New Issue of The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 66-1 Published

In the new issue of The Rijksmuseum Bulletin Monique Rakhorst demonstrates that bow jewels, a fashion thought to have begun in France in the sixteen-fifties, were in fact already being worn in the Netherlands by the early sixteen-thirties; one of the most exquisite examples is in the Rijksmuseum collection. Esther van der Hoorn argues that the loose drawings found between the pages of L’Art industriel… (1839-48), a book of prints of diverse decorative art objects, were created to provide well-defined designs in which object and ornament were in harmony and were preserved to safeguard the craft in a time of increasing industrialization and commercialization. Joosje van Bennekom describes the technical difficulties Werner Jamnitzer faced when creating a large centrepiece, known as the ‘Merkelsche Tafelaufsatz’ (1549), consisting of a wide bowl carried by Mother Earth with many decorations in the form of plants and small animals. Jamnitzer made life casts of these creatures and used various methods to finish the other parts. The acquisitions described in this issue are recently purchased historical and art historical objects.