Gain a Deeper Understanding of Art History - https://mymodernmet.com/category/art-history/ The Big City That Celebrates Creative Ideas Wed, 20 Dec 2023 01:03:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-My-Modern-Met-Favicon-1-32x32.png Gain a Deeper Understanding of Art History - https://mymodernmet.com/category/art-history/ 32 32 Book Reveals Hundreds of Frida Kahlo’s Fascinating Personal Photography Collection https://mymodernmet.com/frida-kahlo-her-photos/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:15:56 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=645414 Book Reveals Hundreds of Frida Kahlo’s Fascinating Personal Photography Collection

Frida Kahlo was not only a great painter, but she was also a collector. When she died, much of this collection was placed into storage after certain objects were selected for display in her home-turned-museum, La Casa Azul. This included over 6,000 photographs that show Kahlo's interests, tastes, and the people she held most dear. […]

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Book Reveals Hundreds of Frida Kahlo’s Fascinating Personal Photography Collection
Frida Kahlo Painting

Frida painting a portrait of her father Guillermo, 1951 by Giséle Freund. (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)
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Frida Kahlo was not only a great painter, but she was also a collector. When she died, much of this collection was placed into storage after certain objects were selected for display in her home-turned-museum, La Casa Azul. This included over 6,000 photographs that show Kahlo's interests, tastes, and the people she held most dear. Now, thanks to a newly reissued publication, the public can gain even more insight into her life.

Frida Kahlo: Her Photos, was originally published by Editorial RM in 2010 and had gone out of print. In the reissue, art lovers can once again enjoy hundreds of black-and-white images, many of which are annotated or contain notes. Given that Kahlo's father, Guillermo, was one of the most important photographers in early 20th-century Mexico, it should come as no surprise that she was meticulous about collecting images.

While many of the photographs were likely taken by Kahlo herself, and some of them are even signed by her, her collection consists of many great names in photography. This not only includes her father, but images by Man Ray, Edward Weston, Giséle Freud, Martin Munkacsi, Pierre Verger, and many others.

From intimate looks at her life with Diego Rivera to photos of her working on her art, Frida Kahlo: Her Photos is an incredible way to get to know the famed Mexican painter in a holistic way. The book is available in both English and Spanish on Bookshop, as well as on the Editorial RM website.

Frida Kahlo: Her Photos is a look at the Mexican painter's vast photographic collection.

Adolfo Best Maugard, María Luisa Cabrera de Block and Frida Kahlo, ca. 1945. (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

Her personal collection shows her interests and tastes, as well as intimate glimpses of daily life.

Portrait of General Emiliano Zapata in 1916

General Emiliano Zapata, with written dedication by him to Colonel Felix Rojas. November 1916 by H. J. Gutiérrez (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

Revolutionaries (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

The collection of over 6,000 photographs was shut away in storage following Kahlo's death.

Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera, 1933 by Esther Born (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

Diego Rivera's Eye

The Eye of Diego in 1936. (Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

Diego Rivera with his models Nieves Orozco and Inesita(Photo: © 2010 Banco de México in its capacity as Trustee in the Trust relating to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums)

Thanks to a reissue of its 2010 publication, Editorial RM is allowing the public to gain deeper insight into the painter's life.

Frida Kahlo - Her Photos

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Editorial RM.

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READ: Book Reveals Hundreds of Frida Kahlo’s Fascinating Personal Photography Collection

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You Can Now Take an Immersive Virtual Tour of the Lascaux Cave Paintings https://mymodernmet.com/lascaux-cave-paintings-virtual-tour/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:30:48 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=643888 You Can Now Take an Immersive Virtual Tour of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

In 1940, a teenager accidentally stumbled upon a series of prehistoric paintings in southwestern France. Though eventually called the Lascaux cave, the site is actually a web of multiple caves, with art on the walls dating back to the Upper Paleolithic era (between 12,000 to 50,000 years ago). The excitement surrounding the discovery led to […]

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You Can Now Take an Immersive Virtual Tour of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

In 1940, a teenager accidentally stumbled upon a series of prehistoric paintings in southwestern France. Though eventually called the Lascaux cave, the site is actually a web of multiple caves, with art on the walls dating back to the Upper Paleolithic era (between 12,000 to 50,000 years ago). The excitement surrounding the discovery led to the cave's opening in the mid-1950s. Thousands of people visited Lascaux every day, but no preservation methods were used and the paintings began deteriorating at an alarming rate. As a result, the caves have been closed to the public since 1963. Luckily, people are still able to experience the wonder of this discovery in other ways.

Twenty years after the cave was shuttered, Lascaux II opened in 1983, boasting a replica of the Great Hall of Bulls close to the real site. This was soon followed by Lascaux III, and Lascaux IV, the latter of which is considered a near-exact duplicate of the Lascaux cave. Not everyone is able to travel to the village of Montignac and visit the museum in person though. So, the National Archaeology Museum has made it possible to tour the incredible paintings from the comfort of your own home with a virtual online tour.

The digital experience allows for a more in-depth learning experience about the fascinating artworks, which people can enjoy at their leisure. Viewers can follow the 3D replica and get a better understanding of the map of the cave and where the different paintings are located, finding information about each work. You can also find further insight into how these pieces were made (including materials and methods).

Begin the Lascaux cave virtual tour via the National Archaeology Museum's website.

The National Archaeology Museum has made it possible to visit the Lascaux cave paintings from the comfort of your home with an online virtual tour.

Lascaux Cave Paintings

Interior of Lascaux Cave (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

h/t: [Open Culture]

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READ: You Can Now Take an Immersive Virtual Tour of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

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Painting Valued at $15K Turns Out to Be a Rembrandt, Sells for $13.8M at Auction https://mymodernmet.com/rembrandt-adoration-kings/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:30:35 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=643436 Painting Valued at $15K Turns Out to Be a Rembrandt, Sells for $13.8M at Auction

Recent results at an auction prove that we're still making new discoveries, even when it comes to some of the most famous artists in history. Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most beloved artists of the Dutch Golden Age, and his paintings, etchings, and drawings continue to captivate the public's imaginations. So much so, […]

READ: Painting Valued at $15K Turns Out to Be a Rembrandt, Sells for $13.8M at Auction

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Painting Valued at $15K Turns Out to Be a Rembrandt, Sells for $13.8M at Auction

Adoration of the Kings by Rembrandt

Recent results at an auction prove that we're still making new discoveries, even when it comes to some of the most famous artists in history. Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most beloved artists of the Dutch Golden Age, and his paintings, etchings, and drawings continue to captivate the public's imaginations. So much so, that a painting that was valued at $15,000 two years ago, just sold for £11 million ($13.8 million), according to CNN.

The incredible sale occurred during Sotheby's Old Master & 19th Century Paintings auction in London on December 6. The Adoration of the Kings is a small oil painting by the 17th-century painter. It first gained public attention in 1955, when it was purchased by collector J.C.H. Heldring. His widow then sold it to a German family in 1985, and they, in turn, put it up for auction at Christie‘s in 2021.

Interestingly, though the painting was originally attributed to Rembrandt, the 2021 sale listed the oil painting as by “Circle of Rembrandt.” This typically means that the work would have been carried out by a student or close associate. At the time, the work was valued between $11,000 and $16,000, eventually selling for about $910,000.

Whoever made that purchase was quite savvy, as the painting has been reevaluated by Sotheby's experts after an 18-month research period. This included x-rays of the panel, as well as consultation with leading experts on Rembrandt. In the end, Sotheby's team concluded that the work was, indeed, painted by Rembrandt, most likely when he was a young artist living in Leiden.

The attribution is meaningful, as it is rare to see a Biblical scene by Rembrandt for sale. Typically, according to Sotheby's press release, any Rembrandts coming up for auction over the past three decades have been portraits or single-character studies.

Adoration of the Kings by Rembrandt

“I would say that it’s particularly significant because it adds to our understanding of Rembrandt at this crucial date in his development and career when he was clearly very ambitious and developing very quickly as an artist,” George Gordon, co-chairman of Old Master Paintings Worldwide at Sotheby’s, told CNN.

Sotheby's determined that The Adoration of the Kings was likely first mentioned in a 1714 inventory of a Dutch collector. It then changed hands a few times in the early 19th century before disappearing until the mid-20th century. At that point, it was considered a work by Rembrandt and was exhibited several times. But thanks to a German art historian, who had only seen the work in a black and white photo, it was largely ignored after being described as being by the Rembrandt school and omitted from a catalog of the artist's work.

Given that the 2021 auction saw a sale price far above the estimate, it's possible that many bidders already realized the high quality of the painting and the possibility that it might actually be a Rembrandt. Now, the lucky owner has the privilege of adding a rare piece of history to their collection.

“Very few narrative paintings by Rembrandt remain in private hands, making this an opportunity for a private collector or an institution that is as rare as it is exciting,” shared Gordon.

“This sophisticated painting is in equal measure a product of Rembrandt’s brush and his intellect. All the hallmarks of his style in the late 1620s are evident both in the visible painted surface and in the underlying layers revealed by science, showing multiple changes in the course of its creation, and casting fresh light on how he thought.”

Watch as art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon discusses the importance of Rembrandt's The Adoration of the Kings, which just sold at auction for $13.8 million.

h/t: [CNN]

All images via Sotheby's.

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READ: Painting Valued at $15K Turns Out to Be a Rembrandt, Sells for $13.8M at Auction

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Conservator Restores 16th-Century Portrait of Isabella de’ Medici, the “Paris Hilton” of the Italian Renaissance https://mymodernmet.com/restore-isabella-de-medici-painting/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:35:20 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=640878 Conservator Restores 16th-Century Portrait of Isabella de’ Medici, the “Paris Hilton” of the Italian Renaissance

Years ago, a painting of a young woman ended up at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum was not very impressed by the benign, uninspired face of the sitter, leading to the painting's eventual deaccession from the collection. Instead, it found its way into the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, […]

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Conservator Restores 16th-Century Portrait of Isabella de’ Medici, the “Paris Hilton” of the Italian Renaissance
Conservator Restore This Renaissance Painting of a Medici

The painting before (left) and after (right) the removal of the Victorian overpainting and careful restoration of the original. (Photo: screenshot of video from Carnegie Museum of Art)

Years ago, a painting of a young woman ended up at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum was not very impressed by the benign, uninspired face of the sitter, leading to the painting's eventual deaccession from the collection. Instead, it found its way into the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It then sat in the basement, unseen, until it caught the eye of Louise Lippincott, a former museum curator. She showed the work to chief conservator Ellen Baxter, who worked her magic to transform a mediocre work into its original, elegant form. The shocking before and after, documented in 2014, demonstrated the many transformations a work can go through over the centuries.

Originally, the painting was thought to depict Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, who ruled Florence. A sticker on the back frame alleges the painter was court artist Bronzino. However, Baxter suspected the truth was hidden within, under the pretty yet unremarkable features of the young woman. An x-ray scan confirmed that beneath the face was another one, with larger features and much more character. Beneath the petite hand was a larger one, and it held a vase which had later been painted over. The 16th-century painting had clearly undergone a transformation in the 19th century. The wood panel on which it was painted was shaved down to a very thin strip which was then affixed to canvas. Meanwhile, the face and hand of the woman were overpainted with a more Victorian, delicate image that lacked the vibrance of the original.

Baxter removed the old varnish covering the painting and slowly removed the 19th-century paint as well. Beneath it is the remarkable face of Isabella de’ Medici, daughter of Cosimo I and Eleanor of Toledo. While not certain, the work was likely done by Alessandro Allori, who trained under Bronzino. The work was then fully conserved to restore its original glory, with careful varnish and delicate inpainting to fix flaking. Baxter notes in a video of the process that she is careful to match color and texture while resisting the urge to “put [herself] in the painting.” Her work is engaging, and she talks to the painting pleasantly as she restores its glory. These restorations follow certain ethical rules of transparency.

Baxter's efforts are in service of presenting the princess in her glory, as the “Paris Hilton” of the day. Rich and wild, she took lovers and spent, spent, spent. She was well-educated and witty, but her intrigues may have contributed to her untimely death. Officially it was attributed to dropping dead while washing her hair, but historians believe her husband murdered her in revenge and anger for her affairs. As baxter describes her life, “a bad end, but a good story.” Painted in this newly uncovered work with a small vase typical of Mary Magdalene depictions, Lippincott explained to Carnegie Museums, “This [portrait] is literally the bad girl seeing the light.”

A painting of Isabella de' Medici was restored after being obscured under 19th-century additions. The subject was the “Paris Hilton” of the Italian Renaissance, known as the society “party girl” of the Medici family in the 16th century.

h/t: [Open Culture]

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READ: Conservator Restores 16th-Century Portrait of Isabella de’ Medici, the “Paris Hilton” of the Italian Renaissance

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Medieval Masterpiece Found in Elderly Woman’s Kitchen Is Now Headed to the Louvre https://mymodernmet.com/cimabue-mocking-christ-louvre/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Mon, 27 Nov 2023 17:35:08 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=639462 Medieval Masterpiece Found in Elderly Woman’s Kitchen Is Now Headed to the Louvre

What's hanging in your kitchen? Maybe a stylized picture of fruit or just pots and pans hung on the walls to save space. One elderly woman in Compiegne, France, had what she believed to be a Greek religious icon hung in her kitchen. The tiny 8-inch by 10-inch painting may have appeared to the woman […]

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Medieval Masterpiece Found in Elderly Woman’s Kitchen Is Now Headed to the Louvre
Cimabue Christ Mocked

Cimabue's “Christ Mocked,” 1280. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

What's hanging in your kitchen? Maybe a stylized picture of fruit or just pots and pans hung on the walls to save space. One elderly woman in Compiegne, France, had what she believed to be a Greek religious icon hung in her kitchen. The tiny 8-inch by 10-inch painting may have appeared to the woman to be a simple Biblical scene—certainly old, but not otherwise remarkable. However, in 2019, she discovered it was in fact a lost masterpiece by the elusive medieval Florentine painter Cimabue. Now, after legal efforts and a giant collective fundraiser, the $26 million painting will be housed in the Louvre collection.

The painting is entitled Christ Mocked and was completed in 1280. At the time, most artwork in Europe was religious in nature, and Cimabue was a master of the genre. The panel is actually part of a larger work, a diptych of eight Biblical tableaux detailing the passion and crucifixion of Christ. A panel, The Virgin and Child with Two Angels, resides in London, while The Flagellation of Christ is in New York. The whereabouts of the remainder of the panels is unknown. While only about 15 works by the artist survive, he is known for his tutelage of Giotto.

After its discovery in the elderly woman's kitchen, the painting was put up for auction. It sold in October 2019 for $26.8 million. However, this appears to have been upsetting to France, which responded by dubbing the work a “national treasure” and forbidding its export. By pausing the action for 30 months, the Louvre was able to raise the massive funds to purchase the painting in what was a national effort to hold onto a treasure. “Cimabue lays the foundations for a new way of painting and addresses questions that will be central to the Renaissance: the illusionist representation of space, the body, light, and human feelings,” the French Ministry of Culture explained in a statement.

At the Louvre, the painting will now be in the best condition and at the fingertips of the best conservationists in the art world. It will also be in a collection alongside the words of Cimabue's contemporaries, student Giotto and the Italian Renaissance artists who followed him and built upon his artistic legacy. According to the Ministry, “This unpublished painting joins, at the Louvre Museum, the monumental Maestà, another masterpiece of Cimabue whose restoration is currently ongoing. Together, the two paintings will be the subject of an exhibition-event in spring 2025.”

A lost medieval treasure painted by Cimabue in 1280 will stay in France, after the Louvre raised money to purchase the masterpiece.

h/t: [CNN, Smithsonian Magazine]

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READ: Medieval Masterpiece Found in Elderly Woman’s Kitchen Is Now Headed to the Louvre

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Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million https://mymodernmet.com/monet-water-lily-painting-sells-for-74-million/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:50:10 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=638781 Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million

.0 Claude Monet's dreamy paintings of water lilies are some of the most recognizable works of art ever created. The series Water Lilies depicts scenes from Monet's garden and pond at Giverny in France, rendered in expressive blends of blues, greens, and purples. However, while many can be viewed in Paris's Musée de l'Orangerie, others […]

READ: Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million

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Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million

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Long Unseen Monet “Water Lilies” Series Painting Sells at Christies

Claude Monet (1840–1926), “Le bassin aux nymphéas,” c. 1917–1919. (Photo:
Christie's)

Claude Monet's dreamy paintings of water lilies are some of the most recognizable works of art ever created. The series Water Lilies depicts scenes from Monet's garden and pond at Giverny in France, rendered in expressive blends of blues, greens, and purples. However, while many can be viewed in Paris's Musée de l'Orangerie, others are less well known. In an exciting recent auction at Christie's, a Monet which had been held in a private collection for 50 years came to light, selling for an impressive $74,010,000. Known as Le bassin aux nymphéas or Water lily pond, the work was painted between 1917–1919, and “hails from an important period of renewal and experimentation in Monet’s painterly visions of the lily-pond,” according to the auction house.

This work was created in Giverny, depicting that iconic pond. It bears all the hallmarks of Monet's groundbreaking Impressionist style, which was influential on his contemporaries like Alfred Sisley and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Monet's work came to define the genre as it played with light and color. The style was rendered especially impressive on the large mural canvases Monet preferred to use later in life for documenting his beloved pond.

The new water lily painting's exciting emergence after five decades provides another glimpse into the private world of the artist a hundred years ago. It sold alongside works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Arshile Gorky, Frida Kahlo, and Vincent Van Gogh—altogether, these masterpieces amounted to a total of $640,846,000 in sales at The 20th Century Evening Sale. Who knows if other masterpieces from private collections will emerge sometime soon, and what they will reveal about these great artists' legacy.

A painting by Claude Monet as part of his Water Lilies series, which has been unseen by the public for over 50 years, recently sold at Christie's for $74 million.

Long Unseen Monet “Water Lilies” Series Painting Sells at Christies

The 20th Century Evening Sale on Thursday, November 9, 2023. (Photo:
Christie's)

h/t: [CNN]

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READ: Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million

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Antique Map Acquired at Estate Sale Turns Out to Be an Extremely Rare 14th-Century Portolan Chart https://mymodernmet.com/14th-century-portolan-chart-alex-clausen/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:45:44 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=637856 Antique Map Acquired at Estate Sale Turns Out to Be an Extremely Rare 14th-Century Portolan Chart

Over the last few years, we've heard about mind-boggling finds in thrift stores and estate sales. The tale always features someone spotting an unassuming work of art, taking it home, only to then realize it is worth much more than what they originally paid for it. As thrilling as those stories are, none come close […]

READ: Antique Map Acquired at Estate Sale Turns Out to Be an Extremely Rare 14th-Century Portolan Chart

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Antique Map Acquired at Estate Sale Turns Out to Be an Extremely Rare 14th-Century Portolan Chart

14th century portolan chart map

Over the last few years, we've heard about mind-boggling finds in thrift stores and estate sales. The tale always features someone spotting an unassuming work of art, taking it home, only to then realize it is worth much more than what they originally paid for it. As thrilling as those stories are, none come close to the 14th-century portolan chart that is now under the care of Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. Not only did it turn out to be significantly older and more valuable than originally thought, but it was also a museum-ready piece that can offer revolutionary insight into the history of maps.

“Portolan charts represent the birth of mapmaking as a modern person would understand it; that is, an attempt to visually represent geography with primary attention paid to spatial accuracy,” map dealer Alex Clausen, who spotted the map at an estate sale for Ann and Gordon Getty, tells My Modern Met. Thought to have been created around 1500 and 1525, Clausen and his team paid $239,000 for the map at a Christie's auction.

As for the valuation of the antique, there were some hints that pointed to the map being significantly older than its listing information indicated. “The chart had some obvious idiosyncrasies that made the date ascribed by the auction house very unlikely, if not impossible,” explains Clausen. “The first was the Muslim flag at Granada in southern Spain. This made it very likely that the chart was from before 1493. As we got better images, we saw more and more details that pushed the chart back earlier and earlier.”

To get to the bottom of this, Clausen and the team at Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps devoted hundreds of hours to unravel each element on the map. “The primary challenge was that we ended up in an era (the 14th century) where there is little in the way of cartographic context. There are only three earlier charts of this scope, in the decades after our chart was completed, there were similarly few charts. This makes comparison and contrast more difficult than if we were dealing with dozens or hundreds of maps.”

By the end of the journey, the team concluded that the map actually dated to 1360. “This is the fourth-oldest such chart, and it belongs to a unique and previously unstudied lineage of charts,” Clausen notes. “As such, it provides a revelatory window on the earliest modern mapmaking.” The portolan chart's estimated worth is now $7.5 million.

For all the ancient maps that they have come across, a portolan chart of such antiquity was something out of their wildest dreams. “We had long understood that it was possible that, in our careers, we would handle portolan charts from the 16th century, and, if we were very lucky, we might handle one from the 15th century,” shares Clausen. “Barry and I knew that handling a complete 14th-century chart was out of the question for modern map dealers. Such maps did not even appear in commerce 100-200 years ago when antiquarian treasures were somewhat more common, so, in the 21st century, there was little point in hoping to own such a thing. When we confidently established the chart's age, it was in many ways the culmination of our careers and our lifetime passions.”

But that's not the end of the road. Not only is the map unique, but, according to Clausen, it seems to sit outside of any previously known schools of mapmaking. Any one of the data points might influence future research. As such, their hope is for it to be further studied, and then shared with the world. “We intend to sell the chart to a suitable buyer,” Clausen shares. “We hope it goes to an institution or private collection where it will be available to scholars for further study and to the general public for appreciation.”

Map dealer Alex Clausen spotted an antique map known as a portolan chart during an estate sale. Thought to have been created around 1500 and 1525, Clausen and his team paid $239,000 for the map at a Christie's auction.

"Rex" detail on the 14th century portolan chart map

However, Clausen explains, “The chart had some obvious idiosyncrasies that made the date ascribed by the auction house very unlikely, if not impossible.”

14th century portolan chart map on display at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair

The Portolan Chart on display at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. (Photo: Alex Clausen)

After hundreds of hours of research, the team concluded that the map actually dated to 1360. The portolan chart's estimated worth is now $7.5 million.

14th century portolan chart map with magnified stitches

Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc., except where noted. All images of the Portolan were captured by the BLR Maps Imaging Team through a series of 600 dpi scans, stitched raking-light photography and stitched photo-microscopy.

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READ: Antique Map Acquired at Estate Sale Turns Out to Be an Extremely Rare 14th-Century Portolan Chart

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Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions https://mymodernmet.com/van-dyck-lost-masterpiece/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Wed, 15 Nov 2023 20:20:57 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=637891 Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions

Some things become so ordinary that we easily miss their extraordinary nature. For some people, the decor they spend their lives around is merely sentimental or aesthetically pleasing. However, it can turn out to be extraordinary and of great interest to the world. We’ve recently seen a TV room painting turn out to be by […]

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Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions
Spanish Family Discovers Living Room Painting Is Lost Masterpiece

“Charles I (1600-49,” by Van Dyck, c. 1635-6. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Some things become so ordinary that we easily miss their extraordinary nature. For some people, the decor they spend their lives around is merely sentimental or aesthetically pleasing. However, it can turn out to be extraordinary and of great interest to the world. We’ve recently seen a TV room painting turn out to be by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and even garage sale purchases turn out to be Ming Dynasty relics. The latest surprising find is a painting which hung for generations on the wall of a family's living room in Jaén, Andalucía. As it turns out, it is a 17th-century masterpiece entitled The Presentation of the Baby Jesus to Saint Barbara by Flemish Baroque artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck trained in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, and he later became court painter to the British Royal Family. His portraits of the doomed Charles I and other members of the elite ruling class were softer than the depictions of their predecessors. He became quite successful in these circles, dying in 1641, eight years before Charles I would lose his head in the English Civil War. Today, Van Dyck's name is attached to the signature point beards of many of his sitters, and his portraiture and religious work hangs in museums and private collections around the world.

It had, as it turned out, been hanging on the wall of the unnamed family in Spain for generations. No picture has been released of the work, which is religious in nature. It is possible the family acquired the work through the influx of Flemings which arrived in nearby Seville, where some of the family lived in the 17th century. The painting only measures 130 by 92 centimeters (51.18 by 36.22 inches). The family reportedly admired the artwork, but only recently realized its origins and verified its authorship. It now sits in a safety deposit box as the family strategizes its next home.

“The owner of the painting has no intention of speculating, but he does have a special interest in it staying in Seville, the city where the family now lives and with which he has a special connection,” says Luis Baena, the family's lawyer. Estimating its worth at this point will be purely speculative on the part of the public, but the family plans to ask “a fair and reasonable price.” The family is reportedly discussing possibilities with the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, in order to keep the painting in its home city of several centuries, even if it no longer hangs on the living room wall.

A family in Andalusia long had a visual masterpiece hanging in their living room, but they did not know it was in fact a work by iconic Renaissance painter Anthony van Dyck.

Spanish Family Discovers Living Room Painting Is Lost Masterpiece

“Christ Crowned with Thorns,” by Van Dyck, c. 1620. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Spanish Family Discovers Living Room Painting Is Lost Masterpiece

“Anton Giulio Brignole-Sale on horseback,” by Van Dyck, 1627. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

h/t: [Inside Edition]

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READ: Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions

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2,700-Year-Old Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Statue Is Excavated in Iraq https://mymodernmet.com/assyrian-lamassu-iraq/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Sun, 05 Nov 2023 13:55:13 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=635071 2,700-Year-Old Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Statue Is Excavated in Iraq

Historical artifacts offer a glimpse into the past. However, their existence is constantly at risk—especially those not housed in museums. Ancient artifacts have had a particularly volatile past few decades in the Middle East due to political and religious conflict, as well as widespread looting. The recent excavation of an ancient Assyrian lamassu statue is […]

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2,700-Year-Old Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Statue Is Excavated in Iraq
Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Excavated in Iraq

The ongoing excavation of the lamassu. (Photo: Mustafa Faraj/Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage)

Historical artifacts offer a glimpse into the past. However, their existence is constantly at risk—especially those not housed in museums. Ancient artifacts have had a particularly volatile past few decades in the Middle East due to political and religious conflict, as well as widespread looting. The recent excavation of an ancient Assyrian lamassu statue is a reminder of these tenuous circumstances, as the story of its reburying is told.

The 2,700-year-old sculpture is symbolic of a time when the Assyrian empire dominated the region, including where the statue lies in modern day Iraq. It depicts a lamassu, which is a mythical guardian figure that possesses a human head on a bull or lion body. Some lamassu even feature a strange five-footed design, which gives the impression of standing from the front and striding from the side. In the past, pairs of these figures would guard monumental gates and doors leading into Assyrian palaces. The ancient Mesopotamian kings showed their power, both temporal and divine, by their massive building endeavors. However, many well-known examples of these statues are now in the hands of Western museums.

The lamassu recently uncovered in Iraq was found in the ancient city known as Dur-Sharrukin (near present-day Khorsabad) in northern Iraq. It once guarded the palace of King Sargon II, whose rule began in 722 BCE. His 200-room palace was an expression of kingly dominance, however the site fell out of use when he died prematurely and his heir moved the capitol of the empire to Nineveh. In the 19th century, the lamassu were known to French archeologists on expeditions, but they were last excavated in 1992 by Iraqi scholars. After that, the lamassu were reburied for their own protection.

American troops swept across the region in the Gulf War. Then came the “War on Terror” in the early 2000s. Then came the rise of ISIS and its rampant crusade against artifacts from local history which did not conform with their theology. This lamassu, while thankfully largely preserved, did not escape all damage. It's head was hacked off by looters in 1995, although thankfully recovered by authorities and placed in the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad. The museum was then looted in 2003 during wartime, but the head was not carried off. The Iraqi antiquities authorities plan to reunite the head with the newly uncovered body in the near future.

Wartime is a frequent time of looting, both by invading or colonizing forces, as well as other opportunists. For example, after Napoleon's forces rediscovered the Rosetta Stone, it ended up in British hands when they conquered the French forces. While it is now in the British Museum, Egypt wants their treasure back. Looting and destruction usually follow world events, but at least for this one lamassu, it remains safe and uncovered once more.

A statue of a lamassu—an ancient Assyrian mythological guardian sculpted in stone—has been uncovered in Iraq, where it once adorned the kingly palace of King Sargon II.

Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Excavated in Iraq

The massive stone sculpture would have once guarded a door or gate. (Photo: Mustafa Faraj/Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage)

h/t: [Hyperallergic]

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READ: 2,700-Year-Old Ancient Assyrian Lamassu Statue Is Excavated in Iraq

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Secret Room of Michelangelo’s Drawings Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever https://mymodernmet.com/michelangelo-florence-vault/?adt_ei={{ subscriber.email_address }} Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:15:41 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=635790 Secret Room of Michelangelo’s Drawings Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever

Italy is home to countless treasures from the Renaissance. Michelangelo alone left behind an impressive legacy of architecture, painting, and sculpture. While most art lovers are acquainted with his most famous works—like the Sistine Chapel ceiling and statue of David—there are more artworks that have remained out of the public eye, until now. On November […]

READ: Secret Room of Michelangelo’s Drawings Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever

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Secret Room of Michelangelo’s Drawings Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever

Italy is home to countless treasures from the Renaissance. Michelangelo alone left behind an impressive legacy of architecture, painting, and sculpture. While most art lovers are acquainted with his most famous works—like the Sistine Chapel ceiling and statue of David—there are more artworks that have remained out of the public eye, until now. On November 15, the Musei del Bargello is opening previously secret rooms located underneath Florence's Basilica of San Lorenzo that were once inhabited by Michelangelo himself. There, he left behind a collection of charcoal and chalk drawings along the walls.

It is believed that Michelangelo lived in this vault after becoming involved in a political struggle with the Medici family. In 1527, he participated in a populist revolt that ultimately led to the Medici's exile from the city, after which he became involved with the republican government. When the Medici family returned in 1530, this ultimately led the current Pope, who was also a Medici, to issue Michelangelo a death sentence. Amidst these tense circumstances, it is speculated that Michelangelo took refuge inside the vault, where he would spend two months.

The room measures 32 feet long, 6.5 feet wide, and has ceilings that stretch to 8 feet. There is also a single window that opens to the street below. Michelangelo channeled his creative energy to drawing on the walls of the vault, creating sketches of his own paintings and sculptures, like Leda and the Swan and David. “This very small environment is truly unique due to its exceptional evocative potential,” said Francesca de Luca, curator of the Museum of the Medici Chapels, in a statement. “Its walls seem to barely contain the numerous sketches of figures, mostly of monumental format.”

After the Renaissance, the vault faded into obscurity until its rediscovery in 1975. This will be the first time it is opened to the general public. Due to the compact size of the vault, the museum will limit tickets to 100 per week. Additionally, only four visitors are permitted inside the room for 15 minutes at a time. These precautions are to help protect the condition of the drawings. The museum adds: “The limited number of attendance per time slots is due to the need to interrupt the exposure period to led light for extended periods of darkness.”

Michelangelo's secret room will open November 15, 2023 and run until March 30, 2024. Adult tickets cost €20 ($21.20), and people under 18 are allowed inside for free.

For the first time ever, a secret vault of Michelangelo's sketches will open to the public in Florence starting November 15, 2023.

The room is located under Florence's Basilica of San Lorenzo. It will remain open for the public until March, 30, 2024.

 

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h/t: [Colossal]

All images via Musei del Bargello.

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READ: Secret Room of Michelangelo’s Drawings Will Open to the Public for the First Time Ever

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