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kecobe · 10 months

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Still Life with Asparagus and Red Currants Adriaen Coorte (Dutch; active ca. 1683–1707) 1696 Oil on canvas National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

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cjjasp · 12 days

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#FineArtFriday: a second look at Merry Company by Dirck Hals 1635

Merry company *oil on panel *30 x 51 cm *signed : D Hals 1635 Artist: Dirck Hals (1591–1656) Title: Merry Company Date: 1635 Medium: oil on panel Dimensions: height: 30 cm (11.8 in); width: 51.1 cm (20.1 in) Collection: Mauritshuis What I love about this painting: This group portrait tells us a story. Perhaps we are celebrating the engagement of the young couple on the far right—a fashionably,…

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#17th century genre art #17th-century art #17th-century Netherlandish paintings #genre art #Merry Company by Dirck Hals

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cy-lindric · 7 months

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All the "inktobers" for this week (taking a break for the weekend) !

I. Hérault / Herald · II. Piqueur / Kennelkeeper · III. Échanson / Cupbearer · IV. Naturaliste / Naturalist · V. Comédien / Comedian · VI. Chirurgien / Surgeon

#inktober #paintober #inktober 2023 #watercolour #historical costuming #15th century #18th century #17th century #16th century #traditional art

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haridraws · 2 months

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what if a puff sleeve renaissance doublet, but it’s also a puffer jacket

#I have 2 completely different fantasy wips right now and in both I’m obsessed w this fashion vibe #i really want it to be like #17TH CENTURY MODERN #lucky wip #OC stuff #art #my art

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dogzcats · 9 months

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pomegranates in still life (details)

#oil painting #art #still life #still life details #pomegranate #17th century art #18th century art #fruit art #art details #art history #artedit #light academia #dark academia #light academia moodboard #anna attempts photoshop #1k+#5k+#6k

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memories-of-ancients · 10 months

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Sword of Justice from Solingen, Germany, circa 1670-1700.

#history #antiquities #art #swords #sword #17th century

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ltwilliammowett · 5 months

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Gold pendant with pearls in the shape of a caravel, Patmos, Greece, 17th century

#naval art #naval jewellery #pendant #caravel #greek #17th century #age of sail

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stigmatam4rtyr · 7 months

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Saint Sebastian Tended by the Holy Irene and her Servant [detail] (1626-1630) | Nicolas Regnier

#art #fine art #painting #oil painting #17th century #saint Sebastian tended by the holy Irene and her servant #nicolas regnier #saint sebastian #religious art

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lionofchaeronea · 8 months

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Still Life with Waffles, circle of Georg Flegel, early 17th century

#art #art history #Georg Flegel #still life #German art #17th century art #oil on wood

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amatesura · 1 year

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17th century tiles from Museum Rotterdam.

#17th century #1600's #art #art history #rotterdam #netherlands #tiles #ceramics #decorative tiles #ceramic tile #ceramic tiles #*

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sixteenseveredhands · 8 months

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Emerald Spectacles from India, c. 1620-1660 CE: the lenses of these spectacles were cut from a single 300-carat emerald, and it was believed that they possessed mystical properties

These eyeglasses are also known by the name "Astaneh-e ferdaws," meaning "Gate of Paradise," based on the symbolic associations between the color green and the concept of spiritual salvation/Paradise. That symbolism (which is rooted in Islamic tradition) was especially popular in Mughal-era India, where the spectacles were made.

The lenses were crafted from two thin slices of the same emerald. Together, the lenses have a combined weight of about 27 carats, but given the precision, size, and shape of each lens, experts believe that the original emerald likely weighed in excess of 300 carats (more than sixty grams) before it was cleaved down in order to produce the lenses. The emerald was sourced from a mine in Muzo, Colombia, and it was then transported across the Atlantic by Spanish or Portuguese merchants.

Each lens is encircled by a series of rose-cut diamonds, which run along an ornate frame made of gold and silver. The diamond-studded frame was added in the 1890s, when the original prince-nez design was fitted with more modern frames.

The emerald eyeglasses have long been paired with a second set of spectacles, and they were almost certainly commissioned by the same patron. This second pair is known as "Halqeh-e nur," or the "Halo of Light."

The Halo of Light features lenses that were made from slices of diamond. The diamond lenses were cleaved from a single stone, just like the emerald lenses, with the diamond itself being sourced from a mine in Southern India. It's estimated that the original, uncut diamond would have weighed about 200-300 carats, which would make it one of the largest uncut diamonds ever found.

The lenses are so clear and so smoothly cut that it sometimes looks like they're not even there.

Both sets of spectacles date back to the mid-1600s, and it's generally believed that they were commissioned by a Mughal emperor or prince. The identity of that person is still a bit of a mystery, but it has been widely speculated that the patron was Shah Jahan -- the Mughal ruler who famously commissioned the Taj Mahal after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan did rule as the Mughal emperor from about 1628 to 1658.

The emerald and diamond lenses may have been chosen for symbolic, sentimental, and/or cultural reasons, or they may have been chosen simply because they're pretty and extravagant; the original meaning and purpose behind the design is still unclear. Experts do believe that the eyeglasses were designed to be worn by someone, though.

At times, it was believed that the spectacles had spiritual properties, like the ability to promote healing, to ward off evil, to impart wisdom, and to bring the wearer closer to enlightenment. Those beliefs are largely based on the spiritual significance that emeralds and diamonds can have within certain Indic and Islamic traditions -- emeralds may be viewed as an emblem of Paradise, salvation, healing, cleansing, and eternal life, while diamonds are similarly associated with enlightenment, wisdom, celestial light, and mysticism.

The Gate of Paradise and the Halo of Light were both kept in the collections of a wealthy Indian family until 1980, when they were sold to private collectors, and they were then put up for auction once again in 2021. They were most recently valued at about $2 million to $3.4 million per pair.

Sources & More Info:

Sotheby's: Mughal Spectacles

Architectural Digest of India: At Sotheby's auction, Mughal-era eyeglasses made of diamond and emerald create a stir

Only Natural Diamonds: Auspicious Sight & the Halqeh-e Nur Spectacles

The Royal Society Publishing: Cleaving the Halqeh-Ye Nur Diamonds

Gemological Institution of America: Two Antique Mughal Spectacles with Gemstone Lenses

Manuscript: From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: emeralds in myth, magic, and history

CNN: The $3.5 million Spectacles Said to Ward off Evil

BBC: Rare Mughal Era Spectacles to be Auctioned by Sotheby's

#history #archaeology #artifact #mughal #india #17th century #art #emerald #diamond #glasses #indian lore #islam #religion #mysticism #indian history #anthropology #spirituality #fashion

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kecobe · 7 months

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A Merry Violinist Holding a Roemer Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch; 1592–1656) ca. 1624 Oil on canvas Sotheby’s, New York

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cjjasp · 6 months

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#FineArtFriday: Mountain River Landscape, Jan Brueghel the younger and Joos de Momper the Younger (revisited)

A collaborative work by: Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601–1678) Joos de Momper the Younger (1564–1635) Title: An extensive mountainous river landscape with travellers near a village Date: by 1678 Medium: oil on panel Dimensions: Height: 46.5 cm (18.3 in); Width: 66 cm (25.9 in) Collection: Private collection I first found this painting in November of 2020. Something about this image spawned…