birthday break 2021

I am taking a short break for my birthday 

Please scroll down and enjoy older posts 

New works coming in June 

Madonna of the Roses

 Madonna of the Roses 

Madonna of the Roses - yes its so very northern with its contrasts of white skin and red roses 

Spring flowers and the Virgin in a Garden.

One final May ? Spring theme image. 

Images of the Virgin in a garden feature in European art of the Middle ages and I find myself wondering if many were simply an excuse to paint gardens and spring flowers especially when I see images like this ? Yes the flowers and other things in the image will porbably mostly symbolic and can be interpreted several ways but those marginal flowers dominate !

ENJOY

 

Maying by Boat

Another Image of Maying

Notice the details.

Dancers in the background.

Riders returning to a town with branches of fresh new spring greenery.

The flute player accompanying a female lutenist.

The two rowers.

It's a late 15th century work and although it was for a Book of Hours its theme of May features thoroughly secular imagery. 

Enjoy.

 

Flemish Flower painting

FLOWERS FOR MAY

Our may theme is Maying and Flowers 

Flemish depictions of still lifes and flowers did not start in the 16th century. They date back to illuminated manuscripts like this Flemish Book of Hours with a page featuring flowers and butterflies and angels and the Virgin Mary on one page facing another page with a drawign of a strange battle between woodwoses and knights and other odd creatures.

Levina Terlincks portrait of Mary Sidney

#LevinaTerlinck 

Levina Terlinck a Flemish miniaturist who moved to the English court of Elizabeth painted a large number of portraits of various courtiers but sadly many of them have been sad.

Yes thats why the image quality of this is a bit blurry Its a photo of a miniature which I have enlarged just a bit in an effort to give you some idea of the precision and detail of this work.

Note the fine composition.

Teerlinck is thought to have trained Hilliard. She was the daughter of noted illuminator Simon Bening.

And yes this is Mardy Sidney / Dudley Countess of Pembroke the writer and patroness of other writers. 

MAI by Simon Bening

 SIMON BENING _MAI 

#may #mai #illuminatedmanuscript #manuscript #simonbening #flemish #maying 

There is a tradition or tropeor theme or whatever you want to call it of Illuminated Manuscripts featuring scenes of Early Summer "MAYING" excursions into the countryside to enjoy the pleasant spring weather and flowers and gathering branches for decorations.

This gouache watercolor is by Simon Bening a Flemish painter and while he has included aristocrats or townsmen on horse back holding branches they have gathered he has also featured a boatload of musicians and singers and captured the shimmer of sunlight on water!