Frits Scholten

This volume reveals the extraordinary artistry of the miniature boxwood carvings of the early 16th century―works so small they can fit in the palm of your hand. These ingeniously constructed, wonderfully detailed works depicting biblical scenes were made for private devotion and amusement. Presenting 60 statuettes, miniature altars, prayer nuts, rosaries, skulls and other pendants, Small Wonders is the first examination of these pocket-sized Late Gothic carvings from the Low Countries.
The show more techniques employed to transform these small objects into miniature worlds, teeming with life, have long defied comprehension. Now, through collaborative work by conservators at the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artists' secrets have been unlocked. The Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Metropolitan Museum of Art constitute the largest and most significant collections of late Medieval and Renaissance boxwood production; the Rijksmuseum possesses a prayer bead inscribed with its original owner’s name, together with its copper case and velvet pouch. A tiny triptych, a hinged bead carved inside and out, an opening coffin and skull with images worthy of Halloween, and a rosary given to King Henry VIII are among the approximately 40 marvelous carvings featured. These and other small wonders were specially photographed for this bulky miniature publication, gorgeously designed by Dutch designer Irma Boom, to fully reveal all their thrilling detail. show less

Voor mij zijn de 10 bronzen treurbeelden van het graf van de Bourgondische vorstin Isabella van Bourbon, 1476, één van de mooiste dingen die te bewonderen zijn in het Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Ze lijken erg statisch, maar hebben tegelijk een zeer grote expressiekracht. Dit boekje geeft goede achtergrondinformatie, ook over de ruimere traditie van de praalgraven, maar is nogal rommelig opgebouwd.

Tekst identiek aan De dreigende Liefde : een beeld van Falconet , verschenen bij Waanders, ZWolle, 2005.