Jules Bastien-Lepage (French, 1848–1884), Le Père Jacques (Woodgatherer), 1881 (detail). Oil on canvas. Miwlaukee Art Museum, Layton Art Collection, Gift of Mrs. E. P. Allis and her daughters in memory of Edward Phelps Allis L102. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.
Jules Bastien-Lepage (French, 1848–1884), Le Père Jacques (Woodgatherer), 1881. Oil on canvas. Miwlaukee Art Museum, Layton Art Collection, Gift of Mrs. E. P. Allis and her daughters in memory of Edward Phelps Allis L102. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.
One of the things that I enjoy about being a curator is that I am always learning something. Here is one example.
In the middle of August, the Cornish American Heritage Society held their “Gathering of the Cornish Cousins” in Milwaukee. The event offered talks and workshops on all things Cornish, and one of the organizers had asked me to do a presentation on the artists of the Newlyn School.
I knew a little about Cornwall from visits to the southwestern part of Wisconsin, plus I loved pasties, but I knew nothing about art in Cornwall. A quick search told me that they were a group of artists that, in the 1880s, formed an art colony in a Cornish fishing village called Newlyn. So, I said, sure, why not?
And now, after a year of reading about the Newlyn artists and looking closely at the artwork produced by them, I’m so glad that I did!
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (Dresden, Germany, established 1710), Possibly Johann Gregorius Horoldt (German, 1696-1775), Tankard, ca. 1725. Glazed porcelain, polychrome overglaze decoration, gilding, and brass. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of the René von Schleinitz Foundation, M1995.2. Photo: John Glembin
Last month, we demystified tin-glazed earthenware while putting it into a historical context. This month, we’ll figure out the magic behind the material that tin-glazed earthenware attempted to fill in for: porcelain.
Introduced to Europe from China in the fourteenth century, porcelain was the most elegant and fascinating of materials. It was pristine, white yet translucent, and although it was thin and light-weight, it was also amazingly strong and durable. In other words, it was everything that tin-glazed earthenware and stoneware was not.
Probably Thuringia, Germany, Tankard, before 1754. Tin-glazed earthenware with polychrome decoration and pewter. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Albert Finkler M1937.26. Photo credit: John R. Glembin
My post this month is about tin-glazed earthenware. Wait! Don’t run! I know that this is one kind of ceramic that makes the study of decorative arts confusing. So many names, so much technical jargon—it’s a headache! But stick with me for a moment, because I hope to explain it in a way that this not too complicated. The reward is another glimpse into the history art, trade, and technology.
Probably Raeren, Rhineland, Germany. Jug, ca. 1583. Salt-glazed stoneware with later silver mount. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg, M1991.86. Photo credit John NienhuisMany people probably thing that international trade and technical innovations is something new: it’s important now, in the digital age; it was important in the 20th century, and perhaps influential as far back as the industrial revolution of the 19th century. But those that study the history of decorative arts know that international trade and technical innovations go back much further!
Kornelius Erb (German, Augsburg, ca. 1560-1618). The Erb Tankard, 1580/85. Silver. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg, M1991.85. Photo credit John Nienhuis
For the past few months, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to research the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection of German drinking vessels. With over 200 steins, tankards, and jugs, we have examples that range in date from the mid-16th century to the early 20th century. So, over the next few months, I’ll be doing a series of blog posts to highlight this important—and interesting—area of the collection.
Nardo di Cione (Italian, ca. 1320–1365 or 1366), Madonna and Child, ca. 1350 (detail). Tempera and gold leaf on panel. 29 1/2 x 19 in. (74.93 x 48.26 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Purchase, Myron and Elizabeth P. Laskin Fund, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Bequest, Friends of Art, and Fine Arts Society; and funds from Helen Peter Love, Chapman Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. James K. Heller, Joseph Johnson Charitable Trust, the A. D. Robertson Family, Mr. and Mrs. Donald S. Buzard, the Frederick F. Hansen Family, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Fritz, and June Burke Hansen; with additional support from Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader, Dr. Warren Gilson, Mrs. Edward T. Tal, Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Flagg, Mr. and Mrs. William D. Vogel, Mrs. William D. Kyle, Sr., L. B. Smith, Mrs. Malcolm K. Whyte, Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, Mrs. Charles E. Sorenson, Mr. William Stiefel, and Mrs. Adelaide Ott Hayes, by exchange.
Nardo di Cione (Italian, ca. 1320–1365 or 1366), Madonna and Child, ca. 1350. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. 29 1/2 x 19 in. (74.93 x 48.26 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Purchase, Myron and Elizabeth P. Laskin Fund, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Bequest, Friends of Art, and Fine Arts Society; and funds from Helen Peter Love, Chapman Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. James K. Heller, Joseph Johnson Charitable Trust, the A. D. Robertson Family, Mr. and Mrs. Donald S. Buzard, the Frederick F. Hansen Family, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Fritz, and June Burke Hansen; with additional support from Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader, Dr. Warren Gilson, Mrs. Edward T. Tal, Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Flagg, Mr. and Mrs. William D. Vogel, Mrs. William D. Kyle, Sr., L. B. Smith, Mrs. Malcolm K. Whyte, Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, Mrs. Charles E. Sorenson, Mr. William Stiefel, and Mrs. Adelaide Ott Hayes, by exchange.
As Christmas approaches, it seems appropriate to take a closer look at one of the highlights of the European galleries: Virgin and Child by Nardo di Cione (Italian, ca. 1320–1365 or 1366) in Gallery #4.
Nardo was one of three artist brothers with a workshop in Florence in the mid 14th century. They were well-known not only for church frescos, such as those in the Santa Maria novella, but also their free-standing panel paintings.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
Until February 9, the mezzanine will display works on paper that celebrate the natural world. You will not only have the opportunity to see a selection of our fantastic Rembrandt etchings and landscapes by other Dutch artists, but you’ll also be able to see how prints from 400 years ago influence contemporary artists.
In one of the two cases in the installation are three prints designed by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1601) and engraved by his son Jacob (1575-ca. 1630). They give us an amazing way to understand art and science in 16th century Europe.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
These prints all came from a book called Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii. Published in 1592, the engravings illustrate an important transition in art production.
Joris Hoefnagel was one of the last important Flemish manuscript illuminators. This means that he would decorate books by hand for the extremely wealthy. By the late 16th century, the technique of printmaking had established itself as a way to spread images quickly and less expensively. When Joris’s son Jacob engraved his designs and published them as a book, it was a perfect example of this transitional period in the art market.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
Joris Hoefnagel was more than just a talented illuminator. He was also a highly intelligent, well-educated man who was fascinated with the natural world. Perfectly at home in the Renaissance’s scientific inquiry, Hoefnagel carefully studied plants, animals, and insects, and then rendered them in detail. Many of them were rendered here for the first time. Other artists used his book as a source for designs in their own paintings and decorative arts.
A closer look shows that Hoefnagel has offered inspiration in another way. Each page includes an epigram that invites the viewer to reflect upon the image and contemplate his or her place in the universe. For instance, Plate 3 reads in Latin “Virum improbum vel mures mordeant” which translates to “May a Wicked Man at Least Be Bitten by Mice”.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
The Renaissance’s interest in the natural world gives rise to centuries of artists who explore the subject. Still life painting in northern Europe flourished in the early 17th century. Botanical illustrators sought to discover, categorize, and document plants and animals worldwide in the quest of knowledge. The best-known wildlife illustrator, John James Audubon (American, b. Santo Domingo [now Haiti], 1785-1851), traveled for years to document the birds and mammals of the United States.
Contemporary artists are also interested in depicting and honoring nature. The display on the mezzanine includes works by Milwaukee artist JoAnna Poehlmann.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
The tradition set forth by Joris Hoefnagel is alive and well in Poehlmann’s artwork. She draws her amazingly detailed images from an extensive collection of specimens. Her meticulous technique is obvious when looking at works such as Going Dutch I and Going Dutch IV.
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
But Poehlmann does not just celebrated the natural world in her artwork. Her playful works display her droll sense of humor, combing her knowledge of art history and literature. The Stamp Collection, a set of cards in a beautifully constructed envelope, juxtaposes illustrations postage stamps featuring art in order to create clever statements: a stamp of a crab with a lovingly rendered petit four makes a “crab cake” and a stamp with a tree above a perky little frog results in “tree frog.”
Installation views of the “Rembrandt and the Natural World” Mezzanine rotation. Photo by the author
JoAnna Poehlmann’s creations are always best seen in person, so make sure you stop by the Mezzanine soon! (And stop by the Museum store to take home a little of her art.)
Catherine Sawinski is the Assistant Curator of European Art. When not handling the day-to-day running of the European art department and the Museum’s Fine Arts Society, she researches the collection of Ancient and European artwork before 1900.
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863–1923). Drawing in the Sand, ca. 1911. Oil on canvas, 21 x 25 1/4 in. (53.34 x 64.14 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of the Samuel O. Buckner Collection. Photo credit Larry Sanders
A young boy kneels at the beach, drawing a sailboat into the wet sand with a stick. The sun beats on his bare skin and makes him almost glow with warmth and light. Behind him, water licks at his feet, cool and tempting. Although he is intent on his project, we know that once he has gotten too hot, he will lose interest and go back into the water.
Now that’s it September, I thought we’d have one more taste of summer by exploring Drawing in the Sand by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Spanish, 1863-1923), which is on view in Gallery 11.
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (Sèvres, France, established in 1756), painted by Denis Levé (French, active 1754–1805). Covered Chestnut Bowl and Stand (marronière), 1757–58. Soft paste porcelain, vert ground color, polychrome enamels, and gilding tureen. Bequest of Mrs. Arthur J. Riebs given in memory of her father C.W. George Everhart, and her mother Lillian Boynton Everhart. Photo credit John R. Glembin
What do you know about chestnuts? You might think of the opening lines of The Christmas Song (“chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”). The song is a sure sign that Christmas is coming, but how many of us have actually eaten a chestnut?
For thousands of years, chestnuts have been a nourishing food around the world. They can be eaten raw, dried, boiled, baked, and roasted, or even ground into flour. The ancient Greeks and Romans ate chestnuts. Roasted ones could be found for sale on the streets of Rome in the 1500’s and in America in the early 20th century; you can still find them offered by street vendors in countries such as China, the Philippines, Japan, and Turkey, and in Europe during the winter. (They are less familiar in the United States today because of chestnut blight, a fungus that killed off the chestnut trees in America during the early 20th century.)
But our subject today is the chestnut in France–18th century France, to be specific.
Edward William Cooke (English, 1811–1880). The Pilot Boat (Trouville Fishing Boat in a Fresh Breeze), ca. 1839. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Layton Art Collection, Gift of Frederick Layton. Photo credit John R. Glembin
Last month we explored the history of the salon-hang style used in Gallery 10, which has been reopened as Mr. Layton’s Gallery. A glance around tells a lot about what kind of art was popular in the late 19th century in America: sculpture is clean, white marble; paintings by European and American artists fit into easily described categories (landscape, genre, still-life), or they are inspired by the classical past.
There is nothing truly avant-garde here. No Courbet, no Manet, no Monet, no Gauguin. Most of this artwork stands firmly in the tradition of art as it was understood for centuries. In fact, Homer and His Guide may even have been a direct rebuttal to the type of artwork shown at the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874. Bougereau’s powerful painting reflects the survival of the classical, in both poetry and art, while facing adversity.
Although most of the beautiful objects from the early history of the Layton Art Collection are not ground-breaking, they are important to the time. And many of them still show the influence of the artists leading the attack on the art establishment.
So let’s take a look at some of the paintings that have come “out of the vault!”
