#Early 17th Century

[artschoolglasses]

Moonstone Ring with a Carved Frog, Late 16th to Early 17th Century

From the London Museum

[ltwilliammowett]

Gold merchant ship signet ring, England, early 17th century

[life-imitates-art-far-more]

Simon Vouet (1590-1649) "Woman Playing a Guitar" (c. 1618) Oil on canvas Baroque Located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, United States

[jeannepompadour]

Portrait of a lady from the Arenberg family, possibly Isabelle Claire de Berlaymont by Guilliam van Deynum; early 17th century- before 1624

[karrova]

German School, early 17th Century

Vanitas Still Life

[desimonewayland]

The Ecstasy of Saint Francis, 1601

Giovanni Baglione, Italian, 1566–1643

Art Institute of Chicago

[royalty-nobility]

Anne of Denmark, 1574–1619

Artist: John de Critz (Flemish, 1551–1642)

Date: circa 1605

Medium: Oil on Panel

Collection: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, England

Anne of Denmark

Anne of Denmark (Danish: Anna; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619.

The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Anne married James at age 14. They had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his parents; Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen of Bohemia; and James's future successor, Charles I. Anne demonstrated an independent streak and a willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual respect and a degree of affection survived.

In England, Anne shifted her energies from factional politics to patronage of the arts and constructed her own magnificent court, hosting one of the richest cultural salons in Europe. After 1612, she had sustained bouts of ill health and gradually withdrew from the centre of court life. Though she was reported to have been a Protestant at the time of her death, she may have converted to Catholicism at some point in her life.

Some historians have dismissed Anne as a lightweight queen, frivolous and self-indulgent. However, 18th-century writers including Thomas Birch and William Guthrie considered her a woman of "boundless intrigue". Recent reappraisals acknowledge Anne's assertive independence and, in particular, her dynamic significance as a patron of the arts during the Jacobean age.

[theweirdbrunette]

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “sacred circle,” and they represent the universe, unity, harmony and wholeness.

They symbolize infinity and the never-ending quality of life and have been widely used for centuries by Buddhists, Hindus, American Indians and others who find significant meaning in them.

The history of the Mandala Art

The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, was born in the country known as Nepal today. Although his exact birth date is disputed, most historians believe he was born about 560 B.C.

Gautama left his kingdom soon after he gained awareness of human suffering. He did so to gain enlightenment via thoughtful action and meditation.

Gautama soon began preaching his philosophy across different parts of the country. Eventually, the first community of Buddhist monks was established. The monks traveled along the Silk Road, a network of routes connecting the East and the West. As a result, it allowed them to bring Buddhism to other lands.

These monks carried mandalas as they traveled, spreading the art form to other parts of Asia. While the earliest evidence of simple mandala art dates to the first century B. C., they appeared in regions such as Japan, China, and Tibet by the fourth century.

Mandala art– Symbolism

Some of the most commonly used symbols within mandalas include:

Sun – The sun represents the universe and carries symbolic meanings related to energy and life.

Lotus – This is a sacred flower in Buddhism and depicts balance and the human effort to reach enlightenment and spiritual awakening.

Triangles – Triangles facing upwards represent energy and action. The ones facing downward represent the pursuit of knowledge and creativity.

Bells – Bells are a symbolic representation of emptying the mind, creating space for the entrance of clarity and wisdom.

Eight-Spoked Wheel – The eight spokes of a wheel represent the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, which is a set of practices that allow rebirth and liberation

[artschoolglasses]

Death's Head Ring, gold, enamel, and diamond, Early 17th Century

From the London Museum

[ltwilliammowett]

Dutch Ships in a Gale, by Jan Porcellis, c. 1620

A three-masted merchant ship, possibly a fluyt, is shown, in the centre, labouring before a storm in an open sea. It is in convoy with two other vessels.

[life-imitates-art-far-more]

Georg Flegel (1566-1638) "Still-Life with Fried Eggs" (c. 1630-1638) Oil on beech wood

[jeannepompadour]

Portrait of Susanna van Meckema, 1600-1625

[bigsmallbigger]

Bartolommeo Mastroccio: Maria Euphrosyne Burgmeister, courtesan to Karl Ludwig IV, Prince-Elector of Mannheim

Schloß Flamseburg

[artssie]

Mary Magdalene in Meditation (1623) by Jusepe de Ribera

[desimonewayland]

Cupid Chastised, 1613

Bartolomeo Manfredi, Italian, 1582-1622

Art Institute of Chicago

[royalty-nobility]

Exchange Of The Two Princesses Of France And Spain On The Bidassoa River In Hendaye

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577 - 1640)

Date: 1615

Exchange of the Two princesses of France and Spain on the Bidassoa River in Hendaye is an Allegoric representation of the marriage between Anne of Austria and Louis XIII on one hand, and between Isabella of France (1602-1644) and Philip IV on the other.