Designed by Louis Jahn (born in Oberweissbach, Thuringia, Germany in 1839)
This impressive vase was made for display at the 1862 International Exhibition in London. Minton made their largest and most impressive pieces for international fairs, to demonstrate their technical capabilities, the skill of their painters and the quality of their design. In 1863 the Museum paid an enormous sum for this vase at the time.
Ludwig (Louis) Hartmann Adalbert Jahn (1839-1911) was born in Oberweissbach and moved to Vienna before then joined Minton some time before the 1862 exhibition, where his work, including this vase, was shown for the first time. He painted to a high degree of finish, in a manner very close to the original easel painting he copied.
He left Minton to become art director at Brownfield’s in 1872, and returned to succeed Léon Arnoux as art director at Minton’s in 1893. In 1903 he became curator of Hanley Museum, where he remained until his death in 1911.
Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Performed by Bill Fech.
This poem continues to strike an emotional chord with people of goodwill, who strive for peace on earth.
Longfellow wrote this poem on Christmas Day in 1863, during the American Civil War.
His oldest son, Charles Appleton Longfellow, joined the Union cause as a soldier without the blessing of his father. Longfellow was informed by a letter dated March 14, 1863, after Charles had left.
“I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer. I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good”.
Charles soon got an appointment as a lieutenant and in November 1863, he was severely wounded. Coupled with the recent loss of his wife Frances, Longfellow was inspired to write “Christmas Bells”.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along.
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
Ian Barton Stewart returned to Melbourne from Zurich in late November 2015, after the successful opening of his exhibition of paintings at the Neue Privat Bank Zurich on 19 November.
Ian has been very busy and produced six new paintings all shown here.
Two paintings that were sold on the opening night of the Zurich exhibition (Water Lilies, and Moment of Being) are included in this video. Water Lilies is a theme of continuing interest to Ian. Monet painted many Water Lilies the best of which are at the L’Orangerie in Paris, and the Kunstmuseum Zurich. It is a theme that continues to inspire Ian, so there are several new paintings which explore this theme… and there will be more!
The Magi came “from the east” bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Although the account does not mention the number of Magi, the three gifts has led to the widespread assumption that there were three. In Eastern Christianity, especially the Syriac churches, the Magi often number twelve.
The three Magi developed distinct characteristics in Christian art, represented the three ages of man, and three geographical and cultural areas. Caspar is old, normally with a white beard, and gives the gold. Melchior is middle aged, giving frankincense. Balthazar is a young man, and gives myrrh. Their ages were often given as 60, 40 and 20 respectively.
Mostly in northern Europe, beginning from the 12th century, Balthazar is increasingly dark skinned.
The Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna was erected by Theodoric the Great as his palace chapel. It was dedicated in 504 AD to “Christ the Redeemer”.
The Three Magi, Byzantine mosaic c.565, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy (restored 18th century). As here Byzantine art usually depicts the Magi in Persian clothing which includes breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps
Illustration by Walter Crane for “The Man That Pleased None” from Baby’s Own Aesop, a children’s edition of Aesop’s fables 1887
A man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: “You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?”
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: “See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides.”
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn’t gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: “Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along.”
Well, the Man didn’t know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor Donkey of yours, you and your hulking son?”
The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the Donkey’s feet to it, and raised the pole and the Donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.
“That will teach you,” said an old man who had followed them:
“Please all, and you will please none.”
Aesop lived from about 620 to 560 BCE and is famous for fables including: “The Goose With the Golden Eggs”, “The Fisher”, “The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey” and “The Sick Lion”.
Yellow-Red-Blue was created by Wassily Kandinsky in 1925. The primary colors on the painting feature squares, circles and triangles and there are abstract shapes mixed in with these. There are also straight and curved black lines that go through the colors and shapes. This is to help provoke deep thought in the person viewing the piece.
This simple visual identification of forms and the main coloured masses present on the canvas is only a first approach to the inner reality of the work, whose appreciation necessitates deeper observation – not only of forms and colours involved in the painting but their relationship, their absolute and relative positions on the canvas and their harmony.
In 1925, Kandinsky taught the basic design class for beginners and the course on advanced theory at the Bauhaus. He also conducted painting classes and a workshop in which he augmented his colour theory with new elements of form psychology.
Julius Fröbel (1805-1893), German journalist, diplomat and member of the Frankfurt Parliament (1848) Technique: steel engraving
In 1833, Julius became a naturalized citizen of Switzerland. Julius became a leader of the democrats, and in 1848 was elected a member of the Frankfurt Parliament (May 1848–June 1849).
On the dissolution of the parliament in 1849, he visited the United States, where he became editor of a German language newspaper, lectured in New York City, and was a member of the law firm of Zitz, Kapp & Fröbel. In 1850, he went to Nicaragua, Santa Fé, and Chihuahua as correspondent of the New York Tribune. In 1855, he was editor of a San Francisco paper. He returned to Germany in 1857. Efforts were made to expel him from Frankfurt, but he was protected on the ground of his naturalization as a citizen of the United States.
