ALEKSANDRA JANISZEWSKA-CARDONE
In times when the stories created the base for knowing and naming the world, the world maps acted as visual compendium of knowledge. In the Middle Ages, the particular genre was distinguished: mappa mundi – world maps. Mappa mundi The earliest version of it was the O-T (orbis terrarum) map. It was based on the…
For a long time I did not know what to think about this painting. I was annoyed by its pompousness, disturbed logic of shots from barrels placed near the hearts of convicts and their vaguely depicted faces. At the same time I liked the way of presenting the platoon: the uniforms, the rhythm of the…
This painting has recently aroused controversy on an international scale. The German party Alternative für Deutschland used it in its campaign before the elections to the European Parliament. The fragment of the image was placed on the posters and marked with the slogan: “Let Europe not become Eurabia!”. This sparked the opposition of the owner…
Today, I will tell you about the sculptural decoration of the tympanum at Vézelay. But first a few words of introduction. The functioning of the Romanesque sculpture was closely related to architecture. It decorated portals, jambs, archivolts, lintels and sometimes spilled over the entire facade. Inside the building, it focused on columns, accumulated on capitals,…
How do you think what this object was made of? To make it a bit easier, this is an Aztec shield made at the beginning of the 16th century. The colorful creature is identified as a coyote, a guardian animal of Aztec warriors. Others believe that this is the representation of the Ahuitzotla aquatic monster….
The pilgrim and secular badges found by archaeologists unexpectedly teach us how the symbols associated with sexuality were perceived in the late Middle Ages. The secular badges confront us with the aspect of everyday life, which until now remained largely unknown. The written sources were silent about them, and the objects themselves were preserved in…
In my earlier posts, here and here, I have shown how the medieval encyclopedias and travel literature used to describe the world. They were using the notion of monstrous races of people and animals. From around the twelfth century, images of mirabilia also influenced art directly related to religious themes. Herewith, in this post I…
Marie Louise Gonzaga (1611-1667), duchess of Mantua and Nevers, future queen of Poland, grew up in the family estate in Burgundy. Her godfather was Louis XIII (1601-1643), the king of France, only a decade older than her. Her hand in marriage was sought in 1627 by the king’s brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans (1608-1660) and…
This is one of my favorite representations of the moment of resurrection. Its author is the Master Francke, a Dominican artist active mainly in Hamburg. When composing this scene, he seems to be absorbed not only by the mystery of overcoming death. He was also occupied by its practical aspect. Before Christ takes the triumphant…
Easter is coming. This is the “Ecce Homo” by Maarten van Heemskerck, a triptych ordered by the family Drenckwaert from Dortrecht in 1644. It was to serve them as a commemoration of their piety, as well as a means of obtaining salvation. The husband and wife, placed on both sides of the main panel, pray…