The Curated Object

Exhibitions Baltimore. The Art of the Writing Instrument from Paris to Persia. The Walters Art Museum. The Curated Object

Inkwell with Kufic and Naski Inscriptions, Artist: Muhammad ibn Abu Sahl al-Harawi (Iranian, active ca. 1200), Date (Period): ca. 1200 (Medieval) Medium: bronze, inlaid with silver and copper Measurements: H: 3 1/8 in. (8 cm) 

This inkwell is inscribed with invocations petitioning God's graces for the owner. One reads: "With joy, divine grace, fortune, spiritual integrity, piety." The sentiment of the inscribed prayers is appropriate for this ceremonial inkwell, which was likely used for writing official acts of state.

[Hamadan Treasure]; Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

The Art of the Writing Instrument from Paris to Persia

July 2-September 25, 2011

This focus show features writing instruments produced in cosmopolitan centers such as Paris, Isfahan and Kyoto. Every culture that values the art of writing has found ways to reflect the prestige and pleasure of writing through beautiful tools. Writing implements, such as pens, knives and scissors, as well as storage chests, pen-cases and writing desks, were often fashioned with precious materials: mother of pearl, gems, imported woods, gold and silver. Once owned by statesmen, calligraphers, wealthy merchants and women of fashion, these stunning objects highlight the ingenuity of the artists who created them and underline the centrality of the written word in the diverse cultures that produced them.

For more information please visit: The Walters Art Museum

Exhibitions London. Antiquity Restored: Sir John Soane’s Collection of models by Francois Fouquet. Sir John Soane's Museum. The Curated Object

Fortuna Virilis, Fouquet

 

Antiquity Restored: Sir John Soane’s Collection of models by Francois Fouquet

July 15 - September 23, 2011 

 A unique collection of 20 plaster restorations of the great buildings and monuments of ancient Greece and Rome made by the model maker and artist Francois Fouquet, who produced meticulously detailed and fragile plaster models for architects and collectors in Paris, from 1790 to 1830.  The technique Fouquet used in their creation is still a mystery and the size of Soane’s collection of Fouquet models is unrivalled, with few others known to have survived.

For more information please visit: Sir John Soane's Museum