1 cols.

Donatello (Italian, Florence, about 1386–1466), winged putto with fantastic fish, bronze with traces of gilding; 151/16 inches high by 157/8 inches wide by 45/16  inches deep.

 

2 cols.

Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, Milan, 1452–1519), “Leonardo Notebooks,” pen and ink, 1487–90 (Codex Forster 12–Florence), 1505 (Codex Forster 11).

FOR 10/12

NORTON MUSEUM MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TREASURES FROM THE V&A w/ 2 cuts

ak/gs set 10/4 #714759

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — “Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the V&A,” organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, will make its United States premier at the Norton Museum of Art October 24. The exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to see this outstanding collection of works before they are reinstalled in the V&A’s new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries, opening in fall 2009.

On view through January 6, the exhibit will feature 35 works in various media — ivory, wood, bronze, metalwork, ceramic, stained glass and manuscripts — ranging in date from the late Roman Empire to about 1600, including an illustrated notebook with fascinating drawings by Leonardo da Vinci called the Forster Codex III.

“The V&A’s collection of Medieval and Renaissance art and design is one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. This is the first occasion on which a group of objects of this kind has been lent from the V&A. The Norton Museum is very pleased to be the first American venue for this collection of British treasures,” said Norton Museum of Art Director Christina Orr-Cahall.

All of the included works were originally intended for the embellishment of churches and chapels in the Middle Ages, or for the private quarters of wealthy Renaissance collectors. The centerpiece of the exhibition is da Vinci’s personal notebook, which features Leonardo’s signature “mirror-writing” and diagrams, offering insights into the artist’s genius and revealing his fascination with geometry and mathematics.

Other highlights include ivory carvings, such as the late antique “Symmachi” panel, made in Rome around 400 for patrician patrons; the “Lorsch Gospels Cover,” from 800 for the abbey of Lorsch (Central Germany) presided over by the Emperor Charlemagne; the Limoges enamel reliquary made to house the relics of Thomas Becket; and a Fifteenth Century bronze fountainhead in the form of a winged putto, by the Italian Renaissance master sculptor Donatello.

Following its premier at the Norton Museum, the exhibition will travel to the Speed Art Museum, Louisville Ky.; The Metropolitan Museum, New York City; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and the Millennium Galleries, Sheffield, England.

The Norton Museum of Art is at 1451 South Olive Avenue. For information, 561-832-5196 or www.Norton.org.