DOCSLIB.ORG

Ebook Download Handbook of Engraved Gems (1866)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ebook Download Handbook of Engraved Gems (1866) HANDBOOK OF ENGRAVED GEMS (1866) PDF, EPUB, EBOOK C.W. King | 476 pages | 28 Apr 2003 | Kessinger Publishing Co | 9780766151642 | English | Kila, MT, United States Handbook of Engraved Gems (1866) PDF Book Michaelis, "Die Bildnisse des Demosthenes," in K. You are commenting using your WordPress. The translation of Raphael's Roman style. Special financing available Select PayPal Credit at checkout to have the option to pay over time. An active patron of the arts, Augustus promoted the emulation of earlier Greek art, a style today called Augustan Classicism. The Gnostics and Their Remains , 2nd. Description: Softcover. Birch, eds. See also H. Cockerell and S. Includes the poem "Two Rosebuds" by Henry Timrod. Report item - opens in a new window or tab. Babelon, Laa gravure sur gemmes en France, pp. I hope all those interested in Roman propaganda, archaeology and art will profit from the book as well. Watch list is full. Expedited and international shipping are also available. King, , Handbook of Engraved Gems, p. Some early types of seal were cut by hand, rather than a drill, which does not allow fine detail. Dimensions: Overall: 3. According to Pliny, Pyrgoteles was the only artist allowed to carve gems for the seal rings of Alexander the Great. Richter, The Portraits of the Greeks , vol. Hence, you can see that self-advertising through glyptics did not come out of nowhere in the early 1st century BC. However, the particular strength of gems if compared to coins and any other branch of art and craft is that they exhibit the real involvement of the society into politics and prove propaganda campaigns successfulness. Handbook No. References to antique gems , and intaglios in a jewelry context, will almost always mean carved gems. University of Cambridge. Winckelmann, Storia delle arti del disegno presso gli antichi di Giovanni Winckelmann , vol. Engraved Gems and Amulets. Learn More - opens in a new window or tab Any international shipping and import charges are paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. The Mosaics of Ravenna. It should be of interest not only to those studying intaglios and cameos but coin enthusiasts will certainly find the exposed interconnections between numismatics and glyptics useful and interesting. By the mid-eighteenth century prices had reached such a level that major collections could only be formed by the very wealthy; lesser collectors had to make do with collecting plaster casts , [42] which was also very popular, or buying one of many sumptuously illustrated catalogues of collections that were published. Seller information betweenthecoversrarebooks Handbook of Engraved Gems. His research interests include engraved gems ancient and neo-classical , Roman Republican and Augustan numismatics, history of antiquarianism, collecting and scholarship as well as 18th century drawings of intaglios and cameos and the legacy of antiquary and connoisseur Philipp von Stosch Tickets are limited. Richter, The Portraits of the Greeks. Any international shipping is paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. Brasses L-P. Wedgwood made notable jasperware copies of the Portland Vase and the Marlborough gem , a famous head of Antinous , [59] and interpreted in jasperware casts from antique gems by James Tassie. Handbook of Engraved Gems (1866) Writer The Gnostics and Their Remains , 2nd. Timelines Italian Peninsula, A. Renaissance and later gems remain dominated by the Hellenistic reportoire of subjects, though portraits in contemporary styles were also produced. GoldGlass in Late Antiquity. Gems were mostly cut by using abrasive powder from harder stones in conjunction with a hand-drill, probably often set in a lathe. Pre- Hellenic Ancient Egyptian seals tend to have inscriptions in hieroglyphs rather than images. Visconti, Opere varie italiane e francesi di Ennio Quirino Visconti , vol. Dalton page images at HathiTrust; US access only Thesaurus gemmarum antiquarum astriferarum quae e compluribus dactyliothecis selectae aereis tabvlis CC. Sangiorgi Collection. Winckelmann, Storia delle arti del disegno presso gli antichi di Giovanni Winckelmann , vol. Seller information betweenthecoversrarebooks Bought by the Museum following inclusion in Christie's sale undated, not held , lot Ceramics in the Early Christian World. Read our cookie policy to find out more. A medieval guide to gem-carving techniques survives from Theophilus Presbyter. Meanwhile, the church led the development of large, often double-sided, metal seal matrices for wax seals that were left permanently attached to charters and similar legal documents, dangling by a cord, though smaller ring seals that were broken when a letter was opened remained in use. Skip to main content Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. More search options. Besides this, engraved gems have so far been somewhat neglected in the analysis of Roman propaganda, with discourse focused mainly on literature, architecture, sculpture or coins. Description: Softcover. British Museum on the Blacas Cameo of Augustus. In the West production revived from the Carolingian period , when rock crystal was the commonest material. In the Roman Imperial period, portraits of the imperial family were often produced for the court circle, and many of these have survived, especially a number of spectacular cameos from the time of Augustus. Other offers may also be available. Reliquaries and the Cult of Relics in Late Antiquity. Historical significance: In his essay 'Signet of Q. During the European Middle Ages antique engraved gems were one classical art form which was always highly valued, and a large but unknown number of ancient gems have unlike most surviving classical works of art never been buried and then excavated. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, and Engraved Gems and Propaganda in the Roman Republic and under Augustus Oxford: Archaeopress, and more than a dozen scientific articles, most can be found on his Academia. Please enter 5 or 9 numbers for the ZIP Code. Privacy policy About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core Disclaimers Mobile view. Leone Leoni said he personally spent two months on a double-sided cameo gem with portraits of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his wife and son. However some objects, like a 13th-century Venetian Seven Sleepers of Ephesus , mimicked the engraved gem. Medium: Jasper, red and green. The cameo, which is rare in intaglio form, seems to have reached Greece around the 3rd century; the Farnese Tazza is the only major surviving Hellenistic example depending on the date assigned to the Gonzaga Cameo — see below , but other glass-paste imitations with portraits suggest that gem-type cameos were made in this period. The collection of engraved gems of Pope Paul II , [35] which included the "Felix gem" of Diomedes with the Palladium , [36] was acquired by Lorenzo il Magnifico ; the Medici collection included many other gems and was legendary, valued in inventories much higher than his Botticellis. This article uses "cameo" in its strict sense, to denote a carving exploiting layers of differently coloured stone. Period: Imperial. Associated places Associated with: Waulsort , abbey. The most effective with the employment of gem engravers for his political purposes was, of course, Emperor Augustus. Dissertationibus XV. It was however very difficult to manufacture and surviving pieces, mostly famously the Portland Vase , are actually much rarer than Roman gemstone cameos. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cameos. II, No. King, 'Signet of Q. Other sculptors also carved gems, or had someone in their workshop who did. People who viewed this item also viewed. The technique has an ancient tradition in the Near East , and is represented in all or most early cultures from the area, and the Indus Valley civilization. However, the particular strength of gems if compared to coins and any other branch of art and craft is that they exhibit the real involvement of the society into politics and prove propaganda campaigns successfulness. Modes of Study and Potential. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed. Handbook of Engraved Gems (1866) Reviews Whether he was right to claim Mithridates as the first collector is dubious. Baldassarri, "Di Demosthene oratore atheniese," Prospettiva 64, October , pp. You are commenting using your Google account. Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef. Picture Information. Sommer, , by Austria K. Bottom, right: official with staff leads off Susanna, but is confronted by Daniel; to right and left two figures raise arms in astonishment; to left: Daniel rebukes one of the Elders, while behind two figures express their indignation and approval of his words. Eastwood; until , collection of Rev. Jasper intaglio: Harpocrates riding a lion Date: ca. Black jasper intaglio portrait of a Roman lady Date: 1st half of 1st century A. Strictly speaking, engraving means carving in intaglio with the design cut into the flat background of the stone , but relief carvings with the design projecting out of the background as in nearly all cameos are also covered by the term. Giacomo Komarek This item will be shipped through the Global Shipping Program and includes international tracking. King later increased his collection by buying gems from Eastwood, a London dealer, and also at auction in London, where several important collections, including the Mertens-Schaafhausen Praun , the Hertz, and the Uzielli were put on the market. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Many of these retain the medieval mounts which adapted them for liturgical use. In , he brought out an edition of Horace , illustrated from antique gems. In a copper-gilt mount of the fifteenth century, with floriated border. Senior Fellow; gemmologist. Additionally, professional academics, archivists, and curators working in these areas will also find it valuable as a resource for their own research, as well as a textbook or reference work for their students. It is so deeply cut that in the impression, the bust stands out in such high relief that it nearly reads like a statue in the round. Views Read View source View history. As in other fields, not many ancient artists' names are known from literary sources, although some gems are signed.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Foulis Exhibition
    Downloaded from THE FOULIS EXHIBITION. (HOUGH constituted so recently as 21 st February, 1912, the Glasgow http://library.oxfordjournals.org/ 1 Bibliographical Society found itself (strong enough before the end of that year to organise an exhibition illustra- tive of the life and work of the brothers Foulis, the venture being suggested by the fa<5l that 23rd November, 1912, was the bicentenary of the birth of Andrew, the junior member of the firm. The exhibition was intended as the Society's at University of California, San Fransisco on March 16, 2015 tribute to two eminent sons of Glasgow who have been strangely neglected, and was made the occasion of an attempt to bring together material, manu- script and printed, that would ultimately be used in compiling an adequate biography of the brothers and a complete bibliography or their press. The authorities of the University of Glasgow readily granted the necessary accommodation, and on 12th April, before a Large gathering, the exhibi- tion was opened with an address on the Foulises by the President of the Society, Mr. David Murray, LL.D.1 That the exhibition should have been held in the University was appropriate on various grounds. 1 The address, illustrated and much extended, has been issued in Yolume form by Messrs. James MacLehose & Sons, Glasgow. THE FOULIS EXHIBITION. 307 The brothers, when young men, were more or less regular students in its classes. Robert began business as a bookseller in 1739, probably in the premises ' within the College' from which, two years later, he published a book having that address Downloaded from in the imprint.
    [Show full text]
  • Speculative Minds Commerce, Experiment, Innovation & the Arts in Georgian Ireland
    SPECULATIVE MINDS COMMERCE, EXPERIMENT, INNOVATION & THE ARTS IN GEORGIAN IRELAND ONLINE SYMPOSIUM Thursday 27th May 2021 SPECULATIVE MINDS COMMERCE, EXPERIMENT, INNOVATION & THE ARTS IN GEORGIAN IRELAND Date: Thursday 27th May 2021 Price: €40 Maynooth University and the Irish Georgian Society are partnering to deliver a live online symposium, Speculative Minds: Commerce, Experiment, Innovation & the Arts in Georgian Ireland on Thursday 27th May 2021. The symposium has been convened by Dr Toby Barnard, Emeritus Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford University and Dr Alison FitzGerald, Associate Professor, Maynooth University. The symposium will appeal to both a specialist audience of academics and the general public. Bookings can be made online through the Irish Georgian Society’s website (www. igs.ie). Price: €40. Fulltime students free. To register for a student place please email [email protected] with a photo of your student ID. Irish Georgian Society, City Assembly House, 58 South William Street, Dublin 2. www.igs.ie / 01 6798675 /[email protected] INTRODUCTION The period between 1750 and 1837 saw a striking increase in the introduction of new materials, new manufacturing processes and new products. ‘Novelty’ was at a premium: touted in newspaper advertisements, puffed in trade catalogues and pattern books, and encouraged by energetic individuals and learned groups. These initiatives were driven by simple curiosity, focused experimentation, patriotic and humanitarian ideals, and the quest for profit. Homes, small workshops and large manufactories all felt the impact of these ‘polite and commercial’ impulses and the resulting artefacts; they spread beyond the peerage and landed elite through the professional and middling sorts.
    [Show full text]
  • David Steuart Erskine, 11Th Earl of Buchan: Founder of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
    Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Scottish Antiquarian Tradition: Essays to mark the bicentenary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1780-1980 Edited by A S Bell ISBN: 0 85976 080 4 (pbk) • ISBN: 978-1-908332-15-8 (PDF) Except where otherwise noted, this work is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work and to adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: A Bell, A S (ed) 1981 The Scottish Antiquarian Tradition: Essays to mark the bicentenary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1780-1980. Edinburgh: John Donald. Available online via the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: https://doi.org/10.9750/9781908332158 Please note: The illustrations listed on p ix are not covered by the terms of the Creative Commons license and must not be reproduced without permission from the listed copyright holders. The Society gratefully acknowledges the permission of John Donald (Birlinn) for al- lowing the Open Access publication of this volume, as well as the contributors and contributors’ estates for allowing individual chapters to be reproduced. The Society would also like to thank the National Galleries of Scotland and the Trustees of the National Museum of Scotland for permission to reproduce copyright material. Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders for all third-party material reproduced in this volume.
    [Show full text]
  • CENTER 16 Record of Activities and Research Reports June I995-May X996
    CENTER 1 6 ~~~i•i,:~-¸ ¸¸I!~ J n~ o ! National Gallery of Art CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS CENTER 16 Record of Activities and Research Reports June i995-May x996 Washington x996 National Gallery of Art CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS Washington, D.C. zo565 Telephone: (zoz) 84z-648o Facsimile: (zoz) 84z-6733 E-maih center @nga.gov World Wide Web: http://www.capcon.net/casva All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. zo565 Copyright © i996 Trustees of the National Gallery of Art, Washington This publication was produced by the Editors Office, National Gallery of Art, Washington Designed by Susan Lehmann Printed by Schneidereith & Sons, Baltimore, Maryland Photographic credits Cover, pages I, 6, i6i: James Pipkin Pages I3, I5O , ISZ , I55 , I57, I59: Dennis Brack/Black Star Frontispiece: John Sloan, The Picture Buyer, I9X i. Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington Contents 7 Preface 9 Report on the Academic Year, June i995-May 1996 io Board of Advisors io Staff ii Report of the Dean I4 Members 18 Meetings 2.8 Lecture Abstracts 33 Incontro Abstracts 4 o Research Projects 4I Publications 43 ResearchReports of Members i49 Description of Programs 151 Fields of Inquiry 15 ~ Fellowship Program 58 Facilities i58 Board of Advisors and Selection Committee i58 Program of Meetings, Research, and Publication i6z Index of Members' Research Reports T Preface The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, a research in- stitute which fosters study of the production, use, and cultural meaning of art, artifacts, architecture, and urbanism, from prehis- toric times to the present, was founded in x979 as part of the National Gallery of Art.
    [Show full text]
  • Call for Papers 52Nd ASECS Annual Meeting Baltimore MD March 31 – April 2, 2022
    Call for Papers 52nd ASECS Annual Meeting Baltimore MD March 31 – April 2, 2022 Session Program Guidelines Abstracts or proposals should be sent directly to session organizers no later than September 17, 2021. Session organizers are reminded that all submissions received up to that deadline MUST be considered. Completed panels will be submitted using an online form; a link to this form will be sent to session organizers in mid-September. In the meantime, contact the ASECS Business Office with any questions – [email protected]. All breakout rooms at the Annual Meeting will be equipped with a screen, projector, and wifi. Additional room configuration or technology requests must be submitted by the session organizer on the online form. Session organizers will be required to confirm that all equipment requests are essential to the purpose of the session. Equipment requests or changes made after September 30, 2021 may not be accommodated. It may not be possible to fulfill all special requests. The Society’s rules permit members to present only one paper at the meeting. Members may, in addition to presenting a paper, serve as a session chair, a respondent, a workshop facilitator, or a roundtable, seminar, or workshop participant, but they may not present a paper at sessions they chair. No member may appear more than twice in the program (excluding sessions sponsored by ASECS). No individual may submit paper proposals to more than two panels. Since you can present only one paper at the meeting itself, you must notify both panel chairs if you are submitting two proposals for papers, whether or not the proposals concern the same topic.
    [Show full text]
  • Governor's Adam Smith Lecture 2006
    Press Office Threadneedle Street London EC2R 8AH T 020 7601 4411 F 020 7601 5460 [email protected] www.bankofengland.co.uk 29 October 2006 Governor's Adam Smith Lecture 2006 The Governor of the Bank of England is to announce in a lecture in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, tonight that Adam Smith, one of the fathers of economics, is to appear on the Bank of England's new £20 note. The Governor is giving the annual Adam Smith lecture at St Bryce's Kirk in Kirkcaldy, the birthplace of Adam Smith. The Governor said: “It is appropriate that tonight here in Kirkcaldy, where Adam Smith found contentment in study and reflection, I can announce that tomorrow the Bank of England will reveal its new £20 note. And the figure celebrated on the new note will, of course, be Adam Smith - the first economist and the first Scotsman to appear on a Bank of England note.” The notes will carry a portrait of Smith and an engraving showing the division of labour in pin manufacturing with the words “and the great increase in the quantity of work that results”. They will be available next Spring. Notes to Editors Images the Bank used for the portrait and the engraving are available from www.newscast.co.uk. The image of Adam Smith is based on a likeness of the portrait of him by James Tassie - Scottish National Portrait Gallery - and reproduced by permission; and the image of pin manufacturing is based on an original image, and by permission of The British Library. You are welcome to reproduce these images with acknowledgement.
    [Show full text]
  • Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron's Discobolus
    Making Something Out of Next to Nothing: Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron's Discobolus Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Barr, Sandra M Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 06:55:52 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193942 MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NEXT TO NOTHNG: BARTOLOMEO CAVACEPPI AND THE MAJOR RESTORATIONS OF MYRON’S DISCOBOLUS By Sandra M. Barr ____________________ Copyright@ Sandra M. Barr A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF ART In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN HISTORY AND THEORY OF ART In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2008 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Sandra M. Barr entitled “Making Something out of Next to Nothing: Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron’s Discobolus ” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Julie Anne Plax __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 David Soren _________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Emily Umberger __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Therese Martin __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Mary Voyatzis Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College.
    [Show full text]
  • A. Sketch of Art in Glasgow, 1600-1932
    A SKETCH OF ART IN GLASGOW. 1600-1922. By T. C. F. BROTCHIE, Superintendent Art Galleries and Museums. A CELEBRATED living poet, after a recent inspection of the Art Galleries at Kelvingrove, expressed to " me his amazement in what he termed discovering" such a treasure-house of Art. In answer to the obvious query, was this his first visit to Glasgow, he " " said, No," and added, I have passed several times through the city travelling north, but I never imagined that this somewhat grey " " town (it was a rainy day when blank- ness, uniformity,/ and drabness exasperate the nerves) was so rich in the aesthetic elements of life." Exactly. Our poetical traveller is typical of many travellers on the great north road. Yet, to the pilgrim who cares to halt for a space, there will be revealed, perchance, a vision of things other than those associated with the day-long grinding of the mills and workshops. It may be that in the distant future there will arise an artist to whom the suggestiveness and humanity of the feverish life of the streets and the factories and the yards will mean a discovered treasure. Out of these grim and grimy notes of the modern city and cities there may blossom forth a new sestheticism if the 191 painter be great enough to handle greatly the pass- of the business but the task is ing pageant age ; titanic when we think, as think we must, upon the fresh beauty of the green meadows and the bluebells and daisies which gem the banks of the wimpling burns.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin of the Distinction of Ranks Natural Law and Enlightenment Classics
    the origin of the distinction of ranks natural law and enlightenment classics Knud Haakonssen General Editor John Millar uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ii ii ii ii iinatural law and iienlightenment classics ii ii ii ii iiThe Origin of the ii iiDistinction of Ranks: ii iiOr, An Inquiry into the Circumstances iiWhich Give Rise to Influence and Authority, ii iiin the Different Members of Society ii ii iiJohn Millar ii ii ii ii iiEdited and with an Introduction iiby Aaron Garrett ii iiThe Works and Correspondence of John Millar ii ii ii ii iiliberty fund iiIndianapolis ii ii iiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu This book is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a foundation established to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. The cuneiform inscription that serves as our logo and as the design motif for our endpapers is the earliest-known written appearance of the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 b.c. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. Introduction, annotations ᭧ 2006 Liberty Fund, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 09 08 07 06 c 54321 10 09 08 07 06 p 54321 Frontispiece: Portrait of John Millar by James Tassie. Copyright Scottish National Portrait Gallery; reprinted by permission. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Millar, John, 1735–1801. The origin of the distinction of ranks, or, An inquiry into the circumstances which give rise to influence and authority, in the different members of society/John Millar; edited and with an introduction by Aaron Garrett.
    [Show full text]
  • The Acquisition of Taste: the Replication, Reproduction and Reception of a Classical Gem in Britain in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries ___
    The Acquisition of Taste: The replication, reproduction and reception of a classical gem in Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries ___ RICHARD ARONOWITZ This article examines the influence that the three-dimensional replication and two-dimensional reproduction of classical gems in Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had on these gems’ migration from being solely the preserve of aristocratic collectors in Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to their being bought by men of wealth but not title in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The path of one gem, a Roman intaglio of a standing youth and a seated maiden, through two collections and the fine art trade will be used as a lens through which to examine the trajectory of the greater part of the magnificent collection of intaglios and cameos of the Dukes of Marlborough, formed in the first half of the eighteenth century and sold to pay off a portion of the Seventh Duke’s debts in 1875. n December 2016 an extraordinary first-century BC intaglio (figure 1), ‘one of the I most beautifully executed intaglios to have been offered at auction in many years,’1 was sold at Sotheby’s in London to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, making forty times its pre-sale low estimate. This carved sard stone, reframed in an eighteenth- century gold mount, was remarkable for three key reasons, the first of which was its quality. Secondly, because it had been sold in occupied Holland in 1941 by a German- Jewish art dealer, Kurt Walter Bachstitz, to Adolf Hitler for Hitler’s proposed Führermuseum in Linz.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rokeby Lecture, 22 November 2018
    The Rokeby Lecture, 22 November 2018 Artful Impressions in the Archbishop’s Cabinet It was while visiting Trinity College, Dublin, in my then capacity as external examiner for its History of Art and History of Architecture modules, that I first heard of the Archbishop’s Cabinet. This Library had contacted the Department in the hope that among its staff was someone with an established research interest in gem cabinets. The Armagh Public Library (as it was still called) possessed such a cabinet – in fact, it had always possessed one – and it was long overdue for assessment. Though offering great expertise on many things, TCD did not have such a person, but the Head of Department, Christine Casey, suspected, rightly, that I might be interested. Contact was made, and a visit was arranged. Some weeks later, bereft of documentation (Archbishop Robinson purposely left no personal archive) or any prior study on which to build an opinion, I was led into the Long Room, and with a promise of coffee and biscuits to come, was left alone with the Cabinet. The Thomas Cooley Cabinets in the Library’s Long Room Before we proceed into the Archbishop’s Cabinet, so to speak, I wish to provide a little cultural and historical context that will explain why such objects were created and why Archbishop Robinson thought it was appropriate – even essential – to install a cabinet, with all its fascinating contents, in his Public Library. Let me, for a moment, set aside the fact that this is a cabinet of gem impressions and what that means, and say something about the gems of Antiquity, and why they found their way into cabinets many centuries later.
    [Show full text]
  • Video Transcript the Life and Work of James Tassie
    Video transcript The life and work of James Tassie (1735-1799) 2020 [28:00] Liz Louis: Hello, my name is Liz Louis. I am a curator of portraiture with the National Galleries of Scotland and this video is about James Tassie. The National Galleries of Scotland hold the world’s largest collection of works by James Tassie and if you have been to visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery you may have seen his portrait medallions on display in the Library there. But even if you don’t recognise the name, you may very well have come across an example of his work before. The portrait of philosopher and economist Adam Smith on the back of the Bank of England’s paper £20 note is based on a portrait medallion by James Tassie. Smith was the first Scot to appear on a note issued by the Bank of England when it entered circulation in 2007. Tassie modelled the original on which this portrait is based in 1787, that is 11 years after Smith had published his seminal Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. In this book, Smith extolled the virtues of the division of labour, argued that offer and demand could balance the market value of objects, and that individuals’ self-interested search for profit would lead to overall greater wealth for everyone. Even though Smith is now considered the father of modern economics, it has to be remembered that his writing is steeped in the colonialist discourse of the time. He compares the achievements of what he calls the ‘civilised nations’, by which he primarily means European nations, to the poverty of what he calls ‘savage’ nations, by which he mostly means the nations colonised by European countries.
    [Show full text]