{"title":"Martin Kemp","description":"Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art, Trinity College, Oxford University, Robert B. Simon, Company President, Robert Simon Fine Art, Margaret Dalivalle, Associate lecturer in Art History, Middlebury-CMRS, Oxford","products":[{"product_id":"leonardos-salvator-mundi-and-the-collecting-of-leonardo-in-the-stuart-courts-hardcover","title":"Leonardo's Salvator Mundi and the Collecting of Leonardo in the Stuart Courts - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eSalvator Mundi\u003c\/em\u003e is the first Leonardo painting to be discovered for over a century. Following its re-emergence, it played a leading role in the landmark Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery in London in 2011, after which it was purchased by a Russian oligarch. In 2017 it was auctioned by Christie's in New York, fetching the world record price of $450m, and now forms part of the collection of Louvre Abu Dhabi. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eSalvator Mundi\u003c\/em\u003e may be seen as the devotional counterpart to the \u003cem\u003eMona Lisa\u003c\/em\u003e, having an extraordinary, communicative presence. The artist has reformed the very traditional subject matter in a number of ways. The elusiveness of Christ's expression suggests his spiritual origins beyond the world of the senses. The traditional sphere of the earth has been transformed into a rock-crystal orb and signifies a crystalline sphere of the heavens. In addition to its spiritual dimension, the image exploits Leonardo's optical knowledge and his growing sense of the illusiveness of seeing. Only the blessing hand is in reasonably sharp focus, with his features softly veiled. The scintillating curls of his hair are characterised in line with his theory that the physics of the curling of hair is analogous to vortex motion in water. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book looks at evidence of Leonardo's \u003cem\u003eSalvator Mundi\u003c\/em\u003e in the collections of Charles I and Charles II. It explores the appraisal of works by Leonardo at the Stuart courts, and proposes that how works attributed to Leonardo were first encountered and understood in seventeenth-century Britain would shape the wider evolution of Leonardo as a cultural icon. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis volume gives a dramatic first-hand account of the modern-day discovery of the painting, from its purchase in a minor New Orleans auction house, to the cleaning of the picture that would disclose it as Leonardo's startling original, and the research processes that would uncover illustrious and obscure former owners. The book presents the definitive study of the new masterpiece.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50119080280287,"sku":"9780198813835","price":100.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/qCYJmbSW6C9780198813835.webp?v=1781553393"},{"product_id":"leonardo-revised-edition-paperback","title":"Leonardo: Revised Edition - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis fascinating exploration of Leonardo da Vinci's life and work identifies what it was that made him so unique, and explains the phenomenon of the world's most celebrated artistic genius who, 500 years on, still grips and inspires us. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMartin Kemp offers us exceptional insights into what it was that made this Renaissance man so special, and the \"real\" meaning behind such masterpieces as the \u003cem\u003eMona Lisa\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eLast Supper\u003c\/em\u003e. Tracing Leonardo's career in all its variety, we learn of his unfulfilled dreams, relationships with powerful patrons, and the truth about his views on God, humanity, and nature. The famous notebooks are the key to understanding the secret of Leonardo's success and genius, Kemp shows, as they clearly reveal the workings of his mind and display the truly innovative and investigative nature of his creative vision. In these notebooks, over 20,000 pages of drawings and notes detail his incredible discoveries and inventions--from the workings of the human eye to designs for flying machines and giant crossbows. Bringing the story up to the present day, Martin Kemp considers what he means to us today, investigates the \"Leonardo industry,\" and speculates about what he would be doing if he were alive today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis updated edition of Martin Kemp's best-seller is the first book on Leonardo to include two newly discovered works, the most important such discoveries in over a hundred years.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50119080378591,"sku":"9780199583355","price":26.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/yaCEnWFHFJ9780199583355.webp?v=1781553395"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/martin-kemp.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}