Anonymous Artist

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A nude, muscular man with wings on his ankles balances on the toes of one foot as the other leg and one arm raise up, creating a spiral that moves from the toes of his weight-bearing foot to the top of his opposite, raised hand in this freestanding bronze sculpture. In this photograph, his body is angled to our left and he looks off over his right shoulder, farther from us, so we see his face in profile. He wears a smooth, dish-like helmet with wings to each side over short, curly hair. He has a long, straight nose, and his lips are parted. His right arm, farther from us, reaches high into the air with his index finger pointing upward. He holds a scepter tucked near his side with his other hand, closer to us. The staff is as tall as the man’s torso, and has two snakes entwined up its length with wings at the top. His right leg is raised behind him as he leans a bit forward over the other toes, which balance on a narrow wedge. The wedge is held in the mouth of a human head tipped back so it rests on the disk-like base.
Anonymous Artist, Mercury, c. 1780/c. 1850, bronze, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.131

Mercury

Anonymous Artist · c. 1780/c. 1850 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1937.1.131

Anonymous Artist, German 17th Century, Large Serpent-Stem Goblet, c. 1680, glass, Gift of Funds from Rosemary Tofalo Bowes, PhD, 2023.110.1

Large Serpent-Stem Goblet

Anonymous Artist, German 17th Century · c. 1680 · glass ·  Accession ID  2023.110.1

This is a painting of various colorful birds and a monkey framed by two tall trees. The birds are of different varieties and have striking plumage, including a bird of paradise with yellow and red feathers, a peacock with long, colorful tail feathers, and several smaller birds with vividly colored wings. At the center of the image, a brown hawk faces us. Two of the birds are depicted perched on branches, while two stand on the ground and the other three are in mid-air with their wings extended. In the lower right corner, a small gray monkey is shown sitting on the ground next to the tree. At the bottom of the image are a few short ferns and patches of grass, but most of the background is blank paper.
Anonymous Artist, Study of Birds and Monkey, 1660/1670, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.1

Study of Birds and Monkey

Anonymous Artist · 1660/1670 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.1

Two monkeys and five birds are painted in meticulous detail against a mostly pearl-white background on this horizontal composition. A spindly tree trunk grows up each side of the painting, and a few tufts of grass are tucked near the trees and at the bottom center of the composition. A red-furred monkey crouches holding a piece of fruit at the center of the painting, and a second piece of fruit lies nearby. Another, lemur-like monkey clings to a tree growing up the right edge, peering at us. A teal-blue parrot perches on a branch above that second monkey, and a hefty, yellow and green bird perches on another branch over the first. Two long-legged, long-necked birds stand to either side of the seated red monkey, with a dove-gray bird to the left and a tawny brown one with pale green legs to the right. A smaller blue, white, and orange bird stands on the ground near the seated monkey and another, this one blue and red, flies above.
Anonymous Artist, Study of Birds and Monkeys, 1660/1670, oil on copper, Gift of John Dimick, 1983.19.2

Study of Birds and Monkeys

Anonymous Artist · 1660/1670 · oil on copper ·  Accession ID  1983.19.2

Shown from about the knees up, an older, bearded, pale-skinned man sits at a desk with his head in one hand in a shadowy room in this vertical painting. His body is angled to our right, and he sits in a heavy wooden armchair next to a desk. His left elbow, farther from us, rests on the chair’s arm, and he holds that hand to his forehead. He holds a quill with his other hand, which brushes his knee. He has ash-brown hair covered at the back by a cap and a long shaggy beard. He looks off to our right with dark, shaded eyes. His voluminous brown robe is brushed loosely with golden brown highlights. The rust-red garment under the robe is visible at the sleeves, neckline, and one knee. The desk, to our right, has a stack of papers or parchment. The oversized hilt of a long sword leans against the wall behind the desk. The background is painted with areas of earth and chestnut brown. Some areas of the scene are loosely painted so brushstrokes are visible, especially the brightest white highlights on his collar, the quill, the edges of the parchment, and glints on the sword. The artist signed the painting on the face of the desktop, near the lower right corner: “Rembrandt f.”
Rembrandt van Rijn, Anonymous Artist, The Apostle Paul, c. 1657, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.59

The Apostle Paul

Rembrandt van Rijn, Anonymous Artist · c. 1657 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.59

We look up at two women, two young boys, and a man, all with pale skin, sitting together on a wide landing, with stairs leading up to stone buildings behind the group and a patch of vivid blue sky in the upper right corner of this horizontal painting. At the center, a woman, Mary, sits holding a nearly nude child propped on one knee. Her body is angled to our right but she turns her head to look off into the distance to our left with large, dark eyes under faint brows. Her strawberry-blond hair is pulled back under a white veil that falls down the back of her neck and across her chest. Her smooth cheeks are lightly flushed in her round face. She has a straight nose and her pink, bow lips are closed. She wears a coral-red dress under a long, azure-blue robe that wraps around her waist and covers her legs. The sandaled toes of one foot peek from under the hems, and her other foot rests up on a gold-colored, rounded urn. Mary holds one child on her lap, and the second child sits by her right side, to our left. Both toddlers have blond, curly hair, dark eyes, rounded faces, and slightly pudgy bodies. Swaths of pale gray drapery mostly cover the genitals of both. The child on her lap half-sits, half-stands on the knee propped up on the urn. She supports his belly with one hand, the other wraps around his bottom. He leans forward, toward the second child, who faces him and holds up a yellow and blush-red fruit. Behind him, to our left, an older woman sits leaning forward and facing Mary in profile. Her wrinkled face is mostly lost in shadow, and she has a hooked nose and her forehead is lined, as if her eyebrows are raised. A white veil is wrapped around her head and drapes over the shoulders of her long, canary-yellow dress. One foot is crossed behind the other ankle, and the toes of both peep out from under her dress. To our right of Mary, a bearded man, Joseph, wears an eggplant-purple robe and sits almost entirely in shadow, facing our right in profile. The leg closer to us is extended and his foot stretches out of the shadow. He has short, curly brown hair and a long gray beard. He holds a carpenter’s compass to a panel in front of him. Closest to us, a step down runs along the bottom edge of the painting. On that step, a basket with leaves and yellow and peach-colored fruit sits in front of the standing child. Near Mary’s feet is a bronze-colored urn and a shiny gold box on raised feet. Behind the older woman to our left, water trickles from a round-bellied fountain on a pedestal in front of an orange tree. One building with round columns rises behind the tree. Behind Joseph, a long stick rests against the post of a short flight of four steps, which leads to another landing. The portico of a second temple-like building with squared columns and leafy capitals rises over Mary, presumably from the upper landing. A bright, topaz-blue sky with cream-white and steel-gray clouds fills the upper right corner of the composition.
Anonymous Artist, The Holy Family on the Steps, 1648, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.49

The Holy Family on the Steps

Anonymous Artist · 1648 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1952.5.49

A woman, Mary, floats in the sky surrounded by eleven winged angels above fifteen men and women gathered around an open, stone coffin in this vertical painting. All the people have pale, peachy skin. Near the top center of the composition, the woman’s torso twists to our left as her knees turn to our right. She lifts her left hand, to our right, to her chest and her other arm reaches down along her body. She looks up with dark eyes, her head tipped slightly back. She has a round face, a small nose, flushed cheeks, and a heart-shaped, rose-pink mouth. Her long, golden-brown hair falls over the shoulders of her scoop-necked, powder-blue dress. A honey-brown wrap loops over one shoulder and billows up to surround her head and shoulders. A voluminous silver cloth edged with gold flows around her hips, legs, and feet. Seven of the angels gathered near Mary’s feet and legs are baby-like, pudgy children with gossamer-white or smoke-gray wings. Most of these angels are nude but the genitals of two are covered in ivory or golden yellow cloths. Four taller, so presumably older, angels float around Mary’s head and shoulders with two to each side. Two angels to our left, wearing petal pink or butterscotch yellow, hold a ring of leaves up toward her head. The angels to our right wear ruby red or bronze gold, and they look toward Mary with their arms crossed over their chests. The hair and drapery of all of the angels flutter as if in a breeze. Below this group, on the dirt earth, twelve men and three women gather around an open stone coffin set in front of an arched opening leading into a hillside. Some in the group look into the coffin, some look up, and some look toward a man standing to our left. That man has long, chestnut-brown hair and wears a red robe over a white tunic. He looks up at Mary with his head tipped back and raises both hands high, palms facing the scene in the sky. The three women are closest to the coffin, which sits on a two-stepped platform. The woman closest to us kneels on the steps wearing a golden yellow dress. Her white-blond hair has been pulled up and braided. She pulls a pale gray or white cloth from the coffin and holds what could be a small bunch of flowers or leaves in one hand. The other two women have brown hair and stand on the far side of the coffin. Some of the men have beards, and they wear robes in cardinal red, olive green, honey yellow, and tan. A sliver of landscape with water, trees, and a hill is visible in the deep distance to our left, and the sky above is filled with slate-blue clouds. A darker bank of charcoal-gray clouds sweeps around the group in the sky to our right, and bright, yellow rays emanate down from the top center. The scene is loosely painted, especially in the clothing, to create the impression of a sheen on the fabrics.
Anonymous Artist, The Assumption of the Virgin, probably mid 1620s, oil on panel, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.32

The Assumption of the Virgin

Anonymous Artist · probably mid 1620s · oil on panel ·  Accession ID  1961.9.32

The head and chest of a man with pale pink skin, a honey-blond beard, and curly, mahogany-brown hair around a receding hairline fills this vertical portrait painting. His body and head are tipped to our left and he looks at or toward us with olive-green eyes. He has a long, pointed nose with lines around the nostrils leading down to his sweeping mustache. His soft beard below is trimmed to a point. His full, salmon-pink lips are closed. Faint sage green shades the inner corners of his eyes and the dips at his temples, beneath a shiny, balding head. His brown locks float around his face as if lifted by a breeze. His shoulders are enveloped by a chocolate-brown cloak, probably fur, and a swipe of vivid white paint at the back of his neck suggests a high, white collar. The background is mottled with rust-red, copper, and gold. The portrait is loosely painted in some areas, especially the fur cloak and background.
Anonymous Artist, Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1620, oil on panel, Timken Collection, 1960.6.33

Peter Paul Rubens

Anonymous Artist · c. 1620 · oil on panel ·  Accession ID  1960.6.33

Shown from the waist up, an elderly man with pale, peachy skin, wavy, silvery-gray hair, and a long beard stands facing our right, almost filling this vertical painting. He wears a butterscotch-gold robe and clutches two large skeleton keys the length of his forearm in his right hand while his other fist rests at his waist. One key is iron gray and the other is copper colored. The man’s balding, high forehead slopes down to thick black brows arching over deep-set, hazel eyes that gaze upward. He has a long nose, pale pink mouth, and hollows under his high cheekbones. He is brightly lit from the upper left against an ink-black background. The strong light creates shadows in the folds of his garment and on his craggy features.
Anonymous Artist, Saint Peter, c. 1616/1618, oil on panel, Timken Collection, 1960.6.32

Saint Peter

Anonymous Artist · c. 1616/1618 · oil on panel ·  Accession ID  1960.6.32

The sculpture portrays a seated female figure with a contemplative pose. She has her legs drawn up and arms wrapped around them. Her head is slightly bowed, and she has a neat bun hairstyle. The sculpture is made of a bronzed material with a lustrous brown color and subtle greenish undertones. The figure is placed on a base resembling draped fabric, adding texture and depth. The overall impression is one of elegance and tranquility, with smooth and realistic proportions and details.
Anonymous Artist, Woman Cutting Her Nails, early 17th century, bronze//Black lacquer (much rubbed) over medium brown bronze; traces of gilding on drapery and seat, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.24

Woman Cutting Her Nails

Anonymous Artist · early 17th century · bronze//Black lacquer (much rubbed) over medium brown bronze; traces of gilding on drapery and seat ·  Accession ID  1957.14.24