John Baptist Lambrechts (1680 – after 1731), Genre scene in an inn, oil on board, ca. mid-18th century.
An intimate genre scene, attributed to Flemish painter John Baptist Lambrechts. The center of the depiction is formed by three figures: a woman in a red skirt and green kaftan with a distinctive white scarf around her neck, a man in a red cap and a woman standing behind, who participates in the conversation. Next to her stands a set table, covered with a colorful cloth, on which the white shawl - a hallmark of inn scenes by Lambrechts - could not be missing. A gesticulating man addresses a woman who, with a glass in her hand, looks calmly at the viewer. On her shoulders is a white shawl tied over her breasts: an element characteristic of Lambrechts' painting, present in almost all his depictions of women.
The painting betrays the characteristics of a good painter's workshop such as skillfully developed chiaroscuro, the way of depicting the details of fabrics and tableware attest to the artist's technical maturity. The composition is static, but full of subtle emotional tensions.
John Baptist Lambrechts (1680 – after 1731), Genre scene in an inn, oil on board, ca. mid-18th century.
An intimate oil painting on board attributed to Jan Baptist Lambrechts, a leading painter of genre scenes of 18th-century Flanders. The composition shows a couple in an inn: the woman turns to the man reproachfully, the man looks away, holding a jug and a glass. The scene alludes to everyday domestic tensions and the problem of alcohol abuse. The painting is distinguished by realistic social observation, the play of light and the artist's characteristic details like a plate with clamshells and a white scarf. The subject matter and style are perfectly in line with the trend of moralistic bourgeois painting popular in Flanders.
Krishna, marble, India, 19th century.
A marble sculpture depicting Krishna in the form of Venu-Gopala, the divine shepherd playing the flute. The figure of the deity is depicted in the classical Indian canon of beauty known as Tribhanga (the triple bend of the body). The lines of the hips, chest, and neck form a dynamic, S-shaped curve. Krishna stands with his legs crossed at the ankles, resting his weight on his left foot while his right foot rests on its toes, which lends the composition a sense of lightness and grace. The hands are raised in front of the torso and were originally positioned to hold a flute. The deity’s face has a serene expression, with a gentle smile and almond-shaped eyes typical of traditional Indian iconography. The head is crowned with a tall crown adorned with a peacock feather motif (Mayur Pankh), one of Krishna’s most important attributes. The figure is dressed in a dhoti with schematically rendered folds. Two long, decorative garlands hang around the neck, one reaching the hips and the other the knees. These may represent a simplified depiction of the vaijayantimāli—a long floral garland traditionally associated with Vishnu and his avatar Krishna. The back of the figure is rendered in a more simplified manner, indicating that the object was intended to be placed directly against the altar wall or in a wall niche.
Dimensions: 40 cm (height) x 15 cm (width) x 8.5 cm (depth)
Weight: 4.1 kg
Krishna, marble, India, 19th century.
The sculpture depicts a full-figure image of the god Krishna in his most iconic, pastoral manifestation as Wenu-Gopal (playing the flute). The figure of the deity is framed in the classical Indian beauty canon of Tribhanga (triple bend of the body axis). The lines of the hips, chest and neck form a dynamic sigmoidal line. Krishna stands with her legs crossed at the ankles, resting her body weight on her left foot, while her right foot supports herself on her toes, giving the composition lightness and grace. The front and sides of the figure were developed with attention to the spatiality of pleats and jewelry. The back of the figure, the buttocks and the back of the halo are flat, crude and developed synthetically. This indicates that the object was intended to be placed directly against the altar wall or in a wall niche. The deity's face exudes serenity, with characteristic almond-shaped eyes and a gentle smile. The head is crowned with a high crown, which in the front part has preserved fragments of the original thick flake gilding. A tall peacock feather (Mayur Pankh) is carved on the left side of the crown. The head is surrounded by a monolithic, serrated nimbus. The deity is clad in a traditional, thickly creased dhoti, fastened at the hips with an ornamental belt with floral rosette motifs. A long, carved sash is slung across her back and shoulders.
Dimensions: 44 cm (height) x 14 cm (width) x 8 cm (depth)
Weight: 4.75 kg
Madonna and Child (Mother of God of Mariampole), woodcut on handmade paper, Poland, 18th/19th century.
Original Polish folk sacred woodcut from the late 18th or early 19th century, depicting the Virgin Mary with Child, also known as the Mother of God of Mariampole. The figure of Mary wearing a crown, surrounded by stars, holding the infant Jesus dressed in a red cloak, with a book in her hand with the inscription at the bottom "AIRAMS." The composition is static, simplified and symmetrical, typical of devotional prints widespread among the people.
Madonna and Child, polychrome wood, gilded, Central Europe, 18th/19th century
Polychrome and gilded wooden sculpture depicting the Immaculate Madonna with the Child Jesus. The figure stands on a globe entwined by a serpent – a classic motif symbolizing Mary's victory over sin and evil. The Madonna, in a richly folded cloak covered with gilding, holds the Child on her left side. The sculpture is colorful, full of expression and dynamism.
Mask of Shame – “Schandmaske,” Central Europe (Germany?), ca. 1550-1700
A rare and authentic example of the so-called mask of shame ( Schandmaske), forged from a single piece of iron. It resembles the face shield used in German-type Salada helmets with a movable shield. Like the shields in Salada helmets, it was a movable piece, fixed on two rivets, retained at temple level. Unlike helmet shields, the mask was made of thin sheet metal, with narrow eye openings that significantly limited the field of vision. The features that distinguish it from helmet shields are also the grotesquely depicted nose and the rather careless manner in which it was made. These features were related to its functionality - the mask was intended to attract attention and arouse pejorative associations with the person who wore it, rather than serve as protection during battle.
Medieval chess figure (chaser), bone, Scandinavia (?), 12th century.
A fragment of a medieval long bone figurine of an unspecified animal (probably a land mammal) in the form of a semi-plastic human figure. The head covered with a mitre was depicted in quite a detailed manner. On the chest there is a relief, pointed downward, which can be interpreted as an image of an ornamental belt constituting the hem of a chasuble. The lower part of the body (partially preserved) was probably entirely unornamented - smooth. At the back of the figure, the bone was heavily transformed: edges rounded, spongy structure preserved residually.
The figure is placed in a Plexiglas display on a base that is a reconstruction of its lower part.