Early Modern European Objects

The pieces in this portfolio are a selection of sacred and secular, medieval and early modern, southern and northern, two- and three-dimensional objects in UMMA's collection. The selection provides a comparative and wide-ranging look at visual, material, religious, and quotidian culture in Europe from the fourteenth through eighteenth centuries.

This carved bone sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary raising her right hand in a gesture of grief while her head is bent in mourning. A similar female figure, holding her hands clasped before her, appears in profile behind the Virgin, and another female figure stands to the left. Behind the mourning women the pointed helmets worn by two soldiers may be discerned.
Embriachi Workshop, Venice, Italy
The Mourning Virgin and holy women (fragment of a Crucifixion from a portable altarpiece)
bone
4 ⅝ in x 1 9/16 in x 1 ⅛ in (11.75 cm x 3.97 cm x 2.86 cm);4 ⅝ in x 1 9/16 in x 1 ⅛ in (11.75 cm x 3.97 cm x 2.86 cm);1 1/16 in x 1 9/16 in x 1 ⅛ in (2.7 cm x 3.97 cm x 2.86 cm);3 9/16 in x 1 3/10 in x 9/16 in (9.05 cm x 3.33 cm x 1.43 cm)
Presented in memory of Rosalie Eisenberg
Bavarian
The Mourning Virgin
wood, paint and gilt
31 in. x 8 11/16 in. x 8 1/4 in. ( 78.7 cm x 22 cm x 21 cm )
Museum Purchase
This small porcelain sculpture represents a gaunt, sinewy bearded figure, who is naked except for a loincloth. With his right knee wedged in a stump, his torso contracts with an inner tension as he pounds his chest with stones in an act of penitence. At his feet sits a lion.
German
St. Jerome
porcelain
8 7/8 in x 4 5/8 in x 4 in (22.5 cm x 11.7 cm x 10.2 cm);8 7/8 in x 4 5/8 in x 4 in (22.5 cm x 11.7 cm x 10.2 cm)
Gift of Hubert L. and Doris M. Grigaut for The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection

Madonna and Child
painted wood
39 3/8 in. x 16 3/8 in. x 6 in. ( 100 cm x 41.6 cm x 15.2 cm )
Bequest of Baroness Matilda Ledyard von Ketteler
Oswalt Haussner
Shell Cup
silver
12 3/8 in. x 5 5/16 in. x 3 15/16 in. ( 31.5 cm x 13.5 cm x 10 cm )
Museum purchase in honor of Professor Marvin Eisenberg, made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
The body of the tankard is decorated with two narrow bands of gilded abstract vegetal ornament around the neck and base, separated by a wider band that features three repoussé medallions alternating with three bosses. Each medallion depicts a standing nude female: one of the nudes appears in an interior holding a dagger to her chest; another holds a sword and a man's head and stands beside a female companion; the third holds an elongated arrow with a blindfolded cupid at her feet. The cast handle consists of a clawed bird's foot grasping a ball at the base, followed by a satyr mask, a bound female nude, and, surmounting the handle, the bust of a warrior. The lid, a later addition, bears a wreath with a series of initials and the date 1639.
German
Tankard with Lid and scenes of Judith, Lucretia, and Venus
repoussé and engraved silver, partially gilded
5 11/16 x 5 1/8 x 4 in. (14.3 x 13 x 10.1 cm);5 11/16 x 5 1/8 x 4 in. (14.3 x 13 x 10.1 cm)
Museum Purchase
Dutch
Plate, with floral motifs
engraved, repousse silver
12 1/2 in. ( 31.8 cm )
Museum Purchase
This oval-shaped ceramic vessel features a wide, steep rim surrounding a large well in the center. The scalloped edges of the rim are cut back into a deep semicircle on one side. The rim is painted in underglaze blue and yellow with plant and floral motifs that are arranged in a whimsical, asymmetrical fashion around the edge. The well is decorated with similar vegetal motifs and two vaguely stork-like birds with long legs that confront one another on a strip of turf.
French
Barber's basin with birds and vegetal ornament
tin-glazed earthenware (faience) with yellow and blue underglaze
3 1/16 in. x 15 11/16 in. x 11 in. ( 7.8 cm x 39.9 cm x 28 cm )
The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection
Four men sit under a canopied arch in a Chinese-style landscape with pine trees and a river in the well of this blue-and-white plate. The figure seated under the center of the arch holds an object on his lap, which the leftmost figure leans forward to inspect more closely. The old man who sits at the right of the group looks off to his right. The paneled border of the rim is decorated with four reserves featuring the figure of a seated Chinese man. The reserves are separated by a pair of narrow panels flanking a larger central panel. The narrow panels contain a stylized flower motif, while the larger panels are decorated with more elaborate floral designs.
Dutch
Chinoiserie plate with four figures in a landscape
tin-glazed earthenware (delftware)
2 3/16 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16 in. (5.4 x 35 x 35 cm);2 3/16 x 13 13/16 x 13 13/16 in. (5.4 x 35 x 35 cm);x 13 13/16 in. x 35 cm
The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection
French
'Chinoiserie' panel - Four figures and two birds.
embroidery
27 3/4 in. x 21 5/8 in. x 11/16 in. ( 70.5 cm x 55 cm x 1.7 cm )
Gift of Baroness Maud Ledyard von Ketteler
French
Fragment—Rectangular piece—'Chinoiserie'
satin and brocatelle
15 3/4 in. ( 40 cm )
Gift of Baroness Maud Ledyard von Ketteler
This marble statue depicts a standing male figure, who holds a closed book in his left hand and makes what appears to be a gesture indicating speech with his right. The curls of his flowing beard and long hair are echoed in the gentle curving folds and undulating edges of his long robe and mantle. He turns his head downward and to his left
Belgian
Apostle
marble with gilding
22 7/8 x 8 1/8 x 6 15/16 in. (58 x 20.5 x 17.5 cm);22 7/8 x 8 1/8 x 6 15/16 in. (58 x 20.5 x 17.5 cm);19 5/16 x 5 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. (49 x 14.6 x 11.4 cm);3 9/16 x 8 1/8 x 6 15/16 in. (9 x 20.5 x 17.5 cm)
Museum Purchase

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Calligraphy — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
Europe — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
European culture — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
European renaissance — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
Literacy, reading, and writing — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
Manuscripts — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
Material culture — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)
Medieval europe — by seth@whirl-i-gig.com (February 13 2017 @ 12:17 pm)

142 Collection Object Sources

Apostle (1957/2.3)
St. Jerome (1974/1.90)
Madonna and Child (1961/1.176)
Shell Cup (2008/1.164)
Damask (1972/2.268)
Silk Damask (1972/2.242)
Venus Marina (1958/2.52)
Standing Christ (1972/2.55)
Bust of a Satyr (1970/1.193)
Schöne Madonna (2013/1.227)
Angel (1969/2.157)
Shallow Dish (1972/2.119)
Dish (1969/2.38)
Dish, (1972/2.121)
Dish, (1972/2.125)
Basin (1968/2.37)
Coconut Cup (1969/2.36)
Verdure (1942.8)
Troy Legend (1942.9)
Troy Legend (1942.10)
Chest (no lock) (1967/2.25)
Tazza (1968/2.49)
Silk Fragment (1972/2.313)
Tapestry (1972/2.328)
Double Cloth (1972/2.279B)
Double Cloth (1972/2.282A)
Needlework (1972/2.309)
Damask (1972/2.317)
Brocatelle (1972/2.278)
Silk Lampas Weave (1972/2.273A)
Verdure (1970/2.113)
Crewel Embroidery (1972/2.308)
Silk Lampas Weave (1972/2.273B)
Chartres (1972/2.529)
Untitled (1972/2.655)
Untitled (1972/2.686)
Untitled (1972/2.688)
Blois (1972/2.699)
Blois (1972/2.460)
Hildesheim (1972/2.510)
St. Marks Rome (1972/2.679)
Issoire (1972/2.640)
Chartres (1972/2.530)
Untitled (1972/2.479)
Malines, Belgium (1972/2.519)
Braunschweig (1972/2.505)
Chateaudun (1972/2.543)
Vendome (1972/2.544)
Siena (1972/2.675)
Chartres (1972/2.527)
Bits from Blois (1972/2.545)
Lisieux (1972/2.598)
Caen (1972/2.588)
Vitre (1972/2.568)
Vezelay (1972/2.643)
Amalfi (1972/2.644)
Ronda (1972/2.626)
Rouen (1972/2.632)
Untitled (1972/2.622)
Madeira (1972/2.624)
Arles (1972/2.638)
Orleans (1972/2.533)
Untitled (1972/2.541)
Chenonceaux (1972/2.556)

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Last Updated

April 4, 2020 2:20 p.m.

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