Small Wonders
Late Gothic Boxwood Microcarvings from the Low Countries Published by nai010 publishers/Rijksmuseum.
Edited by Frits Scholten. Text by Barbara Drake Boehm, Pete Dandridge, Lisa Ellis, Reindert Falkenburg, Ingmar Reesing, Frits Scholten, Sasha Suda. Teeming with life, these astounding miniature worlds are virtuoso triumphs of the Late Gothic This volume reveals the extraordinary artistry of the miniature boxwood carvings of the early 16th century—works so small they can fit in the palm of your hand. These ingeniously constructed, wonderfully detailed works depicting biblical scenes were made for private devotion and amusement. Presenting 60 statuettes, miniature altars, prayer nuts, rosaries, skulls and other pendants, Small Wonders is the first examination of these pocket-sized Late Gothic carvings from the Low Countries.
The techniques employed to transform these small objects into miniature worlds, teeming with life, have long defied comprehension. Now, through collaborative work by conservators at the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the artists' secrets have been unlocked. The Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Metropolitan Museum of Art constitute the largest and most significant collections of late Medieval and Renaissance boxwood production; the Rijksmuseum possesses a prayer bead inscribed with its original owner’s name, together with its copper case and velvet pouch. A tiny triptych, a hinged bead carved inside and out, an opening coffin and skull with images worthy of Halloween, and a rosary given to King Henry VIII are among the approximately 40 marvelous carvings featured. These and other small wonders were specially photographed for this bulky miniature publication, gorgeously designed by Dutch designer Irma Boom, to fully reveal all their thrilling detail.
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