Ashmolean Advent 2018

5 Pins
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6y
The Angel Ruh Holding Celestial Spheres
This illustration of the angel Ruh originally belonged to a manuscript of The Wonders of Creation and the Oddities of Existence, an exploration of the marvels of the universe written by cosmographer and geographer Zakariya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (1203–1283). The manuscript was comprised of two parts; the first dealt with the heavenly spheres while the second was devoted to the earthly realm. Ruh, which translates literally to spirit, is amongst one of t
Black Bear Cub in Snow by Mori Shūhō
Black Bear Cub in Snow Painted by Japanese artist Mori Shūhō, this small bear with blue eyes looks directly out at the viewer while it sits uneasily on a ledge amid the snowflakes. Shūhō was a member of the Mori School of artists who specialised in detailed depictions of animals. This work features in an album of paintings and calligraphy by various artists - a trendy practise in early 19th-century Japan. Albums of these sort were often made to celebrate a birthday, mark a farewell or commemor
Epiphany by Frederick Landseer Maur Griggs
F.L. Griggs began this etching in November 1918, originally intending it as a Christmas gift to his family and friends to celebrate the end of the First World War. The inscriptions are the first and second antiphons (short sentences sung before or after a hymn) of the first Vespers of Christmas in the Roman Catholic Breviary, celebrating Christ as the King of Peace. The roofless houses in the background symbolise the devastation of the First World War
Yūhi Hill and Drum Bridge at Meguro by Utagawa Hiroshige
A woodblock print of a snowy bridge by Japanese master printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige. Here, Hiroshige has skilfully depicted the chilly silence of a snowy afternoon. The snow and snowflakes in the image are depicted by leaving unprinted spots on the paper that stand out against the dark blues of the river and sky; a technique used in traditional Chinese and Japanese ink painting.
Bronze Roman Stag Brooch
This enamelled bronze brooch in the shape of a stag, once decorated with bright multi-coloured enamel, would have been used to fasten a shawl or cloak. It was made around AD 100–200 and was found in Amiens, northern France. Enamelled jewellery was very popular in Britain and France during the Roman period.