Displaying items by tag: biblical

Paintings of the three wise men created by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens for his childhood friend Balthasar Moretus have been reunited for the first time in 130 years at the National Gallery of Art.

And while biblical in theme, the pictures offer a glimpse into a friendship fostered 400 years ago.

Rubens painted the portraits around 1618 for his friend, who was head of the Plantin Press, the largest publishing house in 16th- and 17th- century Europe. The paintings were together for almost 300 years, until they were sold at a Paris auction in 1881.

The Morgan Library & Museum announced today that it has completed the digitization of its entire collection of Rembrandt etchings: nearly 500 images of works by the Dutch master are now available online. According to the Morgan, “Rembrandt used the process of etching to test concepts and themes, and the digitized works offer the opportunity to explore up-close his use of line, shading, and subject matter.” The prints feature Biblical scenes, self-portraits, and depictions of the Dutch countryside and society in the artist’s day (including both beggars and art patrons).

The Morgan holds in its collection most of the roughly 300 known etchings by Rembrandt, including rare, multiple versions (hence the discrepancy in number of etchings versus number of images). Their digitization is part of a larger effort by the museum “to expand access to its holdings,” says the press release. This includes the digitization of over 500 music manuscripts begun in 2010 and the ongoing digitization of the institution’s collection of nearly 12,000 drawings.

Michelangelo's famous statue of the biblical figure David is at risk of collapse due to the weakening of the artwork's legs and ankles, according to a report published this week by art experts.

The findings, which were made public by Italy's National Research Council, show micro-fractures in the ankle and leg areas.

The "David" statue dates from the early 16th century and is housed in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. The results of the report were published this week in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, a publication devoted to research into the conservation of culturally significant works of art and buildings.

In 1912, Charles Lang Freer, founder of the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., put two rare antique biblical manuscripts on public view in his Detroit home. Over 100 years later, the Washington Codex, one of the oldest manuscripts of the four Gospels in the world, and an ancient parchment volume of Deuteronomy and Joshua, are on view in the Freer’s Peacock Room, which was decorated by James McNeill Whistler in 1876.

The last time the manuscripts were exhibited was in 2006, when they were part of a landmark exhibition of Bibles created before the year 1000. Due to their extreme sensitivity to light and fragility, the Peacock Room’s windows will remain shuttered on the third Thursday of each month.

The manuscripts will be on view at the Freer Gallery of Art through February 16, 2014.