The Liberal Arts Casket England, Great Britain (probably, made),ca. 1190-1200 (made) Copper plaques, hammered, champlevé, engraved, punched, enamelled, soldered together and gilded This casket depicts personifications of the Liberal Arts (Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry and Music) along with Nature and Philosophy. The Liberal Arts were focal elements of learning from the 11th century in the Cathedral Schools, through to the early Universities of the 13th century. Personifications of the Liberal Arts were depicted thoughout the Medieval period using fairly standard devices. This casket however, is unique in its methods of representation. For example Rhetoric, usually depicted as a woman (the Latin retorica is feminine), is here shown as a man. He holds scales as a symbol of his art, a symbol more commonly associated with the Cardinal Virtue, Justice. This object displays great technical skill. The artist has used translucent and speckled glasses with a wide range of mixed enamels. The vividness and movement in the depiction of the characters is considered by some to be an expression of Gothic naturalism at its height.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 09:50:47 +0000
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