Exhibition | Small but Mighty! Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships
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Attributed to an unknown French prisoner in Dartmoor Prison, Napoleonic War Model (Unidentified British Frigate), ca. 1790–1820, bone with a wooden stand covered in paper, 16 × 12 × 3 inches (Philadelphia: Independence Seaport Museum, Gift of Elizabeth Blaisdell, 1969.091).
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From the press release (3 February 2025) . . .
Small but Mighty! Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships
Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, opening 20 March 2025
For centuries, people of all ages have been intrigued by model ships. Made for myriad reasons ranging from pure enjoyment to promotional tools, most are unique objects made by hand. Opening on 20 March 2025, a new permanent exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum (ISM) will display nearly 50 rarely seen models dating from the early 19th century to the later 20th century, along with related paintings and prints. Primarily made of wood, the models were also fashioned out of paper, bone, and metal. Among the examples to be displayed are extraordinarily detailed and realistic models, such as the Heavy Cruiser USS Indianapolis, as well as highly stylized toy models intended for adults and children.
“Guests to the ISM over the years have remarked at the amazing range of ship models, toys, and pond models in our permanent collection,” said Peter Seibert, museum president and CEO. “This new exhibition has given us the opportunity to not only exhibit some of the public’s favorite examples along with many that have rarely ever been shown before. Young and old alike will love exploring these masterpieces of miniature craftsmanship.”
Over the centuries, ships models were used for various purposes. Some were design sources, known as half hulls, used in building larger vessels, while others were used for sport, such as pond models that were raced. Model ships were made as toys for children, and highly crafted, expensive models were intended as toys for adults. Other models were made to commemorate new vessels and were presented to shipbuilders or owners; some that were made by prisoners were used to exchange for food. Model ships were also used as tokens of remembrance either made by those who were on particular boats or those who were simply avid towards certain boats. Most of the models in the Independence Seaport Museum’s collection are ‘scratch built’, meaning that the craftsmen had to shape each piece from raw or lightly prepared materials rather than using premade parts. This method can be complex: metal casting is often used to produce the funnels, propellers, and other elements of a highly detailed model.
Among the most noteworthy ship models to be on view is the Heavy Cruiser USS Indianapolis. The legendary ship—launched on 7 November 1931 at the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey to deliver the bomb to end World War II—was sunk by Japanese submarine 1-58 on 30 July 1945, after being hit by two torpedoes. Within just twelve minutes, the ship sank and the majority of the crew was launched into the water, while the remaining 300 or so crew members were left onboard. Three days later, a random sighting by a pilot led to the rescue of some of the sailors. (Today, the USS Indianapolis is most famous because its story was recounted in a scene in the movie Jaws.) This model of the Indianapolis, built in 1934–38 by Walter H. Gerber, a German mechanical engineer who originally worked at Cramp’s Shipyard in New York and then later transferred to Cramp’s Shipyard in Philadelphia, is massive in size: it measures 12 feet long by 17 inches wide. It was originally constructed as a radio-controlled, in-water model that had the capability to power its inside mechanics as well. The maker also has an interesting story: Gerber came under scrutiny from the United States government during World War II because he was fixated on the accuracy of the model and came from an enemy country. Afraid that information about the United States Navy would fall into the wrong hands, his actions were monitored and his home was raided, looking for cameras and other equipment supposedly to have been reported and/or voluntarily turned over to the government. Nothing of significance was found.
Another exquisite model of early shipbuilding is the Napoleonic War Model. Made entirely of bone by French prisoners in the British Dartmoor Prison, it was likely traded for food (prisoners were held on British prison ships during the Napoleonic wars; other similar models may have been made by American prisoners during the war of 1812). This model depicts an unidentified British frigate with 50 guns and has a decorative paper-covered wooden stand dating from about 1790 to 1820. With no provenance, it is assumed to be French and made for the British. The model, considered a folk-art masterpiece, was presented to David Bruce, Sr. by Commodore Charles Stewart, United States Navy, at Bordentown, New Jersey, in about 1820. Stewart was a Philadelphian who served in the navy for 63 years, playing key roles in the Quasi-War, Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.
On 10 August 1893, the Steamer Priscilla, made by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works Company (John Roach & Sons) in Chester, Pennsylvania, for the Old Colony Steamboat Company, launched. Three years later, she was recreated as a child’s toy by R. Bliss Manufacturing Company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, known for making inexpensive but realistic toys. One of these large toy ships made of chromolithographed paper attached to a wooden frame is equipped with wheels for motion, is a highlight of Small but Mighty! Measuring 37 inches long by 20 inches high and 5 inches wide, it is in pristine condition and illustrates the color and beauty of late 19th-century ships. This faithfully executed toy offered children a duplicate of the type of vessels actively used on America’s waterways. Toys such as these were sailed on the floors of large Victorian homes and enjoyed by children and, likely, adults as well.
The racing of small model yachts began in England in the 1870s, spread across the European continent, and eventually came to the United States. (New York’s Central Park Lake was built expressly for people to use in sailing pond models.) Organizations such as the Model Yacht Association determined rules and umpired regattas of two types: open water sailing and pond sailing. By 1950, five classes of model yachts were used, including the Marblehead or ‘M’ Class (also known as the 50/800 Class). Their small, manageable size made this sport appealing to those who could not handle a full-scale boat or those with limited financial resources. One such example of an ‘M’ Class model made in 1949, the Pond Yacht Almary II, is featured in the exhibition. It was made by Albert Link (born in Fishtown, Pennsylvania, 1909–1993) and is considered to be one of the biggest and best of its kind. Link worked as a machinist for Smith, Kline, and Beecham in Philadelphia. Link built approximately 15 model sailboats in his lifetime (the Almary II was his eighth) and raced them at Gustine Lake in Fairmont Park, Concourse Hunting Park, League Island Swimming Pool in Philadelphia as well as on Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey, and Long Island, New York. In 1950, he was a national prize winner at the New York Yacht Club and again in 1954 at Cooper River. He stopped racing that same year.
For children of all ages who are fascinated with model ships, Small but Mighty! Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships will delight and inform.
Call for Papers | Out of Scale
From ArtHist.net:
Out of Scale: From ‘Miniature’ Material Cultures to the Anthropic Principle
The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, 16–18 June 2025
Organized by Wenjie Su, Yizhou Wang, and Stephen Whiteman
Proposals due by 15 March 2025
Scale—the relative dimension, magnitude, or scope of objects, and their proportional relationship to the observer—is often understood through the lens of individual or collective visual assumptions. As inhabitants of the terrestrial sphere, we tend to rely on our bodies and cultural paradigms to interpret the scale of geographical terrain, human-made structures, material artifacts, social phenomena, and historical events. Technological advancements—from maritime expeditions to space exploration, from telescopic and microscopic investigations to the detection of cosmic microwave background—have urged humanity to redefine its scale of existence. Meanwhile, various philosophical and religious traditions have long pondered humanity’s place and purpose in relation to natural and supernatural realms.
By exploring designs and creations conceived on a micro-scale or as small-sized, this conference invites discussion on human creativity and human existence through the theme of scale. Examples abound across diverse human traditions, including burial and ritual objects, microarchitecture, portrait miniatures, and accessorial items such as netsukes, snuff boxes, and pocket watches. These objects appear diminutive when compared to the human body, the ‘worlds’ they represent, or their counterparts within more dominant socio-cultural systems. At times dismissed as frivolous and superficial, these streamlined and recontextualized objects can evoke out-of-scale resonances, transcending the original limitations of data or resources.
This conference connects studies that examine the art historical, historiographical, and ideological significance of scaled objects. First, we aim to deepen discussions on the sensorial, spiritual, intellectual, and technical implications of scaling. Particularly understudied are ephemeral objects and repositioned sites, such as lab settings and festival stagings. Second, we seek to investigate how the scale—of originals, reproductions, or paradigms—has shaped the central or peripheral status of specific objects and sites in art historical scholarship. Third, we aim to highlight the unique contributions that humanities and art historical scholars can make in addressing cutting-edge intellectual challenges in fields including AI and astrophysics. Throughout the global history of visual and material cultures, creatively re-scaled objects have played a central role in conceiving and simulating worlds that surpass our optical and epistemological thresholds. By exploring how humans have continually shifted scales to position themselves within and across realms, this conference reflects on humanity’s inherently limited yet endlessly creative perspective and envisions pathways to launch beyond boundaries.
Further questions and topics include but are not limited to:
• Material, aesthetic, sensory, and affective qualities unique to small-scale objects
• Practices of modeling and scaling in the production of scientific knowledge, such as mapping and laboratory experiments
• The dialectics of miniature and monumentality
• Relationships between scale, virtuality, and reality
• Critical reflections on the interpretational framework of ‘miniaturization’, such as the so-called miniature paintings of various Asian and Islamic traditions
• Challenges posed by small-scale objects or fragments in archaeological, museum, and pedagogical contexts
• The role of scale-shifting in methodological turns, such as global history, gender criticism, and eco-criticism
We invite proposals from scholars in a range of disciplines, including art and architecture history, museum studies, cultural history, intellectual history, and the history of science. Please send an abstract (ca. 250 words) for a 20-minute presentation and a 150-word bio as a single PDF file by 15 March 2025 to w-su@nga.gov; yizhouwang@hkbu.edu.hk; and stephen.whiteman@courtauld.ac.uk. Acceptance notification: 30 March 2025.
Conveners
Wenjie Su (Princeton University; CASVA)
Yizhou Wang (Hong Kong Baptist University)
Stephen Whiteman (The Courtauld Institute of Art)
Keynote Speakers
Andrew James Hamilton (The Art Institute of Chicago)
Wei-Cheng Lin (The University of Chicago)
The conference will be held 16–18 June 2005 at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Optional group viewing sessions will be arranged on June 18 in or around London. Accepted speakers will be invited to propose objects from London-based collections or sites that resonate with the themes of scale and the miniature.
Exhibition | Versailles: Science and Splendour
From the press release for the exhibition, a reworking of Sciences et curiosités de Versailles, which was on view at the palace in 2010–11.
Versailles: Science and Splendour
Science Museum, London, 12 December 2024 — 21 April 2025
Curated by Anna Ferrari
A significant new exhibition unveils the fascinating stories of science at Versailles, exploring how scientific knowledge became widespread, fashionable, and a tool of power to enhance France’s prestige. Versailles: Science and Splendour invites visitors to discover the unexpected, yet vitally important, role of science at the French royal court through spectacular scientific objects and artworks. Many items will be on display for the first time in the UK, including Louis XV’s rhinoceros and a splendid sculptural clock representing the creation of the world. The sumptuous exhibition also sheds light on the contribution of women to physics, medicine, and botany in 18th-century France.
Versailles—the seat of royal power in France in the 17th and 18th centuries—was renowned for its opulent palace and gardens, but it was also a cradle of scientific spirit. Developed with support from the Palace of Versailles, the exhibition reveals the meeting of art and science in the court as it showcases more than 100 fascinating objects, from the extravagant to the everyday. The exhibition explores how Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI encouraged scientific pursuit and readily drew on technological advances of their times, enhancing France’s prestige and extending its influence. The exhibition highlights significant figures, including stories of women in science, such as the pioneering midwife Madame du Coudray who trained thousands of midwives in rural France and Emilie du Châtelet, the eminent physicist and mathematician who translated Isaac Newton’s Principia.
Anna Ferrari, lead curator of Versailles: Science and Splendor, said: “We are delighted to bring Versailles to London in this new exhibition, which invites visitors to discover an unusual but crucial side of the palace’s history and grandeur. This exhibition will reveal fascinating stories of science at Versailles through more than a hundred treasures, bringing new attention to the relationship between science and power.”
Christophe Leribault, President of the Palace of Versailles, said: “The Sciences and Curiosities at the Court of Versailles exhibition, held in 2010 at the Palace of Versailles, made a lasting impression. It unveiled a lesser-known aspect of life at the former royal residence: the interest in sciences and the spirit of curiosity and innovation that animated the sovereigns and the entire court. Through this revisited version of the exhibition, we take pride in the fact that our collections and expertise can now cross the Channel to meet visitors at the Science Museum, inspiring them to visit or revisit the Palace of Versailles.”
Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: “Science was at the heart of the French royal court, from the engineering innovations needed to build the regal seat of power to the lavish scientific demonstrations staged for the kings. We are able to share these remarkable stories with Science Museum visitors for the first time thanks to a close partnership with the Palace of Versailles. In strengthening such cultural connections with European partners, we will continue to inspire people with incredible stories of science and culture around the world.”
Versailles: Science and Splendour as installed in London’s Science Museum.
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Harnessing Science
Versailles: Science and Splendour takes visitors on a 120-year journey through the evolution of science at Versailles, from the creation of the Academy of Sciences by Louis XIV in 1666, to Louis XV’s passion for exquisite scientific instruments, and Louis XVI’s ordering of the La Pérouse expedition to the Pacific in 1785.
Measuring time and space was one of the key tasks of the Academy of Sciences, reflecting the challenges of the time in Europe. Members of the Academy mapped the Earth and the skies as visitors can observe in a 1679 map of the Moon by Cassini, the precision of which remained unrivalled for over 200 years. The promotion of France’s power through scientific developments also served political purposes, with exquisite instruments given as diplomatic gifts across the world.
The exhibition also gives visitors the opportunity to see the magnificent gardens of Versailles in a new light. Recruited by Louis XIV, Academicians and experts used mathematics and engineering to transform the site into a statement of power and prestige. Of particular importance for Louis XIV was the creation of spectacular fountains and water features in the grounds, which required hydraulic engineering projects of unprecedented scale. A painting of the monumental Marly Machine, which supplied Versailles’ fountains with water from the river Seine, will impress upon visitors the magnitude of Louis XIV’s grand ambitions.
Understanding Nature
Louis XV’s Rhinoceros (Paris: Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle).
France’s imperial reach enabled Versailles to become a centre for the scientific study of plants and animals from around the world. The exhibition will display this growing interest in zoology and the kings’ luxurious taste, which pushed for inventive botanic engineering to allow exotic fruits, like pineapples, to grow at Versailles.
Visitors will also be able to learn the surprising story of Louis XV’s rhinoceros, on display in the UK for the very first time. Gifted by a French governor in India, this rhinoceros was perhaps the Versailles menagerie’s most pampered and famous resident. Acquired by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris during the revolution, it was dissected after its death in 1793, and has been held there for over two hundred years.
Versailles will also feature the medical advances supported by the kings. The royal family made precious contributions to these developments by submitting their own bodies to procedures. On display will be a scalpel designed specifically to operate on the Sun King, while the exhibition will cover the inoculation against smallpox which Louis XVI and his family underwent as soon as he ascended the throne.
Louis XV supported the training of midwives across France to reduce infant mortality and grow a populous and strong kingdom. Born outside the nobility, to a family of doctors, Madame du Coudray rose to prominence through her pioneering practical training of midwives. She employed sophisticated life-sized mannequins to demonstrate the mechanics of birth—part of the only surviving mannequin will be showcased in the exhibition. Madame du Coudray ultimately trained over 5,000 women, as well as physicians, across France.
Versailles: Science and Splendour as installed in London’s Science Museum.
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Embracing Knowledge
Scientific culture became widespread and fashionable at the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI, with members of the royal family and of the aristocracy educated in physics, mathematics, and chemistry. Examples of Louis XV’s magnificent collection of instruments will be on display. Visitors will see a sophisticated and rare optical microscope made by the king’s brilliant engineer, Claude-Siméon Passemant, which is also a work of art with its gilt bronze rococo stand by the Caffieri sculptors.
Jean-Antoine Nollet, tutor of physics and natural history to the royal children during Louis XV’s reign, demonstrated principles of physics in sensational presentations at court. His air-pump, used to ‘make the invisible visible’, will be on display in the exhibition. Visitors will also learn about Emilie du Châtelet, an exceptional physicist and mathematician. Her translation of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica into French, with her own additional commentary, remains in use today.
From the heart of government at Versailles, science was used strategically to assert imperial power on the world stage. The exhibition highlights technological developments in warfare and defence engineering, as well as the 1785 expedition of La Pérouse. Commissioned by Louis XVI, the expedition had a dual aim. It sought to establish trade connections around the Pacific as well as further scientific knowledge: mapping coastlines as yet uncharted by Europeans and collecting scientific data.
The exhibition also interrogates the surprising role of science in Versailles’ taste for spectacle. The palace provided an influential platform for scientific figures to present their work, as well as for the kings to display their power through extraordinary demonstrations, such as the flight of Etienne Montgolfier’s hot-air balloon at Versailles in 1783. One of the most complex pieces of engineering of its time, Pendule de la Création du Monde, presented to Louis XV in 1754, will also be on display. This exquisite astronomical clock exemplifies the intersection of scientific interest and royal opulence, boasting Versailles’ splendour through mechanical wonder.
Anna Ferrari, ed., Versailles: Science and Splendour (Milan: Scala, 2025), 128 pages, ISBN: 978-1785515828, £30.
Published to accompany the exhibition at London’s Science Museum, this richly illustrated book breaks new ground in exploring the relationship between science and power at the French court of Versailles. It features sixteen short chapters by experts from Britain, France, and America.
Anna Ferrari is Curator of Art and Visual Culture at the Science Museum and lead curator of the exhibition Versailles: Science and Splendour. Trained as an art historian, she has previously curated and co-curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
New Book | The Enlightenment’s Most Dangerous Woman
From Oxford UP:
Andrew Janiak, The Enlightenment’s Most Dangerous Woman: Émilie du Châtelet and the Making of Modern Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024), 304 pages, ISBN: 978-0197757987, .
Just as the Enlightenment was gaining momentum throughout Europe, philosopher Émilie Du Châtelet (1706–1749) broke through the many barriers facing women at the time and published a major philosophical treatise in French. Within a few short years, she became famous: she was read and debated from Russia to Prussia, from Switzerland to England, from up north in Sweden to down south in Italy. This was not just remarkable because she was a woman, but because of the substance of her contributions. While the men in her milieu like Voltaire and Kant sought disciples to promote their ideas, Du Châtelet promoted intellectual autonomy. She counselled her readers to read the classics, but never to become a follower of another’s ideas. Her proclamation that a true philosopher must remain an independent thinker, rather than a disciple of some supposedly ‘great man’ like Isaac Newton or René Descartes, posed a threat to an emerging consensus in the Enlightenment. And that made her dangerous.
After all, if young women took Du Châtelet’s advice to heart, if they insisted on thinking for themselves, they might demand a proper education—the exclusion of women from the colleges and academies of Europe might finally end. And if young women thought for themselves, rather than listening to the ideas of the men around them, that might rupture the gender-based social order itself. Because of the threat that she posed, the men who created the modern philosophy canon eventually wrote Du Châtelet out of their official histories. After she achieved immense fame in the middle of the eighteenth century, her ideas were later suppressed, or attributed to the men around her. For generations afterwards, she was forgotten. Now we can hear her voice anew when we need her more than ever. Her lessons of intellectual independence and her rejection of hero worship remain ever relevant today.
Andrew Janiak is Professor of Philosophy and Bass Fellow at Duke University. For the last decade, he has co-led—with Liz Milewicz—Project Vox, a digital project that seeks to recover the lost voices of women who contributed to modern science and philosophy. Janiak is the author or editor of five previous books and numerous articles concerning the relationship between science and philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries.
c o n t e n t s
1 The Rise and Fall of Émilie Du Châtelet
2 What Was the Scientific Revolution?
3 Du Châtelet’s Vision of Science and Philosophy
4 The Enlightenment’s Most Famous Woman
5 The Enlightenment’s Most Dangerous Woman, Or The Making of Modern Philosophy
6 Du Châtelet’s Enlightenment: Philosophy for Freethinkers
Notes
Bibliography
Index
New Book | Hercules of the Arts
The exhibition was on view last year at Vienna’s Gartenpalais Liechtenstein. The catalogue is distributed by The University of Chicago Press:
Stephan Koja, ed., Hercules of the Arts: Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein and Vienna around 1700 (Munich: Hirmer Verlag, 2024), 240 pages, ISBN: 978-3777443638, $45. With contributions by Thomas Baumgartner, Reinhold Baumstark, Alexandra Hanzl, Claudia Lehner-Jobst, Katharina Leithner, Gernot Mayer, Cecilia Mazzetti di Pietralata, Andreas Nierhaus, Peter Stephan, Arthur Stögmann, and Silvia Tammaro.
The life of one of Vienna’s foremost patrons of art.
This book focuses on Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein (1657–1712). His skillful economic policies enabled him to increase his fortune, with which he purchased important artworks, invested in building projects and their artistic design, founded a city district, and developed Italian art and architecture in Vienna in around 1700. The prince was an important individual in his dynasty and a great patron and builder. He reorganized administrative structures and invested in businesses and innovative production techniques. He thus created the financial basis for the expansion of the art collection and the construction and furnishing of imposing buildings. To this day, the Gartenpalais and Stadtpalais in Vienna bear witness to the activities of this prince known as a Hercules of the arts.
New Book | Maria Theresa Empress
From Yale UP:
Richard Bassett, Maria Theresa Empress: The Making of the Austrian Enlightenment (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2025), 520 pages, ISBN: 978-0300243987, $38.
A major new biography of Maria Theresa, the formidable Habsburg Empress
Maria Theresa was the single most powerful woman in eighteenth-century Europe. At the age of just twenty-three she succeeded to the Habsburg domains only to find them contested by almost every power in Europe. Over the next forty years, she became a fierce leader and opponent, as well as a devoted wife and mother to sixteen children. In this engrossing biography, Richard Bassett traces Maria Theresa’s life and complex legacy. Drawing on hitherto unpublished sources, Bassett reveals her keen sense of moderation and tolerance, innovative ideas on free trade and finance, and studied reluctance to resort to policies of territorial expansion. Yet Maria Theresa’s modernisation policies were not entirely progressive. Antisemitism and an enduring suspicion of Protestantism greatly affected the lives of her subjects. This is a gripping study of one of the world’s most influential leaders, revealing how Maria Theresa confounded gendered expectations and left a lasting mark on Europe.
Richard Bassett is the author of several books, most notably For God and Kaiser, the first history of the Habsburg army to be published in English. An authority on Central Europe where he has worked for 45 years, he is a Bye-Fellow of Christ’s College Cambridge and a visiting professor at the Central Europe University of Budapest.
Call for Papers | History of Map Collecting
From ArtHist.net:
History of Map Collecting: Vienna, Central Europe, and Beyond
University of Vienna, 12 June 2025
Organized by Eva Chodějovská and Silvia Tammaro
Proposals due by 17 March 2025
This one-day event will be held on 12 June 2025 at University of Vienna. Organised jointly by the Vienna Center for the History of Collecting (University of Vienna, Austria) and the Moravian Library in Brno (Czech Republic), the conference will be accompanied by a poster exhibition on Bernard Paul Moll (1697–1780) and his map collection, formed in 18th-century Vienna and now preserved at the Moravian Library.
Vienna—thanks to personalities of international fame such as the archduke Leopold Wilhelm, Eugene of Savoy, Albert von Sachsen-Teschen, and others—was one of the most important centres of collecting in the early modern period. This international conference aims to go beyond the general public’s conceptions of the collecting of paintings, drawings, and sculptures in two ways. Firstly, to enlarge the group of collected objects to printed sheets with a special focus on maps; secondly, there are important pieces of collectors’ interests of this kind kept in Vienna worth displaying and discussing (including the world-famous Blaeu-Van der Hem Atlas preserved in the Austrian National Library). Based on a long-lasting scholarly discussion of maps as objects of art and products of science, we welcome case studies addressing the practices of map collecting from the 17th to 20th centuries, including the creation of composite atlases in Central Europe.
A paper title, an abstract of 5–8 sentences, and a short CV in English are welcome by 17 March 2025. The acceptance notification is scheduled on 31 March 2025. Presentations should be 20 minutes. The conference language is English. Travel costs will be reimbursed up to €200. The conference is supported by “Stadt Wien Kultur/City of Vienna Culture.” Should you have further questions, please contact the organisers, Eva Chodějovská (chodejovska@mzk.cz) and Silvia Tammaro (silvia.tammaro@univie.ac.at).
Lectures | Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett on Warsaw’s POLIN Museum
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Rebuilding of the painted ceiling, timber-frame roof, and bimah (platform where the public reading from the Torah scroll is performed) of the wooden synagogue that once stood in Gwoździec and is now a centerpiece of the 18th-century gallery, “The Jewish Town” (Warsaw: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews; photo by Magdalena Starowieyska and Darek Golik).
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From BGC:
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett | Materializing History
The Making of POLIN Museum’s Core Exhibition
Leon Levy Foundation Lectures in Jewish Material Culture
Bard Graduate Center, New York, 27 February, 20 March, 20 April 2025
Each year, Bard Graduate Center presents the Leon Levy Foundation Lectures in Jewish Material Culture, a three-lecture series dedicated to the study of the Jewish past through its material remains. Join us for this year’s lectures.
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is located on the site of the Warsaw ghetto. It began without a building, collection, or funds. Its greatest asset was the story it would tell, a thousand-year history of Polish Jews. In exploring the creation of POLIN Museum’s Core Exhibition and its extensions, this series of lectures by curator Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett will reveal how the museum materialized history and created and discovered novel kinds of objects.
Bard Graduate Center gratefully acknowledges the Leon Levy Foundation’s support of these lectures.
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Masterplan: Theatre of History
Thursday, February 27, 6pm
This first lecture explores how the Masterplan attempted to plot the thousand-year history of Polish Jews in space, how the exhibition evolved as a theater of history, and how the materializing of history led to the creation of a new kind of object.
Materializing History: The Making of POLIN Museum’s Core Exhibition
Thursday, March 20, 6pm
A centerpiece of the Core Exhibition is the 85 percent-scale painted ceiling and timber-frame roof of the seventeenth-century wooden synagogue that once stood in Gwoździec—today in Ukraine—but was destroyed during World War I. This object exemplifies how material practices produce new knowledge and unique kinds of objects in the process.
The Post-Jewish Object
Thursday, April 20, 6pm
Learn about POLIN Museum’s most recent temporary exhibition, which highlighted ‘post-Jewish’ property, defined by dispossession resulting from the fate of Jews during and after the Holocaust.
Call for Papers | Re-Imagining Allegory in Alchemical Tradition
From ArtHist.net:
Visita Interiora: Re-Imagining Allegory in the Alchemical Tradition, 1400–1800
Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, University of Warwick Venice Centre, Venice, 16–17 June 2025
Keynote Speaker: Jennifer M. Rampling
Organized by Sergei Zotov
Proposals due by 15 April 2025
Alchemy is often associated with the imagery of flasks, furnaces, and laboratories. However, the universe of alchemical iconography extends far beyond these familiar motifs, encompassing a rich tapestry of symbols and allegories tied to both chemical processes and cultural phenomena. Thanks to extensive archival efforts and digitisation projects, we now have access to thousands of alchemical image series preserved in manuscripts and printed books. How might our understanding of this visual tradition deepen if we approach alchemical allegorical iconography using the same methodologies applied to other forms of imagery—such as iconographic analysis and the study of text-image relationships?
This conference invites case studies on the allegorical iconography of alchemy (1400–1800), aiming to foster new perspectives on the role of visual culture in the history of science. We particularly emphasise manuscripts and material culture and encourage submissions that engage with previously unstudied or undigitised sources. The key topics include, but are not limited to:
• Iconographic Trends: What trends emerge in alchemical iconography? Why did certain allegories gain widespread popularity while others remained obscure?
• Sources of Influence: What visual or textual traditions—including non-European and non-alchemical ones such as sacred art, emblem books, or scientific imagery—influenced specific images or image series in European alchemy?
• Methods of Analysis: How can we assess the role and function of allegorical images in alchemy? For instance, what do variations in the same image series across different manuscripts reveal about cultural, religious, or laboratory contexts?
• Material Evidence: What insights can be gained from the imagery on objects such as alchemical medals, coins, book covers, or laboratory apparatus like furnaces?
• Reception: How was allegorical alchemical imagery received in later alchemical or non-alchemical traditions?
We warmly invite you to the historic Palazzo Giustinian Lolin in Venice this June, where the Baroque setting will provide a fitting backdrop for scholarly discussions on alchemical allegories and their visual traditions. Please complete the registration form here. Alternatively, send your submissions to sergei.zotov@sas.ac.uk, including a short biographical note (50 words) and a presentation abstract (250 words) by 15 April 2025.
Prado Launches Online Collection of Printed References to Goya
As noted at Art History News, the Prado has just launched its latest online digital project, Goya: Repertorio de referencias impresas: 1771–1828, which collects some 30,000 published references to Goya made during his lifetime in books, advertisements, newspaper articles, and prints. From the press release (6 February 2025) . . .
Goya: Repertorio de Referencias Impresas, 1771–1828
Online, The Prado Museum, Madrid
El Museo del Prado amplía los proyectos digitales del Gabinete de Dibujos, Estampas y Fotografías reuniendo por primera vez todas las referencias impresas sobre Goya publicadas durante su vida. Este Repertorio de referencias impresas. 1771–1828, disponible en la web, facilita el acceso a un corpus documental de gran valor para investigadores y amantes del arte, y público en general.
Para acercar al público su extensa colección de dibujos, estampas y fotografías—formada por aproximadamente 30.000 obras que por motivos de su conservación no se exponen permanentemente en las salas—el Museo Nacional del Prado ha desarrollado un espacio web con contenidos monográficos especialmente concebidos para dar a conocer su singularidad y riqueza. En este contexto, el Museo presenta el Repertorio de referencias impresas. 1771–1828 sobre Francisco de Goya, una herramienta única que pone a disposición del público el primer repertorio en el mundo que reproduce la totalidad de referencias publicadas sobre un artista durante su vida.
Este nuevo repertorio amplía el campo de divulgación de la obra de Goya mediante la recopilación de referencias impresas, conservadas en bibliotecas y museos de todo el mundo, algunas de difícil acceso. Desde la primera mención de Goya en 1771 hasta su fallecimiento en 1828, su nombre fue citado en libros, anuncios, artículos periodísticos y estampas, reflejando su notoriedad y reconocimiento en vida. El Repertorio de referencias impresas. 1771–1828 está organizado mediante fichas cronológicas que incluyen datos bibliográficos, transcripciones, traducciones, imágenes de documentos originales y enlaces a versiones digitalizadas completas. Asimismo, se ha desarrollado un sistema de búsqueda por términos y etiquetas, permitiendo filtrar la información por tipología documental y década.
Este recurso digital ha sido posible gracias al trabajo del especialista en obra gráfica de Goya, Juan Carrete Parrondo, quien inició este proyecto antes de su fallecimiento en 2023. Tras dos años de labor, el Museo del Prado culmina su esfuerzo y lo pone a disposición del público. Siguiendo el espíritu colaborativo de su creador, el proyecto sigue abierto a nuevas aportaciones, invitando a los usuarios a contribuir con referencias adicionales mediante el correo gabinete.dibujos@museodelprado.es.
El Repertorio de referencias impresas. 1771–1828 ha sido financiado con fondos del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia de España (PRTR) y vinculado a las actuaciones dentro del programa C.24 I3 Digitalización e impulso de los grandes servicios culturales, incluido en el eje incluido en el eje Prado Formación y dentro de la actuación “Prado Formación e Investigación” y de la actividad Canal de formación e investigación.
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