f l i vi ng i n war -t or n Crete and then
because o f a debi li t at i ng illness that had struck thei r
son, Russie. Shortly after thei r arrival i n Athens, she
commi t t ed suicide. The pain o f her death, anxiety about
the health o f his son, and an increasingly desperate
lack o f money led St i l l man to the edge o f a break-
down: " I was myself nearly prostrated mentally and physi-
cally, and unfi t for anyt hi ng but my photography."
4 8
Stillman's life is i ndi ssolubly l i nked to his art, and
despite his o wn assertions o f i mpr oved accuracy, the
real i mportance o f his vi ews o f the Acropoli s lies i n the
vi vi d personal vi si on he i mposed on his material. For
hi m, phot ographi ng the antiquities o f Athens was a
process that encompassed the exorcism o f his wife's sui -
cide, the hopenot t r i vi al of allevi ati ng his financial
47. Stillman (supra, note 45), p. 454.
48. Ibid., p. 457.
134 Szegedy-Maszak
Figure 9. Wi l l i a m James St i l l man ( Amer i can, 1828
1901). Ancient Gate of the Acropolis (detail o f
t i t le page), 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H: 14.5 c m
(5
n
he"); W: 14.4 c m ( 5
n
/ i 6" ) . Mal i b u, The J.
Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.X0.766.4.1.
1901). View of the Acropolis from the Musaeum
Hill, 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H : 18.5 c m ( 7
5
A
6
") ;
W: 23.5 c m (9
l
U"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus eum 84.X0.766.4.2.
1901). The Acropolis with the Theatre of Bacchus,
1869. Car bon pr i nt . H : 19 c m (7V
2
"); W: 23.7
c m (97i6"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mu -
seum 84.X0.766.4.3.
worri es, and a celebration o f Helleni c independence.
Whi l e there is no way to gauge the therapeutic aspect o f
his activity, his life di d eventually become more stable.
He met and later marri ed Mar i e Spartali, a woman o f
Greek ancestry, wi t h wh o m he li ved happi ly unt i l his
death i n 1901.
4 9
As for the financial rewards, the al bum
o f t went y-fi ve vi ews,
5 0
dedicated to the fami l y o f his
wi fe-to-be, yi elded h i m a profi t o f about one thousand
dollars, the equivalent o f a year's consular salary.
5 1
The al bum is called The Acropolis of Athens: Illustrated
Picturesquely and Architecturally in Photography; bot h ad-
verbs are significant as indicators o f Stillman's i nt en-
t i on. I n a br i ef preface he strikes the note o f documen-
tary precision that has already been menti oned: "The
negatives fr om whi ch the fol l owi ng Aut ot ypes have
been pr i nt ed have been, wi t h one exception, left un-
touched . . . so that not hi ng should i njure the outlines
or di mi ni sh the Archi tectural, accuracy o f the vi ews."
5 2
He also says that whi l e phot ographi ng the bui ldi ngs, he
t ri ed whenever possible to stand so that the vi ews
wo ul d be completely frontal and symmetri cal. Such
comments, combi ned wi t h references to technical data,
49. Spartali modeled for several of the pre-Raphaelite painters, as
well as for the photographer Julia-Margaret Cameron; see Lindquist-
Cock (supra, note 46), pp. 1214.
51. Stillman (supra, note 45), p. 465.
52. The Getty's album is a presentation copy signed by Stillman,
and this phrase has been emended i n his hand to "wi t h four ex-
ceptions."
True Illusions 13!
such as his use o f Dallmeyer's rectilinear lenses, create
an atmosphere o f scientific objectivity. We mi ght be led,
therefore, to expect a systematic, or even schematic,
treatment o f the site. Instead, we fi nd ourselves i n the
hands o f a br i l l i ant l y idiosyncratic t our guide, bot h ex-
pert and passionate about his material. St i llmans al bum
does not confor m to standard ni neteenth-century prac-
tice, either architectural or archaeological.
5 3
Hi s concep-
t i on depends almost as much on the sequence o f images
as on thei r i ndi vi dual content, as the visual arrangement
moves back and for t h between far and near, inside and
outside, hi gh and low. To do ful l justi ce to his ideas, i t is
necessary to go t hr ough the al bum plate by plate. For
the purposes o f this essay i t wi l l suffice to concentrate
on t wo o f the most i mpor t ant subsets, the i nt r oduct i on
and the studies o f the Parthenon, and demonstrate how
they fi t i nt o the larger pattern.
The first plate, located on the t i t le page, shows the
Ancient Gate of the Acropolis, t hr ough whi ch we enter to
begi n our explorati on o f the site (fig. 9). St i l l man takes
care to show that, for all its venerability, the Acropoli s
is not a static di orama fr om a museum o f cultural hi s-
tory. The first full-size picture establishes its presence as
a domi nant feature i n a l i vi ng landscape, even when its
structures are almost invisible (fig. 10). The capti on
specifies that this l ong vi ew is taken fr om the Hi l l o f the
Muses, and the subtle but unmistakable insistence on
arti stry is conti nued wi t h the next image. We suddenly
fi nd ourselves i n the theater o f Di onysus, whi ch is cut
i nt o the south slope o f the Acropoli s (fig. 11). The the-
atricality o f the setting is hi ghli ght ed by the statue i n
the extreme r i ght foreground. Thi s sculpture was
doubtless put where i t stands at St i llmans behest, and i t
functions as a substitute for the conventi onal figure i n a
landscape and for all spectators past and present.
Aft er passing t hr ough the Propylaea, St i llmans first
vi ew o f the Parthenon is completely frontal, recalli ng
bot h the more conventi onal pictures o f contemporaries
li ke Bonfi ls and his o wn claims to greater accuracy (fig.
12). We mi ght expect h i m to provi de a mat chi ng vi ew
fr om the east end or possibly a t our around the other
three sides, but he is not bound by such mechanical
noti ons o f symmetry. The next plate is a dramatic per-
spectival study o f the western port i co (fig. 13). Unl i ke
53. For example, i n the early 1860s the gifted French photographer
Edouard-Denis Baldus documented the rebuilding of the Louvre and
the Tuilleries. He went seriatim from pavilion to pavilion. Wi t h un-
failing regularity, each section o f his monumental album begins wi t h
a general view, proceeds to a series of closer views from roof level to
ground level, and ends wi t h a systematic presentation of the decora-
tive and sculptural programs.
Figure 12. Wi l l i am James Stillman (American, 1828
1901). Western Facade of the Parthenon, 1869.
Carbon print. H: 17.9 cm (7Vi
6
"); W: 23.1 cm
(97i6"). Malibu, The J. Paul Getty Museum
84.XO.766.4.10.
Figure 13. Wi l l i am James Stillman (American, 1828
1901). Western Portico of the Parthenon, 1869.
Carbon print. H: 24.2 cm ( 9
9
/ i
6
") ; W: 19.1 cm
(7V
2
"). Malibu, The J. Paul Getty Museum
84. XO.766.4.11.
136 Szegedy-Maszak
1901). Western Portico of the Parthenon, from
Above, Showing the Frieze in Its Original Posi-
tion, 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H: 18.9 c m (7Vie");
W: 23.4 c m ( 9
3
/ i
6
") . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus e um 84.XO.766.413.
1901). View Taken from the Same Point as
No. 12 [ fi g. 14] and Looking Eastward over the
Ruin of the Parthenon, 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H:
17.7 c m ( 6
1 5
/ i
6
") ; W: 23.5 c m ( 9V
4
") . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.XO.766.414.
Bonfi ls and most other photographers o f the t i me, St i l l -
man has gone inside the Parthenon, and this i mage
makes expli ci t the album's poli t i cal agenda: "The names
scratched on the columns are those o f Philhellenes, who
fought here i n the war o f Greek independence."
5 4
Here
Stillman's earlier support o f the Cretan upri si ng against
Ot t oman rule finds a complex double reflection i n the
palimpsest created by the grafi t t i on the ancient marble.
Despite the aforementioned stance o f correctness and
objectivity, his al bum is an allegory whose hero is the
Greek spirit, specifically i n its artistic and poli t i cal man-
ifestations. St i l l man presents the bui ldi ngs and thei r
decorative elements i conographi cally to express what he
saw as the Helleni c ideal. Thi s wo ul d serve, at least
i n part, to explai n the osci llati on between l ong vi ew
and detail as wel l as the startli ng novelty o f some o f
the visualizations.
No t content wi t h the usual pedestrian poi nt o f view,
St i l l man t ook his camera up to the very top o f the
Parthenon to capture the last bits o f the frieze i n situ
(fig. 14). Thi s l ong sculpture i n hi gh reli ef depicted the
great Panathenaic processionin whi ch all residents o f
the ci ty t ook partand thereby celebrated At heni an
civic uni t y.
5 5
I n the context o f the album, i t is another
1901). Eastern Portico of the Parthenon, View
Looking Northward, 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H:
24.2 c m ( 9V
2
")
;
W: 18.4 c m ( 7
1
/ / ) . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus e um 84.XO.766.416.
54. This is Stillman's own caption. The abbreviation Philh[elle]ne is
clearly visible inscribed under the signature of one Blondel. Given the
difficulty of the exposure, Stillman might have retouched the negative
to make the grafitti more vi vi d.
55. See Mar t i n Robertson and Alison Frantz, The Parthenon Frieze
True Illusions 137
1901). Eastern Facade, or Front, of the Parthenon,
1869. Car bon pr i nt . H: 18.5 c m ( 7
5
/ i
6
") ; W: 24
c m (97i6"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mu -
seum 84.X0.766.4.17.
example o f the Greeks' abi li t y to blend the aesthetic and
the poli ti cal. Havi ng cli mbed to the top o f the Par-
thenon, St i l l man also t ook note o f the practical pr ob-
lems i nvolved i n the pr oduct i on o f the frieze, and the
next plate is a di zzyi ng vi ew o f the panorama the or i gi -
nal craftsmen wo ul d have seen (fig. 15). When he re-
turns to the ground, i t is to fi nd an unkno wn manthi s
mi ght be a sel f-por t r ai t
5 6
wi t hi n the eastern port i co
(fig. 16). I n an unusual gesture, the man is t urned away
fr om the camera, and his posture is studiedly introspec-
tive under the col umn dr um that seems so precariously
balanced above hi m. St i l l man seems to have placed spe-
cial i mportance on this image, since i t is the onl y pi c-
ture i n the al bum to i nclude a figure i n western dress, as
wel l as the onl y one to be cropped wi t h an arched top.
Such features support the suggestion that i t is a portrai t
o f the artist.
There follows yet another example o f osci llati on; the
next shot is the long-postponed, yet unexceptional,
frontal vi ew o f the eastern facade (fig. 17). The penul t i -
mate vi ew o f the Parthenon is quite li t erally at gr ound
level (fig. 18). It is accompanied by an erudite capti on
explai ni ng the architectural refinements o f the stone
courses,
5 7
but the picture's visual components belie, or
(Oxford, 1975). See also John Boardman and David Finn, The Par-
thenon and Its Sculpture (Austin, Tex., 1985).
56. The suggestion is made i n Pare (supra, note 45), p. 242.
57. The following is excerpted from the caption: "Profile of the
Eastern facade showing the curvature of the stylobate. This system of
1901). Profile of the Eastern Facade, Showing the
Curvature of the Stylobate, 1869. Car bon pr i nt .
H: 18.4 c m ( 7
1
/ / ) ; W: 23.7 c m ( 9 W) . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.X0.766.4.18.
1901). General View of the Summit of the Acro-
polis, from the Extreme Eastern Point, Showing
the Erectheum [ Erecht hei on] at the Right, 1869.
Car bon pr i nt . H: 17.7 c m ( 6
1 5
/ i
6
")
;
W: 24 c m
( 9
7
/ i 6" ) . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum
84.XO.7664.19.
curvature of the Greek temples . . . seems, taken i n conjunction wi t h
the di mi nuti on of the extreme intercolumniations of the facade . . . to
indicate, as its purpose, the exaggeration o f . . . the apparent size of
the building. It is common to the Greek temples of the best epoch."
138 Szegedy-Maszak
1901). Figure of Victory, from the Temple of
Victory, High Relief, 1869. Car bon pr i nt . H :
23.8 c m ( 9 W) ; W: 18.3 c m ( 7
3
/ i
6
") . Mal i b u,
The J. Paul Get t y Mus eum 84.X0.766.4.25.
1901). Fragment of Frieze from the Parthenon,
1869. Car bon pr i nt . H : 18.9 c m ( 7
7
/ i 6") ; W:
23.9 c m ( 9
7
/ i 6") . Mal i b u, The J. Paul Get t y
Mus e um 84.X0.766.4.26.
at least qualify, its ostensible scientific purpose. As i n
the earlier study o f the theater o f Di onysus, a piece o f
sculpturehere a small square vot i ve reli ef showi ng a
group o f four menhas been placed i n the scene to give
i t some narrative content. On a much reduced scale, i t
recalls the procession on the Parthenon frieze. St i l l man
ends his exami nat i on o f Athena's temple by r et ur ni ng to
the eastern facade but fr om a much greater distance than
before (fig. 19). By usi ng a second negative, the retouch-
i ng he disclaimed i n the preface, St i l l man has fi lled the
sky wi t h l ower i ng clouds that are more Ruski ni an than
Sophoclean. The dramati zati on o f the site reaches its
cli max i n this apotheosis o f the Parthenon.
There fol l ow several studies o f the Erechthei on, and
fi nally the last t wo images i n the al bum depict details o f
the sculptural pr ogr am: a wi nged vi ct or y fr om the para-
pet o f Athena Ni ke, goddess o f vi ct or y (fig. 20) and a
panel fr om the Parthenon's Panathenaic frieze (fig. 21).
Wi t h such an understated coda, St i l l man returns to
Greek art to summari ze his themes o f Helleni c t r i umph
and democratic uni ty.
The Acropolis of Athens is uni que i n several respects.
St i l l man is aware o f the t radi t i onal document ary ap-
proach and sometimes adopts its style, but he also uses
the special properties o f photography to convey his pr i -
vate vi si on o f what has been called "the Greek miracle."
I n its combi nat i on o f the personal, the epic, and the
scientific, Stillman's wo r k goes far beyond the con-
venti onal architectural photography o f his t i me. It
embodies bot h Romanti c phi lhelleni sm and the ni ne-
teenth-century opt i mi sm that allied the moderns wi t h
the ancients i n a bond o f enli ghtened understanding.
I n thei r different ways, the wor ks o f St i l l man and
Bonfi ls mar k the end o f the most creative peri od i n the
photography o f classical sites i n At hens.
5 8
Expl or at i on
and discovery were bei ng transformed i nt o somet hi ng
more routi ne. I n photography, the fi eld was left to
the many small local studios that had sprung up to ser-
vice the gr owi ng tourist industry. To the extent that they
too were i n the business o f supplyi ng true i llusi ons,
they were the descendants and beneficiaries o f thei r
predecessors.
Wesleyan Uni ver si t y
Mi ddl et o wn, Conn.
58. See Gary Edwards i n the Benaki Museum catalogue (supra,
note 15), pp. 23-24.
Die Bathseba des Giovanni Bologna
Herbert Keutner
I m Jahre 1970 hat Gunnar W. Lundber g die damals i m
Schl o Aker befindliche, selbst i n Schweden nur l okal
bekannte Mar mor fi gur einer Bathseba erstmals der kunst-
historischen ffent l i chkei t vorgestellt ( Abb. 1). Al t e-
ren Invent aren folgend betrachtete er die heute i m
J. Paul Getty Museum ( Abb. 2; I nv. 82.SA.37) aufbe-
wahrte Statue als eine Sch pfung des Giovanni Bologna.
1
Ei ne Di skussi on ber das Werk brachte Charles
Avery i n Gang, i ndem er i m Jahre 1978 einen seit lan-
gem unbeachteten Wachsbozzetto einer Frau, auf einem
Baumstumpf sitzend, ohne Ko pf und Ar me i n die Gi am-
bolognaAusstellung einbezog und die klei ne Fi gur
mi t vorgenei gtem Ob er k r per und hochgestelltem l i n -
ken Bei n i m Katalogtext mi t guten Gr n d e n als eine
Studie zu dem Mar mo r wer k i n Schweden i n Er w g un g
zog.
2
Zu der Statue selbst schrieb er, dai n i hr eine von
zwei bisher verschollenen, von Raffaello Bor ghi ni i m
Jahre 1584 er w hnt en Werken des Bildhauers erhalten
sein k nnt e: entweder eine Galathea, die sein M zen
Bernardo Vecchi etti an einen ungenannten Empf nger
i n Deutschland gesandt hatte, oder eine Sitzende, weib-
liche Figur ohne Namen, die die Medi ci dem Her zog
von Bayern geschenkt hatten.
3
F nf Jahre spt er hat Avery i n einer reich i llust ri er-
ten Abhandl ung die berli efert e At t r i but i on der Fi gur
durch eine sorgflt i ge Beschreibung, durch Hi nwei se
auf die besonderen Mer kmal e i hrer Komposi t i on und
Ausarbei tung i n ber zeugender Weise best t i gt .
4
Er
hat die Besitz Verhltni sse und Schicksale des Werkes
i n Schweden wei tgehend kl r en und i hre Her kunft aus
Deutschland glaubhaft darlegen k nnen. Das i m Aus-
stellungskatalog schon aufgeworfene Problem aber,
welche der bei den nach Deutschland gelangten Fi -
gurendie Galathea oder die namenlose Sitzendemit
der Bathseba fr das Oeuvre des Meisters zur c kgewo n-
1. G. W. Lundberg, "Ngr a bronser ur Carl Gustaf Tessins
skulptursamling," Konsthistorisk Tidskrift 39 (1970), 113-115, Abb. 11.
Lundberg zitierte die berlieferte Zuschreibung mi t Vorbehalt, doch
ohne seine Bedenken zu erlutern.
2. C. Avery, Giambologna 1529-1608. Sculptor to the Medici, 1. Aufl.
(Edinburgh-London, 1978), 233, Nr. 248 mi t Abb., oder Giambologna
1529-1608. Ein Wendepunkt der europischen Plastik, 2. Aufl. (Edin-
burgh-London-Wi en, 1978), 308-09,. Nr. 248 mi t Abb.
3. R. Borghi ni , // Riposo (Firenze, 1584), 286-87.
nen sei, li e er nach der Er w g un g beider M gl i c hkei -
ten nach wi e vor offen. Da erst die Beant wor t ung dieser
Frage erlaubt, dem neuen Werk seinen Platz i nnerhalb
der knst l er i schen Ent wi ckl ung des Bildhauers zuzu-
weisen, greife i ch sie noch ei nmal auf und beginne mi t
einer erneuten Interpretati on der beiden Textstellen bei
Raffaello Bor ghi ni .
Di e Lebensbeschreibung des Gi ovanni Bologna hatte
Bor ghi ni mi t einer kurzen Schi lderung seiner Lehrzeit
i n Flandern, seiner r mi sc hen Studien und seiner ersten
Auseinandersetzung mi t der Florentiner Skulptur als
Gast i m Hause des Bernardo Vecchietti eingeleitet.
Nachdem er die staunenswerte Ferti gkei t des j ungen
Bildhauers i m En t wur f von Ton-und Wachsmodellen
hervorgehoben hatte, verzeichnete er als sein erstes, i n
Florenz geschaffenes Werk "una bellissima Venere," zu
der i h m sein Gastgeber den Mar mo r beschafft habe.
5
Nach ei nem Hi nwei s auf seine Teilnahme an der
Konkur r enz um den Neptunbrunnen auf der Piazza della
Signoria beschrieb er als zweites Werk: "Lavor una
Galatea di mar mo d'altezza di due braccia e mezo, che
fu da M, Bernardo mandata nella Lamagna." Als dri tte
Figur, ausgefhr t fr Lattanti o Cortesi , nannte er
sodann " un Bacco di bronzo di braccia quattro." Zu den
Entstehungszeiten dieser drei Werke besitzen wi r keine
dokumentari schen Belege, doch n i mmt man mi t Recht
allgemei n an, da Gi ovanni Bologna diese Pri vat-
auft rge i n seinen ersten Florenti ner Jahren zwi schen
155355 und 156061 ausgefhr t hat; vo m Jahre
156061 an, i n dem i hn der Pri nz Francesco de' Medi ci
i n seinen per s nl i chen Di enst genommen hatte, konnte
er dergleichen Auft r ge bis auf weiteres ni cht mehr
annehmen.
6
Zei t l i ch nach der um 155557 gemei el t en
4. C. Avery, "Giambologna's 'Bathseba': An Early Marble Statue
Rediscovered," The Burlington Magazine125 (1983), 340-49.
5. Uber diese nicht i n Marmor sondern i n Alabaster ausgefhrte
kauernde Venus, die sog. Venus Vecchietti, siehe: Giambologna ( Anm. 2),
2. Aufl., 22 und 104, Nr. 23 mi t Abb., sowie: H. Keutner, ' ' Gi am-
bologna. I I Mercurio volante e altre opere giovanili, " Lo specchio del
Bargello 17 (Firenze, 1984), 5-14.
6. Sptestens seit dem Frhjahr 1560 stand Giovanni Bologna i n
Diensten des Prinzen Francesco, der i hm die Teilnahme an der 2.
140 Keutner
Abb. 1 Gi ovanni Bol ogna (i tal., 15291608). Bathseba. Al t e Aufst el l ung i m
Treppenhaus i n Sc hl o ker , Schweden. Phot o: mi t freundli cher
Genehmi gung, Nor di ska Museet, St ockhol m.
Venus ( Col l . Sir Wi l l i am Penni ngt on Ramsden, Mu n -
caster Castle) und vor dem um 155961 gegossenen Bac-
chus (Florenz, Bor go San Jacopo) entstanden, wi r d er
die Galathea um 155759 geschaffen haben.
7
Nach der Er w h n un g weiterer, i n den 60er Jahren
vollendeter Werke, berichtete Bor ghi ni ber die Mar -
mo r aus f hr ung der fnf Bracchien hohen Gruppe der
"Firenze, che ha sotto un pr i gi one" und fuhr i n dem-
selben Satz fort: "e nel medesi mo t empo ( lavor ) un
altra fi gura di mar mo sedere della grandezza d' una
Konkurrenz um den Neptunbrunnen finanziell erm gli cht hatte; die
entsprechenden Zahlungen sind publiziert: H. Keutner, " Un modello
del Bandinelli per i l Nettuno della fontana di Piazza della Signoria,"
i n Scritti di Storia dellArte in onore di Roberto Salvini (Firenze, 1984),
42223, Anm. 10. Ei n festes, von Francesco gezahltes Gehalt an den
Bildhauer ist seit 1561 beglaubigt, siehe: E. Dhanens, Jean Boulogne. Gio-
vanni Bologna Fiammingo. Douai 1529-Florence 1608 (Brssel, 1956), 49.
fanciulla di sedici anni, la quale statua fu mandata al
Duca di Baviera;" anschl i eend schrieb er ber die Aus-
arbei tung der vi er gr o en Fi guren fr den Okeanus-
hrunnen i m Boboli gar t en.
8
De m Vitenverfasser folgend
mu Gi ovanni Bologna die Fi gur der Sitzenden also
etwa gleichzeitig mi t der Firenze und vor der Fertigstel-
l ung des Okeanusbrunnens gemei el t haben. Da wi r aus
Dokument en wissen, da er die Mar mor gr uppe der
Firenze als Siegerin ber Pisa i n den Jahren 157072 und
den Okeanusbrunnen i n den Jahren 157276 ausgefhr t
7. M. Bury, "Bernardo Vecchietti, Patron of Giambologna," I
Tatti Studies. Essays in the Renaissance 1 (1985), 26. Bury schlug fr die
Bronzestatue des Bacchus j ngst eine Entstehungszeit um die Mi t t e
der 1550er Jahre vor; nach meiner ber zeugung ist jedoch die bisher
bliche, zwischen 155859 und 156162 nur geringfgig schwan-
kende Datierung einleuchtender zu begrnden.
8. Borghi ni ( Anm. 3), 586-87.
Die Bathseba 141
Abb. 2. Gi ovanni Bol ogna (i tal., 1529-1608). Bathseba.
Mar mo r . H: 115 c m (45V
4
"). Mal i b u, The J. Paul
Get t y Mus eum 82.SA.37.
hat, dr fen wi r als Entstehungszeit der namenlo-
sen, nach Bayern gesandten Sitzenden etwa die Jahre
157173 ansetzen.
9
Raffaello Bor ghi ni hat die Werke des befreundeten
Bildhauers i m gr o en und ganzen zuverlssi g i n i hrer
zeitlichen Abfolge verzeichnet, so da kei n Gr und be-
steht, die seinem Text zu entnehmenden, annher nden
Dat i erungen der Galathea um 155759 und der Sitzen-
den um 157173 i n Zwei fel zu ziehen. Dies aber besagt,
da die beiden Fi guren i n ei nem Abstand von zehn bis
9. Zur Marmorgruppe der Firenze siehe: E. Allegri und A.
Cecchi, Palazzo Vecchio e i Medici. Guida storica (Firenze, 1980),
27173. Zur Ausfhrung der Marmorfiguren des Okeanusbrunnens
siehe: B. H. Wiles, The Fountains of Florentine Sculptors and Their Fol-
lowers from Donatello to Bernini (Cambridge, Mass., 1933), 6162 und
121-23, sowie E. Dhanens, Anm. 6, 167-68.
10. Avery ( Anm. 4), 344-47.
fnfzehn Jahren entstanden sind, die erste noch als ei n
Fr hwer k des 28 bis 30j hr i gen Meisters, die zweite als
eine Sch pfung aus seinen besten Mannesjahren.
Nun ist die Bathseba ni cht unversehrt erhalten; neben
ei ni gen klei neren Er g nzungen ist vor allem die li nke,
erhobene Hand mi t dem Gef erneuert (Abb. 2). Da
sie ur spr ngl i ch eine Muschel oder eine Koralle, die
At t r i but e der Galathea, vorgewiesen haben k nnt e,
schl o Aver y ni cht aus, da i n unserer Fi gur dieses
frhe, von Bor ghi ni berli efert e Werk wiedergefunden
sei.
1 0
Do c h welchen Gegenstand auch i mmer sie einst i n
i hrer Li nken getragen haben mag, die M gl i chkei t , un-
sere Fi gur mi t der um 155759 gemei el t en Galathea
gleichzusetzen, sollte ni cht wei t er hi n er r t er t werden.
Gegen eine solche Identi fi zi erung spricht zunchst , da
Bor ghi ni sie als 272 Bracchien, also als 146 cm hoch
beschrieben hat, unsere Bathseba aber nur eine H h e
von 115 c m aufweist. Vor allem aber wi r d man sie
aus stilistischen Gr n d e n ni cht als ei n Fr hwer k der
50er Jahre, der Zei t der Auseinandersetzung Gi ovanni
Bolognas mi t der Ant i ke und der zei t gen ssi schen
Florenti ner Skulptur betrachten dr fen. Bei all seinem
Bestreben i n j enen ersten Jahren, auch die eigenen
knst l er i schen Vorstellungen schon zur Gelt ung zu
bri ngen, lassen seine fr hen Sch pfungen doch i mmer
die Vorbi lder deutli ch erkennen, von denen er ausging
oder mi t denen er wetteiferte. So ist vor der um
155557 datierbaren Venus i n Muncaster Castle die
Ab hngi gkei t von der anti ken, kauernden Venus des
Doidalses ebenso offenkundi g wi e vor dem um 155961
entstandenen bronzenen Bacchus sein Be m he n , sich i n
Komposi t i on und Model l i er ung dem Perseus des Cel l i ni
oder dem Mars des Ammannat i eb enb r t i g zu zeigen.
1 1
Vor unserer Bathseba aber kommen uns dergleichen
R c k- oder Quer b ez ge auf Skulpturen lterer Mei ster
ni cht i n den Sinn. Al s ei n Werk, das i n Er fi ndung und
Ausf hr ung offenbar allei n aus der Auseinanderset-
zung des Bildhauers mi t sich selbst entstanden ist,
mu es einer spt er en Phase seiner Kunst angeh r en. So
z ger n wi r ni cht, i n der Bathseba die zweite namen-
lose, aus Florenz nach Deutschland gelangte Fi gur
wiederzuerkennen.
Da Bor ghi ni i n der ei nem Her zog von Bayern ge-
schenkten Statue t at schli ch unsere Bathseba beschrieb,
11. Benvenuto Cellinis Perseusgruppe unter der Loggia dei Lanzi ist
i m Apr i l 1554 enthllt worden; der Mars des Bartolomeo Ammannati
i m Treppenaufgang der Uffizien war sptestens i m Juni 1559 voll-
endet, siehe: F. Kriegbaum, "Ei n verschollenes Brunnenwerk des
Bartolomeo Ammannati, " Mitt. d. Kunst. Inst. Florenz 3 (192930), 86,
Anm. 3.
142 Keutner
Abb. 3 Giovanni Bologna (ital., 1529-1608). La Fiorenza. Abb. 4. Giovanni Bologna (ital., 1529-1608). Firenze als
Bronze. H: 115 cm (4574"). Florenz, Villa Petraia. Siegerin ber Pisa. Marmor. H: 260 cm (1027s").
Photo: mi t freundlicher Genehmigung, Kunst- Florenz, Museo Nazionale del Bargello.
historisches Institut Florenz; Luigi Arti ni . Photo: mi t freundlicher Genehmigung, Kunst-
historisches Institut Florenz; Lui gi Ar t i ni .
Die Bathseba 143
Abb. 5. Bathseba. Siehe Abb. 2.
Abb. 6. Firenze als Siegerin ber Pisa. Siehe Abb. 4.
Phot o: mi t freundli cher Genehmi gung, Kunst -
historisches I nst i t ut Florenz; Lui g i Ar t i n i .
144 Keutner
Abb. 7. Rechte Hand der Bathseba. Siehe Abb. 2. Abb. 8. Li nke Hand der Firenze. Siehe Abb. 4. Phot o:
mi t freundli cher Genehmi gung, Kunst hi s-
torisches I nst i t ut Florenz; Lui g i Ar t i n i .
geht i m Gr unde schon aus den weni gen Hi nwei sen auf
i hre uer e Hal t ung und i hre Gr e hervor: die j unge
Frau i n vo l l ent wi ckelt en K r per f o r men ist als eine
"fi gura di mar mo sedere" dargestellt und sie ist un-
t er l ebensgr o ausgefhr t oder, wi e Bor ghi ni es aus-
dr ckt e, "della grandezza d'una fanciulla di sedici anni , "
also i n der Gr e eines noch heranwachsenden M d -
chens.
1 2
Dar b er hinaus erscheint die I dent i t t der um
157173 datierbaren Sitzenden mi t der Bathseba vollends
gesichert, wenn wi r sehen, wi e eng sie mi t der nach
Bor ghi ni gleichzeitig gemei el t en Mar mor gr uppe der
Firenze oder auch mi t anderen Werken aus denselben
Jahren durch gemeinsame St i lmerkmale verbunden ist.
So ist die Bathseba als eine Gestalt von kr ft i ger Statur
veranschaulicht ( Abb. 2), von einer gesunden K r per -
flle, wi e sie Gi ovanni Bologna nur i n diesen Jahren
seinen wei bli chen Fi guren verliehen hat, etwa der um
157072 gegossenen Brunnenstatue der Fiorenza ( Abb.
3), der um 157374 ausgefhr t en Statuette der Astro-
nomie und nat r l i ch der Firenze als Siegerin ber Pisa
( Abb. 4). Al l e ihre K r per si nd gr o f o r mi g entworfen,
aus wei t gew l b t en Partien und fest gerundeten Gl i ed-
mae n gleichsam zusammengesetzt. Un d allen ist eine
mehr straffe als nachgiebige Epi dermi s gemeinsam, die
dem Betrachter die Ub e r g n g e des einen K r per t ei l s
i n einen anderen, etwa i m Schulterbereich, i n der H f t -
partie oder i n den A r m- und Kni ebeugen verhehlt, die
i hn Gelenke, Sehnen oder Muskel n nur erahnen lt.
Dennoch, die zarte, selbst dem sich n her nden Auge
ni cht unmi t t el bar wahrnehmbare Bi nnenmodel l i er ung
( Abb. 5, 6)leichte Erhebungen und Ei nzi ehungen der
Haut ber Rumpf und Gli edern, eine m i g vertiefte
12. In derselben Weise umschrieb Borghi ni ( Anm. 3), 587, den
unterlebensgroen Fliegenden Merkur als "grande come un fanciullo di
15 anni."
13. Zur Charakterisierung dieser Stilphase siehe: H. Keutner, "Di e
knstlerische Entwi cklung Giambolognas bis zur Aufrichtung der
Gruppe des Sabinerinnenraubes," i n Giambologna ( Anm. 2), 2. Aufl.,
25-28.
14. Die i n den Jahren 1569 bis 1573 modellierten Stuckfiguren des
Cosimo und des i n manchen Teilen restaurierten hl. Markus, die David
Summers i n seinem Art i kel "The Sculptural Program of the Cappella
di San Luca i n the Santissima Annunziata," Mitt. d. Kunsth. Inst. Flo-
renz 14 (1969), 6790, an je zwei Bildhauer, an Andrea Corsali
Giovanni Bologna und an Vincenzo DantiZanobi Lastricati,
zugeschrieben hat, sind nach meinem Urt ei l Werke Giovanni Bolo-
Die Bathseba 145
Rckenl i ni e, weni ge Bauchfalten und einzelne Gr b -
chen i n der Ge s r un d un g oder i m El l bogenar t i ku-
li ert die Hal t ung der K r per zwar nur unmer kl i ch, tei lt
insgesamt aber den Fi guren dieser Jahre bei aller Typi -
sierung ihres Aufbaus und aller Gl t t e ihres Auenb i l -
des auch freie Bewegli chkei t und innere Belebung mi t .
Gr o z gi g entworfene Gr undfor men und doch ei n-
fhl same Model l i er ung, die diesen Frauengestalten i hre
unper s nl i che, aber ni cht unnahbare Sch nhei t ver-
leihen, si nd nat r l i ch auch i n der Ei nzel ausfhr ung
etwa i hrer H n d e oder K pfe zu beobachten ( Abb. 7, 8).
Ohne jede Ausarbei tung der Kn c hel , Sehnen oder
Ader n gleiten aus den Handgelenken die Han d r c ken
und aus i hnen die Finger fast zsur los hervor, und doch
si nd die H n d e mi t i hrer samti g wei ch modelli ert en
Haut und den schmalen, fei ngli edri gen Fi ngern als
uer st empfi ndsam veranschaulicht. Auch die K pfe,
die Frisuren und Gesichter der Astronomie, der Bathseba
und der Firenze si nd ohne sonderliche I ndi vi du-
alisierung belassen, St i r n und Augen, Mun d and Ki n n
wi r ken i n i hren einfachen Formen und i n i hr em Ver-
hlt ni s zueinander wi e kanoni sch vorgezeichnet ( Abb.
911). Dennoch fi nden wi r i nnerhalb der ei nhei tli chen,
modi sch bedi ngten Frisuren die Z pfe und Locken
unterschiedlich kunst vol l geordnet, sehen bei aller Re-
gungslosi gkei t der Gesi cht szge doch die Wangen und
Augen oder die Mun d - und Ki nnpar t i e durch die be-
hutsamste Behandlung der Ober fl chen von st i llem
Leben durchpulst.
Diese Vergleiche m g e n gengen, umvo n Bor -
ghi ni s Not i zen ausgehenddie Jahre 157173 als die
Entstehungszeit der Bathseba anzusetzen und sie als die
von den Medi ci nach Bayern geschenkte Fi gur zu i den-
tifizieren. Innerhalb der Kunst des Gi ovanni Bologna
entstand sie als ei n Haupt wer k jener Ent wi ckl ungs-
phase, die man i n wei t en Grenzen mi t den Jahren 1565
und 1575 abstecken kann.
1 3
Von den stilistischen, den
Werken dieser Jahre ei gent ml i c hen Mer kmal en abgese-
hen, ist es i m Gedanken an die Komposi t i on unserer
Sitzenden aufschl ur ei ch festzustellen, da sich der
Bi ldhauer zu keiner anderen Zei t so anhaltend mi t den
Problemen der Sitzstatue beschft i gt hat wi e i n diesem
Jahrzehnt, etwa i n den beengt sitzenden Fi guren des
Cosimo als Josua oder des hl. Markus i n der Akademi e-
kapelle, i n der aufrecht sitzenden Architektur, i n den un-
gnas. Die Komposition der Architektur wi r d allgemein um 157072
angesetzt; die ori gi nalgroen Stuckmodelle der Flug tter waren
sptestens i m Herbst 1572 vollendet, zu der Zeit, zu der sie probe-
weise am Brunnen versetzt worden waren.
15. Dorothea Diemer, Peter Diemer und Johannes Erichsenals
Kunsthistoriker heute die besten Kenner der Mnchener Archive
teilten mi r freundlicherweise mi t, da auch sie whrend ihrer lang-
bequem hockenden Flugttern des Okeanusbrunnens,
sowie schli eli ch i n unserer, i n labi lem Sitz sich vor -
neigenden Bathseba.
14
Fr die Beschaffung des Mar mor blocks, fr seine
Bossierung oder die Ferti gstellung unserer Fi gur sind
bis heute keine Zahlungsdokument e bekannt oder auf-
gefunden worden. Auch die Suche nach anderen fr hen
Nachri chten, die Durchsi cht der Korrespondenz der
Medi ci mi t den Wi ttelsbachern i m Florentiner Staats-
archiv und Stichproben i n den M n c he n e r Ar chi ven
bli eben ohne Er fol g.
1 5
Da anlli ch einer so ansehn-
li chen Schenkung zwi schen den Partnern mi t Sicherheit
ei n Briefwechsel gefhr t wor den war, ist zu hoffen,
da er i n Zukunft noch ans Li cht kommt . Ange-
sichts dieser negativen Ergebnisseohne Dokument e
aus der Zei t des Auftrags, der Ausarbei tung und Uber -
fhr ung der Fi gur nach Bayer nk nnen wi r die frhe
Geschichte der Bathseba ni cht endgl t i g befriedigend
aufklren, k n n e n vor allem ber zwei , durch
Bor ghi ni s Text aufgeworfene Fragen nur unsere Mut -
maun g e n anstellen: ber die Frage nach der ur s pr ng-
li chen Benennung und Bedeutung der ledi gli ch als
"fi gura di mar mo sedere" verzeichneten Statue, so-
wi e ber die Frage nach der nur allgemei n als "Duca
di Baviera" er w hnt en Person des Empf nger s und
ersten Besitzers.
Ohne Wissen um die aus der schwedischen Uberli efe-
r ung bekannte Deut ung der Fi gur als Bathseba, w r d e
wo hl ei n jeder die anti ki sch nackte Gestalt fr eine
Venus oder eine Nymphe halten. Ei ne Bathseba w r d e
man i n i hr umso weni ger vermut en, als das Thema der
ver fhr er i sch sc h nen Gemahl i n des Uri as allzeit nur i n
Malerei , Graphi k und Reliefkunst und nur i n er zh-
lender For m dargestellt wor den ist, meist als ei n Bi l d
der Bathseba, von David beim Bade beobachtet, seit dem 16.
Jahrhundert vereinzelt auch als Bathseba bei der Toilette
von Mgden bedient. Aus solchen szenischen Zusammen-
hngen aber her ausgel st und dem Betrachter i n ei nem
Geml de oder gar i n einer Skulpt ur als Ei nzelfi gur pr -
sentiert, ist sie i n der Geschichte der Kunst und I kono-
graphie schlechterdings unbekannt.
1 6
So ist es, wenn
auch ni cht beweisbar, doch sehr wahrschei nli ch, da
Gi ovanni Bologna unsere Sitzende als eine Gestalt
jhri gen Studien unsere Bathseba i n den 1570er Jahren nicht erwhnt
gefunden haben.
16. E. KunothLeifels, Stichwort Bathseba, Lexikon der christlichen
Ikonographie, 8 Bde. (RomFreiburgBaselWien, 196876), Bd. 1,
Sp. 254-58.
146 Keutner
der Myt hol ogi e ent worfen und ausgefhr t hatte. Ihre
Umdeut ung von ei nem anti ken Si nnbi ld wei bli cher
Sch nhei t i n ei n alttestamentarisches i n der Person der
Bathseba wurde, wi e wi r vermut en, i n Bayern, dem
deutschen Ker nland gegenreformatorischen Geistes,
vor genommen: als Bathseba, die sch ne Gemahl i n des
K ni gs Davi d und Mut t er Salomos, konnte i hr Mar -
mor bi l d i n der herzogli chen Residenz unei nges c hr nk-
ter Bet racht ung und Bewunder ung dargeboten werden.
Ferner mu vorerst offen bleiben, an welchen "Duca
di Baviera" Francesco de' Medi ci unsere Fi gur gesandt
hatte, an den regierenden Her zog Albr echt V. (152879)
oder an einen seiner S hne, die Her z ge Wi l he l m
(1548-1626), Ferdinand (1550-1608) oder Ernst
(15541612). Seit der Ver schwger ung der Huser
Medi ci und Wi ttelsbach i m Jahre 1565, seit der Hochzei t
Francescos mi t Johanna von Osterreich, der j ungen
Schwester von Albrechts V. Gemahl i n Anna, hatten
sich die Verbi ndungen zwi schen Florenz und M n c h e n
spr bar belebt. Do c h es war ni cht der fr die zei t gen s-
sische Kunst Italiens weni g aufgeschlossene Albr echt
V , der die vermehrt en Kont akt e pflegte, sondern die
j ungen Her z ge. Unt er i hnen wi r d man als Empf nger
der Statue ni cht so sehr an den j n g s t e n Her zog Ernst,
den spt er en Erzbi schof und Kur fr st en von K l n,
1 7
als
vi elmehr an seine lt er en Br der denken. Den Thr o n-
folger Wi l he l m wi r d man i n Er w g un g ziehen, wei l er
nach seiner Hochzei t mi t Renata von Lot hr i ngen i m
Jahre 1568 bis zu seinem Regi erungsantri tt i m Jahre 1579
die Bur g Trausnitz i n Landshut als glanzvolle Residenz
ausbauen und, ab 1573 unter der Lei t ung des Vasari-
schl er s Fri edri ch Sustris ( um 154099), mi t allen Ei n -
ri cht ungen der Repr sent at i on eines Renai ssancefr st en
ausstatten li e. Neben vi elerlei anderen Di ngen zur
Auszi erung von Schl o und Garten erbat und erhielt er
von Francesco auch Ent w r f e fr einen Br unnen und
eine Grottenanlage.
1 8
Man wi r d aber auch an Her zog
Ferdinand denken, der als Abgesandter seines Vaters zur
Hochzei t Francescos i n Florenz wei lte, w hr e n d dieses
Aufenthaltes die Kunst und den Kunstbetri eb i n der
Stadt kennenlernte und alle bedeutenderen Ki r chen
aufsuchte. I n seinem Reisetagebuch hob er vor allem die
Besi chti gungen der Medi ci gr ber Mi chelangelos und
17. Als junger Bischof von Freising verbrachte Ernst i n den Jahren
1574 und 1575 einen Bildungs- und Erziehungsaufenthalt i n Rom. In
seiner Korrespondenz aus dieser Zeit befindet sich vom 10. Februar
1575 ein Dankbrief an Francesco fr die Ubersendung einer statua,
die jedoch weder nach Thema, noch nach Gr e oder Material
beschrieben ist (ASF, Mediceo 4281, lett. 102). Da es sich i n ihr um
die Bathseba gehandelt haben k nnte, halte ich fr ausgeschlossen.
18. In dem ber ein Jahrzehnt hi n anhaltenden Geschenkeaustausch
zwischen Francesco und Wi lhelm war der letztere meist der empfan-
gende Partner, siehe: B. Ph. Baader, Der Bayerische Renaissancehof
der Fresken Pontormos i m Chor von San Lorenzo her-
vor, aber auch die Besuche der Gi eer ei bei S. Mar co
und des Gartens und der Br unnen der Vi l l a Castello.
1 9
Ohne Ehrgei z i n den St aat sgeschft en, wel t l i ch geson-
nen, ei n Freund und Sammler der K n s t e un d selbst
i n i hnen di letti erendhat er, seiner Florenti ner Ei n-
dr cke stets eingedenk, i n den 70er Jahren i n M n c h e n
eine Gi eer ei ei nri chten lassen. I n den spt en 80er
Jahren hat er dann vor seinem Palast am Ri nder mar kt
von Huber t Gerhard ( um 15501622/23), den Sc h p-
fungen Ammannati s und Giovanni Bolognas nacheifernd,
einen vielfigurigen Brunnen ausfuhren lassen, den ersten
"i tali eni schen" Monument al br unnen n r dl i ch der A l -
pen.
2 0
Diese weni gen Hi nwei se auf Verbi ndungen der
Her z ge Wi l he l m und Ferdinand zum Florenti ner Ho f
m g e n zur Gen ge b egr nden, war um wi r i n ei nem
von i hnen den ersten Besitzer der Bathseba vermut en.
Do c h ni cht nur aus den ersten Jahren, auch aus den
nachfolgenden Jahrzehnten l i een sich keine Nachr i ch-
ten ber unsere Fi gur er mi t t eln; i n keiner der bis heute
bekannten Li sten oder Inventare des fr st li chen Kunst -
besitzes aus dem spt en 16. oder fr hen 17. Jahrhundert
fand sich i hre Existenz oder Aufst ellung i n M n c h e n
oder an ei nem anderen Or t des Her zogt ums vermerkt.
Dennoch hatte sich Raffaello Bor ghi ni i n seiner Mi t -
t ei lung ber die Versendung der "fi gura di mar mo
sedere" an einen "Duca di Baviera" ni cht gei rrt. Da
sich die Bathseba t at schli ch i m Besitz der bayerischen
Her z ge befunden hat, ist uns frei li ch erst aus einer Zei t
dokument i ert , zu der sie i n M n c h e n schon ni cht mehr
vorhanden war.
I n einer auf brei ten Ar chi vst udi en fuenden Abhand-
l ung ber "Entstehung und Ausbau der Kammergaleri e
Maxi mi l i ans I . von Bayern" hat uns Peter Di emer i m
einzelnen auch ber die Pl n d er un g des fr st li chen
Kunstbesitzes i n M n c he n durch K n i g Gustav Ad o l f
i m Mai 1632 und ber die i m Jahre 1635 aufgenommene
Neuei nr i cht ung der Sammlungen durch den seit 1598
regierenden Maxi mi l i an I . (15731651) unterri chtet.
2 1
Zu den teils erfolgreichen, teils erfolglosen B e m h un -
gen um eine Wiederbeschaffung der ent fhr t en Be-
Herzog Wilhelms V. (LeipzigStraburg), 1944, passim.
19. Das Tagebuch der Reise Ferdinands zur Hochzeit des Prinzen
Francesco nach Florenz liegt i m Geheimen Hausarchiv, Mnchen,
Akt . 924. Ei n zweites Exemplar befindet sich i m Hauptstaatsarchiv,
Mnchen, Frst ent om 26, 184.
20. Uber Geschichte und Schicksale des seit dem frhen 17. Jahr-
hundert i m Residenzhof aufgerichteten Brunnens siehe: D Diemer,
"Bronzeplastik um 1600 i n Mnchen. Neue Quellen und Forschun-
gen. Teil I und I I , : " Jahrbuch des Zentralinstituts fir Kunstgeschichte 2
(1986), 107-177 und 3 (1987) i m Druck, dort der Abschnitt: "Hubert
Die Bathseba 147
st nde ver ffent li cht e Di emer als Beispiel einer ver-
geblichen Recherche Maxi mi l i ans I . den Auszug aus
ei nem Brief, i n dem der Amberger Rentmeister Sick-
henhauer am 21. Jul i 1635 eine Anfrage des Herzogs
nach dem Verbleib der von den Schweden zunchst nach
N r n b e r g verbrachten Kunstwerke; der uns betreffende
Abschni t t des Schreibens lautet ins Neuhochdeutsche
ber t r agen: "I ch konnte aber nichts ber das hinaus
erfahren, was mi r die Leute i n N r n b e r g schon gesagt
haben und zwar, da der vor Lt zen gefallene K n i g
von Schweden, als er erstmals von M n c he n wi eder
nach N r nb er g kam, die l ebensgr oe Bathseba von wei -
e m Mar mo r mi t sich gefhr t und das Bi l dwer k sehr
bald nach St ockhol m i n Schweden verschickt hat."
2 2
Auch wenn i n dem Schreiben der Name des Meisters
der Bathseba ni cht genannt ist, bedarf dessen Inhalt doch
keines wei teren Komment ars. Das Dokument best t i gt
ei n weiteres Mal die Ergebnisse, die wi r zunchst ber
eine Interpretati on des Textes von Raffaello Bor ghi ni
und sodann auf dem Weg der St i l kr i t i k gewonnen
haben, da uns i n unserer Fi gur t at schli ch jene von
Gi ovanni Bologna gleichzeitig mi t der Gruppe der
Firenze gemei el t e, an den bayerischen Ho f gesandte
Sitzende erhalten ist. Dar b er hinaus unterri chtet uns
das Dokument , da man die i m Jahre 1632 nach Schwe-
den verbrachte Statue schon i n Bayern als Bathseba
betrachtet hat.
2 3
Abschl i eend noch einige Beobachtungen zur Er hal -
t ung unserer Figur. I hr gegenwr t i ger , auf den ersten
Bl i ck makellos wi r kender Zustand ist, wi e wi r wissen,
das Ergebnis einer i m Jahre 1981 dur chgefhr t en Her -
ri cht ung, zu einen Zei t also, zu der sich die Fi gur noch
i m Kunsthandel befand. Aus dem Beri cht des Restaura-
tors erfahren wi r ,
2 4
da er neben einer sorgfltigen Rei ni -
gung und geringen Ausbesserungen der Mar mor ober -
flche die verlorenen Zehen des l i nken Fues und die
Nasenspitze ergnzte, da er die Sockelplatte und Plinthe
verndert e und schlielich die als eine ltere Restaurie-
rung vorgefundene li nke Hand mi t dem Gef entfernte
und i n anderer Weise erneuerte ( Abb. 2). I n der Ab b i l -
dung der Bathseba auf i hr em fr her en Aufstellungsplatz
Gerhards Brunnen fr Herzog Ferdinand von Bayern."
21. Siehe: Quellen und Studien zur Kunstpolitik der Wittelsbacher vom
16. bis 18. Jahrhundert. Mitteilungen des Hauses der Bayer. Geschichte, I
(1980), 140-44 und Anm. 83.
22. Der bei P. Diemer, Anm. 21 publizierte Originaltext lautet:
"Ich hab aber ein mehrers nit erfahren migen, als das mi r die von
N r nber g selbsten gesagt, wie das der vor Lzen Todtgebliebne
Kh ni g i n Schweden, die persebea von weisem marmor i n lebens
groe als derselben von Mnchen das erstemal wider auf N r nber g
khomen, mi t sich gebracht, und solch bi ld als balden i n Schweeden
i m Treppenhaus des Schlosses ker ist i hr Zustand
vor diesen Ei ngr i ffen deutli ch zu erkennen ( Abb. 1).
Von der Hi nzuf gung der Zehen abgesehen, si nd die
vorgenommenen Ver nder ungen weni g glckli ch aus-
gefallen. Vergleichen wi r die er gnzt e Nase der Bathseba
etwa mi t den Nasen der Firenze oder der Astronomie
( Abb. 911), so fllt auf, da i hre Nasenspitze ni cht ge-
rundet ausgearbeitet ist wi e diese, sondern zugespitzt,
da sich Nasenspitze und Nasenfl gel also ni cht glei -
c her maen zu ei nem organischen Ganzen verbi nden.
Mi t der geraden, i n scharfem Wi nkel zur c kspr i ngen-
den Nase erscheint i hr Pr ofi l eckiger, i hr Gesichtsaus-
druck starrer, i hr Ko pf insgesamt unwei bli cher als die
K pfe der beiden anderen Fi guren. Ei ne so weni g sen-
sible Nase, wi e sie die Bathseba heute t r gt , gi bt es i m
Oeuvre des Gi ovanni Bologna nicht.
Mi t der n d e r un g der Basiszone sollte offenbar die
Standfestigkeit des Bi ldwer ks ver st r kt werden ( Abb. 1
und 5). So wur de die Pli nthe unter der Sule und dem
rechten Fu um mehr als das Doppelt e er h ht und die
Fi gur sodann auf eine nach Sei t enl nge und H h e um
ei n Dr i t t el ver gr er t e Sockelplatte versetzt. Auch
wenn der Betrachter es ni cht abscht zen kann, ob die
Basis nun t at schli ch t r agfhi ger geworden ist, so wi r d
i h m doch dieser Ei ndr uck vermi t t elt , ei n Ei ndr uck der
uer en Absi cherung und Stabilisierung der Statue, den
zu erwecken Gi ovanni Bologna i n seinen Werken stets
vermi eden hat. Selbst bei gewagtesten Stellungen ent-
war f er seine Fi guren i mmer als sich selbst tragend und
veranschaulichte das durch eine fr das Auge des Be-
trachters ber pr fbar e, sorgfaltig kalkuli erte Pondera-
t i on. Zur Ver mi t t l ung dieses Ei ndrucks, da die Ge-
stalten i hr Glei chgewi cht selbst wahren, i hre Sicherheit
selbst gewhr l ei st en, war er ni cht zuletzt darauf be-
dacht, alle uer en, st t zenden oder tragenden Ele-
mente auf das uner l l i ch Not wendi ge ei nzuschr nken.
Deshalb richtete er seine Bronzestatuetten oder Mar -
mor fi gur en stets auf unscheinbaren, flachen Pli nt hen
auf und b e ma sie so knapp, da Fe und Bei wer k
soeben noch Platz fi nden. Fr unsere Bathseba hatte er
gar, um keine gr er e Pli nthe fr Sule und Fu ver-
wenden zu mssen, fr die zur ckgeset zt e Fuspi t ze
eine eigene klei ne Platte ausgeschnitten. Da er hier,
nacher Stockhholben verschickht." (Bayer. Hauptstaatsarchiv, Kasten
schwarz 5233, 2b).
23. Auch wenn Giovanni Bologna die Sitzende nach meiner
Uberzeugung nicht als Bathseba ausgefhrt hat, sollte man aus
Gr nden der Verstndigung die letztere Bezeichnung bis auf weiteres
beibehalten.
24. C. Avery ( Anm. 4), 349, Appendix.
148 Keutner
Abb. 9 Gi ovanni Bologna (ital., 1529-1608). Ko pf der
Astronomie. Bronze. H (der Fi gur) : 38.8 c m (IS
1
/4").
Wi en, Kunsthi stori sches Mus eum I nv. 5893.
Phot o: mi t freundli cher Genehmi gung, Kunst -
historisches Museum, Wi en.
Abb. 10. Ko pf der Bathseba. Siehe Abb. 2.
aber auch i n anderen Werken, so " ums t n d l i c h" ver-
fuhr, zeigt noch ei nmal, einen wi e gr o en Wert er i n
der Dar bi et ung seiner Fi guren auf die uer st reduzier-
ten St andflchen legte. Mi t der Ver st r kung und Ver-
g r e r un g der zuvor noch wei tgehend ori gi nalen Basis-
zone hat man also den knst l er i schen Vorstellungen des
Bildhauers entgegengearbeitet.
Schli eli ch wur de i n der Londoner Wer kst t t e die
l i nke erhobene Hand mi t dem klei nen Gef, wo hl als
eine unpassend empfundene, ltere Er g n zun g entfernt
( Abb. 1) und durch eine andere mi t unglei ch gr er er
Vase ersetzt. Wi e der glatte Schnitt unterhalb des Hand-
gelenks anzeigt, war die b emngel t e Hand i n fr her er
Zei t ni cht abgebrochen und wiederangesetzt, sondern
25. Zuletzt publiziert von C. Avery ( Anm. 4), 348, Anm. 34 und
35. Die Texte lauten i m Inventar von 1757: "En sittiande Bathseba
wacker statue af Giovanni di Bologna litet skadd p hnder och ftter.
47 tumb hwi t marmor. Trpiedestal." Und i n der Liste von 1770
heites: "En sittande Bathseba, sk n statue af Giovanni di Bologna,
gnzli ch erneuert worden. Das mu nach 1770 gesche-
hen sein, wei l aus zwei Bestandsaufnahmen der Kunst -
werke i n Aker von 1757 und 1770 hervorgeht, da un-
sere Bathseba damals "an H n d e n und F en ei n weni g
beschdi gt " war .
2 5
Da kei n Gr und besteht anzunehmen,
da die Schden i n den beiden Li sten besc h ni gt sind,
wi r d die Hand t at schli ch nur ger i ngfgi g verletzt
gewesen sein. Di e Ver mut ung li egt also nahe, da der
nach 1770 t t i ge Restaurator sie ni cht nach eigenem
Geschmack sondern nach dem Vor bi l d der von i h m
abgenommenen, nur beschdi gt en Hand erneuert hat-
teeine b er l egung, die sich als zutreffend erweisen
lt. Al s ei n Beispiel fr die hohe Ei nsc ht zung der
Bathseba i n Schweden machte Aver y auf einige Gi psko-
ngot skadad p hnder och ftter, 47 t um h g, hvi t Marbre de Car-
rare, piedestalen af trd. 280.
26. C. Avery ( Anm. 4), 347. Uber Carlo Carove siehe: E. Andren
i n Svenskt Konstnrs Lexikon (1952), Bd. 1, 288.
27. Frau Dr. Kari n Rdst r m danke ich sehr herzlich fr ihre
Die Bathseba 149
Abb. 11 Kopf der Firenze. Siehe Abb. 4. Photo: mi t
freundlicher Genehmigung, Kunsthistorisches
Institut Florenz; Lui gi Ar t i ni .
pi en aufmerksam, die der italienische Stuckateur Carlo
Carove ( i n Schweden t t i g seit 166667, dort gest. 1697)
ver mut l i ch um 1670 fr den pr unkvol l en Baderaum des
Schlosses Ericsberg, S der manl and, angefertigt hatte.
2 6
Diese sorgflt i g hergestellten und gut erhaltenen Ko -
pi en ( Abb. 12)
2 7
lassen kei nen Zwei fel daran, da der
ltere Restaurator t at schli ch keine wi l l kr l i che Er g n -
zung vor genommen, sondern die Hand mi t dem Gef
so nachgearbeitet hat, wi e er sie vorgefunden hatte und
wi e sie zumi ndest seit 1670 vorhanden war.
Mi t der Erneuerung dieser Hand hat man sehr wahr -
scheinlich i hr en auf Gi ovanni Bologna zur c kgehenden
Zust and,
2 8
i n j edem Falle aber eine erhaltenswerte hi st o-
rische Er g n zun g ohne ersichtlichen Gr und entfernt. I n
Abb. 12 Carlo Carove (ital., nachweisbar ttig seit 1666,
gest. 1697). Gipsabgu der Bathseba des Giovanni
Bologna. H: ungefhr 115 cm (4574"). Katrine-
holm, Schlo Ericsberg. Photo: mi t freund-
licher Genehmigung, Schlo Ericsberg, Ka-
trineholm, Schweden.
der lt er en Fassung ( Abb. 12) sieht man die j unge Frau
mi t beiden H n d e n gl ei cher maen zur ckhal t end be-
schft i gt : mi t der Li nken hat sie i hr kleines Gef ber
den Haaransatz oberhalb der l i nken St i r nhl ft e an-
gehoben, w hr e n d sie mi t ei nem Tuch i n der hi nabgrei -
fenden Rechten i hren Fu trocknet. Es si nd alltgli ch
li ebenswrdi gen Bemhungen um die Beschaffung einer Photo-
graphie von einer der 5 Kopien. Mei n aufrichtiger Dank gilt nicht
minder dem Freiherrn Carl Jedward Boude, Schlo Ericsberg, fr die
freundliche Erlaubnis zur Herstellung der Photographie.
28. Ich schreibe "sehr wahrscheinlich," wei l natrlich nicht
gnzlich auszuschlieen ist, dadie Hand auch vor 1670 schon einmal
restauriert worden ist.
150 Keutner
gewohnte, anspruchslose Verri chtungen, die sie i nner-
l i ch unbet ei li gt ausbt ; vor sich hi nsi nnend hngt sie
anderen Gedanken nach. So empfi ndet der Betrachter
die mavo l l en Regungen i hrer Ar me and H n d e i n vo l -
l em Ei nkl ang mi t der leichten Nei gung ihres Kopfes,
der geri ngen Bi egung ihres Rumpfes, der einfachen
Hal t ung der Bei ne und begreift alle i hre Gl i edmaen
als gleichwertige Komponent en eines Gesamtbildes von
st i llem, beschaulichem Dasein.
Heut e sieht man die Vasesie ist eine Kopi e der
Bc hse der Pandora aus der Bronzegruppe des Adr i an
de Vr i es
2 9
sowohl durch i hre ungew hnl i c he Gr e
als auch durch den besonderen Platz ausgezeichnet, den
man i hr verschafft hat ( Abb. 2): die mi t brei t em Hand-
r cken unpr opor t i oni er t gr oe Li nke ist, i m Gelenk ab-
gewi nkelt , ei nwr t s gefhr t und hlt die vor die St i r n-
mi t t e versetzte Vase dem Betrachter wi e eine Tr ophe
entgegen, zieht sein Augenmer k auf sich wi e auf ei n
zentrales Obj ekt der Komposi t i on des Bi ldwer ks, wi e
ei n Haupt at t r i but der dargestellten Person. Mi t der
Gewi cht i gkei t aber, die man der Hand mi t dem gr o en
Gef derart zugemessen hat, hob man den fr die alte
Fassung so bezeichnenden Glei chklang der beiden ge-
messen agierenden H n d e ebenso auf, wi e man die
Ausgewogenhei t i m Gesamtaufbau der Fi gur durch
einen ei genwi l l i g nach oben verlegten Akzent gest r t
hat. Gi ovanni Bologna hatte gerade jegli che Bet onung
eines Ei nzelmot i vs vermi eden, um unsere Aufmer k-
samkeit i n der Betrachtung der unaufdri ngli chen Man -
ni gfalt i gkei t seiner Sch pfung, i n der Bewunder ung der
Sch nhei t der Gestalt unserer Bathseba nicht abzulenken.
Florenz
29. Die 250 cm hohe Gruppe Merkur und Pandora befindet sich i n
Paris, Louvre (Inv. M. R. 3270); dort wie auch i n manchen Publika-
tionen findet man sie i rrtmli cherwei se als Merkur und Psyche
verzeichnet.
Acquisitions/1986
I N T R O D U CT I O N 153
NOTES TO T HE READER 158
A N TI QU I TI E S 159
MANUS CR I PTS 167
PAI NTI NGS 177
DRAWI NGS 188
DECORATI VE ARTS 210
S CUL PTURE A N D WORKS OF ART 216
PHOTOGRAPHS 222
TRUSTEES A N D STAFF LI ST 239
1987 The J. Paul Getty Museum
Introduction
The year 1986 was one o f steady gr owt h for the col-
lections. The most i mpor t ant acquisitions were made
fr om private sources, not at auctions, so our wo r k went
on largely out o f the glare o f publ i ci t y The results o f
our intensive collecti ng dur i ng the last few years be-
came more and more evident i n the galleries, however,
as renovations conti nued and lesser objects were reg-
ularly displaced by greater ones.
We conti nued to spend a good deal o f t i me wi t h our
architect Richard Mei er and wi t h the Getty Trust staff
i n developing plans for a new museum. It is to be i n the
foothi lls o f the Santa Moni ca Mount ai ns, about t went y
mi nutes' drive fr om the present Get t y Museum. Be-
l ongi ng to a complex o f bui ldi ngs that i n 1993 wi l l
house the various organizations o f the Get t y Trust, the
museum wi l l be the largest and the onl y public part.
The collections fr om the Mi ddl e Ages to 1900 wi l l be
shown there, whi l e the present bui l di ng i n Mal i b u wi l l
become a museum o f Greek and Roman art.
We helped the Mei er office analyze the pr ogr am we
had prepared over the past several years, whi ch had
been combi ned i nt o an overall pr ogr am for the new
Getty bui ldi ngs. Our needs were translated i nt o square
footages and functi onal relationships and then, dur i ng
the summer, i nt o schematic drawings. For the first t i me
we could see Meier's ingenious solut i on for organi zi ng
the whole complex on the hi l l , a site that poses practical
problems o f every ki nd even as i t provides an i nspi r i ng
place for the bui ldi ngs. We could fi nally begi n to vi sual-
ize the bui ldi ngs themselves, atop the ridges, separate
but nearby one another, thei r varied shape and scale
reflecting thei r different purposes, thei r si mi lar formal
vocabulary maki ng visual and symboli c li nks. Materials
sympathetic to the landscape wi l l be used, especially
stone. The pr ogr am calls for a museum o f moderate
size and o f unusual shape. The collecti ons wi l l be
housed i n about si xty thousand square feet o f galleries
i n six separate t wo-st or y bui ldi ngs o f di fferi ng for m,
l i nked by short covered or enclosed walks, so as to give
as varied and pleasant an experience as possible. We
want the vi si tor to be rewarded not onl y wi t h beau-
t i ful l y exhi bi ted wor ks o f art but also wi t h gardens,
distant views, and pauses for relaxation. As 1986 came
to an end we had accepted the basic elements o f the
soluti on and were wo r ki ng on refinements o f Meier's
schematic design.
I n Mal i bu, our ceaseless renovati on o f the bui ldi ngs
conti nued. A gr owi ng collecti on and staff, and the need
for more public services, have squeezed the Vi l l a bui l d-
i ng and our office annex, Mr . Getty's so-called Ranch
House. Galleries for antiquities, paintings, manuscripts,
and photographs got the most attenti on i n 1986, so that
a vi si tor who returns today after j ust a few years' ab-
sence wi l l be struck by the changes i n ambience as wel l
as i n the objects shown. The large basement studio for-
merly used by Paintings and Ant i qui t i es Conservati on,
whi ch had been vacated for i mpr oved quarters at the
Ranch House, was bei ng rebui lt to serve as offices for
four curatorial departments.
Ameri can museums always seem to l ook li ke con-
structi on sites, so all this acti vi ty does not set us apart;
the rate o f our acqui si t i ons does. Bui l d i n g a di s-
ti ngui shed collecti on remains our first pr i or i t y and our
biggest challenge. I should li ke to revi ew some o f the
progress made last year by the var i ous cur at or i al
departments.
FO R TH E D EP A R TMEN T O F A N TI Q UI TI ES , most major
acquisitions i n 1986 were Greek. The smallest is among
the most i mpor t ant we have ever made, a fi fth-century
bronze statuette representing a fallen or dyi ng yout h.
No other Greek bronze o f the peri od embodies the ideal
o f kalos thanatos (beauty i n death) so eloquently. The
complex arched and t wi st i ng pose embodies the most
advanced ideas i n sculpture, wel l ahead o f any sur vi vi ng
contemporary figures i n marble. We do not kno w yet
how i t was ori gi nally i ntended to be seen, since i t has
lost its compani ons or the landscape elements that
wo ul d presumably have supported i t . Nevertheless, the
dari ng pose and refined model i ng and fi ni shi ng put
i t among the finest Greek bronzes that have come
do wn to us.
Havi ng acquired a large group o f outstandi ng Greek
vases fr om Walter and Mo l l y Bareiss i n 1984, we have
been addi ng onl y the choicest examples. A cup at-
t ri but ed to Onesi mos stands out among the vases that
came on the market last year, and indeed among all red-
fi gur e vases, for its or i gi nal t reat ment o f a favori te
beauty-and-the-beast theme, the encounter o f a sleep-
i n g maenad wi t h an amor ous sat yr wh o creeps
precari ously d o wn a c l i f f t owar d her. Thi s is At t i c
draughtsmanship at its most expressive.
Several terracottas fr om the Greek colonies i n South
Italy were acquired i n 1986. Though terracottas are rela-
ti vely abundant i n older collections o f antiquities, the
Museum is st i l l bui l di ng its small but i mpor t ant group.
The late archaic incense burner i n the for m o f a Ni ke
154 Walsh
figure is a startli ng rediscovery. It has no kno wn parallel
i n Magna Grecia where i t was made but has several
At t i c precedents; almost perfectly preserved, wi t h many
traces o f color, the Ni ke has all the insouciant freshness
o f her sisters, the korai , at the dawn o f Greek sculpture.
A pair o f terracotta altars o f a century later are also
unprecedented. The reliefs show Adoni s and his at-
tendants represented wi t h the mobi le poses and fluid
c l i ngi ng dr aper y t hat we associate wi t h the latest
f i f t h- c ent ur y stone sculpt ur e i n Greece, here exe-
cuted i n a medi um nor mal l y used for molded pieces.
The hi gh poi nt o f the year, however, was the pur -
chase o f ten silver dr i nki ng vessels. Added to the Mu -
seum's earlier holdi ngs, they help make ours the finest
collecti on o f Eastern Helleni sti c silver i n the wor l d. I n
ant i qui t y such silver was a t oken o f wealt h and i mper i al
favor, as wel l as an artistic medi um; but i t was melted
do wn by captors and thieves on such a scale that very
li t t le has survived. Thus each new discovery is precious.
The group o f rhyta (horn-shaped spouted vessels) is the
most impressive. There are t wo rhyta wi t h l ynx pr o-
t omai o f fami li ar for m, bot h bearing the makers' signa-
tures i n Aramai c and pr ovi di ng invaluable i nfor mat i on
for scholars. An d there are t wo rhyta wi t h uni que pr o-
t omai , a l i o n and a stag, the noblest quarry o f hunters,
that are among the most vi gorous ani mal representa-
tions to survive i n the art o f antiquity.
It was a year o f renovati on and rei nstallati on for the
Depart ment o f Ant i qui t i es under its newl y appointed
curator, Mar i o n True. Aft er t wo years o f study and
conservation wor k, the kouros acquired i n 198 5 was
placed on a specially made base that wo ul d isolate i t
fr om seismic movement and exhi bi ted i n a refurbished
gallery wi t h the best o f our archaic and fi fth-century
material, much o f i t acquired since 1983. The wo r k o f
Jerry Podany, our conservator o f antiquities, and his
staff was essential to the project.
Greek vases were the center o f attenti on most o f the
year. We created and put i nt o service a new interactive
videodisc to teach visitors about Greek vases. Installed
i n t wo booths adjacent to a small gallery wi t h several o f
our best vases, the touch-screen moni t ors allow visitors
to guide themselves t hr ough as much pr ogr ammed i n -
structi on on various aspects o f vases (subject matter,
pot t i ng and pai nt i ng, funct i on, etc.) as they wi sh. For
specialists, we sponsored an i nternati onal symposi um
on vase-painting i n Athens dur i ng the peri od o f the
great black-figure pioneer kn o wn as the Amasi s Painter.
The occasion was an exhi bi t i on devoted to the artist, o f
whi ch we were cosponsors, held at the Los Angeles
Count y Museum o f Ar t at the t i me o f the symposi um.
FO R MA N US C R I P TS , o f the eight acquisitions i n 198 6
not hi ng surpassed the astonishing Mo del Bo o k o f Cal -
l i gr aphy by Geor g Bocskay wi t h i l l umi nat i o ns by
Georg Hoefnagel. It was made i n 15611562 i n Prague
to demonstrate a variety o f scripts. A generation later,
when i t was i n the possession o f Emper or Rudol f I I , i t
was taken up by the court painter Hoefnagel and gi ven
i l l umi nat i ons o f frui t, flowers, insects, animals, and ci ty
viewsa breathtaki ng survey o f the natural wo r l d by
this greatest o f scientific illustrators. The manuscript, a
celebration o f bot h nature and human artifice, comes at
the end o f a l ong t r adi t i on that eventually perished wi t h
the rise o f pr i nt i ng.
Several other purchases had special i mportance for
the Getty collecti on, whose core remains the 144 manu-
scripts acquired i n 198 3 fr om Irene and Peter Ludwi g.
Because the Ludwi g material, t hough fine and i mpo r -
tant, is a l ong way fr om compri si ng a comprehensive
collecti on, we want to compensate for its weaknesses as
wel l as to bui l d its strengths. French manuscripts were
not the Ludwi gs' focus, but i mpor t ant examples are
st i l l available, especially fr om the later Mi ddl e Ages; so
we have concentrated on t hem. Out st andi ng i n this area
is a book o f hours fr om about 14151420 wi t h seven-
teen large devoti onal mi ni atures by the Bouci caut Mas-
ter and his workshop. It adds a splendid example o f the
Parisian I nt er nat i onal Got hi c Style t o the Museum' s
collections. A copy o f a Passion narrative i l l umi nat ed i n
Lyons by the Master o f Gui llaume Lambert and his
wor kshop is not onl y a beautiful devoti onal book, but
i t also represents the art o f the i mpor t ant years around
1480 parti cularly wel l . On the other hand, we already
have a gr oup o f Fl emi sh manuscri pt s that is unsur-
passed i n this country. We added a book o f hours pr ob-
ably i l l umi nat ed i n Bruges around 14851495 by the
Master o f the Dresden Prayer Book, an anonymous
painter who is among the leading figures i n a fertile
peri od i n Flanders.
The Depart ment o f Manuscri pts enti rely remodeled
the gallery i n whi ch we have been showi ng its collec-
t i on. Ne w exhi bi ti ons every few months are devoted to
themes or periods or centers o f product i on; to house
them, handsome new display cases have replaced t em-
porary ones, and the r oom has been refurbished.
TW EN TY - O N E P A I N TI N G S were added to the collecti on
i n 1986. Supply cont i nued to go do wn and prices up,
i nevi tably sl owi ng the rate o f acquisition for a museum
determi ned to hol d a hi gh standard. Thi s was a year
that ended wi t h a series o f startli ng prices pai d at auc-
t i on, far hi gher than opt i mi st i c estimates, by relatively
new private collectors. The Get t y Museum was never-
theless able to add some pai nti ngs that wo ul d be hi gh
points o f any year.
Acquisitions/1986 155
A n anonymous li t t le Italian di pt ych o f the mi d-four -
teenth century, the so-called Ansoui s Di pt ych, is a great
rari ty: a beautiful and well-preserved devoti onal object.
Uni que i n subject, i t has the sumptuousness and story-
t elli ng verve o f Sienese pai nt i ng o f the later Mi ddl e
Ages, t hough i t was made far fr om Tuscany, probably
i n Avi gnon or Naples.
A portrai t by Francesco Salviati adds greatly to a col-
lecti on that has so far been weak i n Renaissance por t r ai -
ture. Pai nt ed by the i t i ner ant Fl or ent i ne i n Rome
around 15501555, its resolute energy is tempered by
the complexi ty, resonant color, and polished executi on
typi cal o f Italian Manner i sm at its apogee.
A wel l - known portrai t by van Dyc k was acquired i n
1986. The sitter is Thomas Howar d, Second Earl o f
Ar undel , the greatest Engli sh connoisseur and collector
o f his day and a leading statesman under James I and
Charles I . He was portrayed around 16201621 by the
young Flemi sh painter, who established his reputati on
and made his fortune wi t h j ust such commissions i n
England. The portrai t shows why: i t is a strong likeness
softened by the war m, fluent manner o f the great Vene-
tians o f the previous century and deepened by the sug-
gestion o f refinement i n the face and hands.
Several Dut ch pai nti ngs have j oi ned the collecti on.
One, The Horse Stall, may ori gi nally have been the es-
tranged compani on o f The Cow Shed by ter Bor ch we
acquired a few years ago. The new acquisition repre-
sents a stable wi t h t wo figures and a fine dapple-gray
r i di ng horse, all painted wi t h ter Borch's breathtaki ng
vi rtuosi ty. I n a Mont e Carlo aucti on we were able to
buy another genre pai nt i ng, rarer st i l l , the Doctor's
Visit o f 1667 by Frans van Mi er i s the Elder, the Leyden
pai nter whose wo r k was hi ghl y pr i zed and eagerly
collected i n his o wn t i me and wel l i nt o the ni neteenth
century. It treats a stock theme, the di agnosi ng o f love-
sickness or, more li kely, pregnancy, wi t h a broad hu-
mor that is closely related to cont empor ar y theater.
It has all o f the refinement and or i gi nali t y o f color that
earned van Mi er i s his fame.
A pair o f large vi ews o f Venice by the pioneer vedute
painter Luca Carlevarijs, o f 1710 and 1711, now hang i n
the Museum' s Baroque gallery. Well kno wn and often
published, they represent the festivities put on for the
vi si t o f Frederick I V o f Denmar k. Carlevarijs portrayed
the scenes wi t h an eye for amusi ng anecdote as wel l as
for the shi mmer and gli tter o f this ci t y o f spectacle.
Step by step, we are bui l di ng a group o f eighteenth-
century French pai nti ngs that we hope can one day ri val
the Museum' s collections o f French furni ture and deco-
rative arts. One step was the purchase last year o f an
especially beautiful Char di n st i ll life, a relatively late
composi t i on o f a silver goblet, frui t, and nuts. Chardin's
artless si mpli ci t y is an i llusi on, for the arrangement is
fi nely calibrated, and his translation o f subtle variations
o f hue and texture i nt o paint is the product o f a li fet i me
o f patient gr owt h.
The biggest event o f the year was the reappearance o f
a long-lost portrai t o f the daughters o f Joseph Bona-
parte by Jacques-Louis Davi d that we were able to ac-
quire privately. Painted i n 1821 for the exiled Bonaparte
by another exile, the seventy-three year-old Davi d, i t is
one o f his most acute portraits. The contrast between
the sturdy, nubi le older daughter and her pli ant younger
sister is st r i ki ng yet complex; the model i ng is strong
and the color ri ch; and the presence o f a letter fr om
thei r absent father makes the picture a ki nd o f i con o f
fami li al devoti on.
As happy as we are to fi nd pai nti ngs by van Dyck,
Char di n, and Davi d, o f wh o m we nat urally expect
great things, i t can be j ust as satisfying to acquire a
masterpiece by an arti st wh o m the publi c may not
k n o w at al l for example, the pictures by Leo von
Klenze and Franz Xaver Wi nterhalter we bought last
year. Winterhalter's subject is a twenty-seven year-old
Russian princess, whose sultry beauty he celebrated i n
a hi ghl y unconventi onal life-size portrai t; she is recli n-
i ng, li ke the Venuses o f the past, i n a splendid gown be-
fore a moody Medi t erranean, or perhaps Cr i mean,
background. Her cool self-assurance is set o f f by the
bol d colors and ri ch textures that the artist painted wi t h
such ease.
The pai nt i ngs col l ect i on has changed dramat i cally
dur i ng the past five years. The acquisition i n that t i me
o f more than a hundred wor ks has necessitated t hor -
ough rearrangement o f the pictures and gi ven us the
chance to refurbish, reli ght, and relabel t hroughout the
second-floor pai nti ngs galleries. Unrecogni zed, but es-
sential i n all this acti vi ty o f acquisitions and reinstalla-
t i on, is the wo r k o f the pai nti ngs conservators under
Andrea Rothe. We take thei r j udgment o f the condi t i on
o f a picture before i t is bought. An d when i t needs
cleaning and restoration, as i t frequently does, we de-
pend on t hem to treat i t sensitively, conservatively, and
wi t h the greatest respect for the artist's i nt ent i on. Once
i n a whi l e this wo r k represents a particular t r i umph, as
i t di d wi t h the Dosso Dossi Mythological Scene acquired
i n 1983. It was so radically altered by the artist hi msel f
that i t posed every ki nd o f di lemma for the restorer.
Last year we put i t on exhi bi t i on after three years o f
research and successful treatment.
FO R D R A W I N G S , 198 6 was the year o f the muc h-
publi ci zed Gaines and Spr i ngell sales, at whi c h we
made six i mpor t ant acquisitions. There were many
156 Walsh
other less conspicuous purchases as wel l .
The single greatest addi t i on was the sheet o f draw-
ings by Leonardo da Vi nci , whi ch becomes part o f the
foundat i on o f our collecti on. On i t he progressively
evolved the f or m o f a chi l d wi t h a lamb, a key mo t i f i n
several o f his pai nti ngs, fr om a vague explorati on i n
chalk to increasingly exact delineations i n pen. He also
used the sheet for drawi ngs o f machinery, for the head
o f an ol d man, and for notes i n his di sti ncti ve mi r r or
wr i t i ng. Thi s small piece o f paper is a compendi um o f
Leonardo's techniques and purposes as a draughtsman,
whi c h were so i nfluenti al on the hi st ory o f art.
I n contrast to the Leonardo, a dr awi ng o f Chri st car-
r yi ng the Cross by the German Renaissance master A l -
brecht Al t dor fer went unrecogni zed at aucti on and was
i denti fi ed, acquired, and later published by the curator,
George Goldner, and his assistant curator, Lee Hendr i x.
We bought Rembrandt's An Artist in a Studio at the
aucti on o f the Spri ngell estate i n London. Thi s is an
early pen dr awi ng that shows a young artist l ooki ng
i nt ent l y at a pai nt i ng on his easel. The wi r y energy o f
li ne invigorates the subject itself, whi ch embodies the
amb i t i o n and i nt ellect ual power o f the painter. Our
t ent h dr awi ng by the artist, i t strengthens a group o f
works by Rembrandt that now surpasses any i n America.
The same can be said o f the Getty's drawi ngs by
Poussin. To the t wo bought i n previous years, a group
o f six were added i n 1986: studies fr om the antique,
figure composi ti ons, and, finest o f all, a rare red-chalk
dr awi ng o f the Israelites crossing the Red Sea o f about
1634. It reveals an ardent, i mpulsi ve character that Pous-
sin wo ul d then di sci pli ne i n executing the pai nt i ng for
whi ch the dr awi ng was a study.
Havi ng onl y one relatively mi nor dr awi ng by Wat-
teau, we wondered i f we wo ul d ever represent the artist
at his peak. I n 1986 we got the chance to buy t wo o f the
best Watteau drawi ngs i n existence. The Remedy, one o f
his few nudes, has the added interest o f bei ng a study
for the pai nt i ng i n the No r t o n Si mon Museum; the
other, a sheet o f drawi ngs o f three women i n various
poses, was used for his most famous picture, the Pil-
grimage to Cythera. Bo t h are beautiful examples o f Wat-
teau's deli cate sensi bi l i t y and expressi ve t echni que.
Somet hi ng o f Watteau's spi ri t can be felt i n the dr awi ng
by Gai nsborough we bought at the Spri ngell sale, a
wonder ful costume study on blue paper.
We were able to acquire a vi ew o f War wi ck Castle by
Canaletto, one o f the l umi nous wash drawi ngs made by
the Venetian vi ew painter dur i ng his ten-year stay i n
England, whi ch began i n 1745. Our first dr awi ng by
Canaletto, , i t is f i r m i n constructi on, deli ght ful i n de-
t ai l, and lovely i n effects o f l i ght and shade.
I mpor t ant drawi ngs by the leading Romanti c painters
i n France, Gericault and Delacroi x, j oi ned the collecti on
i n 1986. The Giaour, an impeccably preserved water-
color o f about 1822 by Gericault, treats a swashbuckli ng
subject fr om Byr on; a gouache o f Sailboat on the Sea,
acquired fr om the same source, embodies the threaten-
i ng power o f the ocean that was a constant Romanti c
preoccupation. We were also able to buy The Education
of Achilles by Delacroi x, a pastel o f the late 1850s i n
vi r t ual l y perfect condi t i on.
Exhi bi t i ons fr om the permanent collecti on o f draw-
ings, whi ch change five ti mes a year, give us a chance to
put new acquisitions on vi ew fai rly pr ompt l y and, as
the collecti on gets more diverse, to explore artistic per i -
ods, styles o f drawi ng, and even themes.
T H E D EC O R A TI VE A R TS C O L L EC TI O N , b ui l t steadi ly
over the past fifteen years i n an increasingly compet i t i ve
market, has become one o f the half-dozen finest i n the
wor l d. Really i mpor t ant acquisitions are therefore not
easily found or made. We concentrate on the finest and
rarest furni ture and on objects that wi l l not onl y enri ch
our installations but wi l l also broaden the picture we
give o f the lives and interests o f the ori gi nal patrons.
The single most splendid acquisition was surely the
very large lit la Turque o f the 1760s attri buted to the
menuisier Jean-Baptiste Ti l l i ar d I I . Its graceful for m and
splendid carvi ng and gi l di ng i n t wo colors put i t among
the best eighteenth-century beds to survive. Since the
bedr oom was always a focus o f social life, a place where
the mistress o f a great house wo ul d receive guests, the
bed has a special i mportance whi ch we can eventually
convey i n our o wn i nstallati on.
Amo n g the owners o f the furni t ure and decorative
arts collected by the Museum were many passionate
amateur scholars and scientists. A Rococo gi lt-bronze
c o mpo un d mi cr oscope o f about 1751 by the we l l -
kno wn maker Alexi s Magny survives wi t h its leather
case, extra lenses, i mpl ement s, and prepared slides.
It must have provi ded the sort o f edi fyi ng entertai n-
ment for the owner and his guests that was a part o f
ei ght eent h-cent ur y soci al l i fe. So di d the pai r o f
celesti al and t er r est r i al globes o n spl endi d lacquer
stands that also j oi ned the collecti on, complete wi t h
engraved maps that could be amended by pasting on
new sheets when discoveries were made overseas.
We succeeded i n buyi ng a pair o f porcelain li dded
vases that became our most remarkable Sevres pieces.
The model is uni que, the body is decorated i n exquisite
bleu Fallot wi t h a constellati on o f gold dots, and the
finials are li t t le eggs on gi l t strawthe sort o f dr ol l
conceit that deli ghted aristocratic patrons who played at
bei ng farmers and shepherdesses.
Acquisitions 11986 157
S C UL P TUR E A N D W O R K S O F A R T, a department i n its
second ful l year o f existence, made purchases o f funda-
mental i mportance. We acquired a bust portrai t o f the
young Marcus Aureli us fr om about 1520 by Ant i co, the
Mant uan who was famed for emulat i ng Roman sculp-
t ure i n smal l bronzes. Tho ug h i t bears a general
resemblance to Ant oni ne portraits, i t is alive wi t h a
new complexi t y o f expression and is fi nely cast, chased,
and patined.
Onl y some si xty pieces survive fr om the short-li ved
porcelain wor kshop o f the Medi ci dukes at the Palazzo
Pi t t i , where, i n 1574, the first successful attempts were
made to create the hard whi t e wares that otherwi se had
to be i mpor t ed fr om Chi na. The beautiful blue-and-
whi t e pi l gr i m flask acquired last year is a great rari ty
and a fi t t i ng addi t i on to a gr owi ng collecti on o f later
European porcelain.
The finest late Renaissance bronze to be sold i n many
years is the statuette o f a reari ng horse si gned by
Adri aen de Vries, a Dut ch sculptor taught by Gi am-
bol ogna, who became cour t art i st t o Rud o l f I I i n
Prague (like the painter Hoefnagel, who i l l umi nat ed
the Mo del Bo o k o f Calli graphy already menti oned) .
Spi r i t ed horses were a pr eoccupat i on o f Renaissance
sculptors, not j ust for equestrian monument s but as
independent subjects. Few bronzes so successfully com-
bi ne convi nci ng anat omy and mo t i o n wi t h vi r t uoso
casting and fi ni shi ng.
Amo n g a number o f ei ght eent h-cent ur y Fr ench
sculptures acqui red recently, an allegori cal gr oup o f
Hope Nourishing Love o f 1769 by J.-J. Caffi eri stands out.
The figures act out the saying literally, br i ngi ng the
abstractions to life and gi vi ng t hem a half-serious er ot i -
cism. The composi t i on rewards many different vantage
poi nts and is carved wi t h great vi rtuosi ty.
The new Get t y Museum sculptures make thei r way
steadily i nt o the galleries, bot h as part o f the revamped
pai nti ngs installations and on thei r own. A large up-
stairs vestibule is now devoted to larger Renaissance
sculptures, most ly i n bronze.
T H E D EP A R TMEN T O F P H O TO G R A P H S today holds up-
war d o f si xty thousand pictures, and, despite havi ng
been formed onl y three years ago, i t may already be the
best all-around collecti on anywhere. It is by no means
complete, however. It has not been especially strong i n
the leading masters o f t went i et h-cent ury photography,
t hough some, such as Sander, Man Ray, Evans, and
Mo ho l y- Nagy, are represented better here t han any-
where. So we have t ri ed to f i l l the holes and had special
success i n 1986, when we were able to acquire groups o f
phot ographs by three o f the greatest o f all, Strand,
Weston, and Kertesz.
Paul Strand's cont r i but i on was to put a new hard-
edged vi si on, much i nspi red by moderni st pai nti ng, i n
place o f the pi ctori al stylizations wi t h whi ch he had
gr own up. The group o f 117 photographs we bought
fr om his heirs not onl y shows this i nfluenti al phase o f
his wo r k around Wor l d War I but covers more than
forty years o f his producti ve career.
Edwar d Weston's wo r k evolved parallel to Strand's,
t hr ough pi ctori ali sm to a conversion i n the 1920s to
near-abstract images o f figures, machines, and buildings.
We bought fi ft y-ni ne separate Weston photographs and
762 photographs i n albums fr om his son Cole, o f whi ch
the strength is early wo r k done i n Los Angeles.
Andr e Kertesz moved to Paris i n 1925, a moment o f
particular brilliance, and became one o f the pr i me i nno-
vators o f European photography. Hi s vi si on has a sur-
realist element, usually the result o f seeming accident
and studied choices o f vi ewpoi nt and croppi ng. Our
new group o f forty-one pictures has many o f the most
i mpor t ant images i n Kertesz's first or onl y prints.
Beyond these major addi t i ons o f 1986 there were
some fi fty-one other acquisitions o f the wo r k o f 101
photographers, most ly o f groups o f photographs, usu-
ally by purchase but a few by gift. Amo n g other artists
represented were Roger Fent on, Gustave Le Gray,
Wi l l i am Henr y Fox Talbot, Thomas Eakins, Edwar d
Steichen, Al fr ed Stieglitz, and Man Ray. These broad-
ened and deepened a collecti on that now ranges fr om
photographi c incunabula o f the late 1830s t hr ough wo r k
by the major figures o f our century.
The department's study r oom at 401 Wi lshi r e Boul e-
vard i n Santa Moni ca has become a busy place. Since
spri ng 1985 more than eight hundred visitors have used
the collect i oncurat ors, scholars, dealers, phot ogr a-
phers, collectors, studentswhose wo r k the depart-
ment tries to further.
The year marked a debut for the department, the first
exhi bi ti ons to be held at the Get t y Museum. The i nau-
gural show was devoted to the wo r k o f Julia Margaret
Cameron, the Vi ct or i an photographer who brought a
new seriousness and poetic i nvent i on to portraits and
genrelike religious subjects. It was held i n a newly ren-
ovated space next to the pai nti ngs galleries. A second
exhi bi t i on was devoted to Edwar d Weston, the most
i mpor t ant artist ever to mature i n Los Angeles. There
wi l l be four or five such shows o f photographs each
year. Already we can see the Museum' s audience chang-
i ng as a result o f these exhi bi ti ons, becomi ng younger
and more diverse, a happy sign for the future.
John Walsh
Di rect or
Notes to the Reader
Al t hough variations occur reflecting bot h curatorial
preference and the nature o f the works o f art described, the
followi ng i nformat i on has been provided for each listed
i t em where appropriate or available: name and dates o f
arti st, t i t l e or name o f wo r k and date o f execut i on,
medi um, dimensions wi t h centimeters preceding inches,
i nscri pt i ons, Museum accession number , comment ary,
provenance, and bibliography.
Whe n possible i n gi vi ng dimensions, the formula height
precedes wi d t h precedes depth has been observed. I n cases
where this was not appropriate to the wor k o f art i n ques-
t i on, the followi ng abbreviations have been consistently
employed:
H: Hei ght
W: Wi d t h
D: Dept h
Di am: Diameter
L: Lengt h
I n the provenance sections brackets are used to indicate
dealers.
ANTI QUI TI ES
S T O N E S C U L P T U R E
1. THREE FRAGMENTS OF A
FUNERARY MO N U ME N T
Greek, circa 5 25 - 5 00 B . C .
Mar bl e, 1) 51 x 21 x 12.2 c m (20" x
8 7 / x 4
3
/ / ) ; 2) 7 x 3 x 3 c m (2
3
A " x
1 W x 1 W) ; 3) 7 x 5 x 3 c m ( 2
3
/ / x 2"
x 1 W)
86.AA.545.1-.3 ( j o i ni ng 85.AA.419)
The monument depicts a fi gure r ecl i n-
i ng on a kli ne. Two o f the fragments are
f r om the fi gure i t sel f The t hi r d may be
part o f a cushi on. Red pol ychr omy is
preserved on t wo o f the fragments.
P R O VEN A N C E: European art market.
2. TOMB ALTAR WI TH MAL E
PORTRAI T
Roman, circa 150 A . D .
Mar bl e, H: 64 c m ( 25
3
/ i 6 ") ; W: 49 c m
( 19V/ ) ; D: 27 c m ( 10W)
86. AA. 572, presented by A. Rosen,
Ne w Yor k
The back o f the altar has been cut d o wn
i n moder n times. Wi t h i n its rectangular
fi eld, the niche contains i n r el i ef the
por t r ai t o f an un k n o wn bearded male.
Hi s head and gaze are di rected sli ght ly
t o the r i ght . The bust is undraped and
truncated somewhat bel ow the shoul -
ders by the frame.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : G. Koch, Roman Funerary
Sculpture (Malibu, 1987), no. 28.
3. FRONT PANEL OF A SAR-
COPHAGUS OF T AELI US
EVANGELUS
Roman, circa 180 A . D .
Mar bl e, H: 46.4 c m (18
5
/ i6 "); L: 173
c m (68V8 ")
Inscri bed: FVERIT POST ME ET
POST GAVDENI A NI CENE VETO
AL I VM QVI SQVI S HVNC TI TVL VM
LEGERI T/ MI ET I LLEI FECI/ T AELI O
EVANGELO/ HOMI NI PATI ENTI /
MERVM PROFVNDAT
86. AA.701 ( for mer ly 82. AA.148)
The panel represents the deceased, a
wool -maker named Ti t us Evangelus, re-
cl i ni ng o n a kl i ne as his wi fe offers h i m
a wi ne cup. I n the fi eld ar ound t hem are
scenes depi ct i ng aspects o f t hei r dai ly
lives. At the far left, t wo goats froli c; a
seated man cards wo o l . The figures
ar ound the i mage o f a horse i n the up-
per r i ght corner may be parti ci pants i n
the rites o f the cult o f Cybele and At t i s.
At the far r i ght , a seated man rolls wo o l
i nt o a ball.
P R O VEN A N C E: L O S Angeles art market.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : The Summa Galleries, Inc., auc-
tion cat. (Beverly Hills, September 18, 1981),
lot 75; G. Koch, Roman Funerary Sculpture
(Malibu, 1987), no. 9.
B R O N Z E S C U L P T U R E
4
4. STATUETTE OF A FALLEN OR
DYI NG YOUTH
Greek, circa 480465 B . C .
Br onze wi t h copper inlay, L: 13.5 c m
( 5
5
/ i 6") ; W: 7.3 c m (2
7
/s")
86.AB.530
The fi nely modeled body o f the nude
yout h arches backward i n an atti tude o f
sleep or death. Hi s legs are bent at the
knee* and his upper torso falls back as i f
he were l yi ng on a rock or bei ng car-
ri ed. Hi s r i ght ar m falls backward above
his head, and the closed fingers o f his
r i ght hand t ouch the curls o f hai r over
his forehead; the straightened left ar m
falls away f r om his side. Bo t h loosely
closed fists are empt y but once held ob-
jects, and a hole i n the r i ght shoulder
blade indicates a previ ous poi nt o f at-
tachment t o some other object. The
statuette was soli d cast, and copper was
used for separate locks o f hair and the
nipples. The surface is sli ght ly pi t t ed
ar ound the chest and stomach and there
are several small repair patches, applied
after casting.
P R O VEN A N C E: New York art market.
T E R R A C O T T A
5
5. THYMI ATERI ON
Sout h Itali an, circa 5 00- 48 0 B . C .
Terracotta, H: 44.6 c m (17
9
/ i6"); Di a m
(incense cup) : 6.9 c m (2
3
A ")
86.AD.681
The caryati d fi gure that supports an i n -
cense burner on her head is Ni ke, the
wi nged goddess o f vi ct ory. She holds
her r i ght hand for war d i n a gesture o f
salutati on; wi t h her left hand she li fts
2
160 Acquisitions/1986
the folds of her himation to the side.
Perched on the knob of the openwork
li d is a dove wi t h its wings raised.
The piece has been restored from a
number of fragments, wi t h only the
thumb of the Nike's right hand, the fi n-
gers of her left hand, and the left wi ng
of the dove on the l i d missing. Beneath
the surface encrustation there are abun-
dant remains of the original poly-
chromy, especially on the headdress
(blue and purple), the wings (red) and
Nike's garments (the chiton is blue, the
himation red).
6. PAIR OF ALTARS
South Italian (Tarentum?), circa
400-3 75 B . C .
Terracotta, 1) H: 41.8 cm (16
7
/ i
6
"); W
(of base): 34.2 cm (13V
2
"); W (of top):
31.6 cm (127i6"); D (of top): 27 cm
( lOW) ; 2) H: 41.8 cm (16
7
/ i
6
"); W (of
base): 33.2 cm (137i6"); W (of top):
31.5 cm (12
3
/s"); D (of top): 27.8 cm
(10
15
/l6")
86.AD.598
The altars have been broken and as-
sembled from fragments, wi t h some
areas missing. Traces of the original
polychromy remain. The fronts of both
altars are decorated wi t h low-relief fi g-
ures. On altar 1, three women move
rapidly to the right, looking toward the
figures on the other altar. Two carry
musical instruments, a xylophone and a
tympanum. On altar 2, an effeminate
young god sits facing left on an irregu-
lar rocky surface. He has his arm around
the shoulders of a female seated beside
hi m on his right, and he holds one hand
up to the fillet around his head. Two
other women are i n attendance, and
both appear i n poses that suggest grief:
one holds her left hand to her forehead;
the other sits wi t h her head downcast
and her hands clasped about her right
knee. The subject may be identified as
the death of Adonis, the youthful god of
vegetation and regeneration. The stylis-
tic features and a tentative identification
of the clay as Tarentine suggest that the
altars were made i n the area of Tarentum.
7 (86.AE.159)
7 (86.AE.60)
7 (86.AE.279)
V A S E S
7. COLLECTI ON OF 428 GREEK,
S OUTH I TALI AN, A N D R OMAN
VASES A N D VASE FRAGMENTS
Including Mycenaean, East Greek,
Etruscan, Attic, Corinthian,
Euboean, Chalcidian, Laconian,
Daunian, Apulian, Campanian,
Sicilian, Lucanian, and Arretine
fabrics, circa 130050 B . C .
Artists represented include the
Boread Painter, the Hunt Painter, the
7 (86.AE.70)
6
Antiquities 161
8. 810 FRAGMENTS OF GREEK A N D
S OUTH I TALI AN VASES
East Greek, Attic, and Gnathian fab-
rics, circa 550-300 B . C .
Artists represented include the potter
Euphronios, the Wraith Painter, the
Kyllenios Painter, Epiktetos, Ones-
imos, the Kleophrades Painter,
the Brygos Painter, the Foundry
Painter, the Berlin Painter, the
Eucharides Painter, and the
Penthesilea Painter.
Terracotta, various dimensions
86.AE.482-487; 86.AE.546-570;
86.AE.575-587 and 86.AE.707-709,
presented by Dietrich von Both-
mer; 86.AE.698 (formerly
82.AE.146); 86.AE.735-737
Many of these pieces belong to, and i n
some cases actually j oi n, fragmentary
vases presently i n the Museum's
collection.
P R O VEN A N C E: European and Los Angeles art
markets.
Painter of Vatican 73, the Phineus
Painter, the Heidelberg Painter, the
B MN Painter, the Swing Painter, the
Rycroft Painter, the Affecter, mem-
bers of the Leagros Group, Oltos,
Psiax, Douris, the Briseis Painter, the
Foundry Painter, the Brygos Painter,
the Eucharides Painter, the Aegisthus
Painter, the Black Fury Painter, the
Darius Painter, the Lycurgus Painter,
the Dolon Painter, the Hoppin
Painter, and the Konnakis Painter.
Terracotta, various dimensions
86.AE.34-462
P R O VEN A N C E: Walter and Mol l y Bareiss,
Greenwich, Connecticut.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : One hundred of the vases ap-
peared i n the Metropolitan Museum of Art ,
Greek Vases and Modern Drawings from the Col-
lection of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bareiss, ex.
checklist (New York, 1969); nine of the vases
are discussed i n Yale University Ar t Gallery,
Greek Vases at Yale, ex. cat. (New Haven,
1975); two hundred fifty-seven of the vases
are included i n the J. Paul Getty Museum,
Greek Vases: Molly and Walter Bareiss Collec-
tion (Malibu, 1983). Individual vases from the
collection have appeared i n numerous pub-
lications, including D. von Bothmer, "Walter
Bareiss as Collector," Metropolitan Museum
of Art Bulletin 28, no. 4 (Dec. 1969), pp. 1-4,
ABV, ARV
2
, and Paralipomena. A complete
catalogue of the collection is currently i n
preparation.
V A S E S :
E A S T G R E E K
9. ARYBALLOS
Circa 640-625 B . C .
Terracotta, H: 9.1 cm ( 3W) ; L: 14 cm
(5V
2
"); Di am (spout): 2 cm ( W)
86.AE.696
This Proto-Corinthian aryballos is a
combination wheel-thrown and mold-
made vessel fashioned i n the shape of a
mature ram resting on legs tucked up
under his body. Large horns curl behind
his ears and frame a carefully detailed
face, wi t h stylized locks of fur falling
between his eyes and curling around
both corners of his mouth. Once
7 (86.AE.286)
7(86.AE.280)
7 (86.AE.290)
9
broken, the aryballos has been
reconstructed from fragments, wi t h
areas of the body restored.
V A S E S :
C O R I N T H I A N
10. ARYBALLOS
Early sixth century B . C .
Terracotta, H: 6.1 cm ( 2W) ; L: 10.1
cm (4"); W: 3.6 cm (lVw")
86.AE.697
Buff-colored clay was pressed into a
two-part mold to create this small
aryballos i n the shape of a recumbent
lion. The animal's mane is swept back,
and his head is turned slightly to the
right. On top of the head is a simple
hole from which the contents of the
vessel were poured. On either side of
the face the lion's ruff is pierced by holes
for suspension cords. The aryballos has
never been broken.
V A S E S :
A T T I C R E D - F I G U R E
11. KYL I X TYPE B
Circa 500-490 B . C .
Attributed to Onesimos
Terracotta, H (restored): 8.3 cm
( 3
1
/ / ) ; Diam: 23.5 cm (9V
4
");
W ( wi th handles, one restored):
30.5 cm (12")
86.AE.607
The kyli x has been restored from frag-
ments; the foot and one handle are
missing. Wi t hi n the tondo, a satyr
crawls on a large rocky outcropping to-
ward the figure of a sleeping maenad
whom he is about to kiss. The maenad
reclines to the left on a large striped
cushion; a wineskin hangs i n the back-
ground above her head. On each side of
the exterior, a satyr dances on a short
groundline. The better preserved of the
two satyrs is seen from the back. The
head and shoulders of the other, who is
drawn i n profile to the left, are missing,
and a giant keras (drinking horn) is at
his feet.
12. KYL I X TYPE C
Circa 450-440 B . C .
Attributed to the Euaion Painter
Terracotta, H: 13.2 cm (5
3
/ i
6
");
Di am: 32.1 cm (12
5
/s"); W ( wi th
handles): 39.5 cm (15
9
/i
6
")
86.AE.682
10
n
12
Antiquities 163
The cup has been restored f r o m a n um-
ber o f fragments. There is an ancient
bronze repair wi t h i n the stem o f the
foot. O n the i nt eri or, a yout h holds out
his k yl i x t o be fi l l ed by the bearded man
who stands before h i m hol di ng an
oi nochoe. Behi nd h i m is the large v o l -
ute-krater that wo ul d have hel d the
mi xt ur e o f wi ne and water. The fr ont
legs o f a kli smos (chair) are vi si ble be-
hi nd the bearded man. O n bot h sides o f
the exterior, yout hs and men parti ci pate
i n the revelry, conversing, pl ayi ng i n -
struments, dr i nki ng, and danci ng. The
l i p o f the k yl i x is offset on the i nt er i or
o f the b o wl . The pr ofi le o f the foot is
characteristic o f H. Bloesch's so-called
Euai on foot.
13
13. RED-FIGURE STEMLESS CUP
Ci rca 450-425 B . C .
At t r i but ed t o the Mar l ay Painter
Terracotta, H: 6.4 c m (2V2"); Di am:
22.3 c m ( 8
1 3
A
6
") ; W ( wi t h handles):
29.5 c m (HVs")
86.AE.479
Reconstructed f r o m fragments, the cup
has an ancient repair i n the foot. Inside,
on the left, a male hol di ng a spear
stands faci ng a female. The exteri or
is covered wi t h a lozenge pattern. Pal-
mettes i n si lhouette f i l l the areas under
the handles.
14. FI SHPLATE
Ci rca 400- 3 5 0 B . C .
Terracotta, H: 3.7 c m ( l
7
/ i 6 " ) ; Di am:
22.5 c m (8
7
/s")
86.AE.700 ( for mer l y 82.AE.147)
Di sposed ar ound the central cavi ty are
three fi sh, a scorpi on fi sh and a sargus
ori ent ed i n the same di r ect i on, and a
mul l et faci ng the opposi te way. I n the
interstices are three small creatures
perhaps nemat odeswi t h undul at i ng
bodies. Kymat i a sur r ound the outer
edge o f the plate and encircle the central
depression. The vase is intact.
15. RATTLI NG BLACK KANTHAROS
Four t h cent ury B . C .
Terracotta, H (to r i m) : 20.4 c m
(8V16"); Di am ( mout h) : 17.5 c m
(6
7
/s"); Di a m ( foot ) : 9.6 c m ( 3 W)
86.AE.702 ( for mer l y 82.AE.152)
The kantharos has been restored f r o m
fragments. A n i nscr i pt i on i n gi l t letter-
i ng dedicates the cup t o Kast or and
Polydeukes: K A ITQ P P O A Y A EY IK H I. O n
bot h sides o f the b o wl , gi l t garlands are
suspended f r o m bucrania; stars f i l l the
spaces above the garlands, and a r un -
ni ng-wave pat t ern marks the offset
bet ween b o wl and calyx. Wi t h i n the
ho l l o w l i p are pellets that rattle when-
ever the cup is t i l t ed.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : The Summa Galleries, Inc., auc-
ti on cat. (Beverly Hills, September 18, 1981),
lot 16.
V A S E S :
A P U L I A N
16
16. PELIKE
End o f the fi ft h cent ury B . C .
Close t o the Gravi na Painter
Terracotta, H: 50.9 c m (20"); Di a m
( mout h) : 28 c m (11"); Di a m ( foot) :
23.2 c m (9V
8
")
86.AE.611
The vase has been reconstructed f r o m
fragments. The enti re body o f the vessel
is taken up by scenes o f Nerei ds b r i ng-
i ng arms t o Achi lles. At the t op left o f
the obverse, Achi lles sits at the mo ut h
o f a gr ot t o framed by waves. Five
Nerei ds r i di ng sea creatures (three
dolphi ns, a hi ppocamp, and a fish)
approach beari ng pieces o f armor. O n
the reverse, four Nerei ds car r yi ng
ar mor ri de three dolphi ns and a hi ppo-
camp, respectively.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : B. Westcoat, ed., Poets and
Heroes: Scenes from the Trojan War, ex. cat.
(Emory University Museum, Atlanta, 1986),
pp. 38-43, no. 9, i l l .
17
17. LOUTROPHOROS
Late four t h cent ury B . C .
At t r i but ed t o the Painter o f Louvr e
MN B 1148
Terracotta, H: 90.1 c m (35V2"); Di a m
( body) : 35.2 c m (13
7
/
8
"); Di a m ( foot ) :
18.7 c m ( 7 W) ; Di a m ( mout h) : 26 c m
(IOV2")
86.AE.680
The upper register o f the obverse por -
trays Astrape hol di ng torches, Zeus and
Aphr odi t e wi t h Eros wi t hi n a palace,
Eni autos, and Eleusis. Thei r names are
i nscri bed: , , ,
, . At the center o f the
lower register Leda, i dent i fi ed by the
i nscr i pt i on , and the swan embrace
whi l e, t o the r i ght , Hypnos, i nscri bed
, holds his wand over the couple,
casting a sweet drowsiness on the scene.
O n either side are female compani ons.
At the center o f the reverse the statue o f
a wo man stands wi t h i n a funerary
mo nument sur r ounded by female
attendants.
P R OVEN A N CE: European art market.
GL A S S
18. FOUR ROD FRAGMENTS
Elamite (Persian), circa 1250
1200 B . C .
Glass, 1) L: 3.3 cm (17i
6
"); Di am: 1.6
cm (
7
/
8
") ; 2) L: 4.9 cm ( l
1 5
/ i
6
") ; Di am:
1.6 cm (7s"); 3) L: 7.2 cm ( 2
1 3
/ i
6
") ;
Di am: 1.6 cm (
7
/
8
">; 4) L: 8.3 cm
( 3
1
/ / ) ; Di am: 1.5 cm (Vie")
86.AF.522.1-.4, presented by
N. Boas
The fragments are composed of alter-
nating spirals of blue-and-white glass
canes, twisted to form a thick rod wi t h
a hollow central core. They were used as
decorative architectural molding around
doors. Al l are broken at either end, and
none joins. Their surfaces are slightly
iridescent and pitted.
century B . C .
Gilt silver, H: 27 cm ( 10W)
86.AM.751
The amphora is constructed wi t h a
spout at the base and thus also func-
tioned as a rhyton. The body of the
vessel is decorated wi t h a calyx of wa-
ter li ly leaves i n relief, and the bottom
terminates i n a rosette. The handles are
rampant li on griffins, and the mouth
and neck are articulated wi t h kymatia.
The body has been damaged wi t h some
small losses, which are now filled, and
a horn is missing from one of the li on
griffin handles.
P R OVEN A N CE: Private collection, New York.
20. GROUP OF FIVE VESSELS
Greek, secondfirst century B . C .
Gilt silver wi t h inlaid garnets and
glass, 1) H: 35.5 cm (13
3
A");
2) Di am: 10.2 cm (4"); 3) Di am: 10.2
cm ( 4") ; 4) Di am: 14 cm ( 5
1
/ / ) ;
5) L: 21 cm (8V
4
")
86.AM.754.1-.5
The group is composed of a rhyton, a
cup, and three bowls. The rhyton
(86.AM.754.1) terminates i n a li on pro-
tome wi t h inlaid garnet eyes. The horn
is decorated at the base wi t h a calyx of
acanthus leaves and attached blossoms
and wi t h a relief garland of i vy leaves
around its upper part. The gilding is
well preserved on the mane and floral
decoration. Garnets are also inlaid i n the
centers of the blossoms among the
acanthus fronds and i n the clasps of the
relief garland on the upper part of the
horn. Two silver hemispherical bowls
( 86.AM.754.2-.3) belong together wi t h
the rhyton. Their exterior rims are dec-
orated wi t h gilded olive wreaths wi t h
inlaid garnet clasps, and five-petal relief
gilded rosettes wi t h garnet centers are
found on the bottoms of the exteriors.
Their interiors are undecorated. The
fourth piece i n the group is a gilt-silver
drinking cup (86.AM.754.4), decorated
on the exterior wi t h acanthus patterns
i n high relief and inlays of glass and
stone. This bowl was repaired i n antiq-
uity. The last vessel is a shallow bowl
(86. AM.754.5), decorated on the inside
wi t h concentric bands of gilded incised
floral patterns and a central inset garnet.
Its original circular shape is now dis-
torted, and the bowl is cracked.
P R OVEN A N CE: European art market.
21. GROUP OF THREE VESSELS
Greek, first century B . C .
Gilt silver wi t h inlaid garnet,
G O L D A N D S I L V E R
19. AMPHORA- RHYTON
Achaemenid (Persian), fifth
21
Antiquities 165
21
1) H: 41.9 c m ( 16
1
/ / ) ; 2) H: 41.9
c m (I6V2"); 3) Di am: 20 c m (7
7
/s")
86. AM. 752. 1-. 3
Thi s gr oup is composed o f t wo
rhyt a and a b o wl . Bo t h r hyt a
( 86. AM. 752. 1-. 2) , whi c h t ermi nat e
i n prot omes o f snarli ng lynxes, have
Ar amai c i nscri pt i ons i nci sed o n t hei r
ri ms; these i denti fy the artist responsible
for t hei r manufacture and state t hei r
met al wei ghts. The shallow b o wl
(86. AM.752.3) is decorated on the
i nt er i or wi t h an elaborate pentagonal-
leaf pattern overset wi t h smaller r el i ef
flowers i nlai d wi t h garnets. The exterior
is undecorated. The b o wl has a few
small areas o f copper corrosi on and
pi t t i ng, but i t is ot herwi se i n excellent
condi t i on.
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, New York.
22
22. RHYTON
Greek, fi rst cent ur y A . D .
Gi l t silver wi t h glass inlays,
H: 46 c m (18V
8
")
8 6. AM7 5 3
The r hyt o n termi nates i n the pr ot ome
o f an an ti ered stag wi t h i nl ai d glass
eyes. Uni que among all preserved rhyt a,
the ho r n is complet ely covered wi t h
elaborate floral ornaments i n l o w relief.
A n Ar amai c i nscr i pt i on o n the bel l y o f
the stag dedicates the r hyt o n t o a sanc-
tuary. I n spite o f one small crack above
the r i ght leg o f the stag and a few mi no r
losses o f gi l di ng, the r hyt o n is i n excel-
lent condi t i on.
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, New York.
23. FRAGMENT OF A LATE
ANTI QUE BELT
Roman, fi ft h cent ury A . D .
Go l d wi t h glass inlay, 2.5 x 2.5 c m
( l " x l " )
86. AM. 531 ( j o i ni ng 83.AM.224)
The obverse o f the gol d solidus,
mount ed i n a hi nged square o f gol d and
i nl ai d glass, bears a por t r ai t o f the em-
peror Valent i ni an I (r. 364375 A . D . )
and the legend D N VALENTI NI ANUS
PF AVG. Its reverse shows a standi ng
fi gure o f the emperor i n mi l i t ar y dress
and the legend RESTI TVTOR REI
PVBLI CAE. The segment is part o f a
belt presently i n the Museum' s
collect i on.
166 Acquisitions 11986
G E MS
24
24. CAMEO
Roman, fi r st t hi r d cent ur y A . D .
Sardonyx, H: 1.4 c m ( 7i 6 ") ; W: 2.3
c m (
7
/s")
86.AN.739
A l i o n reclines t o the r i ght , its head
rest i ng o n its forelegs. The tassel o f
the t ai l, curled under the body, shows
beside the vi si ble hi n d leg. A mane o f
t hi ck, shaggy locks di sti ngui shes the
carefully detai led face f r o m the t aut ly
muscled body. The cameo was carved
for i nser t i on i nt o a separate setti ng,
pr obably a fi nger r i ng.
V A R I A
25. DI MI DI ATED RHYTON
Mo d e r n i mi t at i o n o f a later f i f t h-
cent ur y-B .c. At t i c or i gi nal
Terracotta, L: 18.4 c m ( W ) ; W: 8.7
c m ( 37i 6 ") ; Di am: 7.5 c m ( 2
1 5
/ i 6 ")
86. AK. 699 ( for mer l y 82. AE.146)
Ha l f o f thi s di mi di at ed r hyt o n is
mol ded i n the shape o f a ram's head; the
other side is that o f a donkey. O n the
br oken r i m a maenad runs t o the left,
pursued by a satyr, o f wh o m onl y one
leg and the t ai l remai n.
MANUSCRIPTS
26. MISSAL
26 (fol. 157v)
Use o f Mai nz
Ger many ( Mai nz?) , early si xteenth
cent ury
Vel l um, 250 leaves. Col l at i on: l
6
( -5,
before fol . 5), 2
8
- 1 5
8
, 16
1 0
(+11, fol.
128), 17
8
-18
8
, 19
6
( +3, fol. 147),
20
2
( +3, +4, +5 , +6, fols.
154-157) , 21
1 0
, 22
8
, 23
8
, 24
8
( +1 ,
fol . 184; +10, fol . 193; +11, fol .
194), 25
1 0
( +1, fol . 198; +12, fol .
206; +13, fol. 207; leaves 1-3,
911 appear t o be reattached si n-
gles), 26
8
( +7, fol . 214), 27
4
( +2,
fol . 218; +6, fol . 222), 28
8
- 29
8
,
30
1 2
; 39.1 x 28 c m (15V8 " x 11"). Text
area 28.4 x 17.9 c m (llVs" x W ) ,
t wo columns, t went y-seven lines
(nineteen i n canon, t hi r t y- t wo i n
calendar). Lat i n text i n Got hi c
script. One full-page mi ni at ur e, n u-
merous decorated borders, numer -
ous decorated i ni ti als. Or i gi nal
pi gski n bi ndi ng bl i nd-t ool ed and
stamped wi t h foliate pat t ern over
wooden boards, knot t ed leather
fore-edge markers, t wo brass clasps;
Germany, early si xteenth century.
Ms . 18; 86.MG.480
C O N TEN TS : Calendar wi t h numer ous
Rheni sh saints, i ncl udi ng Gemi ni anus,
Arbogast, Lubent i us, Theonestus,
and Severinus (fols. 13v, fols. 45v
blank) ; Proper o f Ti me t hr ough the
v i g i l o f Easter (fols. 6127, fols.
127v1281 blank ruled); Or di nar y (noted)
and Canon o f the Mass (fols. 129166v,
fols. 157 and 167 blank) : Crucifixion
(fol. 157v); Mass f r om the feast o f Saint
Bi l hi l di s (fol. 167v); Proper o f Saints
fr om the feast o f Saint Andr ew
( November 30) t hr ough the feast o f
Mar y o f Egypt ( Apr i l 9) (fols.
168196v); Co mmo n o f Saints (fols.
197-242v, fols. 243-250v blank ruled).
Ms. 18 is the fi rst ( summer) part o f
a t wo-vol ume missal. The other v o l -
ume ( Mnst er , Bi sch fl i ches Priester-
seminar, K1 16) also includes a
calendar, the Or di nar y, the Canon o f
the Mass, and the Co mmo n o f Saints,
but i t has i n the Proper o f Ti me and the
Proper o f Saints onl y those feasts fal l i ng
bet ween Easter and Advent . The missal
is for the l i t ur gi cal use o f the arch-
bi shopri c o f Mai nz, as expl i ci t l y not ed
i n a r ubr i c i n the M n s t e r volume. The
calendar contains many peculi arly
Mi ddl e Rheni sh saints (see Contents) as
wel l as Bi l hi l di s ( November 27), whose
cult was exclusive t o Mai nz. Bi l hi l di s is
further emphasized i n Ms. 18 by the
i nclusi on o f a mass for her feast day ( fol.
167v). Al t ho ugh the style and i conogra
phy o f the Cr uci fi xi on mi ni at ur e are
st rongly remi ni scent o f the wo r k o f
Al br echt D r e r and his wor kshop,
active i n Nur ember g, the locat i on o f
executi on o f the missal is unkno wn.
P R O VEN A N C E: Count Galen, Mnster, nine-
teenth century; sale, Christie's, Amsterdam,
May 8, 1985, lot 403; [Bernard Breslauer,
New York] ,
27 (fol. 38v)
27. BOOK OF HOURS
Use o f Paris
I l l umi nat ed by the Mast er o f the
Har var d Hanni bal and Wor kshop
Paris, circa 1420-1430
Vel l um, 176 leaves. Col l at i on: l
2
,
2
8
- 9
8
, 10
6
, l l
8
- 2 4
8
, 25
8
( - 8 , after
fol. 191); catchwords at ends o f most
quires; quires 24 and 25 are si x-
t eent h-cent ury addi ti ons; 17.9 x 13
c m ( 7Vi 6 " x 5V8 ") . Text area 9.6 x 6.2
c m ( 3
3
A" x 2
7
/\6
,r
), one col umn,
fourt een lines. Lat i n and French text
i n Got hi c script. Fourteen three-
quarter-page mi ni at ures, numerous
decorated borders, numer ous
decorated i ni ti als. Bl i nd-st amped
b r o wn leather b i ndi ng over wooden
boards, t wo clasps and catches
lacki ng, gi l t edges; French, fi fteenth
century.
Ms. 19; 86.ML.481
C O N TEN TS : Calendar, and possi bly Gos-
pel Sequences, Obsecro te and O intem-
erata lacki ng. Hour s o f the Vi r g i n , use
o f Paris (fols. 172v): Annunciation ( fol.
1), Visitation ( fol. 26), Nativity ( fol. 38v) ,
Annunciation to the Shepherds ( fol. 45),
Adoration of the Magi ( fol. 50), Presenta-
tion ( fol. 54v) , Flight into Egypt ( fol. 59),
Coronation of the Virgin ( fol. 67); Seven
Peni tenti al Psalms (fols. 7 3 - 8 4) : King
David in Prayer ( fol. 73); li t any i ncl udi ng
saints Audoenus, Lubi n, Tugdual, Cor en-
tine, Ivo o f Bri ttany, and Genevieve (fols.
8793); Short Hour s o f the Cross (fols.
93v-103v) : Crucifixion (fol. 93v); Short
Hour s o f the Ho l y Spi ri t (fols. 104-U2v) :
27 (fol. 45:)
Pentecost (fol. 104); Offi ce o f the Dead,
use o f Paris (fols. 113162v): Funeral
Mass ( fol. 113); Fifteen Joys o f Ma r y
(fols. 163-168v) : Virgin and Child En-
throned with Angels ( fol. 163); Seven Re-
quests o f Our Lo r d (fols. 169-173v) :
Last Judgment ( fol. 169); added prayers
i n French and Lat i n ( fi fteenth-si xteenth
cent ury) ; si xt eent h-cent ury notes con-
cerni ng bi rt hs and deaths o f members
o f the Passin and Ducr ocq fami li es (fols.
173v-187, fols. 187v-191v blank) .
The Mast er o f the Har var d Hanni bal
was one o f the leadi ng followers o f the
Bouci caut Mast er (active circa
1405-1420) , the pr emi er artist o f the
fi rst quarter o f the fi fteenth cent ury i n
Paris. Named for a mi ni at ur e o f the
Cor onat i on o f Hanni bal prefaci ng a
manuscri pt o f Li vy' s Decades
( Cambri dge, Mass., Har var d College
Li brary, Ms. Ri chardson 32), this artist
adopted some o f the most di st i nct i ve
features o f the Bouci caut Master's wo r k:
sophisticated i nt er i or architecture, si n-
uous drapery contours, cour t l y fi gure
types, and such details as wat t l ed fences
and trees wi t h poi nt ed boughs. These
qualities are ampl y represented i n the
Museum' s unpubli shed book o f hours.
P R O VEN A N C E: Ducrocq, sixteenth century;
Thomas Libby (?); private collection,
Cambridge, Massachusetts (sale, Oinonen
Gallery, Northampton, Massachusetts,
January 28, 1986, lot 89); [Heritage Book
Shop, Los Angeles, and Laurence Witten
Rare Books, Southport, Connecticut] .
Manuscripts 169
28 (fol. 37)
28 (fol. 74)
28 (fol. 106) 28 (fol. 132)
28. MODEL BOOK OF CALLI GRAPHY
and GUI DE TO THE
CONS TRUCTI ON OF LETTERS
Wr i t t en by Geor g Bocskay ( Hun -
garian, d. 1575) and i l l umi nat ed by
Geor g (Joris) Hoefnagel ( Flemi sh,
1542-1600) . Fols. 1-129 wr i t t en i n
15611562, i l l umi nat i ons on these
folia added after 1590/91; fols.
130-151 complet ed i n 1596.
Vel l um and paper, v i + 150 leaves
( fol. 8 lacki ng) . Due t o the t i ght
b i ndi ng and i nterleavi ng, the colla-
t i o n cannot be det er mi ned; 16.6 x
12.4 c m (67i6" x 4
7
/s"). Text area 13.7
(varies) x 8.6 c m (5
3
/s" [ varies] x
3 W) , one col umn, number o f lines
varies. Lat i n, Ger man, Itali an,
Greek, and Heb r ew texts i n vari ous
scripts (such asfraktur, antiqua, can-
cellaresca, and mi r r o r wr i t i n g ) .
Mo d e l Bo o k: 128 half-page mi ni a-
tures (fols. 1129); Gui de: for t y-
four full-page mi ni at ures (fols.
130151). Red mor occo b i ndi ng
wi t h gol d-t ool ed dentelle border,
gi l t edges; ei ghteenth century.
Ms. 20; 86. MV. 527
C O N TEN TS : The texts o f the wr i t i n g
samples are short excerpts f r o m the
Bi bl e and vari ous prayer books and
f r o m chancery documents.
The unusual hi st or y o f the creati on o f
this manuscri pt may be reconstructed
largely f r o m numer ous references wi t h -
i n its pages. Geor g Bocskay, the cour t
secretary o f the Ho l y Roman Emper or
Ferdi nand I (r. 15561564), wr ot e the
Mo d e l Bo o k i n 1561 and 1562; he signed
and/ or dated t went y- t wo folios. A l -
t hough the page designs for his elegant
scri pt var y as muc h as t hei r i ndi vi dual
styles, Bocskay left substantial por t i ons
o f most pages blank. Ab o ut t hi r t y years
later, Emper or Rud o l f I I (r. 1576-1612)
acqui red the manuscri pt , presumably by
descent f r o m his grandfather Ferdi nand.
Rudolf' s i nsi gni a appear repeatedly i n
the Gui de t o the Const r uct i on o f Letters
(for example, fols. 130v-138v, 151v).
Geor g Hoefnagel, who entered i nt o the
i mper i al service after 1590 or 1591, de-
signed and i l l umi nat ed the second sec-
t i on, for whi c h a di fferent vel l um t han
that o f the Mo d e l Bo o k was used. He
si gned and dated the Gui de 1596 ( fol.
151 v) . He also pr ovi ded the elaborate
decorati on o f the mai n por t i on o f the
book. Al t ho ug h not signed, the i l -
l umi nat i o n o f the calli graphi c pages
ranks wi t h Hoefnagel's finest represen-
tations o f natural phenomena. Man y o f
its mot i fs were engraved by Hoefnagel's
son Jacob i n the Archetypa studiaque
Georgii Hoefnagelii o f 1592.
Hoefnagel i l l umi nat ed another
Mo d e l Bo o k o f Calli gr aphy wr i t t en
by Bocskay for Ferdi nand I ( Vi enna,
Kunsthi stori sches Museum, i nv.
no. 975).
P R O VEN A N C E: Emperor Ferdinand I (?);
Emperor Rudolf I I , Prague; Albert Mi lde,
Vienna, by 1887; to Goldschmied, Frankfurt,
1907; Louis Koch, Frankfurt, by 1923; private
collection, Switzerland, by 1942.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : F. Ritter, "Ei n Wiener
Schriftmusterbuch aus dem 16. Jahrhundert
mi t Miniaturmalereien," Mitteilungen des k.k.
sterreich. Museums fr Kunst und Industrie.
Monatschrift fr Kunstgewerbe, N. F 2, no. 17
(1887), pp. 336-342; S. Killermann,
"Hoefnagel," Allgemeines Lexikon der bil-
denden Knstler, U. Thieme and F. Becker,
eds. (Leipzig, 1924), vol. 16, pp. 193-195;
E. Kris, "Georg Hoefnagel und der
wissenschaftliche Naturalismus," Festschrift
fr Julius Schlosser, A. Weixlgrtner and L.
Planiscig, eds. (Vienna, 1927), p. 244; I .
Bergst r m, Dutch Still-Life Painting in the
Seventeenth Century (New York, 1956), p. 32,
i l l . fig. 29 (Ms. 20 is incorrectly identified
there as being i n the Kunsthistorisches Mu-
seum, Vienna); T. Sznt, "Ei n grosser
Schreibknstler des XVI . Jahrhunderts,"
Gutenberg-Jahrbuch (1963), p. 38; T. Wilberg
Vignau-Schuurman, Die emblematischen
Elemente im Werke Joris Hoefnagels (Leiden,
1969), vol. 1, p. 9, and vol. 2, p. 11, n. 3; T
Da Costa Kaufmann, Lecole de Prague (Paris,
1985), pp. 248 - 249, no. 9-9; I . Bergstr m,
"On Georg Hoefnagels manner of worki ng
wi t h notes; on the influence of the Archetypa
series of 1592," Netherlandish Mannerism:
Papers given at a symposium in Nationalmuseum
Stockholm, September 2122, 1984, National-
musei skriftserie, n.s. 4, G Cavalli-Bjrkman,
ed. (Stockholm, 1985), p. 177.
29. ASSUMPTI ON OF THE VI RGI N,
single leaf f r o m a book o f hours
I l l umi nat ed by the Mast er o f
Mo r gan 366
Tours, early 1470s
Vel l um, 17 x 11.6 c m ( 6 W x 4
9
/ i 6 ") .
Text area 10.9 x 7.8 c m ( 4
5
/ i 6 " x 3V8 ") ,
one col umn, fifteen lines. Lat i n t ext
i n Got hi c script. One three-quarter-
29 (detail)
page mi ni at ur e, one ful l border.
Ms. 21; 86.ML.537
The text bel ow the mi ni at ur e, " Co n -
verte nos deus . . ., " is the begi nni ng o f
the readi ng for compl i ne i n the Hour s
o f the Vi r g i n . Ot her leaves f r o m the
same book o f hours represent The Body
of Christ Supported in the Tomb by Two
Angels ( London, Vi ct or i a and Al b er t
Museum, No . 3015) and Job on the
Dungheap [ Sam Fogg, Lo ndo n] ; a leaf
representi ng the Ci r cumci si on and
one depi ct i ng the Fl i ght i nt o Egypt may
also come f r o m this manuscri pt [sale,
Phi lli ps, London, September 20, 1984,
lots 621 and 622 (present whereabouts
unkno wn) ] .
The Mast er o f Mo r gan 366 was a f o l -
l ower o f Jean Fouquet (circa 1420circa
1481). Hi s eponymous wo r k is a book o f
hours, no w i n the Pi erpont Mo r gan L i -
brary, whi c h was wr i t t en and i l l umi -
nated i n Tours, circa 1470, for a member
o f the Jouvenel des Ur si ns fami ly. John
Pl ummer has i dent i fi ed five other books
o f hours that were i l l umi nat ed by this
artist (The Last Flowering, ex. cat. [ Ne w
Yor k, Pi erpont Mo r gan Li brary, 1982] ,
no. 59, pp. 44- 45 ) .
P R O VEN A N C E: Original coat of arms wi t h the
monogram MP supported by two ermines (?),
unidentified; Evans, Great Britain, 1853; sale,
Phillips, London, September 20, 1984, lot
620; [Sam Fogg, London] .
Manuscripts 111
30 (fol. 6, detail)
30. BOOK OF HOURS
Use o f Paris
I l l umi nat ed by the Wor kshop o f the
Bouci caut Master (active circa
1405-1420) and the Wor kshop o f
the Rohan Mast er (active circa
1410-ci rca 1440)
Paris, circa 1415-1420
Vel l um, i i i + 281 + i i leaves. Co l -
l at i on: l
1 2
, 2
8
- l l
8
, 12
2
, 13
8
-14
8
,
15
2
, 16
8
-19
8
, 20
2
, 21
8
- 3 1
8
, 32
8
( - 2,
after fol. 235), 3 3
8
- 3 7
8
; catchwords
at the ends o f most quires; alpha-
betical leaf signatures i r r egul ar l y
t hr oughout ; 20.4 x 14.3 c m (8" x
5
5
/s"). Text area 10.7 x 6.7-6.9 c m
( 4
3
/ i 6" x 2
5
/ s2
u
/ i 6") , one col umn,
fourteen lines. Lat i n and French text
i n Got hi c script. Seventeen three-
quarter-page mi ni at ures, t welve
quarter-page calendar mi ni at ures,
decorated borders o n every page,
numerous decorated i ni ti als, gi l t
edges pai nted wi t h floral designs.
Whi t e bl i nd-st amped pi gski n b i nd-
i ng over wooden boards; moder n,
signed by Sangorski & Sutcliffe,
London.
Ms. 22; 86.ML.571
C O N TEN TS : Calendar i ncl udi ng Saint Ivo
o f Br i t t any ( May 19) i n gol d and Saint
Magl oi r e ( Oct ober 24) wi t h labors o f
the mont hs and zodiacal signs (fols.
112v): A Man Warming Himself by a
Fire ( fol. 1), A Man Warming Himself by a
Fire ( fol. 2), A Man Pruning Vines ( fol.
3), A Falconer on Horseback ( fol. 4) ,
A Knight on Horseback ( fol. 5), A Man
30 (fol. 254, detail)
30 (fol. 72)
30 (fol. 113, detail)
Scything Hay ( fol. 6), A Man Scything
and Baling Hay ( fol. 7v) , A Man Thresh-
ing Wheat ( fol. 8v) , A Man Sowing Seeds
( fol. 9v) , A Man Harvesting Grapes and
Another Man Pressing Them ( fol. lOv) , A
Man Harvesting Acorns ( fol. Uv) , A Man
about to Kill a Wild Boar ( fol. 12v); Gos-
pel Sequences (fols. 1320v); Hour s o f
the Vi r g i n , use o f Paris (fols. 2194):
Annunciation ( fol. 21), Visitation ( fol. 48),
Nativity ( fol. 60v) , Annunciation to the
Shepherds ( fol. 67), Adoration of the Magi
( fol. 72), Presentation ( fol. 76v) , Flight
into Egypt ( fol. 81), Coronation of the Vir-
gin ( fol. 88v) ; Hour s o f the Cross (fols.
95-104) : Crucifixion ( fol. 95); Hour s o f
the Ho l y Ghost (fols. 104v-112) :
Pentecost ( fol. 104v); Seven Peni tenti al
Psalms (fols. 113127): King David in
Prayer ( fol. 113); l i t any i ncl udi ng saints
Magl oi r e, Loui s, and I vo o f Br i t t any
(fols. 127-136) ; Fifteen Joys o f Mar y, i n
French (fols. 137142v): The Patron
Presented to the Virgin and Child ( fol. 137);
Seven Requests o f Our Lor d, i n French
(fols. 143-146v) : Christ in Glory (Last
Judgment?) ( fol. 143); Offi ce o f the
Dead (fols. 147199v): Funeral Service
( fol. 147); Mass o f the Tr i ni t y (fols.
199v-204) , o f the Ho l y Spi r i t (fols.
204v- 207 v) , o f the Vi r g i n Ma r y (fols.
207 v- 209 v) , and for the Dead (fols.
209v212); prayers t o the Tr i ni t y (fols.
212v-215v) : The Trinity ( fol. 212v);
vari ous prayers (fols. 216233); Verses
o f Saint Ber nar d (fols. 23 3 v-23 5) ;
prayers for whi c h Pope John offered
1100 days' i ndulgence (fols. 235235v);
prayers for whi c h Pope Boni face offered
t went y years' i ndulgence t o Ki n g Phi l i p
( fol. 235v) ; prayers t o the Vi r g i n , most
i n r hymed French verse (fols. 236256v),
l acki ng begi nni ng o f fi rst prayer and i n -
cl udi ng O intemerata (fols. 244v248v),
the Five Joys o f the Vi r g i n , i n French
(fols. 251252), and Obsecro te (fols.
252v256v); memori als t o saints i n -
cl udi ng A l l Saints, Mi chael , John the
Bapti st, Peter and Paul, James, John
the Evangelist, Bar t hol omew, George,
Lawrence, Cosmas and Dami an, Deni s,
Chri stopher, Sebastian, Ni cholas, A n -
thony, Maur us, Mat ur i n , the Five
Saints, Ma r y Magdalene, Catheri ne,
Anne, Apol l oni a, Genevieve, and Mar -
garet (fols. 257-280) : All Saints ( fol.
257), Saint Mary Magdalene ( fol. 274).
Thi s book o f hours is the pr oduct o f a
rare collaborat i on o f the wor kshops o f
the Bouci caut and Rohan masters, the
t wo leadi ng Parisian i l l umi nat or s o f the
fi fteenth century. On l y one other j o i n t
effort by t hem is kn o wn , a book o f
hours o f circa 1420 ( London, Br i t i sh L i -
brary, Har l ey Ms. 2940).
The Bouci caut Mast er takes his name
f r o m the book o f hours made for Jean le
Mei ngr e, Mar echal de Bouci caut (Paris,
Musee Jacquemart Andr e, Ms. 2) . I n ad-
di t i o n t o his elegantly dressed, graceful
figures and experi ments wi t h spatial
i l l usi on, the Bouci caut Mast er is di s-
t i ngui shed by his i nvent i ve palette and
st art li ng color harmoni es. The large
mi ni at ures i n Ms. 22 represent the mas-
ter's late style and are close t o those i n
another o f his late wor ks, a book o f
hours i n Lo ndo n ( Br i t i sh Li brary, Ad d .
Ms. 16997). I l l umi nat i o n by the hand o f
the Bouci caut Master, who had a large
wor kshop, is rare; yet the hi gh quali t y
o f the mi ni at ures i n this book indicates
they are either by the master hi msel f or
by his most talented assistant.
The wor kshop o f the Rohan Master,
who is named for a book o f hours once
owned by the Rohan fami l y (Paris, Bi b -
li ot heque Nat i onale, Ms. Lat. 9471), ex-
ecuted the calendar mi ni at ures o f the
labors o f the mont hs. The Rohan Mas-
ter pai nt ed gawky, expressive figures
that are mor e realistic and true t o life
t han the oft en idealized, cour t l y figures
o f the Bouci caut Master.
P R O VEN A N C E: Maj. John Charles Balfour,
Balbirnie, Markinch, Fife (sale, Sotheby's,
London, December 18, 1946, lot 567);
Heinrich Eisemann, London; D. and J.
Zwemmer (sale, Sotheby's, London, June 24,
1986, lot 100).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : D. Flower, A Thousand Years of
French Books, ex. cat. (London, National
Book League, 1948), no. 7, pp. 12-13; M.
Meiss, French Painting in the Time of Jean de
Berry: The Boucicaut Master (London, 1968),
pp. 28, 96, 99-100, 144, n. 33 and 152, n. 9;
figs. 120, 138, 239-244; idem, "La mort et
l'office des morts a l'epoque du Maitre de
Boucicaut et des Li mbourg, " Revue de Vart,
1-2 (1968), pp. 17-18; idem, French Painting
in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Limbourgs
and Their Contemporaries (London,
1974), pp. 261, 402; figs. 839 and 841;
E. K ni g, Franzsische Buchmalerei um
1450 (Berlin, 1982), pp. 60, 77.
31 (fol. 205v, detail)
31. BOOK OF HOURS
( Cr ohi n-La Fontai ne Hour s)
Use o f Rome
I l l umi nat ed by the Mast er o f the
Dresden Prayer Bo o k (active circa
1470-ci rca 1515)
Probably Bruges, circa 1485-1495
Vel l um, i i i + 214 + i leaves. Col l a-
t i on: l
6
- 2
6
, 3
8
( +l , fol . 13), 4
8
( +8,
fol. 29; +10, -10, added leaf for -
mer l y before fol. 32), 5
8
- 6
8
,
7
8
( +4, fol . 50; - 6 , after fol . 52),
8
8
- 9
8
, 10
8
( +1, fol. 71), l l
8
( +5,
fol . 84), 12
8
( +2, fol. 90; +8 , fol.
96), 13
8
( +3, fol . 101; +8 , fol . 106),
14
8
( - 2, before fol . 109 [ thi s leaf is
n o w fol . 126] ; +6, f o L 114), 15
8
( +5, fol. 121; +10, fol . 126),
16
8
-17
8
, 18
8
( +4, fol . 146),
19
8
-25
8
, 26
4
, 27
4
( - 4, after fol .
214); 13.1-13.3x9.4-9.5 c m
( 5
3
/ i 6 - 5 V4 " x 3
1 1
/ i 6 - 3
3
/ 4 " ) . Text area
6.8 x 4.1 c m ( 2
n
/ i
6
" x lVs"), one col -
umn , seventeen lines. Lat i n text i n
batarde script. Two full-page mi ni a-
tures, t welve half-page mi ni at ures,
t hi r t y-t hr ee hi stori ated borders,
t went y-one hi st ori at ed i ni ti als.
Bl i nd-t ool ed b r o wn calf b i ndi ng
over pasteboard, si xt eent h-cent ury
clasp engraved wi t h La Fontai ne
arms and i ni t i als LF and adorned
wi t h a mi ni at ur e por t r ai t o f Chr i st
set under glass; J. Schavy, Brussels,
fi rst hal f o f the ni net eent h century.
Ms. 23; 86. ML. 606
Manuscripts 173
31 (fols. 121 v-122)
C O N TEN TS : Calendar i ncl udi ng saints
Basi l (June 14), Remi gi us and Bavo
( Oct ober 1), and Donat i anus ( Oct ober
14) i n red; Amal ber ga ( July 13) and
Li evi n ( Li vi nus) ( November 12) i n black
(fols. 112v); Arms of Marguerite Crohin
( fol. 13); Short Hour s o f the Cross (fols.
14-21) : Crucifixion ( fol. 13v); Short
Hour s o f the Ho l y Spi ri t ( 22- 28 v) ;
Arms of Lois de la Fontaine ( fol. 29); Mass
o f the Vi r g i n (fols. 29v35): Virgin and
Child Enthroned ( fol. 29v) ; Gospel Se-
quences (fols. 3541 v) : Saint John on
Patmos ( fol. 35), Saint Luke ( fol. 36v) ,
Saint Matthew ( fol. 38v) , Saint Mark ( fol.
40v) ; prayers t o the Vi r g i n : Obsecro te
and O intemerata ( bot h i n masculi ne
for m) (fols. 42- 49 v) : Virgin and Child
Seated on the Ground ( fol. 42); Hour s o f
the Vi r g i n , use o f Rome (fols. 51120):
Annunciation ( fol. 50v) , Visitation ( fol.
71 v) , Nativity ( fol. 84v) , Annunciation to
the Shepherds ( fol. 90v) , Adoration of the
Magi ( fol. 96v) , Presentation in the Temple
( fol. 101 v) , Massacre of the Innocents ( fol.
106v), Flight into Egypt ( fol. 114v); Seven
Peni tenti al Psalms (fols. 122-134v) :
David and Goliath ( fol. 121 v) ; l i t any i n -
cl udi ng saints Quent i n, Li evi n
( Li vi nus) , Amandus, Vedast, Remi gi us,
Eli gi us, Egi di us, Audomar , Ber t i n,
Wi nnoc, Bavo, Amalber ga, and
Dympn a ( fol. 134v-145v) ; Offi ce o f the
Dead, use o f Rome (fols. 146v193v):
The Three Living and the Three Dead
( fol. 146v); memori als t o saints (fols.
194 - 209v) : John the Baptist in the Wilder-
ness ( fol. 194), Saint Peter and Conversion
of Paul ( fol. 194v), Saint John the Evangel-
ist ( fol. 195), Saint James the Greater ( fol.
196), Saint Christopher ( fol. 197), Saint
Sebastian ( fol. 198), Saint Adrian ( fol.
199) , Saint George and the Dragon ( fol.
200) , Saint Anthony Abbot ( fol. 201),
Saint Nicholas ( fol. 202), Saint Gregory
( fol. 202v) , Saint Francis Receiving the
Stigmata ( fol. 203v) , Mary Magdalene
( fol. 204), Saint Catherine ( fol. 205v) ,
Saint Barbara ( fol. 207), Saint Margaret
( fol. 208v) .
The Mast er o f the Dr esden Prayer Bo o k
is named for a b ook o f hours i n East
Ger many ( Dresden, Schsi sche Land-
esbi bli othek, Ms. A. 3 U) . He was the
onl y major Flemi sh i l l umi nat or o f the
late fi fteenth cent ur y t o eschew the re-
fi ned nat ur ali sm o f his most famous
contemporari es, the Mast er o f Ma r y o f
Bur gundy and the Mast er o f the Fi rst
Prayer Bo o k o f Maxi mi l i an . As the
mi ni at ures i n thi s manuscr i pt i llustrate,
he treated nature i n a st yli zed manner;
his human figures and ani mals have a
dol l -l i ke quali ty. Nevertheless, at a fai r-
l y early mo ment i n his career, pr obably
no later t han 1485, i n such prayer books
as the present one, he adopted the i l l u-
si oni sti c borders whi c h had been i nt r o -
duced a decade earlier by the afore-
ment i oned artists and had become a
hal l mar k o f Flemi sh i l l umi nat i o n.
These borders o f flowers, gi l t acanthus,
and insects on br i ght l y colored grounds
gave the t wo-page openi ngs o f Flemi sh
manuscri pts a new sumptuousness and
l umi nosi t y. The Cr o hi n- La Fontai ne
Hour s is remarkable for its color har-
moni es, whi c h uni fy the page desi gn o f
pi ct or i al l y di sti nct, even contrasti ng,
areas o f border and mi ni at ur e. One o f
the most engagi ng storytellers o f his
day, he conveyed beni gnl y the humo r
and i r ony latent i n vari ous bi bli cal and
other devot i onal narratives. Four other
mi ni at ures i l l umi nat ed by thi s artist,
dat i ng f r o m the end o f his career,
appear i n the Museum' s Spi nola Hour s
( Ms. L ud wi g I X 18, fols. 109v, 110, 119v,
and 120).
The t wo full-page coats o f arms (fols.
13 and 29) i n Ms. 23 are by other artists
and were not added unt i l the mi ddl e o f
the si xteenth century.
P R O VEN A N C E: Marguerite Crohi n (d. 1552);
bequeathed to Nicolas, Abbot of Saint Jan en
Valien; Lois de la Fontaine, by 1575; Wi lli am
Lori ng Andrews; Cortlandt F. Bishop (sale,
American Ar t Association, Anderson
Galleries, New York, Apr i l 25-27, 1938,
lot 1434); to Elizabeth P. Mart i n, Upper
Montclair, New Jersey; bequeathed to
Elizabeth Ki ng Robbins, Berkeley, Califor-
nia; bequeathed to her children, Deborah,
Peter, and Daniel Robbins, 1978.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : S. de Ricci and W. J. Wilson,
Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
in the United States and Canada (New York,
1937), vol. 2, p. 1660, no. 37.
32 (Leaf IV, detail)
32. FIVE LEAVES FROM A NOTED
BENEDI CTI NE BREVI ARY
No r t her n It aly ( probably f r o m the
Veneto) , circa 1420-1430
Vel l um, five leaves. 46.5 x 34-34. 6
c m (187i6" x 137i 6-13
5
/ 8 ". Text area
33.8 (varies f r o m 33.3 t o 34.4 cm) x
22.1 c m ( 13
5
/ i 6 " [ varies f r o m DVs" t o
13
9
/ i 6 "] x 8
/ i6"), one col umn, ei gh-

teen lines (someti mes i ncl udi ng
musi cal staves). Lat i n text i n Got hi c
script. Five hi stori ated i ni ti als, five
decorated borders.
Ms. 24; 86.ML.674
C O N TEN TS : Leaf I ( or i gi nal l y fol. 73):
readings for mati ns o f the second feria,
i ncl udi ng Ps. 38 wi t h Benedictine Monk
with His Finger to His Lips Standing in a
Rocky Landscape; Leaf I I ( or i gi nal l y fol .
109): readings for mat i ns o f the four t h
feria, i ncl udi ng Ps. 68 wi t h Benedictine
Monk Saved from Drowning; Leaf I I I
( or i gi nal l y fol. 151): readings for mat i ns
o f the si xt h feria, i ncl udi ng Ps. 95 wi t h
Benedictine Monks Singing at a Lectern;
Leaf I V ( or i gi nal l y fol . 170): readings for
mat i ns on Saturday, i ncl udi ng Ps. 105
wi t h A Novice Kneels before a Benedictine
Monk; Leaf V ( or i gi nal l y fol . 253): read-
i ngs for vespers on the fi rst Saturday i n
Advent , i ncl udi ng the h y mn Conditor
alme syderum wi t h God Creating the
World.
Ot her leaves f r o m this brevi ary are i n
the John Frederick Lewi s collect i on o f
European manuscri pt leaves at the Free
Li br ar y o f Phi ladelphi a ( M64: 8~10) ; the
Pi erpont Mo r gan Li brary, Ne w Yor k
( M.885) ; and ex. col l . H. P. Kraus
(see Fifty Medieval and Renaissance
Manuscripts, sale cat., 88 [ 1958] , i t em 17.
Met a Harrsen ( i n Central European
Manuscripts in the Pierpont Morgan
Library [ Ne w Yor k, 1958] , no. 53, p. 65)
at t ri but ed t hem t o an artist whose
Tyrolean nat i onali t y was revealed by the
mi xt ur e o f Aust r i an and Itali an styles
manifested i n the borders and figures,
r espect i velywhi ch she discerned i n
t hem. Al t ho ug h the vines i n the borders
are mor e abstract t han the lush foliage
whi c h usually grows i n the margi ns o f
Itali an manuscri pts, they are not so t hi n
or so flat and geometri c as those t yp-
i cally found i n Aust r i an manuscri pts;
and the script, i ni ti als, and style o f the
figures are t hor oughl y Itali an. The
character o f the borders pr obably re-
flects the i mpact o f Aust r i an i l l umi na-
t i on on a nor t h Itali an artist. Sout hern
Aust r i a and nor t her n It aly had enjoyed
close commer ci al and cult ur al ties since
at least the early Trecento, and It ali an
artists, who are k n o wn t o have wo r ked
i n the Tyr ol t hr oughout the fourt eent h
and fi fteenth centuries, wo ul d certai nly
have been aware o f Aust r i an styli sti c
conventi ons.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Sotheby's, London, June
24, 1986, lots 24 and 25; [ H. P. Kraus, New
York] .
32 (Leaf II, detail)
Manuscripts 175
33. ATTRI BUTED TO JEAN GERSON
La Passion [de Nostre Seigneur Ihesus
Crist]; La Vengence de la Mort et
Passion de Nostre Vray Sauveur et
Redempteur Ihesucrist
I l l umi nat ed by the Mast er o f
Gui l l aume Lamber t and Wor kshop
Lyons, circa 1480-1490
Vel l um, i i + 86 + i i leaves. Col l a-
t i on: l
8
- 7
8
, 8
8
(1 and 6 reattached),
9
8
- 10
8
, I I
2
, 12
4
; 30.4 x 21.6 c m
( l l
1 5
/ i 6 " x 8V2"). Text area 19.6 x 13.1
c m (7
n
/ie" x 5
3
/s"), one col umn,
t hi r t y-fi ve lines. French text i n
batarde script. Si xteen three-quarter-
page mi ni atures, numerous
decorated i ni ti als.
Ms. 25; 86. MN. 730
C O N TEN TS : Fol. 1: A la louange de Di eu
et de la Vi erge souveraine et de tous
sains et sainctes de paradis. Et a la re-
queste de excellente et redoubtee dame
et puissant princesse Dame Ysabel de
Bavieres par la grace de di eu royne de
France. J'ay tra[ n] slate ceste passion de
l at i n en francois sans y adiouster mor al i -
tez hystories, exemples ou figures. L'an
mi l deux [ sic] cens quatre vi ngs et di x-
hui t., The Raising of Lazarus ( fol. 1); fol .
3: De la cene que Mar i e Magdalene et
Mar i e Mar t he sa soeur fi rent a Nost r e
Seigneur Ihesucrist. Et de l' onguement
que Mar i e Magdalene respandy sur
Ihesus., Supper in the House of Mary and
Martha, Mary Magdalene Anoints the Feet
of the Lord ( fol. 3v) ; fol. 5v: Co mment
Nost r e Seigneur Ihesus Cr i st acom-
paigne de ses disciples et appostres entra
en la cite de Iherusalem assis sur une
asnesse. Et comment les i ui fz le re-
ceurent a grandes processions., The En-
try into Jerusalem ( fol. 5v) ; fol. 7v:
Co mme[ n] t les Juifz admenerent devant
N[ ost ] r e Seigneur Ih[ es] us Cr i st cui dant
le surprendre et accuser par ses parolles
une femme pri nse et trouvee en adul-
tere. La responce de Ih[ es] us et
co[ m] ment i l deli vra la d[ i ] c[ t ] e femme.,
Christ and the Adulteress ( fol. 8); fol . 9v:
Co mment Nost r e Sauveur Ihesus Cr i st
fut assailly ou t emple des maistres de la
l oy herodyane saduciene et pharisiene.
Co mment i l leur respondy et de pl u-
isieurs paraboles qu' i l leur proposa
comme i l s'ensuit., Christ Disputing with
the Pharisees in the Temple ( fol. 10); fol.
12v: Co mment la Vi erge Mar i e s'en ala
au devant de son fi lz qui avoit bi en tard
demoure en la cite de Iherusalem. De
l'assiette que Nost r e Dame fist au soup-
per. Et comment elle mi st et assey Iudas
le t rahi t t re a la table ou mi l i eu d'elle et
33 (fol. 8, detail)
de son fi lz., Judas Seated at a Table be-
tween Christ and the Virgin ( fol. 13); fol.
14: Co mment Nost r e Dame fist a son
fi lz entre les autres quatre requestes
mo ul t piteuses. D u conseil que les i ui fz
t i ndr ent sur la mo r t de Ihesus Cri st . Et
commant [ sic] le mauvais t rahi t re Iudas
le ve[ n] dy., Judas Conspiring with the
Jews, Christ Speaking to the Virgin
( fol. 14v); fol . 16: Co mme n t N[ ost ] r e
Seigneur mengea l' ai gni el de pasques
avecques ses appostres et disciples.
Co mmen t i l lava les piez et co[ m] ment
i l leur admi ni st r a son preci eux corps.,
Christ Washes the Feet of His Apostles, The
Last Supper ( fol. 16v); fol . 20v: Co m-
ment Nost r e Seigneur apres la cene s'en
ala ou j ar di n d' oli vet avecques ses di sci -
ples pour pri er Di eu son pere. Et c o m-
ment Iudas le t rahi t t re acompai gne des
serviteurs des maistres de la l oy le v[ i ] nt
prendre a mai n armee., The Agony in the
Garden ( fol. 21); fol . 24v: Co mmen t
N[ ost ] r e Seigneur relenqui de ses di sci -
ples fut des i ui fz mene en l' ostel de A n -
nas l'evesque. Et comment le di t Annas
le questi onna, i nt erroga et frappa.,
Christ Brought before Annas ( fol. 25); fol .
27: Co mmen t Cayphas questi onna et
interroga N[ ost ] r e Seigneur et l ui couppa
ses vestemens. Co mment i l fut i ni ur i e
des faulx i ui fz et comment les faulx
t esmoi ng l'accuserent comme ho mme
di gne de mor t ., Christ Brought before
Caiaphas ( fol. 27); fol . 29: Co mment
Nostre Seigneur fut amene devant Pylate
i uge lequel le questi onna et la cui da par
pluisieurs fois deli vrer des mai ns aux
i ui fz. Et comment Iudas rendy aux i ui fz
les trente deniers, Christ Brought before
Pilate, Judas Returns the Thirty Pieces of
Silver ( fol. 29); fol . 32: Co mment Pylate
envoya Nost r e Seigneur au roy Herodes
lequel l ui fist pluisiers demandes. Et ap-
res ce qu' i l l'eust vestu de blancq comme
ung fol. Le renvoya arriere a Pylate.,
Christ Brought before Herod ( fol. 32v) ; fol .
33v: Co mmen t Pylate fist batre Nost r e
Seigneur par deux fors hommes a une
col ompne et puis par mocqueri e le fist
vesti r d' un vi el manteau de pour pr e en
guise d' un roy. Et comment par pl u-
isieurs fois et par plusieurs [ sic] man-
ieres le cuida deli vrer des mai ns aux
Juifz., The Flagellation, Christ Crowned
with Thorns, Mocking of Christ, Pilate
Washing His Hands ( fol. 33v) ; fol . 37v:
Co mment N[ ost ] r e S[ ei ] g[ neu] r port a
sa cr oi x et de sa dure et mervei lleuse
mor t ., Bearing of the Cross ( fol. 38); fol.
61: S'ensuit la vengence de la mo r t et
passion de N[ ost ] r e vray Sauveur et
Redempt eur Ih[ es] ucri st laquelle
quarante ans apres ce que Ih[ es] ucri st
mo r ut en la cr oi x fut faicte et demenee
par les empereurs r ommai ns Ti t us et
Vaspasianus [ sic] sur les Juifz par la
mani ere qui s'ensuit., The Destruction of
Jerusalem ( fol. 61).
La Passion [de Nostre Seigneur Iheusus
Crist], a devoti onal narrative based on the
Meditationes vitae Christi, was composed
i n 1398 for Isabel o f Bavaria, possi bly by
Jean Gerson (13631429), who became
chancellor o f Not r e-Dame and o f the
Uni ver si t y o f Paris i n 1395 and who
was, for most o f his life, a close coun-
selor t o the Valois dukes Phi l l i pe le
Har di and Jean de Berry. On l y one
other i l l umi nat ed copy o f this text has
thus far been i dent i fi ed (Paris, Bi b l i -
otheque Nat i onale, Ms. Fr. 978), al -
t hough t went y- t wo blank spaces i n a
second manuscri pt (Paris, Bi bl i ot heque
Mazari ne, Ms. 949) were presumably
i nt ended for mi ni atures.
The artist takes his name f r o m his
wo r k i n a book o f hours signed by its
scribe, Gui l l aume Lamber t o f Lyons,
and dated 1484 {Catalogue, Ber nar d
Quar i t ch, Lt d . [ London, 1931], no. 47,
pp. 3435; present whereabouts un-
kno wn) . Mo r e than t went y manuscri pts
have been at t ri but ed t o this artist and
his circle, i ncl udi ng a book o f hours i n
the J. Paul Get t y Mus eum ( Ms. 10) and
t wo copies o f Jean de Courcy, Chronique
de la Bouquechardiere (Paris, Bi bl i ot heque
Nat i onale, Ms. Fr. 698, and Geneva,
Bi bl i ot heque Publi que et Uni versi t ai re,
Ms. Fr. 70), whi c h are close i n for mat t o
the present manuscri pt.
P R O VEN A N C E: Guillaume Mole and his wife,
Simone Le Boucherat, Troyes (married June
19, 1467; died September 25, 1507, and
February 17, 1519, respectively); Antoine de
Ferriol, comte de Pont-de-Vesle; Gaignat; de
Soleinne, Paris, by 1843 (No. 523); [Bernard
Breslauer, New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : C.-G. Le Clerc, Catalogue des
Livres imprimis et manuscrits de M. Le Comte de
Pont-de-Vesle (Paris, 1774), p. 13, no. 124; P. L.
Jacob, Bibliotheque dramatique de Monsieur de
Soleinne (Paris, 1843), vol. 1, p. 89, no. 523;
Anon. (Techener?), "Histoire de la Passion de
Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ," Bulletin du bib-
liophile 6th ser., no. 5 (March 1844), pp.
843-846.
PAINTINGS
D U T C H
34. GERRIT DO U
Dut ch, 1613-1675
Astronomer by Candlelight, late 1650s
O i l on panel, 32 x 21.3 c m (127s" x
87s"). Signed: GDov ( GD i n li ga-
ture) on the book at the l ower left.
86.PB.732
Do u pai nt ed several di fferent composi -
ti ons depi ct i ng astronomers seated i n
wi ndo ws or niches and surrounded by
the attributes o f t hei r profession. Exam-
ples can be found i n the Her zog An t o n
Ul r i c h- Museum, Br unswi ck, and the
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.
P R O VEN A N C E: Possibly Adriaen van Hoek
(sale, Amsterdam, Apr i l 7, 1706, lot 2);
Wi lhelm Six (sale, Amsterdam, May 12,
1734, lot 18); probably Wi lhelm VI I , Land-
graf von Hessen-Cassel; Lapeyriere (sale,
Paris, Apr i l 14, 1817); Joseph Barchard (sale,
London, May 6, 1826); [John Smith, Lon-
don] ; Wi lli am Beckford, London; Hume,
London, by exchange; R. H. Fitzgibbon (la-
ter Thi rd Earl of Clare), by 1839 (sale, Lon-
don, June 17, 1864); Wi lli am Delafield (sale,
London, Apr i l 30, 1870); Albert Levy (sale,
London, Apr i l 6, 1876, lot 329); Barkley
Field, London, by 1888; Lord Astor of Hever,
after 1907 (sale, Sotheby's, London, July 6,
1983, lot 80); [Johnny van Haeften, London] ;
Gerald Guterman, New York.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonne
of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch,
Flemish, and French Painters (London, 1829),
pt. 1, no. 96 and suppl. no. 15; W. Mart i n,
Het leven en der werken van Gerrit Dou be-
schouwd in verband met het schildersleven van
zijn tijd (Leiden, 1901), pp. 190, 234, nos. 52,
314; C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und
kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hevor-
ragensten hollndischen Maler des XVII. Jahr-
hunderts (Esslingen am Neckar and Paris,
1907), vol. 1, nos. 63c, 210; Philadelphia Mu-
seum of Ar t , Masters of Seventeenth-Century
Dutch Genre Painting, ex. cat. (Philadelphia,
1984), no. 35.
35. GERARD TER BORCH
Dut ch, 1617-1681
The Horse Stall, circa 1652-1654
O i l on panel, 45.3 x 53.5 c m (lTW
x 21716''). Signed: GTB i n li gature
on the back o f the panel.
86.PB.631
Since Hofstede de Gr oot (1913), this
pai nt i ng has been considered as a pen-
dant t o the Museum' s The Cow Shed
(83.PB.232; i n GettyMusJ 12 [1984] en-
t i t l ed A Maid Milking a Cow in a Barn
and dated circa 1650). However, nei ther
panel can be traced before the late ei gh-
teenth century, when they were already
separate; moreover, The Horse Stall is
34
mor e t han one i nch shorter t han The
Cow Shed. Copi es o f The Horse Stall that
appeared i n ei ght eent h-cent ury auctions
r emai n untraced i n moder n ti mes.
For a ful l discussion, see the article by
Peter Sut t on i n thi s Journal.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Amsterdam, August 14,
1771, lot 3, as by Metsu, bought by Nyman;
Louis-Francois de Bourbon, prince de Conti
(sale, Paris, Apr i l 8-June 6, 1777, lot 832,
bought by [ Lannoy] ; M. Poullain (sale, Paris,
March 15-21, 1780, lot 41, bought by [ Lan-
glier] ; Count G. A. Sparre, Sweden; Count
G. Wachtmeister, Wnas, Sweden, by descent
to about 1980; [ Edward Speelman, London,
1981]; Fellowship of Friends, Renaissance,
California, through [ Marco Grassi,
New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : F. Basan, Tableaux du cabinet
de M. Poullain (Paris, 1780), no. 103; J. Smith,
A Catalogue Raisonne of the Works of the Most
Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters
(London, 1833), pt. 4, no. 21; C. Hofstede de
Groot, A Catalogue Raisonne of the Works of
the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seven-
teenth Century (London, 1913), vol. 5, no.
464; E. Plietzsch, Gerard ter Borch (Vienna,
1944), no. 33; S. J. Gudlaugsson, Gerard ter
Borch (The Hague, 1959-1960), vol. 1, pp. 96,
266, vol. 2, no. 109; Mauritshuis, The Hague,
and Landesmuseum, Mnster, Gerard ter
Borch, ex. cat. (The Hague and Mnster,
1974), no. 31; E. Young, "Ol d Master Paint-
ings i n the Collection of the Fellowship of
Friends at Renaissance, California," Apollo
121, no. 280 (June 1985), pp. 375 - 376; P. Sut-
ton, "The Noblest of Livestock," GettyMusJ
15 (1987) pp. 97-110.
36. NI COLAES BERCHEM
Dut c h, 1620-1683
Landscape with Figures, circa
1653-1654
O i l on canvas, 139.7 x 174 c m (55" x
68V2"). Signed: Berchem F. at the
l ower r i ght .
86.PA.731
Renate Tr nek dates the pai nt i ng to circa
16531654 on the basis o f a compar i son
wi t h the Ber chem Landscape i n the Mu -
see du Louvr e, signed and dated 1653. A
black-chalk study o f the central female
fi gure gatheri ng wo o d is i n the Kup-
ferstichkabinet, Ber l i n ( Kd Z 8518).
P R O VEN A N C E: H. Twent (sale, Leiden, August
11, 1789, lot 2); Fouquet; Pierre de Grand-Pre
(sale, Paris, February 16, 1809); Alexis De-
lahante (sale, London, July 8, 1828); Edward
Holland (sale, Christie's, London, May 22,
1830, lot 104, bought in); R. C. Gosling, by
1834 (sale, Christie's, London, January 26,
1920, lot 139); anonymous sale, Christie's,
London, July 2, 1976, lot 61; [ Norbert
Pokutta, Muni ch] ; Gerald Guterman,
New York.
36
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonne
of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch,
Flemish, and French Painters (London, 1834),
pt. 5, no. 144; C. Hofstede de Groot, A Cata-
logue Raisonne of the Works of the Most Eminent
Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century (Lon-
don, 1926), vol. 9, no. 341.
37. JACOB VAN RUI SDAEL
Dut c h, 1628/ 29-1682
The Sluice, circa 1648-1649
O i l on panel, 39.4 x 55.9 c m (157
2
" x
22"). Signed: JVR i n mo no gr am at
the l ower left.
86.PB.597
The pai nt i ng is i llust rat ed on the
Choi seul Go l d Box, about whi c h see
F. J. B. Watson (The Choiseul Gold Box
[ London, 1963] , p. 9, fi g. 2) . Thi s box,
pai nt ed by Loui s-Ni col as van Bl ar en-
berghe circa 17701771, depicts r ooms
i n the Ho t el de Choi seul, Paris, and
shows the di st r i but i on o f the due de
Choiseul' s pai nt i ngs collect i on. The
Sluice hung wi t h the finest pictures i n
the "Pr emi er cabinet, " on the upper
ti er o f the left-hand wal l . Three other
Ruisdael pai nt i ngs o f sluices are
kn o wn : The Sluice (1647, Enschede,
Ri j ksmuseum Twent he, Hd G 659); The
Sluice (early 1650s, Christie's, Ne w
Yor k, December 2, 1983, l ot 28, Hd G
674); and Wooded Landscape with a Sluice
at a River Bank (circa 16651670, Toledo
Mus eum o f Ar t , Hd G 675).
P R O VEN A N C E: Gerard Block, The Hague,
1744; Wi llem Lormier of Francken, The
Hague (sale, July 4, 1763, lot 225); due de
Choiseul, Hotel Crozat de Chtel, later
Hotel de Choiseul, Paris (sale, Hotel de
Choiseul, Apr i l 6, 1772, lot 66); Louis-
Franqois de Bourbon, prince de Conti , Paris
(sale, Apr i l 8-June 6, 1777, lot 406); Morelli
collection (sale, Paris, 1786); [Jean-Baptiste
Pierre Leb run, Paris]; Baron van Brienen
van de Grootelindt, The Hague (sale, Hotel
Drouot, Paris [Charles Pillet, commissaire-
priseur], May 9, 1865, lot 32); Eugene Secre-
tan, Paris (sale, Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris,
July 1, 1889, lot 160); Mrs. John W. Simpson,
New York, by 1912; [Knoedler Galleries,
New York, 1942, on consignment from
Mrs. Simpson]; Harold E. Montag, Atlanta,
from 1943; Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta; [French and Company, Inc.,
New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : Metropolitan Museum of Art ,
New York, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration,
Exhibition of Paintings by Old Dutch Masters,
ex. cat. (New York, 1909), no. 109; C.
Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonne of
Paintings 179
37
the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of
the Seventeenth Century (London, 1912), vol.
4, no. 663; J. Rosenberg, Jacob van Ruisdael
(Berlin, 1928), no. 448; K. E. Simon, Jacob
van Ruisdael. Eine Darstellung seiner Ent-
wicklung (Berlin, 1930), p. 26; S. Slive, Jacob
van Ruisdael, ex. cat. (Mauritshuis, The
Hague, and Fogg Ar t Museum, Cambridge,
Mass., 1981), p. 118.
38
38. FRANS VAN MIERIS THE ELDER
Dut ch, 1635-1681
Doctor's Visit, 1667
O i l on panel, 44 x 33 c m ( I T / / x
I2V4") (arched t op) . Signed and
dated: Frans Mieris / Ao 1667 on the
uppermost r ung o f the chair.
86.PB.634
Thi s may be the wo r k Balthasar de
Monconys saw the artist pai nt i ng i n
1663 and also the one Ar n o l d
Houbr aken says was painted for Cornelis
Paedtswhi ch Cosi mo I I I de Medi c i
t r i ed i n vai n t o buy f r o m the artist. A
number o f versions o f the composi t i on
(a favorite theme i n seventeenth-century
Dut c h art) are recorded, al t hough onl y
the one i n the Museo Frans Mayer ( for-
mer l y i n the Museo de San Carlos, b o t h
i n Mexi c o Ci t y) , can be traced today.
P R O VEN A N C E: Possibly Philipp Wi lhelm,
Elector Palatine; Johann Wi lhelm von der
Pfalz, Elector Palatine, Dsseldorf, by 1716;
transferred to Mannheim, 1730; Alte
Pinakothek, Muni ch, by 1863-1935; [ A.G.,
Zurich and Eindhoven, 1935-1937]; [ D
Katz, Dieren, 1938]; H. E. ten Cate, Almelo,
the Netherlands, i n 1960; Sidney van den
Bergh, Wassenaar;J. van Duijvendijk,
Scheveningen; H. Kastengren, Stockholm,
by 1967; sale, Sotheby's, London, March 19,
1975, lot 13; [Joseph Leegenhoek, Paris,
1975-1977]; Jean-Louis Dupre, Paris,
1977-1986 (sale, Sotheby's, Monte Carlo,
June 19, 1986, lot 26).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : Alte Pinakothek, Muni ch,
Catalogue (Munich, 1930), no. 549;
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, "Hollndska
Mstare i Svensk Ago, " ex. cat. (Stockholm,
1967), no. 104; O. Naumann, Frans van Mieris
the Elder (Doornspijk, the Netherlands, 1981),
vol. 1, pp. 69 - 70, and vol. 2, pp. 84-87,
no. 71.
39
39. GODFRI ED SCHALCKEN
Dut ch, 1643-1706
The Annunciation, early 1670s
O i l on panel, 26.3 x 20.5 c m (107s" x
8Vi6
w
); unpai nt ed moder n wooden
strips ( 7 / wi de) added t o all sides.
Signed: G. Schalcken i n the upper
left corner.
86.PB.464
Thi s small panel is i conographi cally no-
table for the wi ngless angel and for the
Vi r g i n , who holds a scroll rather than
the mor e cust omary book. A n An n un -
ci at i on by the artist was last seen i n a
1900 auct i on i n Ber l i n (Hofstede de
Gr oot [ London, 1913], vol . 5, p. 315,
no. 10).
P R O VEN A N C E: S. E. Herren von Saint
Saphorin (sale, Vienna, May 19, 1806, lot
396); Bernard de Mestral, thence by descent;
sale, Christie's, London, Apr i l 19, 1985, lot
98; [ Edward Speelman, London, 1985-1986].
F L E MI S H
40
40. JACOB VAN HUL S DONCK
Flemi sh, 1582-1647
Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a
Pomegranate, circa 16201640
O i l o n panel, 42 x 49.5 c m (I6V2" x
19V
2
"). Signed: J. VHVLSDONCK
( VH i n li gature) at the l ower left.
86.PB.538
The bl ue-and-whi t e porcelai n b o wl
dates f r o m the Wan- Li per i od
(1573-1619) o f the Mi n g dynasty. O f
several pentimenti, the most i mpor t ant is
a kni fe, or i gi nal l y t o the left o f the
b o wl , whi c h has been pai nt ed out but is
st i l l vi si ble t o the naked eye. The kni fe
is present i n t wo si mi l ar st i l l lifes, one
signed by Hul sdonck (sale, Palais de
Congres, Versailles, May 24, 1972, l ot
52), the other unsi gned (sale, Sotheby's,
London, November 17, 1982, l ot 76).
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris,
December 16, 1942, lot 54; [ Didier Aaron,
Inc., New York, 1985].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : E. Greindl, Les Peintures fla-
mands de nature morte au XVIV siede (Ster-
rebeek, Belgium, 1956), p. 256, fig. 143; S. H.
Paviere, A Dictionary of Flower, Fruit, and Still-
Life Painters (Leigh-on-Sea, England, 1962),
vol. 1, p. 36.
41
41. A N THO N Y VAN DYCK
Flemi sh, 1599-1641
Thomas Howard, Second Earl
of Arundel, 1620-1621
O i l on canvas, 102.8 x 79.4 c m
(40V
2
" X 31V4")
86.PA.532
I n 1620 Thomas Howar d, Second Ear l
o f Ar undel l andowner , statesman,
connoisseur and col l ect or i nvi t ed the
young van Dyc k t o England. Thi s por -
trai t, reflecti ng the painter's allegiance
t o his master Rubens as wel l as his
exposure t o si xt eent h-cent ury Veneti an
pai nt i ng i n the earl's collect i on, dates
f r o m this fi rst, short vi si t . I n his left
hand, the earl holds the badge o f the
Or der o f the Garter, awarded h i m i n 1611.
A small pr el i mi nar y study on "car-
t on" belonged t o the Robartes fami l y i n
the ni net eent h cent ury and is last men-
t i oned by Rooses (see bel ow) ; a later
versi on or copy wi t h the same composi -
t i on, cropped t o focus on the sitter's
face, is i n a pri vate collect i on (Larsen,
no. 281). The por t r ai t was engraved
three t i mes i n the ni net eent h cent ury
(by Tardieu, Tomki ns, and Sharp) whi l e
i n the Sutherland collect i on.
P R O VEN A N C E: Probably commissioned by
Thomas Howard, Second Earl of Arundel
(15851646); said to have been given by hi m
to Georges Villiers, First Duke of Buck-
ingham, by 1628; Philippe, due d'Orleans
(le Regent), by 1727; by descent to Philippe,
due d'Orleans (Philippe Egalite), unt i l 1792;
citoyen Robit, Paris (sale, May 11, 1801,
lot 36); Francis, Thi r d Duke of Bridgewater
(1736-1803), Cleveland House (later
Bridgewater House), London, from 1801; his
nephew Lord Gower, later Second Marquess
of Stafford and First Duke of Sutherland
(1758-1833); by descent wi t h the dukes of
Sutherland, Stafford House, London, unt i l
circa 1913; Frits Gans, Frankfurt; Bachstitz
collection, The Hague; Daniel Guggenheim,
New York, i n 1929; Mrs. Daniel Guggen-
heim, New York, i n 1931, unt i l at least 1939;
Robert Guggenheim, Washington, D C, i n
1950; Mrs. David Guggenheim, New York;
Mr . and Mrs. Francis Lenyon; Rebecca
Paintings 181
Pollard Logan, Washington, D.C., i n 1980
(sale, Christie's, London, July 8, 1983, lot 92)
[Thomas Agnew and Sons, Lt d.] ; Swiss pr i -
vate collection; [Thomas Agnew and Sons,
Ltd., 1986].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : L. Cust, Anthony van Dyck
(London, 1900), pp. 23, 268, no. 1; M.
Rooses, Fifty Masterpieces of Anthony van Dyck
(London, 1900), pp. 89-90; M. F. S. Hervey,
The Life, Correspondence and Collections of
Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel (Cambridge,
England, 1921), pp. 187-188; E. Larsen,
Lopera completa di Van Dyck, 16131626
(Milan, 1980), p. 105, no. 280; A. McNai rn,
The Young van Dyck, ex. cat. (Ottawa, Na-
tional Gallery of Canada, 1980), no. 65;
O. Millar, Van Dyck in England, ex. cat. (Lon-
don, National Portrait Gallery, 1982), no. 2.
F R E N C H
42. JEAN-SI MEON CHARDI N
French, 1699-1779
Still Life, circa 1759-1760
Oi l on canvas, 37.8 x 46.7 c m (147s"
x 187s"). Signed: Chardin at the left
center.
86.PA.544
What appears to be a later versi on, or a
very si mi lar pai nt i ng, signed and dated
1761 and probably exhi bi t ed at the Salon
o f 1763 (no. 62), was offered but t hen
wi t hdr awn f r o m the Lemoyne sale
(Paris, August 10, 1778, l ot 10) and was
last seen when sold i n Paris ( May 19,
1828, l ot 62). Georges Wi l denst ei n
(1963, no. 32) confuses the provenances
o f the t wo pai nti ngs. The Museum' s
pi cture is closely related to a st i l l li fe i n
the Rei nhart collect i on, Wi nt er t hur , and
t o a versi on o f that pai nt i ng i n a French
pri vate collect i on ( Wi ldenst ei n, 1963,
no. 334).
P R O VEN A N C E: Aubert, Paris (sale, Paris
[Paillet and Hugues, commissaires-priseurs],
March 2-4, 1786, lot 56); la comtesse de
Croismare, Folie de Montfermeil; Maurice
Massignon; Charles Masson, Paris, by 1907;
Pierre Masson, Paris, by descent, unt i l about
1935; private collection, England; [Societe
Spiess, Paris].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : A. Dayot andj. Guiffrey, J.-B.
Simeon Chardin (Paris, 1907), no. 180; Rijks-
museum, Amsterdam, Exposition retrospective
d'art francais, ex. cat. (Amsterdam, 1926), no.
18; G. Wildenstein, Chardin (Paris, 1933), no.
793; G. Wildenstein, Chardin (Zurich, 1963,
rev. ed., Oxford, 1969), no. 321; P. Rosen-
berg, Tout Voeuvre peint de Chardin (Paris,
1983), no. 153.
42
43. HUBERT ROBERT
French, 1733-1808
A Hermit Praying in the Ruins of a
Roman Temple, circa. 17601764
O i l o n canvas, 58 x 70.5 c m ( 227 / x
27 7 / ) . Inscri bed: ROBERT / FECIT
/ FIO . .NT/ PORT. . . 176. . . [last
di gi t obscured, perhaps 1760?] i n the
wal l at center.
86.PA.605
I n his article i n this Journal, Vi ct or Car l -
son dates the pai nt i ng t o 1760 on the
basis o f a compar i son wi t h a dr awi ng by
Robert i n the Louvr e, signed and dated
i n that year, i n whi c h the general ar-
rangement o f the archi tectural setti ng is
si mi lar t o that i n the Museum' s canvas.
The dr awi ng is i llust rat ed i n Le Louvre
d'Hubert Robert (ex. cat. [Paris, Musee
du Louvr e, 1979] , fi g. 48).
I n the 1777 sale o f the pri nce de
Cont i ' s collect i on, the Museum' s pai nt -
i ng was pai red wi t h a pendant vi ew o f
the i nt er i or o f a colonnaded temple,
no w lost, described i n the sales cata-
logue ( lot 753) as " . . . un charri ot
r empl i de foi n, un ho mme & une
femme a cheval, d'autres figures & un
troupeau de mout ons."
43
P R O VEN A N C E: Louis-Frangois de Bourbon,
prince de Conti (sale, Paris, Apr i l 8June 6,
1777, lot 752); Desmarets; Prince Pyotr
Ivanovitch Tufialkin, Paris (sale, Paris, May
23, 1845, lot 65); private collection, Paris
(sale, Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris, March 25,
1892, lot 53); Georges Berger, Paris; possibly
sale, Paris, March 20, 1928, no. 53; Georges
Wildenstein family collection, Paris, by 1928;
[ Wildenstein and Co., New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : P. de Nolhac, Hubert Robert,
1733-1808 (Paris, 1910), p. 98; Orangerie,
Paris, Exposition Hubert Robert, ex. cat. (Paris,
1933), no. 2; G. Isarlo, "Hubert Robert,"
Connaissance des Arts no. 18 (August 15,
1953), p. 28; H. Burda, Die Ruine in den
Bildern Hubert Roberts (Munich, 1967), p. 80
and n. 359; A. Corboz, Peinture militante et
architecture revolutionnaire: A propos du theme
du tunnel chez Hubert Robert (Basel and Stutt-
gart, 1978), p. 16, fig. 13; V. Carlson, " A
Roman Masterpiece by Hubert Robert; 4
Hermit Praying in the Ruim of a Roman
Temple," GettyMwJtt (mi), pp. U7-124.
44. JACQUES-LOUI S DAVI D
French, 1748-1825
The Sisters Znade and Charlotte
Bonaparte, 1821
Oi l on panel, 129,5 x 100 cm
(51" x 39W) . Signed and dated;
L . DAVID, / BRUK, 18 2 1 at the
lower right, Inscribed; H
9
13. /
Philadelphie . , . / mes chres petites
amies, , , / Julie, , , on the letter held
by sitters,
86.PA740
Zna de (1801-1854) and Charlotte
(1802-1839) were daughters of Joseph
Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. I n
1821 both lived wi t h their mother i n
Brussels, also the home i n exile of
Jacques-Louis David, while their
fatherwho wrote the letter seen i n
Znade' s hand i n the Museum's paint-
inghad taken up residence i n Borden-
t own, New Jersey, and Philadelphia,
The high quality and substantial penti-
menti of this l i t t l e-known portrait, as
wel l as the presence of both the signa-
ture and the 1821 date, indicate that it is
the original version documented i n
David's June 25,1821, receipt for pay-
ment from the girls' mother. The t wo
replicas also mentioned i n the receipt
(costing one thousand francs each, as
opposed to four thousand for the ori gi -
nal) can be identified wi t h the portraits
i n Toulon (Muse d' Art et d' Archolo-
gie, signed and dated 1822) and Rome
(Museo Napoleonico, unsigned), each
of whi ch has at times been called
the ori gi nal
The L iste des Tableaux de la galerie de
Joseph Bonaparte (undated but apparently
compiled i n the US. ) mentions under
No, 116 "Les Princesses Zna de et
Charlotte, David," valued at four
thousand francs, the price of the original
version (Bertin, 1893). The painting
returned to Europe wi t h Bonaparte
i n 1836,
P R O V E N A N C E ; Commissioned by Marie Julie
Bonaparte, comtesse de Survilliers, perhaps
on behalf of her husband, Joseph, presum-
ably i n 1820 or 1821; their daughter Zna de,
Princess of Canino (1801-1854); her daughter
Julie Charlotte Zna de Pauline Laetitia
44
45
Paintings 183
Desiree Bartholomee Bonaparte (1830-1900),
wife of Alcssandro del Gallo, Marchese di
Roccagiovane, Rome; private collection,
Switzerland, by about 1938; [Wildenstein
and Co,, New York] ,
B IB L IO G R A P H Y ; G, Bertin, Joseph Bonaparte en
Amerique (Paris, 1893), p. 418; D. and G.
Wildenstein, Documents complementaires au
catalogue de Voeuvre de Louis David (Paris,
1973) pp. 220, 222; Philadelphia Museum of
Art, Federal Philadelphia, 1785-1825: The
Athens of the Western World, ex, cat, (Phila-
delphia, 1987), no. 228; G, Bazin and G,
Wildenstein, catalogue raisonne of the work
of J,-L, David (forthcoming).
G E R M A N
45, LEO VON KLENZE
German, 1784-1864
Landscape with the Castle of Massa
di Carrara, 1827
Oi l on canvas, 76,9 x 101 cm (30V/
x 39-7-0 Signed; LvKle XXVll at
the lower left,
86,PA,540
Leo von Klenze visited Massa near Car-
rara i n September 1826 and again from
late Apri l to early June 1827 On the sec-
ond visit he probably made the drawing
of the landscape wi t h the castle, built by
the Malaspina dukes from the four-
teenth through the sixteenth centuries,
preserved i n his sketchbook (Mnchner
Stadtmuseum, Alte Sammlung, Sketch-
book 3, f. 43 recto), A second drawing,
i n which he experimentally moved the
castle to the right half of the composi-
tion and rotated it to the right, may
have been executed after his return to
Muni ch (Munich, Staatliche Graphische
Sammlung, inv, no. 27,713mappe
35/1).
This painting remained wi t h the art-
ist and subsequently his family, but a
second, slightly smaller version (28 x 37
inches, location unknown) was painted
for Franz Bolgiano about the same year
and may be the View of Massa exhibited
at the Muni ch Kunstverein i n 1828,
Klenze exhibited the Museum's land-
scape at the Berlin Academy i n 1834
(no, 361).
P R O VEN A N C E; By descent from the artist to
Herbert M. von Klenze (b, 1907), Ellenberg,
Germany (sale, Kunsthaus Lempertz,
Cologne, November 21-23, 1985, lot 479)
bought by [ Bruno Meissner, Zurich] ,
46
B IB L IO G R A P H Y ; G, K, Nagler, Neues allge-
meines Knstler-Lexikon (Munich, 1839),
P- 60; Bayerische Akademie der Sch nen
Knste, Leo von Klenze als Maler und
Zeichner, ex. cat, (Munich, 1977), nos. G5,
G30; N. I4eb and F, Hufnagel, Leo von
Klenze Gemlde und Zeichnungen (Munich,
1979), pp, 101, 170, 242, no, G35,
46, FRANZ XAVER WI NTERHALTER
German, 1805/06-1873
Portrait of Leoniila Frstin m
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, 1843
Oi l on canvas, 142 x 212 cm
(56" x 83V/ ), Signed; Winterhalter,
Paris, 1843 at the center right,
86,PA,534
The Russian-born Princess Eeonilla
Ivanovna Bariatinskaya (1816-1918)
married Prince Ludwi g zu Sayn-
Wittgenstein-Sayn i n 1843, the year this
portrait was painted i n Paris, Her reclin-
ing pose, reminiscent of traditional
Venuses and David's Madame Recamier
of 1800 (Musee du Louvre, Paris), is
appropriate to the princess' status as an
international beauty and hostess wi t h
political interests. She had sat to
Winterhalter once before, i n 1833, for an
oval portrait which also features her
shadowed face, contrasting black hair
and opaline skin, and magnificent pearls
(Wittgenstein family, on loan to the
Neue Pinakothek, Munich), A third
Winterhalter portrait of the princess,
painted i n 1849, remains wi t h the fam-
i l y The portrait is i n its original frame,
made by P, Souty fils, Paris,
P R O VEN A N C E; Commissioned by the sitter;
by descent to Prince Alexander zu Sayn-
Wittgenstein-Sayn, unti l 1985; [ Artemis,
London] ,
B IB L IO G R A P H Y ; C, Heilmann, Neue Pinakothek
Mnchen (Munich and Zurich, 1984), pp. 37,
68-69; ex, cat, forthcoming, London,
National Portrait Gallery, and Paris, Grand
Palais, 1987,
I T A L I A N
47. I TALI AN (Naples or Avignon),
mid-fourteenth century
The Somatization of Saint Francis of
Assisi and The Crowning of Saints
Cecilia and Valerian of Rome,
circa 1330s
Tempera on panel, each panel:
31.2 x 22.9 c m ( 12
5
/ i 6
r /
x 9")
86.PB.490
Un t i l recently this wo r k, someti mes
called the Ansoui s Di pt yc h, has been
at t ri but ed t o an Avi gno n pai nter and
dated t o the 1360s. The figures on the
r i ght -hand panel were t r adi t i onal l y
i dent i fi ed as Saint Elzear de Sabran
(12861323) and his wi fe, the Blessed
Del phi ne de Signe ( 1284-1360) , rela-
ti ons o f the counts o f Sabran. I n his
article i n this Journal, however, Car l
Strehlke suggests that Del phi ne may
have commi ssi oned the di pt ych herself,
f r o m a pai nter active i n Naples i n the
1330s, perhaps the Mast er o f the Saint
Eli zabet h Stories. Moreover, the r i ght -
hand panel may wel l depict the saints
Ceci li a and Valeri an, whose chaste mar -
riage served as the model for Elzear and
Delphi ne' s relati onshi p.
P R O VEN A N C E: Counts of Sabran, Chateau
d'Ansouis (Vaucluse), France (possibly by
descent from the Blessed Delphine de Signe
[1284-1360]); by descent to the dukes of
Sabran and Ponteves, Paris; [ Wildenstein
and Co., New York, 1981-1986].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : P. Girard, Saint Elzear de
Sabran et la Bienheureuse Delphine de Signe
(Paris, 1912), p. 6; G. Duhamelet, Saint
Elzear et la Bienheureuse Delphine (Paris,
1944), pp. 17, 19; J. Dupont, "Quelques ex-
emples de rapports entre le France et l'ltalie
au XI V
e
et au XV
e
Siecles," Cahiers de VAsso-
ciation Internationale des Etudes Francaises
8 (June 1956), p. 36; M. Laclotte and D.
Thiebaut, L'ecole dAvignon (Paris, 1983),
pp. 194-195, no. 24; P. Leone de Castris,
Arte di Corte nella Napoli angioma (Florence,
1986), p. 428; C. B. Strehlke, " A Celebate
Marriage and Franciscan Poverty Reflected i n
a Neapolitan Trecento Di ptych, " GettyMusJ
15 (1987), pp. 79-96.
48. FRANCESCO SALVIATI
Itali an ( Florenti ne) , 1510-1563
Portrait of a Bearded Man, circa
1550-1555
O i l on panel, 109 x 85 c m (43" x
33V
2
")
86.PB.476
Someti mes at t ri but ed t o Br onzi no, this
por t r ai t belongs mor e appropri ately
t o Salviati's second Roman per i od
(15501555), when one wo ul d expect t o
fi nd such an arresti ng combi nat i on o f
Manner i st preci si on, along wi t h the ani -
mat i on and interest i n the sitter charac-
teristic o f the mat ure Salvi ati . Its heavi ly
r i ppled gol d frame, apparently or i gi nal
t o the pi cture, does not appear t o be
Florenti ne.
P R O VEN A N C E: Marchese Carlo Ni ccoli ni di
Camugliano, by 1904; [ Hei m Gallery, Lon-
don, circa 1975]; [P. and D. Colnaghi, Ltd.,
London and New York, 1982]; Daniel Var-
sano, Connecticut; through [ Zangri lli and
Brady, New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : I . H. Cheney, Francesco Sal-
viati (1510-1563), unpublished Ph.D. diss.,
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University,
1963, pp. 421, 483, fig. 412; C. Whitfield, Dis
coveries from the Cinquecento, ex. cat. (New
York, P. and D. Colnaghi, Ltd., 1982), no. 7.
48
Paintings 185
49
49. LUCA FORTE
Itali an ( Neapoli tan) , active circa
1625-1655
Still Life with Grapes and Other Fruit,
circa 1630s?
Oi l on copper, 31.4 x 26 c m ( 1 2W x
l OV/ ) . Signed: Luca Forte on the
wal l at the lower left.
86.PC.517
The st i l l life o f grapes, apples, pome-
granates, and pears may have embl em-
atic significance, but i t is j ust as l i kel y
that i t si mpl y portrays the bounti es o f
aut umn. The basket at the l ower left
may have been used for the harvest
o f frui t .
Photographs taken at the t i me o f the
pai nti ng' s sale i n Lo ndo n i n 1984 show
the ghost o f a coat o f arms on the upper
left near the corner o f the wal l . Recent
cleaning demonstrated that the arms
postdated the executi on o f the pai nt i ng,
and i t has been i mpossi ble t o recon-
struct what they l ook li ke.
P R O VEN A N C E: Said to have been sold by
Leonard Koetser, London; private collection,
Jersey, since about 1955; sale, Sotheby's, Lon-
don, December 12, 1984, lot 31, bought by
[Thomas Agnew and Sons, Ltd., London] .
50. SEBASTI ANO RI CCI
Itali an (Venetian), 1659-1734
Perseus Turning the Companions of
Phineus to Stone, circa 17051710
O i l on canvas, 64 x 77 c m (2574" x
307
4
")
86.PA.591
Thi s pai nt i ng can be compared closely
wi t h Ricci's Battle of the Lapiths and Cen-
taurs (circa 1705, Hi g h Mus eum o f Ar t ,
Atlanta) and his frescoes i n the Palazzo
Mar ucelli -Fenzi , Florence, dated
17061707. The fi gure o f Perseus is
close t o that o f the soldier i n the Death
of Archimedes (Palazzo Vi dmar -Foscar i ,
Venice) dated circa 1705 by A. Ri zzi
(Sebastiano Ricci disegnatore, ex. cat.
[ Udi ne, Salla Ai ace del Co mmune] ,
1975).
The subject is taken f r o m Ovi d' s
Metamorphoses (5.1235). I n the mi dst o f
celebrati ng his weddi ng to Andr omeda,
Perseus is attacked by Phi neusthe
bride's uncle and her erst whi le i nt ended
assisted by a thousand supporters.
The t ur ni ng poi nt i n the lopsi ded battle
is the moment depicted here, when Per-
seus fi nally displays the head o f Medusa
and petrifies three o f Phi neus' hench-
men (Thescelus, Ampyx, and Ni l eus) .
P R O VEN A N C E: Ray Livingston Murphy
(1923-1953), New York (probably acquired
in England); Ray Slater Murphy, mother of
R. L. Murphy (sale, Christie's, New York,
January 15, 1986, lot ll3, bought by [Thomas
Agnew and Sons, Ltd., London] ).
50
5k
5ib
Paintings 187
51. LUGA CARLEVARIJS
Italian (Venetian), 1663-1730
Regatta on the Grand Canal in Honor
of Frederick IV, King of Denmark, 1711
(5378" x 10274'% Inscribed:
MDCCXl/L.C. at the bottom center
on the boat
86,PA,599
The Bucintoro Departing from the
Bacino di San Marco, 1710
(537ie" x 1027/), Inscribed:
LC MDCCX at the lower left
on the stern of the boat
86,PA,600
The Bucintoro (Venetian state barge) is
shown on the day of the "SposalMo del
mare" (Marriage of Venice and the sea),
an annual Ascension Day ceremony
The regatta i n honor of Frederick I V
was held March 4, 1709, on the occasion
of the Danish king's state visit to Ven-
ice. A second version of this painting,
wi t h minor differences, is i n Fredericks-
borg castle, Denmark (inv, no, 3456),
P R O VEN A N C E: Baron Michele Lazzaroni,
Paris, by 1922; Barone Edgardo Lazzaroni,
Rome, by 1937 and s late as 1940; Baronessa
Lazzaroni, Paris; private collection, Rome,
until 1985; [Thomas Agnew and Sons, Ltd,,
London],
B IB L IO G R A P H Y * N, Tarchiani, Mostra delta
pittum itdttdna del Seicento e del Settecento, ex,
cat, (Florence, Palazzo Pitti, 1922), nos, 209,
210; F, Mauroner, Luca Cdrlevdris, 2nd ed,
(Padua, 1945), pp, 59, 82, pis. 4, 5; Venetian
Fighteenth-Century Pdinting, ex, cat, (London,
Thomas Agnew and Sons, Ltd,, 1985),
nos, 7, 8,
52, GIUSEPPE MARIA CRESP1
Italian (Bolognese), 1665-1747
The Blessed Bernard Tolomei Interced-
ing fir the Cessation of the Plague in
Siena, circa 1735
Oi l on copper, 427 x 66,6 cm
( I6
1
7i r/ ' x26
1
/ / )
86,PC,463
In his article i n this Journal, John Spike
connects this recently discovered paint-
ing wi t h a documented commission for
two paintings for the Ovetan Abbot
Corsi, The pendant representing Saint
Francesca Romana Placing the Infant Christ
in the Arms of Her Confessor (Merriman,
no, 115) is known from workshop rep-
lkas, which also exist for the Bernard
Tolomei (Musee des Beaux-Arts, Nimes;
Marchini collection, Rome; Gemlde-
galerie der Akademie der Bildenden
Knste, Vienna; Ilo Nunes-Mauri col-
lection, Rome), Crespi's presentation of
Tolomei as an intercessor is an innova-
tion i n the iconography of the four-
teenth-century Olivetan abbot,
P R O VEN A N C E! Commissioned by Abbot
Corsi, Florence, circa 1735; Marchese Gino
Capponi, Florence, by 1767; sale, Hotel
Drouot, Paris [Marcel Walter and Tabour
deau, commissaires-priseurs], February 7,
1945, lot 383; private collection* Switzerland;
[Piero Corsini, New York], 1985 -1986,
BiBLtoGPvAPHY! G, Zanotti, Storid deWAe-
cddemid Ctementind di Botognd (Bologna,
1739), vol, 2, p, 64; L, Crespo Pdslna
Pittrice, Vitt de* pittori botognesi (Rome,
1769), vol, 3, p, 217; M. P, Merriman,
Giuseppe Mdrid Cmpi (Milan, 1980), pp, 265,
271-272; J, T, Spike, Giuseppe Mdrid Crespi
dnd the Emergence of Gerne Painting in ltdiy, ex.
cat, (Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum,
1986), p, 162; idem, The Blessed Bemdrd
Tolomei Interceding fir the Cessation of the
Pldgue in Siena: A Rediscovered Painting by
Giuseppe Maria Crespi," GettyMusJiB
(1987), pp, 111-116,
DRAWINGS
B R I T I S H
53 (verso)
53. THOMAS GAI NSBOROUGH
Br i t i sh, 1727-1788
Study of a Seated Woman (recto);
Study of a Small Girl Seated on a Bank
(verso), circa 17651770
Black chalk and st ump and whi t e
chalk on blue paper (recto); black
chalk (verso), 31.8 x 23.8 c m
(12V/ x 9
3
/s")
86.GB.620
Thi s is one o f a number o f ful l -l engt h
studies o f beaut i fully cost umed young
wo men executed by Gai nsbor ough i n
the mi d-t o-l at e 1760s. I t shows a
dai nt y young wo man seated and faci ng
front , a pose rare i n Gai nsborough.
The costume consists o f a br oad-
b r i mmed mi l kmai d' s bonnet, a shawl
dr awn about the woman' s slender
shoulders, and a l uxur i ant l y cascading
ski rt , br oadly sketched i n black and
whi t e chalks. Thi s dr awi ng descended
i n the artist's fami l y t hr ough his
younger daughter, Margaret , and was
li t hogr aphed by his great-nephew
Ri chard Lane i n 1825.
P R O VEN A N C E: Mrs. Thomas Gainsborough,
London; by descent to the Gainsboroughs'
daughter Margaret; Sophia and Richard Lane
(probably Lane sale, Christie's, London, Feb-
ruary 25, 1831, lot 100); Crompton collection;
Spiller collection; Dr. and Mrs. Francis
Springell, Portinscale, Cumberland (sale,
Sotheby's, London, June 30, 1986, lot 103).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : J. Hayes, The Drawings of
Gainsborough (New Haven and London,
1971), vol. 1, nos. 32, 33, vol. 2, pis. 98, 100;
J. Hayes and L. Stainton, Gainsborough
Drawings, ex. cat. (Washington, D.C.,
National Gallery of Art ; Fort Worth,
Ki mbell Ar t Museum; New Haven, Yale
Center for British Art , 1983), no. 43.
D U T C H
Inscri bed (verso): Carracci i n penci l.
86.GA.8
Sustris' activities as overseer o f the
artistic undert aki ngs at the court o f
Wi l he l m V o f Bavaria i n Mun i c h i n -
cluded the desi gni ng o f sculpture and
decorative objects. Thi s dr awi ng,
among his few sur vi vi ng designs for a
decorative piece, was used as the model
for one o f the t went y-fi ve etched-glass
panels o f a reli quary shrine i n the
Reiche Kapelle i n the Mun i c h Resi -
dence. Wi t h its excepti onal refi nement
o f li ne and graceful fi gure style, i t is
quali t at i vely superior bot h t o another
versi on i n Budapest, considered by
Hei nr i c h Geissler t o be a copy (Szep-
m ves zet i Museum, i nv. no. 1387;
T. Gerszi, Netherlandish Drawings in the
Budapest Museum [ Amst er dam, 1971],
no. 259; H. Geissler, "Unbekannt e
En t w r f e von Fri edri ch Sustris, "
Kunstgeschichtliche Studien fr Kurt Bauch
[ Muni c h- Ber l i n, 1967], p. 154), and to a
copy i n D s s e l d o r f ( Kunst museum, i nv.
no. FP 5280).
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, Switzerland;
[Pamela Gordon, Paris].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : P. Gordon, Pamela Gordon
Presents Old Master Drawings, ex. cat. (New
York, Bob P. Haboldt, Inc., Gallery, 1985),
no. 24.
54. FRI EDRI CH SUSTRIS
Dut c h, circa 1540-1599
Angels Bearing the Column of the
Passion, circa 1580-1590
Pen and dark b r o wn i nk and gray
wash, 16.6 x 20.6 c m ( 67i
6
" x 8W).
55. JAN HARMENSZ. MULLER
Dut c h, 1571-1628
Embracing Couple (Mercury and the
Nymph Lara?), 1588-ci r ca 1594
Black chalk, pen and b r o wn i nk,
b r o wn wash, and whi t e gouache
53 (recto)
54 55
Drawings 189
hei ght eni ng on l i ght b r o wn paper,
18. 7x217 c m ( 7
3
/
8
" x8 W' ) .
Inscri bed: 145 i n b r o wn i nk at the
bot t om.
86.GG.595
E. K. J. Reznicek recognizes this dr aw-
i ng as the wo r k o f Mul l er , assigning i t
to the per i od o f 1588 t hr ough circa 1594,
when the artist practiced the Manner i st
fi gure style o f the Prague pai nter
Bar t ho l o m us Spranger and the flowing
pen wo r k o f Cornells van Haar lem.
Composi t i onal l y, the dr awi ng is qui te
close t o Mul l er s engravi ng after a dr aw-
i ng by Spranger, The Drunken Lot with
His Daughters ( W L. Strauss, ed., The
Illustrated Bartsch, vol . 4 [ for mer l y vol .
3] , Netherlandish Artists: Matham,
Saenredam, Muller [ Ne w Yor k, 1980],
no. 64 [ 284] ), whi c h is also domi nat ed
by a muscular nude wo man shown f r om
behi nd. The bur ni ng ci t y i n the back-
gr ound and various other si mi lari ti es o f
techni que and composi t i on occur i n the
dr awi ng Lot and His Daughters i n the
Graphische Samml ung, Mun i c h ( i nv.
no. 1037), at t ri but ed t o van Haar l em by
C. van Thi el (Katalog der Staatlichen
Graphischen Sammlung Mnchen [ Ber l i n,
1973], vol . 1; W. Wegner, Die Niederln-
dischen Handzeichnungen des 15.18.
Jahrhunderts [ Ber l i n, 1973], vol . 1,
no. 42). Judgi ng f r o m the backgr ound
conflagrati on, the helmet, and what
seems t o be a caduceus i n the l ower
r i ght corner, the embraci ng couple
mi ght wel l be i dent i fi ed as Mer c ur y and
the nymph Lara, a subject also treated
by Mul l er i n an engravi ng ( The Illus-
trated Bartsch, vol . 4, no. 10 [ 268] ) .
P R O VEN A N C E: Antoni o Morassi, Mi lan; sale,
Christie's, Amsterdam, November 18, 1985,
lot 10; [Richard Day, London] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : E. K. J. Reznicek,
4
Jan
Harmensz. Muller as Draughtsman:
Addenda," Master Drawings 2 (1980), pp.
120-121, 131, pi. 3.
56. HENDRI CK GOLTZI US
Dut ch, 1558-1617
Bust of an Angel, 1609
Black chalk and whi t e chalk
hei ght eni ng, 55.6 x 39.7 c m
( 21
, 5
/ i 6"xl 5
5
/ 8") . Signed and
dated: HG/A.1609 i n black
chalk i n the r i ght mi ddl e mar gi n.
86.GB.593
Thi s dr awi ng, exempl i fyi ng Golt zi us'
late, classical style, has onl y recently
come t o l i ght . Its cart oonli ke scale,
softly modeled flesh, and angelic subject
tie i n closely wi t h his late pai nti ngs,
suggesting that i t mi ght have been
i nt ended as a preparatory study. No cor-
respondi ng pai nt i ng, however, has been
discovered. The dr awi ng is power ful l y
affecting, o wi ng t o its i mpressi ve size,
the i mmedi acy o f the subject, and the
broad, r i ch appli cati on o f black chalk.
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, Malm,
Sweden; private collection, London; [Ars
Li bri , Boston] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : E. K.J. Reznicek, " A Survey
of Recent Discoveries and of Bibliography
Concerning Dutch Art , 1500-1600," i n
Netherlandish Mannerism, G. Cavalli-
Bjrkman, ed. (Stockholm, 1985),
pp. 10-11.
57. REMBRANDT VAN RIJN
Dut ch, 1606-1669
An Artist in a Studio, circa 16321633
Pen and b r o wn i nk, 20.5 x 17 c m
(8Vi6" x 6
u
/ i 6" ) . Col l ect i on marks o f
57
56
190 Acquisitions/198 6
E. Bouverie i n the lower left corner
and of an anonymous collector i n
the lower right corner.
86.GA.675
Rembrandt here depicts a solitary young
artist, possibly his friend and colleague
Jan Lievens, holding a palette, brushes,
and maulstick, and contemplating a
painting i n progress. Beside the easel
stands a stone on whi ch to prepare
paint* Rembrandt's varied pen work
describes a range of textures as wel l as
the shadowy atmosphere pervading the
high-ceilinged interior, The masterful
manipulation of space and chiaroscuro,
combined wi t h the painter's expression
of intense concentration as he confronts
his painting, make this one of the most
powerful and original seventeenth-
century images of an artist at work,
P R O V E N A N C E : E, Bouverie, Del apr Abbey,
near Nort hampt on; Lewis Hut h Walters;
Dr, and Mrs, Francis Springeli, Portinscale,
Cumberland (sale, Sotheby's, London, June
30,1986, lot 41),
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : A, M. Hi n d, "Rembrandt i n
His Studio/' Old Master Drawings 1 (June
1926), p. 9; O. Benesch, Rembrandt: Werk
und Forschung (Vienna, 1935), p, 28; idem,
Selected Drawings by Rembrandt (Oxford and
London, 1947), no, 33; idem, The Drawings
of Rembrandt (London, 1954), vol 2, no.
390; S. Slive, "Rembrandt's 'Self-Portrait
i n a Studio,' " Burlington Magazine 106
(November 1964), p, 485, fig, 4; idem,
The Drawings of Rembrandt (London, 1973),
vol, 2, no. 390; I . W. L. Moerman, et al.,
Geschildert tot L eyden anno 162 6, ex. cat.
(Leiden, Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal,
1976), p, 26,
58. AELBERTCUYP
Dutch, 1620-1691
A Milkmaid, circa 1640-1650
Black chalk, graphite, and gray
wash, 12 x 14.7 cm (4%" x 5
1
Vie")
86.GG.672
It was Cuyp's practice to make separate
figure studies which he later used i n his
landscape paintings, often more than
once. The present drawing was used i n
several of his paintings of milkmaids,
the most important of which is i n the
Museum Boymans-van Benningen,
Rotterdam. Cuyp brought this drawing
to an unusually high degree of finish,
lavishing particular attention on the
many soft folds of the garment and the
fall of sunlight over the figure,
P R O V E N A N C E : L. Dupper (probably) (sale,
Roos/Engelberts/Roos, Dordrecht, June
28-29, 1870, part of lot 452); Victor de
Stuers, The Hague; private collection,
the Netherlands; [Ars Li br i , Boston],
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : Aelbert Cuyp: Original-
abbildungen nach seiner vorzglichsten Gemlden
und Handzeichnungen (Leipzig, 1912), pl, 12;
Honderd Teekeningen naar oud hollandsche
meesters (Bloemendaal, n,d,), pl, 15;
Handzeichnungen alter Meister der hollnd-
ischen Malerschule (Leipzig, n,d,), vol, 2,
pl, 2; S, Reiss, Aelbert Cuyp (London,
1975), p, 90.
59 (verso)
59, AELBERT CUYP
Dutch, 1620-1691
View of the Rhine Valley (recto); View
of the Heideberger Mill near Cleves
(verso), circa 1651-1652
Black chalk, graphite, and gray
wash, 13,2 x 237 cm ( S V x 9
5
/ie"),
Inscribed (recto): A Cuyp i n black
chalk i n the lower left corner.
Inscribed (verso): Coll ten Gate 196
i n graphite,
86.GG673
This drawing belongs to a sketchbook
of landscapes and townscapes that Cuyp
made during a trip to the region of
Nijmegen and Cleves i n 1651-1652,
Other examples from this sketchbook
include those i n the Groninger Museum
voor Stad en Lande, Groningen (inv.
no. 1931-146); the British Museum,
London (E.1912, inv, no, 172); and the
Pondation Custodia, Collection Frits
Lugt, Paris (inv. no. 5304), The draw-
ings from this sketchbook are all
executed i n a similar technique, Dark
black chalk appears i n the foreground
and the middle ground, and graphite is
used i n the background; this produces
an effect of atmospheric perspective.
Cuyp here built up the landscape i n a
succession of horizontal zones, achiev-
ing a sense of expansiveness reminiscent
of the work of Rembrandt and Philips
Kninck, While the t own on the recto
remains unidentified, the sketch on the
verso shows the Heideberger Mi l l out
side Cleves, Van Gelder and Jost note
that i t is a continuation of a drawing i n
the Musee Conde, Chantilly (inv. no,
59 (recto)
Drawings 191
1085) showing the city of Cleves from
the Galgenberg outside the walls, and it
exemplifies Cuyp's habit of beginning a
landscape on the recto of a sheet and
continuing it on the verso of the
preceding page,
fftoV E N A N G firtB , Houthakkef, Amsterdam];
H, E, ten Gate, Almelo, the Netherlands;
[C. G, Boerner, Dsseldorf]; [f t M. Light
and Co,, Boston]; Charles Cunningham,
Massachusetts,
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : D, Hannema, Collection of
H, , ten Cate (Oldenzaal, the Netherlands,
1955), no, 196, fig, 98; F. W. Robinson, One
Hundred Master Drawings from New England
Private Collections, ex, cat, (Hartford, Conn,,
Wads worth Atheneum, 1973), no, 26 (entry
by J, G, van Gelder and I , Jost); J, Giltay,
Aeibert Cuyp en Zijn Pamilie, ex. cat,
(Dordrechts Museum, 1977), p, 172, n, 1,
under no, 70,
60, CORNELtS SAFTLEVEN
Dutch, 1607-1681
An Enchanted Cellar with Animals,
circa 1655-1670
Black and red chalk, gray and
brown wash, and watercolor, 25,7 x
32 cm (10W x 12%"). Collection
mark of Armand Sigwalt i n the
lower left margin.
86,GG,17
Saftleven here combines his talents as a
painter of animal drolleries and of rustic
interiors, The animals engage i n various
activities, including giving a concert
and reading books. These are both tra-
ditional themes i n Netherlandish animal
painting, occurring, for example, i n the
work of Jan Brueghel the Elder, Wi t h its
elaborate composition and high degree
of finish, this is one of the most
accomplished animal drawings i n
Saftleven's oeuvre,
P R O V E N A N C E : Sale, Paillet/Delaroche, Paris,
April 25, 1803, lot 236; Armand Sigwalt,
Paris; Eugene Rodrigues, Pads (sale, Frederik
Muller, Amsterdam, May 27-28,1913, lot
192); sale, Sotheby's, Amsterdam, November
15,1983, lot 247; [John Morton Morris,
London],
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : W, Schulz, Cornells Saftleven
(Berlin, 1978), no, 353, p, 147,
61. ADRI AEN VAN DE VELDE
Dutch, 1636-1672
Seated Female Nude, circa 1660-1670
Black chalk and white chalk height-
ening on gray paper, 26,5 x 19,6 cm
(10W x Wie")
86,GB,641
Van de Velde was among the finest
Dutch figure draughtsmen of the late
seventeenth century, This example
derives its charm from the soft and
delicate modeling of the form i n light
and shadow, combined wi t h the graceful
pose and contemplative expression of
the young model, It is comparable to a
number of other drawings by van de
Velde, possibly of the same model,
including a signed example i n the
Louvre (R Lugt, Musie du L ouvre,
Inventaire giniral des dessins des holes du
Nord, Ecole hollandaise [Paris, 1931],
vol, 2, no, 779) and one sold at
Sotheby's, Amsterdam, May 3,1976
(lot 110),
P R O V E N A N C E : C, R, Rudolf, London (sale,
Sotheby's, Amsterdam, April 18,1977, lot
66); private collection, South Africa;
[Richard Day, London],
B I B L I O G R A P H Y : C. White, et al,, Old Master
Drawings from the Collection of Mr C. R.
Rudolf, ex, cat, (London, Arts Council, 1962),
no, 144,
60
61
62
62. GERARDUS VAN VEEN
Dut c h, circa 1620-1683
Standing Ruff (Philomachus
pugnax), 1677
Black chalk, pen and b r o wn i nk,
watercolor, and gouache on paper,
23. 3x27. 1 c m ( 9
3
/ i
6
" x 10"/ i 6") .
Si gned and dated: Gerardus Van
Veenfec:/A 1611: i n the l ower left
corner.
86.GG.15
Van Veen was a draught sman who for
the most part pr oduced hi ghl y fi ni shed
watercolors o f birds. Hi s rare drawi ngs
are close i n style t o that o f his br ot her
Rochus, also a natural hi st or y draughts-
man ( A. van der Wi l l i gen, Les artistes de
Harlem [ Haar l em and The Hague, 1870],
p. 302). Thi s dr awi ng shows a species
o f sandpiper named for the di st i nct i ve
collar o f l ong black feathers that appears
on the neck o f the male as part o f its
summer plumage. I t is dr awn almost
ent i rely wi t h the brush, i n a delicate
and precise techni que i n whi c h each
feather is delineated. Thi s is especially
noticeable i n the i ntri cate patterns o f
the dorsal plumage.
P R O VEN A N C E: [John Mor t on Morris,
London] .
F L E MI S H
63. DENYS VAN ALSLOOT
Flemi sh, 1570-1628
Forest Landscape with a Distant
Castle, 1608
Pen and b r o wn i nk and b r o wn and
blue-gray wash, 20.3 x 27.6 c m (8" x
107s"). Signed: D. ab Alsloot. S.A.
Pic.: i n the b o t t o m r i ght corner.
Dat ed: 1608 i n the lower left corner.
86.GA.9
Van Al sl oot developed a vari ant o f the
dense forest landscape i nvent ed by Gi l l i s
van Coni nxl oo, whi c h combi nes this
t ype o f scene wi t h vi ews o f actual cas-
tles and abbeys situated i n the envi rons
o f his nati ve Brussels, especially i n the
r egi on o f the forest o f Soignes. The
present dr awi ng mi ght wel l represent
one o f these bui ldi ngs, alt hough the
site has yet t o be i dent i fi ed. The treat-
ment o f foliage as delicate, lacy tufts,
combi ned wi t h the deft handl i ng o f
washes, create the effect o f ai ry sunli ght
penet rat i ng successive glades.
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, Paris;
[Richard Day, London] .
64. PETER PAUL RUBENS
Flemi sh, 1577-1640
The Adoration of the Shepherds,
circa 1613-1614
Pen and b r o wn i nk, b r o wn wash,
and whi t e gouache hei ght eni ng;
i ndent ed for transfer, 27.9 x 18.1 c m
(11" x 7Vi6"). Inscri bed: P. Rub... i n
b r o wn i nk i n the l ower left corner.
86.GA.592
Thi s is one o f eleven i llust rat i ons and a
t i t le page Rubens designed for a new
edi t i on o f the Breviarium Romanum,
publi shed by the Pl ant i n Press i n
Ant wer p i n 1614. Theodor e Galle re-
ceived payment for cut t i ng the plate on
Apr i l 12, 1614 (Judson and van de Velde,
Appendi x 3, p. 455, no. 17).
The dr awi ng is among the most hi gh-
l y fi ni shed i n the series, comparable i n
this respect t o the Adoration of the Magi
( New Yor k, Pi erpont Mo r gan Li brary,
i nv. no. 1,230) and The Resurrection of
Christ ( London, Br i t i sh Museum, i nv.
no. 1895.9.15.1049). The techni que is r i ch
and pai nt erly i n its combi nat i on o f v i g -
orous hatchi ng, war m b r o wn washes,
and extensive whi t e hi ghli ght s. The
composi t i on focuses on the sleeping
Chr i st chi l d, who radiates hol y l i ght .
Rubens' i nt er pr et at i on o f the theme o f
the Ador at i on o f the Shepherds i n thi s
example is notable for the beaut i ful
63
Drawings 193
effects o f noct ur nal l i ght i ng, the em-
phasis upon the rustic stable i nteri or,
and the i nclusi on o f the statuesque
mai den balanci ng a mi l k pi tcher o n
her heada fi gure that appears i n his
later wor ks.
P R O VEN A N C E: H. Tersmitten, Utrecht (sale,
de Bary and Yver, Amsterdam, September
23, 1754 et seq., lot 43); Pieter Testas the
Younger, Amsterdam (sale, de Leth,
Amsterdam, March 29, 1757, lot 49); Gerard
Hoet, Jr., The Hague (sale, Franken and
Thol, The Hague, August 25-28, 1760, lot
243); Dionis Mui lman (sale, de Bosch, Jr.,
Ploos van Amstel, de Winter, Amsterdam,
Apr i l 29, 1773, lot 965); Neyman collection,
Amsterdam (sale, Hotel dAligre, Paris, July
8, 1776, lot 755); Armand Frederic
Ernest Nogaret (sale, Langlier, Antoine,
Thierry, Paris, Apr i l 6, 1807, lot 457); private
collection (sale, Christie's, London, Apr i l 2,
1947, lot 47); Ludwi g Burchard, Berlin and
London; private collection, Switzerland;
[ Wildenstein and Co., New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : M. Rooses, L'Oeuvre de
P. P. Rubens (Antwerp, 1892), vol. 5, p. 60,
no. 1253; E. Haverkamp-Begemann,
Olieverfschetsen van Rubens, ex. cat. (Rotter-
dam, Museum Boymans, 1953), p. 50, under
no. 20; F. Boudouin, "De Aanbidding der
Herders, een Schets van P. P. Rubens," Ant-
werpen 1 (1955), p. 3, fig. 4; L. Burchard and
R.-A. d'Hulst, Tekeningen van P. P. Rubens,
ex. cat. (Antwerp, Rubenshuis, 1956), p. 56;
idem, Rubens Drawings (Brussels, 1963), vol.
1, p. 114, under no. 68; J. R. Judson and C.
van de Velde, Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig
Burchard, vol. 21, Book Illustrations and Title
Pages (London and Philadelphia, 1978), vol. 1,
no. 21a, vol. 2, fig. 81.
F R E N C H
65. FRANCOI S STELLA
French, 1563-1605
View of Tivoli, circa 1587
Black chalk, traces o f red chalk, pen
and b r o wn i nk, and gray and b r o wn
wash, 26.9 x 41.3 c m (10W x 16V
4
").
Inscri bed: Paul Brill i n b r o wn i nk at
the b o t t o m o f the mount . Collec-
t i on mar k: AW (close t o Lugt 202)
on the verso.
86.GG.28
Stellas bi ographer Jacques Pernetti
records that the artist vi si t ed Rome i n
1576 wi t h the Jesuit priest and architect
Eti enne Mart ellange (Recherches pour
servir Vhistoire de Lyon [ Lyons, 1757],
vol . 2, pp. 24-27). J. Vallery-Radot
64
poi nts out, however, that the correct
date o f the t r i p is 15861587, based
upon a gr oup o f fifteen drawi ngs i n
the Musee du Louvr e ( i nv. nos.
32866-32880), all for mer l y at t ri but ed
to Stella and all beari ng dates o f
1586-1587 ( "Le Sejour de Mar t ellange
a Rome en 1586 et 1587 et ses dessins de
jeunesse," Revue du Louvre, 12, no. 5
[1962], pp. 205216). Recogni zi ng ten
o f these drawi ngs as the wo r k o f Mar -
tellange, Valler y-Radot has retained
Stellas aut horshi p for four ( i nv. nos.
32866, 32867, 32869, 32873), whi c h f o r m
a styli sti cally homogeneous group, all
showi ng the cascades o f Ti vo l i . The
Museum' s dr awi ng closely parallels the
gr oup i n the Louvr e. No t onl y is i t
t hemat i cally related, but i t also shows a
si mi lar handl i ng consi sti ng o f br oadly
appli ed washes and vari ed pen wo r k,
i ncl udi ng frequent parallel hat chi ng
and sinuous passages ar t i culat i ng the
cavities o f the tufa stone. The Get t y
65
Mus eum and Louvr e sheets are among
Stellas few k n o wn drawi ngs.
P R O VEN A N C E: Probably Sir Anthony
Westcombe, England; Sir Wi lli am Forbes,
Bt., Scotland, and by descent (sale,
Christie's, London, Apr i l 10, 1985, lot 30);
[Galerie de la Scala, Paris].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : Old Master and XlXth Century
Paintings and Drawings, ex. cat. (Paris, Galerie
de La Scala, November 6-29, 1985), no. 32.
66
66. NICOLAS POUSSIN
French, 1594-1665
Two Girls Accompanied by Cupid,
circa 1625
Pen and brown i nk and brown wash
over black chalk, 145 x 12,4 cm
( 5 W x 4V) . Collection mark of
Baron Mi lford on the verso.
86.GG.468
It has been suggested that the scene may
represent a bride being led to her bride-
groom by a putto and an attendant,
while Cupid urges her on. In general
stylistic terms this example is related to
Poussins drawings made soon after his
arrival i n Rome i n 1624 Its theme is
perhaps closest, as Friedlnder and
Blunt suggest, to depictions of Bacchus
and Ariadne or of a classical marriage
scene (Friedlnder-Blunt, vol. 3, nos,
A61 [Leningrad, Hermitage, inv, no.
5076], 181,182 [Windsor, Royal Library,
inv. nos. 11888 verso and 11911]),
P R O VEN A N C E: Baron Milford, Richard
Philipps, Pickton Castle, Pembrokeshire;
by descent to Sir John Philipps; Anthony
Blunt, London; private collection, Zurich;
[Ars Libri, Boston],
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : W, Friedlnder and A. Blunt,
The Drawings of Nicolas Poussin, catalogue
raisonne (London, 1974), vol. 5, p, 115,
no, 444.
67
67 NICOLAS POUSSIN
French, 1594-1665
The Crossing of the Red Sea,
circa 1634
Red chalk, 15.5 x 22.6 cm (6W' x
87s")
86.GB.466
One of only a handful of drawings by
Poussin i n red chalk that is more than
a marginal notation, this scene of the
Crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 15) was
made as a composition study for the
painting of the same subject i n the Na-
tional Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Its principal figure groups consist of a
turbulent, fleeing crowd above and a
cluster of praying women i n the lower
foreground. This is among the most
animated and fluent composition stud-
ies i n Poussins drawings oeuvre.
P R O VEN A N C E: J. Isaacs, London (sale,
Sotheby's, London, February 27,1964,
lot 69 [as "Italian School"]); Anthony Blunt,
London; private collection, Zurich; [Ars
Libri, Boston],
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : W, Friedlnder and A, Blunt,
raisonne (London, 1974), vol. 5, p, 66, no.
386; A, Blunt, The Drawings of Poussin
(New Haven, 1979), p. 90,
68. NICOLAS POUSSIN
French, 1594-1665
Study for the Triumph of Neptune
and Amphitrite, circa 1635
68
Pen and brown ink, 14,6 x 20.6 cm
(5
3
A" x 8VH"). Collection mark of
N. Hone at the bottom right.
Fragment of a letter, not by
Poussin, on the verso,
86.GA.470
Depicted here are a putto at the right,
two nymphs and a triton at the center,
and a standing marine goddess at the
left that is similar to Venus figures i n
other drawings by Poussin, The putto
and the group of two nymphs wi t h a
triton appear i n the artist's important
painting of the mid-1630s, The Birth of
Venus (Philadelphia Museum of Ar t ) .
P R O VEN A N C E: Nathaniel Hone, London;
Anthony Blunt, London; private collection,
Zurich; [Ars Libri, Boston],
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : W. Friedlnder and A, Blunt,
The Drawings of Nicolas Poussin (London,
1953), vol, 3, p, 34, no, 213,
Drawings 195
69
69, NI COLAS POUSSIN
French, 1594-1665
Votary of Bacchus, circa 1640
Pen and brown ink and brown
wash, 15,7 x 13,6 cm (6
3
A
6
" x 5
5
/ir>").
Inscribed (recto): 109 i n brown ink
at the top right corner and (verso)
G.F.M.
86,GG469
It has been proposed that this drawing is
based upon a damaged Roman cameo
and thus represents a rare instance of
Poussin attempting to reconstruct an
antique artifact, This and a second
drawing by Poussin (private collection,
London) show the same running figure,
except that the two carry different ob-
jects (in this case a j ug and i n the other,
two torches) and wear differently dis-
posed animal skins. This has led to the
hypothesis that these drawings repre-
sent alternative "restorations" by
Poussin of a carved figure on a cameo
missing its hands and background.
Features that suggest the cameo shape
include the roughly drawn circle i n-
scribing the form, and the shading,
which indicates that the figure
stands out i n relief from a hollowed-
out surface,
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, England
(circa 1825); Anthony Blunt, London; private
collection, Zurich; [ Ars Li bri , Boston] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y ; A, Blunt, "Newly Identified
Drawings by Poussin and His Followers,"
Master Drawings 12 (1974), no. 3, pp. 243-
244; idem, "Further Newly Identified Draw-
ings by Poussin and His Followers," Master
Drawings 17 (1979), no, 2, pp, 139-140.
70 (recto)
70 (verso)
70. NI COLAS POUSSIN
French, 1594-1665
Studies of Antiquities (recto and
verso), circa 1645
Pen and brown ink and brown wash
(recto); pen and brown ink; later red
chalk framing lines (verso), 26,8 x
19,6 cm ( 1 0V x TVie"). Inscribed
(recto): hypocrateridium, .. .pasa,
and testa di hour by the brazier at top
left; torques by the draped torso at
the right; in villa Julia on the tripod
base, middle left; putto and bulla con
la trabea by the bust, bottom l e f t -
all by Poussin i n brown ink. Collec-
tion marks of Mori z von Fries at the
upper right, the marquis de Lagoy
at the lower right, and A.Ch.H. His
de la Salle at the center. Inscribed;
a.65 i n brown ink and 96 i n graphite
on the verso of the mount,
86.GA.467
Among the various types of drawings
Poussin made after the antique, this
represents what Blunt calls his "an-
thological" drawings, i n which the artist
brought together a wide range of motifs
on a single page, Here he depicts a bra-
zier (top left), an Etruscan mirror (top
right), a tripod dedicated to Apollo
(middle row, left), the torso of a man
wearing several torques (middle row,
right), the bust of boy wearing a bulla
(lower row, left), and a sandaled foot
(lower row, right). This sheet is notable
for the beautiful mise-en-page, fine line,
and warm brown washes producing the
effect of sunlight on stone reliefs. The
verso contains drawings of a sphinx and
a woman holding a water pot i n the
lower half and i n the upper half a frieze
composed of swags, an eagle, a ram's
head, and other decorative details.
P R O VEN A N C E; Count Mori z von Fries, Vi en-
na; marquis de Lagoy, Ai x-en Proyence; Sir
Thomas Lawrence, London; A, Ch, H, His
de la Salle, Paris; Sir E. J. Poyner (sale,
Sotheby's, London, Apr i l 25, 1918, lot 225, to
Thomas Agnew and Sons, Ltd, ); Clark col-
lection, London; [Thomas Agnew and Sons,
Lt d.] ; Anthony Blunt, London; private col-
lection, Zurich; [Ars Li bri , Boston] ,
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : A. Blunt, "Poussin et les
ceremonies religieuses antiques," Revue des
arts 10 (1960), p. 61; W. Friedlnder and
A, Blunt, The Drawings of Mcolas Poussin,
catalogue raisonne (London, 1963), vol, 4,
p, 25, no. 247,1974, vol, 5, p. 41, no, 344,
71 (recto)
71 (verso)
71 NI COLAS POUSSI N
French, 1594-1665
Two Studies of an Ancient Statue
(recto); Scylla and a Centaur (verso),
circa 1645
Pen and brown i nk and some later
red chalk framing lines, 16.2 x 12.6
cm ( 6W x 4
5
/i
6
")
86.GA.471
The recto shows two views of an
unidentified Roman statue of a man
i n a short toga. The verso is based
upon an antique trapezophore (a type
of ornate table) wi t h reliefs of centaurs,
Eros, and Scylla, which was i n the Villa
Madama, Rome, i n the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries and is now i n the
Museo Nazionale, Naples. Both the
recto and verso are characteristic
copies by Poussin of the remains of
ancient Rome.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Sotheby's, London, July 9,
1968, lot 49; Anthony Blunt, London; private
collection, Zurich; [ Ars Li bri , Boston] .
72
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : W. Friedlnder and A. Blunt,
raisonne (London, 1974), vol. 5, p. 42,
nos. 346, 346a.
72. JACQUES STELLA
French, 1596-1657
An Apple Harvest, circa 1655
Brush and varying shades of gray
wash over black chalk; indented
wi t h a stylus throughout; verso
covered wi t h red chalk for transfer,
24.3 x 324 cm (9
9
/i
6
" x 12
3
A")
86.GG.619
Stylus indentations throughout indicate
that this drawing was created as a design
for a print. It is closely related to the se-
ries of engravings entitled Pastorales, de-
signed by Stella and executed by his
niece and follower, Claudine Bouzonnet
Stella, twelve years after his death. Al -
though the drawing is not a preparatory
study for any of the works i n Pastorales,
it is not unlikely that it was made as an
additional print i n the series. An es-
pecially fine example of a genre drawing
by Stella, it was executed almost en-
tirely wi t h the brush i n delicately mod-
ulated tones that lend weight to the
figures and produce a lively play of sun-
light and shadow.
[Christopher Comer, Paris].
73
73. HYACI NTHE RI GAUD
French, 1659-1743
Portrait of a Man, circa 1710-1720
Black chalk, gray wash, and white
and gray gouache heightening on
blue-gray paper, 35.4 x 28 cm
(14" x 11")
86.GB.612
When this drawing was sold i n Paris i n
1971, it was suggested that the sitter
was the marquis de Louvois. Rigaud
probably drew i t as a copy of one of
his paintings, as he did of the well-
known Portrait of Samuel Bernard
Drawings 197
(1727, Kansas Ci t y, Mi ssour i , Nel son-
At ki ns Mus eum o f Ar t ) . Such fi ni shed
port rai t drawi ngs by Ri gaud are excep-
t i onal l y rare. Thi s example displays a
characteristically i mpressi ve pose
and vi r t uoso renderi ng o f velvet, si lk,
and lace.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, May
10, 1971, lot 26; private collection, Paris;
[ Bruno de Bayser, Paris].
74. ANTOI NE WATTEAU
French, 1684-1721
The Remedy, circa 17161717
Red, black, and whi t e chalk,
23.4 x 37.1 c m ( 9
3
/ i
6
" x 14W) .
Inscri bed: Watteau/Etude de femme
nue couchee sur un lit. Servante
tenant une serigue./F. Villot i n pen
and b r o wn i nk on the verso o f
the mount .
86.GB.594
One o f Watteau's greatest nudes, this
hi ghl y fi ni shed dr awi ng was made i n
preparati on for the pai nt i ng Reclining
Nude (circa 1716/17, Pasadena, No r t o n
Si mon Museum) . Somewhat smaller
than the dr awi ng (572" x 6
3
A"), the
pai nt i ng has been cut j ust above the
knees, maki ng i t i mpossi ble t o t ell
whet her i t ever si mi l ar l y contai ned a
mai d admi ni st er i ng a clyster. The clys-
ter was an erotic subject c o mmo nl y
treated by ei ght eent h-cent ury artists. I n
The Remedy Watteau experi ment ed wi t h
three di fferent placements o f the maid's
head and di d not fi ni sh dr awi ng her ar m
and shoulder, whi c h suggests that this
fi gure mi ght have been i ncluded as an
afterthought. The drawi ng' s mai n focus
is on the magni fi cent nude, whose
beauty Watteau enhanced by usi ng the
trois crayons t o help create a delicate head
and pearly, vol umet r i c flesh.
P R O VEN A N C E: F. Vi llot , Paris; A. Dumas the
Younger, Paris; A. Vollon, Paris; C. Groult,
Paris; by descent to P. Bordeaux-Groult,
Paris; John Gaines, Lexington, Kentucky.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : H. Adhemar and R. Huyghe,
Watteau, sa vie, son oeuvre (Paris, 1950), p. 54,
no. 20; K. T. Parker and J. Mathey, Antoine
Watteau: Catalogue complet de son oeuvre dessine
(Paris, 1957), vol. 2, no. 865; M. Cormack,
The Drawings of Watteau (London, 1970), no.
114; D. Posner, "Watteau's Reclining Nude and
the 'Remedy' Theme," Art Bulletin 54
(December 1972), pp. 385-388; D. Posner,
Antoine Watteau (London, 1984), pp. 105-106;
P. Rosenberg and M. Grasselli, Watteau,
1684-1721, ex. cat. (Washington, D C,
National Gallery of Art , 1984), no. 88, p. 333,
under no. 37.
75. ANTOI NE WATTEAU
French, 1684-1721
Studies of Three Women,
circa 1716-1717
Red, black, and whi t e chalk,
26.8 x 32.7 c m (10
9
/ i
6
" x 12
7
/s")
86.GB.596
Several pai nt i ngs by Watteau cont ai n
figures based on this dr awi ng. The
standi ng wo man at the r i ght appears on
the ar m o f a swai n i n Assembly in a Park
(Paris, Musee du Louvr e) . Thi s fi gure
was also engraved by J. Audr an {Figures
de differents caracteres, no. 205) and by
Demar t eau ( reproduced i n P. Mant z,
Antoine Watteau [Paris, 1892], p. 37). The
seated wo man wi t h a fan was employed
for the fi gure i n the r i ght for egr ound
o f bot h versions o f the Pilgrimage to
74
Cythera (Paris, Musee du Louvr e, and
Ber l i n, Schloss Char l ot t enbur g) , as wel l
as i n a lost pai nt i ng by Watteau k n o wn
t hr ough a pr i nt by Benoi t Audr an wi t h
the t i t le Bon Voyage ( reproduced i n E.
Daci er and A. Vuaflart, Jean de Jullienne
et les graveurs de Watteau au XVIIF siede
[Paris, 1921], vol . 4, fi g. 35). The stand-
i ng wo man on the left side o f the sheet
appears i n an engravi ng after Watteau by
Laurent Cars, Diseuse de bonne aventure.
The trois crayons techni que is here used
wi t h great effectiveness, wi t h the hi ghl y
wo r ked central fi gure done pr edo mi -
nant l y i n black chalk and the sketchier
flanking pai r executed pr i mar i l y i n red.
Wi t h its var yi ng poses and subtle spatial
arrangement, this sheet exemplifies
Watteau's abi l i t y t o uni fy a series o f
unrelated i ndi vi dual studies.
P R O VEN A N C E: Jules-Robert Auguste, Paris
(sale, Paris, May 28, 1850, lots 101-102);
Baron L. A. de Schwiter, Paris (sale, Hotel
Drouot, Paris, Apr i l 20-21, 1883, lot 157, to
Larroque); H. -A. Josse, Paris (sale, Galerie
Georges Petit, Paris, May 28, 1894, lot 46);
Jacques Doucet, Paris (sale, Paris, 1912, lot
55, to Feral); Donaldson collection, London;
Walter Burns; Mort i mer L. Schiff, New York
(sale, Christie's, London, June 24, 1938, lot
54, to Leggatt); Lord Wharton, Dubli n and
Switzerland; heirs o f Lord Wharton,
Switzerland.
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : E. de Goncourt, Catalogue rais-
onne de Voeuvre peint, dessine et grave d Antoine
Watteau (Paris, 1875), p. 366; G. Dargenty,
Antoine Watteau (Paris, 1891), p., 47; K. T.
Parker, The Drawings of Antoine Watteau
(London, 1931), no. 53; H. Adhemar,
L'Embarquement pour Vile de Cythere,
Watteau (Paris, 1947), i l l . no. 12 (no page no.);
K. T. Parker and J. Mathey, Antoine Watteau:
Catalogue complet de son oeuvre dessine
(Paris, 1957), vol. 2, no. 606; P. Rosenberg
and M. Grasselli, Watteau, 1684-1721, ex.
cat. (Washington, D C, National Gallery of
Ar t , 1984), pp. 386, 406.
76
76. JEAN-BAPTI STE PATER
French, 1695-1736
Study of a Seated Woman, circa 1730
Red chalk on tan paper, 15.2 x 16.7
c m (6" x 6
9
/ i 6 " ) . Inscri bed: JB. pater
i n graphi te and 25 i n b r o wn i nk i n
the lower left corner.
86.GB.613
Thi s hi t her t o unpubli shed fi gure study
shows a robust young peasant wo man
seated on the gr ound. I t was made as a
preparatory study for Pater's pai nt i ng
The Halting Place of the Troops o f circa
1730, n o w i n a pri vate collect i on, Ne w
Yor k (F. Ingersoll-Smouse, Pater [Paris,
1921], no. 417, fi g. 126). The fi gure i n
the pai nt i ng is shown seated i n the
for egr ound among the troops, ho l d-
i ng a baby.
77
77. JEROME- MARTI N LANGLOI S
French, 1778-1838
Alexander Ceding Campaspe to
Apelles, 1819
Black chalk, gray wash, and whi t e
gouache hei ght eni ng, 39 x 51.4 c m
(15
3
/
8
" x 20V4")
86.GG.475
Langloi s made this as a presentati on
dr awi ng for his pai nt i ng o f the same
subject o f 1819, whi c h wo n a first-place
medal i n the Salon o f 1819. The pai nt i ng
is n o w i n the Galerie Muni ci pal e du
Chateau de l' Eau, Toulouse. The
composi t i on is closely related t o an
unfi ni shed pai nt i ng o f the same subject
by Langloi s' teacher, Davi d ( Li lle, Mu -
see des Beaux-Ar t s) , whi c h he began
ar ound 1813 and cont i nued t o wo r k on
dur i ng his exile i n Brussels (18161825).
Langloi s thus coul d have become f ami l -
iar wi t h the project dur i ng its i ni t i al
stages. The subject must have had par-
ti cular significance for Davi d and for his
pupi l Langloi s, since the latter port rayed
the aged Davi d i n the famous por t r ai t o f
1825 (Paris, Musee du Louvr e) at wo r k
on a dr awi ng for the Li l l e pai nt i ng.
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, U.S.;
[ Zangri lli , Brady and Co., Ltd., New York] .
Drawings 199
78. THEODORE GERI CAULT
French, 1791-1824
Sailboat on the Sea, circa 18181819
Watercolor, wash, and whi t e
gouache over traces o f black
chalk on tan paper, 15.3 x 24.7 c m
(6" x 9
3
/ / ' )
86.GG.679
Thi s newl y discovered study for
Gericault's pai nt i ng The Raft of the
Medusa o f 1819 (Paris, Mus e du Louvr e)
probably shows the frigate Medusa i n
di ffi cul t y whi l e another ship disappears
on the hor i zon. Gericault's bi ographer
Cl me n t reports that the artist made a
br i ef vi si t t o Le Havre i n order t o study
the sky for his pai nt i ng ( C. Cl men t ,
Gricault: Etude biographique et critique
[Paris, 1879], pp. 357-358) . I t is l i kel y
that he made this and t wo other cl oud
studies done i n the same techni que dur -
i ng this reported t r i p (Bayonne, Mus e
Bonnat , i nv. nos. N I 800, N I 801). Pos-
sessing all o f its or i gi nal colori sti c
strength and subtlety, this dr awi ng
ranks among the most power ful o f
Gericault's studies o f nature, capt uri ng
its dramati c qualities t hr ough st rongly
contrasti ng tonal effects.
[Richard Day, London] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : P. Grunchec, Master Drawings
by Gericault, ex. cat. (New York, Pierpont
Morgan Library; San Diego Museum of Art ;
Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1985), no.
64; L. Eitner, "Review of Master Drawings by
Gericault," Burlington Magazine 128 (January
1986), p. 56; H. Luthy, "Review of Master
Drawings by Gericault," Master Drawings
(in press).
79. THEODORE GERICAULT
French, 1791-1824
The Giaour, circa 1822/23
Watercolor over penci l, 21.1 x 23.8
c m ( 8
5
/ I " x 9
3
/ 8 ") . Inscri bed (verso):
gricault i n b r o wn i nk and le giaour
i n black chalk.
86.GC.678
Amo n g Gericault's earliest and most
i mpressi ve renderi ngs o f a Byr oni c
theme, this hi ghl y fi ni shed watercolor
illustrates Byron' s 1813 poem The Giaour.
The poem is about a Chr i st i an out l aw
r oami ng the Tur ki sh coasts at ni ght .
Gericault's i mage reflects the descri pt i on
78
79
o f this fi gure i n the poem wi t h speci-
fi ci t y o f mo o d and gesture:
His brow was bent, his eye was glazed;
He raised his arm, and fiercely raised,
And sternly shook his hand on high,
As doubting to return or fly...
The wat ercolor served as a preparatory
study for the Geri cault l i t hogr aph o f
1823 ( L. Del t ei l , Le Peintre-graveur
illustre [Paris, 1924], vol . 18, no. 71)
publi shed by the Gi haut brothers
i n 1823.
P R O VEN A N C E: De la Cressonniere collection,
Lausanne; Hans E. Bhler collection,
Winterthur (sale, Christie's, London,
November 15, 1985, lot 58); [ H. Shickman
Gallery, New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : C. Clement, Gericault, Etude
biographique et critique (Paris, 1879), no. 171
bis; L. Eitner, "Gericault's 'La Tempete',"
Museum Studies 2 (1967), pp. 11, 16, n. 9;
idem, C. Clement, Gericault Supplement (Paris,
1973), p. 472; P. Grunchec, Gericault: Dessins
et aquarelles de chevaux (Lausanne, 1982), pp.
138139; L. Eitner, Gericault: His Life and
Work (London, 1983), pp. 258, 260, 261, pi.
215, pp. 262, 359, n. I l l ; P. Grunchec, Master
Drawings by Gericault, ex. cat. (New York,
Pierpont Morgan Library; San Diego Mu-
seum of Ar t ; Houston, Museum of Fine
Arts, 1985), p. 161.
80. HENRI L E HMA N N (Karl Ernest
Rudolphe Heinrich Salem)
French, 1814-1882
Lamentation at the Foot of the
Cross, 1847
Black and whi t e chalk, graphite,
and gray wash on dark tan paper,
42.8 x 29.2 c m (167s" x V2"). Signed
and dated: Henri Lehmann.1847. i n
black chalk i n the l ower left corner.
86.GB.474
Lehmann produced this hi ghl y fi ni shed
dr awi ng i n preparati on for his pai nt i ng
o f 1847 i n the chapel o f the Compas-
si on, church o f Sai nt-Loui s-en-lTle,
Paris. Thi s was part o f an i mpor t ant
commi ssi on that i ncluded t wo further
pai nt i ngs for the same church, the
Assumption (1849) and the Virgin Presents
the Child Jesus (1850). Lehmann also
exhi bi t ed the pai nt i ng o f The Virgin at
the Foot of the Cross i n the Salon o f 1848.
I n addi t i on t o numerous i ndi vi dual
fi gure and drapery studies, he di d at
least t wo elaborate drawi ngs o f the
composi t i on as a whol e, that i n the
Get t y Mus eum and one i n a pri vate
collect i on i n Paris made at an earlier
stage i n the evol ut i on o f the composi -
t i on ( Aub r un [1984] no. D.287).
Bet ween the Paris and Get t y drawi ngs,
Lehmann made a number o f changes,
retai ned i n the fi nal pai nt i ng. The
most i mpor t ant o f these is the delet i on
o f backgr ound figures i n favor o f the
deserted barren landscape, whi c h
heightens the emot i onal desolati on o f
the scene.
P R O VEN A N C E: Descendants of the artist;
private collection, Paris; Mari o Amaya,
New York; Frederick J. Cummings, Detroit;
[ Zangri lli , Brady and Co., Ltd., New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : R. Kashey and M. H. Rey-
mert, Christian Imagery in French Nineteenth
Century Art, 1798-1906, ex. cat. (Shepherd
Gallery, New York, 1980), no. 86; J. Foucart
and L.-A. Prat, "Quelques oeuvres inedites
d'Henri Lehmann (18141882) au Louvre et
au Musee d'Orsay," La revue du Louvre et des
musees de France 33 (1983) no. 1, p. 23, n. 12;
M. M. Aubrun, Henri Lehmann, 1814-1882:
Portraits et decors Parisiens, ex. cat. (Paris, Mu-
see Carnavalet, 1983), p. 75, under no. 81;
idem, Henri Lehmann, 18141882: Catalogue
raisonne de Voeuvre (Nantes, 1984), vol. 1, no.
D288, p. 113.
81. EUGENE DELACROI X
French, 1798-1863
The Education of Achilles,
circa 1855-1858
Pastel on paper, 30.6 x 41.9 c m
(12716" x^ / z " ) . Signed: Eug
Delacroix at the b o t t o m left.
86.GG.728
Thi s large and beaut i fully preserved
pastel represents Achi l l es' i nst r uct i on
i n the art o f hunt i ng by the centaur
Chi r o n. Del acr oi x pai nt ed this subject
i n one o f the pendentives o f the
Poetry cupola i n the Bi bl i ot heque du
Palais Bour bon, Paris. Thi s i mpor t ant
offi ci al commi ssi on, whi c h i nvol ved
the decorati on o f t wo hemi cycles and
five cupolas wi t h myt hol ogi cal scenes
81
80
Drawings 201
representi ng vari ous branches o f human
knowledge, occupi ed Del acr oi x f r o m
1838 t o 1847.
The Museum' s pastel is based on the
pendenti ve pai nt i ng o f The Education of
Achilles, whi c h si mi l ar l y shows the cen-
taur f r o m behi nd, boundi ng for war d.
The dr awi ng differs most si gni fi cantly
f r o m the pai nt i ng i n its addi t i on o f
the expansive landscape and cl oud-
swept skypassages that hi ghl i ght
Delacroi x' s br i l l i ant sense o f color and
bravura handl i ng o f the pastel medi um.
Lee Johnson poi nt s out the drawi ng' s
close composi t i onal relat i on t o
Delacroi x' s oi l pai nt i ng o f the same
subject ( for mer ly i n the Alexi s Rouart
collecti on) , whi c h is dated 1862 (as ci ted
i n the sale catalogue, Sotheby's, Ne w
Yor k, November 17, 1986, l ot 29).
P R O VEN A N C E: George Sand (sale 1864); Khali l
Bey (sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, January 16,
1868, lot 22); Quincy Shaw McKean, Boston;
Richard S. Davis, New York and London;
John Gaines, Lexington, Kentucky (sale,
Sotheby's, New York, November 17, 1986,
lot 29).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : A. Moreau, E. Delacroix et
son oeuvre (Paris, 1873), p. 323; A. Robaut,
L'Oeuvre complete de Eugene Delacroix (Paris,
1885), p. 218, no. 841; M. Serullaz, Inventaire
general des dessins ecole francaise, Eugene
Delacroix (Paris, 1984), vol. 1, p. 164, under
no. 305.
82
G E R M A N
82. ALBRECHT ALTDORFER
Ger man, circa 1480-1538
Christ Carrying the Cross,
circa 1510-1515
Pen and black i nk and gray wash
over black chalk, Di am: 30.4 c m
( l l
1 5
/ l 6 " ) .
86.GG.465
Thi s newl y discovered dr awi ng is r emi -
niscent o f the panel Christ Carrying the
Cross f r o m the Saint Flori an Alt arpi ece
( Austri a, Monast er y o f Saint Flori an) ;
bot h are composed wi t h monument al ,
reli efli ke figures concentrated near the
for egr ound. The most st r i ki ng o f these
figures i n the dr awi ng is the l i vel y
standi ng man on the left, who pulls at
Chr i st wi t h his r i ght ar m. The i n d i vi d -
ualistic, vari ed draught manshi p, encom-
passing br oad outli nes, meanderi ng
abstracting lines, and di st i nct i ve zigzag
pen wo r k, is also found i n a gr oup
o f drawi ngs by Al t dor fer i n the
Uni ver si t t sbi bl i ot hek, Erlangen
(F. Wi nzi nger , Albrecht Altdorfer/
Zeichnungen [ Muni c h, 1952], nos.
9699). The ci rcular for mat and planar
composi t i on o f the dr awi ng indicate
that i t was probably made as a design
for a stained glass wi ndow.
P R O VEN A N C E: G sta Stenman, Stockholm
(sale, Christie's, London, December 12,
1985, lot 341, as "Circle of Wolf Huber");
[ Ars Li bri , Boston] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : G. R. Goldner and L.
Hendrix, " A New Altdorfer Drawing, " Bur-
lington Magazine 129 (June 1987), no. 1011, pp.
383-387.
83a
83b
83. HANS SEBALD B EHAM
Ger man, 1500-1550
A Peasant Man Holding a Jar,
circa 1520
A Peasant Woman Carrying a Jug,
circa 1520
Black chalk and pen and b r o wn i nk,
each 10.7 x 5.8 c m ( 47i
6
" x 2
5
/ i
6
")
86.GG.477-478
These drawi ngs show a young laborer
hol di ng ajar and st andi ng i n fr ont o f
t wo wheels o f cheese and a hook-nosed
crone wi t h a pitcher, wal ki ng for war d
and poi nt i ng. Such ani mat ed depi cti ons
o f peasants are characteristic o f Beham.
Thi s pai r is close i n many details t o
Beham' s undat ed woodcut i l l ust r at i on
o f a Peasant Couple with Jugs and a Goose
(R. A. Ko c h, ed., The Illustrated Bartsch,
vol . 15 [ for mer l y vol . 8, pt. 2] , Early
84 (recto)
German Masters: Barthel Beham and
Hans Sebald Beham [ Ne w Yor k, 1978] ,
nos. 142-143) .
P R O VEN A N C E: Robert P. Roupell; T. Straus-
Negbaur (sale, Cassirer and Helbing, Berlin,
November 25, 1930, lot 25); private collection
(sale, Christie's, London, December 12, 1978,
lot 232); private collection; [Yvonne Tan
Bunzl, London] .
I T A L I A N
84. LEONARDO DA VI NCI
Itali an, 1452-1519
Three Sketches of a Child with a Lamb
(recto); A Child with a Lamb, Head of
an Old Man, and Studies of Machinery
(verso), circa 15031506
Black chalk and pen and b r o wn i nk
(recto and verso), 20.3 x 13.8 c m (8"
x5
7
/ i 6 " ) . Inscri bed (recto): jicipit
liber, endaborum. assauasorda.judeo
inebraicho copositfus] et a platone/ti-
84 (verso)
Drawings 203
85 (recto)
burtinj inlatin sermone translates]
anno, arabu.dx. mse sap h ar / capi
tulu pimu ingeometrice arihtmetice (p)
vnyversaliaproposita: and franco.o dif.
Inscri bed (verso): vedj la testa de[llo]
alto vitj sella tenvto ilfermo / essapi
dal caiano / il zendato invernjca[to e]
stacciatovi.suso la cimatura conuarj
colori / a vso dj gianbellotto.e altre
opere.regie allacqa / essimilmente.
sidebbe.f[a]/re.da potere.rimecter[e] / il
polo.quando.fussi.ch[o] / summato /
[Figura] polo, (s) rimessibile. A l l
i nscri pt i ons i n pen and b r o wn i nk.
86.GG.725
Thi s dr awi ng contains elements o f a
number o f the diverse aspects o f
Leonardo's artistic and i ntellectual
character. The pr i nci pal i mage o f the
chi l d wi t h a lamb appears on the recto
i n three pen-and-i nk sketches and on
the verso i n another black chalk sketch.
The i nfant has been alternati vely i dent i -
fied as Chr i st and Saint John the Bapti st.
These studies were made i n relat i on t o a
lost pai nt i ng by Leonardo o f the Virgin
with the Two Holy Children, no w k n o wn
t hr ough at least three studi o versions
( Oxfor d, Ashmol ean Museum; Flor -
ence, Uf f i zi ; Italy, pri vate collect i on) .
The pose is also qui te si mi lar t o those
employed i n the various cartoons and
pai nt i ngs by Leonardo o f the Virgin and
Child with Saint Anne. The i mage o f the
chi l d and the l amb evolves on the sheet
t hr ough several stages, exempl i fyi ng
the spontaneously creative aspect o f
Leonardo's draughtsmanshi p and his
manner o f for mul at i ng i magery. Two
closely related studies o f the chi l d wi t h
a l amb are i n the Royal Li br ar y at Wi n d -
sor Castle ( Cl ar k and Pedretti [ 1968] ,
nos. 12539, 12540).
Leonardo's scientific and mechani cal
interests are exempli fi ed by the i nscr i p-
t i on i n mi r r o r wr i t i n g on the recto con-
cerni ng a t wel ft h-cent ur y mat hemat i cal
manuscri pt and on the verso by the
sketch o f a l ami nat i ng machi ne and the
accompanyi ng explanatory notes, also
i n mi r r o r wr i t i ng. Hi s fasci nati on wi t h
human physi ognomy is reflected i n the
sketch o f the head o f an ol d man, also
on the verso.
P R O VEN A N C E: Probably Abbot Lui gi Cellotti,
Venice; Sir Thomas Lawrence, London;
probably Ki ng Wi lli am I I of Holland
85 (verso)
[ Wi llem Frederik George Lodewijk, Prince
of Orange], The Hague (sold 1850?); Grand
Ducal collection, Schlossmuseum, Weimar
(sold 1929); S. Schwartz, New York;
John Gaines, Lexington, Kentucky (sale,
Sotheby's, New York, November 17, 1986,
lot 3).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : E. M ller, "Di e Madonna mi t
den Spielenden Kindern aus der Werkstatt
Leonardos," Zeitschrift fr Bildende Kunst 62
(1928-1929), pp. 221, 226; T. Borenius,
"Leonardos Madonna with Children at Play,"
Burlington Magazine 56 (March 1930), p. 142;
C. Pedretti, Studi Vinciani (Geneva, 1957),
pp. 228-229; K. Clark and C. Pedretti, The
Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci in the Collection
of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle
(London, 1968), pp. 98-99, under no. 12540;
J. Wasserman, " A Rediscovered Cartoon by
Leonardo da Vi nci , " Burlington Magazine 112
( Apri l 1970), pp. 201, 203; C. Pedretti, et al.,
Leonardo dopo Milano. La Madonna deifusi
(1501) (Florence, 1982), p. 82.
85. CESARE DA SESTO
Itali an, 1477-1523
The Swooning Virgin Supported by
Three Holy Women and Three Studies
of Men (recto); Saint George and the
Dragon (verso), circa 15101514
Pen and i nk over red chalk, 13.6 x 19
c m (5
3
/s" x 7V2"). Inscri bed (recto):
Sfasimo (?) by Cesare i n b r o wn i nk
on the left edge near the center. I n -
scribed (verso): 23 by another hand
i n b r o wn i nk i n the upper r i ght
corner.
86.GA.1
The dr awi ng almost certai nly once
for med part o f a n o w di smembered
sketchbook, o f whi c h the largest
r emai ni ng share is i n the Pi erpont
Mo r gan Li brary, Ne w Yor k. Cesare,
who was or i gi nal l y f r o m Mi l an , pr oba-
bl y made thi s sket chbook dur i ng his
stay i n Rome i n the second decade o f
the si xt eent h century. The recto o f thi s
dr awi ng consists o f several sensitively
dr awn studies i ndi cat i ve o f his exposure
t o the wo r k o f Raphael i n Rome, whi l e
the verso is deri ved f r o m Leonardo da
Vi nci ' s famous i nterpretati ons o f
horsemen.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Christie's, London,
December 13, 1984, lot 27; [ Ars Li bri ,
Boston] .
86. DOMENI CO CAMPAGNOLA
Itali an, circa 1500-1552
Saint Christopher, circa 15201525
Pen and b r o wn i nk, 33.3 x 23 c m
(13V
8
" x 9Vi6"). Inscri bed: 1 i n pen
and b r o wn i n k i n the upper r i ght
corner.
86.GA.691
Thi s dr awi ng o f Saint Chr i st opher car-
r yi ng the Chr i st chi l d across the for d is
generally si mi lar t o Titian' s fresco o f the
same subject o f circa 1523 i n the Palazzo
Ducale, Venice. A relati vely early dr aw-
i ng by Campagnola, i t is comparable t o
several others i n the same techni que
whi c h have also oft en been at t ri but ed t o
Ti t i an. A t ypi cal example is the study o f
The Jealous Husband Murdering His Wife
(Paris, Ecole des Beaux-Ar t s, i nv. no.
401). Despi te its previ ous at t r i but i on t o
Ti t i an, there can n o w be l i t t l e doubt
that this dr awi ng is by Campagnola.
Mo nument al i n f o r m and di st i ngui shed
by r i chl y ani mat ed pen strokes, i t ranks
among Campagnola's greatest drawi ngs.
P R O VEN A N C E: G sta Stenman, Stockholm
(sale, Christie's, London, December 12, 1985,
lot 295); [ Yvonne Tan Bunzl, London] .
86
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : H. Tietze, "Venetian Renais-
sance Drawings i n Swedish Collections,"
Gazette des Beaux-Arts (March 1949),
pp. 178-179 (as Titian); R. Pallucchini,
Tiziano (Venice, 1969), pp. 330, 555
(as Titian).
87. IL SODOMA (Giovanni Antoni o Bazzi)
Itali an, 1477-1549
The Resurrection (recto); Christ
Carrying the Cross (verso), circa 1535
Pen and b r o wn i nk and whi t e
gouache hei ght eni ng over black
chalk on br owni sh green paper
(recto); brush and b r o wn i nk and
whi t e gouache hei ght eni ng (verso),
21.5x18.8 c m ( 8
7
/ i
6
" x 7 W) .
Col l ect i on mar k o f Al fr edo
Vi ggi ano on the verso.
86.GA.2
The recto o f this dr awi ng, showi ng the
Resurrecti on o f Chr i st , served as a pre-
parat ory study for the fresco o f the same
subject i n the Palazzo Pubbli co, Siena,
87 (recto)
pai nt ed i n 1535. The pentimenti i n var i -
ous places are i ndi cati ve o f Sodoma s
at t empt t o establish the posi ti ons o f
the arms and hands o f Chr i st , as wel l as
the placement o f his feet i n relat i on t o
the open t omb. The verso is executed
Drawings 205
87 (verso)
i n a more painterly style, wi t h the com-
position focusing on the impassive
image of Christset i n sharp contrast
to his tormentors. The drawing
broadens our knowledge of this rare
draughtsman, as it exemplifies two
very different yet complementary
aspects of his style.
P R O VEN A N C E: Alfredo Viggiano, Venice; sale,
Sotheby's, New York, January 16, 1985, lot
28; [ Ars Li bri , Boston] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : G. Goldner, " A New Draw-
ing by Sodoma," Burlington Magazine 127
(November 1985), pp. 775-776.
88. FRANCESCO SALVIATI
(Francesco dei Rossi)
Italian, 1510-1563
Reclining Male Nude, circa 1550
Red chalk and white chalk height-
ening, 27 x 39.7 cm (10W x 15
5
/s").
Inscribed (verso): di Fr. Salu...i i n
light brown ink.
86.GB.574
Although not connected wi t h a surviv-
ing fresco, this previously unpublished
drawing might have been made as a
study for one of a pair of decorative
figures situated on either side of a
doorway. The drawing compares i n
scale, pose, and technique to a study
of a reclining woman by Salviati i n
the Musee du Louvre (C. Monbeig-
Goguel, Vasari et son temps [Paris, 1972],
no. 157).
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Sotheby's, London, July 4,
1985, lot 15; [John Mort on Morris, London] .
89
89. SANTI DI TI TO
Italian, 1536-1603
The Resurrection, circa 1568
Pen and brown ink over black
chalk on blue paper, 37.6 x 25.3 cm
(14
1 3
/i6" x 10"). Collection mark of
Pierre Crozat(?) at the lower right.
Inscribed (verso): G. Vasari, N10,
and fis 15000 (?) i n graphite; and two
illegible inscriptions i n graphite and
brown ink.
86.GA.18
This drawing was made as a preparatory
study for the painting by Santi di Ti to
i n the Medici chapel of the church of
Santa Croce, Florence. It appears to be
an early study for the project, since
there are many differences i n detail
between the drawing and painting.
Other drawings for this project include
six preparatory studies i n the Uffi zi
(inv. nos. 7687 F, 764 F, 7756 F, 7705 F,
2396 S, 2416 S), one i n the Gabinetto
Nazionale delle Stampe, Rome (inv.
no. EC. 130629), and one i n the
Graphische Sammlung, Munich.
The definitive modello is i n the Uffi zi
(inv. no. 7687 F).
P R O VEN A N C E: Pierre Crozat, Paris(?); private
collection, Switzerland; private collection,
U.S.; [Robert Dance, New York] .
90. IL MORAZZONE
(Pier Francesco Mazzuchelli)
Italian, 1573-1626
Angel Musicians, circa 15981599
Black chalk and brown wash and
white gouache heightening on blue
paper, 39.5 x 24.7 cm (15
9
A
6
" x 9
3
A").
Inscribed (verso): 164 (?) in brown ink.
86.GG.16
Nicholas Turner points out that this
drawing is connected wi t h Musical
Angels, One Playing a Cello, one of the
four compartments depicting musical
angels i n the Cappella del Rosario i n
the church of San Vittore, Varese.
Morazzone carried out these ceiling
frescoes i n circa 15981599, soon after
his return to Lombardy from Rome.
The unusual format of the drawing
a square wi t h a lunette shape attached
to the left sideis repeated i n a
slightly altered form i n two of the
ceiling compartments. The angel
playing the cello, the most prominent
figure i n the drawing, appears
i n the fresco behind another angel on
the left. These and other differences
between drawing and fresco have led
Turner to propose that the drawing
records an early stage i n the planning
of one of the scenes.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Christie's, London, April
3, 1984, lot 10; [John Morton Morris, London].
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : N. Turner, "Some Un-
published Drawings by Morazzone," Master
Drawings 22 (1984), pp. 426-427.
91. AGOSTI NO CARRACCI
Itali an, 1557-1602
Sheet of Studies, circa 1598-1600
Pen and b r o wn i nk, 40.5 x 30.9 c m
(15
1 5
/ i
6
" x 12V
8
"). Inscri bed: An.C i n
penci l at the l ower left. Col l ect i on
marks o f the marqui s de Lagoy,
Thomas Lawrence, Thomas
Di msdale, and the Duke o f
Sutherland at the b o t t o m.
86.GA.726
Execut ed circa 15981600 dur i ng
Agosti no' s Roman per i od, this dr awi ng
contains a number o f mot i fs, i ncl udi ng
the pr i nci pal fi gure gr oup o f shepherds
ador i ng the Chr i st chi l d, heads o f three
ol d men, a caricatured head at the right
center, and naturali sti cally rendered
animals. The gr oup o f shepherds was
employed i n a pai nt i ng by Anni bal e
Carracci , n o w k n o wn onl y t hr ough a
copy, made circa 1606, by Domeni c hi no
i n the Nat i onal Galler y o f Scotland,
Edi nbur gh. The caricatured head at
the r i ght is found i n other drawi ngs by
Agost i no, i ncl udi ng one i n the Royal
Li brary, Wi ndsor Castle ( i nv. no.
1928). Wi t h its decisive, l i vel y pen
wo r k and subtle i nt egr at i on o f diverse
forms and fi gure groups, this is among
Agosti no' s most i mpressi ve drawi ngs.
P R O VEN A N C E: Marquis de Lagoy, Ai x-en-
Provence; Thomas Dimsdale, London; Sir
Thomas Lawrence, London; Lord Francis
Egerton, First Earl of Ellesmere, London;
by descent to the Fifth Earl of Ellesmere,
Sixth Duke of Sutherland (sale, Sotheby's,
London, July 11, 1972, lot 32); John Gaines,
Lexington, Kentucky (sale, Sotheby's, New
York, November 17, 1986, lot 12).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : H. Bodmer, "Drawings by
the Carracci: An Aesthetic Analysis," Old
Master Drawings 8 (March 1934), pp. 6566;
R. Wittkower, Drawings of the Carracci in the
Collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor
Castle (London, 1952), p. 110, under no. 89,
p. 121, under no. 157 [Supplement, London,
1971, p. 60, under no. 93]); D. Mahon, Mostra
dei Carracci, Disegni, ex. cat. (Bologna, Pal-
azzo dell'Archiginnasio, 1956), no. 71; D.
Posner, Annibale Carracci: A Study in the Re-
form of Italian Painting around 1590 (London,
1971), vol. 1, p. 66, vol. 2, p. 47, under no.
108; H. Brigstocke, Italian and Spanish Paint-
ings in the National Gallery of Scotland '
(Glasgow, 1978), pp. 40, 42, n. 13; D. De-
Grazia Bohli n, Prints and Related Drawings by
the Carracci Family, ex. cat. (Washington,
D C, National Gallery of Art , 1979), pp. 470,
472, 474, n. 7.
92. GI ULI O CESARE PROCACCI NI
Itali an, 1574-1625
Head of a Female Figure (recto);
Female Nude (verso), circa 1610
Black and whi t e chalk, 33.4 x 23.7
c m (13
3
A
6
" x 9
3
/
8
"). Inscri bed (recto):
Scuola di Carraci i n pen and b r o wn
i nk i n the l ower r i ght corner. I n -
scribed (verso): n 20, S.B. n 131 and
92 (recto)
92 (verso)
91
Drawings 207
t wo i llegi ble i nscri pt i ons i n b r o wn
i nk.
86.GB.20
Thi s dr awi ng may have been made i n
preparati on for a pai nt i ng, alt hough a
precise connect i on has not yet been di s-
covered. The head finds numerous par-
allels i n Procaccini's wo r k, such as the
dr awi ng o f the Head of a Boy with Curly
Hair i n the Al ber t i na, Vi enna ( i nv. no.
24.984, B. 448; V. Bi r ke, et al , Old Mas-
ter Drawings from the Albertina, ex. cat.
[ Washi ngt on, D. C. , Nat i onal Gallery
o f Ar t , Ne w Yor k, Pi erpont Mo r gan
Li brary, 1984], no. 59) and the head
o f the Vi r g i n i n the altarpiece o f the
Adoration of the Magi ( Mi l an, Castello
Sforzesco). The nude torso o f a wo man
on the verso is comparable t o the
fi gure o f Venus i n the pai nt i ng Venus
and Amor ( New Yor k, Di di er Aar on,
Inc.) . The ext raordi nary l umi nosi t y
and t ext ural subtlety seen i n this dr aw-
i ng result f r om Procaccini's charac-
teristic handl i ng o f the t wo chalks,
usi ng black chalk for the under dr awi ng
fol l owed by the li beral appli cati on o f
st unni ng whi t e hi ghli ght s.
P R O VEN A N C E: "Borghese Al b um" (anony-
mous eighteenth-century Venetian collec-
tor?); private collection, Paris; [ Bruno de
Bayser, Paris].
93. GI OVANNI BENEDETTO
CASTI GLI ONE
Itali an, circa 1610-1663/ 65
Pastoral Journey, circa 1650
Br ush and b r o wn o i l pai nt and
touches o f whi t e, blue, and rose
gouache, 28.1 x 41.3 c m ( I TA/ x
1 6V/ ) . Inscri bed (recto): Benedetto
i n black chalk. Inscri bed (verso):
Benedetto Castiglione and 40 x 53 i n
graphi te; and Collection Denon i n
blue penci l. Col l ect i on mar k o f
Bar on Vi vant - Denon i n the l ower
r i ght corner o f the recto.
86.GG.573
Pr i or t o its recent reappearance, this
dr awi ng had been k n o wn t hr ough the
l i t hogr aph by J.-B. Mauzaisse i n Monu-
ments des arts du dessin chez les peuples tant
anciens que modernes, vol . 3 (Paris, 1829),
pi . 232 (also engraved by Charles Mace,
i n C. Le Blanc, Manuel de Vamateur d'es-
tampes [Paris, 1854-1890] , vol . 2, p. 583)
since passing f r o m the Vi vant -Denon
collect i on i n the early ni net eent h cen-
tury. I t is one o f the finest o f a number
o f versions o f this composi t i on by
Casti gli one, whi c h i nclude the
pai nt i ng o f Rebecca Led by the Servant
of Abraham (?) ( Uni ver si t y o f
Bi r mi ngham, England, Barber
Inst i t ut e o f Fine Ar t s) and brush
drawi ngs i n the Rasi ni collect i on,
Mi l an ( reproduced i n A. Morassi ,
Disegni antichi dalla collezione Rasini in
Milano [ Mi l an, 1937], pi . 49), for mer l y
Benedi ct Ni col son collect i on, Lo ndo n
(Percy, no. 59) and the P. de Boer
collect i on, Amst er dam (Le dessin Italien
dans les collections hollandaises, ex. cat.
[Paris, Fondat i on Custodi a, Col l ect i on
Frits Lugt , 1962] , no. 172). Percy poi nt s
out that whi l e these versions repeat the
central fi gure o f the wo man astride the
donkey, they also cont ai n different at-
tendant figures and ani mal groupi ngs,
so that each provi des an i nteresti ng
vari ant o f the same basic theme.
P R O VEN A N C E: Baron Dominique Vivant-
Denon, Paris; private collection, Paris;
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : A. Percy, Giovanni Benedetto
Castiglione: Master Draughtsman of the
Baroque, ex. cat. (Philadelphia Museum of
Art , 1971), p. 94, under no. 59.
93
94
94. BARTOLOMEO BI SCAI NO
Itali an, circa 16321657
Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine,
circa 1655
Red chalk and whi t e hei ght eni ng on
yel l o w- b r o wn paper, 28.9 x 39.9 c m
( U W x l S W) . Inscri bed: Biscaino
di Genova i n pen and b r o wn i n k i n
the l ower r i ght corner and E and
S.L. n:65 i n pen and b r o wn i nk on
the verso o f the mount .
86.GB.6
Thi s dr awi ng exhi bi ts Biscaino's charac-
teristic r i ch col or i sm wi t h its vi br ant
effects o f texture and l i ght . Examples
o f his dr aught manshi p comparable i n
manner and medi um t o the Museum' s
dr awi ng i nclude the Vision of Saint
Augustine (Paris, Musee du Louvr e, i nv.
no. 9191) and the Holy Family with Saint
John the Baptist as an Infant ( Edi nbur gh,
Nat i onal Galler y o f Scotland, i nv. no.
D1621). Biscaino's et chi ng o f the Mystic
Marriage of Saint Catherine (P. Bel l i ni ,
ed., The Illustrated Bartsch, vol . 47
[ for mer l y vol . 21, pt. 2] , Italian Masters
of the Seventeenth Century [ Ne w Yor k,
1983] , no. 33 [198]) is related t o thi s
dr awi ng onl y i n a few isolated details.
P R O VEN A N C E: "Borghese Al b um" (anony-
mous eighteenth-century Venetian collec-
tor?); private collection, New York; [ Bob
Haboldt, New York] .
95. GI OVANNI BATTISTA PI AZZETTA
Itali an, 1683-1754
A Boy Holding a Pear, circa 1740
Black and whi t e chalk on blue-gray
paper ( t wo j o i ned sheets), 39.2 x
30.9 c m (15
7
/ i 6" x 12
3
A6")
86.GB.677
Thi s drawi ng, whi ch is among the finest
and most beaut i fully preserved o f
Piazzettas half-lengt h figures done i n
black and whi t e chalk, is closest t o
Young Woman Holding a Pear ( New Yor k,
Pi erpont Mo r gan Li brary, i nv. no. i v,
89) and Giacomo Feeding a Dog ( Ar t I n -
sti tute o f Chi cago, i nv. no. 1971.326).
A n autograph copy o f this dr aw-
i ng is i n Ber l i n (Staatliche Museen
Preussischer Kult urbesi t z, Kup-
fersti chkabi nett, i nv. no. Kd Z 5874).
Piazzettas pai nt i ng o f a Boy with a
Lemon ( Har t for d, Conn. , Wadswor t h
At heneum; engraved by Mar co Pi t t eri )
shows what appears t o be the same
model i n half-lengt h, wear i ng a si mi lar
costume and hol di ng up a l emon i n his
r i ght hand, but t ur ni ng his head t o the
left. The significance o f the upheld fr ui t
i n the Museum' s dr awi ng has yet t o be
det ermi ned. Thi s gesture i n other
wor ks by Piazzetta has been i nt erpret ed
as representi ng either the sense o f taste
or an erotic allusi on (J. Bean and E
Stampfle, Drawings from New York Col-
lections III: The Eighteenth Century
in Italy [ Ne w Yor k, 1971], no. 42; A.
Mar i uz, Opera completa del Piazzetta
[ Mi l an, 1982] , no. 89).
P R O VEN A N C E: H. A. Vivian Smith, London
(sale, Christie's, London, May 20, 1955, lot
45, to Welker); sale, Christie's, London,
December 12, 1985, lot 269; [John Mor t on
Morris, London] .
95
96
96. CANALETTO (Antonio Canale)
Itali an, 1697-1768
Warwick Castle: The East Front from
the Courtyard, circa 1748
Pen and b r o wn i nk and gray wash,
31.7 x 57.1 c m (12V
2
" x 22V
2
"). Co l -
lect i on mar k o f Paul Sandby i n
the lower left corner o f the recto.
Inscri bed: Warwick Castle Canalletti
i n b r o wn i nk on the verso o f the
mount . A Paris customs stamp on
the verso.
86.GG.727
Thi s dr awi ng depicts the East Fr ont o f
War wi ck Castle as seen f r o m inside the
court yard. Its pendant, i n the Robert
Lehmann collect i on, Met r opol i t an
Mus eum o f Ar t , Ne w Yor k, shows the
East Fr ont f r o m outsi de the court yard.
Thi s is among five pai nt i ngs ( Consta-
ble, nos. 443447) and five drawi ngs
(Constable, nos. 756760) o f War wi c k
Castle that Canaletto made for Charles
Grevi lle, Ear l o f War wi ck, ar ound
17481749. Canaletto here succeeded i n
conveyi ng the i mpressi ve mass and bal -
ance o f the castle wallsenli vened by
a sci nt i l l at i ng play o f l i ght and sha-
do w across the i rregular surfaces o f
the masonry.
P R O VEN A N C E: Possibly the Hon. Charles Gre-
ville; Paul Sandby, London; Lady Eva Dug-
dale, Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park (sale,
Sotheby's, London, November 18, 1920, lot
42, wi t h pendant); [Sabin Gallery, London] ;
Adrien Fauchier-Magnan, Neuilly-sur-Seine
(sale, Sotheby's, London, December 4, 1935,
lot 5); A. Tooth, London; Sir George Leon,
Bt.; [E. V. Thaw, New York] ; John Gaines,
Lexington, Kentucky (sale, Sotheby's, New
York, November 17, 1986, lot 25).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : H. F. Findberg, " A Catalogue
Raisonn of Canaletto's English Views," The
Walpole Society 9 (1920-1921), p. 68; W G.
Constable, Canaletto (Oxford, 1962), vol. 1,
p. 142, vol. 2, p. 536, no. 760 (reprinted and
revised by J G. Links [ Oxford, 1976], vol. 1,
p. 142, vol. 2, p. 584, no. 760); J. Bean and F.
Stampile, Drawings from New York Collections
III: The Eighteenth Century in Italy (New
York, 1971), p. 68, under no. 157; T. Pignatti,
Venetian Drawings from American Collections,
ex. cat. (Washington, D C, National
Gallery of Art , 1974), p. 50, under no. 103;
A. Bettagno, Canaletto, Disegni-Dipinti-
Incisioni, ex. cat. (Fondazione Giorgio Ci ni ,
Venice, 1982), p. 76, under no. 105.
Drawings 209
DECORATIVE ARTS
C H I N E S E
97. LI DDED VASE
Chi nese ( Kangxi ) , circa 16621722
Hard-paste porcelai n, H: 59.7 c m
( 1' IIV2"); Di am: 37.5 c m ( 1' 2
3
A")
86.DE.629
Porcelain objects, pai nt ed i n underglaze
blue wi t h patterns o f styli zed flowers
and figures i n landscapes, were manu-
factured i n large quanti ti es i n Chi na
dur i ng the Kan g xi dynasty (16621722)
for expor t t o Europe. The wares were
avi dly collected by Europeans i n the
second hal f o f the seventeenth cent ury
and t hr oughout the ei ghteenth and
ni net eent h centuries. They were
used for decorative purposes, massed
on cabinets i n gr and salons or i n
Porzellenkammers.
P R O VEN A N C E: [Spink and Son, Ltd., London]
F R E N C H
98. LENGTH OF PASSEMENTERIE
French, circa 1670
Wi r e, parchment, and si lk thread,
81.9 x 18.5 x 4 c m ( 2' 8 V/ x 7W'
x IV2")
86.DD.667
Thi s l engt h o f passementerie is a rare
sur vi vi ng example o f the elaborately
98 (detail)
wor ked fringes and t r i m that embel -
li shed gr and beds o f the Baroque per i od
t hr oughout Eur ope but part i cularly i n
England and France. Tr i ms o f this t ype
were also used t o decorate the i nt eri ors
o f coaches and sedan chairs. The same
craftsmen produced the fringes and tas-
sels for curtains and upholstery.
P R O VEN A N C E: [Juliette Niclausse, Paris].
99. TAPESTRY, The Offering to Bacchus
f r o m the Grotesques series
French (Beauvais), circa 16851730
Wo o l and si lk, 289 x 201 c m
(9' 5
3
/
4
" x 6' 77
4
")
86.DD.645
The Offering to Bacchus is one o f a series
o f six tapestries woven at the Beauvais
Manufact or y after the cartoons o f Jean-
Bap tiste Monnoyer (1636-1699). The
composi t i on is i n a l i ght , open style that
was ext remely popular wi t h the aristoc-
racy, who were t ur ni ng away f r o m the
solemn and majestic tapestries produced
99
97
Decorative Arts 211
by the royal manufactory at the Gobelins.
Thi s was the fi rst tapestry series for
whi c h seat upholst ery was designed and
woven en suite. The backgr ound color
is saffron yellow, called tabac dEspagne.
P R O VEN A N C E: Rothschild collection, Vienna;
(anonymous sale, Christie's, London, June
22, 1939, lot 159); (sale, Christie's, London,
July 1, 1982, lot 3); [Bernheimer Fine Arts,
Ltd., London, 1982].
100. CARPET
French (Beauvais), circa 17001725
Wo o l and si lk, 371.5 c m x 246.3 c m
(12' 3" x 8' 1")
86.DC.633
Thi s woven carpet is at t ri but ed t o the
Beauvais Manufact or y on the basis o f its
style and color, part i cularly the back-
gr ound color o f saffron yellow, whi c h
was i nt r oduced by thi s manufact ory be-
fore 1689 and k n o wn as tabac d'Espagne.
One carpet o f the same desi gn and d i -
mensi ons is found i n the collect i on o f
the Ar t Inst i t ut e o f Chi cago, and exam-
ples o f seat upholst ery i n the same style
are k n o wn i n t wo pri vate collecti ons
i n France.
P R O VEN A N C E: Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris,
May 27, 1910, as one of four lots, (?)131-134;
Thenadey collection, Paris; [Mayorcas, Ltd.,
London, 1985].
101 (Terrestrial Globe)
101. CELESTI AL A N D TERRESTRIAL
GLOBES
French (Paris), circa 1728-1730
Pri nt er paper, papi er - mc he, gi l t
bronze, and wo o d pai nt ed wi t h
vernis Martin, H: 110 c m ( 3' 7 V/ ) ;
Di am: 45 c m ( 1' 5V
2
") ; Di am.
o f g l o b e s : 3 2c m( l ' V
2
" )
86.DH.705.1-2
The globes were designed and as-
sembled by Jean-Ant oi ne Nol l et
(1700-1770) and the maps pr i nt ed by
Bal l eui l le jeune. The terrestri al globe
bears a dedi cati on t o the duchesse du
Mai ne (1676-1743) and the date 1728;
the celestial globe bears a dedi cati on
t o her nephew the comt e de Cl er mont
(1709-1771) and the date 1730. The
stands are pai nt ed wi t h a yel l ow vernis
gr ound, pol ychr ome flowers, and red
reserves wi t h chi noi seri e scenes, all
pi cked out and framed wi t h gi l di ng.
Nol l et was a fashionable scientist and
a member o f the Academi e des Sciences.
By 1758 he was named maitre en physique
des enfants de France.
P R O VEN A N C E: Guillaume, twelfth marquis
de Bi ron; due de Talleyrand and by descent
to the due de Di no Andia y Talleyrand-
Perigord; [Maurice Segoura, Paris].
100
102
103
102. COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
WI TH CASE
French (Paris), circa 1751
Gi l t bronze, mi r r o r glass, enamel,
and shagreen. The case is o f wo o d,
covered wi t h t ool ed and gi l ded
leather. I t has brass closi ng fi xtures
and is l i ned wi t h si lk velvet and
silver braids. 48 x 28 x 20.5 c m
( 1' 67s" x 11" x 8Vi
6
") ; case: 66 x
34.9 x 27 c m ( 2' 2" x V l V x 10
5
/s")
86.DH.694
The mechani cal parts o f the mi croscope
are at t ri but ed t o Al exi s Magny (1712
after 1777). A mi croscope o f the same
model i n the Musee de Nancy is i n -
scribed Magny construsit et fecit Paris anno
1751. The name o f the bronzier respon-
sible for the stand is un kn o wn .
A drawer i n the leather case contains
all the necessary attachments, such as
tweezers, poi nters, interchangeable
lenses, mi ca slides, and ni net eent h-cen-
t ur y slides o f vari ous small specimens,
labeled ailes de mouche, petal de geranium,
cheveaux, and ecaille de papillon.
Al exi s Magny described hi msel f as
"i ngeni eur pour Thorologeri e, les i nst r u-
ments de physique et de mathematiques."
He li sted among his clients Loui s XV ,
Stanislas Leczi nski , and the scientists
de Reaumur (16831757) and Duhamel
du Monceau (16831757). A mi croscope
o f the same model once st ood i n the
cabinet d'optique o f Loui s X V at
La Muet t e. ( I am grateful t o Jean-Neree
Ronfor t for this i nfor mat i on. G. W.)
P R O VEN A N C E: (Sotheby's, Monaco, February
23, 1986, lot 901) [ Mrs. Ki la Kugel,
New York] .
103. PAIR OF BUSTS: LOUI S XV A N D
MARI E LECZI NSKA
French ( Lunevi lle) , circa 1755
Earthenware (faience) bust o f
Loui s XV : 53 x 24 x 25 c m ( 1' 8
7
/s"
x 9
7
/ i 6 " x 9
7
/s"); bust o f Mar i e
Leczinska: 53 x 15.5 x 25 c m
( 1' 8
7
/
8
" x 67s" x 9
7
/s")
86.DE.668
These por t r ai t busts on socles are o f a
glazed earthenware k n o wn as faience.
They port ray Loui s X V (1710-1774) and
Mar i e Leczinska (17031768) i n t hei r
pr i me as k i n g and queen o f France. The
busts were pressed mol ded at the
Decorative Arts 213
Lunevi l l e Manufact or y ( i n eastern
France near Strasbourg), possi bly by
Paul-Loui s Cyffle (1724-1806), who
was a modeler wel l k n o wn for fi gur al
groups. The pr oud and confi dent pose
o f the ki ng was i nspi red by a bronze
bust o f h i m cast i n 1751 by Jean-Baptiste
Lemoyne (1669-1731).
P R O VEN A N C E: [ M. Vandermeersch, Paris].
104. FIGURE
French ( Mennecy) , circa 17551760
Soft-paste porcelai n, 23.9 x 11.5 x
10.7 c m ( 9 W x 4V2 " x 4
1
/ / ) . The
base o f the fi gure is i nci sed wi t h
DF f o r the Mennecy Manufact ory.
86.DE473
Al t ho ug h the modeler o f thi s fi gure is
not kn o wn , i t can be dated wi t h some
certai nty t o the 1750s, the decade when
the Mennecy Manufact or y pr oduced a
vari et y o f ful l -l engt h figures. I t seems
that figures por t r ayi ng members o f the
l ower social orders were found appeal-
i ng dur i ng the Rococo per i od, as quan-
ti ti es o f t hem were made by European
porcelai n manufactories, based upo n
engravi ngs k n o wn as the Cris de Paris
after such artists as Edme Bouchar don
(1698-1762).
P R O VEN A N C E: Mr . and Mrs. Wi lli am Brown
Meloney, Riverdale, New York; [ Antique
Porcelain Company, New York] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : B. Craven, "French Soft Paste
Porcelain i n the Collection of Mr . and Mrs.
Wi lli am Brown Meloney," Connoisseur 143
(May 1959), no. 577, p. 142.
j _ _ j
105
105. DRAWI NG FOR A WALL LI GHT
I nk and paper, 26.5 x 17.1 c m
(10
7
/i6" x 6
3
A") . The reverse o f the
dr awi ng is i nscri bed Bachelier i n
penci l and FA. Maglin 1902 i n i nk.
Two rectangular pieces o f di f-
ferent paper were glued t o the
reverse, one i nscri bed Ir i n penci l
and the other Th
rc
. Van Thulden,
also i n penci l.
86.GA.692
Thi s dr awi ng is a study o f one o f a set
o f wal l li ght s whi c h were hung i n the
chambre d'apparat and the salon desjeux o f
the Palais Royal (residence o f Loui s-
Phi li ppe, due d' Orleans) after 1756,
when the palace was redecorated by the
architect Cont ant dTvr y (1698-1777).
The wal l li ght s were executed i n gi l t
bronze by the si lver smi t h Francoi s-
Thomas Ger mai n (1726-1791) i n 1756.
Four o f the li ght s survive, conserved, i n
the Museum' s collection (81. DF. 96.1-4) .
The dr awi ng is i nscri bed (S) Girandolle
de dessus la Chem[inee][. . .?]/ de Jeu dans
VElevation N 6. i n i nk at the lower ri ght.
P R O VEN A N C E: F. A. Maglin, 1902; Francois-
Gerard Seligmann, Paris.
106. BED
Gi l ded beechwood and moder n
si lk upholstery, 174 x 264.8 x
188 c m ( 5 ' 8
1
/ 2 " x8 ' 8
1
/ 4 " x6 ' 2")
86.DA.535
Thi s large bed, k n o wn as a lit la
Turque, was undoubt edl y made for a
large chambre coucher i n a fashionable
and grand hotel. I t wo ul d have been
placed against the wal l , wi t h a draped
baldachi n above. I t is at t ri but ed t o the
menuisier Jean-Baptiste Ti l l i ar d I I (maitre
1752, di ed 1797), who madeand
st ampedt wo other lits a la Turque o f
si mi lar sculptural monument al i t y.
P R O VEN A N C E: [Alexander and Berendt,
Ltd., London] .
106
104
107
107. PAIR OF LI DDED VASES
French (Sevres), circa 17681770
Soft-paste porcelai n, enameled and
gi lded, wi t h gi l t -br onze mount s,
45.1x24.1x19.1 c m( l ' 5
3
A" x
9V
2
" x 7V
2
")
86.DE.520.1-2
The li ds are i nci sed 2 and 4, and the
bases 3 and 4. They were made at the
Sevres Manufact or y but are apparently
unrecorded i n the exi st i ng archives o f
the manufactory. The bleu Fallot gr ound
is covered wi t h gol d dots i n groups o f
four. The reserves are pai nt ed i n
gri sai lle and are support ed by babies
si mi l ar l y pai nted. The vases are o f al -
most uni que f o r m. One other vase o f
the same model , wi t h an egg on its l i d,
was at Gatchi na Palace, Leni ngr ad,
i n 1914. Its present whereabouts
are unkno wn.
P R O VEN A N C E: [Rocheux, Paris], bought
i n 1819 by Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh,
Uppark, Hampshire (I am grateful to Sir
Geoffrey de Bellaigue for this information.
G.W.); Alfred de Rothschild, Halton, Buck-
inghamshire; Lionel de Rothschild, Exbury
House, Buckinghamshire; (sale, Christie's,
London, July 4, 1946, lot 90); Sir Charles
Clore, London and Monaco (sale, Christie's,
Monaco, December 6, 1985, lot 6).
108
108. BAROMETER
Oak veneered wi t h ebony; set wi t h
plaques o f enameled metal; glass
baromet ri cal tube; bone poi nters;
gi lt -br onze mount s, 124 x 24.1 c m
(4' 1" x 9V
2
")
86.DB.632
The maker o f the barometer is un -
kn o wn . Examples o f thi s early phase o f
Neoclassi ci sm, k n o wn as got grec, are
comparat i vely rare. The rather heavy
decorative elements i n gi l t bronze, set
o f f against a backgr ound o f ebony, are
t ypi cal o f this style.
P R O VEN A N C E: Marquis da Foz, Lisbon; (sale,
Christie's, London, June 10, 1892, lot 65);
Mrs. Orme Wilson (sale, Parke-Bernet
Galleries, Inc., New York, March 25-26,
1949, lot 386); Madame Lucienne Fribourg
(sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New
York, Apr i l 19, 1969, lot 189); [Alexander and
Berendt, Ltd., London] ; Frau Quandt,
Muni ch; [Jeremy, Ltd., London] .
109. PAIR OF CANDELABRA
Gi l ded and pati nated bronze; whi t e
and gr i ot t e marbles, H: 82.2 c m
( 2' 8
3
/ / ) ; Di am: 29.2 c m (IIV2")
86.DE521.12
The candelabra are at t ri but ed t o Pi erre-
Phi li ppe Tho mi r e (1751-1843). A single
candelabra o f the same model appears i n
a dr awi ng i n the Musee des Ar t s Deco-
ratifs, Paris, whi c h illustrates di fferent
decorative proposals for a mantelpi ece
wi t h firedogs, a clock, vari ous can-
delabra, and ornament al bronzes. A
clock o f the same model is also i n the
Museum' s collect i on ( 82.DB.2) , whi l e a
pai r o f brle parfums, also shown i n the
dr awi ng, are on loan t o the collect i on
(L.82.DF.56). Two other pairs o f can-
delabra o f the same model are kn o wn ,
one i n the Palacio Reale, Madr i d, and
the other i n the Husgeradskammaren,
St ockhol m. A later pair, f r o m circa 1810,
wi t h i denti cal figures but complet ely
gi lded, is i n the office o f the directeur de
la musique, Paris.
P R O VEN A N C E: [Bernard Barouch Steinitz,
Paris].
109
Decorative Arts 215
G E R M A N
no
110. BOWL
Porcelain: Chi nese ( Kangxi ) ,
circa 1710
Painted decorati on: Ger man
(Breslau), circa 1715-1720
Hard-paste porcelai n, i nci sed and
pai nted i n underglaze blue; pai nt ed
and gi lded, H: 7.3 c m (2
7
/s"); Di am:
14.9 c m (5
7
/s")
86.DE.738
The Chi nese b o wl is pai nt ed i n black
and gol d (Schwarzlot) wi t h allegorical
scenes representi ng spri ng and summer.
The pai nt i ng is at t ri but ed t o the
Hausmaler Ignaz Preissler (16761741) o f
Breslau, an i ndependent artist who was
k n o wn for his pai nt ed decorati on on
bot h ori ental and European porcelai n
f r om the Mei ssen and Viennese manu-
factories. O n this b o wl , Preissler used
the Chi nese underglaze blue diaper pat-
tern on the r i m, the l ower section o f the
b o wl , and the foot t o frame the scenes
he added. The source o f i nspi r at i on i n
this instance was the cycle o f the four
seasons pai nt ed by Pierre I Mi gnar d
(1612-1695) i n 1677 for the Galerie
d Apo l l o n i n the Chateau de Saint-
Cl oud. The plate mat chi ng this b o wl ,
wi t h scenes o f fall and wi nt er , is con-
served i n the Musee Nat i onal de
Cerami que, Sevres.
P R O VEN A N C E: Octave du Sartel, Paris; (sale,
Hotel Drouot, Paris, June 4-9, 1894, lot 251);
Familie von Plupart(?), Berlin; (sale, Lepke,
Berlin, March 18-22, 1912, lot 488); Nor d-
b hmi sches Gewerbemuseum, Reichenberg
(now Liberec, Czechoslovakia), 1912; private
collection, Germany [ German dealer]; [Kate
Foster, Ltd., London] .
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : M. Cassidy-Geiger, "Two
Pieces of Porcelain Decorated by Ignaz
Preissler i n the J. Paul Getty Museum, "
Getty MusJXS (1987), pp. 35-52.
I l l
111. LEAF-SHAPED DI SH
Porcelain: Ger man (Meissen), circa
1715-1720
Painted decorati on: Ger man
(Breslau), circa 1715-1725
Hard-paste porcelai n, pai nt ed and
gi lded, 4 x 8.3 x 11.1 c m ( l
9
/ i
6
" x
3 W x 4 W)
86.DE.541
Made o f whi t e B t t g er porcelai n, the
di sh is modeled after a Chi nese pr ot o-
type. The pai nted and gi lded decorati on
is at t ri but ed t o the Bohemi an Hausmaler
Ignaz Preissler (1676-1741).
P R O VEN A N C E: Dr. Marcel Nyfeller, Switzer-
land (sale, Christie's, London, June 9, 1986,
lot 183).
B IB L IO G R A P H Y : M. Cassidy-Geiger, "Two
Pieces of Porcelain Decorated by Ignaz
Preissler i n the J. Paul Getty Museum, "
GettyMusJ 15 (1987), pp. 35-52.
112
112. FIGURE
Ger man (Meissen), circa 1720
Hard-paste porcelai n, glazed, 16.5 x
6.8 x 6.5 c m (6V2" x 2
n
/ i 6 " x 2
5
/s")
86.DE.542
Thi s fi gure, made o f whi t e B t t g e r por -
celain, probably represents Bel t r amo di
Mi l ano, one o f the stock characters o f
the commedi a dell' arte. The name o f
the modeler is unkno wn.
P R O VEN A N C E: Dr. Marcel Nyfeller, Switzer-
land (sale, Christie's, London, June 9, 1986,
lot 21).
113
113. LONG-CASE CLOCK
Ger man ( Ber l i n or Potsdam), circa
1755-1760
Oak, pai nted, silvered, and lac-
quered; mi r r o r glass, enameled
metal, and gi l t bronze, 252 x 76 x
57 c m (8' 3V
2
" x 2' 57
2
" x T IOV2")
86.DB.695
The maker o f the clock case is un -
kn o wn . The clock face is signed
Rehnisch, Berlin. Rehni sch is recorded as
havi ng been active i n that ci t y i n the
mi d-ei ght eent h century. I n style, the
case o f the clock relates closely t o the
wo r k o f Johann Mi chael Hoppenhaupt
I I (1709-1769). He designed i nteri ors i n
the robust Rococo style for Frederick
the Great i n Ber l i n, Potsdam, and at
Sans Souci. The case is pai nted i n faux
hois, and the carved decorati on is si l -
vered, overlai d wi t h yel l ow varni sh t o
resemble gi l di ng.
P R O VEN A N C E: Herr Michael K nig, Muni ch;
[Alexander and Berendt, Ltd., London] .
SCULPTURE AND WORKS OF ART
114
C E R A MI C S :
I T A L I A N
114. ORAZI O FONTANA
Itali an (active Ur b i no ) , 1510-1571
Basin (rinfrescatoio), circa
1561-1571
Ti n-gl azed earthenware, Di am:
46 c m (18V
8
")
86.DE.539
Thi s basin was part o f a service t r adi -
t i onal l y said t o have been commi ssi oned
by Duke Gui dobal do I I della Rovere o f
Ur b i n o (1538-1574). The largest gr oup
f r o m this ser vi cet hi r t y-t wo objects
is i n the Bargello, Florence. Or azi o Fon-
tana copi ed a mi d-si xt eent h-cent ur y
Ger man pr i nt i n depi ct i ng the scene o f
Deucal i on and Pyr r ha ( Ov i d Meta-
morphoses, 1.315415) on the basins cen-
tral boss. Ar o un d this boss, the delicate
grotesques on a pai nt er ly whi t e gr ound
decorati ng the basins r i m and the con-
cave lobes are t ypi cal o f Fontana s ce-
rami c decorati on; the grotesques were
i nspi red by Raphael's Vati can frescoes
whi c h, i n t ur n, were i nfluenced by the
anti que Do mus Aurea grottoes. Thi s
basins glaze pai nt i ng and its hi ghl y dec-
orati ve and plastic shape reflect the new
ornate style o f the mi d-si xt eent h cen-
t ury. Al t ho ug h basins o f this t ype usu-
ally funct i oned as refreshment cisterns
t o cool wi ne glasses and bottles at the
table, this elaborately mol ded and em-
belli shed wo r k probably served solely
for display.
P R O VEN A N C E: Baron Adolphe de Rothschild,
Paris, 1870-1890; Baron Maurice de Roth-
schild, Paris, 1890-1916; Duveen, New
York, 1916; private collection, Stuttgart;
sale, Reimann and Montasberger, Stuttgart,
January 1986; [ Alai n Moatti , Paris].
115
115. PI LGRI M FLASK
Itali an (Florence), circa 15751587
Produced by the Medi c i Factory
Soft-paste porcelai n, H: 28.6 c m
( l l W) . Inscri bed wi t h the dome o f
Santa Mar i a del Fiore (the cathedral
o f Florence) accompani ed by the
letter F on the underside.
86.DE.630
Thi s flask is one o f a small but semi nal
gr oup o f soft-paste porcelai n wares
the earliest examples o f porcelai n i n
Eur opepr oduced i n the Florent i ne
Medi c i Factory ( whi ch operated be-
t ween 1574 and 1587) under Francesco I
de' Medi ci ' s patronage. Since these ce-
rami cs often display signs o f t hei r ex-
per i ment al nature, the present flask is
remarkable for its excepti onally fine,
wel l -for med, translucent whi t e body,
decorated wi t h clear blue designs.
Chi nese hi gh-fi r e ceramics were
muc h sought after i n It aly f r o m the t i me
o f Mar co Polo's travels t o the East i n the
late t hi r t eent h century; t hei r fame and
popul ar i t y further spread t hr ough the
active trade bet ween Italy, Asi a, and the
Near East i n subsequent centuries.
Translucent Chi nese porcelai n was a
parti cular favorite i n It aly par t ly because
i t appeared t o combi ne characteristics o f
pot t er y and glasstwo crafts mastered
by Itali an artists by the late fi fteenth
Sculpture and Works of Art 217
116
TUNAE SUAE QUISQUE FABER
(Each man is the maker o f his o wn
fortune) i n t wo cartouches on the
obverse.
86.DE.533
Thi s tabletop is pai nted wi t h four elabo-
rate cartouches interspersed wi t h l and-
scape scenes o f bi rds and hares i n t hei r
natural habitat, i nt er t wi ni ng vegetati on,
and floral and fr ui t swags. The car-
touchescomposed o f scrolls, shells,
acanthi, and vegetal moti fsenclose
Mo o r i s h and European hunt i ng scenes.
The fanci ful curvi li near forms, char m-
i ng pastoral scenes, and exotic depic-
ti ons o f Mo o r s hunt i ng elephants and
ostriches are t ypi cal o f the ei ghteenth-
cent ury Rococo.
Francesco Saverio I I Mar i a Grue was
the last active member o f a fami l y l ong
connected wi t h the manufacture o f
pai nted mai oli ca at Castelli i n the
Abr uzzi regi on. I n 1774 he became d i -
rector o f the royal porcelai n factory at
Capodi mont e, where he executed por -
celain statuettes, small busts, and reliefs
pai nted i n a refi ned style i nspi red by
Pompei i an figures and ornament. O n
mai oli ca, however, Grue pai nted mai nl y
scenic landscape and genre scenes i n a
loose, almost sketchy style emphasi zi ng
the "r ust i c" quali t y o f the medi um.
P R O VEN A N C E: Earl of Warwick, Warwick-
shire; sale, Sotheby's, London, March 4,
1986, lot 24; [ Winifred Williams, London] .
117
century. Thi s flask's f o r m and its glaze
embelli shment reflect the influences o f
Chi nese blue-and-whi t e porcelai n, con-
temporaneous mai oli ca pr oduct i on, and
Tur ki sh I sni k ware. On l y about si xt y
pieces o f Medi c i porcelai n are k n o wn t o
have survi ved.
P R O VEN A N C E: Wi lli am Spence, Florence, unt i l
1857; Alessandro Foresi, 1857; Giovanni
Freppa, Florence; Eugene Piot, Paris (sale,
Paris, March 19, 1860, lot 82, to Baron
Alphonse de Rothschild); Baron Alphonse de
Rothschild, Paris, 1860; Baron Edouard de
Rothschild, Paris; Baron Guy and Marie-
Helene de Rothschild, New York; [ Curarrow
Corporation N. V., Curasao, Antilles] .
116. FRANCESCO SAVERIO I I MARI A
GRUE
Itali an, 1731-1799
Tabletop, circa 1760
Ti n-glazed earthenware, Di am:
59.5 c m (2378"). Si gned t wi ce wi t h
Saverio Grue's monogr am, SG, on
the horse's haunch i n the scene o f
Europeans hunt i ng deer and FSG
on the horse's haunch i n the scene
o f Mo o r s hunt i ng ostriches. I n -
scribed: FLAVA CERES TENUS
SPICIS REDEMITA CAPILLOS
( Bl ond Ceres whose hai r is en-
wreat hed wi t h grai n) and FOR-
F U R N I T U R E : I T A L I A N
117. TABLE
Itali an (Verona), late si xteenth
cent ury
Verona marble, 81 x 309 x 123.5 c m
(317s" x 1217s" x 487s")
86.DA.489
The table's reddi sh color and i rregular,
branchli ke vei ni ng are characteristic o f
the rosso di Verona marble f r o m whi c h i t
was made. The carved decorati on o f the
support slabs, elegant i n its si mpl i ci t y
and pr opor t i on, is based on late si x-
teenth-century architectural mot i fs o f
oval oculus (or oeil-de-boeuf) and double
spiral. Car ved on either side o f the cen-
t ral pilaster elements, these volutes ap-
pear to flatten wi t h the wei ght o f the
heavy t op slab they support. Al t ho ug h
undocument ed as t o place o f manufac-
ture, i t is presumed that, because o f its
mat eri al, the table was made i n Verona.
P R O VEN A N C E: Baron Edmond de Rothschild,
Chateau de Pregny, Switzerland, 1930s-1984;
[Sameart, Ltd., Zuri ch] .
118
118. FILIPPO PELAGIO PALAGI
It ali an, 1775-1860
Daybed, 1832-1835
Desi gned by Palagi and probably
made by Gabri ele Capello
Mapl e i nl ai d wi t h mahogany, 80 x
224 x 69 c m (31V
2
" x 88V
8
" x 27
1
/a").
O n the back o f the frame: 3421 sten-
ci led i n green pai nt f r o m Racconi gi
i nvent or y o f 1900 (obscured by up-
holst ery) , Dazio Verificato i nk
stamp, and PPR 3421 i nci sed
stamp; on the frame o f the uphol -
stered seat: Dazio Verificato i nk
stamp and Racconigi Camera da letto
degli Augusti Sposi i n penci l across
the front ; on the frame structure:
37 i n i n k on part o f the label and
a penci l desi gn for inlay.
86.DA.511
Thi s daybed was designed by Fi l i ppo
Pelagio Palagi for Ki n g Car l o Albert o' s
(17981849) Racconi gi palace (one o f
the residences o f the ki ngs o f Sardinia,
later ki ngs o f Italy) near Tur i n. Based
upon ancient Roman and Napoleoni c
prot ot ypes, the daybed f o r m probably
had "i mper i al " associations for the de-
signer and his pat ron.
A n architect, por t r ai t painter, f ur ni -
ture designer, ornamentali st, and collec-
tor, Fi l i ppo Pelagio Palagi developed an
interest i n archaeology after a t r i p t o
Rome i n 1806. As i n the Museum' s
daybed, Palagi's fur ni t ur e and or nament
designs reveal his interest i n Egypt i an,
Greek, Etruscan, and Roman anti qui ty,
whose mot i fs he i nvent i vel y and eclec-
t i cally combi ned. Thi s wo r k also shows
the influence o f the Empi r e style, di s-
semi nated i n It aly wi t h the i nst allat i on
o f the Bonaparte courts.
Gabriele Capello, k n o wn as Mo n -
calvo, executed most o f Palagi's f ur ni -
ture, and he pr obably made the
Museum' s daybed. A n i nnovat or i n i n -
lay technique, Capello devised a new
met hod o f compl et i ng mor e easily and
qui ckl y the many commi ssi ons for i nlay
wo r k f r o m the Co ur t o f Savoy. The
chi aroscuro effects o f the daybed's so-
phi sti cated i nlay design are t ypi cal o f
the Itali an, and mor e part i cularly the
Emi l i an, t r adi t i on.
P R O VEN A N C E: Made for the Racconigi palace
near Turin; sale, 1922; private collection,
Switzerland, 1938-1980; [ Hei m Gallery,
Ltd., London, 1980-1986].
M E T A L W O R K :
F R E N C H
119b
119. LEONARD LI MOUS I N
French, circa 1505-1575/ 77
Allegory of Charles IX as Mars, 1573
Allegory of Catherine de'Medici as
Juno, 1573
Polychrome enamel wi t h pai nt ed
gol d hi ghl i ght s on copper and si l -
ver (each, unframed) , 17.5 x 23 c m
(6
7
/s" x 9"). Inscri bed: L L on the
swor d i n the Mars plaque and
dated 1573 i n the center o f the
cl oud at the left; i nscri bed: L L
at the b o t t o m o f the cl oud i n the
b o t t o m center o f the Juno plaque;
i nscri bed: C DE MEDICIS and
CHARLES IX on the backs o f bot h
plaques at a later date.
86.SE.536.1-.2
Li mo usi n was the foremost master o f
mi d-t o-l at e si xt eent h-cent ury Li moges
enamels. The Museum' s plaques are
allegorical portrai ts o f Charles I X
(1550-1574) as Mar s, and his mot her,
Catheri ne de' Medi ci (1519-1589), as
Juno. Charles is port rayed r i di ng t r i -
umphant l y across the sky, beari ng the
swor d and shi eld that are the attributes
o f the Roman god o f war. Hi s chari ot is
pulled t hr ough the clouds by wolves,
animals considered sacred t o Mar s. I n
the backgr ound is a war-ravaged l and-
scape i n whi c h a wo man screams whi l e
her house burns and a pi llager runs o f f
wi t h her belongi ngs; di r ect ly above this
scene, a man beats another man whi l e a
t hi r d man flees. I n the second plaque,
Catheri ne de' Medi ci , queen o f France as
the wi fe o f Henr i I I and queen mot her
o f Charles I X, is l i kened t o Juno, who,
as the wi fe o f Jupi ter and mot her o f
Mar s, was queen o f the heavens. She
bears Juno's attri butes: the scepter, si g-
ni fyi ng her queenship, and the weddi ng
vei l , si gni fyi ng that she was the Roman
goddess o f marri age. Her chari ot is
pulled across the clouds by peacocks,
bi rds sacred t o Juno. Behi nd her is a
rai nbow, symbol o f peace and the per-
sonal device o f Catheri ne de' Medi ci . I n
the backgr ound is a peaceful, pastoral
landscape. Besides bei ng general allego-
ries o f the ki ng and the queen mother, i t
is possible that these plaques reflect an
i conography dictated by Catheri ne to
celebrate t wo t r i umphs o f her pol i t i cal
careerthe Peace o f Saint Ger mai n
(1570) and the marri age o f Charles I X
and Eli zabet h o f Aust ri a, bot h o f whi c h
she helped arrange.
The Museum' s plaques belong t o a
gr oup o f about a dozen related wor ks
by Li mousi n, all o f whi c h depict myt h-
ologi cal gods or members o f the French
cour t as gods. Or i gi nal l y they pr obably
wo ul d have been i ncorporat ed i nt o a
cabinet.
P R O VEN A N C E: Debruge-Dumenil, 1847;
Mentmore collection, 1883(?) (sale, London,
May 20, 1977); Lord Astor, Hever Castle
(sale, London, May 6, 1983, lot 296); [ Cyri l
Humphris, London] .
M E T A L W O R K :
S P A N I S H
120
120. PAIR OF CANDLESTI CKS
Spanish, circa 16501670
Br onze (each), H: 175 c m (68
7
/s")
86. DH. 601. 1-. 2
The base o f each wo r k bears the arms o f
the counts o f Benavente, a branch o f the
Pi ment el fami ly. A n approxi mat e termi-
nus ante quern for the candlesticks is sug-
gested by Juan de Valdes Leal's pai nt i ng
In Ictu Oculi o f 1672, i n whi c h a candle-
sti ck o f si mi lar sobri ety and sol emni t y
t r i umphs over mor e ornate gol d and si l -
ver artifacts. Li ke the pai nt i ng, the aus-
tere candlesticks are reflective o f a
pr ofoundl y spi ri t ual movement that
swept up many o f Spain's noble patrons
i n the seventeenth century. Wi t h t hei r
si mple baluster forms and unadorned
surfaces, the Museum' s candlesticks
contrast wi t h the mor e elaborately dec-
orated wor ks produced at the same t i me
i n It aly and Germany, recalli ng, instead,
medi eval and Renaissance precedents.
P R O VEN A N C E: Commissioned by the counts
of Benavente; [ Antoine Perpitch, Paris]; (sale,
Christie's, London, Apr i l 24, 1986, lot 34);
[Rainer Zeitz, Ltd., London] .
121
S C U L P T U R E :
D U T C H
121. ADRI AEN DE VRIES
Dut ch, 1545-1626
Rearing Horse, circa 16131622
Bronze, 49 x 55 c m {WW x 21
5
/
8
") .
Signed: ADRIANUS FRIES
HAGUENSIS FECIT at the rear o f
the base.
86.SB.488
De Vri es was Gi ambolognas most o r i g-
i nal and i nfluent i al follower, and he
played a key role i n di ssemi nat i ng that
sculptor's late Manner i st style
t hr oughout No r t her n Europe. By 1593
the artist had begun t o wo r k at the
court o f Prague for Emper or Rudol ph
I I , whose offi ci al cour t sculptor he be-
came i n 1601. He was active unt i l his
death. De Vr i es' mat ure wor ks begi n t o
move away f r o m the abstract pneumat i c
forms and convolut ed composi t i ons
whi c h he had learned f r o m Gi ambo-
logna. Instead, as i n the Rearing Horse,
they exhi bi t an increasing pr o t o-
Baroque interest i n mor e realistic forms,
open composi t i ons, and the play o f l i ght
and shadow.
I n the first decade o f the seventeenth
century, a number o f bronze statuettes
o f reari ng horses were bei ng made by
Gi ambol ogna and his wor kshop, as wel l
as by his followers. By this t i me,
bronze-casti ng techniques had become
mor e sophisticated and the subject was
techni cally easier t o accompli sh. Also,
an open composi t i on wi t h forms pr o-
j ect i ng i nt o space and the sense o f a
"capt ured-fleet i ng-moment , " bot h o f
whi c h are basic t o depi cti ons o f reari ng
horses, were pr i me concerns o f early
Baroque sculptors. The Museum' s
Rearing Horse can be dated to circa
16131622 on the basis o f compari son
wi t h de Vr i es' other equestrian
statuettes.
220 Acquisitions /1986
P R O VEN A N C E: Emperor Rudolph I I , Prague;
Queen Christina of Sweden; Antoine Brun,
Baron d'Aspremont, 1658; Claude Ferdinand,
Marquis de Brun, 1664; Agalange Ferdinand,
Baron de Brun, 1716; descendants of Baron
de Brun, 1746 (sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris,
December 12, 1984, lot 78); [Sameart, Ltd.,
Zuri ch] .
S C U L P T U R E :
F R E N C H
122
122. JEAN-JACQUES CAFFIERI
French, 1725-1792
Hope Nourishing Love, 1769
Mar bl e, H: 72 c m (28
3
/s"). I n -
scribed: L'ESPERANCE NOURRIT
L'AMOUR o n the fr ont o f the base
and j . j . CAFFIERI. INVENTIT &
SCULPSIT.1769 on the back o f the
base.
86.SA.703
Jean-Jacques Caffi eri was the last and
most celebrated member o f a r enowned
fami l y o f sculptors. He established his
fame wi t h a series o f busts executed for
the Theatre Francais, and t hr oughout
his career he pr oduced numer ous por -
trai t bust sof i mpor t ant dead and l i v -
i ng fi guresthat reflect the spi ri t o f the
Enl i ght enment i n t hei r combi nat i on o f
extreme reali sm wi t h psychologi cal acu-
i ty. For this marble group, however,
Caffi eri adopted a mor e elegant and
decorative style perfectly sui ted t o his
subject matter.
Hope Nourishing Love is a love-and-
fri endshi p allegoryan i mpor t ant
sculptural genre o f mi d-ei ght eent h-
cent ury France. Sculptures o f this t ype
i nc l udi ng Pigalle's allegorical portrai ts
o f Madame de Pompadourdi splay
earthly sensuality and gentle er ot i ci sm
loosely vei led by the supposed nob i l i t y
o f the subjects they represent. The onl y
other k n o wn versi on o f this composi -
t i on is a terracotta model for the marble,
n o w lost, that was exhi bi t ed at the
Salon o f 1769.
P R O VEN A N C E: Michel Ephrussi, Paris, by
1877; princesse de Faucigny-Lucinge, Saint
Biez-en-Belin, 1935-1952; [ Wildenstein and
Co., New York] .
S C U L P T U R E :
G E R M A N
123
123. ERNST FRI EDRI CH AUGUST
RIETSCHEL
Ger man, 1804-1861
Bust of Felix Mendelssohn, 1848
Mar bl e, 59.7 x 39.4 x 25.4 c m
(23V2"xl5V2"xlO").
Inscribed: E. rietschel 1848 on the back.
86.SA.543
Thi s sculpture o f the composer Feli x
Mendelssohn (18091847) was commi s-
sioned the year after his death by the
subject's fami l y for display i n t hei r
home, and i t remai ned i n the fami ly' s
possession unt i l i t was purchased by the
Museum.
Rietschel's artistic t r ai ni ng, by Chr i s-
t i an Rauch, the leadi ng Neoclassical
sculptor i n Germany, was rei nforced by
his study o f anti que sculpture i n It aly i n
1830. He experienced great success upon
his r et ur n t o Germany, recei vi ng a pr o-
fessorship at the Dresden Akademi e i n
1832 and a steady stream o f major sculp-
t ural commi ssi ons, i ncl udi ng those for
publi c monument s dedicated t o famous
Germans such as Lessing, Goethe,
Schiller, and Luther.
Despi te his ri gorous educati on i n the
restrained Neoclassical i di o m, Ri etschel
i nt r oduced elements o f nat urali sm i nt o
his wor ks; the Mendelssohn bust ex-
empli fi es the t ransi t i onal nature o f his
style. The lower por t i on o f the bust is
treated i n a Neoclassical fashi on, wi t h
the shoulders and chest truncated by
sharp edges above the cartouche and
socle. I n contrast t o this generali zati on
o f for m, Ri etschel stresses his subject's
i ndi vi dual i t y i n his treatment o f the
head by naturali sti cally renderi ng
Mendelssohn's large forehead, ful l lips,
flowing hair, and penet rat i ng gaze.
P R O VEN A N C E: Mendelssohn-Bartholdy fam-
ily, 1848-1986; [Sam Nystad, The Hague].
S C U L P T U R E :
I T A L I A N
124
124. ANTI CO
(Pier Jacopo Alar i -Bonacolsi )
Itali an ( Mant ua) , circa 1460-1528
Bust of the Young Marcus Aurelius,
circa 1520
Bronze; eyes i nl ai d wi t h silver,
54.7 x 45 x 22.3 c m (21V
2
" x 17
3
/ / x
8
3
A")
86.SB.688
Trai ned as a gol dsmi t h, Pier Jacopo
Al ar i -Bonacol si became the pr i nci pal
sculptor at the court o f Mant ua i n the
late fi fteenth and early si xteenth cen-
turies. Hi s mai n patrons were members
o f the Gonzaga fami ly, i ncl udi ng the
wi fe o f Francesco I Gonzaga, Isabella
d'Este, for wh o m he executed a series o f
bronze reducti ons and variants o f fa-
mous anti que statues. I t is presumably
because o f the close relat i on o f his
wor ks to anti que models that the artist
was ni cknamed Ant i co. The Museum' s
bronze, one o f onl y seven k n o wn busts
generally accepted as bei ng by Ant i co,
represents the Roman emperor Mar cus
Aur eli us as a young man. Ver y subtly
modeled, the Young Marcus Aurelius has
a less schematic, freer, and mor e nat u-
ralistic renderi ng o f forms than is t o be
found i n most o f the artist's other busts.
It is l i kel y t o have been executed late
i n Anti co' s career, at the t i me o f the
emergence o f the Hi g h Renaissance style
i n Italy.
P R O VEN A N C E: Grimani family, Venice; An-
tonio Sanquirico, Venice (since at least 1831);
duchesse of Talleyrand and Sagan, Paris (of-
fered for sale by her heirs through an un-
known auction house i n Paris, June 1920,
1907, possibly as lot 44 or 45, unsold); Talley-
rand family (sale, Sotheby's, Monaco, Febru-
ary 23, 1986, lot 913); [Sameart, Ltd., Zurich] .
125
125. GI ROLAMO CAMPAGNA
Itali an (Venice), 1549-1625
Infant Christ as Salvator Mundi(?),
circa 1605
Bronze, H: 88 c m (347s")
86.SB.734
Campagna wo r ked chiefly i n Venice,
where he was trai ned under the Tuscan-
bor n Danese Cattaneo (15091573). Hi s
style vari ed considerably t hr oughout his
career, mo vi ng f r o m the restrained
forms o f his teacher to a dramati c and
expressive style whose composi t i onal
sensuousness was i nspi red by the wor ks
o f Alessandro Vi t t or i a and Gi ambol o-
gna. By 1590 he was a leadi ng artistic
fi gure i n Venice and secured commi s-
sions for many major churches and
scuole there, i ncl udi ng the sculpture for
the hi gh altar at San Gi or gi o Maggi or e
and the Al t ar e degli Or efi ci i n San
Gi acomet t o di Ri alto. The i nfant Chr i st
shown here is appr oxi mat ely t wo t o
three ti mes larger than most Veneti an
table or cabinet bronzes, suggesti ng that
the piece mi ght have funct i oned o r i g-
i nally as part o f an archi tectural c o m-
plex, probably an altar.
P R O VEN A N C E: Traditionally said to have been
i n the collection of Prince Corleone, Vicenza;
Arnold Seligman, Paris, circa 1900; Jacques
Seligman, Paris; Jean Davray, Paris, before
1930; sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, Apr i l 14-15,
1986, lot 90; [ Alain Moatti , Paris].
126
126. VI NCENZO GEMI TO
Itali an, 1852-1929
Medusa, 1911
Silver, parcel gi l t , Di am: 24.1 c m
(9V
2
"). Inscri bed: 1911, GEMITO at
the b o t t o m center o f the front.
86.SE.528
Gemi t o was the most i mpor t ant late
ni net eent h-cent ury Neapoli t an sculptor.
At the hei ght o f his artistic success he
became seriously depressed and i n 1887
was commi t t ed to a home for the men-
t ally di sturbed. He i mmedi at el y escaped
and ret urned t o his o wn home, where
for fourteen years he supposedly re-
mai ned hi dden i n a single r oom. I n 1911
he reentered the wo r l d and cont i nued
wo r k i n g actively unt i l his death i n 1929.
Perhaps i nt ended as a ki n d o f apotropaic
symbol , this Medusa was executed j ust
as Gemi t o emerged f r o m his per i od o f
seclusion.
Al t ho ugh Gemi to' s wor ks generally
display a vi brant , obsessive response t o
the everyday reali ti esparti cularly the
povert y and mi ser yo f life i n Naples,
they are tempered by a search for for mal
beauty based on Helleni st i c ideals and
by a mastery o f craftsmanship r i val i ng
that o f Renaissance artists. Al t ho ugh its
composi t i on follows the design o f the
Tazza Farnese, the famous Helleni st i c
hardstone object i n the Museo Ar che-
ologi co, Naples, Gemi to' s Medusa is
hardly a si mple copy. He transformed
the incised, one-sided design o f the
Tazza and extended i t i nt o a three-
di mensi onal object. I n doi ng so, Gemi t o
stretched the t r adi t i onally neat b ound-
aries between r eli ef sculpture, t wo-si ded
medalli ons, and sculpture i n the r ound.
The Medusa appears to be a composi t i on
that was executed i n onl y one versi on,
as opposed t o Gemi to' s bronzes whi c h
were often cast several times.
P R O VEN A N C E: L. Carl and Hazel Bean,
Shriverport, Maine; sale, Skinner's Auction,
no. 709, October 3, 1980, lot 617; Mrs. Piero
Corsini; [Piero Corsini, New York] .
PHOTOGRAPHS
Not e: Li st ed here are the i ndi vi dual
photographers whose wo r k was ac-
qui r ed dur i ng 1986. Each photographer' s
name is fol l owed by his or her nat i on-
ality, life dates (or years flouri shed) , and
by the number o f phot ographs acquired.
Thi s li st is fol l owed by reproduct i ons o f
t went y chr onol ogi cal l y arranged phot o-
graphs that are hi ghl i ght s o f the year's
collect i ng acti vi ty. There follows a sec-
t i on on si x o f the photographers whose
wo r k was acqui red i n dept h dur i ng the
year, consi sti ng o f a br i ef comment ar y
on each and selected reproducti ons.
PHO T O GR A PHE R S
ADAMS, ANSEL
( Amer i can, 1902-1984) , 11
ALI NARI BROTHERS
( Itali an, active Florence: Giuseppe,
1836-1890; Leopoldo, 1832-1865;
Romual do, 1830-1891), 3
ARNDT, GERTRUDE
( Ger man, b. 1903), 1
ATGET, EUGENE
(French, 1857-1927) , 2
AUERBACH, ELLEN (Studio Ringl and Pit)
( Amer i can, b. Ger many 1906), 1
BALZER, GERD
( Ger man, active 1930s, Bauhaus), 1
BARDOU, A.
(active It aly 19th cent ury) , 1
BATZ, EUGEN
( Ger man, b. 1905), 1
BAYER, HERBERT
( Amer i can, b. Aust ri a,
1900-1985) , 1
BAYER-HECHT, I RENE
( Amer i can, b. 1898), 1
BEDFORD, SIR FRANCIS
( Br i t i sh, 1815/16-1894), 1
BEESE, LOTTE
( Ger man, b. 1903), 1
BISSON FRERES
(French: Auguste-Rosali e,
1826-1900; Loui s-August e,
1814-1876), 1
BONFI LS
(French: Feli x, 1831-1885;
Lydi e, 1837-1918; Adr i en,
1861-1929), 57 ( album)
BONFILS, FELIX
(French, 1831-1885, active Near
East), 1
BORRI , V. E FIGLIO
(Italian, active Greece 1870s-1907), 3
BOTH, KATT
( German, active 1930s, Bauhaus), 1
BOURKE-WHI TE, MARGARET
( Amer i can, 1904-1971), 1
BRANCUSI , CONS TANTI N
(French, b. Romani a, 1876-1957), 1
BRANDT, BI LL
( Br i t i sh, 1904-1983) , 11
BRASS AI (Gyula Halsz)
( Hungar i an, 1899-1984,
active France), 13
CAMERON, HENRY HERSCHEL HAY
( Br i t i sh, 1852-1911), 15
CAMERON, JULI A MARGARET
( Br i t i sh, b. Indi a, 1815-1879), 10
CAMERON STUDI O ( H. H. H. Cameron)
( Br i t i sh, active late 19th cent ury) , 2
CLIFFORD, CHARLES
( Bri t i sh, 1819/20-1863, active
Spain), 1
COLLEI N, E DMU N D
( German, b. 1906), 1
CONSTANTI N, DI MI TRI OS
(Greek, active Athens
1858-1860s), 1
COPPOLA, HORACI O
( Ar gent i ni an, b. 1906), 1
DANA STUDIOS,
( Amer i can, active 1880s), 1
DEGAS, EDGAR
(French, 1834-1917), 3
DEGAS, EDGAR A N D BARNES STUDI O
(active France 19th cent ury) , 1
DELAMOTTE, PHILIP HENRY
( Br i t i sh, 1821-1889), 1
EAKI NS, THOMAS
( Amer i can, 1844-1916), 4
EHRLI CH, FRANZ A N D LOEW, W. M.
HEI NZ
( German: Ehr l i ch, active
1920s-1930s; Loew, 1903-1981,
active England) , 1
EVANS, WALKER
( Amer i can, 1903-1975) , 1
FEININGER, T[ heodore] . L UX (Lucas)
FEIST, WERNER DAVI D
( German, b. 1909), 1
FENTON, ROGER
( Br i t i sh, 1819-1869), 8
FERREZ, MARC
( Brazi li an, 1843-1923) , 165
( album)
FRI TH, FRANCIS
( Br i t i sh, 1822-1898) , 3
FUNKAT, WALTER
( Ger man, b. 1906), 1
GENTHE, ARNOLD
( Amer i can, b. Germany,
1869-1942) , 2
GOOD, FRANK MAS ON
( Br i t i sh, active Lo ndo n and Near
East 1860s-1890s), 3
HAGEMEYER, J OHAN
( Amer i can, b. Hol l and,
1884-1962) , 1
HAJO, ROSE
(Bauhaus, 20t h cent ury) , 1
HAWARDEN, LADY CLEMENTI NA
( Br i t i sh, 1822-1865) , 1
HENRI , FLORENCE
( Amer i can, 1895-1982, active
France and Ger many) , 1
HOPKI NS, THURS TON
( Br i t i sh, b. 1913), 1
JACKSON, WI LLI AM HENRY
( Amer i can, 1843-1942), 1
JACOBI, LOTTE
KALES, ARTHUR
( Amer i can, 1882-1936) , 103
Photographs 223
KEMMLER, FLORENCE
( Amer i can, 1900-1972) , 9
KERTESZ, ANDRE
( Amer i can, b. Hungar y,
1894-1985) , 46
KORTH, FRED G.
( Amer i can, b. Germany,
1902-1983) , 21
KRULL, GERMAI NE
(Polish, b. 1897, active Germany,
Hol l and, and France), 64 ( book)
LE GRAY, GUSTAVE
(French, 1820-1882) , 2
L O N DO N STEREOSCOPIC CO.
( Br i t i sh, active 1850s-1890s
Br i t ai n, Canada, and U. S.), 1
LOUGHTON, ALFRED J.
( Br i t i sh, 19th cent ury) , 1
LYNES, GEORGE PLATT
( Amer i can, 1907-1955) , 3
MA N RAY (Emmanuel Radnitsky)
( Amer i can, 1890-1976), 26
MARTI N, IRA W.
( Amer i can, active Ne w Yor k 20t h
cent ury) , 5
MATHER, MARGRETHE
( Amer i can, 1885-1952), 6
MAUL L A N D POLYBANK
( Br i t i sh, active 1850s), 34
MELVI LLE, R. LESLIE
( Br i t i sh, 1835-1906) , 132 ( album)
MODOTTI , TI NA
(Itali an, 1896-1942, active U.S.,
Mexi co, and Ger many) , 7
MOFFETT STUDI O
(active Chi cago circa 1913), 1
MOHOLY, LUCI A
(German/Swiss, b. Bohemi a 1899), 1
MOON, KARL
( Amer i can, 1878-1948) , 8
MORAI TES
(Greek: Petros, 1835-1905;
Georgi os, active 1874-1900) , 5
MUCHA, GEORG
( German, b. 1895), 1
MUNKACS I , MARTI N
1896-1963) , 5
NI NCI , GIUSEPPE
(Itali an, 1823-1890) , 1
PAP, GYULA
( Hungar i an, b. 1899), 1
REJLANDER, OSCAR GUSTAF
( Br i t i sh, b. Sweden, 1813-1875), 1
RICE, CHESTER
( Amer i can, active 1890s), 1
ROBI NSON, HENRY PEACH
( Br i t i sh, 1830-1901), 2
SANDER, AUGUST
( German, 1876-1964), 1
SCHNEIDER, DR. ROLAND
( Amer i can, 1884-1934) , 4
SMI TH, LEWIS
( Amer i can, active circa 1921), 1
SOMMER, FREDERICK
( Amer i can, b. Italy 1905), 1
STEICHEN, EDWARD
( Amer i can, b. Luxembour g,
1879-1973), 5
STERN, GRETE
( Ar gent i ni an, b. Ger many 1904), 1
STIEGLITZ, ALFRED
( Amer i can, 1864-1946) , 7
STORY-MASKELYNE, M. H. NEVI L
( Br i t i sh, 1823-1911), 1
STRAND, PAUL
( Amer i can, 1890-1976), 119
STRAUB, KARL
( German, active 1930s, Bauhaus), 1
STRUWE, CARL
( German, b. 1898), 10
SUDEK, JOSEF
(Czech, 1896-1976), 1
SUTCLIFFE, FRANK MEADOW
( Br i t i sh, 1853-1941), 1
TABARD, MAURI CE
(French, 1897-1984), 1
TALBOT, WI LLI AM HENRY FOX
( Br i t i sh, 1800-1877), 2
TEYNARD, FELIX
(French, 1817-1892), 160 ( book)
THAL EMANN, ELSE
( German, active 1930s), 13
THOMS ON, JOHN
( Br i t i sh, 1837-1921), 27
VALLOU-DE-VI LLENEUVE, JULI EN
(French, 1795-1866), 3
WATKI NS, HERBERT
( Br i t i sh, 19th cent ury) , 4
WEEGEE (Arthur H. Fellig)
1899-1968), 11
WESTON, EDWARD
( Amer i can, 1886-1958), 833 (795
al bum photographs, i ncl udi ng
about 150 o f undet er mi ned
authorshi p)
WESTON, EDWARD A N D MATHER,
MARGRETHE
( Amer i can: Weston, 1886-1958;
Mat her, 1885-1952), 2
WI LSON, GEORGE WASHI NGTON
( Br i t i sh, 1823-1893), 54 ( book)
WI NOGRAND, GARRY
( Amer i can, 1928-1984), 1
WOLCOTT, MAR I ON POST
( Amer i can, b. 1910), 8
WORTLEY, COL. H. STUART
( Br i t i sh, 1832-1890), 1
S E L E CT E D A CQ U I S I T I O N S
127
127. WI L L I AM HENRY FOX TALBOT
Br i t i sh, 1800-1877
Leaves of Orchidea, 1839
Phot ogeni c dr awi ng,
17.1x20.8 c m ( 6
3
/ / x 8
3
A
6
") .
Inscri bed: HF Talbot photogr./April
1839. on the verso.
" 86. XM. 621
P R O VEN A N C E: Robert Shapazian; [ Daniel
Wolf, Inc., New York] .
128. GUSTAVE LE GRAY
French, 1820-1882
Seascape with Steamboat and Three-
Masted Ship, circa 1856
Al b ume n pr i nt , 30 x 41.2 c m (117s"
x I6V4"). Photographer' s wet stamp
i n red i n k i n the l ower r i ght corner
o f the i mage; photographer' s b l i nd
stamp on the mo unt at the center
bel ow the i mage.
86. XM. 604. 1
P R O VEN A N C E: French private collection;
Robert Hershkowitz, London; [Charles
Isaacs, Philadelphia].
129. R. LESLIE MELVI LLE
Br i t i sh, 1835-1906
Going to the Portree Ball, f r o m the
Mel vi l l e A l b u m o f 138 phot o-
graphs (86. XA. 21. 1-137) , circa
1860s
Al b ume n pr i nt , 18.5 x 23.3 c m
( 7
5
/ i
6
" x 9
3
/ i
6
") . Inscri bed: Miss
Willoughby, Sophy L.M., R.L.M.,
Jack Thorold, Applecross, Lady Mid-
dleton, Going to the Portree Ball.
Bingy Lawley. on the mo unt bel ow
the i mage.
86.XA.21.103
P R O VEN A N C E: Heirs of R. Leslie Melville;
[ Howard Ricketts, Ltd., London] .
130. FRANK MEADOW SUTCLIFFE
Br i t i sh, 1853-1941
The Dock End, Whitby, 1880
Car bon pr i nt , 23.6 x 29.2 c m
( 9
5
A
6
" x V2"). Signed i n i nk at the
l ower left.
86.XM.518.1
P R O VEN A N C E: European vendor; [Robert
Klei n Gallery, Boston] .
Photographs 225
131
131. EDGAR DEGAS A N D
BARNES STUDI O
French
Degas: 1834-1917
Barnes Studi o: active 19th cent ury
Apotheose de Degas (after Ingres'
L'apotheose d'Homere), 1885
( 3 7 / x 3
3
/ / )
86.XM.690.4
P R O VEN A N C E: Madame Joxe-Halevy; Estate of
Francois Braunschweig, Paris.
132. ALFRED STIEGLITZ
Amer i can, 1864-1946
Portrait of Eva Hermann, circa 1894
Pl at i num pr i nt , 25.2 x 20.2 c m
( 9
1 5
/ i 6 " x7
1 5
/ i 6 " )
86.XM.622.4
P R O VEN A N C E: Kurt Hermann; [ Daniel Wolf,
Inc., New York] .
133. EUGENE ATGET
French, 1857-1927
Vieille Cour, 22 rue Quincampoix,
1908
(S
n
h6
,f
x 67s")
86.XM.628.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Elias Antinopoulis, Paris;
[ Brent Sikkema, Boston] .
133
134. KARL MO O N
Amer i can, 1878-1948
The Peace Pipe, circa 1909
Sepi a-toned gelat i n silver pr i nt
wi t h addi t i ons i n o i l ; squared
i n penci l, 34.6 x 43.2 c m
( 13 W x 17")
86.XM.472.6
P R O VEN A N C E: Estate of Karl Moon;
[ Argonaut Bookshop, San Francisco].
135. EDWARD STEI CHEN
Amer i can (b. Luxembour g) ,
1879-1973
Untitled, 1915
Mo c k gum-bi chr omat e pr i nt ,
21.2 x 16.6 c m ( 8 W x 6V2"). Si gned
and dated at the upper r i ght .
86.XM.625.1
P R O VEN A N C E: John Simpson; [ Mack Lee];
[ Daniel Wolf, Inc., New York] .
136
136. MARGRET HE MATHER
Amer i can, 1885-1952
Edward Weston, 1921
Pl at i num pr i nt , 19.1 x 24.1 cm
(7
1/
2" x 9'/2"). Signed and dated on
the mo unt bel ow the i mage.
86.XM.721.5
P R O VEN A N C E: Edward Weston; by descent,
Cole Weston, Carmel.
137. TI NA MODOTTI
Itali an (active U.S., Mexi co, and
Ger many) , 1896-1942
Dog and Tree, 1924
Gelat i n silver pr i nt , 8.3 x 11.9 c m
(3
3
/s" x 4
1 1
/ i 6") . Si gned and dated on
86.XM.722.4
138
138. J OHAN HAGEMEYER
Amer i can (b. Hol l and) , 1884-1962
Lily, 1926
(6
3
/s" x 8
1 3
/ i 6") . Si gned and dated on
86.XM.724.1
137
134
135
Photographs 227
139
139. ANSEL ADAMS
Amer i can, 1902-1984
Group Portrait, circa 1930
Gelat i n silver pr i nt , 17 x 22.7 c m
(6
n
he" x 8
1 5
/ i
6
")
86.XM.588.10
P R O VEN A N C E: Donald Tressider; Oliene Tres-
sider Mintzer; Butterfield and Butterfield;
[Paul M. Hertzmann, Inc., San Francisco].
140
140. MARTI N MUNKACS I
Amer i can (b. Hungar y) ,
1896-1963
Motorcycle, circa 1930
Gelat i n silver pr i nt ,
33.9 x 26.9 c m (137s" x 107i
6
")
86.XM.529.5
P R O VEN A N C E: Joan Munkacsi; [ Howard
Greenberg, New York] .
141
141. LOTTE JACOBI
Amer i can (b. Ger many) , 1896
Modern Monk Cleaning in Cloister,
early 1930s
(87i6" x 5
5
/ i
6
") . Si gned i n penci l at
the r i ght ; photographer' s wet
stamp on the verso.
86.XM.642.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Folkwang-Auriga Archive,
Berlin, West Germany; [Mathias Schroeder,
Radbruch, West Germany].
142
and corrections i n black-and-
whi t e i nk, 22.4 x 16.5 c m
( 8
1 3
/ i 6" x 6V2"). Designer's scaling
marks and Studi o Deber ny-Pei g-
not stamp on the verso.
86.XM.627.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Paul Pavel family; [Brent
Sikkema, Boston] .
143
143. BRASSAI (Gyula Halsz)
Hungar i an (active France),
1899-1984
Odalisque, 1934-1935
Cliche-verre, gelati n silver pr i nt ,
39.4 x 29.3 c m ( 157/ x l l
9
/ i
6
" )
86. XM. 3. 5
P R O VEN A N C E: Louis Stettner, New York.
142. MAURI CE TABARD
French, 1897-1984
Schn ist ein Zylinderhut, 1931
Gelat i n silver pr i nt wi t h addi ti ons
144
144. WEEGEE (Arthur H. Fellig)
1899-1968
Their First Murder, circa 1936
(lOVie" x 11"). Two photographer' s
wet stamps on the verso.
86. XM. 4. 6
P R O VEN A N C E: Louis Stettner, New York.
145. JOSEF SUDEK
Czech, 1896-1976
Panorama of Prague, circa 1946
(6V4" x 20")
86.XM.516.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Victor Musgrove, London;
[ David Dawson and Paul Kasmin, London] .
146. BI LL BRANDT
Br i t i sh, 1904-1983
Girl on Boat, circa 1946
Gel at i n silver pr i nt , 25.4 x 20.1 c m
(10" x 7
1 5
/ i
6
") . Photographer' s wet
stamp on the verso.
86.XM.618.4
P R O VEN A N C E: Noya Brandt, London;
[ Marlborough Fine Ar t , Ltd., London] ;
[ Edwi n Houk Gallery, Chicago].
145
146
Photographs 229
A S E L E C T I O N O F
P H O T O G R A P H E R S
C O L L E C T E D I N D E P T H
J UL I A MA R G A R ET C A MER O N . Dur i n g
1986 the Mus eum acqui red a gr oup o f
t went y-seven photographs made by or
relat i ng t o the Engl i sh photographer
Juli a Mar gar et Camer on (1815-1879),
who was the subject o f the Depar t ment
o f Photographs' i naugural exhi bi t i on,
Whisper of the Muse, hel d i n the fall. Ten
o f this gr oup are portrai ts by Camer on
herself; seven o f these are al bumen
pri nts, t wo are carbon pri nt s, and one is
an autotype. They range i n date f r o m
1865 t o 1875, thus coveri ng nearly all o f
her wo r k i n g life. The people depi cted
i nclude three o f Mr s. Cameron's five
sons, the essayist Sir Henr y Taylor, and
a Singhalese gi r l .
Fifteen o f the photographs were made
bet ween 1870 and 1900 by the youngest
o f Mr s. Cameron's five sons, Henr y
Herschel Hay Camer on (1852-1911),
who was a successful por t r ai t phot ogr a-
pher i n his o wn right. These are al bu-
men and gelati n silver pri nts. A l l fifteen
are portrai ts except one, whi c h is a pho-
t ograph o f a por t r ai t o f Juli a Margaret
Camer on pai nt ed by George Frederic
Watts (1817-1904).
The t wo r emai ni ng photographs i n
this gr oup are by un k n o wn makers.
One is an unsi gned al bumen pr i nt o f
the 1860s whi c h depicts Mr s. Cameron's
house on the Isle o f Wi g ht and whi c h
may be by her. The subject o f the last,
a gelat i n silver pr i nt f r o m the 1880s, is
a pai r o f chess players; one o f t hem is
Har di nge Hay Camer on (1846-1911),
another o f her sons, who may have
made this study.
Juli a Mar gar et Camer on is the most
i mpor t ant por t r ai t phot ographer i n the
hi st or y o f Engl i sh photography. Bo r n
Juli a Margaret Pattle i n Calcut t a and
raised and educated i n Paris, she l i ved
again i n Indi a and Ceyl on for a decade
after her marri age t o the di st i ngui shed
Angl o-I ndi an j ur i st Charles Hay
Camer on (1795-1880). They moved
t o Engl and i n 1848 and settled on the
Isle o f Wi g ht i n 1860. There, at the age
o f for t y-ei ght , she t ook up phot ogr a-
phy. She pursued the medi um wi t h
great energy, and i t br ought her consider-
able cri ti cal acclai m and modest c o m-
merci al success. Camer on made few
photographs after 1875, the year she
and her husband ret urned t o Ceyl on;
she di ed there i n 1879. Henr y Herschel
Hay Cameron's por t r ai t o f his mot her
(no. 147) shows her enveloped i n one
o f the shawls that were part o f her usual
garb. Thi s sedate i mage gives l i t t l e
i ndi cat i on o f Mr s. Cameron's i ndefat i -
gable nature.
The Museum' s hol di ng o f Mr s.
Cameron's wo r k, n o w the most ext en-
sive and i mpor t ant outsi de England,
is complement ed by a provocati ve
gr oup o f Camer on fami l y papers be-
l ongi ng t o the Archi ves o f the Hi st or y
o f Ar t , a depart ment o f the Get t y
Center for the Hi st o r y o f Ar t and the
Humani t i es. Bo t h the Ar chi ves' hol di ng
and the photographs reproduced here
derive f r o m Har di nge Hay Camer on.
Her wo r k has been characterized as
t ypologi cal. That is, i n the characteristic
Camer on i mage the model stands bot h
for h i m- or herself and for a fi gur al t ype
dr awn f r o m a li t erary or reli gi ous
source. I n thus representi ng her sitters,
she hoped t o i mbue her photographs
wi t h bot h physical and spi ri t ual beauty.
I n short, her i nt ent was t o make
phot ogr aphy an art o f mor al purpose.
There was also a genre aspect t o her
wo r k. Thi s is seen, for example, i n the
study o f about 1872 she ent i t led May
Prinsep (The Letter) (no. 148). The sub-
ject o f letters beari ng port ent ous news,
whet her f r o m lovers, fami ly, or friends,
appeared oft en i n Vi ct or i an images. The
model here is May Prinsep, a niece o f a
br ot her -i n-l aw o f Camer on, who also
posed often for G. F. Watts. Camer on
cast her as Elai ne i n the photographs
she made as i llust rat i ons for Tennyson's
Idylls of the King (1875). The poi gnant
1864 study o f the young El l en Ter r y
(no. 149) is Mr s. Cameron's fi rst master-
piece. The sitter is the celebrated actress,
who had mar r i ed the pai nter Watts the
year before the col l odi on negative for
the phot ogr aph was made. Al b ume n
pri nt s dat i ng f r o m 1864and pr i nt ed i n
reversewere ent i t led Sadness, suggest-
i ng the result o f an unhappy uni on;
Watts and Ter r y were later di vorced.
Thi s carbon pr i nt , commi ssi oned by
Mr s. Camer on, was made about 1875 by
craftsmen o f the Aut ot ype Company
o f London. They restored the or i gi nal
damaged negative and somewhat
enlarged the i mage, whi c h received its
present ti tle, Ellen Terry at the Age of
Sixteen, when i t was published by Al fr ed
Stieglitz i n his j our nal Camera Work i n
January 1913. ( A rectangular versi on o f
this subject exists whi c h shows even
mor e o f the damage t o the negative. I n
i t the i mage is also reversed.) The decol-
letage and loosed hair, whi c h are
ext raordi nary for the peri od, serve t o
emphasize the vul ner abi l i t y o f the sitter,
as does the carefully cont r olled l i ght .
Lumi nous portrai ts such as this one
exerted a great influence on the later
development o f pi ct or i al phot ogr aphy
and secured for Camer on a pr omi nent
place i n the hi st or y o f photography.
147
147. HENRY HERSCHEL HAY
CAMERON
Br i t i sh, 1852-1911
Portrait of Julia Margaret Cameron,
1874
(10" x 872") . Inscri bed: Photograph
from the life taken by my youngest son
Henry Herschel Hay Cameron. Taken
in 1874. Tor my cherished son
Hardinge with the love and blessing
of his mother Julia Margaret Cameron.
March 10th, 1877. on the mo unt be-
l o w the i mage.
86.XM.637.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Hardinge Hay Cameron;
Adeline Blake (Mrs. Hardinge Hay)
Cameron; Geraldine Blake Thomas (a sister
of Adeline Blake Cameron); Neville Hi ck-
man, Bi rmi ngham, England.
148. JULI A MARGARET CAMERON
Br i t i sh, 1815-1879
May Prinsep (The Letter), circa 1872
(12
9
/l6" X 8
1 3
/ l 6")
86. XM. 636. 5
of Adeline Blake Cameron); Neville
Hickman, Bi rmi ngham, England.
149. JULI A MARGARET CAMERON
Br i t i sh, 1815-1879
Ellen Terry at the Age of Sixteen,
circa 1875, f r o m a negative o f 1864
Car bon pr i nt , Di am: 24.2 c m
( 9
9
/ i 6") . Inscri bed: H. H. Cameron,
100 Holywell o n the verso.
86. XM. 636. 1
of Adeline Blake Cameron); Neville
Hickman, Bi rmi ngham, England.
149
F EL I X TEY N A R D . A French ci vi l engi -
neer, Teynard (18171892) made phot o-
graphs i n Egypt i n 1851 and 1852 usi ng a
paper negative process. Begi nni ng i n
1853 and cont i nui ng unt i l 1858, pri nt s
were produced i n France f r o m his nega-
tives one at a t i me and mount ed by
hand one t o a page and t hen issued i n
small groups. When these fascicles were
gathered together i n 1858, the c o m-
pleted set o f photographs compri sed a
t wo- vol ume set cont ai ni ng 160 plates,
ent i t led Egypte et Nubie, sites et monu-
ments les plus interessants pour Vetude de
Vart et de l'histoire. Fewer than a dozen
complet e copies survi ve, one o f whi c h
the Mus eum has no w acquired.
Al t ho ug h Teynard's photographs
were publi shed wi t h accompanyi ng
plans o f some o f the monument s o f
Egypt i an ant i qui t y and explanatory
notes t o the photographs, his i nt ent was
not si mpl y t o record ant i qui t y but
rather t o depict the overall beauty o f
Egypt i an architecture and its setti ng.
Hi s subjects were pr edomi nant l y r ui ned
temples, but they also i ncluded Ar ab
houses, mosques, and cemeteries, the
Ni l e and its cataracts, and studies o f
pal m trees and mount ai ns. At each o f
the many archaeological sites t o whi c h
Teynard traveled he made at least one
general vi ew o f the rui ns, such as the
vi ew o f the t emple at Edfu (no. 152),
t hen framed mor e parti culari zed c o m-
posi ti ons, and fi nally phot ographed an
archi tectural detai l or t wo. As the vi ew
o f the capitals o f the t emple at Esna
(no. 150) indicates, Teynard occasionally
decontextuali zed archi tectural details.
He treated t hem wi t h soft-focus t o
lend t hem a sense o f myst er y wi t ho ut ,
however, det ract i ng f r o m the sense he
gave o f the ext raordi nary sol i di t y o f
Egypt i an monument al architecture.
He is not ed for his mastery o f the use
o f shadow i n pat t er ni ng his wo r k, as
the phot ogr aph o f the r ock-cut t emple
at Ab u Si mbel (no. 151) clearly demon-
strates. I t is unusual among ni net eent h-
cent ury photographs o f this subject i n
that i t shows the temple's r elat i on t o
148
Photographs 231
the Ni l e. Teynard's response t o the at-
mosphere o f Egypt was a mi xt ur e
o f melancholy and wonder and, as
such, epi tomi zes ni net eent h-cent ury
r omant i ci sm.
150
150. FELIX TEYNARD
French, 1817-1892
Capitals, Shafts, and Architrave,
Temple of Knum, Esna, 1852
Salt pr i nt , 24.9 x 30.8 c m
( 9
1 3
/ i 6 " x 12V8")
86.XB.693.1.71
P R O VEN A N C E: Private collection, Los Angeles;
[ Zei tli n and Ver Brugge, Los Angeles].
151
151. FELIX TEYNARD
French, 1817-1892
Colossi in Profile, Great Temple,
Abu Simbel, 1852
Salt pr i nt , 30.8 x 25.3 c m
(1278" x 10")
86.XB.693.2.154
152. FELI X TEYNARD
French, 1817-1892
Pylon, Temple of Horus, Edfu, 1852
Salt pr i nt , 237 x 30.5 c m
( 9 W x 12")
86.XB.693.1.75
ED W A R D W ES TO N . I n 1986 the Mu -
seum acquired a collect i on o f 821 phot o-
graphs by and about Edwar d Weston
(1886-1958) and his fami ly, plus four -
teen images by artists associated wi t h
Weston. The enti re gr oup was pur -
chased f r o m the artist's son Cole. A l l
made at the t i me o f the negatives, these
photographs chroni cle Weston's early
career, f r o m 1906 when he moved f r o m
Chi cago t o Los Angeles t o the 1920s
when he gravi tated fi rst t o Mexi co and
t hen t o No r t her n Cali forni a. For the
most part, the i ndi vi dual pri nt s and a
mi no r i t y o f al bum pri nt s are signed and
t i t l ed by the artist. The gr oupi ng i n -
cludes pr i mar i l y gelat i n silver and pl at i -
n um pri nts, wi t h some pal l adi um and
cyanotype pri nt s; all range i n size f r o m
T/8-by-l
5
/s t o lT/8 -by-14Vi6 inches.
Near l y ei ght hundr ed o f these images
come f r o m fami l y albums compi l ed and
t i t l ed by the artist's fi rst wi fe, Flora
Chandler Weston. Mo s t o f these fami l y
pri nts, whi c h are pr i mar i l y bi ographi cal
and autobi ographi cal i n nature, are
mount ed o n pages whi c h have been
gathered, someti mes unbound, i nt o al -
bums. The maj or i t y o f the al bum pho-
tographs have been at t ri but ed t o
Weston; however, about one hundr ed
fi ft y are o f undet er mi ned authorshi p.
The collect i on also contains many
i ndi vi dual Weston photographs that
are central to his art before 1925 and
were pr i nt ed for exhi bi t i on purposes.
Master pri nt s f r o m the Ar mc o Steel
series, portrai ts o f his l ongt i me model
and fri end Ti na Mo d o t t i , and fi gure
studies o f the dancer Bert ha Wardell are
i ncluded, as wel l as those i llustrated
here: Plaster Works (no. 156), Chandler
Weston (no. 155), and Chandler Weston
in His Shop (no. 157).
The al bum photographs provi de i n -
si ght ful glimpses i nt o Weston's transi -
t i on f r o m a pr omi si ng j uveni l e t o a f ul l -
fledged artist. I n addi t i on t o the 762
photographs i ncluded i n i nfor mal
albums, about t hi r t y others were
or i gi nal l y mount ed i n albums and
subsequently removed before they ar-
rived at the Museum. One such pr i nt is
the Back Entrance of Edward Weston's First
Studio, Tropico (no. 154). Const ruct ed for
a mere six hundr ed dollars i n the small
t o wn o f Tropi co (today part o f Gl en-
dale), thi s studi o served Weston for the
enti re early phase o f his career, f r om
1911 t o the early 1920s. Its par ed-down,
unpret ent i ous facade is emblemati c o f
his l i fel ong devot i on t o mai nt ai ni ng an
uncompli cat ed, bohemi an existence.
Forsaki ng the fi nanci al rewards and
glamour that mi ght have been his had
he ful l y pursued commer ci al phot ogr a-
phy, he made a choice t o wo r k out o f
his si mple rural studi o rather than one
i n the center o f Los Angeles.
Weston's Self Portrait (no. 153), also
for mer l y mount ed i n an al bum, shows
the ambi t i ous artist as he l ooked at
t went y-four or t went y-fi ve. Ar ms
folded, sleeves r olled up, and stari ng
di rect ly and self-assuredly at the
camera, he appears ready t o go t o wo r k.
Indeed, Weston wo r ked ver y hard at his
craft dur i ng these early years.
Dur i n g the fi rst part o f his career,
Weston wor ked pr i mar i l y i n his studi o.
Bet ween commer ci al assignments, he
honed his skills as a portrai ti st. The fine
pl at i num pr i nt Chandler Weston is one
o f a series o f sensitive portrai ts o f his
eldest son; the newl y acquired collect i on
includes several other photographs f r o m
this series, such as Chandler Weston in
His Shop. Weston's earlier portrai ts were
t ypi cal l y executed i n the pi ct ori ali st
style, o f whi c h he was an i mpor t ant
West Coast exponent. I n its flat t eni ng
o f space and playful geomet r y o f
shadow, Chandler Weston, f r o m 1920,
shows signs o f Weston's moder ni st
explorati ons.
Five years later, dur i ng a per i od o f
travel and after his artistic renewal i n
Mexi c o dur i ng 1923-1924, West on pho-
t ographed Plaster Works. Thi s extraor-
di nar y pl at i num phot ogr aph, made on a
r et ur n vi si t t o Los Angeles, i nvi tes
compar i son wi t h Chandler Weston i n its
soft, evocative use o f l i ght and f o r m.
Ut i l i z i n g the subtle geomet ri c abstrac-
t i on o f a plaster mi l l , West on goes
beyond his early fl i r t at i on wi t h moder n-
i sm t o achieve a masterful mer gi ng o f
the softness o f pi ct or i al i sm wi t h the dy-
nami sm o f Const r uct i vi st pai nt i ng.
153
153. EDWARD WESTON
Amer i can, 1886-1958
Self-Portrait, circa 1910-1911
(6V2" x 3
1 5
/ l 6")
86.XM.719.4
P R O VEN A N C E: By descent, Cole Weston,
Carmel.
154. EDWARD WESTON
Amer i can, 1886-1958
Back Entrance of Edward Westons
First Studio, Tropico, circa 1915
( 4
u
/ i 6" x 8"). Inscri bed: (?) ed
Studio, Glendale, Calif, i n an un -
k n o wn hand on the verso.
86.XM.719.27
Carmel.
155
155. EDWARD WESTON
Amer i can, 1886-1958
Chandler Weston, 1920
Pl at i num pr i nt , 19.2 x 23.6 c m
( 7
9
/ i 6" x 9
5
/ i 6") . Signed, dated, and
i nscri bed Chandler, o n the recto o f
86.XM.710.10
Carmel.
156
Photographs 233
156. EDWARD WESTON
Amer i can, 1886-1958
Plaster Works, 1925
Pl at i num pr i nt , 19.2 x 24 c m
( 7
9
/ i 6" x 9
7
/ i 6") . Signed, dated, and
i nscri bed Los Angeles on the verso.
86.XM.710.5
Carmel.
157. EDWARD WESTON
Amer i can, 1886-1958
Chandler Weston in His Shop, 1920
(9
5
A6 " x 7V2"). Signed and dated
on the recto o f the mo unt bel ow
the i mage.
86.XM.710.12
Carmel.
MA N R A Y . I n 1986 the Mus eum
acquired a gr oup o f t went y-si x phot o-
graphs r angi ng i n date f r o m 1917 t o 1951
by the Amer i can artist Ma n Ray
(ne Emmanuel Radni tsky, 1890-1976) .
Var yi ng i n size f r o m 3
7
/ s-by-2
1 5
/ i 6 t o
U
1 3
/ i 6-by-9
3
/ i 6 inches, these pri nt s are
the earliest or best sur vi vi ng ones f r om
the negatives and were made by h i m at
the t i me the negatives were made. Thi s
gr oup o f images, assembled f r o m a var i -
ety o f sources by the Ne w Yor k dealer-
collector Dani el Wolf, is part i cularly
st rong i n wor ks f r o m the fi rst decade
o f Ma n Ray's career.
Ma n Raythe painter, wr i t er , and
maker o f objectswas also an excep-
t i onal l y i nvent i ve photographer. Bo r n
and educated i n the Uni t ed States, he
fi rst wor ked as a commer ci al artist i n
Ne w Yor k Ci t y dur i ng the early teens
o f the century. Hi s visits t o Al fr ed
Stieglitz's 291 gallery acquainted h i m
wi t h the idea o f experi ment al art, and
he soon met Stanton Mac Do nal d-
Wr i ght , Mo r gan Russell, and Mar cel
Duchamp. ( He met the last i n 1915,
and the t wo developed a fri endshi p that
lasted nearly fi ft y years.) Dur i n g muc h
o f his career Ma n Ray wor ked si mul -
taneously at pai nt i ng, collage, and
photography. I n his aut obi ography he
described ho w natural i t was for h i m t o
create i n several medi a. " I had never
shared the cont empt shown by other
painters for phot ography, " he wr ot e.
"Ther e was no compet i t i on i nvolved,
rather the t wo medi ums [ pai nt i ng
and phot ogr aphy] were engaged i n
di fferent paths."
Ab o ut 1915, Duchamp i nvi t ed Ma n
Ray t o vi si t his wo r k space i n a c o m-
merci al l oft bui l di ng that housed such
tradesmen as pri nters and ti re v ul -
canizers. I n Duchamp' s quarters he
found not hi ng that resembled a painter's
studio. " I n the far corner near the wi n -
dow, " he later recalled, "st ood a pai r
o f trestles on whi c h lay a large piece
o f heavy glass covered wi t h i ntri cate
patterns l ai d out i n fine lead wi res."
The piece had a deep influence on Ma n
Ray, who soon qui t his j o b as a commer -
cial artist t o dedicate hi msel f exclu-
sively t o photography.
Ma n Ray soon fol l owed Duchamp
t o Paris and was i nt r oduced there t o
Tri stan Tzara, Andr e Br et on, Francis
Picabia, and other parti ci pants i n the
Dadaist movement . I n Paris i n 1917
he phot ographed Duchamp wi t h his
Glissiere contenant un moulin eau en me-
taux voisins (19131915, a study for his
Large Glass), the most i mpressi ve Dada-
object f r o m Duchamp' s Paris years.
Ma n Ray's phot ogr aph (no. 158) i nt r o -
duces elements o f spatial i l l usi on and
port rai t ure t o Duchamp' s sculpture vi a
the background, whi c h includes wi res
f r o m an electric meter that appear t o be
attached t o the t op edge o f the sculp-
ture. Duchamp is shown stretched am-
bi guously on a table suppor t i ng the
object i n a way that confuses what is up
wi t h what is down. Bet ween t hem,
Ma n Ray and Duchamp created a wo r k
that bridges the gap bet ween the cre-
ative act and publi c percepti on o f a
wo r k o f art.
It was t hr ough the fi lter o f Ma n Ray's
eye that the wo r l d saw Duchamp' s
wo r k. Duchamp' s celebrated altered
ready-made, L.H.O.O.Q. (a color
postcard o f da Vi nci ' s Mona Lisa, t o
whi c h Duchamp added dr awi ng and
t ext ) , was propagated vi a Ma n Ray's
phot ogr aph La Joconde vue par Duchamp
(no. 159). Even t hough Duchamp had
the idea o f mani pul at i ng the celebrated
pai nt i ng, Ma n Ray i ni t i aled the phot o-
graph o f i t , thus i dent i fyi ng hi msel f
wi t h the idea. The Museum' s pr i nt is
believed t o be the earliest sur vi vi ng
Ma n Ray replica o f L.H.O.O.Q., the one
Duchamp valued over the "o r i gi nal "
altered postcard.
Soon after ar r i vi ng i n Paris, Ma n Ray
began a r omant i c relati onshi p wi t h Ki k i
o f Montparnasse (nee Al i ce Pr i n i n Br i t -
tany) , who was a popular artist's model .
She i nspi red Ma n Ray's artistic interest
i n the female fi gure. Le violon dTngres
(no. 160), Ma n Ray's altered phot ogr aph
o f her, was his answer t o Duchamp' s
L.H.O.O.Q. Wi t ho ut the i nk design
representi ng the sound holes o f a
vi o l i n that has been superi mposed on
the model' s back, the phot ogr aph wo ul d
resemble an academic study; wi t h the
design, there is a wi t t y reference t o
Ingres' hobby o f playi ng the vi o l i n and
t o the fi gure i n his celebrated pai nt i ng
The Turkish Bath (1859-1863, no w
i n the Musee du Louvr e) .
157
158. MA N RAY
Amer i can, 1890-1976
Duchamp avec son verre ( Duchamp
wi t h [a study for hi s] Large Glass),
1917
( 3 W x 6Vi6"). Signed, dated, i n -
scribed, and mar ked wi t h a pho-
tographer s wet stamp on the
verso.
86. XM. 626. 4
P R O VEN A N C E: Art uro Schwarz; [ Daniel Wolf,
New York] .
159. MA N RAY
Amer i can, 1890-1976
La Joconde vue par Duchamp (Mona
Lisa as seen by Duchamp) , 1921/22
( fr om a ready-made o f 1914)
(6
5
/s" x 4V
8
")
I ni t i aled at the l ower r i ght .
86.XM.626.1
P R O VEN A N C E: Arturo Schwarz; [ Daniel Wolf,
New York] .
159
160. MA N RAY
Amer i can, 1890-1976
Le violon dTngres, 1924
( l l W x 9"). Si gned and dated at the
l ower r i ght ; photographer' s wet
stamp on the verso.
86.XM.626.10
P R O VEN A N C E: [Robert Kasmin, London] ; Paul
Kasmin; [ Daniel Wolf, New York] .
160
158
Photographs 235
P A UL S TR A N D . Dur i n g 1986 the
Mus eum acquired a gr oup o f 117 phot o-
graphs r angi ng i n date f r o m 1913 t o 1955
by the Amer i can artist Paul Strand
(1890-1976). These photographs,
var yi ng i n size f r o m 4V2-by-5
3
/4 t o
13V8-by-7
3
A inches, are the best sur vi v-
i ng pri nts made at the t i me the negatives
were made. Strand, a master pri nter,
employed pl at i num, pal l adi um, satista,
Cykor a, br omi de, and gelat i n silver
papers i n creati ng these photographs.
Thi s comprehensi ve gr oup o f pri nt s
spans Strand's career f r o m before his
fi rst cri t i que wi t h Al f r ed Sti egli tz i n
1915 t o his later years and expatriate li fe
i n France.
Still Life with Matchboxes (no. 161) is
one o f a series o f experiments i n abstrac-
t i on produced by the artist at his family's
summer cottage at Twi n Lakes, Co n -
necti cut, i n 1916. Al t ho ugh the i mage
most l i kel y ori gi nat ed as a 3V4-by-4V4-
i nch negative made wi t h Strand's hand-
held Ensi gn camera, the large satista
pr i nt was probably contact pr i nt ed
f r o m a negative enlarged by the lant ern-
slide pr oj ect i on met hod. At this t i me
Strand was maki ng his carefully crafted
pri nt s at the Camera Cl ub o f Ne w
Yor k, where he had been usi ng a dar k-
r o o m since gr aduat i ng f r o m the Et hi cal
Cul t ur e School i n 1909. I n the summer
o f 1916, perhaps wi t h the encourage-
ment o f Stieglitz, the artist pushed his
moder ni st i nsti ncts t o t hei r l i mi t s.
Sti egli tz had revi ewed Strand's wo r k i n
1915 and, i n Mar c h 1916, had gi ven h i m
a one-man show, Photographs of New
York and Other Places by Paul Strand, at
his gallery, 291. That summer, Strand
was l o o ki ng not at the ci t y but rather
at composi t i ons o f his o wn maki ng, set
up on the por ch o f the Twi n Lakes cot -
tage. Bottles, bowls, chairs, fr ui t , and
matchboxes pr ovi ded the raw mat eri al
for i mager y that fi nal l y ranged f r o m the
nearly realistic to the t ot al l y abstract. I n
Still Life with Matchboxes, subject mat t er
is st i l l recognizable, albeit unexpected,
but the sense o f space and scale is frac-
t ured and ambi guous. The war m grays
o f the pr i nt range beaut i fully t hr ough
the solids and shadows f r o m the whi t e
b o wl at the upper left t o the almost -
black bot t le at the l ower r i ght .
I n 1919 Strand met Rebecca Salsbury,
a teacher who wo ul d later become a
painter; i n 1922 they were mar r i ed.
Thr o ugh Strand, Rebecca met and be-
came friends wi t h Al f r ed Sti egli tz and
his wi fe, Georgi a O' Keeffe. Rebecca at
Dr. Stieglitz's, Mamaroneck, New York
(no. 162) was made i n 1920, the year
Strand began c ompi l i ng a "por t r ai t "
o f his wi fe. Thi s series also chroni cled
t hei r twelve-year marri age. I n 1932,
after exhi bi t i ng together at Stieglitz's
A n Amer i can Place gallery i n Ne w
Yor k, they separated. The 1986 acquisi-
t i on includes ei ght o f Strand's portrai ts
o f Rebecca. Hi s series is someti mes
compared t o that made by Stieglitz,
ent i t led Georgia O'Keeffe, A Portrait,
between 1917 and 1930. Stieglitz's idea
o f one por t r ai t made o f many parts
may have i nspi red Strand's series; on
the other hand, i t may have been an
extensi on o f the intense i nvest i gat i on
o f port rai t ure he had begun several
years earlier i n his "candi d" Ne w
Yor k street photographs.
Strand seems t o have become aware
o f architecture as an i mpor t ant subject
for phot ogr aphy ver y early i n his career.
When he established hi msel f as a c o m-
merci al phot ographer i n 1912 he set out
t o earn an i ncome by document i ng the
architecture o f college campuses and
selli ng the fi nal hand-colored pl at i num
pri nt s t o depart i ng seniors as souvenirs.
Al t ho ugh this enterprise di d not prove
part i cularly lucrati ve, i t di d pr ovi de h i m
wi t h the excuse t o travel ar ound the
count ry, t o l o o k at vari ous ki nds o f
bui ldi ngs, and t o develop an eye for the
forms and pot ent i al i conography o f
archi tectural photography. Strand's
Wall Street (1915) shows his abi li t y t o
use archi tectural forms expressively, but
White Fence, Port Kent, New York (1916),
mor e si gni fi cantly, foreshadows his
mat ure wo r k and, i n parti cular, his
persistent at t ent i on t o the forms o f
vernacular architecture.
Bet ween 1930 and 1932 the Strands
spent summers i n Taos, Ne w Mexi co,
usi ng as t hei r base one o f the cottages
owned by the art pat r on Mab el Dodge
Luhan. Fr o m there Strand explored the
archi tectural remnants o f the r egi on that
was once front i er Amer i ca. City Hall,
Ghost Town (St. Elmo?) Colorado (no.
163), a small br omi de pr i nt o f 1931, is
an exquisite mi ni at ur e renderi ng o f the
edifice o f a deserted publi c bui l di ng set
against vi gor ous hi lls and clouds, l i t by
a br i ght ful l sun and phot ographed
straight on. Thr o ugh Strand's honest v i -
si on the onet i me ci t y hall is shown as a
majestic Amer i can r ui n. The Museum' s
pr i nt is i ndeed a muc h mor e accurate
record o f the ci t y hall than the mor e fa-
mi l i ar hor i zont al versi on o f this phot o-
graph, whi c h harks back t o Strand's
experi ments o f the teens. I n the ho r i -
zontal i mage the structure is isolated
f r o m any context, natural or man-
made, and the fi nal effect is o f a mor e
abstracted facade wi t h bol d black-
ened wi ndows.
161. PAUL STRAND
Amer i can, 1890-1976
Still Life with Matchboxes, 1916
Satista pr i nt on rice paper mount ,
33.4 x 19.8 c m (13V
8
" x 7
5
/s"). Si gned
at the l ower r i ght .
86.XM.683.59
P R O VEN A N C E: The Aperture Foundation,
New York.
162. PAUL STRAND
Amer i can, 1890-1976
Rebecca at Dr. Stieglitz's,
Mamaroneck, New York, 1920
(9
7
/s" x 7
7
/s")
86.XM.683.1
New York.
163
163. PAUL STRAND
Amer i can, 1890-1976
City Hall, Ghost Town (St. Elmo?),
Colorado, 1931
Silver br omi de pr i nt , 14.6 x 11.3 c m
(5
3
A " x 47i
6
") . Inscri bed: Paul Strand
HS. by Hazel Strand o n the verso.
86.XM.683.64
New York.
A N D R E K ER TES Z . I n 1986 the Mus eum
acqui red a gr oup o f for t y-one phot o-
graphs by Andr e Kertesz ( 1894-1985) ,
who was b o r n i n Hungar y and moved
t o Paris i n 1925 and t hen t o Ne w Yor k
i n 1936. These pri nt s, var yi ng i n size
f r o m 6
7
/ s-by-6V4 t o l l
7
/ s - b y- 7
1 5
/ i 6 inches
and i n date f r o m the 1910s t o 1958, are
for the most part either uni que pieces
or the earliest and best sur vi vi ng pri nt s
created by the phot ographer i n gelati n
silver at the t i me the negatives were
made. Acqui r ed pr i nci pal l y f r o m the
estate o f Andr e Kertesz, the gr oup i n -
cludes images r angi ng f r o m the begi n-
ni ng o f his career i n Budapest t o his
fi rst experi ment al wo r k i n Paris t o his
Ne w Yor k per i od, when he was i n ful l
creative stride.
I n Paris Kertesz entered the circle
o f leadi ng painters and sculptors, i n -
cl udi ng Tri stan Tzara, Mar c Chagall,
Alexander Calder, and Piet Mo ndr i an.
Kertesz's photographs have muc h i n
c o mmo n wi t h the wo r k o f artists wi t h
161
162
Photographs 237
wh o m he fraternized, yet he remai ned
generally i ndependent o f t hei r man-
ifestos and movements. Bo t h an i nnova-
t or and a teacher, he i nt r oduced Brassa'i,
who was trai ned as a wr i t er , t o the art
o f photography, and he also greatly
i nfluenced Henr i Carti er-Bresson.
Kertesz once pr ovi ded an apt
characterization o f his wo r k when he
described hi msel f as a "nat urali st -
surrealist." Indeed, i n his most charac-
teristic photographs, a surrealistic
perspective is mi xed wi t h his abi di ng
interest i n the mani fest ly or di nar y
aspects o f dai ly life.
Thi s naturalist-surrealist element is
evi dent i n the four photographs r epr o-
duced here. Kertesz had an i nst i nct for
endowi ng commonplace subjects wi t h
an aura o f the mysteri ous and super-
natural. I f the subject was a st i l l life,
Kertesz wo ul d deftly choose his vi ew-
poi nt and occasionally make a subtle
alterati on t o gai n the desired effect.
Chez Mondrian (no. 165), for example,
was phot ographed f r om the inside o f
that artist's studi o l o o ki ng t owar d the
st ai rwell. A straw hat bel ongi ng t o
the wr i t er and phot ographer Mi chael
Seuphor hangs nearly obscured on the
wal l where Kertesz presumably found
i t ; the vase, however, has been moved
f r om the center o f the table t o its edge
i n order t o complete the effect o f a bal -
anced composi t i on. Kertesz was less
l i kel y t o rearrange his subject, ho w-
ever, t han t o phot ogr aph i t at the
most reveali ng i nstant or f r o m the
most t el l i ng vi ewpoi nt . Thi s tendency
is evi dent i n Smokestacks at Night, Paris
(no. 164). The key t o this phot ogr aph is
the t i me o f daypresumably dusk
when there was j ust enough l i ght left
i n the sky to si lhouette the smokestacks
but not so muc h as t o di mi ni sh the
mysteri ous gl ow o f the single
l i ght ed wi n d o w
Kertesz's di st i nct i ve talent lay i n his
abi li t y seemi ngly t o record a vi sual per-
cepti on the moment he had i t , t o create
the i l l usi on that the pi cture was made i n
the eyes and mi n d wi t ho ut the i nt er ven-
t i on o f the hands. I n Diver in a Paris Pool
(no. 166) and Fete Performer (no. 167)
muc h is left t o the viewer' s i magi nat i on.
Bo t h photographs rely on us t o f i l l i n
elements that li e outsi de the frame or
that are so i ndi st i nct as t o be i llegi ble. I n
Fete Performer we i nfer that the busker
has an audience other t han the soli tary
fi gure i n the backgr ound and that the
t wo chairs are standi ng on an elevated
pl at for m; i n Diver we assume the fi gure
is di vi ng i nt o a s wi mmi n g pool and that
the bl ur r y for egr ound is water.
164
164. ANDRE KERTESZ
1894-1985
Smokestacks at Night, Paris, 1927
( 2
3
/ l6" X27l6")
86.XM.706.2
P R O VEN A N C E: Estate of Andre Kertesz,
New York.
165. ANDRE KERTESZ
1894-1985
Chez Mondrian, 1926
(4
5
/I" x 3V8"). Signed and i nscri bed
Paris bel ow the i mage.
86.XM.706.10
New York.
166
166. ANDRE KERTESZ
1894-1985
Diver in a Paris Pool, 1929
Gel at i n silver pr i nt , 25 x 19.1 c m
(97s" x 7V
2
"). Dat ed at the t op cen-
ter o f the verso.
86.XM.706.30
New York.
167
167. ANDRE KERTESZ
1894-1985
Fete Performer, 1931
Gelat i n silver pr i nt , 23.9 x 19 c m
( 97i
6
" x 77i6"). Dat ed at the l ower
r i ght o f the verso.
86.XM.706.28
New York.
Trustees
Staff List (As of July 1, 1987)
Har ol d E. Berg
Chairman
Har ol d M. Wi l l i ams*
President
Nor r i s Bramlet t *
Kennet h Dayt on
John T. Fey
Gor don P. Getty*
J. Ronald Get t y
(honorary )
Jon B. Lovelace
Fr ankli n D. Mur phy*
Stuart T. Peeler
Rocco C. Siciliano
Jennifer Jones Si mon*
J. Patrick Whaley
Ot t o Wi t t mann*
Federico Zer i
(honorary )
* Acquisitions Commi t t ee member
John Walsh
Director
Deborah Gr i bbon
Associate Director for
Curatorial Affairs
Bret Waller
Associate Director for Education
and Public Affairs
Barbara Whi t ney
Associate Director for
Administration
Bur t on B. Fredericksen
Senior Curator for Research
A DMI N I S T R A T I O N
A D MI N I S T R A T I V E OFFI CE
Patricia Howar d
Executive Assistant to the Director
Barbara Anderson
Collections Projects Coordinator
Evelyn Bassel Li t t lej ohn
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Executive Secretary
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Senior Secretary
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Senior Secretary
PER S ONNEL A N D
A D MI N I S T R A T I V E SERVI CES
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Judi t h Connol l y
Manager of Office Services
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Office Assistant
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Receptionist
CUR ATOR I AL
DE PA R T ME N T OF
A N T I Q U I T I E S
Mar i o n True
Curator
Kennet h Hamma
Associate Curator
Mar k R. Jent oft -Ni lsen
Assistant Curator
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Assistant Curator
Kar ol Wi ght
Curatorial Assistant
Dor ot hy Osaki
Senior Secretary
DE PA R T ME N T OF
DE CO R A TI V E ARTS
Gi l l i an Wi l son
Curator
Davi d Cohen
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Theresa Morales
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DE P A R T ME N T OF DR AWI NGS
George R. Goldner
Curator
Lee Hendr i x
Assistant Curator
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Stacy Pierson
Senior Secretary
DE P A R T ME N T OF
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Myr o n Laski n
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Assistant Curator
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D E P A R T ME N T OF
PHOTOGR APHS
Weston Naef
Curator
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Vi ct or i a Blasco
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Secretary
D E P A R T ME N T OF
S CU L PTU R E A N D
WOR KS OF A R T
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Curator
Catheri ne Hess
Ni na Banna
Senior Secretary
CONS ERVATI ON
A N T I Q U I T I E S CO N S E R V A TI O N
Jerry C. Podany
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Clai re Dean
Assistant Conservator
Lisbet Thoresen
Susan Lansi ng
Patricia Mi nat oya
James Stahl
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Mountmaker
Wayne Haak
Conservation Technician/
Mountmaker
Vi vi an Coe
Senior Secretary
DE CO R A TI V E ARTS
A N D S CU L PTU R E
CO N S E R V A TI O N
Barbara Roberts
Conservator
Br i an B. Consi di ne
Bi l l i e Mi l a m
Graham Powell
Li nda Strauss
George Johnson
Senior Conservation Technician/
Mountmaker
Mar k Mi t t o n
Conservation Technician/
Mountmaker
Di ane Bi ehl
Senior Secretary
PAI NTI NGS CO N S E R V A TI O N
Andrea R. Rothe
Conservator
Mar k Leonard
Elisabeth D. Ment i o n
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Robert Keefe
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PHO TO GR A PHI C SERVI CES
Charles Passela
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Penelope Potter
Associate Photographer
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Photo Technician
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Photo Technician
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Photo Technician
Amanda Fish
Office Assistant
PR EPAR ATI ON
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Prep arator/Head of Preparations
and Machine Shop
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Ar t hur Parker
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Susi Staunton
Secretary
R EGI S TR ATI ON
Sally Hi bbar d
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AFFAI RS
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Davi d Ebi t z
Head of Education and Academic
Affairs
Judi t h Sloane Blocker
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Andr ew Cl ar k
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Museum Lecturer
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and Lecture Programs
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Gallery Teacher
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Gallery Teacher
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Phi l Freshman
Editor
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Davi d Br o wn
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Enri que Ri vero
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Operations
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o
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Robert Foley
Robert Wise
Deshay Ford
Davi d Forrest
Ray Frazier
Alfonso Galang
Gary Gamble
Steven Gi dley
Janet Gi l l
Bob Gr i msr ud
Sandy Hanson
Charles Har r i ngt on
Donna Har vat h
Roberto Hernandez
Jack Jackson
Mar k Lasken
T i m Lewi s
James Lynch
Stu Mc Do nal d
Tom Moseley
Frank Mur phy
Fernando Ost oi ch
Lynn Parker
Editorial Board Credits
Bur t on B. Fredericksen
Senior Curator for Research
Peter Fusco
Curator of Sculpture and
Works of Art
George R. Goldner
Curator of Drawings
Deborah Gr i bbon
Associate Director for Curatorial
Affairs, Secretary
Thomas Kr en
Curator of Manuscripts
Myr o n Laski n
Curator of Paintings
Weston Naef
Curator of Photographs
Mar i o n True
Curator of Antiquities
Gi l l i an Wi l son
Curator of Decorative Arts
Bret Waller
Associate Director for Education and
Public Affairs, ex offi ci o
John Walsh
Director, ex offi ci o
Chri stopher Hudson
Head of Publications
Andrea R A. Bel l ol i
Managing Editor
Phi l Freshman, Lynne Ho c kman,
and Angel a Tho mpso n
Manuscript Editors
Eli zabet h Bur ke
Photographs Coordinator
Kar en Schmi dt
Production Manager
Patrick Dool ey
Designer
Patricia Ingli s
Assistant Designer
Kat he Fl ynn
Production Artist
Charles Passela, Do nal d Hul l ,
Stephenie Blakemore, Thomas
Mo o n , Penelope Potter, and
Jack Ross
Photographers
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Pr i nt ed by Al an Li t hogr aph Inc.,
Los Angeles
The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal is
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shoul d be submi t t ed no later t han
November 1 for consi derati on for the
next year's issue.
The Journal cont ai ns art i cles and
shorter notes related t o aspects o f
t he Mus e um' s per manent c o l l ec -
ti ons: anti qui ti es, i l l umi nat ed manu-
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