Mid-Atlantic Trip Part 14: For Art’s Sake

Do boys swoon? I dunno, but Edward McCartan’s Isoult makes one wonder why Tristam would need a love potion to fall in love with the Irish princess. She of the white hands greets you as you enter the West Building of the National Gallery of Art. I was really quite taken with this piece, and not just because of the location. In fact, that made it consternating to get a good shot; plus the fact that even though it’s art, I still feel a little like a perv and get antsy with the camera. This page has much better photos.

West Atrium. If you look real close you can see a person in this picture. It was the best I could do. Wanna guess how long I stood here waiting for this shot?

Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Medallion. 1480/1485. Kinda reminds me of… me. That’s it, no other reason.

Pietro Perugino, Portrait of Lorenzo di Credi. 1488. The man in the portrait was a painter who influenced Leonardo da Vinci. I didn’t know that at the time. All I knew is that I thought I’d just diagnosed Clinical Depression through a painting. Am I right?

And now to the aforementioned master himself. This is the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in North America. I’d missed it on my first trip, so I had to rush in to see it. Of course, I just got sucked in to the museum again and spent more time than planned (as you see).

Ginevra de’ Benci. 1474/1478. Obverse. Can you zoom to find the fingerprint?

And reverse. Beauty Adorns Virtue. Some wedding gift, huh?

Sandro Botticelli, The Adoration of the Magi. 1478/1482. I mean, c’mon, those pastels! One might call it a Pastelral.

Hendrick ter Brugghen, Bagpipe Player. 1624. It has a doedelzakspeler, need I say more?

Adriaen Hanneman, Henry, Duke of Gloucester. 1653. I know he was locked up in the White Tower and watched his father get executed, but he looks like he just got fresh with the nursemaid with that precocious glint in his eye.

The Holy Trinity. Alabaster. English or Spanish. 14th century. Still not helping me wrap my head around the Trinity, but pretty cool.

Hans Memling, Chalice of Saint John the Evangelist. 1470/1475. Someone there must just have the job of knowing where to place things. They have an eye like I do for such details. I love how the arch in background compliments the painting itself.

Master of the Saint Lucy Legend, Mary, Queen of Heaven. 1485/1500. This was ginormous, and the robes, oh, the robes! The vivid color and detail was awe-inspiring.

Juan de Flandes, The Nativity. 1508-1519. I just thought the Virgin in black looked cool.

And The Adoration of the Magi.

Hieronymus Bosch, Death and the Miser. 1485/1490. He and Dürer. Twisted. Love ’em both. I felt so giddy when I was instantly able to recognize a painting from across the room!

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria. 1606. From a very wealthy Genoese family, her painting was probably close to life size. Quite intimidating in such finery. I know just what works for that. Imagine them naked.

François Clouet, A Lady in Her Bath. 1571ish. Ever get the feeling that these painters were voyeurs? And if you’ve noticed I gravitate towards the female form in my tastes, guilty as charged. I used to draw a little. Painting is on a whole other level. Especially the idea of painting on oak, as this piece is. Oh, the curtains are also fabulous. Can’t ever get the feel for a painting from a picture, but I did pretty well here.

A view into the rotunda room down the hall. Those buttocks would belong to this Bacchus. You can see Mercury further back.

The central rotunda of the West Building. It’s modeled after the Pantheon, and indeed both are similar. Looking up one would see the oculus. Compare with the cupola of the Pantheon.

This is Venus, from an unknown sculptor of Milan, 16th century. She was shy, the lighting made it especially hard to capture her face.

Augustin Pajou, Calliope. 1763. I know, kinda boring, but when you see it in front of you it’s quite another matter.

Jean-Antoine Houdon, Diana. 1778. Same comment as above.

This is on the way out of West Building, on the east side. Didn’t catch the name of the artist (help?). It was just so simple and yet striking. Raw and yet delicate.

For more sculpture, this was quite handy. Never did make it into the actual sculpture part, but cut me some slack, one could spend a week in there.

The National Mall. Nothing fancy, just a regular ‘being there’ shot. Also works well for abrupt segues.

On the steps of the Freer. One can see the Ripley Center, Smithsonian Institution Building (the original, “The Castle”), and the Natural History Museum’s dome across the Mall.

I had to visit this again. It was my favorite and you have it practically to yourself.

And, good thing I did. The first time I went the Arts of the Islamic World exhibit was closed. This time it was open!

Folio of a 14th century Egyptian Qur’an. Using my limited skills in reading Arabic, I’ve tracked down this page. It is from the Meccan surah, Ash-Shura.

Thus doth (He) send inspiration to thee as (He did) to those before thee,- Allah, Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.

To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and He is Most High, Most Great.

The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them (by Him Glory): and the angels celebrate the Praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for (all) beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And those who take as protectors others besides Him,- Allah doth watch over them; and thou art not the disposer of their affairs.

Thus have We sent by inspiration to thee an Arabic Qur’an: that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her,- and warn (them) of the Day of Assembly, of which there is no doubt: (when) some will be in the Garden, and some in the Blazing Fire.

– 42:3-7, Yusuf Ali

A mihrab, from 14th century Iran.

Candlestick from Eastern Iran, 12th century, made out of a single piece of brass. It’s around, oh, I’d say four feet tall. Now, how big was the candle?!

Iran, Samanid period.

Panel which records the construction of a mosque at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad around 1154, a significant time, as Imam Reza had not died two centuries earlier and the complex had been destroyed by a previous ruler. It is today the holiest shrine on Iranian soil, and kind of a big deal.

Folios from Hatifi’s Haft Manzar, 1556.

Syria, 1315. Describes Al-Jazari‘s elaborate contraption for dispensing four different types of wine. Yes, as in the alcoholic beverage fermented from grapes wine. I know, not everything written in Arabic says “death to the infidel”, so sorry to disappoint.

13th century, Kashan, Iran. A “queen”.

Syria or Iraq, 13th century. Behind it is a piece form Jianxi, China. They are both canteens (or ridiculously large pocket watches?). Both are huge. The Arab piece has many motifs on it. In function I imagine it to have been more like the Gundestrup cauldron.

13th century bowl, Iran.

Iran, 13th century. The beaker has a whole narrative cycle of the lovers Bizhan and Manizha from the Shahnameh.

Plate made by Shamsuddin al-Hasani Abu Zayd in December 1210, Iran. Pretty specific date, huh?

Tile, 13th century Iran.

Rose water bottle (which reminds me of my shopping list) and pen box by Shazi, 12th century and 1210, respectively.

Another photo of the Achaemenid phiale from the 5th century BCE. Yeah, it’s just that awesome that it gets a reprise.

As does the gajasimha (hybrid elephant and lion mythological creature) throne leg from 13th century Orissa, India.

Only a few more of these to go.