On the Science, Art and Culture of the Dutch Golden Age.
Did part of the glory of 17th-century self-portraits stem from the use of the projected image of mirrors, allowing a precision and accuracy that was not otherwise possible? Does the use of mirrors by Rembrandt (and others) account for the chiaroscuro and soft-focus effects that can be observed? A fascinating new study, Rembrandt’s self-portraits by Francis O’Neill and Sofia Palazzo Corner, pulls together the evidence.
Master Strokes: Dutch and Flemish drawings from the Golden Age opened last weekend at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and is running until the 13 September 2016.
Free admittance:now ain’t that golden?
Read a review at The Guardian.
The news is full of this:
Found in a basement in New Jersey in 2015, listed for auction in September that year as “Continental school, nineteenth-century” price: $ 800. Auctioned for $870 000 to two Paris art dealers, Talabardon and Gautier, and then re-sold to billionaire Thomas S. Kaplan for about$3 to $4.4 million. Now part of the Leiden Collection. Golden Age indeed.
Now You Can Check Out this Recently Rediscovered Rembrandt at the Getty
More at NRC-NL and the Getty Iris.
Today Paulette Tavormina and the Monacelli Press have released her new book, Seizing Beauty.
Taking inspiration from the Golden Age still-life masters, Tavormina lists her influences as being the artists Giovanna Garzoni, Francesco de Zurbarán, and Adriaen Coorte.
Adriaen Coorte was a Middelburg artist who studied under Melchior d’Hondecoeter in Amsterdam around the year 1680. He seems to have been relatively unknown except in the town of Middelburg until his works were revived by Dutch art historian Laurens J. Bol in 1952. In 1958, Bol arranged a popular exhibition of 35 Coorte works at the Dordrechts Museum, which ensured his art will not be forgotten by future generations.
Read about Paulette Tavormina’s recent work in, Vivid Images That Aren’t Old Masters — but Look Just Like Them.
And to learn more about the woman, her art and exhibitions, visit the Paulette Tavormina web page, which is full of Golden Age inspired delights.
The island of Texel, off the north coast of the province of North Holland, The Netherlands, is the first island forming the Texelreede (Texel Roads) which for centuries formed a sheltered haven for ships leaving the many ports in the Zuider Zee. It was particularly busy during the Golden Age, and therefore is also home to many shipwrecks. A recent discovery here of a wardrobe with much of the contents still intact is being lauded.
‘Rarely, if ever, has such a big discovery been made in a maritime context’, says Maarten van Bommel, Professor of Conservation Science and chair of the section Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the UvA.” (Source)
So what did the find? Learn more at:
The Kaap Skil Museum Exhibition ‘Garderobe’.
Royal 17th-century wardrobe found in the Wadden Sea.
Texel gown belonged to member of royal court of Queen Henrietta Maria.
I am looking to restart this blog on a casual basis, with the goal of sharing items on and around the Dutch Golden Age, with a focus on science. art and culture. It will no longer be Leeuwenhoek-centric, (although he remains one of my personal heroes of science), but rather it will generally share how that era continues to reverberate in society today. It will probably retain the bias I have for Delft, but that is to be expected.
I’m presently looking for a new blog name, so suggestions will be accepted! (…and yes, The Dutch Golden Age has already occurred to me, and may still be used.)
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Centraal, the blog, is now officially retired. I began this site originally because I was disappointed that Holland, and the town of Delft, in particular, had made no concrete attempt to recognize van Leeuwenhoek and his impact on early science. As far as I know, this has not changed. However, with the proliferation of blogs and websites, I can rest assured that at least in the digital world, Leeuwenhoek will not be forgotten.
Particularly, there is one website that has excelled in the life and times of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. I want to encourage all visitors to this blog to visit the excellent Lens on Leeuwenhoek site: it is by far the best resource for all things Leeuwenhoek. And please, look to the sidebar here for many more links to fascinating history of science sites.
I have not stopped blogging entirely. I will be opening a photography website soon, and I have just launched a new site called Splendor Awaits, which will reveal my primary interests: bugs and macro photography. Eventually, I hope to continue my fascination with the history of science at Splendor Awaits, particularly in regards to the history of entomology. No doubt Leeuwenhoek will be part of my life again then!
Goodbye, and please visit me at my new site.
