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This article aims to reopen discussion of the Renaissance ars historica, a genre that has garnered little attention in modern scholarship. It does so by using a set of computational tools to measure the quantitative occurrence of terms related to artistry and cognition in Johann Wolff's collection of historical-method texts entitled "Artis Historicae Penus" (1579). Like the period's historical writing, which amalgamated aesthetics and historiography, the Renaissance artes historicae belonged to a historiographical paradigm in which the skillful construction of discourse went hand in hand with the search for historical truth. The title of Wolff's anthology accordingly draws an overt connection between the concepts of "ars" and "historia," yet what did sixteenth-century theorists mean by "art"? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the role of memory in the history of 16th century art. She mentions the rise of memory studies and how memory survives in cultural objects, the idea of the canon as a foundation for value and the inclusion of various theories that affect the canon, and the narrative aspects of art.

The author discusses the role of violence in 16th century art. She mentions the depiction of violence in art as an allegory for the end of classical and medieval art, presents works by Christoph Jamnitzer, Albrecht Dürer, and Hans von Aachen that incorporate this, and the depiction of the face as a form of expression.

Copyright of Opus (2532-7747) is the property of Gangemi Editore S.P.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the painting "Vision of St. Thomas Aquinas" by Italian painter, Santi di Tito, portraying Aquinas in prayer before a crucifix, emphasizing his profound mystical connection and intellectual contributions to the Catholic tradition. Topics discussed include Tito's departure from Mannerism, the universality of theological wisdom represented by saints, and the role of Mary and the saints in interceding for humanity's works.

The Ruthenian Orthodox art in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the sixteenth century opened itself to the influences of Western European culture. The article is devoted to а description and analysis of this phenomenon. Although for most of the seventeenth century no work emerged that was pure enough in terms of its style that it could be termed а fully Renaissance work, this fact does not mean that there wasn't any Renaissance at all. Here the Renaissance was not а style, an epoch, or а period, but а process that unfolded over two centuries, without а strictly defined beginning and end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay reunites a diverse corpus of portable devotional objects likely created around the late sixteenth century which feature minute wooden carvings set against grounds of brightly coloured hummingbird feathers. While the Christological narratives that they commonly depict reveal clear links to the artistic traditions of Western Europe, the plumage that they sport is derived from a family of birds endemic to the Americas. This juxtaposition has inspired the scholars who address them to focus all but exclusively on determining their provenance. Yet their composite nature undermines simplistic notions of origin by suggesting the pathways that they travelled in the early modern world: while the carvings themselves were likely produced by Indigenous artists in central Mexico, the metal cases sported by several examples were made in Europe. After surveying the corpus and its place in previous scholarship, this essay turns to an examination of their reception by elite European audiences. It argues that such viewers drew formal and theological connections between the materials and iconography of these objects that greatly enhanced their potential to serve as effective tools for private devotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What did early modern European audiences make of the iridescent surfaces of colonial Mexican featherwork? While much previous scholarship relates their appeal to brightness, they also exhibit chromatic instability activated by alterations in the angle of illumination or view. This plurality of viewing experiences mirrored those provided by a range of other popular forms of contingent media such as anamorphic and ambiguous images. In ways both similar and distinct, featherwork exposed conventions of pictorial representation and the limitations of the sense of sight itself, embodying an epistemological dilemma that was especially important to the intellectual culture of seventeenth-century Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Seven Works of Mercy" by the Master of Alkmaar presents several conundrums. The archivalia concerning its commission and use no longer exist and the identity of the artist is in dispute. Further, damage done to the panels during the sixteenth century and the subsequent repairs put art historians on shaky ground when trying to interpret the series as a whole. Consequently, it is one of the most challenging, and perhaps least understood, objects in the history of northern art. These difficulties aside, something of its function can still be gleaned by turning to the historical realities of Alkmaar in the decade preceding the panels' execution. This article works to reconstruct the context in which and for which the "Seven Works of Mercy" was made. Specifically, it is argued that these panels constituted a clear political statement designed to repair the city's shattered reputation and argue for the return of its lost rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An review for two exhibitions "Religious Change and Print: 1450–1700" in Chicago, Illinois, from September 14–December 27, 2017 and the "Remembering the Reformation" at the Lambeth Palace Library, in London, Great Britain from 28 September 28–December 23, 2017.

The article offers information on clocks and watches appear with surprising frequency in British portraits during 1530 to 1630. Topics discussed include Hans Eworth's magnificent portrait of Lady Mary Dacre in the National Gallery of Canada; timepieces that could have for men and women in Tudor and Jacobean England; and extent of actual clock ownership in the period is difficult to gauge.

This article presents discussion of the discipline and methodology of 16th-century Art history and scholarship as of 2009 and reflects on possible changes which could occur within the field in the following 40 years. An overview of several large scale trends in Art history are mentioned, citing expanding multicultural canons of studied content and the increase use of digital archiving technology and documentation. Comments are given asking whether or not art monograph archiving will experience a "golden age" in the future.

This article presents discussion of the discipline and methodology of historical scholarship and research as of 2009 and reflects on possible changes which could occur within the field in the following 40 years. Particular focus is given to the sub-field of 16th-century Art history and its trends. Comments are given noting the way in which Art history lags behind new methodological trends and topics but influences in globalization and interdisciplinary connections to their subject matter are highlighted. It is suggested that the core of the discipline will remain active but with a broader scope.

The article describes the significance of the cover image selected for the January 2008 issue, analyzing the iconography of a 16th century engraving by Francesco de Franceschi. Details concerning the artistic symbols utilized in the anthropomorphic depiction of the feminine figure "pax," or Peace are explained. An overview is provided of de Franceschi's career and his historical context within Renaissance art and highlighting his connection to the book engraving and publishing industry of the era.

In the 16th century the art reflects a huge variety of daily life aspects, and shows a fulfilled portrait of all social estates, especially nobility. The middle estate appreciated the princely and nobles'clothing representation, probably, as a way of forgot their ouwn life conditions. In chivalry books there are a lot of detailed descriptions of their characters, and those characters are belonged to all social estates, then, the chivalry books are a real reflection of the appearance and nature of the society at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores a double-sided portrait painting known as "Portrait of the Dwarf Morgante," painted by Agnolo Bronzino between 1547 and 1553. Particular focus is given to Bronzino's contributions to Florentine portraiture. Additional topics discussed include Bronzio's depictions of animals and wildlife in his works, depictions of dwarfs and dwarfism throughout art history and the artist's association with the Accademia Fiorentina, the literary institution under the ducal control of the Medici family in Italy.

The article explores instrument prints, including woodblocks made by the artists Johannes Stabius with Albrecht Dürer in the 16th century. Particular focus is given to a print known as the "Imperial Astrolabe." Additional topics discussed include comparisons of the prints to works by artists including Bridget Riley and Lucas Cranach the Elder, functional objects and authorship and topics depicted in the prints including astrology and timekeeping.

The article talks about art, architecture, media and politics in the middle of 16th century. Topics include an ephemeral intervention within Mexico City’s built environment aligns it with a different tradition of scholarship; Mexico City’s monument was inspired by the published account of memorial rites previously held in the Spanish city of Valladolid; and Malangan carving from the collection of Serge Brignont. It mention about works of artists Francisco Cervantes de Salazar and John Nash.

Early modernists have traditionally argued that Black representations in English Renaissance art and literature did not reflect the historical presence of persons of color. In contrast, documentary research has uncovered Africans in England as early as 1500. From that time, the existence of a substantial African population was erased from contemporary histories in order to suppress knowledge of England's participation in the transatlantic slave trade. Separation of the Church of England from Rome had exacerbated political and economic conflict with Catholic nations, particularly Spain. Protecting the Protestant English state image became a primary concern. Despite national and theological differences, English monarchs and law courts appropriated Roman Catholic pronouncements on the relationship between Blackness and religion. This paper demonstrates the intersection of political and economic factors with theological discourse and emergent conceptions of race at a defining moment in English history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the artistic Legacy of Medieval Marian Confraternities along with informations history of medieval art, declining of confraternities, specific names.

Leonardo da Vinci committed mistakes in geometry, analytical mechanics and arithmetic. The publication of his work was not always done carefully These revelations have opened up the mystery surrounding the genius artist-scientist's alleged errors. In this paper, the author explores these errors and their possible sources and potential implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A printed portrait sounds like an oxymoron: black and white and bereft of the illusionism that painted portraits used to trick the eye, did printed portraits actually have any stakes in the game of establishing identity, or were they hamstrung by their medium? Although there certainly were prints that doggedly aimed to identify the sitter, many early modern printed portraits did not make rigorous claims to positive identification, but floated in the space between prototype and identity. From the confluence of new materials and new audiences brought about by print emerged new faces and new uses for them: character heads in genres such as physiognomies and cosmographies began to reflect the results of observation. Mid-sixteenth-century physiognomies, books that coached viewers how to read the profiles of their friends and neighbours, aspired to present empirical knowledge to their readers. Despite the tightrope they tread between mimesis and idealization and their heavy reliance on convention, early modern prints were confident about their ability to cue observations and calibrate sightings; and their organizational aptitude should not be overlooked. Game changers in shaping disciplinary activity related to empirical experience, generic portraits, as this essay will argue, developed skills like visual acuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the Dutch Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Particular focus is given to his travels throughout Italy between 1552 and 1555. Additional topics discussed include travel conditions and motives for the artist, the artist's work in ink drawing and Bruegel's time spent in Rome, Italy.

The article examines designs for altarpieces by the artist Maarten van Heemskerck. Particular focus is given to folios of his travel sketchbook and larger drawings. Additional topics discussed include his drawings of classical sculptures in Rome, insights on his drawing techniques and his depictions of Crucifixions in his work.

“Of all the discoveries and new knowledge during the course of the Great Reinsertion,” Dean of York Eric Milner-White enthused in 1959, “none has been larger, stranger and more unexpected than this.” Milner-White was writing about a discovery of a series of early sixteenth-century stained glass panels, “strange” and “unexpected” in part because its panels were split between two churches. Nine panels were in York Minster, where Milner-White was in charge of the post–World War II reinsertion of the building's glass. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on painter Domenikos Theotokópoulus. He was educated in post-Byzantine art and at the age of 26 years, he received influences from Mannerism and Renaissance styles in Italy. He created different paintings for Santo Domingo el Antiguo church in Toledo, Spain where he lived till his death.

Hieronymus Cock's view of the Capitoline Hill, published in his 1562 series on Roman ruins, has long been considered a useful document by historians of art and architecture for the key historical and topographical information it contains on one of Rome's most celebrated sites during the Renaissance. Beyond its documentary nature, which, as will appear was essentially rhetorical, the view also offers much information as to how a mid-sixteenth-century Flemish artist might perceive Rome's illustrious topography and celebrated ancient statuary. In other words, Cock's engraving enables us to put into practice what may be called an "archaeology of the gaze." Through previously unnoticed details, Cock invents a comical—verging on the satirical—vision of the antique sculptures proudly displayed on the famous piazza. Such an ironical reversal of Italian classical dignity is typical of the attitude of some contemporary Flemish artists, such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who was then close to Cock, and exposes the ambivalent position of some Northern European artists towards the classical tradition and Italian art theory. Finally, the analysis of other engravings of ruins by Hieronymus Cock where two emblematic characters—the draftsman and the kakker (the one who defecates)—appear side by side, sheds light on the origin and possible significance of these comical and subversive details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay situates Giovanni Stradano's engravings of the discovery of the Americas from the Americae Retectio and Nova Reperta series within the context of their design in late sixteenth-century Florence, where the artist worked at the Medici court and collaborated with the dedicatee of the prints, Luigi Alamanni. Through an analysis of the images in relation to contemporary texts about the navigators who traveled to the Americas, as well as classical sources, emblems, and works of art in diverse media--tapestry, print, ephemera, and fresco--the study argues that Stradano's allegorical representations of the Americas were produced in order to make clear Florence's role in the invention of the New World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raphael's School of Athens received much attention in modern scholarship, yet little attention was given to the anonymous figures of classical beauty that are scattered, not only in this particular painting, but also in the Disputà, the painting on the opposite wall of the stanza. In this article, the focus of attention will be on three such figures in the School of Athens, which are situated on the left side of the painting. The three, a baby, a boy, and a young man, differ from all the other anonymous figures in this part of the painting in that they have their heads turned to the right and are gazing directly at the viewer. They will be considered as a group that may have had two purposes, both of which relate to political narratives. The first purpose was to accentuate the image and meaning of the pope - Julius II; the second, to draw attention to the painter's self-portrait and his social agenda. Their placement together is based on a peculiar composition that has a precedent in Florentine mural painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Menotyra is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the West's culture of images today, no one denies the representative power of pictures. This article analyzes the relationship between the first texts and the first images that arrived in Europe from the New World in the 16th century. Chroniclers used illustrations in support of their texts, while artists and cartographers used texts about the Conquest to elaborate images of the New World: its landscapes, its products, its inhabitants and their customs. Rhetorical images describing the visited territory are combined with graphic images complementing or enhancing the description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the perception of art as progressive by Italian artist Giorgio Vasari during the French Renaissance. It describes an approach developed by Zachary Schiffman that utilizes a fundamental distinction between scholarship and consciousness in understanding the works of Vasari. The author stresses that Vasari must be separated from the typical characteristics of modern historicist.

Considering the ways in which sixteenth-century audiences investigated all aspects of the human body, one immediately discovers that even in moments of great splendour, beauty and order are always accompanied by their indispensable counterparts ugliness and disorder. Transcending clichés concerning perfect beauty and order during the period in which the nude became the most beautiful and artistically skilled requirement of art, there are closer connections than previously thought between the display and perceptions of beauty and a contemporary appreciation for representations of horror and deformity. The representation of the deformed body becomes both a vehicle of knowledge concerning the surrounding world that is unknown and thus feared, as well as a vehicle for understanding and investigating the darker sides of subjective human existence. The early modern propensity for what might be referred to as ‘art-horror’ can be seen in images from villa decoration to medical illustration and is masterfully theorized by illustrious literates such as Giorgio Vasari, Gregorio Comanini and Benedetto Varchi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an iconographical study of a hitherto overlooked drawing attributed to Giovanni Ricamatori in Berlin, showing different musical instruments: a violin, a crumhorn, a tabor pipe and a puzzling ‘fagotto’ — the name given on the drawing for the depicted instrument. Unfortunately the drawing is cut here and one can only speculate which instrument is meant. An organological discussion of all these ‘new’ instruments from the 16th century leads to a revision of the date for the drawing (1514/15) proposed by art historians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a portable altar or altarino painted in 1509-1515 by the Florentine artist Ridolfo Ghirlandaio owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with particular focus given to the altarino's use of iconcography relating to the Virgin Mary and the Servite monastic order. A brief overview of the Servite order and its significance to Florentine history is offered, and the likelihood that the monk depicted in the work is Beato Filippo Benizi, the first Servite to be canonized, is explored.

One of the rarest sixteenth-century objects going into the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries has a dual identity: it is both a knife and a piece of music. On one side of its broad blade is a clear, perfectly notated musical setting of a blessing of the table, to be sung before a meal; on the other, a prayer giving thanks, to be sung when the meal has ended. This knife is usually presented as a single item. However, the inscription ‘.i.9[primus] tenor’ implies the existence of other voices, suggesting that it was once part of a larger set of knives, each of which bore one part of a complete polyphonic, or multi-voiced, song. This article confirms that the V&A's knife is one of at least twenty examples surviving in other museums and collections or published during the nineteenth century, and is the first study to consider them as a group. It explores the possible social and symbolic functions of these distinctive objects, relating them to contemporary dining practices, and situates them in the context of broader relationships between music and the material culture of the table during the sixteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on religious images produced during the Renaissance period. It offers a study on the classification of images and emphasizes the need for a system of conventional methods aimed for the identification of the qualities of the images. The author cites an art guidebook written by Francesco Sansovino and discusses the association of the San Rocco Christ Carrying the Cross painting to the 16th century conception of the religious images.

Abstract: A huge monolithic piece corresponding to the first years of the sixteenth century has been discovered in Mexico City. It represents the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli. The preservation of such a magnificent piece is imperative. Therefore, the surface has to be characterized and the interaction of consolidants with the rock has to be understood. Some of the consolidation methods are impregnation of the mineral with nopal or silicic acid derivatives. In this work we compare the physico-chemical effects of organic and inorganic consolidants. Original and impregnated samples are characterized with a series of original techniques: X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, nitrogen adsorption and small angle X-ray scattering. Fractal dimension, specific surface area and pore size distribution clearly differentiated the samples. The organic materials, nopal gum or slobber, cover the mineral particles with a smooth layer. The KSE solutions react and lead to microporosity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Herri met de Bles's Way to Calvary is a ‘visual exegesis’ closely related to Erasmus' exegetical theory. Erasmus conceived exegesis as a dialectical tension between the two extremes senses of the Biblical text (literal and spiritual), mediated by the figure of allegory. Not only does allegory designate Christ, but also the veiled language of the Scriptures and Christ's constant use of enigmatic, paradoxical and obscure figures. Interpreted in the light of the Erasmian exegetical model, and related to the figure of the Silenus popularized by the Christian humanist, Bles's landscape reveals the presence of a specific pictorial phenomenon of crypto-anthropomorphosis. This landscape of a procession following a tiny mocked Christ-Silenus, is also a portrait of a gigantic rocky mocking Silenus. This pictorial device is an integral part of the exegetical logic of the picture and is instrumental in inviting the beholder to conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about a 1515 drawing by German artist Hans Baldung Grien. Various suggested interpretations are given of the relationship between the naked woman and the monster in the picture. The article draws on literary and artistic representations of similar interactions for comparison. After comparing the drawing with other depictions of witches and monsters, the article seeks to determine whether or not the woman in the picture is meant to be a witch. Because of the presence of fish-like and ocean-themed attributes in the picture, it is argued that the woman is a sea nymph. Alternative identities for the woman are suggested, including the Greek sea monster Scylla, or the Roman goddess Venus.

The article discusses the painting "Penitent Magdalen" created by Titian for Vittoria Colonna, the marchesa del Vasto, as a piece of devotional artwork. The author focuses on depictions of human flesh in religious works of art and their meaning to female audiences. The use of physical language and bodily imagery to express the Renaissance female religious experience is explored. The use of Saint Mary Magdalen as a model for penitence in Renaissance art is discussed and her popularity within the cult of saints is also examined.