[Pitcher and two glasses, Venetian, 15th Century]
Stamped in Latin on the back of this print, the words "Sincerely and Truthfully," act as a guarantee: before us is an allegedly unadulterated image of indisputably real things. Veracity was critical to Ludwig Belitski, who was hired to document the decorative arts collection of a Prussian baron. In exactly the sort of project prefigured by Talbot’s Articles of Glass (exhibited nearby), he depicts this glassware with extraordinary precision, preserving a model for future makers. This and other photographs in his series were circulated among local craftsmen for study. Belitski illuminates these vessels before a dark backdrop, bringing translucent details into focus. The resulting view is as worthy of emulation as the objects themselves.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Pitcher and two glasses, Venetian, 15th Century]
- Artist: Ludwig Belitski (German, 1830–1902)
- Artist: Baron Alexander von Minutoli (German, Berlin 1806–1887 Friedersdorf am Queis)
- Date: 1854
- Medium: Salted paper print from glass negative
- Dimensions: Image: 8 3/4 × 6 15/16 in. (22.2 × 17.7 cm)
Mount: 18 1/4 in. × 13 3/4 in. (46.3 × 35 cm)
Frame: 20 x 16 in. - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.368
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Ludwig Belitski
Baron Alexander von Minutoli
1854
Ludwig Belitski
Baron Alexander von Minutoli
1854
Ludwig Belitski
Baron Alexander von Minutoli
1854
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ca. 1855
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