Gothic Art and Architecture

[centuriespast]

Michael Wolgemut Conversion of Saint Paul

RISD Museum

[artandthebible]

The Arrest of Christ

Artist: Master of San Martino in Palma

Date: 14th century

Medium: Oil on poplar wood

Collection: Gemäldegalerie (SMPK), Berlin, Germany

[memories-of-ancients]

Brass aquamanile in the form of a lion, Germany, late 14th-early 15th century

from The Nelson Atkins Museum

[centuriespast]

Wilhelm Pleydenwurff The Temptation and Expulsion of Adam and Eve

RISD Museum

[victoriantomodern]

Anonymous Siennese Master, The Virgin Annunciate, c. 1360-1380, wood, 68.5 x 28 x 32.5 cm, Carmen Thyssen Collection, Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.

[ducissatenebrarum]

Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446 by William Sinclair, reflecting the wealth and ambition of a powerful Scottish noble family.

The chapel is renowned for its extraordinary late medieval stone carvings, which display a level of craftsmanship rarely matched in 15th-century Europe.

Its intricate symbolism blends Christian iconography with enigmatic motifs, inspiring centuries of interpretation and speculation.

The famous Apprentice Pillar stands as both a masterpiece of sculpture and a legend-filled tale of rivalry and tragedy.

Rosslyn Chapel survived the upheavals of the Scottish Reformation, though it fell into disuse and partial ruin for a time.

In the 19th century, restoration efforts revived the chapel, preserving its artistry for future generations.

The site has long been associated with myths involving the Knights Templar, though historians debate these connections.

Its richly decorated interior includes hundreds of carved figures, from biblical scenes to depictions of musicians and mythical beings.

Rosslyn Chapel gained global fame in modern times after being featured in The Da Vinci Code, sparking renewed interest in its mysteries.

Today, it stands as a remarkable fusion of history, legend, and artistry, drawing visitors from around the world to explore its enduring secrets.

[themuseumwithoutwalls]

MWW Artwork of the Day (4/3/26) Jan Van Eyck (Flemish, c. 1390-1441)& Workshop The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment (c. 1430) Oil on canvas, transferred from wood, 56.5 x 19.7 cm. each panel The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Fletcher Fund)

These pictures, juxtaposing Christ's sacrifice for the salvation of mankind with the Last Judgment, are early works by Jan van Eyck, the most celebrated painter of fifteenth-century Europe. The "Crucifixion" is presented as an eyewitness account set against a distant landscape, astonishing for its depth and subtlety of description. By contrast, the "Last Judgment" is organized hieratically in three tiers, with the scale of the figures manipulated to indicate their relative importance. The texts on the original frames are given form in the pictures with remarkable literalness, establishing a play between word and image that would have been admired by contemporaries.

[memories-of-ancients]

Gilded silver reliquary statue of St. Sebastian, crafted by Hans Holbein the Elder or Augsburg, Germany, in 1497

from The Victoria and Albert Museum

[cuties-in-codices]

gifts from above (miniature of the gathering of the manna; border illustration of men pouring out baskets of wild pansies with people gathering them)

page from a richly illuminated book of hours commissioned by an unknown member of the franciscan order and produced in flanders, late 15th c.

source: Munich, BSB, Clm 28345, fol. 89r

[charlesreeza]

These sculptural groups depicting the Life of St. John the Baptist at Amiens Cathedral were made in 1531. The story progresses from right to left, ending with John’s head on a platter. The cathedral claimed to have obtained the head of John the Baptist in 1206 and used it to draw many pilgrims to the city.

The second photo above is from Wikimedia because I apparently forgot to photograph the second ensemble as a whole.

[deathandmysticism]

Pope at the gates of Hell, Antithesis Christi et Antichristi, ca. 1490-1510

[centuriespast]

MASTER of the Munich Marian Panels The Annunciation c. 1450 Oil and gold on pine panel, 107 x 81 cm Kunsthaus, Zurich

[blondebrainpowered]

Gold and opals set with blister pearls, designed by Archibald Knox, made by W.H. Haseler, Birmingham about 1902.

[portalibis]

Venus. Lady Heavenly Princess. Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Cod., Netherlands — 15th century

P.I. Telegram/ P.I. Facebook

[memories-of-ancients]

Gilt bronze processional cross thought to be used at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the last battle of the War of the Roses leading to the defeat and death of King Richard III and rise of Henry Tudor. Was uncovered from the battlefield in 1778.

from the Society of Antiquaries in London

[cuties-in-codices]

elaborate border decorations

from a richly illuminated book of hours originally belonging to a bavarian princess. produced in flanders, c. 1520/30

source: Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. 2730

[cuties-in-codices]

canace writing to macareus

miniature from a manuscript of octavien de saint-gelais' french translation of ovid's heroides, produced in cognac or angoulême and illuminated by robinet testard, c. 1497

source: Paris, BnF, Français 875, fol. 58r