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Connections: Books

Chief librarian Ken Soehner on his favorite depictions of books.
Kenneth Soehner
4 min. watch

"I think it's going to be many years before there's a formal portrait where the sitter is clutching his or her Kindle or iPad."

Chief librarian Ken Soehner on his favorite depictions of books.

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© 2011 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Contributors

Kenneth Soehner
Arthur K. Watson Chief Librarian, Thomas J. Watson Library

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Art Mentioned

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A Scene in a Library, William Henry Fox Talbot British, Salted paper print from paper negative
A Scene in a Library
William Henry Fox Talbot
before March 22, 1844
The Artist's Portfolio, Pont Aven, Paul Gauguin French, Two inside covers decorated in watercolor and gouache over charcoal with graphite on heavy gray wove (blotting) paper sewn to leather; leather binding inscribed in pen and ink with additions in watercolor; multicolored silk ribbons stitched into binding.
The Artist's Portfolio, Pont Aven
Paul Gauguin
1894
Reading in the Subway, John Sloan American, Etching
Reading in the Subway
John Sloan
1926
Portrait of a Young Man, Pompeo Batoni Italian, Oil on canvas
Portrait of a Young Man
Pompeo Batoni
ca. 1760–65
Portrait of a Young Man, Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) Italian, Oil on wood
Portrait of a Young Man
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano)
1530s
Self-Portrait, Gerrit Dou Dutch, Oil on wood
Self-Portrait
Gerrit Dou
ca. 1665
L'Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848–1911), Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Oil on canvas
L'Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848–1911)
Vincent van Gogh
1888–89
Oleanders, Vincent van Gogh Dutch, Oil on canvas
Oleanders
Vincent van Gogh
1888
Madonna and Child, Filippino Lippi Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Filippino Lippi
ca. 1483–84
Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768), Anton Raphael Mengs German, Oil on canvas
Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768)
Anton Raphael Mengs
ca. 1777
The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Hans Memling
ca. 1465–70
Comtesse de la Châtre (Marie Charlotte Louise Perrette Aglaé Bontemps, 1762–1848), Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun French, Oil on canvas
Comtesse de la Châtre (Marie Charlotte Louise Perrette Aglaé Bontemps, 1762–1848)
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
1789
Qur'an Bookbinding Inset with Turquoise, Leather; stamped, painted, gilded, and inset with turquoise
Qur'an Bookbinding Inset with Turquoise
16th century
Section from a Qur'an, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; tooled leather binding
Section from a Qur'an
probably second half 13th century
A Nobleman Reading, Opaque watercolor on paper
A Nobleman Reading
ca. 1750–75
Book-Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty, Copper: engraved, chased, scraped, stippled, and gilt; champlevé enamel: dark and light blue, turquoise, green, yellow, red, and white, French
Book-Cover Plaque with Christ in Majesty
French
ca. 1210–20
Booklet with Scenes of the Passion, Elephant ivory, polychromy, and gilding, North French (carving); Upper Rhenish (painting)
Booklet with Scenes of the Passion
North French (carving); Upper Rhenish (painting)
ca. 1300 (carving); ca. 1310–20 (painting)
Sarcophagus with a Greek Physician, Marble, Roman
Sarcophagus with a Greek Physician
Roman
early 300s
The Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, The Limbourg Brothers Franco-Netherlandish, Tempera, gold, and ink on vellum, French
The Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry
The Limbourg Brothers
1405–1408/1409
Reading at a Table, Pablo Picasso Spanish, Oil on canvas
Reading at a Table
Pablo Picasso
1934
Book of the Dead for the Chantress of Amun Nauny, Papyrus, paint
Book of the Dead for the Chantress of Amun Nauny
ca. 1050 B.C.