Art & design in late Renaissance Europe 1500–1600

Albrecht Dürer, 'The Flight into Egypt'

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
'The Flight into Egypt'
Germany
About 1504-1505
Woodcut, ink on paper
Width 20.9 cm x height 29 cm
Museum no. E.1134-1900

Joseph is shown leading a donkey which carries Mary, she is cradling the baby Jesus. Jesus's swaddled head is visible in the centre of the print, between Mary and the horn of the ox. According to the Bible (Matthew 2:13-15) the Holy Family fled to Egypt after Joseph received a warning that King Herod was searching for the infant Jesus in order to kill him.

The combination of Albrecht Dürer's (1471-1528) draughtsmanship, with the skill of the artists who cut his drawings into the wooden blocks used to print them, established woodcutting as a major artistic medium and shows why Dürer's prints were so highly regarded in his own lifetime.

The Brixen Altarpiece, about 1500-1510. Museum No. 192-1866

Altarpiece
Bressanone/Brixen, Italy (Tyrolese)
About 1500-1510
Height 443.2cm
Museum No. 192-1866

In the late 1400s and early 1500s the making of altarpieces like this was a flourishing industry in the Tyrol, an area that is divided today between Italy and Austria. It has been estimated that there were once over 2000 examples of altarpiece in the churches and chapels of the region. The central panel of this example features painted sculptures of the Virgin and Child, flanked by St Florian (left) and St John the Baptist (right).

The two reliefs on the left wing depict the Annunciation (above) and the Presentation in the Temple (below). The two reliefs on the right illustrate the Nativity (above) and the Adoration of the Magi (below).  These scenes all relate to Christ's infancy and are described in the Gospels. On certain special days the wings would be closed, revealing paintings on the back of the wings.

The prominence given to saints like those shown here and the Virgin Mary was heavily criticised in the 1500s by those people who sought to reform the Catholic Church. In some parts of Europe were these ideas took hold many such images were destroyed.

Ewer, about 1500-1525. Museum No. 5577-1859

Ewer
Venice, Italy
About 1500-1525
Glass
Height 21.4cm
Museum no. 5575-1859

The glass used in this ewer is known as 'Calcedoni' and imitates chalcedony, a naturally occurring hardstone. The ancient Romans were specialists at using glass to imitate semi-precious stones. The Venetians developed 'Calcedoni' glass on the island of Murano around 1450. Details concerning its manufacture were kept secret for many decades to prevent imitation and competition. The process involves mixing different colours of glass in layers as a special heat treatment during blowing.

'The Aldobrandini Tazza', standing dish

'The Aldobrandini Tazza'
Standing dish
Italy
About 1560-1570
Museum no. M.247-1956

This Tazza (or standing dish) depicts scenes from the life of the Roman Emperor, Domitian, who stands on a fluted column in the centre of the bowl. It is one of a set of 12, each of which represented one of the first 12 Caesars (or Emperors) of Imperial Rome. All twelve dishes survive but they are in different collections across the world. The dishes were owned in the late 1500s by a member of the Italian Aldobrandini family. The owner may have been Ippolito Aldobrandini the Elder, who later became Pope Clement VIII.

A River God, sculpture

A River God
Giovanni Bologna or 'Giambologna' (1529-1608)
Florence, Italy
About 1575
Terracotta
Width 30.3 cm x length 39.4 cm x height 24.8cm
Museum no. 250-1876

In the late 1500s Giambologna was the most influential sculptor in Europe. He won admiration for the range of his works, from monumental public statues to intimate bronzes.  This terracotta is a model rather than a finished work. It probably relates to a plan for a colossal sculpture symbolising the River Nile that became the Appenine at the Medici villa at Pratolino, Tuscany (Italy).  This sculpture shows Giambologna's mastery of clay modelling. The  Florentine Medici familiy's patronage of Giambologna led to a style that was closely associated with the Medici court, and which spread to northern Europe.

House façade, about 1600. Museum No. 846-1890

House façade
England
About 1600
Museum no. 846-1890

This façade was once part of a large and impressive mansion built on the edge of the city of London, in Bishopsgate Without.  This location meant that the house survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.  The house was built for Sir Paul Pindar, a wealthy merchant who spent time in Italy and made his fortune there. He also spent nine years as ambassador to the Sultan of Turkey. In 1890 the little that remained of the house and its former magnificence was demolished to make way for an extension to Liverpool Street Railway Station and Museum acquired the façade.