New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700 October 2, 2021–February 6, 2022
German, Saints Margaret and Elizabeth Presenting a Female Donor, c. 1525–30, glass, vitreous paint, and silver stain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Agnes Cullen Arnold Endowment Fund.
Albrecht Dürer, Saint George Killing the Dragon, c. 1504–05, woodcut on laid paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Marjorie G. and Evan C. Horning Print Fund.
Juan Carreño de Miranda and workshop, The Immaculate Conception, 17th century, oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Installation view of New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700.
Installation view of New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700.
Installation view of New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700.
Installation view of New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700.
Installation view of New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700.
The term “Old Masters” denotes the artists working in Europe from the 13th through 18th century. The works of art they produced, including paintings, sculpture, textiles, metalwork, stained glass, and works on paper, express the broad range of artistic treasures desired by wealthy patrons, royal courts, and the Roman Catholic Church.
In the Medieval period, gold-ground paintings, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts gave material form to the transcendent hope of salvation. The Renaissance bore witness to an emergent sense of individualism expressed by the advent of portraiture and to increasingly naturalistic depictions of the divine and earthly realms. The Baroque period was characterized by an increased drama in painting and sculpture as well as illuminated manuscripts and exuberant creations in silverwork.
The works in this exhibition are drawn from the MFAH collections and from generous loans by private collectors in Houston. These masterpieces present a diversity of objects, encompassing the richness of European art and shedding new light on Old Masters.
New Light on Old Masters: European Art from Houston Collections, 1300–1700 | October 2, 2021–February 6, 2022
• Included with general admission. Advance timed tickets recommended.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.