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拍品專文
LECTERNS OF THE MEUSE VALLEY
While lecterns were produced throughout much of Europe during the Middle Ages and later and in various materials ranging from carved wood and copper to silver, the bronze lecterns from the Meuse river valley are among the more original and sophisticated. Most of the surviving eagle-form lecterns relate very closely to the Hearst lectern. They all have the bird perched on a globe, its talons tightly gripping the sphere, and on a further architectural support and tripartite base which is supported by three lions. Some of these lecterns have relatively simple supports and some are extremely accomplished examples of late-Gothic architecture. One of the most complex is the lectern of Jean de Joés, at the Eglise Notre-Dame in Tongern (see Art from the Court at Burgundy: 1364-1419, exh. cat., Cleveland, 2004, p. 180, fig. 3). The lectern of Saint German at Tirlemont perhaps relates most closely to the Hearst lectern (see J. Tavenor-Perry, Dinanderie: A History and Description of Mediaeval Art Work in Copper, Brass and Bronze, London, 1910, p. 160, fig. 52). They both have the slightly stubby, broad beaks, far less sharp than others from the region, as well as the upper section of the wings which come to a slightly awkward, blunt point, compared to the more rounded and naturalistic wings of other eagles, and they both have the same ferociously sculpted feet. The bases, in particular, are also close, as each has a pierced hexagonal tower-form upper section resting on a spiral-turned columnar support.
What makes the Hearst lectern so exceptional is the fact it probably remains mostly intact. Most other examples outside of church collections have long since lost their bases. In the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, there is an additional group of four 15th century bronze lecterns, the four symbols of the Evangelists. They are all lacking their bases and depict the Ox of Saint Luke, the Angel of Saint Mathew, the Lion of Saint Mark and, closest to the present lectern, the Eagle of Saint John. And while the both the definition and treatment of the feathers are close to the Hearst eagle, there are considerable differences in the modeling of the heads, wing tips and feet. The Baltimore version also holds a ribbon in his beak which is entwined around his feet.
It has been suggested that the bird may, in fact, be a pelican. The spiky feathers issuing from the top of the bird's head resemble the feathers seen on the head of a pelican in St. Bavokerk, Haarlem (see Museum het Prinsenhof, Tentoonstelling van kerkkelijke Geelgieterskunst uit de zuidelijke en noordelijke Nederlanden, Delft, 1961, cat. no. 27). However, both the sharp, short beak and fierce talons of the feet make it quite clear the present bird is indeed an eagle, as are most of the other comparable lecterns, some of which also have these spiky feathers on the tops of their heads. The Hearst eagle does, however, have a relatively placid expression, especially when compared to the Louvain eagle lectern at the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art. The New York lectern, with its deeply hooded eyes and partially opened pointed beak projects an entirely more authoritarian, and even threatening, image.
So while the Hearst lectern seems to include many elements of other comparable lecterns of the region, it is like no other, and is a rare surviving and magnificent example of 16th century design and metalwork.
THE HEARST COLLECTIONS
The lectern was probably acquired by William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) from the legendary New York firm of French & Co. The American newspaper and magazine magnate, who had begun collecting art on a serious scale in the first decade of the twentieth century, continued to buy on a staggering scale throughout the 1920's and 1930's. And it was not only early works of art and furniture, but architectural elements and indeed entire buildings, such as monasteries that were deconstructed, stone by stone, labeled and shipped to his fabled castle which was rising on the coast of California. At San Simeon, his architect, Julia Morgan, then incorporated these disparate elements into the fantastic complex, which was part stage set and part personal monument, but still a serious collection of art and architecture, and created a house unlike any other in North America. However, in the late 1930s and 1940s, after the onset of severe financial problems, many objects from Hearst's collections were sold both at a series of auctions and privately through dealers and even department stores.
This lectern probably formed part of the large group of sculpture and works of art donated by William Randolph Hearst in 1945 to the Los Angeles County Museum. Much of this bequest is illustrated in the W. R. Valentiner's exhibition catalogue of 1951, Gothic and Renaissance Sculptures in the Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum. However, the lectern is not included in this publication. To support the collections of early sculpture of the young museum, which were almost non-existent at the time, Mr. Hearst allowed the Museum to choose from his vast collections and further supplemented them by allocating funds for the purchase of early sculpture.
While lecterns were produced throughout much of Europe during the Middle Ages and later and in various materials ranging from carved wood and copper to silver, the bronze lecterns from the Meuse river valley are among the more original and sophisticated. Most of the surviving eagle-form lecterns relate very closely to the Hearst lectern. They all have the bird perched on a globe, its talons tightly gripping the sphere, and on a further architectural support and tripartite base which is supported by three lions. Some of these lecterns have relatively simple supports and some are extremely accomplished examples of late-Gothic architecture. One of the most complex is the lectern of Jean de Joés, at the Eglise Notre-Dame in Tongern (see Art from the Court at Burgundy: 1364-1419, exh. cat., Cleveland, 2004, p. 180, fig. 3). The lectern of Saint German at Tirlemont perhaps relates most closely to the Hearst lectern (see J. Tavenor-Perry, Dinanderie: A History and Description of Mediaeval Art Work in Copper, Brass and Bronze, London, 1910, p. 160, fig. 52). They both have the slightly stubby, broad beaks, far less sharp than others from the region, as well as the upper section of the wings which come to a slightly awkward, blunt point, compared to the more rounded and naturalistic wings of other eagles, and they both have the same ferociously sculpted feet. The bases, in particular, are also close, as each has a pierced hexagonal tower-form upper section resting on a spiral-turned columnar support.
What makes the Hearst lectern so exceptional is the fact it probably remains mostly intact. Most other examples outside of church collections have long since lost their bases. In the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, there is an additional group of four 15th century bronze lecterns, the four symbols of the Evangelists. They are all lacking their bases and depict the Ox of Saint Luke, the Angel of Saint Mathew, the Lion of Saint Mark and, closest to the present lectern, the Eagle of Saint John. And while the both the definition and treatment of the feathers are close to the Hearst eagle, there are considerable differences in the modeling of the heads, wing tips and feet. The Baltimore version also holds a ribbon in his beak which is entwined around his feet.
It has been suggested that the bird may, in fact, be a pelican. The spiky feathers issuing from the top of the bird's head resemble the feathers seen on the head of a pelican in St. Bavokerk, Haarlem (see Museum het Prinsenhof, Tentoonstelling van kerkkelijke Geelgieterskunst uit de zuidelijke en noordelijke Nederlanden, Delft, 1961, cat. no. 27). However, both the sharp, short beak and fierce talons of the feet make it quite clear the present bird is indeed an eagle, as are most of the other comparable lecterns, some of which also have these spiky feathers on the tops of their heads. The Hearst eagle does, however, have a relatively placid expression, especially when compared to the Louvain eagle lectern at the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art. The New York lectern, with its deeply hooded eyes and partially opened pointed beak projects an entirely more authoritarian, and even threatening, image.
So while the Hearst lectern seems to include many elements of other comparable lecterns of the region, it is like no other, and is a rare surviving and magnificent example of 16th century design and metalwork.
THE HEARST COLLECTIONS
The lectern was probably acquired by William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) from the legendary New York firm of French & Co. The American newspaper and magazine magnate, who had begun collecting art on a serious scale in the first decade of the twentieth century, continued to buy on a staggering scale throughout the 1920's and 1930's. And it was not only early works of art and furniture, but architectural elements and indeed entire buildings, such as monasteries that were deconstructed, stone by stone, labeled and shipped to his fabled castle which was rising on the coast of California. At San Simeon, his architect, Julia Morgan, then incorporated these disparate elements into the fantastic complex, which was part stage set and part personal monument, but still a serious collection of art and architecture, and created a house unlike any other in North America. However, in the late 1930s and 1940s, after the onset of severe financial problems, many objects from Hearst's collections were sold both at a series of auctions and privately through dealers and even department stores.
This lectern probably formed part of the large group of sculpture and works of art donated by William Randolph Hearst in 1945 to the Los Angeles County Museum. Much of this bequest is illustrated in the W. R. Valentiner's exhibition catalogue of 1951, Gothic and Renaissance Sculptures in the Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum. However, the lectern is not included in this publication. To support the collections of early sculpture of the young museum, which were almost non-existent at the time, Mr. Hearst allowed the Museum to choose from his vast collections and further supplemented them by allocating funds for the purchase of early sculpture.