Hunting for snails

From a friend I received this postcard as “a small addition to the collection of snails in art”. It is after an art work made by the Dutch artist Herman Smith in 1998, acrylic on paper, and is entitled ‘How God created the earth’. Adam and Eve as snails… A surprising but nice view. Thanks to Joke van de Ouderaa for sharing this.

In this blog I have so far one example of an art work in the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). Just found out that they have made many art works available in the public domain, which seems to become a trending topic among museums. Before I start to explore their hidden gems, I want to share an announcement on a current exhibition, which is called ‘Might and Glory’ [1]. It’s about a true…

Last week I visited the Muzeum Narodowe in Warsaw, Poland. In the gallery on European painters I found one work on display featuring snails. It is a painting by Abraham Mignon entitled ‘Vanitas composition of flowers and small animals’ [1]. According to the RKD database, where this work is named as ‘Still life with flowers and a bird’s skeleton’, it originated during the 1670s [2].

With a keen…

This addendum is dedicated to some paintings which I saw during my recent visit to Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschedé (Netherlands).

I found them in the permanent exhibition, entitled ‘Way to Paradise’, where a number of still lifes were together with some (to me unrelated) objects. Three of these still lifes  had a shells or a snail depicted.

The first is a painting by Johannes Bosschaert (ca.…

In January 1990 the Colin Harper collection of shells in pottery and porcelain, also glass, books, watercolours & prints was auctioned via Phillips in London. Ad Hovestadt kindly lend me the catalogue of this auction, in which I found one item with land shells [1: item 68].

Both snails are clearly Helix-like species, but their color pattern is a personal interpretation of the anonymous artist…

When I started this project one year ago, I couldn’t quite imagine that it would be possible to hunt down so many snails. Literally hundreds of snails are dispersed over different types of art, and snails are just one of the animals and plants to be found in works of artists from a wide range of centuries. Digging up and hunting down these snails was a pleasure and hopefully my blogposts have…

(360) Links and literature

Additional to the ones mentioned here and throughout the posts, the followings links and literature may be mentioned as an update and further source of material.

Medieval Animal Data Network The international Medieval Animal Data-Network (MAD) was founded in 2005 at the Department of Medieval Studies at Central European University (Budapest) as an attempt to bring together multi-stranded…

The Palazzo dei Priori in Perugia, Italy, was built between 1293 and 1443 [1]. Those who have visited this city will recognize it immediately at the outside.

Inside it is full of art works and one can stroll in admiration for several hours. In the Portale Maggiori, finished 1346, don’t pass (as I did) without noticing this snail… [2].

Notes: [1] http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_dei_Priori_(…

A cartouche with a text of Terentius, encircled by six (sea) shells. Two land snails are visible in the left and right upper corner. After a design by Jacob Floris [the Elder] (1524–1581), a Flemish painter and draughtsman. Printed and issued in Antwerp in 1556. This copy is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam [2].

The snails are stylised, with four tentacles but lacking their tails.…

(357) Round up (iv): RKD

Today I will use various images available in the Explore database of the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD). These images are of paintings which are in unknown (private) collections or in museums that do not display their art works in good resolution images on their website. Therefore a selection of the many works that otherwise would not be included. The emphasis is on works from the…

(356) BLL Yates Thompson 27

Yolande of Flanders (1326–1395) married in 1353 to Philippe of Navarre and received as present for here marriage a Book of Hours, which is now in the British Library, London [1]. This manuscript, which probably originated in Paris between 1353 and 1363, contains a snail in the marginalia on folio 31r.

The scene is another variation on the ‘knight v. snail’ theme. Here the knight seems to be not…

A Book of Hours, originating from Amiens, France, ca. 1480, is now in the collection of the Pierpont Morgan Museum [1].

The first snail is encountered on folio 020r, of which the descriptive text is “Virgin Mary and Christ Child — Virgin Mary, nimbed, seated on canopied throne with carved statues, holds in her lap Christ Child, with crossed nimbus, extending both hands toward donor, with hat…

This engraving is entitled “Allegory of Truth, Knowledge, Hate and Fear”, and was made between 1507 [1] and 1553 by Cornelis Anthonisz. (ca. 1505–1553), who worked in Amsterdam [2]. This print is now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum [3].

The description is “Truth is a woman, her mouth locked, lying in bed. Next to the bed is an old man with a hat on his head (Fear) sitting. In front of him on…

(353) Round up (iii): Herman Saftleven

Herman Saftleven (1609–1685) was a painter and draughtsman who, after some years in Rotterdam, settled in Utrecht [2]. He is mainly known by his paintings of landscapes and people.

This drawing from 1664, a cartouche with foliage and a snail on top, is in a private collection [2]. The snail is a dextral specimen of a Cepaea species.

Notes: [1] https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/69247. [2] https://rk…

“A basket of flowers with shells on a ledge” is the title of this oil paint by Balthasar van der Ast in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge [1].

One of the shells is a tropical land shell, likely of a Polymita species.

Note: [1] FWC, inv. PD.15-1975. http://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/1085.

In the Pierpont Morgan Library, this manuscript is a Book of Hours of the Virgin for Rouen use, wrtitten and illuminated in the late 15th century (1465–1475) [1]. Two instances of malacological interest are included.

Folio 078r has a miniature of the Coronation of the Virgin. The page is described as “Virgin Mary, nimbed, kneels with joined hands raised before Christ, nimbed, crowned, with…