Walters Art Museum

Walters Art Museum
Ilustracja
Państwo

 Stany Zjednoczone

Stan

 Maryland

Miejscowość

Baltimore

Data założenia

1934

Dyrektor

Gary Vikan

Położenie na mapie stanu Maryland
Mapa konturowa stanu Maryland, u góry nieco na prawo znajduje się punkt z opisem „Walters Art Museum”
Położenie na mapie Stanów Zjednoczonych
Mapa konturowa Stanów Zjednoczonych, po prawej znajduje się punkt z opisem „Walters Art Museum”
Ziemia39°17′48″N 76°36′58″W/39,296667 -76,616111
Strona internetowa
Dziedziniec gmachu muzeum przy Charles Street

Walters Art Museum – muzeum położone w Baltimore, (Maryland Mount Vernon). Jedno z największych w Stanach Zjednoczonych muzeów sztuki, gromadzących ponad 22 tysięcy dzieł sztuki głównie dawnej. W muzeum można oglądać przede wszystkim dzieła sztuki starożytnej, średniowiecznej, nowożytnej, nowoczesnej (do początku XX wieku) oraz islamskiej, azjatyckiej, afrykańskiej i prekolumbijskiej.

Dzieje

Walters art Museum zostało założone w roku 1934. Punktem wyjścia stały się kolekcje zgromadzone przez Williama Thompsona Waltersa (1819–1894) i jego syna Henry’ego Waltersa (1848–1931). Starszy z Waltersów w obawie przed amerykańską wojną domową uciekł do Paryża, gdzie nabywał a później sprowadził z powrotem do Stanów znaczącą kolekcję dzieł sztuki. Młodszy z nich prócz wzbogacenia zbiorów o nowe dzieła ulokował je w pałacu przy ulicy Charles Street, przyczynił się do otwarcia „dla dobra społecznego” muzeum w roku 1909. Zbiór Waltersów wynosił ponad 22 tysięcy dzieł sztuki, od antyku po współczesność. W roku 2000, Walters Art Gallery zmieniła nazwę na Walters Art Museum, ze względu na nową koncepcję eksponowania zbiorów szerszej publiczności, w następnym roku po trzyletniej renowacji miało miejsce ponowne otwarcie.

Obecnie muzeum jest nowoczesną placówką kulturalno-naukowo-artystyczną. Prócz prezentowaniu szerokiej publiczności licznej kolekcji dzieł sztuki, muzeum zajmuje się konserwacją dzieł sztuki i badaniami naukowymi, czego przykładem jest złożony w depozycie od prywatnego kolekcjonera antyczny Palimpsest Archimedesa.

Dzięki grantom od władz miasta i gminy Baltimore od 1 października 2006, Baltimore Museum of Art i Walters Art Museum przez rok oferowały zwiedzającym wstęp bezpłatny[1]. W 2012 roku muzeum wydało ponad 20 000 własnych reprodukcji muzealiów w licencji Creative Commons i nawiązało współpracę z Wikimedią w celu profesjonalnej emisji reprodukcji na Wikimedia Commons i popularyzacji muzeum na Wikipedii i innych projektach[2]. Dar od Walters Art Museum stał się jednym z największych i najbardziej profesjonalnie wydanych repozytoriów reprodukcji ofiarowanych przez muzealników dla ruchu Wikimedia.

Zbiory

Sztuka starożytna

Starożytność reprezentują dzieła sztuki pochodzące niemal ze wszystkich antycznych cywilizacji, przede wszystkim z krajów Bliskiego Wschodu, Egiptu, Nubii, Grecji, Etrurii oraz Rzymu. Spośród dzieł wyróżniają się dwie monumentalne rzeźby egipskiej bogini Sekhmet, zespół mumii, alabastrowe reliefy z pałacu Ashurnasirpal II, greckie wyroby złotnicze w tym bransolety z Olbii, figura Satyra łączona z Praksytelesem, duży zbiór rzeźbionych głów typowych dla rzymskiej rzeźby portretowej, rzymska ława z brązu oraz zespół marmurowych sarkofagów z grobowców nobilitowanych rodów Licinianów i Calpurnianów.

  • Modlący się mężczyzna, okres wczesnodynastyczny, między 2500 i 2250 r. p.n.e.

    Modlący się mężczyzna, okres wczesnodynastyczny, między 2500 i 2250 r. p.n.e.

  • Głowa mężczyzny, Grecja, okres klasyczny, IV w. p.n.e.

    Głowa mężczyzny, Grecja, okres klasyczny, IV w. p.n.e.

  • Rzymski portret cesarzowej Liwii, jednej z żon Augusta, 37-31 r. p.n.e.

    Rzymski portret cesarzowej Liwii, jednej z żon Augusta, 37-31 r. p.n.e.

  • Portret mężczyzny, Egipt, okres rzymski, ok. 175 r. n.e.

    Portret mężczyzny, Egipt, okres rzymski, ok. 175 r. n.e.

  • „Puchar Rubensa”, z agatu, Pietra dura, ok. 400 r. n.e.

    „Puchar Rubensa”, z agatu, Pietra dura, ok. 400 r. n.e.

Średniowiecze

Kolekcja sztuki średniowiecznej w zbiorach Walters Art Museum należy do największych w Stanach. Henry Walters preferował sztukę średniowieczną w najszerszym zakresie, dotyczy to zarówno czasu (od późnego antyku, przez przedromanizm, romanizm po późny gotyk), przestrzeni (Europa wraz z krajami dawnej Rusi i Wyspami Brytyjskimi, Bliski Wschód, Etiopia) oraz technik artystycznych (rzeźba, malarstwo, rzemiosło artystyczne).

Okres późnoantyczny egzemplifikują dzieła sztuki ludów barbarzyńskich, w tym fibule wizygockie z VI w. Do najcenniejszych średniowiecznych naczyń należy agatowa waza, wykonana w VII w. najprawdopodobniej w Bizancjum. Później należała do kolekcji Petera Paula Rubensa, stąd nazywana jest wazą Rubensa. Wczesny gotyk egzemplifikuje rzeźba francuska pochodząca z dawnych klasztorów i opactw, w tym z Jumieges i przede wszystkim z Saint-Denis koło Paryża. Stamtąd pochodzi zespół rzeźbionych głów niezachowanych figur oraz fragmenty rzeźby architektonicznej. Jednym z najwcześniejszych dzieł z kości słoniowej jest późnoantyczne przedstawienie kobiety symbolizującej czułość, dzieło wykonane w Egipcie, w VI lub VII wieku. Spośród wielu gotyckich wyrobów z kości słoniowych wykonanych w warsztatach paryskich (tryptyki, dyptyki, figurki Marii z Dzieciątkiem, krzywaśni pastorałów, opraw luster) wyróżnia się unikatowa (jedna z około 12 zachowanych na świecie) szkatułka z płaskorzeźbionymi scenami z romansów rycerskich z XIV wieku. Duży zbiór gotyckiego malarstwa tablicowego tworzą dzieła malarzy włoskich takich jak Tommaso Da Modena, Pietro Lorenzetti, Andrea Di Bartolo („Zmartwychwstanie”), Alberto Sotio, Bartolomeo Di Tommaso („Śmierć świętego Franciszka”), Naddo Ceccarelli, Mistrz Świętej Werdiany, Niccolo Di Segna („Święta Łucja”), Orcagna, Olivuccio Da Camerino, Mistrza tryptyku z Panzano, Giovanni Dei Biondo i inni. Ponadto duży zespół późnogotyckich rękopisów iluminowanych francuskich i włoskich z XV i XVI stuleci. Jedną z osobliwości baltimorskiego muzeum jest kolekcja chrześcijańskiej sztuki etiopskiej, zawierająca liczne obrazy tablicowe, tryptyki oraz księgi ozdobione miniaturami.

Zbiory średniowiecznej kolekcji są podmiotem aktywnych badań naukowych prowadzonych przez konserwatorów i badaczy pracujących w miejscowym dziale kuratorskim, owocem tego są liczne publikacje oraz specjalne wystawy, w tym The Special Dead zorganizowana na lata 2008/2009, gdzie punktem wyjścia dla czasowej ekspozycji była szkatułka Amandusa. Jedną z większych tego typu wystaw, podnoszącym prestiż kolekcji mediewaliów w Walters Art Museum była zorganizowana wespół z Cleveland Museum of Art i British Museum monumentalna wystawa Treasures of Heaven przypadająca na przełom 2010/2011 roku, miała miejsce zarówno w Baltimore oraz Cleveland i Londynie. Dotyczyła ona kultu relikwii i dzieł sztuki z tym związanych. Spośród dzieł z muzeum Waltersów znalazł się relikwiarz z Mężem Boleści i aniołami, wykonany najprawdopodobniej dla biskupa ołomunieckiego Jana Volka, przez praskich złotników działających na dworze cesarza Karola IV.

  • Dwie wizygockie fibule w kształcie ptaków, VI w.

    Dwie wizygockie fibule w kształcie ptaków, VI w.

  • Arnau Bassa (Katalonia), Tryptyk, 1340-1348 r.

    Arnau Bassa (Katalonia), Tryptyk, 1340-1348 r.

  • Miniatura z Godzinek Barbavary, Mediolan, około 1440

    Miniatura z Godzinek Barbavary, Mediolan, około 1440

  • Zmartwychwstanie Pańskie, alabaster angielski, XV w.

    Zmartwychwstanie Pańskie, alabaster angielski, XV w.

  • Relikwiarz z Mężem Boleści i aniołami, Czechy (?), między 1347 a 1349 r.

    Relikwiarz z Mężem Boleści i aniołami, Czechy (?), między 1347 a 1349 r.

Nowożytność

Bogatą kolekcję sztuki nowożytnej tworzą renesansowe, manierystyczne, barokowe i rokokowe dzieła malarstwa, rzeźby oraz rzemiosła, głównie z Italii, Francji. Jednym z głównych tematów w renesansowym malarstwie włoskim w zbiorach Walters jest Matka Boska z Dzieciątkiem, który egzemplifikują obrazy malarzy m.in. Mistrza San Spirito, Carla Crivellego, Pietra Perugino, Madonna z Dzieciątkiem oraz świętymi Piotrem i Markiem Giovanniego Belliniego, Madonna z Dzieciątkiem i aniołami Giorgio di Tomaso Schiavone oraz Madonna de Candelabra, z warsztatu Rafaela Santiego. Z innych dzieł o tematyce religijnej m.in. Czytająca Maria Antonella da Messiny, Maria Magdalena Andrei Solario, Wskrzeszenie Łazarza, Niesienie krzyża, Zdjęcie z krzyża oraz Złożenie do grobu Giovanni di Paolo, fragment sceny Zwiastowania pędzla Luca Signorelli. Ponadto liczne portrety, w tym Portret Fra Lorenzo da Bergamo Lorenzo Lotto i namalowany przez Paolo Veronese Portret księżniczki Livii da Porto Thiene i jej córki Porzii. W Walters Art Museum można oglądać Miasto idealne przypisywane Fra Carnevale, przedstawienie fikcyjnego placu z architekturą ukazującą w pełni obraz idei i myśli lansowanych przez teoretyków sztuki renesansowej.

Z renesansu na północ od Alp m.in. Święta Maria Magdalena Lucasa Cranacha Starszego, Panorama z porwaniem Heleny, Martena Jacobszoona Heemskerka. Bogatą kolekcję dzieł sztuki barokowej tworzą dzieła rzeźby, malarstwa i rzemiosła artystycznego głównie z Italii, Flandrii, Holandii, Francji oraz krajów niemieckojęzycznych. Z malarstwa przykładami są: Pokutująca Maria Magdalena Guido Reniego, Grosz Czynszowy Domenica Fettiego, Scypion Afrykański uwalniający Massivę i Madonna z Dzieciątkiem Giovanniego Battisty Tiepolo, Weneckie podwórze Francesca Guardiego, Krajobraz zimowy Joosa de Mompera Młodszego, Madonna z Dzieciątkiem Antona van Dycka, Przypowieść o siewcy Abrahama Bloemaerta, Wartownia Davida Teniersa, Lutnista Jana Lievensa, Forteca w okolicach Nijmegen Jana van Goyen, Widok rzeki z rybacką łódką Salomona von Ruisdael, Zdjęcie z krzyża Johanna Michaela Rottmayra.

Z zabytków rzeźby i rzemiosła barokowego m.in. Alegoria Architektury Giambologny, Alegoria Czterech Kontynentów Francesca Bertosa, krucyfiks z warsztatu Gianlorenza Berniniego, Diana na jeleniu z warsztatu Joachima Friesa oraz flamandzki naszyjnik z lwem, francuski zegarek o ozdobnej emaliowanej pokrywie z XVIII wieku, pucharek w kształcie winnego grona z warsztatu Hansa Kellnera, sepet z przedstawieniami personifikacji muzyki dzieło Michiela Verbista, niemiecki pucharek ozdobiony płaskorzeźbionymi wizerunkami bogów olimpijskich z XVII wieku. Henry Walters zebrał również dużą kolekcję dzieł związanych z XVIII-wieczną sztuką dworską we Francji. Rzemiosło artystyczne schyłku XVIII wieku tworzą przede wszystkim porcelana z Sèvres, w tym naczynia pochodzące z rezydencji królewskiej z podparyskiego Wersalu, ponadto w zbiorach dzieła porcelany miśnieńskiej oraz z manufaktur w Vincennes, Chelsea i Derby.

Nowoczesność i współczesność

W zbiorach Williama i Henry’ego Waltersów znalazły się liczne obrazy francuskich mistrzów klasycyzmu, romantyzmu, realizmu, akademizmu, impresjonizmu i postimpresjonizmu. Z okresu przełomu XVIII i XIX wieku pochodzi duży zbiór portretów miniaturowych. Spośród malarstwa klasycyzmu m.in. Odaliska z niewolnicą pędzla Ingres (druga wersja). Romantyzm reprezentują płótna Géricault i Delacroix. Gros dzieł francuskiego realizmu tworzą obrazy barbizończyków m.in. Jeana-François Milleta, Camille’a Corota, Julesa Dupré, Narcisse'a Virgilia Díaza i Théodore’a Rousseau. Do nurtu akademizmu zalicza się obrazy Gérôme’a i Alma-Tadema. Treści, styl i atmosferę impresjonizmu ilustrują Wiosna Claude Monet, widoki doliny Sekwany Alfreda Sisleya, i Koncert w kawiarni Édouarda Maneta. Lwia część kolekcji sztuki francuskiej pochodzi z wygranych aukcji, specjalnych zleceń, zakupów i darów, które miały miejsce podczas pobytu Williama Waltersa we Francji, kiedy w Stanach Zjednoczonych trwała wojna domowa. Rezultatem tego jest znaczna przewaga zbiorów sztuki francuskiej nad dziełami z pozostałych krajów, jednakże przykładem szerokiego zainteresowania Waltersa malarstwem światowym są obrazy m.in. Amerykanów Ashera Browna Duranda, Richarda Catona Woodville’a, Alfreda Jacoba Millera, Johna LaFarge’a, Juliusa LeBlanca Stewarta, Jamesa McDougala Harta; Kanadyjczyka Edwarda Mitchella Bannistera; Anglików Wiliama Turnera, Thomasa Cole’a, Williama Collinsa; Irlandczyka, Roderica O’Conora; Belga Jana Augusta Hendrika Leysa; Holendra Jozefa Israëlsa; Norwega Fritsa Thaulowa; Niemców Adolfa Scheyera, Ludwiga Knausa, Austriaków Augusta von Pettenkofena, Leopolda Carla Müllera; Węgra Mihály’ego Munkácsy’ego; Polaka Józefa Brandta; Hiszpanów Martína Rico i José Villegasa Cordero. Niemal wszystkie style, kierunki i tendencje XIX wieku podobnie jak malarstwo odzwierciedla kolekcja rysunku, którą tworzą prace m.in. Alexandra Bidy, André-Henriego Dargelasa, Gustave’a Doré, Honoré Daumiera oraz Ludwiga Richtera i Thomasa Cole’a. Rzeźbę reprezentuje przede wszystkim bogata kolekcja figur lub scen zwierzęcych, których autorem jest Antoine-Louis Barye, a ponadto pojedyncze prace m.in. Auguste’a Rodina, Emmanuela Frémieta, Jeana-Antoine’a Houdona. Kolekcja Waltersów w dużym stopniu odzwierciedla rozwój i przemiany artystyczne w zakresie rzemiosła, oglądać można liczne przedmioty codziennego użytku, w tym zegarki, tabakierki, szkatułki na klejnoty, rozmaitą biżuterię (m.in. René Lalique, Fabergé oraz Tiffany and Co.).

Sztuka islamu

Sztukę Islamu reprezentują przede wszystkim dzieła rzemiosła artystycznego. Są to m.in. wykuta ze srebra i rzeźbiona, irańska waza z VII wieku,pochodzący z egipskiego Mamluka XIII-wieczny świecznik, wykonany z miedzi, posrebrzany i pozłacany; obficie zdobione dekoracją w formie gwiaździstych ornamentów podwoja z XVI wieku; jedwabny pas z indyjskiego Moghul z XVII wieku i datowany na to samo stulecie kafel turecki z widokiem Wielkiego Meczetu w Mekce.

Bogatą kolekcję tworzą także islamskie dzieła piśmiennictwa i iluminatorstwa, wśród nich XV-wieczny rękopis Koranu z dawnego cesarstwa Timurydów w Północnych Indiach; XVI-wieczna kopia Khamsy spisana przez Amira Khursawę, z licznymi ilustracjami malarzy miniaturzystów działających w kręgu cesarza Akbara. Dla tego władcy powstał rękopis określany mianem Walters Art Museum, MS W.613 Z innych dzieł iluminatorstwa rękopis z ilustracjami znanego malarza i mistrza kaligrafii Sheikha Hamadullaha Al-Amasiego.

  • Stronica Koranu pisana pismem kuficznym, IX w.

    Stronica Koranu pisana pismem kuficznym, IX w.

  • Podstawa świecznika, sztuka Mameluków, około 1240 r.

    Podstawa świecznika, sztuka Mameluków, około 1240 r.

  • Kafel irański ze sceną walki, XVI w.

    Kafel irański ze sceną walki, XVI w.

  • Śmierć Dariusza, miniatura mogolska z Khamsa of Nizami ze zbiorów księcia Akbara, 1595 r.

    Śmierć Dariusza, miniatura mogolska z Khamsa of Nizami ze zbiorów księcia Akbara, 1595 r.

  • Detal strzelby ceremonialnej, Turcja, XVIII w.

    Detal strzelby ceremonialnej, Turcja, XVIII w.

Sztuka Azji

Do najważniejszych dzieł kolekcji sztuki azjatyckiej Wilhelma i Henryka Walterów zalicza się m.in. kolekcję japońskich drzeworytów i elementów oręża, zbiory chińskiej i japońskiej porcelany, ponadto dzieł metaloplastyki. Wśród ważniejszych dzieł sztuki starochińskiej wyróżniają się ceramiczny wielbłąd z okresu Tang i misternie malowany dzban na wino z okresu dynastii Ming. Wśród dzieł sztuki związanej z buddyzmem wyróżniają się pochodzący z Kambodży, datowany na przełom XII i XIII wieku wizerunek Bodhisattwa Awalokiteśwara, ponadto muzeum posiada najstarszy zachowany wizerunek Buddy namalowany lakierem na desce drewnianej, datowany na schyłek VI wieku, który jest wystawiony w oddzielnym, zarezerwowanym wyłącznie dla tego dzieła pomieszczeniu. Muzeum ponadto gromadzi jedną z największych i najlepszych kolekcji sztuki dawnej Tajlandii, m.in. wyroby z brązu, pisane i malowane zwoje oraz malowane bławaty flag.

  • Figurka Bodhisattvy, Indie, X w.

    Figurka Bodhisattvy, Indie, X w.

  • Siedzący Budda, Tajlandia, XV w.

    Siedzący Budda, Tajlandia, XV w.

  • Kuferek, Sri Lanka, między 1550 a 1575 r.

    Kuferek, Sri Lanka, między 1550 a 1575 r.

  • Waza chińska ze scenami dworskimi, XVIII w.

    Waza chińska ze scenami dworskimi, XVIII w.

  • Hashiguchi Goyo, Czesząca się kobieta w błękitnej podomce, drzeworyt japoński, 1920

    Hashiguchi Goyo, Czesząca się kobieta w błękitnej podomce, drzeworyt japoński, 1920

Sztuka prekolumbijska

W roku 1911, Henry Walters zakupił niemal 100 złotych artefaktów z rejonie Chiriquí w zachodniej Panamie, tworząc tym samym rdzeń zbiorów sztuki prekolumbijskiej obu Ameryk. Poprzez dalsze nabytki, dary i depozyty, muzeum wzbogaciło się o kolejne dzieła rzeźby i rzemiosła, głównie z kamienia i porcelany z terenów Ameryki Środkowej i Południowej, związanych z kulturami Olmeków, Azteków i Majów oraz Mochikanów i Inków.

  • Kolekcja sztuki Azteków

    Kolekcja sztuki Azteków

  • Figurka kobieca, Meksyk lata około 600-900

    Figurka kobieca, Meksyk lata około 600-900

  • Sztuka Majów, dzbanek trójnożny, około 550-850 r.

    Sztuka Majów, dzbanek trójnożny, około 550-850 r.

  • Dzban w kształcie głowy, kultura Wari, około 650-800 r.

    Dzban w kształcie głowy, kultura Wari, około 650-800 r.

  • Ceramika z Colima, kultura Azteków, lata około 200 p.n.e. – 400 n.e.

    Ceramika z Colima, kultura Azteków, lata około 200 p.n.e. – 400 n.e.

Struktura muzeum

Gmach przy ul. Charles Street

Budynek galerii Henry’ego Waltersa został zaprojektowany przez Williama Adamsa Delano i wzniesiono go w latach 1904-1909, w stylu neorenesansowym na wzór paryskiego Hôtel Pourtales. Wnętrze powstało w oparciu o wzory północno-zachodnio włoskie, przede wszystkim na wzór genueńskiego XVII-wiecznego Kolegium Jezuickiego (Collegio dei Gesuiti, obecnie Palazzo dell’Universita) wzniesionego dla Jezuitów przez rodzinę Balbi. Do wystroju wnętrza dopasowano ekspozycję, którą tworzą przede wszystkim dzieła z renesansu i baroku. Ponadto prezentowane tu są rękopisy iluminowane[3].

Gmach przy Centre Street

Zaprojektowany przez pracownię architektoniczną z Bostonu Shepley, Bullfinch, Richardson, and Abbott, w stylu brutalizmu wznoszony od lat 60., oddany do użytku w roku 1974. Rozbudowany i przekształcony w latach 1998-2001 wedle projektów pracowni Kallmann McKinnell and Wood Architects[4], w efekcie powstało przeszklone atrium, nowa klatka schodowa, kawiarnia, biblioteka, ponadto powiększono przestrzeń ekspozycyjną. W gmachu tym wyeksponowano dzieła sztuki starożytnej, bizantyjskiej, średniowiecznej, XIX-wiecznej oraz etiopskiej. Ponadto w tym gmachu zaadaptowano najstarsze w Stanach laboratorium i pracownię konserwacji zabytków i muzealiów[5].

Dom Hackermana

Wzniesiony w stylu grecko-neoklacystycznym, wedle projektów Johna Rudolpha Niernsee zbudowane w latach 1848 – 1850 dla doktora Johna Hansona Thomasa, uważany za jedną z najelegantszych rezydencji “elegant” przy Mount Vernon Place. Tenże rezydent gościł tu takie osobistości jak księcia Walii, przyszłego króla Edwarda VII, oraz generała Lajosa Kossuth, znanego z walk o wolność Węgier. Od roku 1991, budynek stał się częścią Walters Art Museum, gdzie znalazły się przede wszystkim dzieła sztuki azjatyckiej[6].

Galeria

Sztuka Starożytnego Bliskiego Wschódu oraz Egiptu

  • Korona fenicka, X w. p.n.e.

    Korona fenicka, X w. p.n.e.

  • Asyryjski relief z uskrzydlonym geniuszem, 883-859 r. p.n.e.

    Asyryjski relief z uskrzydlonym geniuszem, 883-859 r. p.n.e.

  • Plakietka lewantyńska, z przedstawieniem gryfa, VIII w. p.n.e.

    Plakietka lewantyńska, z przedstawieniem gryfa, VIII w. p.n.e.

  • Głowa mężczyzny, Egipt, okres Starego Królestwa, między 2350 i 2280 r. p.n.e.

    Głowa mężczyzny, Egipt, okres Starego Królestwa, między 2350 i 2280 r. p.n.e.

  • Dzban, Egipt, Nowe Królestwo, 1450-1350 r. p.n.e.

    Dzban, Egipt, Nowe Królestwo, 1450-1350 r. p.n.e.

Sztuka Starożytnej Grecji, Etrurii i Rzymu

  • Krater, okres klasyczny, 440 p.n.e.

    Krater, okres klasyczny, 440 p.n.e.

  • Grecka figura Erosa, okres hellenistyczny, III w. p.n.e.

    Grecka figura Erosa, okres hellenistyczny, III w. p.n.e.

  • Etruski pyxis ze Sfinksem, między 650 i 625 r. p.n.e.

    Etruski pyxis ze Sfinksem, między 650 i 625 r. p.n.e.

  • Sarkofag ze sceną Triumfu Dionizosa, ok. 190 r.n.e.

    Sarkofag ze sceną Triumfu Dionizosa, ok. 190 r.n.e.

  • Koptyjskie puzdro na biżuterię, schyłek IV w. n.e.

    Koptyjskie puzdro na biżuterię, schyłek IV w. n.e.

Sztuka bizantyjska i ruska

  • Naszyjnik, Bizancjum, V w.

    Naszyjnik, Bizancjum, V w.

  • Kielich, Bizancjum, VII w.

    Kielich, Bizancjum, VII w.

  • Bizantyjska miniatura z Czterema Ewangelistami oraz Piotrem i Pawłem, 1070 – 1100 r.

    Bizantyjska miniatura z Czterema Ewangelistami oraz Piotrem i Pawłem, 1070 – 1100 r.

  • Ikona ze świętą Katarzyną Aleksandryjską oraz trzech epizodów z jej żywota, Grecja XVIII w.

    Ikona ze świętą Katarzyną Aleksandryjską oraz trzech epizodów z jej żywota, Grecja XVIII w.

  • Ukrzyżowanie, ikona ruska z XVI w.

    Ukrzyżowanie, ikona ruska z XVI w.

Sztuka islamu

  • Talerz, Egipt, XI w.

    Talerz, Egipt, XI w.

  • Kałamarz, około 1200 r.

    Kałamarz, około 1200 r.

  • Miniatura ukazująca dwór szacha Abbasa I, XVII w.

    Miniatura ukazująca dwór szacha Abbasa I, XVII w.

  • Miniatura z dekoracją ornamentalną, XVII w.

    Miniatura z dekoracją ornamentalną, XVII w.

  • Kafel z Wielkim Meczetem w Mekce, Turcja, XVII w.

    Kafel z Wielkim Meczetem w Mekce, Turcja, XVII w.

Sztuka średniowieczna

  • Fragment końskiej uprzęży, Hunowie, IV w.

    Fragment końskiej uprzęży, Hunowie, IV w.

  • Relikwiarz, Nadrenia, połowa XIII w.

    Relikwiarz, Nadrenia, połowa XIII w.

  • Głowa apostoła z opactwa w Jumièges, 1332-1335 r.

    Głowa apostoła z opactwa w Jumièges, 1332-1335 r.

  • Antependium, Włochy, przed 1369 r.

    Antependium, Włochy, przed 1369 r.

  • Madonna z Dzieciątkiem, Francja, XIV w.

    Madonna z Dzieciątkiem, Francja, XIV w.

  • Malarz niderlandzki, Zwiastowanie, około 1400 r.

    Malarz niderlandzki, Zwiastowanie, około 1400 r.

  • Zanobi Strozzi, Godzinki, około 1445 r.

    Zanobi Strozzi, Godzinki, około 1445 r.

  • Cristoforo Majorana, Psałrerz – stronica z miniaturą z Drzewem Jessego, około 1480 r.

    Cristoforo Majorana, Psałrerz – stronica z miniaturą z Drzewem Jessego, około 1480 r.

  • Nieznany artysta antwerpski, Maria z Dzieciątkiem podczas odpoczynku w drodze do Egiptu, między 1515 a 1525 r.

    Nieznany artysta antwerpski, Maria z Dzieciątkiem podczas odpoczynku w drodze do Egiptu, między 1515 a 1525 r.

  • Naszyjnik z Marią i Dzieciątkiem Jezus, Niemcy, XVI w.

    Naszyjnik z Marią i Dzieciątkiem Jezus, Niemcy, XVI w.

Nowożytność

  • Carlo Crivelli, Madonna z Dzieciątkiem i świętymi, między 1485-1490 r.

    Carlo Crivelli, Madonna z Dzieciątkiem i świętymi, między 1485-1490 r.

  • Bartolomé Esteban Perez Murillo, Maria Niepokalana, 1670 r.

    Bartolomé Esteban Perez Murillo, Maria Niepokalana, 1670 r.

  • David Teniers II, Wartownia, około 1642 r.

    David Teniers II, Wartownia, około 1642 r.

  • Diana na jeleniu, Anglia, między około 1620 – 1635 r.

    Diana na jeleniu, Anglia, między około 1620 – 1635 r.

  • Nieznany rzeźbiarz austriacki, Anioł, 1740-1760 r.

    Nieznany rzeźbiarz austriacki, Anioł, 1740-1760 r.

  • Warsztat w Limoges, Nardon Pénicaud, Ukrzyżowanie (fragment tryptyku), od około 1495 do około 1525 r.

    Warsztat w Limoges, Nardon Pénicaud, Ukrzyżowanie (fragment tryptyku), od około 1495 do około 1525 r.

  • Misa majolikowa z „Piękną Camillą”, Włochy, od około 1530 do około 1545 r.

    Misa majolikowa z „Piękną Camillą”, Włochy, od około 1530 do około 1545 r.

  • Książęca korona ślubna, Szwecja, początek XVIII w.

    Książęca korona ślubna, Szwecja, początek XVIII w.

  • Putta-personifikacje nauk humanistycznych i przyrodniczych, porcelana miśnieńska, między 1745 a 1749 r.

    Putta-personifikacje nauk humanistycznych i przyrodniczych, porcelana miśnieńska, między 1745 a 1749 r.

  • Jean Démosthène Dugourc, model komody na królewskie klejnoty, 1787 r.

    Jean Démosthène Dugourc, model komody na królewskie klejnoty, 1787 r.

Nowoczesność

  • Eugène Delacroix, Chrystus na Morzu Galilejskim, 1854 r.

    Eugène Delacroix, Chrystus na Morzu Galilejskim, 1854 r.

  • Asher Brown Durand, Las 1859 r.

    Asher Brown Durand, Las 1859 r.

  • Jules Breton, Powrót z pola, 1871 r.

    Jules Breton, Powrót z pola, 1871 r.

  • Józef Brandt, Zwiad, 1876 r.

    Józef Brandt, Zwiad, 1876 r.

  • Frits Thaulow, Widok Werony znad Adygi, 1884 r.

    Frits Thaulow, Widok Werony znad Adygi, 1884 r.

  • Claude Monet, Wiosna, 1872 r.

    Claude Monet, Wiosna, 1872 r.

  • Baron Carlo Marochetti, model pomnika Napoleona I, około 1810 r.

    Baron Carlo Marochetti, model pomnika Napoleona I, około 1810 r.

  • Neogotycka bransoleta, Austria, około 1870 r.

    Neogotycka bransoleta, Austria, około 1870 r.

  • Tiffany and Co., Kwiat irysu, początek XX w.

    Tiffany and Co., Kwiat irysu, początek XX w.

  • Emile Gallé, Wazon z gałęziami wiśni, około 1900 r.

    Emile Gallé, Wazon z gałęziami wiśni, około 1900 r.

Rysunki w Walters Art Museum

Sztuka Dalekiego Wschodu

  • Nieznany malarz i rysownik chiński, Pod sosną, XV w.

    Nieznany malarz i rysownik chiński, Pod sosną, XV w.

  • Chrystus jako Dobry Pasterz, Indie, między 1600 a 1650 r.

    Chrystus jako Dobry Pasterz, Indie, między 1600 a 1650 r.

  • Zbroja japońska z XVIII w.

    Zbroja japońska z XVIII w.

  • Figurka Buddy Vajrasatva, Południowy Tybet, XI w.

    Figurka Buddy Vajrasatva, Południowy Tybet, XI w.

  • Kumeno Teitaro, dzbanek z dekoracją roślinną, około 1890 r.

    Kumeno Teitaro, dzbanek z dekoracją roślinną, około 1890 r.

Sztuka Afryki

  • Róg z reliefem z kości słoniowej, Północna Afryka, między XVI-XVIII w.

    Róg z reliefem z kości słoniowej, Północna Afryka, między XVI-XVIII w.

  • Miniatura w Ewangeliarzu Gunda Gunde, Etiopia, około 1540 r.

    Miniatura w Ewangeliarzu Gunda Gunde, Etiopia, około 1540 r.

  • Krzyżyk do naszyjnika, Etiopia, XIX w.

    Krzyżyk do naszyjnika, Etiopia, XIX w.

  • Pyxis z kości słoniowej z cyklem Pasji Chrystusa, Sierra Leone, XVI w.

    Pyxis z kości słoniowej z cyklem Pasji Chrystusa, Sierra Leone, XVI w.

  • Tarcza Beji, Sudan, schyłek XIX w.

    Tarcza Beji, Sudan, schyłek XIX w.

Sztuka prekolumbijska

  • Przedstawienie uczty, Jalisco, między 300 r. p.n.e. – 300 r. n.e.

    Przedstawienie uczty, Jalisco, między 300 r. p.n.e. – 300 r. n.e.

  • Figurka mężczyzny, kultura Misteków, między 1200 a 1500 r.

    Figurka mężczyzny, kultura Misteków, między 1200 a 1500 r.

  • Figurka siedzącego mężczyzny, kultura Olmeków, lata około 1200-900 p.n.e.

    Figurka siedzącego mężczyzny, kultura Olmeków, lata około 1200-900 p.n.e.

  • Kukiełka z Chancay, Peru, między 1000 a 1450 r.

    Kukiełka z Chancay, Peru, między 1000 a 1450 r.

  • Dzbanek z figurkami, kultura Zenú, między 500 a 1550 r.

    Dzbanek z figurkami, kultura Zenú, między 500 a 1550 r.

Przypisy

  1. ↑ Free Admission at Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art museum begins October 1 (Groundbreaking cooperation and financial support from Baltimore City and Baltimore County provides greater public access to world-class art). [dostęp 2006-09-23]. [zarchiwizowane z tego adresu (2006-10-02)].
  2. ↑ Mary Carole McCauley: Walters donates artwork images to Wikipedia. The Baltimore Sun, May 8, 2012.
  3. ↑ Guide to the Collections, s. 14-15
  4. ↑ kmwarch.com
  5. ↑ Walters Art Museum website: From Gallery to Museum. [dostęp 2013-08-18]. [zarchiwizowane z tego adresu (2010-12-26)].
  6. ↑ Guide to the Collections, s. 18

Bibliografia

  • Sabine Albersmeier, The Art of Ancient Greece in Walters Art Museum, London 2008
  • Martina Bagnoli, Kate Gerry, The Medieval World in Walters Art Museum, London 2011
  • Martina Bagnoli, Holger A. Klein, C. Griffith Mann, and James Robinson, Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe, Baltimore 2010
  • Richard B. Gruelle, Collection of William Thompson Walters, Boston 1895
  • Morten Hansen, Joneath Spicer, Masterpieces of Italian Painting. The Walters Art Museum, London 2005
  • Kelly M. Holbert, Getatchew Haile, Jacques Mercier and C. Griffith Mann, Ethiopian Art, Tempe/Lingfield 2001
  • William R. Johnston, William and Henry Walters, The Reticent Collectors, Baltimore 1999
  • William R. Johnston, Nineteenth-Century Art: From Romanticism to Art Nouveau , London 2000
  • Dorie Reents-Budet, Exploring the Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection , London 2012
  • Regine Schulz, Matthias Seidel, Egyptian Art. Walters Art Museum, London 2009
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson, William Johnston, Joaneath Spicer (ed.), The Walters Art Gallery, Guide to the Collections, Baltimore/London 1997
  • Hiram W. Woodward Jr., Asian Art in the Walters Art Gallery: A Selection, Baltimore 1991
  • Hiram W. Woodward Jr., The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, Washington 1997

Linki zewnętrzne

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Location map of the USA (without Hawaii and Alaska).

EquiDistantConicProjection:
Central parallel: 

* N: 37.0° N

Central meridian: 

* E: 96.0° W

Standard parallels: 

* 1: 32.0° N
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x = 50.0 + 124.03149777329222 * ((1.9694462586094064-({{{2}}}* pi / 180))
      * sin(0.6010514667026994 * ({{{3}}} + 96) * pi / 180))
y = 50.0 + 1.6155950752393982 * 124.03149777329222 * 0.02613325650382181
      - 1.6155950752393982  * 124.03149777329222 *
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The flag of Navassa Island is simply the United States flag. It does not have a "local" flag or "unofficial" flag; it is an uninhabited island. The version with a profile view was based on Flags of the World and as a fictional design has no status warranting a place on any Wiki. It was made up by a random person with no connection to the island, it has never flown on the island, and it has never received any sort of recognition or validation by any authority. The person quoted on that page has no authority to bestow a flag, "unofficial" or otherwise, on the island.
Austrian - Angel - Walters 27571 - Right.jpg
In Catholic, German-speaking countries, church interiors took on a lively and airy character during the 18th century, in part due to the brightly painted sculpture. Groups of joyously singing angels, such as this one standing on a cloud with his song book, were often clustered in the upper reaches of the churches. Its pose, wavy hair, and fluttering drapery all give an impression of weightless movement.
Nardon Pénicaud - Triptych with Crucifixion - Walters 44149.jpg
The brilliant, jewel-like surfaces of this small folding triptych (three panels hinged together) are characteristic of painting in enamel on copper which was a specialty of Limoges. The vibrancy and surface richness possible with this technique made it attractive for decorating personal objects. They had to be fairly small because of the relatively small sheets of copper then available. Pénicaud was a great enamelist and the founder of a successful workshop carried on by his heirs. Like many contemporary enamelists, however, he did not compose the religious images he executed. This scene is based on a woodcut published in Paris in 1505. The French woodcut was, in turn, derived from a German engraving. Originality was not as important then as it is today; what mattered most was the quality of the product. This exquisite triptych was clearly held in high esteem as it was the model for several others.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - At the Circus - Free Horses - Walters 372523.jpg
This drawing is one of 39 sheets the artist made in the spring of 1899 while he was in a mental hospital in Neuilly being treated for alcoholism. While it is popularly held that the series was done entirely from memory as a demonstration that Toulouse-Lautrec had regained his mental faculties, Perussaux suggested that the artist may very well have been allowed out of the hospital with a companion to visit the Molier circus, which is known to have been held nearby during his stay there (New York, 1953: 2). This theory is supported by the conspicuous absence from some of the drawings of an audience, suggesting that the artist may have been sketching during rehearsals. All of his earlier depictions of the circus, e.g., "In the Cirque Fernando: The Ringmaster," 1888 (The Art Institute of Chicago), show spectators; indeed, the artist's examination of spectatorship as a bourgeois activity at the theater, café-concerts, or dance halls is a hallmark of modernity.
Indian - The Christ Child as Good Shepherd - Walters 71324.jpg
This popular compositional type of carved ivory statuette depicting the Good Shepherd was apparently invented in Goa (west coast of India), a Jesuit training center for missionaries. At the bottom, Christ's follower Mary Magdalene reads scriptures in a mountain cave, where, according to legend, she retired in later life. Above is a fountain of life (suggestive of baptism) with doves and lambs, and at the top is the meditative figure of the Christ Child sitting with a lamb.
Swedish - Swedish Wedding Crown - Walters 572047 - View A.jpg
Although crowns are customarily associated with royalty, wedding crowns in Scandinavia were worn by brides of all social strata. They were owned by the bride's parish and loaned for the occasaion. Wedding crowns were richly decorated with emblems of conjugal love: this example includes carnations, associated with enduring marriage because their fragrance outlasts their blossoms, dangling linden leaves, which represent fertility in Nordic literature, and angels, Christian figures that allude to the eternal and spiritual qualities of marriage. The crown itself resembles that worn by Mary, Queen of Heaven.
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Autor: Alexrk2, Licencja: CC BY 3.0
Ta mapa została stworzona za pomocą GeoTools.
Myochin - Suit of Armor with the Buddhist Deity Fudo Myo-o - Walters 51602.jpg
The Buddhist deity Fudo Myo-o is depicted on the breastplate and helmet.
French - Head of an Apostle - Walters 27350.jpg
This elegant head from a statue is characteristically Gothic in appearance, with its symmetrical features and abundant, tight curls. Multiple layers of paint, traces of which remain, attest to the age of the head, which probably comes from the church of Saint-Pierre in Jumièges. When this church was rebuilt in 1332-35, up to fifteen pier or column statues of apostles and saints were installed in the choir, the eastern end of the church.
Jean-François Millet - The Potato Harvest - Walters 37115.jpg
After moving from Paris to the village of Barbizon on the edge of the Fontainebleau forest in 1851, Millet devoted himself to portraying the lives of his neighbors. Some critics interpreted his paintings of working farmers as a critique of the injustices inherent in the social conditions of his time. Others have seen his work as a representation of man's harmonious union with nature.
Byzantine - Necklace - Walters 57544 - View A.jpg
Wealthy women in the Byzantine Empire favored elaborate necklaces such as these. Pearls and emeralds (from Egypt) were most highly prized, although amethysts evoked the imperial use of the color purple.
Roman - Portrait of Livia - Walters 23211 - Three Quarter.jpg
This portrait of Livia was created not long after her marriage to Emperor Augustus. As the first empress of Rome, Livia wanted her public image to embody all the virtues that the Romans valued in a woman, including "pudicita" (modesty) and "pietas" (respect). She also set a new fashion with her innovative nodus hairstyle, in which a section of hair is arranged in a roll over the forehead, while the rest of the hair is swept back in loose waves and secured in a bun at the nape of the neck.
Indian - A Bodhisattva - Walters 543026.jpg
Kashmir had its own Buddhist traditions, which spread into the Himalayan regions. This six-armed bodhisattva, carrying a bow and arrow, might be a form of Avalokiteshvara.
Sri Lankan - Ivory Cabinet - Walters 711197.jpg
Such cabinets were produced in Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka) off the western coast of India on commission from Portuguese traders for the European market by the mid 16th century. The shape and function are European, but the subject and style of the elaborate carving, including perforation of the ivory plaques that make it up, are characteristic of Ceylon.

The plaques of ivory are carved in low relief, backed by sheets of tortoise shell and with silver fittings (corner pieces, rivets, key plates, original key and handles).

On the front, the upper drawer is decorated with confronted lions spewing scrolls enclosed in borders of quatrefoils and beading; the lower two drawers have key plates and scrolling, with identical borders.

On the sides are square central panels with winged leonine fantastic creatures with reptilian scaled tails (serapendiyas) enclosed in borders surrouned by scrolling and framed with borders.

On the top are two confronted leonine creatures, similar to those on the sides, enclosed in beaded ovals and scrollwork, further enclosed in a border with outer scrolling and border.

On the back is an oblong field with fragment of leonine creature enclosed in beaded frame with elaborate scrolling and border.

The underside is composed of plain ivory.

There is also a small section of border in the upper drawer.
Baron Carlo Marochetti - Model for a Monument to Napoleon I - Walters 27521.jpg
This sculpture was originally attributed to Antoine-Louis Barye (French, 1795-1875) but has recently been reassigned to Marochetti, an Italian sculptor who became a naturalized French citizen in 1841. During the reign of King Louis-Philippe (r. 1830-48), he received a number of important commissions from the state. After Louis-Philippe was deposed in 1848, he followed the ex-king into exile in London. In 1840, Marochetti was commissioned to create an equestrian monument to Napoleon I to mark the occasion of the return of the emperor's body to France. It was not until 1861 that the monument was unveiled in front of the Invalides by Napoleon III. The emperor is portrayed wearing his coronation robes and the collar of the order of the "Légion d'honneur."
Egyptian - "Malqata Kateriskos" Vessel - Walters 4732 - Profile.jpg
Although the manufacture of faience can be traced back to the predynastic period (the fourth millennium BCE), the production of true glass did not emerge in Egypt until the early 18th Dynasty, around 1500 BC. Recent excavations and technical analysis support the hypothesis that the technology of glassmaking was imported from western Asia. Both raw glass, in the form of large ingots, and finished vessels were likely imported at an early stage, as were the artisans themselves. Within a short time, however, the Egyptians had developed a highly sophisticated industry that flourished under Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) and his successor, Akhenaten (1352-1336 BC). Polychrome glass seems to have been particularly esteemed by the court; large numbers of vessels have been found in the tombs of 18th Dynasty pharaohs. The contents of many glass flasks-fragrant essences dissolved in plant-based oils-confirm their status as objects of high luxury. In addition to its use in jewelry, amulets, inlays, and architectural decoration, glass was used for vessels, particularly distinctively shaped perfume bottles. The two most common shapes take their names from distinctive types of Greek pottery: "amphoriskos" (little amphora) and "krateriskos" (little krater). The Walters "amphoriskos" (Walters 47.31), broad shouldered with a rounded base, has an opaque white ground; this "krateriskos" has a cobalt blue body decorated with white, yellow and light blue bands, two horizontal handles, applied to the shoulder, and a wide foot. Both are core-formed vessels; the technology of blown glass was as yet unknown. The molten mass, composed of silica and natron (heated to a temperature of around 1000º-1150º C), was wrapped around a clay or dung core that was later removed. Decorative bands were formed by pressing threads of colored glass onto the molten surface; combing the threads with a metal tool created decorative patterns.
Józef Brandt - On Reconnaissance - Walters 372569.jpg
Brandt, a painter of military campaigns and eastern European trail scenes in which horses serve as a recurring motif, distinguished himself as the leader of the "Munich school of Polish painters," an informal band of realists of Polish origin active in Munich in the 1870s. In search of exotic subjects he frequently traveled eastward, visiting Ukraine and the European parts of Turkey. A consummate painter of horses, Brandt shows a procession of Tartar horseman proceeding across a grassy plain dotted with colorful wildflowers. The figure on a dapple horse in the central foreground, startled by something in the rushes at the right, halts, brandishes his rifle, and raises his hand to caution his companion. In the background, the rest of the group rides across the hill toward the two figures in the foreground. The horsemen wear bright red pants, boots, and turbans with feathers; the turban of the man on the dapple horse is a particularly brilliant saffron. Along with the rifles they carry, each has additional weapons around their waists, including bows and axes. The reins and saddles of the horses are embellished by beads and decorative metalwork.
Gilbert Stuart - Portrait of George Washington - Walters 37171.jpg
In 1793, after working in London and Dublin for 18 years, Stuart returned to America. Two years later, he painted his first portrait of George Washington, showing the right side of the president's face, a format since known as the Vaughan type. In the spring of 1796, Washington again sat for Stuart, and the resulting portrait, which was never finished, was originally acquired by the Boston Athenaeum. Depicting the left side of the face, this second version was replicated many times, becoming an icon of American art. The Baltimore art collector Robert Gilmor, Jr., for a fee of $150, commissioned the artist to paint this example of the Athaeneum format. It was Stuart's last likeness of Washington.
African - Carved Ram's Horn Cup with Lions and Mounted Rider - Walters 7218.jpg
The exterior of this piece is intricately carved in low relief with a figure of a mounted nobleman and heraldic lions among leaf rinceaux. The cup terminates in a carved bust. This intriguing drinking cup is installed in the chamber of Wonders with objects from Asia and Africa. Seventeenth-century collectors often could not be sure where objects obtained from sea captians and traders actually came from. We don't know where this piece was made. Do you?
Turkish - Rifle - Walters 5184 - Detail L.jpg
Referencing the elite pastimes of hunting and writing, this ceremonial jeweled rifle set includes a dagger, pen case, penholder with pen, penknife, cleaner, and a spoon-all conveniently housed within the rifle butt. Penknives were important elements in the calligrapher's toolset, and their handles were often elaborately decorated. The hardness of the reed used for pens throughout Islamic lands required a good blade to make a clean cut. The small spoon was used to put black powder into the flash pan in preparation for firing the rifle. The imperial monogram (tughra) of the Ottoman ruler Sultan Mahmud I (r. 1730-54) is inscribed in diamonds inside the hinged panel of the rifle butt. The artist Muhammad and the rifle's owner, Ahmad Khan, who had possession of the rifle at some point, are also named.
German - Reliquary with Apostles - Walters 71146.jpg
This octagonal reliquary, or container for saints' relics, is decorated with standing figures of eight apostles, all carved in a compact, linear style more typical of the 11th and 12th centuries. The shape of the reliquary, though, is 13th-century. The plaques are carved from bone, which was more plentiful and less expensive than elephant ivory. The reliquary, one of seven small tower-shaped vessels to survive from Cologne, originally rested on four short feet and was crowned by a knob finial.
Jean Démosthène Dugourc - Model for a Royal Jewel Cabinet - Walters 6520.jpg
Dugourc entered this model in a contest held in 1787 to choose a design for Queen Marie-Antoinette's new jewel cabinet at the palace of Versailles. The jury selected another entry which was constructed the following year and is now in the Queen's bedroom in the palace. Dugourc, a multi-talented designer, received commissions from the comte de Provence (Louis XVI's brother and the future Louis XVIII) and from both Paul I and Catherine the Great of Russia as well as from Gustavus III of Sweden. The Walters piece, an extremely rare model for a royal commission, reflects the prevailing neoclassical style in the use of such motifs as caryatids (pilasters in the form of human torsos) Greek sphinxes, delicate "rinceaux" (scrollwork) and lyres. Encased in the roundels are the monograms of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Egyptian - Lusterware Plate with Bird Motif - Walters 482036.jpg
Decorative lusterware was popular during the Fatimid Period (910-1171). The most important production place was in the cultural center of al-Fustad near the Fatimid capital al-Qahira (Cairo). This plate displays a typical motif of this time period: a bird in a central roundel with leaves and branches and a broad frame with leaf arabesques. Especially attractive are the variation of forms of the leaves and spiral-tendrils, which modify the rhytmic pattern, and the yellow-golden color of the painting.
Walters-museum-building 1.jpg
Autor: Dylan k, Licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph of the Charles Street entrance to the Walters Art Museum, as seen from the south quad of the Mount Vernon Park, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Edouard Manet - At the Café - Walters 37893.jpg
Manet was the quintessential "Painter of Modern Life," a phrase coined by art critic and poet Charles Baudelaire. In 1878-79, he painted a number of scenes set in the Cabaret de Reichshoffen on the Boulevard Rochechouart, where women on the fringes of society freely intermingled with well-heeled gentlemen. Here, Manet captures the kaleidoscopic pleasures of Parisian nightlife. The figures are crowded into the compact space of the canvas, each one seemingly oblivious of the others. When exhibited at La Vie Moderne gallery in 1880, this work was praised by some for its unflinching realism and criticized by others for its apparent crudeness.
African - Beja Shield - Walters 511398.jpg
The Beja are nomadic people of eastern Sudan who were first documented by the ancient Egyptians. This is a late example of a traditional Beja round shield, typically made of rhinoceros or hippopotamus hide.
Sumerian - Male Worshiper - Walters 215 (2).jpg
The shaven head, a sign of ritual purity, may identify this figure as a priest. A partially preserved inscription on one shoulder states that he prays to Ninshubur, the goddess associated with the planet Mercury.
German - Pendant with the Virgin and Child Enthroned - Walters 44263.jpg
Openwork design, colorful enameling, and religious motifs are characteristic of many opulent German Renaissance pendants. This large but delicate example depicts the enthroned Virgin and Child in applied relief surrounded by a pair of cherubim and intricate scrollwork. Such elaborate pieces would have been owned by Renaissance courtiers. Analysis of the enamels revealed that the central group probably dates to the 16th century. It has been attached to a 19th-century decorative mount of unknown origin and of Renaissance-inspired design. Because the Renaissance style experienced a revival in the 19th century, jewelry was frequently copied or forged, often making it difficult without scientific testing to determine if works are original to the period.
Kumeno Teitaro - Spherical Jar with Flowers in a Basket - Walters 44695.jpg
A covered jar in the shape of a globe on a pedestal. The decoration evokes a three-dimensional illusion of a net bag, tied with tassels at the top, swelling and overflowing with of a variety of flowers from different seasons (chrysanthemums, peonies, morning glories, lilies, etc.) The inside surface of the lid is enameled with flowers, leaves and butterflies. The lid has a gilt bronze finial in the shape of a closed chrysanthemum. The enamel is translucent and semi-opaque.
Greek - Eros - Walters 482527.jpg
The fluttering ends of the drapery and the thick white underpainting, or "slip," are recognizably South Italian. All Hellenistic terracotta figurines were gaily painted with bright colors, usually derived from plants.
Phoenician - Crown with Goddesses and Ibexes - Walters 57968.jpg
This gold crown of nine rectangular plaques in stamped relief depicts fertility goddesses and ibexes.
Etienne-Maurice Falconet - Pygmalion and Galatea - Walters 27387 - View A.jpg
This statue is very likely the one exhibited by the artist at the Salon of 1763. The subject is taken from the Roman poet Ovid's tale of Pygmalion. Pygmalion is depicted in rapturous amazement at the feet of his love object, a nude sculpture, just at the moment when it is given life by Venus, the goddess of love. It is one of several celebrated works that established Falconet as one of the most influential sculptors of the second half of the 18th century. Falconet was supported by Louis XV's mistress, Mme de Pompadour, through whose influence he was put in charge of sculpture at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory at Sèvres. A version of this sculpture was supplied by the artist as a model for reproduction by the manufacturer in white biscuit porcelain. Although this marble statue shares the same spirit as the painter Boucher's lighthearted and often erotic works, Falconet also created ambitious sculptures noted for their sober Classicism, the most famous example being his heroic equestrian portrait of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg.
Austrian - Gothic-Style Bracelet - Walters 571999.jpg
This extravagant bracelet consists of five arched segments and three foliate segments. Judging from indentiations in the original leather case, this piece was originally a diadem with two additional foliate elements rather than a bracelet. All the pieces are hinged together and carried out in elaborate openwork decorated with precious stones and scrollwork. The five large segments imitate Gothic architecture with ogive arches and columns.
Emile Gallé - Vase with Cherry Tree Branches - Walters 47570.jpg
Inspired by the Chinese glass he had seen during a trip to Berlin, Emile Gallé began to work with opaque colored glass in 1884. Within four years, he developed a technique of working with cased (layered) glass in which Art Nouveau or Japanese-inspired designs were etched through the outer layers with acid to create inexpensively a carved cameo effect. Most of Gallé's pieces were mass-produced at the glasshouse of Burgum and Schverer in the town of Meisenthal in eastern France. Production of his works continued there after his death until World War I.
Turkish - Tile with the Great Mosque of Mecca - Walters 481307 - View A.jpg
The three lines of Arabic writing in the upper part of this large, ceramic wall tile are from the third chapter of the Qur'an, and exhort the Muslim faithful to make the pilgrimmage to Mecca. The rest of the tile is given over to a bird's-eye representation of the Great Mosque in Mecca, with the Ka'ba, Islam's holiest shrine, in the center surrounded by various other structures, all identified in Arabic, and a rectangular portico around the courtyard. Such tiles may have been created to remind Muslims of their obligation to make the pilgrimage and to introduce potential hajji, or pilgrims, to the places and practices they would encounter in Mecca. The plaques also may have been intended for commemoration and contemplation following a hajji's experience at the Ka'ba.
Levantine - Winged Griffin Nibbling on Sacred Tree - Walters 711171.jpg
This Phoenician-style plaque shows a griffin (a creature with a lion's body, falcon's head, and wings) nibbling on a sacred tree. The griffin rests one forepaw on a papyrus blossom and the other on a branch of the tree. The sacred tree may be associated with agricultural abundance and nourishment.
Mexican - Female Figure - Walters 20092027 - Three Quarter Left.jpg
Exquisitely molded and modeled, this splendid rendering of a woman with a basket typifies the detailed ceramic sculptures of Classic Period Veracruz. The naturalistic depiction of soft, pliable cloth in the rigid medium of fired clay attests to the artist's command of the medium. The lady's elaborate headdress is composed of a wide, plain piece of cloth wrapped around her head bound with head bands of oval beads and strips of cloth. Her body is draped in a sleeved tunic that fl oats on top of her long wrap skirt. She is adorned with a single-strand necklace of rounded beads and a central rectangular pendant, with smaller versions encircling each wrist. The necklace is tied at the back of her neck, its four thin tie-ends terminating in oblong beads. The figure's ornate earrings represent sectioned conch shells. The sectioned conch shell is the "wind jewel" or ehecailacacozcatl, an identifying symbol of Quetzalcóatl, the god of rain, wind, and war during the Classic Period. This deity was particularly associated with the cultures of the Gulf Coast. During Postclassic times, Quetzalcóatl was closely connected with the pilgrimage center of Cholula, located on the passage between coastal Veracruz and the Valley of Mexico, where he was the patron of rulers and associated with priests and merchants as well. On her right shoulder this Nopiloa lady balances a flat-bottomed basket with a double-strap handle, recalling the typical carrying baskets used by women in Mexican markets today. The basket contains a pile of hand-made cigars and an unidentified rectangular folded item. Her fine dress and sophisticated jewelry suggest that she is more than a commonplace market girl.
Carlo Crivelli - Madonna and Child with Saints and Donor - Walters 37593.jpg
Mary's crown and the elegance of her dress reinforce the status of the embracing Virgin and Child as Queen and King of Heaven. The unknown donor-the little figure in the lower left corner-belonged to the Franciscan Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi. The initials FBDA might stand for Fra Bernardino da Ancona (Brother Bernardino of Ancona). St. Francis is standing to the left of the Madonna and Child and, on the right, is another Franciscan: St. Bernadino of Siena, holding his attribute, the plaque inscribed with Christ's initials surrounded by the rays of the sun. This altarpiece was almost certainly made for a private oratory, or chapel, in a convent in the Marches (eastern-central Italy) where Crivelli was active. The panel displays Crivelli's original style of employing sharp outlines, splendid surface textures, and striking illusionist effects, such as the cushion on which Christ stands that seems to extend into the viewer's space.
Tibetan - Transcendental Buddha Vajrasatva - Walters 543014 - View A.jpg
Literally, the Sanskrit expression "vajrasatva" means "thunderbolt or diamantine (also adamantine) essence," of which Vajrasattva is clearly the embodiment. As an important archetypal deity, Vajrasattva is regarded both as a Buddha and a bodhisattva, though he is generally represented elaborately bedecked with ornaments in "sambhogakaya" or "body-of-bliss" form.
  • Here, Vajrasattva is found in an unusual standing posture on a lotus between two stupas. He holds his attributes, the thunderbolt and the bell; and his hair is arranged in a tall chignon which may once have been adorned with a lotus.
  • Attached to the underside of the base are two Snow Lions striding in opposite directions, their heads turned towards one another. Clearly, the pedestal was originally two-tiered, as may be seen in a more complete bronze statue in The British Museum (von Schroeder 1981, no. 32F).
Chinese - Vase with Court Scene and Three Star Gods - Walters 492349 - Side A.jpg
The main subject on the body of this vase is a court interior in which musicians play and a dancing woman performs for the seated figure at the center. Two attendants hold large ceremonial fans above her head. Above the court scene, a separate subject is displayed on the vase's neck. Here, three Star gods, or folk deities, are gathered in conversation. They are Shou [Shou], Fu [Fu], and Lu [Lu], representing the good fortunes of Longevity, Happiness, and High Rank, respectively.
Colima - Group of Figurines and Architectural Model - Walters 20092033 - Group.jpg
Narrative groupings of figurines in architectural settings have been found throughout Mesoamerica in contexts dating as early as the Middle Formative Period (900-400 BCE). Some are made from jadeite and similar precious stones, such as an Olmec ceremonial scene of sixteen figurines arranged in a semicircle and framed by six column-like celts. Others are composed of modeled ceramic figures depicting a burial or ancestor veneration rite complete with elaborately dressed performers and musicians, like that found above Tomb 103 at Monte Albán, Oaxaca. The objects that constitute these figure groups generally share the same aesthetic style and manufacturing technique, which suggests they were made at the same time as a single artistic statement. The disparate artistic styles and technical features suggest that these nine Colima figurines and one building model might be a modern grouping, although dissimilar figurines have been documented in figure groupings found in the same tomb. In this instance archaeological confirmation is not available. The figurine types represent at least two styles from Colima-Jalisco, including the Tuxcacuesco-Ortices type (nos. 33.3, 33.8, and 33.9) and two from the Colima-Jalisco border region (nos. 33.4 and 33.5). The house model (no. 33.1) depicts a typical West Mexican domicile or ceremonial building without its basal, earthen platform. No architecture of comparable form is found in the region because these structures were made of perishable materials; only the earth-and-stone platforms have survived, although many have been destroyed by modern agricultural activities. These architectural models thus document the lost architectural heritage of ancient West Mexico. The figures portray men and women performing both ritual and daily activities, from mothers tending children (nos. 33.3 and 33.8) and grinding maize (no. 33.7) to men drumming (no. 33.6) or sitting regally and brandishing a fanlike scepter (no. 33.9). A seated hunchback figure, which also is a whistle, sports an elaborate head wrap and fine jewelry (no. 33.10). A dog-standing-atop-a-dog sculpture and two seated men with elongated heads complete the group (nos. 33.2, 33.4, and 33.5). This elongated-head figurine style is associated with the northern Colima-Jalisco region and dates to the later years of the Comala phase (ca. 200-300 CE).
Hunnish - Set of Horse Trappings - Walters 571050, 571051, 571052, 571060 - View A.jpg
This fine and rare set of horse trappings is decorated with stones in beaded settings- a style Hunnish metalworkers favored.

The large piece is a chamfron, which was worn on the horse's head above the eyes. This one is ornamental rather than defensive and indicated the wealth and power of the horse's owner.

The two thin strips are bridle mounts, which probably covered the bridle or reins near the horse's head, where they would be best displayed.

The gold tube is the handle of a Hunnish whip, called a "nagaika." The open end held the leather of the whip, which would be secured in place by the bronze rivet. The Huns had no spurs and instead used these whips to urge their horses to run.
Italian - Embroidered Altar Frontal with Standing Saints - Walters 83716.jpg
This tapestry frontal from the fourteenth century was made in Italy, but found its way to England, where it was owned by John Grandisson, bishop of Exeter (r. 1327-1369). Grandisson was an avid patron of the arts who had traveled widely in Europe, and he often imported works of art from continental Europe to England. His coat of arms was added to the panel in two places, to the garments of Saints Stephen and Lawrence (the second and fifth saints on the panel). By adding his heraldry to the garments of Stephen and Lawrence, both deacons, Bishop Grandisson associated himself with these revered servants of the Church. The cloth is made of linen cord wrapped in silver, and the vines surrounding the saints were embroidered to create a raised pattern, enhancing the reflective quality of the panel. It shows a parade of martyrs who would have probably flanked a central image of the Virgin, now lost. The references to the sacrifices of these saints would have called to mind the Eucharist, a rite celebrated in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice
Iranian - Courtiers of Shah 'Abbas I - Walters W691A.jpg
This painting, Walters manuscript leaf W.691, depicts courtiers of the Safavid ruler Shah 'Abbas I (reigned 996 AH/AD 1588-1038 AH/AD 1629). It is the right side of a double-page composition, which most likely served as a frontispiece to a manuscript. Certain courtiers of Shah 'Abbas I are identified by name. In the far upper right two men stand wearing turbans with vertical extensions held at the center, who are identified as Alpan Bik (Beg) (in a blue robe) and Qarajaghay Khan (in a red robe). Their headdress is distinctive of high-ranking members of court during the early 11th century AH/AD 17th. Qarajaghay Khan, an Armenian of the royal household, held a number of political positions at court and was an important patron of the arts. Standing lower down on the right side is Shah Vardi Bik Ishik Aqasi (literally master of the threshold, or master of ceremonies) (in a gold and black robe). An Uzbek envoy (ilchi-yi Uzbak) (in a beige and blue patterned robe) is seated on the carpet. Falconers, grooms, and a musician (Qubad-i Kurd) standing beside a man identified as Mirza 'Umar (?) Shaykh (in a red and gold robe) are also shown. There are 2 seated female figures, identified as Gulpari and Dukhtardallalah. The latter seems to denote a woman who procures slave girls for the palace. This single leaf has been associated with Reception at the court of Shah`Abbas I, also housed at the Walters Art Museum (W.771, fol. 50a). However, it is unlikely that the two ever formed a double-page composition.
Bohemian - Reliquary with the Man of Sorrows - Walters 57700 - Three Quarter Left.jpg
The image of the Man of Sorrows is a distillation of the events of Christ's Passion. Christ contemplates with sorrow the instruments of his suffering: the cross and hammer, whips, nails, column of the Flagellation, and the dice thrown by the soldiers for his garments. The gabled container held by an angel once housed a thorn believed to be from Christ's Crown of Thorns, while the hinged cross and column probably held pieces of wood believed to be from Christ's cross and from the column against which he was whipped. According to an inscription on the base, the reliquary was ordered by the bishop of Olomouc in Moravia to house the Holy Thorn. It was surely a present for Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Both men's coats of arms (those of Moravia and Bohemia) are on the base, and the thorn was already in the emperor's famous collection of relics, as a gift from the king of France. As Charles reigned over both Bohemia and Moravia only from 1347 to 1349, the piece dates to this time. The sophisticated workmanship is characteristic of objects created for the imperial court in Prague.
Italian - Dish with the "Beautiful Camilla" - Walters 481358.jpg
Represented in three-quarter profile, the idealized portrait of a young woman with fine features and narrow lips has been painted according to Renaissance ideals of female beauty. The scroll surrounding her reads "CAMILLA BELLA" (beautiful Camilla). Such a plate could have been presented to a lady of that name from an admirer, but it could also have been treasured as a general poetic evocation of ideal beauty.
Ethiopian - Pendant Cross - Walters 57225453.jpg
Pendant crosses show the inventiveness of Ethiopian metalworkers in embellishing the simple form of the cross with a rich variety of designs. Worn around the neck by the faithful to ward off evil, these small crosses could be made of braided leather, carved wood, or cast metal.
Gustave Doré - Study for "The Judas Kiss" - Walters 371387.jpg
Although executed a year in advance of the final illustration and unlikely to have been used directly in the wood-engraving process, this drawing corresponds closely to the composition of the image published in Doré's illustrated Bible. It demonstrates the way in which the dramatic chiaroscuro (contrasting light and dark effects) of Doré's watercolor technique was translated into the linear medium of print. The passage illustrated is from the New Testament, Mark 14:43-46: "And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him." [KJV]
Relief with Winged Genius.jpg
Autor:
Anonymous (Neo-Assyrian).
, Licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0
Russian - Crucifixion - Walters 37309.jpg
This delicately painted icon shows Christ's Crucifixion before the walls of Jerusalem. A detail rarely included in Crucifixion scenes is the resurrection of the dead, portrayed here as tightly wrapped corpses, after Matthew 27:52: "The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised." According to tradition, this resurrection occurred immediately after the blood of Christ had dripped onto Adam's skull which had been buried at Calvary. The back of the panel carries an image of the instruments of the Passion (cross, spear, and reed), surrounded by inscriptions.
English - Resurrection - Walters 27308.jpg
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, alabaster was a popular sculptural material in England, where it was in plentiful supply. The soft texture of the stone makes it easy to carve, and the translucent qualities of the surface offer an almost glowing beauty well suited to church decoration. Panels of carved and painted alabaster were pieced together to create large altar frontals, often showing scenes of the Passion of Christ or the Life of the Virgin. These altarpieces were made at workshops in Nottingham, in the region where the alabaster was quarried, and could be used in local churches or exported to continental Europe. This dramatic panel showing the moment of Christ's Resurrection exemplifies the detail and texture that could be achieved by sculptors working in alabaster. In this exquisitely refined carving, even very shallow relief can suggest a decided sense of depth by depicting overlapping forms. The soldiers in front are in front of the open tomb, which is in front of other sleeping soldiers. The figure of the risen Christ is carved with such subtlety that even the fabric of his mantle appears soft. As Christ steps from the tomb, his foot rests so gently on the sleeping soldier that he doesn't even wake.
Sierra Leonian - Ivory Pyx with Scenes from the Passion of Christ - Walters 71108 - View D.jpg
This pyx, a container used in the Catholic Mass for the consecrated wafer, has lost it cover. The artist was an ivory carver of the Sapi people of coastal West Africa who was working on commission from a Portuguese trader who expected to sell such exotic objects to princely patrons in Europe. The images of the Passion of Christ are taken from a contemporary European illustrated Bible. Most of the works in ivory commissioned from West African carvers were for conspicuous display, such as magnificent salt cellars for the tables of the wealthy, but they all share the treasured characteristic of intricate surface design. One Portuguese writing in the 16th century described these carvers as "very ingenious, and their objects, wonderful to see." The Sapi style of ivory carving is evident in the dense mass of figures and the textured, linear design.
Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton - Returning from the Fields - Walters 3758.jpg
Although often associated with the Barbizon school, Breton favored a more idealized treatment of his subjects and a more polished style of painting. In this rural scene, probably set in the artist's native Pas-de-Calais, north of Paris, three young women return from the fields at dusk. Their idealized forms contrast markedly with the harshness of Millet's depictions of peasant life.
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory - Putti Personifying the Arts and Sciences - Walters 48924.jpg
Seven putti holding various implements personifying the arts and sciences are mounted amidst flowers on a French rococo gilt-bronze base stamped with a crowned "C," the tax mark for the years 1745 to 1749.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Study for Saint Sebastian - Walters 371286.jpg
This watercolor has traditionally been seen as a study for Corot's painting "Saint Sebastian Succored by Holy Women," (Walters 37.192) but the composition has a sense of completeness that suggests it is in fact a later variant. The watercolor is also more slender than the painting, while the foliage at left has been reduced and the rise of land to the right eliminated. Corot very rarely worked in watercolor, preferring pencil and pen and ink in his early linear drawings and charcoal in his later, more tonal works. Although Corot produced few watercolors, he displays in "Saint Sebastian," a mastery of the medium. He built up his surfaces with layers of diaphanous washes of grays and browns, while his muted tones, comparable to those in his late paintings, are offset by touches of brighter color, such as the green leaves of the foliage, the yellow of the distant ground, and the pinks of the foreground figures. Corot retains the arched format of the original painting composition.
Egyptian - Head of a Man - Walters 2262.jpg
This excellently worked head once belonged to a statue of a dignitary, but is now broken off at the neck. The head displays attention to detail both in the treatment of the facial features and in the careful indication of the tight curls forming the owner's wig. Remnants of a black-painted uninscribed pillar reach the middle of the back of the head. He wears a black wig of short concentric curls that covers his ears. His flesh was originally red (the typical skin color used to represent ancient Egyptian males); however only traces of red pigment remain around the edge of the face, the corners of the eyes, the sides of the neck, and on the mouth. The eyebrows and lids are carved in low relief. In addition to the extensive loss of pigment and the break at the neck, there is also damage to the nose, chin, lips, and the cheeks of this piece.
German - Spherical Table Watch (Melanchthon's Watch) - Walters 5817 - View C.jpg
This is the earliest dated watch known. It is engraved on the bottom: "PHIL[IP]. MELA[NCHTHON]. GOTT. ALEIN. DIE. EHR[E]. 1530" (Philip Melanchthon, to God alone the glory, 1530). There are very few watches existing today that predate 1550; only two dated examples are known--this one from 1530 and another from 1548. There is no watchmaker's mark, although Nuremberg is considered the birthplace of spherical watches (called "Nuremberg Eggs"). A single winding kept it running for 12 to 16 hours, and it told time to within the nearest half hour. The perforations in the case permitted one to see the time without opening the watch. This watch was commissioned by the great German reformer and humanist Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560).
Aztec - Standard Bearer - Walters 291 - Front Group.jpg
This figure with a plumed feather headdress (indicating high status) was a sentinel of the type that stood at the top of a temple staircase in Tenochtitlán (present-day Mexico City), the great capital city of the Aztecs. He once held something with a shaft in his right hand, perhaps a ceremonial weapon. Also missing are shell or precious stone inlays that would have decorated the entire face, not just the eyes.
Paul Delaroche - Study for "Louise Vernet on Her Death Bed" - Walters 371379.jpg
Paul Delaroche created a convincing and transcendent image of his dead wife in "Louise Vernet on her Death Bed." Louise lays blissfully in profile, as both her mouth and right eye remain slightly open. Her elevated head rests on two pillows, as locks of her hair fall vertically to her shoulder and drape diagonally across her bosom. Delaroche carefully defined each curl, delineating individual hairs and shimmering highlights, in Louise's palpable coiffure. Her pale skin and her lifeless body indicate that she is deceased. Rather than present the sordid details of death by fever, Delaroche conveyed Christian triumph over death, as a halo emerges from the dark background to encircle his wife's beautiful head. This drawing is an angelic effigy.
French - Virgin and Child - Walters 27265.jpg
The head and the right hand of the Virgin and the head of the child in this sculpture are modern. The sculpture is broken in two pieces and mended, and the hands of the child are missing.
Arnau Bassa - Triptych with Madonna and Child with the Crucifixion and the Annunciation - Walters 37468.jpg
The central scene of this altarpiece depicts the enthroned Madonna and Child flanked by angels. The Christ Child holds a tiny European goldfinch, a symbol of his resurrection. The bird is tethered, a reminder that, in the 14th century, such animals were kept as pets by children. Angels present Mary with chalices of white flowers, alluding to her purity. On the left appear the Annunciation and the Crucifixion, while Christ's Presentation in the Temple and the Coronation of the Virgin are on the right. The delicate punch-work decoration and the slender, graceful figures reveal the influence of Sienese painting. Catalan artists learned the style and techniques of Italian painting by examining imported Italian works in local churches; some even traveled to Italy to perfect their craft.
David Teniers II - The Guard Room - Walters 371692.jpg
In the 1640s, at the end of the Thirty Years War (1618-48) pitting Protestants against Catholics, military life was a popular subject for art. Teniers represents a guard room, where soldiers passed their time between engagements. The armor and weapons on the floor or leaning against the wall are those of ordinary soldiers, not officers. The officer's clothing identifies him as from Poland or Hungary, both countries allied with the Habsburgs. A version of this painting, signed and dated 1642, is in The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Master of the Mansi Magdalen - Rest on the Flight into Egypt - Walters 37389.jpg
Simple images of the Virgin and Child were often found in private homes as an inspiration to prayer and meditation. The Gospels tell 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.
Hashiguchi Goyo - Woman in Blue Combing Her Hair - Walters 95880.jpg
Kamisuki (Combing the hair), A colour woodblock print, Japan, Taishō era, 1920 Goyō Hashiguchi.
Byzantine - The "Rubens Vase" - Walters 42562 - Three Quarter Left.jpg
Carved in high relief from a single piece of agate, this extraordinary vase was most likely created in an imperial workshop for a Byzantine emperor. It made its way to France, probably carried off as treasure after the sack of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, where it passed through the hands of some of the most renowned collectors of western Europe, including the Dukes of Anjou and King Charles V of France. In 1619, the vase was purchased by the great Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). A drawing that he made of it is now in Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum, inv. 5430. The subsequent fate of the vase before the 19th century is obscure. The gold mount around its rim is struck with a French gold-standard mark used in 1809-1819 and with the guarantee stamp of the French departement of Ain. A similar late Roman agate vessel, the "Waddesdon Vase" or "Cellini Vase," in now in the British Museum, London.
Frits Thaulow - The Adige River at Verona - Walters 3797.jpg
Muted colors and subtle tonal harmonies characterize this view of the fast-flowing Adige River as it passes beneath the five arches of the Ponte della Pietra (two arches are Roman, the central two date from 1520, and the last was a reconstruction of about 1528). Discernible upstream at the left are several palazzi and the Duomo of S. Maria Matricolare, initially a Romanesque construction with later additions, including a campanile designed by Sanmichele, and at the right the region of S. Stefano and the bastion of S. Giorgio silhouetted against the horizon. This work is presumed to have been executed during Thaulow's trip across northern Italy to Venice in 1894.
Etruscan - Pyxis and lid with sphinx-shaped handle - Walters 71489 - Three Quarter.jpg
This pyxis (box) was fashioned in imitation of Phoenician luxury goods imported from the Near East. Although it incorporates many Near Eastern elements in its decoration, including sphinxes, a lotus plant, and chariots, the style of the figures shows it is clearly the product of a local Etruscan workshop. The handle of the lid takes the form of a standing sphinx wearing a lotus crown. The 7th and early 6th centuries BC are known as the Orientalizing period because of the many eastern, or "Oriental," elements in the art. In this prosperous era of international trade, Etruscan artists manufactured luxury goods, such as those seen in this case, that reflect influences from the art of the eastern Mediterranean.
Italian - Table with Pedestal Base - Walters 6575 - Three Quarter.jpg
The highly ornate end-supports of the table are characteristic of the late Renaissance style in Florence. Brackets resting on lions' feet frame pilasters that end in human figures supporting Ionic capitals.
Egyptian - Mummy Portrait of a Bearded Man - Walters 326.jpg
Prior to the Roman Period, the likeness of the deceased on the mummy mask, coffin, and sarcophagus was an idealized representation that conformed to the general style of the period. With the arrival of Roman rule in Egypt, mummy portraits became increasingly naturalistic. The new style of portraiture was sometimes rendered in two-dimensional paintings on a wood panel or on linen. The panel portraits were made in either tempera paint or in encaustic, like this example. Encaustic painting is a technique in which the pigment is dissolved in wax before it is applied to the surface.
Asher Brown Durand - The Catskills - Walters 37122.jpg
This painting was commissioned by William T. Walters in 1858, when the 62-year-old Durand was at the height of his fame and technical skill. The vertical format of the composition was a trademark of the artist, allowing him to exploit the grandeur of the sycamore trees as a means of framing the expansive landscape beyond.
Durand's approach to the "sublime landscape" was modeled on that of Thomas Cole (1801–48), founder of the Hudson River School of painting. The painters of this school explored the countryside of the eastern United States, particularly the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskills. Their paintings often reflect the Transcendental philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82), who believed that all of nature bore testimony to a spiritual truth that could be understood through personal intuition.
Egyptian - Candlestick Base - Walters 54459 - View K.jpg
Throughout Islamic history, sultans, princes, and court officials have been active art patrons. This impressive candlestick base was commissioned by Zayn al-Din Kitbugha, who served as "saqi," or cupbearer, at the court of the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt before ascending the throne in 1294. The large inscription in "thuluth" script around the candlestick's body is punctuated by roundels featuring a stemmed cup, Kitbugha's blazon, or heraldic shield. Calligraphy is also a major decorative element. In addition to the large "thuluth" inscription, this piece includes different sizes and styles of Arabic script. Despite its elaborate design, Kitbugha had the candlestick made for use in his household storeroom or pantry. The candlestick's neck and socket- today in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo- already had been removed when Mr. Walters added the piece to his growing collection of Islamic art.
Byzantine - Chalice with Apostles Venerating the Cross - Walters 57636 - Profile.jpg
Encircling this graceful, arcaded chalice are two pairs of apostles flanking large crosses. The chalice is one of twenty-three silver altar vessels (formerly known as the "Hama Treasure") believed to have been found in the Syrian village of Kurin. The Greek form of the name, Kaper Koraon, is inscribed on the chalice. The treasure was probably hidden in the 8th century when, as a consequence of Arab conquests, parts of Syria were gradually abandoned by Byzantine Christians. These altar vessels form part of The Walters' rich holdings in Byzantine silver.
Islamic - Folio with Kufic Script - Walters W55236B - Full Page.jpg
This folio from Walters manuscript W.552 is executed in Kufic script. Already in the 9th century, the rectilinear Kufic script seen on this page began to be replaced by a more cursive "font" called the New Abbasid style. The Abbasids were an early Islamic dynasty that ruled from AD 750-1258. The first center of political, economic and cultural life for the Abbasids was Baghdad, the circular City of Peace (madinat al-salam), which became the empire's capital in 762.
Claude Monet - Springtime - Walters 3711.jpg
Monet moved to Argenteuil, a suburban town on the right bank of the Seine River northwest of Paris, in late December 1871. Many of the types of scenes that he and the other Impressionists favored could be found in this small town, conveniently connected by rail to nearby Paris. In this painting, Monet was less interested in capturing a likeness than in studying how unblended dabs of color could suggest the effect of brilliant sunlight filtered through leaves. During the early 1870s, Monet frequently depicted views of his backyard garden that included his wife, Camille, and their son, Jean. However, when exhibited at the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876, this painting was titled more generically, "Woman Reading."
Muhammad ibn Abu Sahl al-Harawi - Inkwell with Kufic and Naski Inscriptions - Walters 54514 - View A.jpg
This inkwell is inscribed with invocations petitioning God's graces for the owner. One reads: "With joy, divine grace, fortune, spiritual integrity, piety." The sentiment of the inscribed prayers is appropriate for this ceremonial inkwell, which was likely used for writing official acts of state.
Visigothic - Pair of Eagle Fibula - Walters 54421, 54422 - Group.jpg
Walters 54.421 and 54.422 are a pair of superb eagle-shaped fibula found at Tierra de Barros (Badajoz, southwest Spain) made of sheet gold over bronze inlaid with garnets, amythysts, and colored glass. Pendants once dangled from the loops at the bottom. The eagle, a popular symbol during the Migration period adopted from Roman imperial insignia, was favored by the Goths. Similar eagle-shaped fibulae have been excavated from Visigothic graves in Spain and Ostrogothic graves in northern Italy, but this pair is one of the finest. These fibula would have been worn at the same time to fasten a cloak at either shoulder.
Jalisco - Feasting Scene - Walters 482768 - Left Side.jpg
"The Feasting Scene" constitutes a unique sculptural ceramic of exceptional quality produced by the Jalisco ceramicists of ancient West Mexico. Four female figures kneeling around a male figure comprise the sculptural assemblage. The figures are arranged on a circular bench supported by six cylindrical legs. The central figure, an imposing chief or cacique holds a tube or pestle in his left hand and an "hacha" or ceremonial axe in his upraised right hand. One female figure, directly facing the "cacique," holds a small shallow bowl in her right hand and a baton in her left hand. Two of the female figures rest a hand on the "cacique," a gesture indicating relatedness. A third figure, to the "cacique's" right, rests one hand on the chief's shoulder and the other on his elbow. The assemblage has been painted with a red and cream clay slip; details on each of the figures are rendered in resist-paint. Conventional to the Jalisco figural style are elongated faces, full rounded legs and torsos, erect posture, and vacant, staring eyes. The figures represent elite persons of West Mexico society as indicated by their ornate crested helmets, shoulder scarification, body and facial tattoos, and ear disks. Their position on a raised bench mirrors the context of circular, elevated platforms characteristic of Jalisco ceremonial architecture. These platforms were also painted red and white. Shaft-and-chamber tombs of high-ranking families have been found below the circular structures. A sculptural ceramic such as this would have been placed in mausolea of this type. This sculptural assemblage likely represents an elite family feasting ritual or commemorates an ancestral tradition. Such rituals involved consumption of fermented beverages by a select few. Sculptures depicting group rituals are extremely rare among the corpus of West Mexico ceramics. "The Feasting Scene" therefore represents a remarkable exception to Jalisco visual art conventions.
Edgar Degas - Before the Race - Walters 37850.jpg
Throughout the latter part of his career, Degas was obsessed with the restless beauty of the thoroughbred racehorse. Horse racing, which drew together throngs of people from many levels of society, was a singularly appropriate subject for representing modern life. Degas typically painted several versions of a composition, making slight variations in each. Here, riders and horses are shown in quiet and agitated movement. By the 1880s, Degas was making good use of recently published, stop-action photographs, which captured movement too fleeting to be perceived by the naked eye and which increased the artist's understanding of the horse in motion.
Dharm Das - The Death of Darius - Walters W61326B - Full Page.jpg
This folio from Walters manuscript W.613 depicts the death of Darius. This illustration is by Dharm Das.
Coptic - Jewelry Box with Dancers and Faun - Walters 7140 - Three Quarter.jpg
This reconstructed wood and bone box was probably used by a wealthy woman to store her precious jewelry. Two different techniques were used to carve the bone plaques on its sides and top. For a number of the male nudes, the carver scraped away the background, leaving the figures in raised relief. For other plaques, such as the female dancers, deep fine outlines were carved first, then filled in with colored wax.
Roman - Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus - Walters 2331.jpg
The triumphal march of Dionysus (or Bacchus, as he was generally known in Rome) through the lands of India was equated in Roman thought with the triumph of the deceased over death. At the left, Dionysus rides in a chariot pulled by panthers. Preceding him is a procession of his followers and exotic animals, including lions, elephants, and even a giraffe. A bird's nest is concealed in the tree at the far right; on the same tree a snake is pursuing a lizard. Many of the animals depicted had special significance in the mystery cult of Dionysus Sabazius. On the lid is the birth of Dionysus and his reception by nymphs, shown between satyr heads (on the ends), one smiling and one frowning. The enormous attention to detail on this sarcophagus exemplifies the talents of the best Roman relief carvers.
Greek - Saint Catherine of Alexandria with Three Scenes from Her Life - Walters 372753 - Detail.jpg
According to legend, Saint Catherine was a learned noble maiden from the Egyptian city of Alexandria who was martyred in the early 4th century on account of her Christian faith. The three small scenes at the bottom of this panel illustrate episodes from her life: the Roman empress is persuaded by Catherine to become a Christian; Catherine is beheaded by order of the pagan emperor; angels carry the saint's body to the top of a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula (below is depicted the vision of Saint Eusthatius, who was converted to Christianity when while hunting he saw a deer with a crucifix between its antlers). The Monastery of Mount Sinai, founded in the 6th century, is now dedicated to Saint Catherine. Its compound, with two pilgrims approaching from the left, is shown in the lower left corner of the upper, larger composition. Above it is Mount Sinai itself, with several small chapels on its slopes and Moses receiving the Tablets of the Law on its summit. Saint Catherine is portrayed in royal dress. Two angels crown her with laurel wreaths, and she holds a cross and a palm branch that signify her martyrdom for Christ. To her right is a spoked wheel by means of which she was tortured before her execution. Books, compasses, and an armillary sphere betoken Catherine's learning. Behind them is Mount Catherine, where the saint's body was miraculously rediscovered by the Sinai monks centuries after her death.
Thai - Buddha at the Moment of Victory - Walters 542776.jpg
In the 15th century, new images types became popular in different parts of Thailand. The pose is the same as in a Sukhothai-type image and depicts the Buddha's defeat of the forces of the devil on the night of his enlightenment. The proportions are different, however, as is the form of the pedestal and the length of the folded mantle on the shoulder.
Greek - Head of a Man - Walters 23239.jpg
This magnificent head belonged to a type of Athenian grave monument in which life-size images of family members were presented within a stage-like setting. The deep-set eyes, furrowed brow, open mouth, and tousled hair depart from the idealized Classical forms typical of the 5th and early 4th century. The depiction of emotion individualizes the figure, while avoiding any specific likeness to the deceased.
English - Automaton with Diana on a Stag - Walters 57923 - Profile.jpg
Clever displays of inventiveness with no other purpose than to amuse were valued interludes at the long, lavish, and sometimes tedious banquets that were part of court life. This automaton is a motorized wine decanter. Remove the head of the stag, fill the body with wine, wind up the motor (the key hole is in the base) and send lovely Diana down the table to your guests. This type of table toy was a specialty of goldsmiths in Augsburg, and the Walters' piece is close to a version (now in New York) marked by the Augsburg goldsmith Joachim Fries. However, details are not as subtle as they should be. More research is needed; if not from the early 1600s, this automaton is from the early 1800s, shortly before its collection history can be established.
Christie Painter - Red-Figure Bell Krater - Walters 4874 - Side A.jpg
The wine-god Dionysus appears often on vases of this shape (called a bell "krater"), which held wine for drinking parties. He is usually shown as a bearded and majestic god. Here, Dionysus holds a "thyrsus" (a pole often twined with ivy and grapevines and topped with a pine cone) in one hand and a "kantharos" (a high-handled drinking cup) in the other. He turns his head to gaze at a maenad who follows, while a satyr playing the double flutes leads the procession. The maenad carries an "oinochoe" (a wine jug) and a lighted torch, indicating that the group's journey takes place at night.