Painting of the Day: Robie's Flowers and Fruit, 1863

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Jean Baptiste Robie (1821-1910) painted this woodland landscape in 1863. The scene depicts a river bank with a still life of ferns, pink and white flowers and a basket of raspberries. The canvas is signed with the artists’ name, the year and “Brussels.”

Robie was a Belgian artist who primarily painted flower and fruit still lifes in the tradition of Dutch still life painters of the Seventeenth Century. However, Robie introduced a new, brighter color palette and themes better suited to the Romantic style.

Print of the Day: Belgium Fights On, 1940-1944

Belgium Fights On
Sturbelle, 1940-1944
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at several World War II propaganda posters. This one was used between 1940 and 1944 after the German occupation of Belgium of May of 1940. This poster was part of a campaign to encourage American support for the Belgian resistance. It’s the work of R. Sturbelle who excelled in creating dramatic and effective images such as this one which juxtaposes a group of bound Belgians about the executed with an image of decided freedom. 

Building of the Day: The Hôtel de Ville, Brussels

The centerpiece of the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium is the Brussels Town Hall which is known in French as the Hôtel de Ville and, in Dutch, the Stadhuis. This monumental Gothic building with its graceful spires and elegant statues has been an important feature of Brussels since the Fifteenth Century. The original section of the building (the left wing) was constructed from 1402 to 1420 under the direction of Jacob van Thienen. Originally, there were no plans to expand the building in the future. However, when craft guilds were added to the politics of Belgium, a need to enlarge the building became urgent.


By 1452, the building had taken the form we see today with the present tower being completed in 1455. The tower is a magnificent work of art, narrowing to an octagonal base adorned with intricate fretwork and tracery. The entire structure is graced by allegorical statues and figures of nobles and saints. The original sculptures have been taken to the safer climate of a museum, and were replaced with copies. 

Photo by Ed Holden.

The central tower and archway are noticeably off-center. Legend has it that the architect, upon noticing this error, leapt to his death from the tower. However, this proves to be apocryphal given the long period of time during which the building was expanded. Nevertheless, it’s the quirk which gives the building much of its charm and energy.

The 1695 Bombardment of Brussels saw a vicious fire rip through the entire of the Hôtel de Ville, destroying the city’s records. The interior was entirely rebuilt, and, by 1712, two new wings were added to the rear of the structure. The building was substantially redecorated in 1868 with the addition of lavish tapestries and artwork. Since then, the Hôtel de Ville has remained relatively unchanged. Today, it’s a grand monument to the artistry and ingenuity of a remarkable people.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Landscape with Donkey, 1846

Landscape with Donkey
E.J. Verboeckhoven
Belgium, 1846
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Belgian painter Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven (1798-1881) was learned the principles of art at the knee of his father, the sculptor Barthélemy Verboeckhoven. Later, he attended the Ghent Academy where he was a pupil of the landscape painter Balthasar-Paul Ommeganck (1755-1826). By 1827, the artist had become the director of the Musée de Bruxelles and later a teacher at the Académie Royale.

Verboeckhoven was known for his careful depictions of animals silhouetted against flat landscapes. This painting from 1846 is an excellent example of his style. Here, we see a donkey set against a white and blue sky. This same donkey appears in several of Verboeckhoven’s compositions. Obviously, he was a favorite subject of the artist.

Painting of the Day: Leopold I, King of the Belgians, 1840

Leopold I, King of the Belgians
Magdalena Dalton, 1840The Royal Collection

Queen Victoria described Belgian King Leopold I as, “That dearest of uncles who has always been to me like a father.” Leopold was actually her uncle as well as Prince Albert’s uncle and was one of the people most responsible for their marriage. Albert was the son of Leopold’s brother, Victoria was the daughter of his sister. He knew that theirs would be a fitting marriage and he worked to arrange the union. Both before and after Victoria’s ascension to the throne, King Leopold acted as her advisor and had a tremendous influence on her decisions, especially early in her reign.


This miniature on ivory was painted in 1840 by Miss Magdalena Dalton (née Ross) in London. Miss Dalton was Queen Victoria’s personal miniature painter and created a series of similar watercolor paintings on ivory of people that the queen dearly cherished.

Mastery of Design: A Belgian Silver Reliquary, 1250-1300

Reliquary
Parcel Gilt Silver Sheeting
1250-1300, Belgium
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This falls into the category of beautifully creepy—a category into which a lot of religious artifacts fall. Here, we see a sheet silver, parcel-gilt reliquary in the shape of a man’s hand wearing a ring, set with mica and a gemstone. It rests on a modern wooden base.

Orpha Polk could use this.

A reliquary is a container for displaying precious relics. Such relics are usually bones, hair or possessions associated with Christ and the saints. Museums and churches are filled with reliquaries which are, in turn, filled with stuff which is purported to have belonged to a notable theological figure. My father and I often joke that there are enough wrist bones of St. Anne in reliquaries around the world that she must have had hundreds of arms and that there are enough pieces of the true cross floating around to construct a bridge across the ocean. Nevertheless, these little fragments are assigned particular value by the faithful and, for that reason alone, are worth preserving and appreciating.

In the Middle Ages, such relics were thought to have miraculous powers and were greatly venerated. The faithful truly believed that by praying near, and, especially, by touching a reliquary that contained something special, they would receive protection against sickness and ill fortune. Sadly, most reliquaries have been stripped of their relics, but the containers themselves, regardless of their religious value, have a great deal of artistic and historical appeal.

Most reliquaries were crafted of precious materials – gold or silver, with enamel or gems – and were made in a variety of forms. Some of them were modeled to represent the saint, or a portion of the saint such as a body part: an arm, leg, head, foot or finger. Others were designed in the form of a temple, shrine or monstrance (from the Latin meaning “to show”), with the relic on view inside a glass compartment.

This particular reliquary comes from Belgium and dates to the mid-to-late Thirteenth Century. It is in the shape of a hand and may have been part of a larger collection of reliquaries which also included an arm. The relics (now lost) would have been visible through the windows in the fingers. You’ll notice that the ring is worn almost at the fingertip. This was a common practice throughout the Middle ages which lasted well into the 16th century.

Mastery of Design: The Philippe Wolfers Hair Ornament, 1905-1907

Hair Ornament
Philippe Wolfers
Belgium 1905-1907
Gold, Diamonds, Enamel
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The four petals of this orchid of gold, plique-a-jour enamel, diamonds and rubies radiate from the large central diamond, catching the light both from the front and from behind and offering a mesmerizing, exotic shine and sparkle.

The work of Beglian jeweler Philippe Wolfers, this hair ornament was created between 1905 and 1907 in the extremely technically difficult art of plique-à-jour (French, "letting in daylight"). This is a a technique of vitreous enameling in which the enamel is applied in cells. In this respect, it is similar to cloisonné. However, the similarity ends there. Where the cells of enamel in cloisonné enamel are backed in metal, in plique-à-jour, the backing is removed once the work is finished. In a similar concept to stained glass, this allows light to pass through the transparent or translucent enamel. This technique is difficult to master and is only successfully seen in a few surviving pieces.

Philippe Wolfers was one of the few to truly conquer the technique. He was the most prestigious of the Art Nouveau jewelers working in Brussels. He shared stylistic tendencies with his French counterpart René Lalique. Both men were heavily influenced by the nature and both often incorporated orchids into their designs. You see, orchids symbolized the Art Nouveau movement and served as a visual means of communicating the movement’s fascination with nature and sensuality. 

Print of the Day: Belgium Fights On, 1940-1944

Belgium Fights On
Sturbelle, 1940-1944
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at several World War II propaganda posters. This one was used between 1940 and 1944 after the German occupation of Belgium of May of 1940. This poster was part of a campaign to encourage American support for the Belgian resistance. It’s the work of R. Sturbelle who excelled in creating dramatic and effective images such as this one which juxtaposes a group of bound Belgians about the executed with an image of decided freedom. 

Painting of the Day: Landscape with Donkey, 1846

Landscape with Donkey
E.J. Verboeckhoven
Belgium, 1846
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Belgian painter Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven (1798-1881) was learned the principles of art at the knee of his father, the sculptor Barthélemy Verboeckhoven. Later, he attended the Ghent Academy where he was a pupil of the landscape painter Balthasar-Paul Ommeganck (1755-1826). By 1827, the artist had become the director of the Musée de Bruxelles and later a teacher at the Académie Royale.

Verboeckhoven was known for his careful depictions of animals silhouetted against flat landscapes. This painting from 1846 is an excellent example of his style. Here, we see a donkey set against a white and blue sky. This same donkey appears in several of Verboeckhoven’s compositions. Obviously, he was a favorite subject of the artist.

Painting of the Day: Fruit Piece with Lemons, Grapes, Plums and Cherries, 1650

Still Life:
Fruit Piece with Lemons, Grapes, Plums and Cherries
Jan Davidsz de Heem, 1650
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This moody still life of lemons, grapes, plums, cherries and buzzing insects is an excellent example of the work the celebrated painter Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1684).  He was born in Utrecht but settled in the early 1630s in Antwerp, Belgium, maintaining a workshop in Utrecht which he visited quite often in order work with collaborators and pupils, the most famous of which being Abraham Mignon. Two Jan’s sons also became painters: Cornelis de Heem and Jan Jansz. de Heem.

Jan Davidsz de Heem was known for his “vanitas” still-lifes and flower-pieces. Take this one for example.  The fruit, set against a dark background, is overripe to the point of being on the cusp of rotting.  The presence of insects around the fruit suggests decay and reminds us that as humans, when we are at our best and most attractive, we are actually in a state of decay ourselves.  So, in fact, our pride and vanity is foolish since at the point of our greatest lusciousness, we are closer to rotting than ever before.  Yay!  Good times!

De Heem painted this in Antwerp, Belgium around 1650.

Painting of the Day: Robie's Flowers and Fruit, 1863

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Jean Baptiste Robie (1821-1910) painted this woodland landscape in 1863. The scene depicts a river bank with a still life of ferns, pink and white flowers and a basket of raspberries. The canvas is signed with the artists’ name, the year and “Brussels.”

Robie was a Belgian artist who primarily painted flower and fruit still lifes in the tradition of Dutch still life painters of the Seventeenth Century. However, Robie introduced a new, brighter color palette and themes better suited to the Romantic style.

Unusual Artifacts: A Belgian Silver Reliquary, 1250-1300

Reliquary
Parcel Gilt Silver Sheeting
1250-1300, Belgium
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This falls into the category of beautifully creepy—a category into which a lot of religious artifacts fall. Here, we see a sheet silver, parcel-gilt reliquary in the shape of a man’s hand wearing a ring, set with mica and a gemstone. It rests on a modern wooden base.

A reliquary is a container for displaying precious relics. Such relics are usually bones, hair or possessions associated with Christ and the saints. Museums and churches are filled with reliquaries which are, in turn, filled with stuff which is purported to have belonged to a notable theological figure. My father and I often joke that there are enough wrist bones of St. Anne in reliquaries around the world that she must have had hundreds of arms and that there are enough pieces of the true cross floating around to construct a bridge across the ocean. Nevertheless, these little fragments are assigned particular value by the faithful and, for that reason alone, are worth preserving and appreciating.

In the Middle Ages, such relics were thought to have miraculous powers and were greatly venerated. The faithful truly believed that by praying near, and, especially, by touching a reliquary that contained something special, they would receive protection against sickness and ill fortune. Sadly, most reliquaries have been stripped of their relics, but the containers themselves, regardless of their religious value, have a great deal of artistic and historical appeal.

Most reliquaries were crafted of precious materials – gold or silver, with enamel or gems – and were made in a variety of forms. Some of them were modeled to represent the saint, or a portion of the saint such as a body part: an arm, leg, head, foot or finger. Others were designed in the form of a temple, shrine or monstrance (from the Latin meaning “to show”), with the relic on view inside a glass compartment.

This particular reliquary comes from Belgium and dates to the mid-to-late Thirteenth Century. It is in the shape of a hand and may have been part of a larger collection of reliquaries which also included an arm. The relics (now lost) would have been visible through the windows in the fingers. You’ll notice that the ring is worn almost at the fingertip. This was a common practice throughout the Middle ages which lasted well into the 16th century.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Philippe Wolfers Hair Ornament, 1905-1907

Hair Ornament
Philippe Wolfers
Belgium 1905-1907
Gold, Diamonds, Enamel
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The four petals of this orchid of gold, plique-a-jour enamel, diamonds and rubies radiate from the large central diamond, catching the light both from the front and from behind and offering a mesmerizing, exotic shine and sparkle.

The work of Beglian jeweler Philippe Wolfers, this hair ornament was created between 1905 and 1907 in the extremely technically difficult art of plique-à-jour (French, "letting in daylight"). This is a a technique of vitreous enameling in which the enamel is applied in cells. In this respect, it is similar to cloisonné. However, the similarity ends there. Where the cells of enamel in cloisonné enamel are backed in metal, in plique-à-jour, the backing is removed once the work is finished. In a similar concept to stained glass, this allows light to pass through the transparent or translucent enamel. This technique is difficult to master and is only successfully seen in a few surviving pieces.

Philippe Wolfers was one of the few to truly conquer the technique. He was the most prestigious of the Art Nouveau jewelers working in Brussels. He shared stylistic tendencies with his French counterpart René Lalique. Both men were heavily influenced by the nature and both often incorporated orchids into their designs. You see, orchids symbolized the Art Nouveau movement and served as a visual means of communicating the movement’s fascination with nature and sensuality.

Object of the Day: A Black Crystal Penguin Paperweight

In my collection of black crystal animals, the tallest and most regal of the lot is this handsome penguin by the crystal-makers at Val Saint Lambert. I figured that, after seeing all the gents in their tuxes at the Oscars last night, that Mr. Penguin here was the perfect object for this morning.


Val Saint Lambert has been making fine crystal since being founded in Belgium in 1826. They were particularly known for their Art Deco and Art Nouveau masterpieces and are still celebrated for their exciting creations to this day.

Object of the Day: A Belgian Cityscape

The last in my collection of paintings by the talented Robert J. Inness shows the City Hall of Malines, Belgium. Malines—though French in origin--is actually the name used by English speaking people to refer to this city. The town is officially called Mechelen and is in the province of Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium. Mechelen is one of the major historical seats of Flemish art and has long been associated with magnificent painting, sculpture, wood-carving, lace and tapestry.


Here, we see the City Hall, resplendent with bold and colorful banners. Inness has captured the ornate façade of the edificice without overburdening the canvas with thick paint. Again, he shows us scale by introducing two figures on the building’s steps. Also jewel-like, this painting is another offering by Robert J. Inness which expertly captures the spirit of the location. In portraying a city known for its art, he has given us a painting of unsurpassed delicacy and beauty.

Painting of the Day: Leopold, King of the Belgians, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846

Leopold I, King of the Belgians
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846
The Royal Collection

Leopold I, King of the Belgians was one of Queen Victoria’s most cherished relatives.  This beloved uncle was instrumental in arranging her marriage to Prince Albert.  Leopold’s fondness for Victoria was very evident in everything that he did for her—often sending her gifts and other sweet tokens of his uvuncular admiration.  In 1846, he sent Victoria this portrait of himself—painted by one of Victoria’s favorite painters, Franz Xaver Winterhalter. 

Painting of the Day: Leopold I, King of the Belgians, 1840

Leopold I, King of the Belgians
Magdalena Dalton, 1840
The Royal Collection

Queen Victoria described Belgian King Leopold I as, “That dearest of uncles who has always been to me like a father.” Leopold was actually her uncle as well as Prince Albert’s uncle and was one of the people most responsible for their marriage. Albert was the son of Leopold’s brother, Victoria was the daughter of his sister. He knew that theirs would be a fitting marriage and he worked to arrange the union. Both before and after Victoria’s ascension to the throne, King Leopold acted as her advisor and had a tremendous influence on her decisions, especially early in her reign.


This miniature on ivory was painted in 1840 by Miss Magdalena Dalton (née Ross) in London. Miss Dalton was Queen Victoria’s personal miniature painter and created a series of similar watercolor paintings on ivory of people that the queen dearly cherished.