#c2rmf

[yespat49]

Le trésor celte de Lavau (10)

Le mobilier funéraire d’une des plus importantes tombes celtiques découverte à ce jour en France, fait l’objet d’analyses dans les laboratoires du C2RMF à Paris. Un prodigieux chaudron de bronze de 200 litres, un torque et des bracelets en or, des éléments de ceinture précieux, des vaisselles de banquet, un couteau et son fourreau, les restes d’un char à deux roues… L’extraordinaire mobilier…

[nationallibraryofarmenia]

«Աղետների կառավարում» երկօրյա դասընթաց-վարժանքը՝ ՀԱԳ-ում

Հայաստանի ազգային գրադարանում տեղի ունեցավ «Աղետների կառավարում» երկօրյա դասընթաց-վարժանքը՝ ուղղված թղթային կրիչների պաշտպանությանը։ Դասընթացը նախատեսված էր մշակութային կազմակերպությունների մասնագետների և արտակարգ իրավիճակների ծառայությունների համար:

Ծրագիրն անցկացվեց ՀՀ ԿԳՄՍ նախարարության և Հայաստանում Ֆրանսիայի դեսպանության նախաձեռնությամբ, իրականացվեց «Պատմամշակութային ժառանգության գիտահետազոտական կենտրոն» ՊՈ��Կ-ի ու Ֆրանսիայի ժառանգության ազգային ինստիտուտի հետ համատեղ՝ Սարդարապատի հերոսամարտի հուշահամալիրում, Հայոց ազգագրության և ազատագրական պայքարի պատմության ազգային թանգարանում և Հայաստանի ազգային գրադարանում:

«Վարժանքը թույլ տվեց երկու տարբեր մասնագիտություններ ունեցող մարդկանց՝ հրշեջ փրկարարներին և մշակութային գործիչներին, համատեղ աշխատել՝ հանուն մեկ նպատակի, հասկանալ, թե ինչպես կարելի է աղետների կառավարումն ու մշակութային արժեքների փրկումն անել համատեղ: Բնականաբար, փրկարարները կատարում են իրենց աշխատանքը, բայց հաճախ չգիտեն, թե այս կամ այն մշակութային նմուշների հետ ինչպես պետք է վարվել, իսկ մշակութային գործիչները ծանոթ չեն լինում փրկարարների աշխատանքի դժվարություններին»,- ըստ ՀՀ ԿԳՄՍ նախարարության կայքի՝ նշել է Ֆրանսիայի թանգարանների հետազոտությունների և վերականգնման կենտրոնի (C2RMF) կանխարգելիչ պահպանության ծրագրերի ղեկավար, Ֆրանսիայի «Կապույտ վահան» կազմակերպության նախագահ Մարի Կուրսելոն:

2022-ի հուլիսից մինչև 2023 դեկտեմբեր իրականացվող ծրագիրը նպատակ ունի աջակցելու Հայաստանի մշակութային ժառանգության պահպանության գործընթացներին, ոլորտի մասնագետների կարողությունների զարգացմանը, ինչպես նաև թանգարանային ու գրադարանային քաղաքականության իրականացմանը և զարգացմանը:

[buyofficialpainting]

The Enigma of La Joconde Nue: Unveiling the Mystery Behind the Art

The art world never ceases to amaze, with its countless secrets, hidden meanings, and the ability to captivate audiences across centuries. Amidst the vast repertoire of artistic brilliance, there exists a tantalizing mystery that continues to bewitch art enthusiasts worldwide: La Joconde Nue or The Mona Lisa Nude.

"La Joconde Nue," or "The Nude Mona Lisa," as it is commonly referred to, is a charcoal sketch thought to be a work of Leonardo da Vinci's studio or perhaps the master himself. This masterpiece, bearing a striking resemblance to the iconic Mona Lisa, is currently housed in the Condé Museum in Chantilly, France.

The allure of this masterpiece lies not only in its audacious depiction of the enigmatic woman but also in its mystery. Is it really the handiwork of Leonardo, or is it a piece created by one of his pupils under his tutelage? These unanswered questions make La Joconde Nue a captivating piece of art history.

A Closer Examination

The first glance at La Joconde Nue presents an unclothed woman in a pose reminiscent of the famed Mona Lisa. The subject possesses the same mysterious smile, the same captivating eyes. But unlike the Mona Lisa, her body is exposed, not hidden behind layers of Renaissance attire.

Art historians and critics alike argue that the intimate nudity displayed in La Joconde Nue humanizes the Mona Lisa. It strips away the layers of enigma, presenting her in a more relatable light. Her bare form makes her feel less like an untouchable, idealized figure, and more like a real woman, with curves and softness, bringing out a certain vulnerability and realness that the Mona Lisa seems to lack.

Controversy and Expert Opinions

For centuries, the origin of La Joconde Nue has been a matter of debate. In 2019, a group of experts from the Louvre and the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France (C2RMF) analyzed the piece using state-of-the-art technology. The researchers identified stylistic similarities and certain left-handed hatching patterns consistent with Leonardo's work, suggesting that the piece could have been created by Leonardo himself, or at least by his right-hand man.

However, the debate is far from over, as many experts hold differing opinions. The ambiguity surrounding its origins doesn't take away from the artwork's beauty or intrigue but instead adds another layer to its appeal. 

A Window to Renaissance Ideals

Apart from the controversy, La Joconde Nue offers a unique perspective into the ideas of beauty during the Renaissance period. The depiction of the female form is a manifestation of the time's beauty ideals, exuding a sense of serene beauty, grace, and humanistic realism. Her pose and demeanor echo the Renaissance philosophy that celebrated human form and experience.

The intrigue surrounding La Joconde Nue also speaks volumes about our fascination with the Mona Lisa and her cryptic expression. We're drawn to her, searching for answers in her eyes, her smile, and now, through the exploration of her form in La Joconde Nue.In conclusion, La Joconde Nue is not just a painting but a fascinating tale of mystery, intrigue, and an enduring testament to the timeless allure of the Mona Lisa. Regardless of who the actual artist was, the piece stands as an intriguing chapter in the vast narrative of art history, forever enshrouded in enigma and fascination.

[cheminer-poesie-cressant]

.

peindre voile après voile les contours jusqu'à l'estompe, dissoudre la radicalité des limites

peindre voile après voile le visage

les contours de chairs jusqu'à la transparence, non pas la beauté mais l'évanouissement de la beauté

.

© Pierre Cressant

(dimanche 1 avril 2012, exposition Léonard de Vinci, le visage de La Sainte Anne, 1503-1519, Louvre)

[existential-celestial]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCYm8wYBQNX/

ARTxLIT: Hozier x Gustave Coubert —

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I’ll crawl home to her

Hozier, from “Work Song”

original edit; L'Homme blessé (The Wounded Man) by Gustave Courbet (1844–1854) and its X-Ray image by C2RMF — using X-ray fluorescence, L'Homme blessé was found to be reworked twice. restorers discovered that a woman once lay on the artist’s shoulder, but then ten years later–perhaps, after the relationship had ended–the private contentedness between the artist and his lover had been replaced by a sword and a bloodstain from a wound on his chest. (at Musée d'Orsay)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

There's a particle accelerator in the Louvre's basement

Three basement levels of the Louvre are given over to the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF), which provides research and restoration services to France's 1,200+ art museums and galleries.

C2RMF operates a 27m long particle accelerator called AGLAE that can bring particles up to 20% of the speed of light; the instrument is used to solve mysteries by determining which elements are present in artworks -- for example, determining whether a piece of antique Venetian glass sculpture really came from Venice.

Science journalist Annie Minhoff, who co-hosts the Undiscovered podcast, got to tour the AGLAE facility as part of a science-journalist's junket put on by the Association des Journalistes scientifiques. Her Twitter thread on the trip is a charming delight, including the note that "every single person I heard from on this tour, from the AGLAE engineer to the director of this whole shebang, was a woman" and a photo of the "weird sculpture the AGLAE engineers made out of spare accelerator parts."

https://boingboing.net/2019/07/09/aglae.html

[imwd2030]

Le Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France @C2RMF overseeing the evacuation of 18 grands tableaux from #NotreDame, avec les services des monuments historiques, des musées de France, @MuseeLouvre, sociétés Chenue et Bovis & 11 conservators. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxU-HaZF_xT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=p7vb2xxrno31

[eucanthos]

Leonardo da Vinci   (1452 - 1519)

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

Mona Lisa, created between 1503 and 1517. Digital Restoration 2014. -Modified version of Mona Lisa, Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France

The Prado museum's 2012 restoration from DaVinci's apprentice revealed the original 1517 colour. By morphing the apprentice's portrait and background an accurate colour restoration is possible. Eyebrows are added back 50%. Additional varnish/crack removal was applied to the C2RMF Mona Lisa. By Daniel Voshart.

[giancarlonicoli]

8 apr 2021 13:20

MBS, T’HANNO RIFILATO LA CROSTA! – LO STATO FRANCESE SAPEVA DAL 2018 CHE IL “SALVATOR MUNDI” ERA UN FALSO E CHE NON ERA POSSIBILE ATTRIBUIRLO A LEONARDO! LO CONFERMA UN DOCUMENTARIO CHE VERRÀ TRASMESSO DALLA TV FRANCESE LA PROSSIMA SETTIMANA – NELL’APRILE DEL 2018, BIN SALMAN FU ACCOLTO IN POMPA MAGNA DA MACRON PER FIRMARE ALCUNI ACCORDI COMMERCIALI DA DIVERSI MILIARDI DI EURO. E NEI COLLOQUI SI PARLÒ ANCHE DEL QUADRO, RIMASTO TRE MESI AL LOUVRE PER ESSERE ANALIZZATO E… – L'ASTA GONFIATA A 450 MILIONI, LE RICOSTRUZIONI E IL LIBRO DI PANZA

-

1 – L’ASTA DEL “SALVATOR MUNDI” (COME IPOTIZZATO ANCHE DA DAGOSPIA) FU GONFIATA AD HOC FINO A 450 MILIONI DI DOLLARI PER FAR TRANSITARE UNA PACCATA DI SOLDI DA MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN A TRUMP ATTRAVERSO LA SOCIETA’ ISRAELIANA DI FAKE-NEWS “PSY-GROUP” E, DA QUESTA, A CAMBRIDGE-ANALYTICA - I DUE CONTENDENTI DELL’ASTA, BIN SALMAN E L’EMIRO DI ABU DHABI (DOVE IL QUADRO NON E’ MAI STATO ESPOSTO) ERANO D’ACCORDO - LO RIVELANO IL PRODUCER ISRAELIANO ZEV SHALEV E LA GIORNALISTA INVESTIGATIVA TRACIE MCELROY. UN NUOVO CAPITOLO DOPO IL LIBRO DI PIERLUIGI PANZA “L’ULTIMO LEONARDO”

https://www.dagospia.com/rubrica-3/politica/rsquo-asta-ldquo-salvator-mundi-rdquo-come-ipotizzato-anche-192462.htm

2 – FAKE ART: CHE DIO CI SALVI DAL SALVATOR MUNDI DI LEONARDO DA VINCI - IL QUADRO PIÙ COSTOSO DEL MONDO, BATTUTO ALL’ASTA PER 450 MILIONI DI DOLLARI, È UNA SAPIENTE CROSTA ACQUISTATA DAL SOLITO SCEICCO SCIOCCO CHE LO DEPOSITERÀ AL LOUVRE DI ABU DHABI – PIERLUIGI PANZA RICOSTRUISCE IN UN LIBRO L’AVVENTUROA STORIA DI UN QUADRO EFFETTIVAMENTE ESISTITO – DAGOSPIA DEL 27 AGOSTO 2018

https://m.dagospia.com/fake-art-che-dio-ci-salvi-dal-salvator-mundi-di-leonardo-da-vinci-il-quadro-piu-costoso-del-mondo-181643

3 - ARABI FREGATI: I FRANCESI SAPEVANO CHE L’OPERA NON ERA DI DA VINCI

Mauro Zanon per "Libero quotidiano"

Il quadro più costoso della storia, il “Salvator Mundi”, acquistato dal principe saudita Mohammed Bin Salman per 450 milioni di dollari, non è attribuibile a Leonardo da Vinci. È quanto anticipato al settimanale parigino L’Obs da Antoine Vitkine, autore del documentario Salvator Mundi, la stupéfiante affaire du dernier Vinci, che verrà trasmesso su France 5 il prossimo 13 aprile.

Il documentario, frutto di un’inchiesta di due anni, rivela che lo Stato francese era consapevole fin dal 2018 che si trattava di un falso. Nell’aprile del 2018, Bin Salman è accolto in pompa magna a Parigi da Emmanuel Macron perfirmare alcuni accordi commerciali da diversi miliardi di euro.

Ma secondo quanto sussurrato a Vitkine da una fonte interna dell’alta amministrazione francese, anche il “Salvator Mundi” figura nel menù dei colloqui. I sauditi chiedono alla Francia l’expertise del dipinto in gran segreto. E Parigi accetta. Nel giugno 2018, al C2RMF, ossia il centro specializzato nell’analisi delle opere d’arte situato nel complesso del Louvre, arriva il “Salvator Mundi”.

«È rimasto tre mesi al Louvre per essere analizzato. È passato attraverso ogni sorta di macchina ed è stato esaminato da cima a fondo», ha confermato al regista francese un’altra fonte. Nel settembre 2018, per colui che vuole trasformare l’Arabia Saudita nel nuovo crocevia culturale del pianeta, il verdetto è spietato: l’analisi ha mostrato che è un falso, che «Leonardo ha soltanto contribuito al quadro. Non c’è alcun dubbio. Abbiamo informato i sauditi», secondo le parole pronunciate da una delle fonti di Vitkine.

Il 17 settembre 2018, il mondo della diplomazia culturale è infibrillazione: al Louvre di Abu Dhabi, il “Salvator Mundi” verrà esposto per la prima volta in pubblico dopo la vendita da Christie’s. Ma all’ultimo minuto, senza spiegazione, l’evento viene annullato. Come raccontato dall’Obs, Bin Salman, che non vuole passare per colui che ha speso 450 milioni di dollari per un falso e farsi umiliare agli occhi del mondo, punta sulla grande mostra dedicata a Da Vinci che il Louvre prepara per la fine del 2019.

Secondo la fonte interna dell’alta amministrazione francese Salman avrebbe chiesto di «esporre il “Salvator Mundi” accanto alla “Gioconda” e di presentarlo come un “Da Vinci al 100%”», e non con le formule «attribuito a Da Vinci» o «Leonardo e il suo atelier», quest’ultima vicina alle conclusioni dell’expertise del Louvre. Stando ad alcuni rumors l’opera si troverebbe a bordo del “Serene”,lo yacht del principe saudita. Più verosimilmente, riposa nella cassaforte di una banca.

[banuguler]

Ancient Egyptian astrological tablets discovered in Grand, France, dated to the end of the 2nd century. 

“The four elephant ivory tablets were connected two by two, hence the term diptych. The sky chart and the zodiac were protected by a zipper cover system. Rectangular in shape, each diptych measures 29 x 19 cm. The drawings, engraved with a chisel and a gouge in ivory, were enhanced with colors that have been studied recently by the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France (C2RMF). Different types of lighting (visible light, ultra-violet), as well as the chemical analysis of the pigments still present on the surface of the tablets, made it possible to characterize the remains of the original rich polychromy: vermilion red, galena black, yellow orpiment and gold leaf, especially at the level of the stars.” (Musées Grand Est)

[labioaulabo]

Marine Petit, post-doctorante en virologie

Bonjour à tous !

Je m’appelle Marine Petit, je suis docteure en Virologie et j’effectue actuellement mon post-doctorat dans le laboratoire du Dr. Shah à l’Université de Californie, Davis. Mon post-doctorat porte sur la compréhension des interactions entre les protéines virales et la cellule hôte. Plus précisément j’étudie comment les flavivirus inhibent la réponse immunitaire.

Retrouvez ses tweets ici !

Parcours personnel :

Pour moi tout a commencé durant mon stage de 3ème… A l’époque (et encore maintenant…) j’étais passionnée d’histoire et je rêvais de travailler au Louvre. J’ai eu l’immense chance de pouvoir effectuer mon stage d’observation au sein du Laboratoire du Louvre (C2RMF) et là j’ai découvert la recherche et mieux encore le travail de chercheur. Bim Bam Boum © coup de foudre j’avais trouvé ma vocation. Enfin c’est vite dit car il me fallait encore trouver le domaine.

A partir de ce moment j’ai exploré pas mal de pistes pour finalement me focaliser sur la biologie, domaine qui m’intriguait le plus. Ainsi après un bac S, je me suis inscrite en Licence Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire au sein de l’Université Paris 7 –Diderot.

Voulant poursuivre en doctorat de Virologie, j’ai continué mon parcours universitaire en Master Infectiologie de Paris 7 en partenariat avec l’Institut Pasteur de Paris, et je me suis spécialisé en virologie fondamentale en master 2.

Mon stage de master 2 avait pour sujet l’importation nucléaire du génome du VIH, et malheureusement ce ne fut pas une expérience positive pour moi, principalement à cause de ma relation avec le chef du laboratoire. Ainsi j’ai su très tôt que je ne ferais pas mon doctorat dans ce laboratoire, et je suis partie à la recherche d’un nouveau laboratoire. J’ai ainsi découvert différents laboratoires et sujets de recherche tous très intéressants, au final mon choix s’est porté sur l’unité virus et interférence ARN dirigée par le Dr. Saleh à l’Institut Pasteur. Mon sujet de thèse : l’implication des piARNs (petits ARNs associés aux protéines PIWI) dans la réponse antivirale chez la drosophile. J’ai passé trois belles années dans ce laboratoire (avec des hauts et des bas comme pour tous les thésards). Puis en Septembre 2016 j’ai obtenu le graal, mon diplôme de docteure, et là, la vie de chercheur a réellement commencé :  trouver un post-doc, déterminer dans quel(s) domaine(s) je souhaitais poursuivre, ce que je voulais apprendre comme technique(s) etc… Cela m’a pris un an avant de trouver le post-doc qui me convenait.

 Ma recherche :

Mon projet de post-doctorat cherche à comprendre comment les virus de la famille des Flavivirus transmis par des vecteurs arthropodes (moustiques/tiques) détournent à leur profits différents mécanismes de la cellule hôte. L’étude de ces mécanismes est essentielle pour une meilleure compréhension de la réplication virale et le développement de nouvelles thérapies. Actuellement, nous connaissons plusieurs mécanismes permettant aux Flavivirus de contrer la réponse immunitaire innée et d’améliorer leur réplication virale.

Mon projet vise à comprendre les mécanismes moléculaires de deux interactions virus cellules (NS5-PAF1C et NS3-TTC37). Je développe actuellement une approche couplant l’utilisation d’outils d’édition du génome (CRISPR-Cas9) et d’outils de protéomiques afin de déterminer le rôle de ces interactions dans le cycle viral et l’échappement à la réponse immunitaire. 

Chez les organismes vertébrés le complexe PAF1C apparaît comme un acteur émergent de la réponse immunitaire antivirale. Au sein de la cellule PAF1C orchestre l'élongation de l’ADN durant l’étape de transcription. PAF1C est notamment responsable de l'expression des gènes essentiels à la vie cellulaire et des gènes de réponse au stress. Les données préliminaires de mon laboratoire montrent que la protéine NS5 du virus de la Dengue peut bloquer la transcription des gènes exprimés lors d’un stress cellulaire comme par exemple une infection virale. Cette interaction inhiberait ainsi la réponse immunitaire antivirale de la cellule infectée.

En plus de cette interaction entre NS5 et PAF1C, les travaux du Dr. Shah montrent que d’autres protéines cellulaires tel que TTC37, un des partenaires de PAF1C serait des acteurs important durant l’infection virale. L’interaction entre TTC37 et la protéine NS3 du virus de la Dengue permettrait une meilleure réplication du virus au sein de la cellule infectée.

Ainsi, les facteurs hôte impliqués dans des processus étroitement liés à l'expression des gènes cellulaire pourraient servir au virus à se prémunir ou à exploiter le système immunitaire de l’hôte afin d’améliorer sa réplication.

En étudiant ces interactions à la fois chez les vertébrés et chez les arthropodes, nous nous attendons à améliorer et élargir la compréhension des détournements du système cellulaire causé par les Flavivirus, ainsi que les mécanismes moléculaires qui régulent ces interactions. Ces connaissances sont primordiales étant donné l’émergence et la réémergence de nombreux Flavivirus transmis par des arthropodes (Zika, Dengue, West Nile etc...) causant de sévères maladies chez l’être humain.

[arteforms]

Thomas Struth, AGLAE, C2RMF, Paris, 2013

[sciencespies]

Origins Of Aztec And Inca Obsidian Mirrors Revealed Through Scientific Analyses

https://sciencespies.com/news/origins-of-aztec-and-inca-obsidian-mirrors-revealed-through-scientific-analyses/

Origins Of Aztec And Inca Obsidian Mirrors Revealed Through Scientific Analyses

Obsidian mirror which once belonged to Dr John Dee ( 1527 1608 ), Thought to be part of the treasure brought back from Mexico by Cortes. A scryer, gazing into the mirror would see clouds of smoke which would part to reveal a vision hence the name

Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Two new trace element analyses have taken a fresh look at obsidian mirrors crafted by Inca and Aztec artisans. Obsidian was most often used by peoples around the world to make flaked stone tools such as prismatic blades and arrow heads, yet with special care the glassy material can also be polished smooth to create remarkable objects. To stare into the depths of a polished obsidian mirror, is to step into a world of inky black reflections that seems to never end.��This shadowy world has spurred centuries of speculation and occult fascination surrounding pre-Columbian obsidian mirrors. At long last, material scientists are shining some light into that world.

In the most recent issue of the journal Latin American Antiquity, Thomas Colligaro and his colleagues published a paper on their study of an alleged Inca obsidian mirror in the collections of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. It had long been presumed that this mirror was part of a shipment of spoils sent from Mexico to the Emperor Charles V of Spain by the conquistador Hernán Cortez, which was then intercepted by a French privateer.  A thorough document review by the researchers, however, suggested that the mirror may instead have been collected by a French expedition to Ecuador in the mid-18th century. 

To confirm their documentary findings, the researchers carried out a particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of the mirror in order to identify trace elements found in the object’s mineral structure. By comparing the trace elements found in the mirror with the characteristics of known obsidian sources, the researchers attempted to trace where the original raw material had been collected. With the presence of small amounts of manganese, rubidium, and zirconium found in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle’s mirror, Colligaro and his colleagues were able to rule out all known Mexican sources of obsidian. Instead, the composition of the mirror more closely resembled two obsidian deposits found in Ecuador. 

PIXE analysis of the obsidian mirror held by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (No. 176.101).

D. Vigears/C2RMF

Thus, the combined documentary evidence and trace element analysis strongly suggest that the object originated in Ecuador. Whether or not it was ever associated with the Inca empire, is more difficult to say. An 18th century note accompanying the mirror stated that it had been found “in the tombs of the Incas in Peru,” but by the time the mirror was collected by the French expedition, the Inca empire had long since dissolved in the face of European epidemic diseases and colonial occupation.

A second obsidian mirror, held by the British Museum in London, presents us with yet more intrigue. While the British Museum’s mirror has long been assumed to have originated in Mexico, it is more famously associated with a man named John Dee. Dee was a 16th century astrologer and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. It is alleged that Dee used his Aztec mirror to peer through the veil into the spirit world beyond. 

Yet even a court magician’s magic mirror can give up its secrets to scientific analyses. In a recent conference presentation, Yaroslav Kuzmin reported the results of an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer analysis carried out on Dee’s mirror. In this case, the object’s Mexican origin was confirmed with the trace elemental composition matching an obsidian source found at the site of Pachuca in central Mexico. 

Photo of archaeologist Elizabeth Healey with John Dee’s obsidian Mirror.

Yaroslav Kuzmin

How this mirror came into Dee’s possession, however, is still not fully understood. Kuzmin notes that Dee was well connected with political and intellectual leaders, and in particular that “he was acquainted with sir William Pickering, the British ambassador to the court of Emperor Charles V.”  Thus, setting aside how the mirror made it from Mexico to Europe, it may have come to Dee via the ambassador; but, Kuzmin adds that “we cannot exclude the fact that British pirates intercepted a Spanish caravan of ships with gold and jewels from Mexico.”

While Dee’s interest in the esoteric powers of this obsidian mirror would have undoubtedly been stoked by the object’s foreign origin, we know that the Aztec themselves also placed great ritual importance on these objects. Obsidian mirrors were closely associated with the deity Tezcatlipoca, whose name translates as “Smoking Mirror.” In depictions of the deity, one of his feet is typically replaced with an image of a circular obsidian mirror, not dissimilar from the mirror in the British Museum’s collection.

(Eingeschränkte Rechte für bestimmte redaktionelle Kunden in Deutschland. Limited rights for specific editorial clients in Germany.) prehispanic america, high culture regions, mexico, mesoamerica: art objects, religion: Codex Borgia (Aztec/Mixtec,

ullstein bild via Getty Images

The scientific analyses of both mirrors provide precise insight into where the raw materials originated. Such analyses are vital to fill in the gaps left behind by the documentary record. Yet, ultimately it is only with the documentary record that we can come to some understanding of what these objects meant to the people who held them in their own hands.  Shadow filled obsidian reflections can beguile all of our minds, but careful comparisons between humanistic and scientific sources of information will always reveal a clearer picture.

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[thegazeofaparisienne]

Rayons ✖️ rayons gamma... accélérateur de particules.. On ne se doute pas que sous nos pieds il existe un endroit très secret dans le jardin des Tuileries 🌳 avec des machines ultra sophistiquées, il s’agit du C2RMF ou Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France 🇫🇷 @c2rmf j’y étais hier pour y découvrir la nouvelle acquisition du @museematissenord du Cateau-Cambrésis, « La Pourvoyeuse », une copie de l’œuvre de Jean Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, qui sera présentée lors de l’exposition de novembre « DEVENIR MATISSE » Le jeune peintre 🎨passait des journées au Louvre à copier les Maîtres lorsqu’il étudiait dans l’atelier de Gustave Moreau @museegustavemoreau . Une belle histoire ce tableau a été offert par Madame Matisse en remerciement à la famille de Jeannine Bauzou pour l’avoir hébergée pendant la 2nde guerre mondiale. 1Jardin des #tuileries #sculpture #maillol 📸 @laprussienneparisienne 2 #matisse « la pourvoyeuse » 3 radiographie du tableau 4-5 le C2RMF 6 toit en verre sous les Tuileries 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 #thegazeofaparisienne #expoparis #jardindestuileries #anniversaire #girlsinmuseums #henrimatisse #museematisse #masterpiece #chefdoeuvre #whatisee #whatiseenow #visitparis #quefaireaparis (à C2RMF, site Carrousel) https://www.instagram.com/flo_thegazeofaparisienne/p/ByZdHYNo0XH/?igshid=19q1l918nz0e4

[caveartfair]

Leonardo da Vinci may have sketched the “Nude Mona Lisa,” new analysis suggests.

Studio of Leonardo da Vinci, Monna Vanna, c. 1503. Image by Emiliano M. Aguilera, via Wikimedia Commons.

The so-called “Nude Mona Lisa,” a large drawing of a nude sitter with strong resemblances to Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic and enigmatic portrait painting Mona Lisa (1503–06), has long been attributed to Leonardo’s studio. However, new analysis of the drawing at the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France (C2RMF), whose labs are located beneath the Louvre Museum, suggests that the sketch, formally known as Monna Vanna (c. 1503), may have largely been Leonardo’s handiwork.

“There is a very strong possibility that Leonardo did most of the drawing,” Mathieu Deldicque, a curator at the Musée Condé (which owns the sketch and is housed in the Château de Chantilly north of Paris), told the AFP. The new analysis, undertaken in anticipation of this year’s celebration of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, found “left-handed charcoal marks pretty much everywhere,” according to Deldicque, suggesting the famously left-handed Leonardo was involved in the drawing’s execution, though other parts of it were likely done by a right-handed apprentice.

The attribution of Monna Vanna has long been a subject of speculation. When it was acquired by the son of King Louis-Philippe, the Duc d’Aumale, in 1862, the drawing was attributed to Leonardo. “We are sure of nothing, and if Leonardo participated, it’s not for all the drawing, but for some parts of it,” Deldicque told the New York Times in 2017, when it was first sent to C2RMF for study.

Further Reading: When Jackie Kennedy Brought the Mona Lisa to America, Paris Rioted

from Artsy News

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Laughing at the Jokes on Ancient Greek Vases

Greek, Attic, attributed to the Berlin Painter, Red-figure volute-krater: A, Achilles and Hektor; B, Achilles and Memnon, ca 490 BCE, ceramic, the British Museum (© the Trustees of the British Museum, image courtesy of the Princeton University Art Museum)

PRINCETON, NJ — Too many Greek vase jokes are lost in translation. For example, this duel between Achilles and Hector looks serious. But tragicomic ironies abound in ancient epic. The Trojan war started over a woman — Helen of Troy — and before this particular duel, Achilles chased a frightened Hector around the city three times before he would finally face him. That’s not exactly courageous, is it? The Princeton University Art Museum’s show The Berlin Painter and His World: Athenian Vase-Painting in the Early Fifth Century BC is not only the most important vase painting show in years, it’s also an opportunity to laugh with the ancients.

The Berlin Painter is a pseudonym. A scholar coined it after a masterpiece in a Berlin museum, whose style is strikingly similar to numerous other pieces. It became evident that the same artist or workshop made them all. Detractors gripe we’re encumbering ancient potters with a fictitious name and the modern baggage of artistic genius. But it’s robotic to rattle off anonymous Greek painters numbers 1 through 17, so let Berlin have this.

At Princeton, the exhibition’s introductory wall text doesn’t let on to the humor. “The Berlin Painter and His World is a celebration of ancient Greece and of the ideals of reason, proportion, and human dignity that are its legacy.” This doesn’t exactly live up to its own ideal of reason. It was never the goal of the Berlin Painter to leave a legacy to edify and dignify a future he never fathomed. Nor did he create his objects for museums to enlighten visitors. He made them for ancient symposia, which were far more debaucherous and playful than modern ones.  

In her catalogue essay, archaeologist Jenifer Neils lucidly explains the indulgent symposium:

Two prevalent institutions of Archaic Athens played a significant role in the imagery of vase-painting: the symposium and pederasty. Held in the andron, or men’s dining room, the symposium was an all-male entertainment that took place in the evening and consisted of drinking wine, conversing, playing music, singing, dancing, competing in drinking games (e.g. kottabos), and reveling on the way home (komos). Reclining on couches (klinai), the drinkers were served by young boys and entertained by flute girls and courtesans and/or prostitutes (hetairai). Because the majority of Attic vase shapes were used in the symposium… their imagery often illustrates these activities.

For example, one work in the show features an image of Herakles reclining and drinking, which can help us to envision the original, imbibing viewers of these ceramic vessels.

Greek, Attic, attributed to the Berlin Painter, Red-figure bell-krater: A, Herakles; B, Satyr, ca 500–490 BCE, ceramic, Paris, Louvre Museum, Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities (© C2RMF / Anne Chauvet, image courtesy Princeton University Art Museum)

Two recent books from Cambridge University Press take up the enduring humor of Greek ceramics, examining how comic imagery on vases and pots punctuated this debauchery. Alexandre Mitchell’s Greek Vase Painting and the Origins of Visual Humor and David Walsh’s Distorted Ideals in Greek Vase Paintings: the World of Mythological Burlesque allude to a sea change in how a new generation of scholars is approaching these artifacts. Many of the scenes depicted functioned like Saturday Night Live skits, offering comic relief to onlookers as they indulged.

For example, Zeus, not pictured, lusts after Ganymede, pictured below, in one object on view. It’s not just funny because it’s gay, it’s funny because it’s Zeus. Imagine if the leader of the gods was a sex addict and, like Bill Clinton, he always got away with it. How reassuring Zeus must have been to carousing men in symposia scheming to get away with cheating, too.

Greek, Attic, attributed to the Berlin Painter, Red-figure bell-krater: A, Ganymede; B, Zeus, ca 500–490 BCE, ceramic, Paris, Louvre Museum, Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities (© RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY; image courtesy Prince University Art Museum)

But there is also a formal, visual joke at play on the Ganymede vase itself. Zeus is on one side, not pictured, while Ganymede is on the other, shown above. Zeus, like so many of us, wants what he doesn’t have, or, in his exceptional case, what he doesn’t have yet. He’s Zeus and he gets whatever he wants, eventually.

Another work in the exhibition tells the darkly funny story of Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Eos has the hots for Tithonus, so she asked Zeus to grant Tithonus immortality. The king of the gods threw her a bone and made it so. but there was a catch: Eos forgot to ask for Tithonus to remain eternally young, and so that poor man aged and aged but never keeled over.

Greek, Attic, attributed to the Berlin Painter, Red-figure amphora of Type A: A, Athena; B, Herakles, ca 500–490 BCE, ceramic, Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig (image courtesy Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig; image courtesy Princeton University Art Museum)

At first glance, some objects don’t seem especially comic or sexual, like the large vase depicting Athena pictured above. But who is telling Athena’s story? Sanitized Victorian versions pay us no favors when trying to access the mythological burlesque of this vase’s first viewers. Did Athena disfigure Medusa because she had sex in a temple? The beautiful Medusa was actually raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Or was it because Athena was jealous that Medusa was as beautiful or — daresay — more beautiful than her? When Athena put Medusa’s head on her shield, was she warning other beautiful women? It’s an open question what Athena meant to ancient Greek viewers. We need to be vigilant that we don’t conflate loftier 19th-century allegories of divine wisdom with a  goddess who was jealous, capricious, and wrathful in source texts.

“For the gods too love a joke,” Socrates once quipped. The gods on these vases laughed. The capriciousness and levity of these pagans gods are far cries from the seriousness with which we approach Yahweh, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, and other deities today. We miss out on this humor when we don’t honor these ancient tricksters by approaching their iconography as playfully as the men drinking at the symposia where these vessels were first used. Don’t mute the echo of this laughter when you visit Princeton for this exhibition.

The Berlin Painter and His World: Athenian Vase-Painting in the Early Fifth Century BC is on view at the Princeton University Art Museum (Elm Drive, Princeton, New Jersey) through June 11.

The post Laughing at the Jokes on Ancient Greek Vases appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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