[sotd] February 17, 2005 [Medieval Mystery]

        Site of the Day for Thursday, February 17, 2005

        Medieval Mystery

Gentle Subscribers with a taste for history and "whodunits" may find their
appetites whetted by this cleverly designed site from France's Musee des
Beaux-Arts and the American Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.
Posing the intriguing question of who was the "Master of the Embroidered
Foliage", the presentation attempts to track down the origin of this group
of paintings.

"In 1926 the German art historian Max Friedlander attributed a group of
late-fifteenth-century Netherlandish paintings of the Virgin Mary and
Christ Child in identical poses to an unknown artist whom he called the
"Master of the Embroidered Foliage." Friedlander likened the way that the
foliage was painted in these works to the repeated pattern of stitches in
embroidery, thus the unusual name for the artist. ... This exhibition
brings together three related paintings attributed to the Master of the
Embroidered Foliage from museums in Bruges, Lille, and Minneapolis. Using
modern scientific techniques and traditional art historical methods of
investigation we test Friedlander's hypothesis that these works are by the
same artist ..." - from the website

This web exhibit uses various techniques to highlight specific aspects of
three of this group of paintings. Mouseovers of the paintings throw into
relief various elements of the composition -- the figure of Mary, the Child
in her arms and the all-important background. The sections of Origins,
Relations and Meanings explore the similarities and the differences of
these works of art in attempt to definitively attribute them to a single
fifteenth century artist, as well as analyzing their relationship to each
other and the period of their creation. An interesting FAQ covers some
pertinent areas of the investigation.

Sleuth over to the site for a look at this intriguing medieval art mystery
at:

http://www.clarkart.edu/mystery/


  A.M. Holm
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