Not Your Usual Biscotti

Three years ago this coming October we were in Berlin and visiting the Island Museums; I mentioned at the time that I found the Bode the most interesting of the lot particularly their Renaissance collection.  Late last week I was reminiscing about that trip and going through pictures that I had taken on that visit. I also unpacked a box of books and came upon a little book that had a serendipitous if slightly tenuous connection with a few of those pictures.  The following February we spent a few days in London and at my friend David's suggestion spent a glorious Saturday morning at the V&A basking in their new Medieval and Renaissance wing.  And at their bookstore I picked up a fascinating little book: Renaissances Secrets by Jo Wheeler.  It contains all sorts of wonderful - you guessed it - Renaissance Secrets.   Illustrated with rarities from the V and A collections it includes recipes and closely guarded secret formulae for a myriad of concoctions once used to create medicines, cosmetics, printing materials, even amulets meant to ward off the plague.  Lip balm, rare paint pigments, stain removers; they are all there as are, of course, aids to the noble art of love making!  And just so you don't think the Renaissance was all Adoring Magi, Breast-feeding Bambini and Virginal Assumptions here's an easy to follow cookie recipe (if you can find or afford the ingredients) along with a few of the more "specialized" works from the Bode Renaissance collection.

This lovely ivory carving is an innocent representation of Adam and Eve covering their nakedness in shame.  Or is it?  The look on their faces isn't exactly one of chagrin and a closer look reveals that their "communal" loin cloth can be removed to unveil heaven only knows what sort of salacious display!

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Morsels to excite Venus.
Proven many times and which increase sperm. They do not cause any harm.

Take

• 3 drams each of walnuts, pine-kernels and pistachio nuts;
• 3 drams each of powdered seeds of rocket, onion and knotgrass (also known as swine-grass or bloodwort)
• Half a dram each of cloves, cinnamon and ginger
• 1.5 ounces of skinned skinks (saltwater lizards) - four should suffice with heads and feet removed and ground to a fine powder
• 1 ounce of Indian nut (coconut)
• 1 dram each of long pepper, galangal, seeds of wild asparagus, chickpeas (the red variety)
• 3 ounces of diasatirion*
• A dram of ambergris
• Half a dram of musk
• 12 ounces of sugar dissolved in rosewater

Make morseletti in the normal way.
*also known as "wolf's testicles" it was a concoction based on the bulbous roots of an orchid.

And it would appear that after ingesting these biscotti Venus embarked upon a rather elaborate voyage if this little "Triumph of Love" is to be credited. (A left click will enlarge the picture for a closer look)

These biscuits apparently packed quite a punch with most of the ingredients guaranteed to excite lust, particularly the pistachios.  They were known to be "wondrous for stimulating sexual desire" if fattening! But then plump wasn't a problem in the Renaissance, in fact it was thought of as erotic. Florentine apothecary Stefano Rosselli (whose recipes this is) also stocked a rub which was to be used in the event of impotence.  Rosselli obviously gave the customers what they wanted - or needed!

It would appear this Satyr is in no need of Dottore Rosselli's magic morsels - and one wonders where these naughty putti's mothers are. Shouldn't they be home in bed rather than helping the horny old bugger (litterally) in his depravity?

There is one secret that Mr Wheeler doesn't divulge in amongst his treasury of formulae and concoction - he may let us in on how Venetian woman turned their hair golden but the oft sought secret of how to turn base metal into gold remains untold.  Given its price on the market these days I was hoping it would be revealed - no such luck!  

01 settembre/September - Sant'Egidio abate

Murder Most Foul

And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.

And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

Genesis 4: 8-9
King James Bible - 1611

This bas-relief in Berlin's Bode Museum is a graphic depiction of the moment when Cain strikes out against his brother. Though it has been seriously damaged, there is really no need to do anything other than imagine the violent action of Cain's right arm. Even without it the faces tell us the whole story.

Cain's face is twisted in anger at the Lord's rejection of his sacrifice and hatred for his younger brother. Even in profile it betrays the violence of the act he is about to commit.
Abel's face is filled with fear and astonishment. In his play Back to Methuselah Shaw maintains that the knowledge that Adam and Eve learned from the tree was the meaning of mortality. And I can see that knowledge in Abel's face.

21 novembre - La Presentazione della Beata Vergine Maria

Heads You Lose

Today is the Feast of Saint John the Baptist - one of those secondary feast days in the church calender that becomes a major celebrations in some regions of not just Italy but the World. As an example in Québec June 24th has always been a major celebration of Saint Jean-Baptiste the patron of the province. It has since taken on a slightly more nationalistic nature but the traditions of the older celebration still hold on.

You have to admit that the story of John the Baptist is a pretty good one. Its got everything - religion, sex, politics, sex, political descent, sex, intrigue, sex, death and did I mention sex? Its no wonder it's attracted writers, artists, composers, choreographers and movie makers.

In paintings the child John is normally seen with the Madonna, his smug little cousin Jesus and his mother Elizabeth. Often he's holding a lamb or a cross and when he gets older is dressed in camel skin. However this sculptor seems to think he started his career as an ascetic - howbeit a chubby well-fed one - early in life.

The story of Salome dancing for her step-father Herod on his birthday and, at the insistence of her mother, demanding the head of John has been expanded from a few lines in two of the gospels. She is not even mentioned by name but historically it is known that the daughter of Herodias was called Salome.
The idea of Salome as an icon of dangerous female seductiveness is an old one that became more entrenched in our modern sensibilities with Oscar Wilde's play and later Richard Strauss opera based on it.

The Feast being celebrated today is his birth - which is exactly 6 months before Christmas, no doubt to jibe with the story of Mary's visit to his mother Elizabeth. The Beheading - a much lesser Feast in the calender - isn't celebrated (?) until August 29.

All the photos here were taken in the Bode Museum during our trip to Berlin late last year.

24 giugno - Natività di San Giovanni Battista

Sweet Singing in the Choir

In the same room at the Bode as those beautiful choir stalls there was another stunning example of the woodworker's art from an completely unknown source. The labeling simply says Upper Italy 1531. No further attribution but it again reflects the artistry of the carver and the inlayer.


Again the wood used is walnut with stained veneers and bone for the inlays. The triangular base is ornately carved with symbols of battle and various grotesques and surmounted by a choir book stand.


A left click on the image below will show a close up of the faux-choir book which is a minor masterpiece of trompe oeil. One can almost imagine the cantor singing from it.

The three sides of the base are marquetry panels, one of which serves as a door into what is obviously a storage space.
Rather unusually the subject matters has no Christian symbols that are immediately apparent but all three scenes are of a secular nature. That cat has the strangest markings and is perhaps not the best example of craftsmanship but those instruments look like you could almost pick them up and strum a tune.

28 novembre - San Giacomo della Marca

Take A Pew!

I have mentioned more than once that woodworking fascinates me - so often the work of a master wood carver reveals the soul of both the creator and the wood he has worked on.


This remarkable set of choir stalls, chiefly made from walnut, are from a Monastery in Pavia. Made circa 1500 they have pride of place in a large room in the Bode Museum, and are fine examples of carving in the elaborate detailing at the ends and columns as well as the art of wood inlay known as marquetry.



When I first looked at the scenes they appeared to be simply reflections of town life somewhere in Italy but then I noticed a pair of figures in one scene - two women embracing at the door of a house. Their postures mirrored what is often seen in representations of the meeting of Elizabeth and Mary. It appears that the artisan created each scene to include an episode from the story of the Virgin Mary using events from the Official Gospels and the apocryphal Gospel of James;. But here they are seen as part of everyday life in a town not as a special event. Perhaps it was done to remind us that often momentous events take place in the most mundane settings.
The birth of the Virgin who was, according to James, the daughter of Anna and Joachim.

And James tells us that Mary was given to the Priests of the Temple to be educated and to protect her purity so she could become the perfect vessel for the incarnation.

Amongst the apocryphal stories is one of several men into who's guardianship the priests wish to place the Virgin. When Joseph presents himself miraculously his staff broken into bloom signifying that he was to be the chaste protector of Mary and the earthly father of the Christ.

Though the official Gospels only refer to Mary and Joseph as being "espoused" in the Medieval church their wedding was a favorite subject for paintings.

The only panel which is based on a recognized Gospel account is the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth - again a favorite subject for artists. Strangely that most frequently used of subjects,The Annunciation is not included amongst these panels.

It would appear that the artist ran out of inspiration for the last two panels that show only empty village settings.


Though it may well be that he moved on to another project elsewhere and another artist took over his work. Or perhaps the workshop may have run out of the necessary materials and he created scenes with the woods and veneers at hand.

Interspersed with this narrative are panels depicting the various instruments of the passion and for the celebration of mass.

A thurible sits ready and smoking to cense the elements of the mass - chalice and pyx in one panel as empty as the tomb. The pincers and hammer at the ready to do their part in the crucifixion.

As with most woodwork from the period the creators' name may well be hidden somewhere within the design - though these pieces were to the honour and glory of God, artistic vanity and rightful pride of workmanship demanded some small recognition. According to the Museum listing it is the product of the Mantuan workshop of one Bartolemeo di Polli - I've come up with nothing on him - with additions by others unknown.

Their names may have faded or be unknown but their craftsmanship remains as a testimony to their days spent on this earth mastering their art.

27 novembre - San Primitivo

A Day at the Track - Constantinople 832 AD

A day at the Hippodrome was a big event when Constantinople was the jewel of the Eastern World. Festivals - religious and secular - triumphs, marriages, births, events of all sorts, particularly when an unpopular Emperor was trying to curry favour with a fickle people - were celebrated with chariot races surrounded by pomp and ceremony. So popular were these races that the political parties took their colours from the four racing teams. The colour you supported indicated not only who was your favorite team but what political party you belonged to. In his marvelous triptych history of Byzantium hardly a chapter goes by without John Julius Norwich making some reference to the Hippodrome and the races as part of not only daily life but the tumultuous history of Constantinople.

This piece of carved stone, found in the Byzantine Collection at the Bode Museum, served two purposes - as a game of chance played in one of the arcades of the Hippodrome and as a pictorial record of a day at the track.
Betters would choose a coloured ball - no doubt reflecting their Hippodrome favorite - and the balls would be released at the top of the snaking ramp and through a series of holes and channels find their way to the bottom - the first to arrive, of course, being the winner. The game would have been over in less than a minute - sort of like playing the slots today.
The game iself is pretty simple but the carvings on the lottery "machine" are a fairly detailed record of the events of the day.
The back is a representation of the great gate of the Hippodrome and each of the other three panels follows the progress of the race.

As music is played a banner is raised proclaiming the opening of the races.
Lots are choosen for positions at the starting gate using a revolving amphora. The starting signal is given and the charioteers take off; each one championed by a "goader" on the sidelines urging them on.
Two charioteers via for lead and the current leader reaches back to thwart the progress of his competition by startling his horses with his whip.
The winner is proclaimed, given a purse for his efforts and receives the adulation of a lady who admires him from her window.
The race day over, to a final burst of music the banner is lowered.

According to Norwich often the races could turn ugly. But today has been a good day - no riots, no emperor deposed, no generals blinded, no charioteers killed by a disappointed crowd but then this version is only a game!

17 novembre - Sant'Elisabetta d'ungheria

Bits of Byzantium

Though not as spectacular as the Byzantine Museum in Athens the Bode Museum does house a very fine collection of artifacts from the glory days of Byzantium. There are some intriguing examples of ivory carving and stone work from the days of the Empire of the East.

These lovely miniatures reflect the remarkable skill of the ivory carvers of Constantinople and the Empire.
(From top right to bottom left.)These rather saucy dragons adorned the head of a staff of a court official. A head fragment and a saint showing traces of paint that would have adorned some of the figures. The Archangel Michael girds for battle. The 40 saints (and yes there are 40 - I counted) are set out on the frozen river to die.
This lovely diptych dates from the 6th or 7th century. It would have been joined by silver hinges which have long since disappeared, possibly in one of the lootings as Western Crusaders "liberated" Byzantium.

The stone carvings are equally as remarkable.
The top marble is a fragment of a Chancel screen from the 8th century. It found its way from Constantinople to Venice at some point.

16 novembre - Santa Margherita di Scozia