Jar with crackled glaze, China, Guan kilns, Zhejiang, Southern Song dynasty (1200–1300). Stoneware, with crackled glaze. Height: 10.0 cm, Diameter: 12.0 cm. Museum no. C.25-1935. Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee [September 2009] © V&A Images 

The body material, a slate-grey stoneware, may be seen at the foliated lip where the straight neck spreads outwards and also at the foot where it is partly exposed. The creamy grey glaze is applied in numerous layers and develops a bold pattern of dark crackle. It has a depressed globular body with cylindrical neck and slightly spreading foliate mouth.

This jar is a fine example of Guan ware (meaning 'official ware'), the distinguishing feature of which is its crackled glaze. Crackles occur when the glaze shrinks more than the clay body beneath, the disparity between the two rates of contraction causing the glaze to craze. In this particular case the crackles were deliberately created, as Chinese connoisseurs considered them a pleasing feature. Modern scientists have analysed the Guan glaze and concluded that Chinese potters caused the crazing by reducing the silica content in the glaze mixture.

As its name implies, Guan ware was fired in kilns that were under direct control of state officials. In 1126 the Song dynasty capital, Kaifeng, was captured by a fierce nomadic minority, the Nüzhen. The Song court fled to regions south of the Yangzi River and eventually set up a new capital in Hangzhou. Supplies of ceramics from northern kilns such as, Ding and Yaozhou, were no longer available. As a result, two kilns were established by imperial command, one called 'Xiuneisi' (literally 'Palace Maintenance Office') and the other 'Jiaotanxi' (literally 'Beneath the Suburb Altar'), both to produce ceramics exclusively for court use. 

In 1126, the Song dynasty lost the northern part of its territories and retreated south to a new capital at Hangzhou. Two new imperial kilns were established nearby for the production of Guan (‘official’) wares. Guan wares are distinguished by their crackled glazes, which occur when the glaze shrinks more than the clay body. These were created deliberately, probably by reducing the glaze’s silica content.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song dynasty ceramics. London:V&A Publications, 2004, plate 88.
Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young (eds.) Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, pp. 44-45.

Vase, carved and glazed stoneware, Yaozhou ware, Shaanxi, China, Northern Song dynasty (1000-1127). Height: 24.0 cm, Diameter: 12.0 cm. Museum no. C.810-1936? Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee [September 2009] © V&A Images

This vase was made in Yaozhou, north of the divide separating northern and southern China. It has a grey stoneware body, covered with an olive-green glaze. Modern scholars in the West traditionally refer to this type as celadon, the Chinese equivalent for this term being simply 'greenware'.

The first greenwares were made in southern China. Eventually the technology spread to the north and for a brief period in the eleventh century the Yaozhou products outshone their southern competitors, due partly to the fact that the capital city, Kaifeng, was situated much closer to the northern kilns. The geographical proximity of the Yaozhou and Ding kilns (see p.36) led to these two wares sharing many stylistic features. The decoration on Yaozhou ware, however, tends to be deeply carved, rather than incised or moulded. The olive-green glaze pools in the carved areas, intensifying in colour and making the design - in this case a peony - much more apparent.

The Yaozhou kiln site was excavated by the Chinese authorities in the twentieth century, but there is currently no evidence that the wares were exported in the Song dynasty. China's neighbour Korea produced a similar green-glazed stoneware in the twelfth century, but Yaozhou ware is not thought to have been its source of inspiration.

Green-glazed stonewares, called ‘celadons’ in Europe, were first made in southern China. Eventually the technology spread to northern China, and for a brief period after 1000 the products of the Yaozhou kilns in the north outshone their southern competitors. The decoration was deeply carved. This allowed the glaze to pool in the recesses, intensifying the colour and making the design more legible.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 52, no. 47.
Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young (eds.) Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, pp. 38-39.

Exhibition: International Exhibition of Chinese Art (Royal Academy of Arts 01/01/1935-31/12/1936)

Bowl with moulded design of a duck in a lotus pond, Yaozhou ware, China, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Stoneware. Diameter: 11.2 cm. Museum no. C.624-1918. Given by Aubrey Le Blond [2009] © V&A Images

These bowls are examples of the Yaozhou wares typical of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While the wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), these bowls exhibit the olive green glaze and dense surface designs common to the Yaozhou wares of the Northern Song period.

Moulded designs were an important feature of Youzhou ware. The dish in the centre is an example of the this technique, which made detailed designs much more efficient to produce. The process began with a master dish, which would have been carved by hand and fired. A mould was then made of the dish and fired, creating a convex ‘hump-mould’. Multiple dishes could then be made by forming clay to this mould and pressing the walls to the appropriate thickness. The celadon glaze was then applied to the dish, pooling in the crevices and laying thinly on raised areas. Through firing, the pooled areas grew darker in colour and the thinly glazed areas more transparent, creating the illusion of light and shadows in the surface design.

This bowl was found in Korea.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 56, nos. 51 and 51a.

Porcelain water dropper with pale blue glaze, qingbai ware, Jingdezhen kilns, south China, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Height: 6.5 cm. Museum no.FE.15-2001. Given by Peter Harris on behalf of his brother Mike Harris [2007] © V&A Images

This water dropper was made during the Song dynasty (960-1279), the classical period in the history of Chinese ceramics. Kilns appeared in all parts of China, each kiln with its own specialized products. Centuries later they were much sought after by collectors. A systematic classification of the different wares was already well established in the 1400s, whereby ceramics were named after the town in which the kilns operated. The best known wares are Ru, Ding, Jun, Yaozhou, Cizhou, Yue, Guan, Longquan, Jian, Jizhou and Qingbai. This piece is a Qingbai ware. 

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song dynasty ceramics. London:V&A Publications, 2004, plate 101.

Funerary jar, stoneware with celadon glaze, Yue ware, China, Northern Song dynasty (960-1100). Height: 38.1 cm. Museum no. C.1385-1924 [2007] © V&A Images

This offering jar has a simple carved pattern of lotus petals and buds. This decoration may be significant, for it is linked with Buddhist beliefs about rebirth in the Western Paradise. Such jars would have been filled with offerings of rice for the souls of the dead, and then buried in the tombs of the wealthy. This was a common burial ritual in Song China, particularly in south China, and funerary jars containing rice were buried in pairs. 

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 20, no. 13.

Cupstand, buff stoneware with bluish glaze, Ru ware, China, Northern Song period, about 1086-1106. Mark inside the foot reading 'Shou Cheng Dian' Hall for the Attainment of Longevity. Height: 5.8 cm, Diameter: 16.5 cm. Museum no. FE.1-1970. Given by Sir Harry Garner and Lady Garner © V&A Images

A shallow cup-shaped stand, with curving sides vertical at the lip, having no base and set on a wide-spreading, tapered, saucer-like ring-flange with concave upper surface, straight-sided beneath and rising from a low spreading foot. The flange has been ground at the rim and the edge bound with a ring of copper. The foot has also been cut down to some extent and the rim is ground flat. The body would appear to be of warm buff colour and is hard enough to possess resonance. The glaze colour where thick is almost cerulean, but its effect is modified by dark staining in the broader lines of the crackle. The neatly incised inscription just within the foot is picked out in red pigment.

Ru wares are among the rarest of Chinese porcelains, for they were produced only for about 20 years. They are named after the famous Ru kilns in Henan province, not far from the Northern Song dynasty's imperial capital of Kaifeng. They are known for their pale bluish and greenish turquoise glazes. There is usually some slight, deliberate crackling of the glaze. This immensely rare stand bears the incised inscription Shou Cheng Dian or Hall of Perfect Old Age, found also on a Ding ware dish in Taipei, which some specialists say is the original inventory mark of a Song palace pavilion. Stands of this form were made for use with tea bowls, and it may well have been handled by the Emperor Huizong (reigned 1101-1126), for whose court much Ru ware was produced. This Emperor was a great tea enthusiast, and even wrote a treatise on the subject. 

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. pp. 26 and 30, nos. 18, 18a and 18b.

White porcelain dish with foliate rim, Northern China, Ding kilns, Northern Song dynasty (960-1050). Diameter: 14 cm. Museum no. Circ.111-1936 [2009]. Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee © V&A Images

Eumorfopoulos Collection

These two dishes are examples of Xing ware (left) and Ding ware (right). Xing and Ding wares were of the earliest true porcelains made in China, and the world. The term porcelain is applied to ceramics made from a mixture containing a of clay called kaolin and a white stone called petuntse, which was fired at high temperatures. Porcelains differ from other ceramics in their impermeability, their whiteness and fine texture.

Xing and Ding wares were both made in kilns in the Hebei province of China during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Although they look very similar, subtle differences in the glaze and the body of these dishes can link them to the wares produced in their respective places of origin, the cities of Xing yao and Ding yao.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 42, nos. 33 and 33a.

Allan Ramsay (1713-84), George III (1738-1820), c.1761-2. Oil on canvas, 249.5 x 163.2 cm. RCIN 405307. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

EDINBURGH.- Some of the finest works by many of Scotland's most celebrated artists, including Allan Ramsay, Sir David Wilkie and the Glasgow Boys, went on display in the first exhibition dedicated to Scottish art in the Royal Collection. From grand State portraits to miniatures of royal children, romantic Highland scenes to exotic views of the Continent, the exhibition includes more than 80 works of art acquired by monarchs, from George III to Her Majesty The Queen, many on display for the first time. Scottish Artists 1750 – 1900: From Caledonia to the Continent is at The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh from Thursday, 6 August, as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival. 

Allan Ramsay (1713-84), Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) with her two Eldest Sons,  c. 1764-9. Oil on canvas, 247.8 x 165.0 cm. RCIN 404922. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

In 1822 George IV became the first British reigning monarch to visit Scotland in nearly 200 years. Scotland's most successful artist of the early 19th century, Sir David Wilkie, depicted the moment of the King's historic arrival at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The only artist to be appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary to three successive monarchs, Wilkie also painted the State portraits of William IV and Queen Victoria. Among the 17 works by Wilkie on display in the exhibition are the earliest image of Queen Victoria as reigning monarch, and the artist's first two royal commissions, The Penny Wedding and Blind-Man's-Buff, shown together for the first time in Scotland, alongside previously unseen preparatory sketches. 

Allan Ramsay (1713-84), Prince William (1765-1837), later Duke of Clarence, 1767?. Oil on canvas, 127.5 x 101.5 cm. RCIN 404924. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's first visit to Scotland in September 1842 is recorded in William Leighton Leitch's Dalkeith House seen from the River Esk, 1844, on display for the first time. Leighton Leitch was Queen Victoria's drawing master for nearly 20 years, and the exhibition includes a previously unseen 'lesson in painting' for his royal pupil – a series of three small landscape drawings and a detailed note explaining the techniques and processes.  

Allan Ramsay (1713-84), Prince George Augustus of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1748-85), 1768-70. Oil on canvas, 127.8 x 102.0 cm. RCIN 406963. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Victoria and Albert's well known affection for Scotland is reflected in the many works commissioned by the royal couple from Scottish artists to capture the world around them, including their favourite staff. A watercolour portrait of the Queen's Piper, William Ross, 1866, shows the subject in full Highland dress of Royal Stuart tartan playing the pipes on the East Terrace of Windsor Castle. 

Allan Ramsay (1713-84), Princess Elizabeth Albertina, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1713-61), c.1769. Oil on canvas, 127.7 x 101.7 cm. RCIN 403553. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Works by the 19th-century Aberdeen artist James Giles are also on display. It was Giles's images of Balmoral that Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were shown during negotiation of the lease in 1848 – they had never seen the estate themselves. Immediately following the acquisition, the Queen commissioned Giles to paint A View of Balmoral and A View of Lochnagar as Christmas presents for Prince Albert, together with five watercolours by the artist. 

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), Blind-Man's Buff. Signed and dated 1812. Oil on panel, 63.2 x 91.8 cm. RCIN 405537. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Among the more personal works on display are miniatures by Sir William Ross, whom Queen Victoria commissioned to paint her first miniature portrait as monarch, shortly after her accession to the throne in 1837. Ross's miniature of the Queen is displayed alongside miniatures of four of her children at the ages of four or five, commissioned by Prince Albert as gifts to Victoria.  

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Penny Wedding. Signed and dated 1818. Oil on panel, 65.1 x 95.6 cm. RCIN 405536. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

On display for the first time are three vibrant watercolours by Sir James Guthrie, Edward Arthur Walton and Robert Macaulay Stevenson of the Glasgow Boys. A circle of around 20 artists and designers, the Glasgow Boys' artistic standing was confirmed when two albums of work by the Glasgow Art Club, of which they were part, were presented to The Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) on the occasion of the opening of the Glasgow International Exhibition on 8 May 1888.  

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), A Roman Princess Washing the Feet of Pilgrims. Signed and dated 1827. Oil on panel, 50.2 x 42.2 cm. RCIN 405096. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Royal interest in and acquisition of Scottish works of art have continued into the 20th and 21st centuries. The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) were presented with a magnificent large-scale musical pedestal clock by the Scottish clockmaker John Smith by the citizens of Glasgow on the occasion of their marriage in 1923. In 2003 Her Majesty The Queen acquired a preparatory sketch for Sir David Wilkie's painting Blind-Man's-Buff.  

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), I Pifferari. Signed and dated 1827. Oil on panel, 46.1 x 36.2 cm. RCIN 405861. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Exhibition curator Deborah Clarke of Royal Collection Trust, said 'This exciting exhibition is a fascinating reflection of the distinctive tastes of the various monarchs and their long association with the work of Scottish artists, an interest which has continued until the present day.'

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Spanish Posada: A Guerilla Council of War. Signed and dated 1828. Oil on panel, 76.2 x 93.5 cm. RCIN 405094. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Defence of Saragossa. Signed and dated 1828. Oil on panel, 94.2 x 141.5 cm. RCIN 405091. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Guerilla's Departure. Signed and dated 1828. Oil on panel, 95.1 x 84.6 cm. RCIN 405092. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Guerilla's Return. Signed and dated 1830. Oil on panel, 95.0 x 84.5 cm. RCIN 405093. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), The Entrance of George IV at Holyroodhouse, 1822-30. Oil on mahogany panel, 126.0 cm x 198.1 cm x 16 mm. RCIN 401187. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), Prince Charles of Leiningen (1804-1856), c.1824-30. Oil on canvas, 53.0 x 42.8 cm. RCIN 402415. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Allan (1782-1850), The Orphan. Signed and dated 1834. Oil on canvas, 85.7 x 72.4 cm. RCIN 401189. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir Francis Grant (1803-78), Queen Victoria (1819-1901) riding out, 1839-40. Oil on canvas, 99.1 x 137.2 cm. RCIN 400749. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir Francis Grant (1803-78), Prince Albert (1819-61), 1845. Oil on canvas, 45.4 x 35.7 cm. RCIN 400584. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir Joseph Noël Paton (1821-1901), Home (The Return from the Crimea). Signed and dated 1859. Oil on panel, 71.2 x 57.7 cm. RCIN 406954. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

James Giles (1801-70), A View of Balmoral. Signed and dated 1848. Oil on panel, 56.0 x 81.6 cm. RCIN 405007. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

James Giles (1801-70), A View of Lochnagar. Signed and dated 1848. Oil on panel, 56.0 x 81.5 cm. RCIN 405006. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

William Dyce (1806-64), The Madonna and Child. Signed and dated 1845. Oil on canvas , 80.2 x 58.7 x 2.3 cm. RCIN 403745. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

William Dyce (1806-64), Saint Joseph. Signed and dated 1847. Oil on canvas , 78.9 x 54.8 x 2.3 cm. RCIN 403746. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

David Roberts (1796-1864), A View in Cairo. Signed and dated 1840. Oil on canvas , 91.3 x 69.9 cm. RCIN 403602. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

David Roberts (1796-1864), The Fountain on the Prado, Madrid. Signed and dated 1841, 43.5 x 56.0 x 6.5 cm. RCIN 405005. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Phillip (1817-67), "El Paseo". Signed and dated 1854. Oil on panel, 53.4 x 42.6 cm. RCIN 404597. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Phillip (1817-67), The Letter-Writer of Seville. Signed and dated 1854. Oil on panel, 78.4 x 99.1 cm. RCIN 401188. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Phillip (1817-67), The Dying Contrabandista. Signed and dated 1858. Oil on panel, 132.1 x 203.2 cm. RCIN 404562. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Gourlay Steell (1819-94), Highland Cattle in the Pass of Leny. Signed and dated 1876. Oil on canvas, 79.0 x 122.3 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 403647. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Pettie (1834-93), Bonnie Prince Charlie Entering the Ballroom at Holyroodhouse, before 30 Apr 1892. Oil on canvas, 158.8 x 114.3 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 401247. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Young, Trotter & Hamilton, Pair of pier tables,  1796, 94.3 x 132.5 x 63.0 cm. RCIN 27597. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Young, Trotter & Hamilton, Writing table,  1796, 80.5 x 99.5 x 65.2 cm. RCIN 27847. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Smith of Pittenweem (active 1770-1816), Pedestal clock,  1780 - 1800. Oak, gilt, paint, glass, 143.5 x 60.4 x 50.0 cm. RCIN 2918. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

John Underwood [of Ayr], 'Tam O'Shanter' chair, 1822. Oak and brass, 112.0 x 60.0 x 56.0 cm. RCIN 27942. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Lawrence Macdonald (1799-1878), Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774-1850), signed and dated 1846. Marble, 71.0 x 46.0 x 23.4 cm. RCIN 31611. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Thomas Campbell (1790-1858), George, Duke of Gordon (1770-1836), 1836. Marble, 71.5 x 49.5 x 27.0 cm. RCIN 31316. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Andrew Robertson (1777-1845), Princess Sophia (1777-1848), 1807?. Watercolour on ivory, 10.7 x 8.2 cm (sight) (sight). RCIN 420227. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Andrew Robertson (1777-1845), Princess Elizabeth (1770-1840), Feb-Mar 1807. Watercolour on ivory, 10.6 x 8.0 cm (sight) (sight). RCIN 420228. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Ross (1794-1860), Queen Victoria (1819-1901). Signed and dated 1838. Watercolour on ivory laid on card, 4.6 x 3.9 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external. RCIN 420959. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Ross (1794-1860), Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901). 1845. Watercolour on ivory laid on card, 6.0 x 5.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 420340. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Ross (1794-1860), Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (1841-1910), later Edward VII, 1846. Watercolour on ivory laid on card, 6.6 x 5.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external. RCIN 420337. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Ross (1794-1860), Prince Alfred (1844-1900), later Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, 1848. Watercolour on ivory laid on the original backing card, 6.2 x 5.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 420339. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Ross (1794-1860), Princess Alice (1843-1878), later Grand Duchess of Hesse, 1847. Watercolour on ivory laid on card, 6.1 x 5.7  cm (support, canvas/panel/str external. RCIN 420338. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Robert Thorburn (1818-85), Prince Albert (1819-1861), 1852. Watercolour on ivory laid on leather adhered to board, 28.8 x 20.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external. RCIN 404111. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Robert Thorburn (1818-85), Charlotte Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch (1811-1895) and her daughter Lady Victoria Scott (1844-1938), 1847. Watercolour on ivory laid on card, 21.0 x 17 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external. RCIN 420401. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Kenneth Macleay (1802-78), Prince Alfred, later Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900).  Signed and dated 1864. Watercolour on ivory, 8.5 x 6.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 420330. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

David Allan (1744-96), Piazza Navona, Rome,  circa 1775. Pencil, pen and brown wash with touches of white bodycolour, in plain border, 37.0 x 52.5 cm (sheet of paper). RCIN 913355. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

David Allan (1744-96), The Romans polite to Strangers, Palazzo Ruspoli al Corso Rome,  circa 1775. Pencil, pen and brown wash within a washed mount, 38.5 x 53.8 cm (sheet of paper). RCIN 913358. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Robert Adam (1728-92), General Design of a Transparent Illumination, proposed to have been Executed in the Queen's Garden in Honour of His Majesty's Birthday, The 4th June 1763, 1763. Pencil, pen and ink and watercolour; pinholes for compass and at key points, 48.0 x 125.0 cm (sheet of paper). RCIN 917643.a. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Robert Adam (1728-92), Design of a Bridge Illuminated in Honour of His Majesty's Birth Day, The 4th June 1763. By Order of Her Majesty, 1763. Pencil, pen and ink and watercolour, 48.0 x 63.5 cm (sheet of paper). RCIN 917643.c. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

James Giles (1801-70), The Dubh Loch. dated 1849. Pencil and watercolour with touches of bodycolour, 30.0 x 45.2 cm cm. RCIN 919622. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

James Giles (1801-70), The boundary between Balmoral and Invercauld, below the Keeper's House. dated 1849. Pencil and watercolour with touches of bodycolour, 30.0 x 45.2 cm cm. RCIN 919616. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

William Leighton Leitch (1804-83), Dalkeith Palace seen from the River Esk. Pencil and watercolour with touches of bodycolour, 25.0 x 36.7 cm. RCIN 919668. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015 

William Leighton Leitch (1804-83), Fingal's Cave, Isle of Staffa. Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, 13.7 x 23.3 cm. RCIN 919679. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

William Leighton Leitch (1804-83), Moonlight lesson: three-stage drawing demonstration. Pencil and wash, 8.0 x 14.0 cm. RCIN 919719. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

William Leighton Leitch (1804-83), Moonlight lesson: three-stage drawing demonstration. Pencil and wash, 8.0 x 14.0 cm. RCIN 919720. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Waller Hugh Paton (1828-95), Edinburgh with a distant view of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, dated 1862. Watercolour and bodycolour with gum arabic and burnishing, 15.5 x 37.6 cm. RCIN 919573. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Joseph Farquharson (1846-1935), Flock of sheep approaching through a blizzard of snow. Oil on paper, 14.3 x 22.5 cm. RCIN 914252. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Kenneth Macleay (1802-78), William Ross,  dated 1866. Pencil and watercolour, 52.7 x 41.0 cm. RCIN 920712. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Kenneth Macleay (1802-78), Donald Stewart and Charles Duncan. Pencil and watercolour, 54.0 x 42.8 cm. RCIN 920714. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

William Simpson (1823-99), The Ballroom, Balmoral Castle, dated 1882. Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, 35.0 x 56.6 cm. RCIN 919532. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

George M Greig (d. 1867), The Palace of Holyroodhouse: the Prince Consort's Sitting Room and Dressing Room, 1863. Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, 29.6 x 39.8 cm. RCIN 919571. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir James Guthrie (1859-1930), In the Orchard .Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour, 14.7 x 12.6 cm. RCIN 922832. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Edward Arthur Walton (1860-1922), On the Way to the Tennis Court. Pencil and watercolour, 13.9 x 22.3 cm. RCIN 922826. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Stevenson, Robert Macaulay (1860-1952), Romance, dated 1888. Watercolour and bodycolour, 20.7 x 17.5 cm. RCIN 922835. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir William Quiller Orchardson (1832-1910), Prince Edward of York, dated 1897.Oil on linen,| 20.3 x 16.2 cm. RCIN 914293. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

William Dyce (1806-64), Princess Victoria, 1848. Stylus and coloured chalks on grey prepared ground, 57.8 x 44.8 cm. RCIN 917908.a. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

William Dyce (1806-64), Princess Alice, 1848. Stylus and coloured chalks on grey prepared ground, 57.8 x 44.8 cm. RCIN 917908.a. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Sir Francis Grant (1803-78), Queen Victoria (1819-1901) on Horseback, 1845. Oil on canvas, 33.6 x 30.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/str external). RCIN 400589. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Master of 1499 (active around 1500), Diptych with Margaret of Austria Worshipping the Virgin and Child, Netherlandish, c. 1501-1504. Oil on panel. Inv. no. 1973-A© Ghent (Belgium), Museum voor Schone Kunsten

VIENNA.- As part of the successful collaboration between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Government of Flanders to showcase a loan from a Flemish collection for a year in the newly-installed Kunstkammer the museum welcomes the third annual loan from a Flemish museum – a diptych from the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Ghent. 

The right wing of the “Diptych with Margaret of Austria Worshipping the Virgin and Child” shows the archduchess kneeling at a prayer stool in her private bedchamber; she has turned to face the Virgin Mary depicted on the left wing. Margaret is wearing a gold brocade court dress edged in velvet and a black cap; neither the cap nor her precious robe are a reference to her widowhood but reflect contemporary fashion. 

This suggests that the painting dates from before the death of her third husband, Duke Philibert II of Savoy, who died in 1504, because as a widow Margaret always wore mourning. The arms on the mantelpiece on the far right refer to Margaret’s marriage to Philibert, which was celebrated in 1501: it unites the arms of Savoy with the combined arms of Austria, Burgundy and Flanders. This suggests that the diptych was produced between 1501 and 1504, i.e. before Margaret’s appointment as regent of the Netherlands. We may assume, however, that the painting was in her collection at Malines. As a private devotional image it reflects the duchess’ veneration of the Virgin Mary and continues a long tradition of religious portraits of members of the house of Burgundy. The first Flemish loan, the painting “Isabella of Portugal with Saint Elisabeth” by Petrus Christus from the Groeningermuseum in Bruges, shown in the Kunstkammer Vienna in 2013/14, depicted a similar subject: archduchess Margaret’s great grandmother kneeling in prayer. 

A representative of the Early Netherlandish school, the anonymous artist known as the “master of 1499” was active around 1500, probably in and around Bruges and Ghent; his name derives from the date 1499 inscribed on one of his works. His small-scale winged altarpieces and devotional paintings reflect the spirit of Devotio Moderna, a novel form of religiosity popular in the Low Countries during the late Middle Ages that focused on personal piety. 

Archduchess Margaret of Austria 
In 1507 Emperor Maximilian I installed Archduchess Margaret of Austria (1480-1530), his recently widowed daughter from his marriage to Mary of Burgundy, as regent of the Netherlands. Her palace at Mechelen became a centre of learning, drawing numerous artists and scholars, with special rooms to house her extensive library and collections of art and natural objects – an early and important step in the evolution of Kunstkammer collections north of the Alps. Margaret was also the first in a long line of Habsburg connoisseurs and collectors whose love of art still informs the holdings of the Kunstkammer Vienna.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A presumed self-portrait, 1640s. Etching, platemark; overall: 188 x 138 mm. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

DENVER, CO.- The Denver Art Museum presents Castiglione: Lost Genius, featuring 90 of the finest drawings, etchings and monotypes of the 17th century Genoese artist, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. An almost forgotten master of the Italian Baroque, Castiglione was a self-proclaimed genius. The exhibition explores Castiglione’s mastery of art and how he produced brilliant works on paper despite a turbulent private life that prevented him from fully realizing his talents. The works in the exhibition are generously loaned by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection. Castiglione: Lost Genius is on view Aug. 9, 2015, through Nov. 8, 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Tobit Burying the Dead, c. 1645-50. Etching, platemark; overall: 20.6 x 30.0 cm. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

“Castiglione was a brilliant artist who blurred the lines of artistic media through draftsmanship to achieve his own creative ends,” said Timothy J. Standring, Gates Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the DAM and co-curator of the exhibition. “My fascination with this artist began in 1978 through my graduate studies and it is a true pleasure to see this exhibition come to fruition.” 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, St Francis in prayer, c. 1655. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper; 34.5 x 21.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Standring’s ongoing 30-year captivation with the artist led to some intriguing archival discoveries, including Castiglione’s volatile personality and alleged criminal acts including potential murder. Prior to this exhibition, little of the artist’s life was documented, and his works were known mostly by specialists in the field. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Studies of dromedaries and goats, c. 1630. Pen and ink, 18.3 x 20.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

The drawings and prints presented in Castiglione: Lost Genius convey the extraordinary draftsmanship of an artist who drew like no other artist in the 17th century, drawing with oil pigments on unprimed paper for the bulk of his career. He was recognized internationally during his lifetime, but fell from favor during the 19th century. The exhibition unveils Castiglione’s drawing practices during his formative years in Genoa and Rome, mature years spent peripatetically throughout Italy, and finally his last years in Mantua. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Exposition of Moses, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.5 x 55.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

“Audiences in the United States have had little exposure to the works of Castiglione,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM. “With this exhibition, we’re pleased to share the incredible story of this artist with our visitors, who are sure to be captivated upon introduction to the devilish and unconventional genius of Castiglione.” 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione,  Studies of heads,  c. 1635-40. Pen and ink, brush and ink, 14.3 x 19.9 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Castiglione was not only a painter and draftsman, he was the revolutionary inventor of the monotype in the 1640s, experimenting with the technique centuries before Post-Impressionist artists such as Degas and Gauguin would in the late 19th century. This technique allowed Castiglione to make a print from one-off designs, allowing him to combine the brio and dash of his draftsmanship with his interest in printmaking. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione,  The Crossing of the Red Sea, c. 1635-40. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 27.6 x 44.5 cm cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

This exhibition has been organized by the Denver Art Museum and Royal Collection Trust. Castiglione: Lost Genius will be on view in the DAM’s Gallagher Family Gallery on level one of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building and will be included in general admission.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Moses Striking the Rock, c. 1640. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 40.3 x 56.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1645-50. Etching , 22.7 x 31.8 cm. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, St Francis in prayer,  c. 1655. Dark brown, red-brown and white oil paint on paper, 35.2 x 23.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Shepherds with a flock,  c. 1630-35. Brown oil paint on paper, 20.1 x 25.4 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Exposition of Moses, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.2 x 56.1 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Moses Showing the Tablets to the People, c. 1635-40. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 32.3 x 47.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Tobias Demanding the Moneys Owed to his Father, c. 1640. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 40.2 x 54.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The finding of the bodies of Sts Peter and Paul,  c. 1645-50. Etching, 30.2 x 20.7 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Two Franciscan saints in devotion, c. 1655. Dark brown, red-brown, grey and white oil paint on paper, 40.4 x 28.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Israelites in the Wilderness(?),  c. 1640-45. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 29.4 x 41.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The finding of the bodies of Sts Peter and Paul,  c. 1645-50. Etching, 30.2 x 20.7 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A shepherd driving a flock, c. 1630-35. Yellowish-brown oil paint on paper, 23.1 x 33.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Adoration of the Shepherds,  c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.4 x 55.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man in a plumed headdress, c. 1645-50. Etching , 10.8 x 8.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Women and children praying before a tomb, c. 1640-45. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 55.2 x 40.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Diogenes Searching for an Honest Man, c. 1645-50. Etching , 22.0 x 30.5 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, St Francis in prayer, c. 1655. Dark brown, grey and white oil paint on paper, 34.5 x 22.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A young shepherd with a flock, c. 1630-35. Yellowish-brown oil paint on paper, 24.5 x 38.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Figures in a landscape with a satyr playing the pipes, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.9 x 56.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A landscape with a pastoral journey, c. 1640-45. Pen and ink, 26.6 x 19.1 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, St Francis embracing the Cross, c. 1655. Dark brown, red-brown, grey and white oil paint on paper, 39.8 x 28.3 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Animals Leaving the Ark, c. 1630-35. Brown and blue oil paint on paper, 23.3 x 37.6 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Nativity with God the Father, c. 1650-60. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.8 x 54.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A youth blowing a trumpet, c. 1645-50. Etching , 10.8 x 8.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A landscape with flocks, c. 1640-45. Pen and ink, 16.5 x 21.9 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Circe with the Companions of Odysseus Transformed into Animals, c. 1650. Etching , 21.8 x 31.1 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A group of figures in terror or adoration, c. 1655. Pen and ink, 19.0 x 34.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Shepherds with animals, c. 1635. Pen and ink, 18.6 x 36.1 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine and Mary Magdalene, c. 1655-60. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 35.8 x 44.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man in an oriental headdress, with other studies, c. 1645-50. Etching , 9.9 x 8.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Entry of the Animals into the Ark, c. 1650. Etching , 20.7 x 40.2 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Aeneas carrying Anchises out of the Burning Troy, c. 1655. Pen and ink, 21.2 x 16.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Jacob Moving the Stone from the Well to Water Rachel's Flock, c.1635. Brown oil paint on paper, 22.8 x 34.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Search of Joseph's Brothers' Baggage, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.4 x 55.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man holding a scroll, c. 1645-50. Etching, 10.8 x 8.1 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A landscape with shepherds and a flock, c. 1640-45. Brown and red-brown oil paint on paper, 33.8 x 47.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Nativity with God the Father and Angels, c. 1650. Etching , 20.7 x 40.2 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Venus and Adonis, c. 1655. Pen and ink, 22.4 x 33.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Women and children praying before a tomb, c. 1635-40. Pen and ink, 31.1 x 21.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A woman with children and animals resting in a landscape, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 40.1 x 51.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man looking downwards, c. 1645-50. Etching, 10.8 x 8.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Vanitas  , c. 1655. Pen and ink, 22.2 x 34.3 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Sacred and Profane Love, c. 1635. Coloured oil paints on paper, 21.6 x 29.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A shepherd and flock in a landscape, c. 1645. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.1 x 55.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, An old man wearing a turban, c. 1645-50. Etching, 10.9 x 8.2 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, St Bartholomew, c. 1655. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 37.5 x 23.2 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Saving of the Infant Pyrrhus, c. 1635-40. Brown oil paint on paper, 26.0 x 37.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A shepherd carrying an urn, with his flock, c. 1645. Red and yellow oil paint on paper, 26.0 x 37.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A young woman wearing a turban, c. 1645-50. Etching, 10.5 x 8.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A shepherd watering his flock, c. 1655-60. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 30.2 x 24.9 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A shepherd boy on a horse, c. 1635. Etching. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, An Allegory in Honour of the Duchess of Mantua, c. 1650-55. Dark reddish-brown and dark red oil paint on paper, 39.2 x 54.9 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015. 

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A young man with his head lowered, c. 1645-50. Etching, 11.0 x 8.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Circe, c. 1650-55. Brown and red-brown oil paint on paper, 39.4 x 56.0 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Pan and Syrinx, c. 1655-60. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 28.4 x 43.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Omnia Vanitas, c. 1650-55. Dark reddish-brown oil paint on paper, 39.2 x 54.4 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man in an oriental headdress, c. 1645-50. Etching, 18.4 x 13.7 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Choice of Hercules, c. 1655-60. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 33.8 x 25.8 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A family with a laden ass resting in a landscape, c. 1650-55. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 40.9 x 55.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A bearded man looking down, c. 1645-50. Etching, 18.0 x 15.1 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Noah Leading the Animals into the Ark, c. 1655-60. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 31.1 x 26.1 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A black page holding hounds, c. 1650-55. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 41.2 x 55.7 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man in a plumed hat and scarf, his face in shadow, c. 1645-50. Etching, 18.0 x 14.9 cm (platemark) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Exposition of Moses, c. 1655-60. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 36.9 x 23.8 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1650-55. Red-brown oil paint on paper, 41.7 x 57.3 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A man in an oriental headdress, c. 1645-50. Etching, 17.8 x 14.8 cm (platemark) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A family with animals in a landscape, c. 1660. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 29.3 x 39.8 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The head of an oriental, c.1645-50. Monotype with black oil paint and brown wash on brown-toned paper, 31.7 x 23.6 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Finding of Cyrus, c. 1655-60. Red-brown, coloured and white oil paint on paper, 34.5 x 24.0 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Temporalis Aeternitas, dated 1645. Monotype, 29.6 x 20.1 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Sacrifice of Noah, c. 1655-60. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 35.0 x 26.4 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, A satyr seated beside a statue of Priapus, c. 1645. Etching, 11.7 x 21.3 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Raising of Lazarus,  c. 1660. Red-brown and white oil paint on paper, 29.5 x 40.4 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Pan seated near a vase, c. 1645. Etching, 11.5 x 21.4 cm (platemark) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Shepherds and flocks, c. 1660-64. Red-brown, blue-grey and crimson oil paint on paper, 23.3 x 31.8 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Laban Seeking his Idols, c. 1660. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 22.7 x 34.5 cm (sheet of paper). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Adoration of the Kings, c. 1660-64. Red-brown and blue-grey oil paint on paper, 24.2 x 35.3 cm (sheet of paper) . Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, The Genius of Castiglione, dated 1648. Etching , 37.2 x 25.0 cm (platemark). Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

Cat Mummy, organic material, linseed, cardboard, Late Period (664-332 a. de C.)  Ptolemaic Period. © Louvre Museum, Dist. RMN-GP / Christian Décamps.

MADRID.- A monkey caresses its young while a donkey plays the harp. In the distance, a lion roars. Animals, real or represented, wild or domesticated, played a vital role in Ancient Egypt and were ubiquitous in everyday life. The ancient Egyptians appropriated animals in order to use their symbolic images in different ways. In this way, animal figures became a multiple element in a language that was codified, written or represented and, in this sense, stood as a pillar of Egyptian religious thought. Animals also provided an endless source of inspiration, originating artistic production of exceptional wealth and variety. The exhibition Animals and Pharaohs: The Animal Kingdom in Ancient Egypt features a selection of 430 objects that illustrate this intense relationship through sphinxes and statues —some of them enormous in size— and steles, vases and jars, watercolours and murals, coffers and amulets, sarcophagi and mummies. In fact, the show includes 14 specimens of animal mummies that were specifically studied for exhibition, just as 260 objects were restored for the same purpose. Animals and Pharaohs is the result of an agreement between”la Caixa” Foundation and the Louvre Museum for the joint organisation of such exceptional projects as this show. 

The purpose behind the exhibitions that ”la Caixa” Foundation has dedicated over the years to the great cultures of the past is to enable audiences to discover ways in which men and women from different places and times have attempted to resolve the great universal questions, and to broaden our understanding of the world through studies of the most recent historical and archaeological research. 

Muna birds hovering over the swamps painted . New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty ( c . 1550-1295 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Georges Poncet

Without doubt, the art of Ancient Egypt has occupied an important place amongst the exhibitions organised by the Foundation over the last thirty years. In 1986, Nofret the Beautiful. Women in Ancient Egypt, featuring pieces from the Cairo Museum, generated unprecedented expectation in Madrid and Barcelona, due both to its subject and the beauty of the works displayed. Since then, ”la Caixa” Foundation has launched other projects aimed at exploring other aspects of this ancient civilisation: the relationship with Black Africa in Nubia. Kingdoms of the Nile in Sudan; cultural diversity in Another Egypt. Coptic Collections from the Louvre Museum; and the most recent, Egyptian Mummies. The Secret of Eternal Life, based on the collections of the Rijksmuseum Van Oudheden in Leiden. 

Animals and Pharaohs: The Animal Kingdom in Ancient Egypt now joins this long list of exhibitions organised by ”la Caixa” Foundation in recent years. On this occasion, the show enables us to discover this fascinating civilisation from a different perspective: its fauna. Pharaonic Egypt conferred an ubiquity to animals that is not found in any other ancient culture. No other people has observed, described, included and appropriated the fauna of their country like this civilisation. Accordingly, the prism of zoology affords us a glimpse into the heart of Ancient Egypt, its most everyday aspect.

Frog figurine . Siliceous faience . New Kingdom ( c . 1550-1069 BC.) © Musée du Louvre , Dist. RMN -GP / Christian Decamps

Animals and Pharaohs, a new collaboration with the Louvre Museum 
The cooperation between ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Louvre Museum is fruit of the mission that both organisations pursue to promote knowledge by organising exhibitions of an archaeological nature —which enable us to discover other civilisations— as well as shows on ancient and modern art. 

This ambitious agreement forms part a line of action launched by ”la Caixa” Foundation in recent years to establish strategic alliances with leading cultural institutions around the world with a view to intensifying its cultural activities and generating synergies amongst different international centres of the highest standing. 

Amulet adorned with animals fable. Late New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period ( c . 1200-800 BC) © Louvre Museum, Dist. RMN-GP / Christian Décamps.

This historic understanding was intensified by the signing of cooperation agreements covering two consecutive periods (2008-2012 and 2012-2016) for the joint organisation of exhibitions at ”la Caixa” Foundation cultural centres including the loan of works from the Louvre collections and curatorial services by specialists from the Parisian museum. 

Thanks to this agreement, the various CaixaForum centres have hosted such diverse, quality shows as Roads of Arabia. Archaeological Treasures from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Etruscan Princes. Between East and West; Another Egypt. Coptic Collections from the Louvre Museum; Delacroix (1798-1863); and Before the Flood. Mesopotamia (3500 – 2000 BC). 

The exhibition now presented at CaixaForum Madrid is the first in the latest series of joint shows scheduled, and is the first to open in both countries. Animals and Pharaohs was open to the public at the Louvre-Lens Museum from December last year until this March.

A movable element in the form of lion's head. Wood tamarisk ( Tamarix aphylla ). Late Period (664-332 a. de C.) © Louvre Museum, Dist. RMN-GP / Raphaël Chipault and Benjamin Soligny.

The bestiary, omnipresent in the Egypt of the Pharaohs 
“[The temples of the Egyptians], with their porticos and vestibules are carefully constructed… the halls are surrounded with many pillars… the temples gleam with gold, and silver, and amber, and glitter with particoloured gems from India and Ethiopia; and the shrines are veiled with gold-embroidered hangings. 

“But if you enter the penetralia of the enclosure and… seek the image that is the inhabitant of the temple… What do you see? A cat, or a crocodile, or a serpent of the country or some such dirty beast... The god of the Egyptians appears. It is a beast wallowing on a purple couch!” -Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215), The Paedagogus, Book III, Chapter II, cited by Champollion, 1823. 

Statue of sitting cat . Felis sylvestris catus . Copper alloy casting gap. Late Period ( 664-332 BC.) © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN -GP / Hervé Lewandowski

It is not necessary to be an Egyptologist to appreciate the abundance of animal figures, in numerous forms and contexts, in Egyptian art. This profusion, along with the displays of worship of sacred animals that occurred in the later periods of Pharaonic Egypt, led some classical philosophers and historians to regard the ancient Egyptians as mere animal worshippers. Clement of Alexandria, amongst others, even ridicules and mocks this perceived trait with eloquent condescension. 

This reputation for zoolatry remained deeply rooted in Western thought up to modern times, when scientific Egyptology shed new light on what is a much more complex religious practice than was previously believed, providing a more accurate interpretation of the relationship between the Ancient Egyptians and the animal world. The Egyptians did not worship animals: rather, they meticulously chose animal forms in order to convert them, by comparison or assimilation, into manifestations of the divine essence in a way that was accessible to humans. There is a religious, symbolic or political discourse in this representation of animals, based on thorough, tireless observation of nature. 

In a civilisation in which animals, both wild and domesticated, were omnipresent, the Egyptians appropriated these animals in order to create, in different ways, the symbolic images that they embody. In this sense, the animal figure is a pillar of Egyptian religious thought, as well as an endless source of inspiration that resulted in artistic production of exceptional wealth and variety.

Statue of sitting lion-headed Sekhmet. Greenstone . New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, reign of Amenhotep III ( c . 1391-1353 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , Dist. RMN -GP / Christian Decamps

430 works, including a statuary group weighing more than five tonnes 
In its nine sections, the exhibition Animals and Pharaohs. The Animal Kingdom in Ancient Egypt explores the extraordinary bonds that joined people and nature, the Egyptians and animals. At once companions, means of transport and representations of gods, animals provided a heterogeneous source of inspiration. Animal images appear constantly, both in everyday life and in funeral, religious and civil rites. 

The exhibition features a total of 430 works, the immense majority of which come from the Louvre Museum. The list is completed by pieces loaned by other institutions, such as the Bibliothèque centrale des Musées Nationaux (Paris), the National Natural Science Museum-CSIC (Madrid), the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona, the Montserrat Museum and the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona. 

Visitors will find sculptures, statues and figures, steles and reliefs, pottery, papyrus products, watercolour and mural paintings, coffers, amulets and jewellery, as well as a huge and diverse range of everyday objects. 

Figurine mother monkey with her baby glazed soapstone. Third Intermediate Period , probably dynasties XXII -XXV . © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Benjamin Soligny

260 works restored and 14 mummies studied for the occasion 
Also particularly outstanding is the group formed by 14 mummies of different animals (cats, dogs, sheep, ibis, falcon, fish, crocodiles and snakes), coffins and sarcophagi. Using the latest technology and taking advantage of the organisation of this exhibition, computed tomography scans were made of the mummies in order to gather as much information as possible from the images obtained. 

In this way, it was observed that there are whole animals inside most of the mummies, although in some cases –such as certain of the ibis mummies– they contain only a few feathers or bones. The study also served to ascertain the principles of animal mummification, distinguishing three different techniques used. 

Model of a carved ram's head . Ovis Platyura aegyptiaca . Cast. Late Period ( 664-332 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Georges Poncet

Besides the study of these mummies, the agreement between the Louvre Museum and ”la Caixa” Foundation to organise this exhibition also enabled 260 pieces to be restored, involving different tasks, from cleaning to interventions aimed at restoring the works to legibility and stability. 

As is habitual in exhibitions organised by ”la Caixa” Foundation, moreover, the project also includes a full programme of activities and the publication of a catalogue detailing the principal scientific contributions and articles on each of the aspects covered by the show.

Canid head of the statue of a god. Polychrome wood. Probably Late Period ( 664-332 BC.) . © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Georges Poncet

Falcon statue . Falco peregrinus . Sycamore wood and cedar , copper alloy, rock crystal. © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Benjamin Soligny

Model sculptor , two quail chicks Limestone . Late Period ( 664-332 BC.) or Period Ptolemaic ( 332-30 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN -GP / Christian Décamps

Bull figurine . Bos Taurus . Quartzite , formerly with inlaid eyes.  Greco-Roman Period ( 332 BC . - 395 AD . )© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN -GP / Hervé Lewandowski

Fish-shaped palette . Greywacke . Predynastic period, Nagada II ( c . 3500-3300 BC.) © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN -GP / Hervé Lewandowski

Statue of a lion lying on its side. Limestone . Late Period , Dynasty XXX , reign of Nectanebo I ( 378-361 BC.)© Musée du Louvre, dist. RMN -GP / Christian Décamps

Comb: ibex with a knee . Capra ibex nubiana. Madera . New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty ( c . 1550-1425 BC.) . © Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN -GP / Christian Décamps

Game board in the form of hippopotamus and three-headed canine chips to play 58 holes. Siliceous faience inlaid glass and wood. Late Period ( 664-332 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Benjamin Soligny

Padiuf fragment cartonnage . Hardened and painted fabric . Third Intermediate Period , Dynasty XXII ( c . 945-715 BC.)© Musée du Louvre , dist. RMN- GP / Georges Poncet

Portrait miniature of Peter the Great, by Baron Gustav von Mardefeld, ca. 1720. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

LONDON.- The V&A’s Europe 1600-1815 galleries will open to the public in December 2015, following the transformation of seven galleries for the redisplay of the Museum’s unrivalled collection of 17th- and 18th-century European art and design. A major part of the V&A’s ongoing redevelopment programme known as FuturePlan, the £12.5m project will complete the restoration of the entire front wing of the Museum for the display of more than 1,100 objects. 

In its prominent position next to the V&A’s grand entrance, Europe 1600-1815 will continue the story of art and design that begins in the award-winning Medieval & Renaissance Galleries (opened 2009). Four large galleries will introduce the story in chronological sequence, alternating with three smaller galleries that focus on specific activities: collecting in the Cabinet, enlightened thought in the Salon and entertainment and glamour in the Masquerade. In addition, three period rooms will invite visitors to imagine life in the personal spaces of the time including a 17th-century French bedroom, Madame de Sérilly’s cabinet and a mirrored room from 18th-century Italy. 

The collection comprises some of the most magnificent works held by the V&A, including spectacular examples of textiles and fashion, painting and sculpture, ceramics and glass, furniture and metalwork, prints and books. Many objects were made in Europe by its finest artists and craftsmen for the period’s most discerning leaders of taste such as Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great and Napoleon. 

Martin Roth, V&A Director, said: “These new galleries are a major development in our ambitious programme to renew the architecture of the V&A for the 21st century and, at the same time, re-examine and re-present our collection for our visitors. At a time when roles and relationships within Europe and the world are under scrutiny, it is interesting to explore the objects, makers and patrons of a period that was so influential upon the habits and lifestyle of Europe today.” 

A large, highly ornate Rococo writing cabinet made for Augustus III and acquired in 1977 from the celebrated sale of Mentmore Towers, Buckinghamshire will be exhibited for the first time since its recent conservation. Another newly conserved highlight on display will be a grand 18th-century bed from the Parisian workshop of George Jacob. A supplier to royal courts across Europe, Jacob survived the French Revolution and later made furniture for Napoleon. 

The displays will demonstrate how France succeeded Italy as the undisputed leader of fashionable art and design in Europe in the second half of the 17th century. They will also show how – for the first time ever – Europeans systematically explored, exploited and collected resources from Africa, Asia and the Americas. 

The collection includes several outstanding bequests, notably from John Jones, a military tailor who left his exceptional collection of French decorative arts to the Museum in 1882 and who is the subject of a special display within the galleries. A number of significant new acquisitions will be exhibited for the first time at the Museum including a 17thcentury Venetian table by Lucio de Lucci, acquired after a temporary export ban in 2012. The magnificent oil painting The Château de Juvisy, by Pierre-Denis Martin, a rare, accurate depiction of the architecture and bustling life of an estate near Paris in the 17th century, will be a centrepiece of the gallery exploring the rise of French cultural dominance during the period. The work was secured for the nation in 2014 thanks to a major public appeal and donations from the Friends of the V&A and the Art Fund. 

Preparation for the reopening is underway with a full reinterpretation of the collection and important objects undergoing conservation: several large tapestries have been cleaned at De Wit Royal Manufacturers of Tapestries in Mechelen, Belgium, including the Gobelins tapestry after the Poussin painting The infant Moses tramples on Pharoah's crown manufactured in Paris in the 1680s. Fashion garments, furniture and textiles have been conserved in the V&A’s world- renowned studios and a Meissen table fountain has been meticulously researched and rebuilt for the first time since its acquisition in 1870. 

The V&A is working with architectural practice ZMMA on the redesign of the galleries. The project will see the complete removal of the interior cladding added in the 1970s and will reclaim back of house storage space. The combined effect will enlarge the galleries by almost a third to 1,550 square meters. Natural light will be returned to the spaces by uncovering windows previously obscured. Environmental controls will be upgraded to provide sustainable and stable conditions for the collection and new state-of-the-art cases that meet modern environmental and security requirements will be installed.

Gold box enamelled with the Four Seasons, ca. 1761, Paris. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Jar, carved and glazed stoneware, Yaozhou ware, Shaanxi, China, Northern Song-Jin dynasty, 12th century. Height: 10.8 cm. Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee. CIRC.71-1935 © V&A Images. 

This jar is an example of the Yaozhou wares typical of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While the wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), this vase exhibits the olive green glaze and carved floral designs common to the Yaozhou wares of the Northern Song period.

The beautiful floral motif featured on this jar began with a smooth body, partially dried (or ‘leather hard’). Using an angled tool, the floral pattern was carved out of the surface in sloping grooves. The celadon glaze was then applied to this uneven surface, pooling in the crevices and laying thinly on raised areas. Through firing, the pooled up areas grew darker in colour, and the thinly glazed areas more transparent, creating illusion of light and shadows on the surface of this jar.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 55, no. 50.

Dish, incised and glazed stoneware, Yaozhou ware, China, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Diameter: 17.5 cm. Bequeathed by Mrs A. C. M. Brownjohn. CIRC.362-1967 © V&A Images. 

This dish is an example of the Yaozhou wares typical of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). While the wares produced at the Yaozhou kiln complex enjoyed popularity from the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) through to the beginning of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), these dishes exhibit the olive green glaze and dense surface designs common to the Yaozhou wares of the Northern Song period.

Carving was an important method of surface decoration in Yaozhou ware. The dish on the far left would have begun with a smooth clay body, partially dried (or ‘leather hard’). Angled tools were used to carve out the stylised waves and duck in sloping grooves, and comb-like tools provided the linear accents visible in the waves. The celadon glaze was then applied to the dish, pooling in the crevices and laying thinly on raised areas. Through firing, the pooled areas grew darker in colour and the thinly glazed areas more transparent, creating the illusion of light and shadows in the surface design.

Bibliographic References: Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004. p. 56, nos. 51 and 51a.

Golden Calcite in a fossilized clam shell from Florida

 Smoky Quartz from Switzerland

Hyalite (glass opal) from Waltsch, Bohemia, Czech Republic.

Francis Bacon, Study for a Portrait 1952. Oil and sand on canvas, 880 x 770 mm frame: 880 x 740 x 70. Bequeathed by Simon Sainsbury 2006, accessioned 2008 © Estate of Francis Bacon. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2002

LIVERPOOL.- Tate Liverpool presents the first exhibition to survey an unexplored yet significant element of Francis Bacon’s work. Considered one of Britain’s greatest modern painters, Bacon (1909 – 1992) often painted an architectural, ghost like framing device around his subjects that structure many of his iconic paintings. Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms addresses some of Bacon’s most powerful works with a renewed focus on their spatial structure. 

A technique introduced by the artist in the 1930s, Bacon used a barely visible cubic or elliptic cage around the figures depicted to create his dramatic compositions. The exhibition will feature approximately 35 large-scale paintings and works on paper surveying the variety of Bacon’s painterly compositions united by this common motif. 

Francis Bacon, Study for Portrait on Folding Bed 1963. Oil paint on canvas, 1981 x 1473 mm© Estate of Francis Bacon.

Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms traces the use of this architectural structure throughout his career from early works made in the 1950s including Study for a Portrait 1952 (Tate) and Chimpanzee 1955 (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart). After a short time in the 1960s when the technique was peripheral to his work it comes back to centre stage in the 1970s & 80s. It is at this time that Bacon’s use of colour turns the earlier suggestion of a room into a more theatrical set, resulting in a finely struck balance between action and empty space demonstrated in Three Figures and Portrait 1975 (Tate). Beyond the cages that recur in Bacon’s paintings, the exhibition also investigates the crucifix as a bodily architectural structure, the governing rule of several of Bacon’s major triptychs including Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion c.1944 (Tate).  

Taking as a point of departure a seminal essay by Gilles Deleuze, Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation 1981, the exhibition highlights the role of Bacon’s approach to space, which the French philosopher interpreted as one of the defining forces of his works. Bacon’s imaginary chambers emphasise the isolation of the represented figures and bring attention to their psychological condition; the act of placing the sitters in ‘invisible rooms’ guides the focus of attention towards the existential concerns of the painting. 

Francis Bacon, Three Figures and Portrait 1975. Oil and pastel on canvas; support: 1981 x 1473 mm frame: 2175 x 1668 x 98 mm. Purchased 1977© Estate of Francis Bacon

While it can be said that architectural structures define an inside and an outside, Bacon mastered the metaphorical, spatial and psychological slipperiness of boundaries; this exploration is among the most important and effective elements at play in his works. 

Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms is organized by Tate Liverpool and Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. The exhibition is curated by Kasia Redzisz, Senior Curator with Lauren Barnes, Assistant Curator at Tate Liverpool. Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms will tour to Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (7 October 2016 – 8 January 2017)

Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion circa 1944. Oil on board; support, each: 940 x 737 mm frame, each: 1162 x 960 x 80 mm. Presented by Eric Hall 1953. Tate.

File photo of staff from the National Gallery strike for pay rise and against privatization of museum services in central London on October 15, 2014. Thousands of public sector workers in British courts, job centres and museums went on strike for better pay , prompting an angry response from the government. AFP PHOTO/BEN STANSALL.

Spanish Civil Guards unload a box containing Picasso's painting "Head of a Young Woman" at the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid after being transferred from the French island of Corsica, on August 11, 2015. The Picasso worth more than 25 million euros and owned by the Spanish banker Jaime Botin, was transferred to Reina Sofia museum today after it was seized from a yacht on July 31 by French customs agents who accused the painting's owner of trying to illegally export it to Switzerland. AFP PHOTO / GERARD JULIEN.