COLOGNE, CIRCA 1430/40
Sitting Crescent Madonna and Child flanked by St. Peter and Paul.
Oil on wood.
55 x 65.3 cm.
Private collection
This recently rediscounted painting with the seated Crescent Moon Madonna flanked by the Saints Peter and Paul was once part of a memorial plaque presumably commissioned for the St. Clare monastery in Cologne.
The
depiction of the Madonna on the crescent is based on the vision of John the
Evangelist in chapter 12 of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament. "And
there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; And she
being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." More
Saint Peter (AD 30; d. between AD 64 and
68), also known as Simon
Peter, Simeon, or Simōn, according to the New Testament, was one of the Twelve
Apostles of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church considers him to be the first
pope, ordained by Jesus in the "Rock of My Church" dialogue in
Matthew 16:18. More Saint Peter
Paul the Apostle (c. 5 – c. 67), commonly known as Saint Paul, and also known by his native name Saul of Tarsus was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of the Christ to the first century world. He is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. In the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD, he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. Paul took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences. More Saint Paul
FRA GIULIANO DI AMADEO
(active in Florence, Arezzo and Rome circa 1453 - 1490)
Saint Ignatius of Antioch.
Tempera on panel.
55.5 x 35.5 cm.
Private collection
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35 – c. 108), also known as Ignatius Theophorus, and Ignatius Nurono, was an early Christian writer and bishop of Antioch. En route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of the later collection known as the Apostolic Fathers. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. In speaking of the authority of the church, he coined the phrase "catholic church", still in use to this day. More Ignatius of Antioch
AMEDEI, Giuliano, (b. ca. 1446, Firenze, d. 1496, Lucca) Italian painter and illuminator. He was a Camaldolese monk. He was trained as a miniaturist in the circle of Fra Angelico, whose influence extended into the precincts of the celebrated scriptorium of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. Piero, Fra Giuliano found employment in the Roman Curia, becoming one of the city's most prolific and influential miniaturists in the Rome of Pius II, the great humanist pope.
His reputation seems to have been established primarily in Rome, although he maintained ecclesiastic benefices from the Arezzo area. As late as the 1490s many miniaturists came to Rome to seek their fortune, working on manuscripts under Amedei's supervision. Fra Giuliano's codices were commissioned mainly by prelates associated with the Curia of Pius II, and of his successors. His later miniatures, including the now dismembered missal of Innocent VIII, show a singular attempt to keep pace with the complex new style of the Sistine Chapel painters, particularly Ghirlandaio and Perugino, but his own artistic roots are always evident. More AMEDEI, Giuliano
GERINI, NICCOLO DI PIETRO, (Around 1345 Florence 1415)
Saint Augustin, Saint Nicholas and Saint Agatha. Circa 1400-1405.
Tempera and gold ground on panel.
65 x 49 cm.
Private collection
Augustine of Hippo (13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (within modern-day Annaba, Algeria). Augustine is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Era. Among his most important works are The City of God and Confessions.
In his early years, he was heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterward by the neo-Platonism of Plotinus. After his baptism and conversion to Christianity in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and perspectives. When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview.
Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Christian Church, and the Anglican Communion and as a preeminent Doctor of the Church. He is also the patron of the Augustinians. More Augustine of Hippo
GERINI, NICCOLO DI PIETRO, (Around 1345 Florence 1415)
Saint Augustin
Detail
Saint Nicholas (15 March 270 – 6 December 343),
also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and
Greek Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor. His reputation
evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints, and his
legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of
Santa Claus through Sinterklaas.
He was born at Patara,
Lycia in Asia Minor. In his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and the
Palestine area. Shortly after his return he became Bishop of Myra and was later
cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian. He was released after
the accession of Constantine and was present at the Council of Nicaea.
He was buried in his church at Myra, and by the
6th century his shrine there had become well-known. In 1087 Italian sailors or
merchants stole his alleged remains from Myra and took them to Bari, Italy;
this removal greatly increased the saint’s popularity in Europe, and Bari
became one of the most crowded of all pilgrimage centres. Nicholas’s relics
remain enshrined in the 11th-century basilica of San Nicola at Bari. More Saint Nicholas
GERINI, NICCOLO DI PIETRO, (Around 1345 Florence 1415)
Saint Nicholas
Detail
Saint Agatha of Sicily (231 AD – 251 AD) is a
Christian saint and virgin martyr. Agatha was born at Catania or Palermo,
Sicily, and she was martyred in approximately 251. She is one of seven women,
who, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, are commemorated by name in the Canon
of the Mass.
Although the martyrdom of Saint Agatha is
authenticated, and her veneration as a saint had spread beyond her native place
even in antiquity, there is no reliable information concerning the details of
her death. Having
dedicated her virginity to God, at fifteen-year-old, Agatha rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus,
who then persecuted her for her Christian faith. He sent Agatha to Aphrodisia,
the keeper of a brothel. The madam finding her intractable, Quintianus sent for
her, argued, threatened, and finally had her put in prison. Amongst the
tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts with pincers. Saint Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake
saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison where St. Peter the
Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds. Saint Agatha died in prison. More Saint Agatha
GERINI, NICCOLO DI PIETRO, (Around 1345 Florence 1415)
Saint Agatha
Detail
Niccolò di Pietro Gerini (c. 1340 – 1414) was an Italian painter of the late Gothic period, active mainly in his native Florence. He was not an innovative painter but relied on traditional compositions in which he placed his figures in a stiff and dramatic movement.
In 1368, Niccolò Dipintore is identified as a member of the Arte dei Medici e Speziali Guild, in Florence.
As is typical for Gothic depictions, Gerini's figures have large chins, sloping foreheads, and sharp noses whilst their bodies are squat and frontally displaced.
Gerini collaborated with Jacopo di Cione on a Coronation of the Virgin (Accademia, Florence) in 1372. It was commissioned by the mint of Florence Zecca Vecchia that same year. In 1383 Gerini again worked with Cione on a fresco of the Annunciation in the Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra. This fresco clearly shows the work of two very different artists: Niccolò di Pietro Gerini (design and very fine painting) and Jacopo di Cione (broadly painted saints and side decoration).
Between 1391 and 1392 he worked in Prato where he frescoed Palazzo Datini and the Church of San Francesco with Lorenzo di Niccolò and Agnolo Gaddi. He also frescoed the capitals of the church of San Francesco, Pisa. More Niccolò di Pietro Gerini
GERMAN SCHOOL, END OF THE 15TH CENTURY
The beheading of Saint James
Oil on panel.
78 x 36.2 cm
Private collection
James, son of Zebedee ( died 44 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and traditionally considered the first apostle to be martyred. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle. He is also called James the Greater or James the Great to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus and James the brother of Jesus (James the Just). James the son of Zebedee is the patron saint of Spaniards, and as such is often identified as Santiago.
The Acts of the Apostles records that "Herod the king" had James executed by sword. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. He is, thus, traditionally believed to be the first of the twelve apostles martyred for his faith. More Saint James
The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and sciences were influenced, notably by the spread of Renaissance humanism to the various German states and principalities. There were many advances made in the fields of architecture, the arts, and the sciences. Germany produced two developments that were to dominate the 16th century all over Europe: printing and the Protestant Reformation. More German Renaissance
Antonio Tempesta, (Florence 1555 - 1630 Rome)
Resurrection of Christ and the three Marys at the tomb. Around 1600.
Tempera on dendritic stone (pietra arboraria).
22 x 37.5 cm (oval).
Private collection
Small-scale paintings on the dendritic stone of Antonio Tempesta, such as the work above, were very popular at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century and are part of the most important art chamber collections of this period.
The above painting consists of a dendritic stone from the family of agates, whose natural pattern evokes a rocky landscape. Similar, carefully cut stones were often used as incrustations in furniture pieces. The oval shape of our painting suggests that this panel was originally conceived as a cabinet decoration. More dendritic stone
The resurrection of Jesus is the Christian religious belief that, after being put to death, Jesus rose again from the dead. It is the central tenet of Christian theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures"
Antonio Tempesta, (Florence 1555 - 1630 Rome)
Resurrection of Christ and the three Marys at the tomb. Around 1600.
Detail
Just before sunrise on the day after the regular weekly Sabbath three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, come to anoint Jesus' body, wondering how they would be able to roll the large rock away from the tomb; but they found the rock already rolled aside and a young man in white inside; he told them that Jesus had risen, and that they should tell Peter and the disciples that he will meet them in Galilee, "just as he told you". More The resurrection of Jesus
Antonio Tempesta, (Florence 1555 - 1630 Rome)
Resurrection of Christ and the three Marys at the tomb. Around 1600.
Detail
Antonio Tempesta (1555 – 5 August 1630) was an Italian painter and engraver, whose art acted as a point of connection between Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp.
He was born and trained in Florence and painted in a variety of styles, influenced to some degree by "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. He enrolled in the Florentine Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in 1576. He was a pupil of Santi di Tito, then of the Flemish painter Joannes Stradanus. He was part of the large team of artists working under Giorgio Vasari on the interior decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
His favourite subjects were battles, cavalcades, and processions. He relocated to Rome, where he associated with artists from the Habsburg Netherlands, which may have led to his facility with landscape painting. More Antonio Tempesta
Master of the Mansi Magdalen (fl. circa 1510–1530)
Judith and the Infant Hercules, circa 1525-30
Oil on oak
81.5 × 57.5 cm (32.1 × 22.6 in)
National Gallery, London
Judith, an Old Testament heroine, holds the head of Holofernes and the sword with which she has decapitated him. The infant Hercules, a classical hero, is strangling the serpents Juno sent to destroy him. Both Judith and Hercules are exemplary figures of fortitude, shown naked to emphasise their defencelessness. More Judith and the Infant Hercules
The Book of Judith is the Old Testament of the Bible. The story revolves
around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is upset with her Jewish
countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign conquerors.
She goes with her loyal maid to the camp of the enemy general, Holofernes, with
whom she slowly ingratiates herself, promising him information on the
Israelites. Gaining his trust, she is allowed access to his tent one night as
he lies in a drunken stupor. She decapitates him, then takes his head back to
her fearful countrymen. The Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and
Israel is saved. Though she is courted by many, Judith remains unmarried for
the rest of her life. More
Master of the Mansi Magdalen, active early 16th century. The Master is named from a picture known as 'The Mansi Magdalen' (Berlin, Staatliche Museum), perhaps of about 1525 or later. The Master borrowed from some of the engravings by Dürer, one as late as 1511. He was a follower of Quinten Massys. More Master of the Mansi Magdalen
CRANACH, LUCAS d. Ä. (CIRCUIT), (Kronach 1472 - 1553 Weimar)
The birth of Christ. Around 1520-25.
Oil on lime wood.
33.8 x 24.8 cm.
Private collection
The nativity of Jesus or birth of Jesus is described in the gospels of Luke
and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the
time of Herod the Great to a betrothed virgin whose name was Mary. There are,
however, major differences. Matthew has no census, annunciation to the
shepherds or presentation in the Temple, implies that Jesus's parents' home is
Bethlehem, and has him born in a house there, and has an unnamed angel appear
to Joseph to announce the birth. In Luke there are no Magi, no flight into
Egypt, or Massacre of the Innocents, Joseph is a resident of Nazareth, the
birth appears to take place in an inn instead of the family home, and the angel
(named as Gabriel) announces the coming birth to Mary. While it is possible
that Matthew's account might be based on Luke or Luke's on Matthew, the
majority of scholars conclude that the two are independent of each other.
In Christian theology the nativity marks the
incarnation of Jesus as the second Adam, in fulfillment of the divine will of
God, undoing the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. The artistic
depiction of the nativity has been a major subject for Christian artists since
the 4th century. Since the 13th century, the nativity scene has emphasized the
humility of Jesus and promoted a more tender image of him, as a major turning
point from the early "Lord and Master" image, affecting the basic
approaches of Christian pastoral ministry. More
Lucas Cranach the Elder, (c. 1472 – 16 October
1553) was a
German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was
court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known
for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the
Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a
close friend of Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the
Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran
religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude
subjects drawn from mythology and religion. He had a large workshop and many
works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger, and
others, continued to create versions of his father's works for decades after
his death. Lucas Cranach the Elder has been considered the most successful
German artist of his time. More
Master of the Mansi Magdalen (fl. circa 1510–1530)
Rest on the Flight into Egypt, between 1515 and 1525
Oil on panel
40 × 28.5 cm (15.7 × 11.2 in)
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
Simple images of the Virgin and Child were often found in private homes as an inspiration to prayer and meditation. The Gospels tells us little of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, though later legends describe the family stopping to rest and take nourishment. While the Virgin sits humbly on the ground and nurses her child, she is regally dressed, and angels hold a crown above her head in anticipation of her future role as Queen of Heaven. The columbines flowering in the foreground, an inn in the middle distance, and the wilderness through which the family has fled, depicted by overlapping hills receding to snowy peaks, reflect the new interest in the natural world among Antwerp painters at this time. More Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Master of the Mansi Magdalen (fl. circa 1510–1530), see above
16th century follower of REYMERSWALE, MARINUS VON (about 1493 - about 1546 Goes)
Scenes from the life of Jesus.
Oil on panel.
84.5 x 116.5 cm.
Private collection
Marinus Claeszoon van Reymerswaele (c.1490–c.1546) was a Dutch painter. Marinus van Reymerswaele received later the name of the city of Reimerswaal, Netherlands, where he was born and where he worked, at least from 1533-1540. In the latter year he moved to Goes, where he died around 1546. He is also named Marinus de Seeu (from Zeeland, a province of the Netherlands). He studied at the University of Leuven (1504) and was trained as a painter in Antwerp (1509). His name is known from a small number of signed panels. A number of other paintings are attributed to Marinus on stylistic grounds. His oeuvre consists of a relatively small numbers of themes only, mostly adapted from Quentin Massys and Albrecht Dürer. More Marinus Claeszoon van Reymerswaele
16th century follower of REYMERSWALE, MARINUS VON (about 1493 - about 1546 Goes)
Scenes from the life of Jesus.
Detail
16th century follower of REYMERSWALE, MARINUS VON (about 1493 - about 1546 Goes)
Scenes from the life of Jesus.
Detail
16th century follower of REYMERSWALE, MARINUS VON (about 1493 - about 1546 Goes)
Scenes from the life of Jesus.
Detail
School FRENCH 1847
A Nun holding a crucifix, c. 1847
Oil on canvas
65 x 84 cm
Private collection
Attributed to Giovan Battista LENARDI (1656 - 1704)
The ecstasy of saint Pascal Baylon
Oval copper
Private collection
Saint Paschal Baylon (16 May 1540 – 17 May 1592) was a Spanish friar and is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the patron saint of Eucharistic congresses and Eucharistic associations.
He was born at Torrehermosa, in the Kingdom of Aragon, on 16 May 1540, on the Feast of Pentecost, called in Spain "the Pasch (or "Passover") of the Holy Ghost", hence the name Paschal. He spent his youth as a shepherd. He would carry a book with him and beg passersby to teach him the alphabet and to read, and as he toiled in the fields he would read religious books.
In around 1564, he joined the Reformed Franciscan Order as a lay brother. He chose to live in poor monasteries because, he said, "I was born poor and am resolved to die in poverty and penance." He lived a life of poverty and prayer, even praying while working, for the rest of his life.
He was a mystic and contemplative, and he had frequent ecstatic visions. He would spend nights before the altar in prayer. At the same time, he sought to downplay any glory that might come from this piety. More Saint Paschal Baylon
Giovanni Battista Lenardi (active circa 1660, died after 1703) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome.
Lenardi was born in Ascoli Piceno, and trained in Rome with Pietro da Cortona and then Lazzaro Baldi. He painted for the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte and the Buonfratelli in Trastevere. Lenardi became a member of the Accademia de San Luca in 1690. More Giovanni Battista Lenardi
LOMBARDE School 1640
Saint Gregory the Great
83.5 x 44.5 cm
Private collection
The Sforza dukes presided over their court, one of the most magnificent in Europe, at the Castello Sforzesco in the heart of Milan. The dukes were great patrons of the arts, founding churches and building grand castles in neighboring Pavia and Vigevano, as well as in Milan. At their suggestion, the French, under Charles VIII, first entered Italy in 1494—it was a disastrous invitation, ultimately leading to the loss of Milanese independence. In 1499, Louis XII drove out the Sforza duke Ludovico. Milan and its territory fell definitively under imperial domination following the Battle of Pavia (1525), which Francis I lost to the Habsburg emperor Charles V. Although Francesco II Sforza was made duke, it was at Charles’s sufferance, and after Francesco’s death in 1535 the city was ruled by Spanish governors. These political twists and turns had a major impact on the local community of artists. More Lombard School
LOMBARDE School 1640
Saint Gregory the Great
Detail
Pope Saint Gregory I (c. 540 – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was pope of the Catholic Church from 3 September 590 to his death in 604. Gregory is famous for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome to convert a pagan people to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope. He is also known as the Great Visionary of Modern Educational System, for his writings and contribution to the school system of education instead of apprenticeships based learning. The epithet Saint Gregory the Dialogist has been attached to him in Eastern Christianity because of his Dialogues. For this reason, English translations of Eastern texts will sometimes list him as Gregory "Dialogos" or the Latinized equivalent "Dialogus".
Although he was the first pope from a monastic background, his prior political experiences may have helped him to be a talented administrator, who successfully established papal supremacy. During his papacy he greatly surpassed with his administration the emperors in improving the welfare of the people of Rome. Gregory regained papal authority in Spain and France, and sent missionaries to England. The realignment of barbarian allegiance to Rome from their Arian Christian alliances shaped medieval Europe. Gregory saw Franks, Lombards, and Visigoths align with Rome in religion. More Pope Saint Gregory I
Attribué à Jean RESTOUT (1692-1768)
Saint André
Oil on canvas
68 x 54 cm
Private collection
Andrew the Apostle (from the early
1st century – mid to late 1st century AD), also known as Saint Andrew was
a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter.
The name "Andrew", like other
Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews, Christians, and other
Hellenized people of Judea. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him.
According to Orthodox tradition, the apostolic successor to Saint Andrew is the
Patriarch of Constantinople. More Andrew the Apostle
Most references to Andrew in the New Testament simply
include him on a list of the Twelve Apostles, or group him with his brother,
Simon Peter. But he appears acting as an individual three times in the Gospel
of John. Before Jesus feeds the Five Thousand, it is Andrew who says, "Here is a
lad with five barley loaves and two fish." And the first two disciples
whom John reports as attaching themselves to Jesus are Andrew and another
disciple. Having met Jesus, Andrew then finds his brother Simon and brings him
to Jesus. Thus, on each occasion when he is mentioned as an individual, it is
because he is instrumental in bringing others to meet the Saviour. More Andrew
Andrew is said to
have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea.
Early texts describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, and crucified on a cross of
the form called crux decussata, now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's
Cross"
Jean II Restout (26 March 1692 – 1 January
1768) was a French painter, whose late baroque classicism rendered his
altarpieces, such as the Death of Saint Scholastica an "isolated
achievement" that ran counter to his rococo contemporaries.
Jean
Restout was born in Rouen, the son of Jean I Restout and Marie M. Jouvenet,
sister and pupil of the then well-known painter Jean Jouvenet.
In 1717,
the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture having elected him a member on
his work for the Prix de Rome, he remained in Paris, instead of proceeding to
Italy, exhibited at all the salons, and filled successively every post of
academical distinction. His works, chiefly altar-pieces, ceilings and designs
for Gobelin tapestries, were engraved by Charles-Nicolas Cochin, Drevet and
others.
His son, Jean-Bernard Restout (1732–1797), won
the Prix de Rome in 1758, and on his return from Italy was received into the
Academy; but his refusal to comply with rules led to a quarrel with that body.
Roland appointed him keeper of the Garde Meuble, but this piece of favor nearly
cost him his life during the Terror. More
Flemish School
The Temptation of Saint Anthony, circa 1550
Oak panel,
60 x 97,5 cm
Private collection
The Temptation of Saint Anthony is an often-repeated subject in history of art
and literature, concerning the supernatural temptation reportedly faced by
Saint Anthony the Great during his sojourn in the Egyptian desert. Anthony's
temptation is first discussed by Athanasius of Alexandria, Anthony's
contemporary, and from then became a popular theme in Western culture. More Temptation of Saint Anthony
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century
until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern
Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries.
These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide
influence. Since the end of the Napoleonic era, Flemish painters had again been
contributing to a reputation that had been set by the Old Masters. More Flemish painting
Acknowledgement: LECLERE - MDV, Kollar,
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