Sunday, April 28, 2019

Simone Martini et tents etc

Salvete Omnes,
I would like to bring your attention to several works of the XIV century Sienese painter Simone Martini , disciple of the famous Giotto. In his brushwork we see medeival Italian horses, horse tack and event tents used by the medieval armies.

 
 first, the fresco of Guidoriccio da Fogliano, the Sienese condotiero (mercenary) commander, at the siege of Montemassi at the Palacio Publico in Sienna.
He is riding a tall grey dextrarius that is shod and  caparisoned.

We do not see much of the condottiere's armor but for his neck, arms and legs that are protected by the mail, and the legs are reinforced by some early plate armor. Riding in the military fashion, double reins in left hand, he holds the botton, the symbol of his authority as the commander (and conqueror of Montermassi).


 very interesting portrayal of the pavilon tents of the nobility and commanding officers and also tents for the troops (included grass or perhaps straw covered tents) and it is my guess that the green structures are stables for their horses.

Another work, a panel painting, that is interesting is the  Blessed Agostino Novello Altarpiece
 where in this tempera panel we see a fallen horse

 and the details of the saddle (painted leather skirts) and stirrup  with the stirrup leathers.
 

 

Valete

Friday, April 26, 2019

Goya & horse paintings

Salvete Omnes,
today a short entry - thanks to wiki commons -  the selection of Spanish painter Francisco Goya's portraits paintings that include very Spanish-looking horses
 María Teresa de Vallabriga

garrochista 

Duke Wellington

Royal portraits of Spanish Bourbon monarchs Carlos IV and Ferdinand VII, and Carlos' wife Maria Luisa de Parma


 




 



















 
 

 

 
Godoy

Valete

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

just sketching

Salvete Omnes.
just sketching and mostly reworking my older sketches - in progress


 
Spring is here and more sunshine




 

 

 
nota bene check out this fantastic project - Digital Central Asian Archaeology (DCAA) -
yesterday I downloaded some works by Pugachenova on Khalchayan[in Russian].

Here you can read a very interesting article by my friend Patryk on the diadem from the Khalchayan battle scene.

Valete

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Passion of Christ - master of Delft

Salvete Omnes,
 Christos Anesti "Χριστός ἀνέστη!"


                               ****
Happy Easter - wesołego Alleluja!
All the best to all friends, readers, aficionados, and many an accidental traveler around the world -
and the image for today - from Master of Delft - Passion of Christ:









valete
ps
today, on this Holiest day the forces of Evil attacked worshiping  Christians in Sri Lanka (Reuters link). Now the news media are saying that almost 200 were killed and close to 500 wounded, and the numbers are still growing - eg Polish Rp news. Pacem Aeternam  

Friday, April 19, 2019

XV-XVI century Gothic crucifixion

Salvete Omnes,
 another Good Friday and perhaps today is a good day to reminisce about that Crucifixion that took place in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago.

Today I would like to share with you some late Gothic art, namely the sculptural works, from Northwestern Europe, being part of the altarpieces and objects of veneration.
From Saint Peter Church in Dortmund comes the amazing large wooden altarpiece or a retabulum (reredos) - Goldenes Wunder von Westfalen. It was made in by an Antwerp workshop,it is  the largest surviving Antwerp altar showing in detail the entire Passion of Christ.

..


..more Antwerp style retables, :

Dijon Museum retable  crucifixion












..
Pruszcz altar - detail

..
 Vienna altar

..
 saint Kornelius et Cyprian altar



.
 Louven altar


 The coming of the Reformation and the wars that followed terminated the wooden Gothic style reredo making in Antwerp.
Valete

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Notre Dame i relikwiarz koronacyjny królów polskich Drzewa Krzyża Świętego

salvete Omnes,

 [in Polish]
Wczoraj rozpoczął się Wielki Tydzień i poniedziałek zakończył się ogromną tragedią:




 pożarem katedry gotyckiej Notre Dame w Paryzu, i jest to tragedia na skalę kultury światowej. 

Dla nas Polaków to bardzo ważna świątynia, gdyż w Notre Dame, a dokładnie w skarbcu, był przechowywany arcyważny skarb polskiej kultury  tzw relikwiarz alias pacyfikał koronacyjny królów polskich Drzewa KrzyżaŚwiętego, cześć skarbów koronnych bezprawnie wywiezionych ze skarbca koronnego przez Jana Kazimierza do Francji i zawłaszczonych przez Gonzagów po śmierci Wazy.
Nota bene nie tylko Prusacy niszczyli polską kulturę (przetopienie klejnotów koronnych), również francuscy rewolucjoniści zniszczyli skarby naszej kultury przetapiając te wazowskie skarby, oprócz relikwiarza, w 1793 roku
Może nadszedł czas, żeby Polska poprosiła o zwrot tego zabytku kultury polskiej?
 Zamieściłem 2 skany z artykułu o relikwiarzu.
[English]
The Holy Week has begun yesterday and it started with an ominous sign the tragic  fire and burning of the Gothic Notre Dame of Paris, France, is a disaster of gargantuan proportions and the most sorrowful world tragedy.
There are Polish accents, namely the Paris' Notre Dame Treasury contained the Polish National treasure - medieval jewel and symbol of the Polish Crown, the Polish Kings Coronation Reliquary  of True Cross - unlawfully taken from our Polish treasury by the former Polish monarch Jan Kazimierz Waza in 1667-8. 
This Reliquary was part of the ceremonial in our Polish monarchy and the most exceptional treasure. After Jan Kazimierz's death it was illegally appropriated by the Gonzaga family, his wife's sister took it , and in spite Polish protestations and demands it has been kept in France since 1668-9.
Nota bene our failed king Jan Kazimierz took unlawfully more Crown Treasures in his exodus from Polish Realms, and those were melted by the French revolutionaries in 1793 (the other evildoers - the Prussian monarchs had  our Polish Crown Jewels melted in 1810-11).

Perhaps the time has come  that  the Polish state could ask the French Republic for the return of our Crown Reliquary? 


Valete
ps
images from Wiki Commons