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Antiquity has provided a standard by which all subsequent periods have tended to be judged. The Jenkins Venus was thought during the neoclassical period to be the embodiment of love and beauty, so fundamental to contemporary ideas of art appreciation. This gypsum bas-relief wall-slab from Room C of the north-west palace of Ashurnasirpal II, at Nimrud, was rediscovered at Canford School where it had long been thought to be made of plaster. When sold in 1994, it was the most expensive sculpture ever to have been auctioned. Theseus slays the Minotaur of Crete who in Greek mythology devoured 7 Athenean youths and maidens each year. Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, fell in love with Theseus. She gave him a thread by which he escaped the labyrinth where the monster lived. Attic black-figured hydria (water carrier) c. 560 BC. These winged figures represent a particular aspect of the goddess Athena as Victory known as Nike. They are solid cast in gold with sheet gold wings and finely chased details of feathers. They are surmounted by eight-petalled rosettes, fringed with filigree wire and framed by opposing spirals of filigree. Nike earrings, late 4th to 3rd century BC
This panel depicting the ordination of the first Christian Saint, Stephen, is carved on reused elephant ivory during the Carolingian period in the late 9th century, probably at Metz. It once formed part of a casket with stories of the life of the saint. Thomas of Oxford’s Jesse window at Winchester College epitomises the skill and craftsmanship of the medieval glazier. The variety of artistic production during the middle ages has remained an inspiration to subsequent periods of art. This is a detail from the dome mosaic of the Arian Baptistery at Ravenna of c. AD 500. Saint Peter and Saint Paul are shown approaching the Hetoimasia (or prepared throne for Christ’s second coming). The lover-poet resting on his bed, his sword propped by his pillow, his writing materials, spectacles and books laid out on a chest next to an enclosed garden symbolising his unrequited love. From an illuminated manuscript of the Roman de la Rose, the most widely read and debated medieval love poem.
Cima da Conegliano was one of the great colourists of the Venetian Renaissance. Following in the footsteps of Giovanni Bellini he developed a personal language of painting which also had a strong sculptural sense. This Madonna and Child is set in a landscape that includes a view of his hometown of Conegliano. The geometric beauty, technical virtuosity, and massive scale of the Pantheon, originally built by Agrippa and rebuilt by Hadrian AD 118 to 128, inspired architects in the Renaissance to try to surpass the ancient world. This parcel-gilt and silvered Mantuan bronze roundel depicting Mars, Venus, Cupid and Vulcan was discovered inside an under-stair cupboard in 2003 and had been in the family, who considered it to be of little value, the 17th century. As a Renaissance masterpiece from the circle of Mantegna and Gian Marco Cavalli, it sold for £6,949,250 at Christie’s London. This sarcophagus was made in Rome between AD 160 and 200 for a military commander. The scene reflects a lost painting from Pergamum by Phyromachos which depicted the story of the defeat of the Gauls by Attalus I. Such sarcophagi were the inspiration for early Renaissance sculptors such as Giovanni and Nicola Pisano, and Michelangelo himself.

The Christie's Part-time Course - Arts of Europe: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance

Course Content

  • The Art and Culture of Ancient Iraq, Persia, and Egypt
  • Depiction of the Human form in Greek and Hellenistic Art
  • Architectural Form and Meaning in the Ancient World
  • Art, Politics and Power during the Roman Empire
  • The New Art of the Early Christian era
  • The Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Illuminated Manuscripts and Metalwork
  • Sacred and Luxurious Art before and after Charlemagne
  • Byzantium and its culture
  • Colour and Narrative in Medieval Stained Glass, Panel Painting and Illuminated Manuscripts
  • Ivory, Enamels and Textiles from the Treasuries of Europe
  • The Birth of Italian Painting: Duccio, Giotto and the Trecento
  • International Gothic and the Princely Courts of Europe
  • Re-inventing Sculpture and Architecture in early Renaissance Europe
  • Icons of the High Renaissance:Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo

Course Components

  • Core lecture series c.3000 BC to AD 1527: underpins all components of the programme.
  • Study Trips: regular visits to UK sites throughout the year are included in the basic fee. Students can opt to join the two international Study Trips held each year for an additional fee.
  • Object-Based Study: students are given access to the public and commercial art worlds through regular visits to exhibitions, public and private galleries and auction previews.
  • Curatorial Studies: students are introduced to issues of display of art works in lectures and visits.
  • Journal: an opportunity for students who have opted in to assessed work, to create a yearbook of their experiences during the course based around the artworks they have studied. Students are invited to present their journal to the rest of the members of their programme at the end of the year.

Entry Requirements

Students must be over 21. There are no formal qualifications required to participate on this course but all students are interviewed to ensure that the course is appropriate for them.

Before you apply...

Not sure if this course is for you? Why not get a taste of the Part-time Arts of Europe course by enrolling in our 3-day short course 'Antiquity to the Renaissance: Introduction to Early European Art' from 15-17 Feb 2010. More info here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christie's Part-time Course

Course Dates

Term 1

Thursday 30 September 2010
– Friday 10 December 2010

Term 2

Monday 10 January 2011
– Friday 18 March 2011

Term 3

Wednesday 27 April 2011
– Friday 1 July 2011

Course Fees

The Christie's Part-time Course: £8,800
With Certificate: £9,900

International Study Trips Fee: £1,600

Course Leader

Richard Plant

Apply now

To apply for this course click here.