Week 3: Journal

Portrait of Isabella d'Este. Drawing.
Portrait of Isabella d’Este. Drawing.

Other than Catherine of Austria and her kunstkammer, I do not know any other female patron of the arts. Thus I begin my research and had a few names that I could find on the net. I ended up choosing “Isabella d’Este” for this topic.

Isabella d’Este was known for her role as patron of Renaissance learning, arts and literature. Thus obtaining the name as the First Lady of the Renaissance and the First Lady of the World. Her husband, Francesco Gonzaga, together with Isabella d’Este, supported many of the Renaissance’s painters, writers, poets, and musicians. Francesco Gonzaga wasn’t all the interested in arts and literature. However despite that, he was a generous patron with Isabella d’Este who loves arts and literature. Both husband and wife supported artist such as Leonardo, Perugino, Battista Spagnoli, Raphael, Andrea Mantegna, Castiglione and Bandello.

Their support wasn’t limited to artist only but also writers such as Ariosto and Baldassare Castiglione, architect like Giulio Romano, and even musicians like Bartolomeo Troboncino and Marchetto Cara.

Over the years, Isabella d’Este collected many art works and antiquities for her interest. The amount that she collected ended up creating a space that seems like an art museum. Some of the things she has are her commissioning work.

Isabella d’Este being a patron could also help make artists become famous. One artist that became famous because of her is Leonardo. Leonardo was one of the artist that Isabella d’Este really admired his work. It started when she admired the portrait of her brother in law in Milan who was drawn by Leonardo and at that point she hope that Leonardo would paint her as well. By chance, Leonardo worked with her for a year and produces his black chalk Sanguine cartoon of Isabella.

I find her different from other art patrons in the way that she had a tradition to have a competition with her artists. She would have one artist worked on her portrait while another artist producing her portrait of his own style. And once done she would choose the one she likes best. This creates a different level of respect for one another as an artist and understands where one skill level is. While other patron would just get artwork to display in their homes or just for collection purposes.

Reference:

http://nhcs.wikispaces.com/Renaissance+Patrons

https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=UK_jTggtYl8C&pg=PT154&lpg=PT154&dq=female+patron+of+arts+in+renaissance&source=bl&ots=i1rZj8k_bu&sig=H8ohpvNVnUzH1NTyeteMOjFKce8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAGoVChMI9JDI_qnxyAIVF5uICh2IyQpl#v=onepage&q=female%20patron%20of%20arts%20in%20renaissance&f=false

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/medievalitalianwomen/a/isabella_d_este.htm

http://italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-8/essays/isabella-deste-collects/

Week 2: Journal

20120725_ivorysrilanka

Africa is a country that constantly has animal poaching and in terms of society it still strongly deeply rooted to its culture that was my impression of Africa. It was interesting to know that Africa used to be one of the richest countries in the continent. However the fact that ivories are made of elephant tusk is something I didn’t quite expected. I knew that elephants are hunted for their tusk, but I didn’t know that it is to make African ivories. It is sad to hear that elephant hunting still continue on today due to the making of such ivories. Due to human’s desire for riches, elephants are becoming victim day by day.

African ivories also have another name to it. It is call “White Gold”. Just by its naming, it indicates that it is consider a luxury item and has great value due to its rarity. It won’t be a surprise to know that if one has it, the person must be rich.

In honesty, African ivories are really beautiful to look at and are really sturdy preservation as an art piece. As an artist, the making of such art piece really need a lot of skills and experiences. Since ivories are a rarity, the craftsman has to deal with the material wisely and carefully while crafting out the art pieces. I find it fascinating how ivories tell a story about their lives just like how caveman craft the cave walls with stories about their lives too. It is like no matter what era one live in; they would leave behind a story of their life in a form of an art piece. In African ivories, it tells us a story of Africa’s religion and it also shows us the daily activities of the African people’s lives.

Another fact that these African ivories are made for European patrons and these patrons use them as prestige gifts is really interesting too. Cause it allows us to know that merchants and ruler in that era are full of power and riches. This tells us the earliest instance of cross-cultural interaction between Europeans and West Africans.

Catalog Entry for Artefact

Maria_Kannon

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon　

Dehua Kilns

Porcelain Statue

Height 14’/i in. (36.7 cm)

17th century

Tokyo National Museum

In 1549, missionaries brought Christianity to Japan. It soon became popular that Tokugawa Ieyasu began to fear that Christians were more loyal to their faith than his shogunate. In 1612, Christianity was banned in the country and whoever practiced it were persecuted, often with violence, and in the coming years was even fiercer. It was banned for over two centuries during the Tokugawa Era known as the Edo Period. Authorities were eager to eradicate this foreign religion that they executed and imprisioned thousands of Christians and ordered all families to register with local Buddhist parishes.

Thus to conceal their faith, Christian had to stay low profile and their faith had to be private. They were known as the Kakure Kirishitan, or Hidden Christians. Since then their faith was forced to go underground, and follower had to find private ways to practice it. In the mid-17th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin). These statues are known as Maria Kannon. Maria Kannon was made or altered to look like Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), however they were not worshipped as Kannon. This is for safety purposes for the Christian who practices their faith in secret. Part of their creation of the statues, they had many version of Maria Kannon that looks like Kannon ranging from “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, to Guanyin(Kannon) and Child of many different sizes. There are some that have a cross-hidden within the image or had a Christian icon hidden inside the body of the camouflaged artwork.

For instance, Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is depicted as one of Kannon feminine form Koyasu Kannon (子安観音) that means child giving and child rearing, which resemble “Byakue Kannon” in appearance but she is holding a child. If you look at it with a Christian point of view, doesn’t it feels like it is depicting Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. In addition to its white robe, according to Christianity, it represents purity and righteousness and served as a symbol of salvation. This statue is made white with Dehua white porcelain, which can be known as “hakugorai” or “Korean White Ware” in traditional Japanese. Based on the material used to make for this statue, it tells that instead of it being made in japan, it is produced in Dehua Kilns, known for their porcelain that is located in Fujian Province opposite the island of Taiwan. Therefore it shows that Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is imported to Japan for the hidden Christian’s underground use. The reason partly that Japanese uses such material is due to the fact that they associate very plain white with object for Japanese religious and ritual observance.

At the back of the statue, a hidden Christian cross can be found. This icon serve to conceal the Christian’s faith while they pretended to be Buddhist. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. Due to having such method it create a sense of relief for the follower as to the outsider it appeared Buddhist, whereas to the outlawed Christian, it appeared as an object of Christ faith. These secretive methods fool the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.

 

References & Further Reading:

Team 3: Individual Object Label – Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon (UPDATED)　

I had to change my object due to the lack of information that I can find for Maria Kannon with a cross on the chest. Thus I did another research that is also on Maria Kannon, but it focus towards Virigin Mary and Child. Here is the Updated Object Label:

Maria_Kannon

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon　マリア観音

(c. 17 Century)

Porcelain Statue­

In the mid-17th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy). It was made for safety to look like Kannon, however it is not worshipped as Kannon. They had many version of Maria Kannon that looks like Kannon ranging from “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, to Guanyin(Kannon) and Child of many different sizes.

Maria Kannon statues are usually place in a hidden room within their house, or in a cave or in the hidden woods that served as an altar for the Hidden Christians to pray. During this period of time, they had to live a double life—Buddhist in name, Christian in Belief.

For this statue it is depicted as one of Kannon feminine form Koyasu Kannon (子安観音) that means child giving and child rearing, which resemble “Byakue Kannon” in appearance but she is holding a child. By having her holding a child is to represent Virgin Mary with baby Jesus. In addition, its white robe it represents purity and righteousness and served as a symbol of salvation. A Christian cross is often hidden behind the statue to conceal the Christian’s faith while they pretended to be Buddhist.

This depiction gave the Hidden Christian a sense of relief as to the outsider it appeared Buddhist, while to the outlawed Christians; it doubled as an object of Christian faith. Thus this statue is used to fool the government and keeping their faith at the same time.

This statue is seized in Uragami, Nagasaki Prefecture,in 1856, Ming-Qing dynasty, 17th century. It was then preserved by the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office. Currently the statue is kept safely in Tokyo National Museum.

Team 3: Individual Object Label – Maria Kannon

27502501

Unknown

Maria Kannon　マリア観音

(c. 17 Century)

Metallic Statue­

It is a statue of the Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy). It was made to look like Kannon, however it is not worshipped as Kannon. A Christian cross over the statue neck is often hidden within the statue to conceal the Christian’s faith while they pretended to be Buddhist.