Trinity Sunday at the Met

Scenes from the Life of St. Augustine of Hippo, ca. 1490, oil, gold, and silver on wood, Master of St. Augustine (Netherlandish, active ca. 1490)

After attending the Traditional Latin Mass in Brooklyn on Trinity Sunday, we made our way into Manhattan for an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Looking to avoid the throng of people and din from the Israeli Day Parade along Fifth Avenue, we took a quieter, more verdant path through Central Park before arriving at the museum.

Bronze statue of Christopher Columbus (1892) by Jeronimo Suñol
and the Naumburg Bandshell (1862) in Central Park

Our first stop was Gothic by Design: The Dawn of Architectural Draftsmanship, a fascinating exhibition centered on the drawings, plans, and design fragments behind the great Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe. Rather than focusing solely on finished cathedrals, the exhibit revealed the careful planning, symbolism, and craftsmanship that first gave shape to those soaring structures.

(L) Covered Chalice, late 15th century, gilded silver, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and crystals, unidentified Spanish artist (active Toledo, 15th century). (R) The Last Supper, ca. 1500-1530, limestone, traces of polychromy, unidentified German or South Netherlandish artist (16th century)

Fragment of the Tomb Slab of Maurice de Poissy, ca. 1339,
limestone, unidentified French artist (14th century)

(L) Morse, before 1487, partially gilded silver, Reinecke vam Dressche (German, active 1459-93). (R) Censer, before 1477, raised and cast silver, unidentified Swiss artist (active Basel, 15th century), and Tower Monstrance, ca.1450, gilded silver, unidentified German artist (active Cologne, 15th century)

Volute with Carved Leafwork, late 15th century Oak with traces of polychromy and gilding, unidentified British or South Netherlandish artist (15th century)

(L) Design for the Crossing Tower of Rouen Cathedral, 1516; later wood spool, pen and black ink with gray wash, over traces of metalpoint and blind ruling on parchment, attributed to Roulland Le Roux (French, active 1509-27), probably with Pierre des Aubeaux (French, active early 16th century). (R) Design for a Monumental Sacrament House, 1502; inscription 17th century, pen and ink (carbon black and iron gall), over blind ruling on parchment; inscription in pen and ink, Lorenz Lechler (German, ca. 1460-1516 or after) and unidentified Central European artist (active early 16th century)

Reliquary with a Statue of St. Luke and Arm Reliquary, charcoal or black chalk on paper, Attributed to Jörg Schweiger the Elder (German, ca. 1470/80-1533/34) From Basler Goldschmiederisse (Basel goldsmith's drawings), ca. 1508-24

(L) Design for a Mount of Olives Monument for the City of Ulm, 1474, pen and black ink, over blind ruling on parchment, Matthäus Böblinger (German, ca. 1450-1505). (R) Design for a Crozier, ca. 1490-1500, engraving, Israhel von Meckenem (German, ca. 1440/45-1503)

Relics and Reliquaries, from The Viennese Book of Relics (Das Wiener Heiligtumsbuch), printed by Johannes Winterburger, Vienna, 1502, letterpress with woodcut illustrations

(L) Design for an Altar with Angels, ca. 1480-90, pen and brown ink, with white heightening, on paper, Attributed to Master of the Drapery Studies (German, active Strasbourg, ca. 1470-1500). (R) Portrait of the Architect Mathes (Matthäus) Roriczer, ca. 1490-93, silverpoint on gray-white prepared paper, later partially covered with gray body color and dark gray-brown ink, Hans Holbein the Elder (German, ca. 1465-1524)

Afterward, we revisited the Raphael: Sublime Poetry exhibition, knowing we may never again have the opportunity to see many of those works after the exhibit closes on June 28th. This also allowed me to retake photographs of several paintings that had not come out well during my last visit and which I never ended up posting.

(L-R) St. Mary Magdalen, ca. 1503, oil and tempera grassa with touches of gold on wood, Raphael, and St. Catherine, ca. 1503, oil and tempera grassa with touches of gold on wood, Raphael 

(L) Portrait of a Woman in Three-Quarter Length (La Muta), ca. 1503-5, oil on limewood, Raphael. (R) Portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn (Laura Orsini della Rovere?), 1505-6, oil on wood, transferred to canvas, glued to a wood support, Raphael

(L) Processional Cross with the Crucified Christ and Roundels Depicting Saints Francis of Assisi, Louis of Toulouse, Claire, and Anthony of Padua (reverse); Crucified Christ and Roundels Depicting the Virgin and Saints Peter, John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdalen (obverse), ca. 1500-1503, tempera and gold on wood, attributed to Raphael. (R) Portrait of Vaterio Belli, 1517, oil on wood, Raphael

(L) Sepulcram Christi (The Dead Christ with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus), ca. 1495-98, oil and tempera grassa on wood, transferred to canvas and mounted on wood, Perugino (Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci; 1446/50-1523). (R) Female Martyr-Saint Standing in a Landscape (Probably St. Ursula), ca. 1490-94, oil and tempera grassa on wood, Giovanni Santi (Giovanni di Sante di Peruzzolo; ca. 1439-1494)

We finished our visit wandering through the European Painting Galleries to see a few old favorites. For some reason, the lighting in the galleries seemed especially good that afternoon, and several paintings appeared almost transformed. The works of J. M. W. Turner and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot looked especially vivid in the bright light.

Whalers, ca. 1845, oil on canvas, Joseph Mallord William Turner

(L) A Lane through the Trees, ca. 1870-73, oil on canvas, Camille Corot, French, Paris 1796-1875 Paris. (R) Toussaint Lemaistre (1807/8-1888), 1833, oil on canvas, Camille Corot

Honfleur: Calvary, ca. 1830, oil on wood, Camille Corot

Mountainous Landscape, oil on paper, laid down on canvas, Camille Corot

Hagar in the Wilderness, 1835, oll on canvas, Camille Corot

The Banks of the Seine at Conflans, 1865-70, oil on canvas, Camille Corot

After leaving the museum, we ended the day with lunch at our favorite restaurant in Little Italy, Vincent’s Restaurant on Mott Street.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, June 1st, Feast of Sant'Annibale Maria di Francia

Fried calamari

Stuffed mushrooms

Meatballs

Chicken parmigiana over linguine

Grilled chicken with potatoes and broccoli