Skeletons In The Closet,
2017
Gettysburg College
Skeletons In The Closet, Kevin M. Isky
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Among the collections cabinets of the Renaissance, fish, in the forms of naturalia and artificialia, can be widely found. They were sought after for their beauty as well as their relation to the natural world. In the famous frontispiece to Ferrante Imperato’s Dell’historia naturale (1599), fish of varying kinds are hung against and atop the ceiling on either side of a large alligator. They are mixed between an assortment of crustaceans and shells, also sea creatures, including the prized nautilus shell found so abundantly in Renaissance culture. As seen in this frontispiece, fish could be found as decoration in …
Aurora: A Painting Of The Coming Dawn,
2017
Gettysburg College
Aurora: A Painting Of The Coming Dawn, Noa Leibson
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
While collectors and scientists sought out the rarest and best preserved naturalia for their collections, others sought out and commissioned paintings and other forms of artifice to go beside them. One artist held in high regard during the era of curiosity cabinets was Guido Reni, artist of the famed ‘Aurora,’ a copy of which remains in the gallery today. Paintings like this one would have hung regally on the walls of curiosity cabinets, the beauty showing the potential of man, and the themes of nature and classics fitting right in with other pieces surrounding them. [excerpt]
Wondrous Cetaceans,
2017
Gettysburg College
Wondrous Cetaceans, Logan D. S. Henley
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
The Renaissance was named for the cultural rebirth it witnessed. It meant a decrease in the widespread artistic and scientific suppression of the Middle Ages. As a result, Europeans enjoyed a new exploratory enthusiasm, which brought them to the far corners of the world. The concept of exoticism was renewed by European contact with places like China and Brazil. But as well as new cultural connections being bolstered, immense scientific discovery was going on. Science, then named natural philosophy, was seeing breakthrough after breakthrough. Scientists and interested persons brought knowledge and specimens from far and wide together in curiosity cabinets, …
19th Century Writings On The Grand Tour,
2017
Gettysburg College
19th Century Writings On The Grand Tour, Emily E. Wilcox
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Two collections of writings, found in the glass cabinet on the left wall of our Wonder Cabinet, contain the descriptions of two travelers’ times abroad during the Grand Tour. The first item is a travel journal written by Henry Louis Baugher, son of Pennsylvania (now Gettysburg) College’s second president, Henry Lewis Baugher. The journal was generously donated to Gettysburg College’s Special Collections and College Archives by Gary Hawbaker, class of 1966. Beneath the travel journal you’ll find a collection of letters written by Louisa Augusta Webb about the tales of her and her sisters’ travels. This compilation of letters is …
Quartz And Prehnite: Minerals During The Renaissance,
2017
Gettysburg College
Quartz And Prehnite: Minerals During The Renaissance, Shannon R. Zeltmann
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Minerals were displayed in wonder rooms for their beauty and used by apothecaries for their medical properties and artists, for sculptures and pigments. Minerals during the Renaissance were collected and displayed in wonder rooms to illustrate the beauty of nature. Humanists would have categorized minerals by their external qualities- color, transparency, form, luster, and smell. Over time, geologists continue to study these external qualities when they are first analyzing minerals, and the internal properties. Today the six major factors in identifying minerals are cleavage, the tendency of minerals to break into flat surfaces; color; crystal form or how the form …
Guardians Of Ink And Vellum: Ethiopian Magical Scrolls,
2017
Gettysburg College
Guardians Of Ink And Vellum: Ethiopian Magical Scrolls, Zachary A. Wesley
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Ethiopian magical scrolls are powerful tools to combat sickness and demons in Ethiopian folk belief. As works of art, they display influences from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian sources. The scroll showcased in the “Wonders of Nature and Artifice” Exhibition was graciously donated by Mike Hobor, Gettysburg College Class of 1969. A prolific traveler, Mike purchased this piece in an art shop in Rome along with two other scrolls. 1 The scroll is believed to come from the city of Gondar, and is believed to date to the eighteenth-century. [excerpt]
Crocodiles - The Singular Beast In The Renaissance Cabinet,
2017
Gettysburg College
Crocodiles - The Singular Beast In The Renaissance Cabinet, Peter Zhang
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Stuffed crocodiles often predominated many famous cabinets, hanging in the center of the ceiling. Crocodilians are the largest reptiles and the largest predator that spends time on land. They have existed for about 240 million years, and today there are 23 species of crocodilians in total, categorized in three families: 13 species of crocodiles, two species of alligators, and six species of caimans. Archaeologists found a “Supercroc” fossil as long as 40 feet (12 meters) and weighting 17,500 pounds in Niger. They believe that the crocodile lived alongside dinosaurs about 100 million years ago. [excerpt]
Ortelius's Map Of The World And Homann's Ship Model Map,
2017
Gettysburg College
Ortelius's Map Of The World And Homann's Ship Model Map, Jane C, Fitzpatrick
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Abraham Ortelius and Johann Baptist Homann were very successful cartographers who benefitted from the rising trend in curiosity cabinets during the Renaissance. Ortelius lived from 1527-1598 and was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and Homann became famous in Nuremberg, Germany during his life from 1663-1724. [excerpt]
16th Century Antiphon,
2017
Gettysburg College
16th Century Antiphon, Abigail K. Major
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
The Renaissance era, which spanned from the 14th century until the 16th century, served as a transitional period. Considered to be a period of rebirth, the Renaissance commenced a revival in culture, literature, and the arts throughout Europe. The 16th century antiphon not only signifies that music was indeed an important aspect during the Renaissance, but is also tangible evidence that choral music, and more specifically Gregorian chant, were prominent forms of musical expression.
Under The Wing Of A Creature Of The Night,
2017
Gettysburg College
Under The Wing Of A Creature Of The Night, Julia M. Chin
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Magnificent in its sheer power and beauty, this owl wing has a wingspan of 18 inches and measures 10 inches from the shoulder bone to the secondary feathers. Wings such as the one displayed play a vital role in the lifestyle of owls and other hunting birds who fulfill their dietary requirements through stealthy foraging in the dark of the night. Being predatory animals, an owl depends upon its wings as a weapon, equipping it with an arsenal worthy of any hunter. Because of their composition of downy feathers, soft fringes, and comb-like primary feathers, these light appendages create less …
Botanical Illustrations,
2017
Gettysburg College
Botanical Illustrations, Emily N. Roush
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Botanical illustrations were an integral facet of botany in the Renaissance era. Many naturalists and physicians studied plants in collections to observe and record the naturalia. In many collections, specimens were displayed for visitors to draw and then create illustrations or prints. With an illustration, detail in plants could be captured and visually understood instead of learning through text. The great feature of illustrations was the fact that the specimens could be exotic yet still studied. Kusukawa says, “Pictures enabled scholars to access unobtainable objects, build knowledge of rare objects over time, and study them long after the live specimens …
Fossils: Digging Into The Past,
2017
Gettysburg College
Fossils: Digging Into The Past, Sidney N. Caccioppoli
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
Fossils collected in Renaissance collection cabinets were items of wonder and curiosity. Although sometimes mistaken for other pieces of naturalia, they were widely collected by owners of princely cabinets and scholarly collections.Though naturalists and collectors often kept fossils in their collections, they did not have the same understanding as we do today of what they are. Due to their belief in mythological monsters and naturalia with magical properties, there were often misinterpretations or mislabeled objects to something they were not. According to Kenseth’s “A World of Wonders in One Closet Shut,” some collectors believed that fossilized shark’s teeth were “adders’ …
Butterflies And Rebirth,
2017
Gettysburg College
Butterflies And Rebirth, Meredith E. Brown
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
During the Renaissance, collectors saw Morpho butterflies as beautiful, elegant, and rare creatures. Their exotic origin and sophistication made these fascinating creatures the subjects of scientific observation, decoration, and symbolism. Butterflies of the Morpho genus include a wide variety of marvelous, striking, and beautiful species. Home to South and Central America, Morpho butterflies thrive in the rainforests of Nicaragua, Colombia, and Venezuela. When Renaissance Europeans began exploring American rainforests, they were quickly captivated by these butterflies. Morphos feature vivid blue coloration and iridescence on the dorsal side of their wings as well as a yellow-brown coloration on the other side. …
Seutter Map Of America,
2017
Gettysburg College
Seutter Map Of America, Meredith D. Staats
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
The map featured in our show, Novus Orbis sive America, was printed in 1730. The engraving measures 50 x 58 centimeters and is a 1:19,000,000 scale.1 The map was donated by John H.W. and Mary G. Stuckenberg. It shows the “New World,” North and South America; the copy Special Collections owns features hand-colored continents. Different states or regions are colored in yellow, pink, orange, and green. On either side of each continent are islands with trade routes highlighted across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Also present are two text boxes, both in Latin, one in the upper left-hand corner and …
19th Century Miniature Landscape And Seascape,
2017
Gettysburg College
19th Century Miniature Landscape And Seascape, Kathleen C. Paul
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
As a gift to Gettysburg College, known as Pennsylvania College at the time, Johann Heinrich Wilbrand Stuckenberg willed his vast estate including an extensive 17th-19th century map collection after his death in London in 1903. J.H.W. Stuckenberg, and his wife Mary, were fond of the college for its progressive curriculum and support of his philosophical endeavors in publication, sociology, religion, and his native politics and culture.Two items that were bequeathed to the college are a pair of small paintings, one a landscape, the other a seascape. [excerpt]
Romanticism And Religion: The Superb Lily,
2017
Gettysburg College
Romanticism And Religion: The Superb Lily, Alexis Marie Michelle Zilen
Wonders of Nature and Artifice
“The Superb Lily,” was donated by Geoff Jackson, class of 1991 and beloved benefactor of Gettysburg College, to Special Collections. This first edition piece was published in the twenty first page of the book, Temple of Flora. This text is considered the greatest and most famous florilegia of the twentieth century due to its accuracy of descriptions and vast size. It contained a total of thirty five floral prints. The publisher, Robert Thornton, produced numerous copies of this book in the same year, however, the exact number of copies is unknown. (excerpt)
Wonders Of Nature And Artifice,
2017
Gettysburg College
Wonders Of Nature And Artifice, Schmucker Art Gallery
Schmucker Art Catalogs
A stuffed blowfish, a meticulously-drawn insect, a ravishing lily, and a rhinoceros horn carved with scenes of plants and animals—these were among the wonders of nature and artifice, the marvels that fueled the Renaissance quest for knowledge. This exhibition explores the intellectual and aesthetic motivations of Renaissance naturalists and collectors, whose wonders of nature and artifice were displayed in elaborate gardens, illustrated books, and remarkable cabinets of curiosities. Collectors were driven by curiosity and a sense of wonder about what seemed to be an ever-expanding world. Students from Prof. Felicia Else’s upper-level art history course and Kay Etheridge’s First Year …
Artemis: Depictions Of Form And Femininity In Sculpture,
2017
Gettysburg College
Artemis: Depictions Of Form And Femininity In Sculpture, Laura G. Waters
Student Publications
Grecian sculpture has been the subject of investigation for centuries. More recently, however, emphasis in the field of Art History on the politics of gender and sexuality portrayal have opened new avenues for investigation of those old statues. In depicting gender, Ancient Greek statuary can veer towards the non-binary, with the most striking examples being works depicting Hermaphroditos and ‘his’ bodily form. Yet even within the binary, there are complications. Depictions of the goddess Artemis are chief among these complications of the binary, with even more contradiction, subtext, and varied interpretation than representations of Amazons. The numerous ways Artemis has …
Book Review: Baroque Naples And The Industry Of Painting: The World In The Workbench,
2017
Portland State University
Book Review: Baroque Naples And The Industry Of Painting: The World In The Workbench, Jesse Locker
Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design Faculty Publications and Presentations
A brief review of Christopher Marshall's "Baroque Naples and the Industry of Painting: The World in the Workbench," published by Yale University Press in 2016.
Satirical Imagery Of The Ramesside Period: A Socio-Historical Narrative,
2017
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Satirical Imagery Of The Ramesside Period: A Socio-Historical Narrative, Keely A. Wardyn
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
During a short period in New Kingdom Egypt (c. 1550-1070 BCE) artwork of an interesting nature was created in a small workers’ village called Deir el-Medina. These artworks often feature animals with human characteristics: mice dress as noblewomen, foxes play lutes, cats are geese herdsmen, and lions play board games. Satirical drawings, as they are referred to, were created by the craftsmen who decorated the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. These drawings poke fun at the rigid and formal decoration of imperial spaces. However, these artworks were more than comic relief for the artists; they also reflect the …
