13 October 2015

Drawing Tuesday - Medieval gallery, V&A

Starting with this combination of the Tristan Hanging (made about 1400) and a painted chest (cassone, about 1350), not because anyone drew them (this time) but because they show the colour and rich patterning that is seen so often in medieval objects.

Instead of colourful, I went for sculptural - a corner of a small ivory of the Last Judgment, which I forgot to photograph, but you can see the whole thing here - is that a fish swallowing the sinner? and another of Mary Magdalene and companions finding the tomb empty (the crumpled cloths were what drew me to it) -

and a larger relief of Saints Philip, Jude and Bartholomew, from the cathedral of Vich, Spain, about 1150 -
which I tried to make "contrasty" but it hasn't really come through in the photo. Comparing the two a week after doing the drawing, I can see where proportions needed adjusting (you can easily miss this at the time...) - never mind, I really enjoyed doing the zigzag lines of the garments -
Janet, who seems to be fond of drawing horses (in armour), found a donkey -

and also enjoyed the Three Standing Figures, which represent three ranks of the retinue of a noble family: a knight, a squire, and a man-at-arms. Made of oak about 1550-1525, they are linked to the Dacre family of Cumbria and would have been placed high up in a great hall, and may have held flags -

Sue was having a lion sort of day -



These Drawing Tuesday posts run a week behind. We should have been drawing Barkcloth at the British Museum today, but due to a flood or something in the gallery above, it was closed. Rotten luck - but we migrated to the African gallery.

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