{"id":20,"date":"2017-05-18T14:49:56","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T13:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.courtauld.ac.uk\/illuminating-objects\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:14:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T16:14:52","slug":"illuminating-objects-home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.courtauld.ac.uk\/illuminating-objects\/","title":{"rendered":"Illuminating Objects Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students working outside the History of Art explore the ornate and unusual, each focusing on one object at The Courtauld that sparks their curiosity. Check out their discoveries below.<\/h3>\n
\n

A Criptic Vessel<\/a><\/h4>\n

Mikayla Hu, Science Communication Postgraduate at Imperial College London<\/p>\n

\"a
Probably Marche or possibly Tuscany, Pharmacy or storage jar, 1530\u201350, tin-glazed earthenware. The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) Photo \u00a9 The Courtauld.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Unlock multiple narratives in medicine and art through this jar filled with mysteries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

The Bear in the Sandbox: Art Therapy and the Museum Object<\/a><\/h4>\n

Isabel Hendley and Danny Kitchener, Art Therapy Trainees at The University of Roehampton<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture
Ornament in the form of a bear Ordos culture, Inner Mongolia or Northwestern China, 200 BC \u2013 220 AD. Bronze with traces of red lacquer, 4.2 cm x 1.7 cm. The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust). Photo \u00a9 The Courtauld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Across cultures, bears have been symbols in different ways to different people: from magnificent powerful beasts, to comforting characters in children\u2019s stories and soft toys. Find out what it symbolizes for us.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

A Pair of Gold Beakers<\/a><\/h4>\n

Sophie-Nicole Dodds, Goldsmiths College<\/p>\n

These jewel-like beakers both feature a lively scene of a stag hunt, with a mischievous smiling hare hidden in each base. Explore the techniques and narratives.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n\n

\n

Silk Fragment <\/span>by Jock Turnbull in the Omega Workshops<\/a><\/h4>\n

Sophie-Nicole Dodds, Goldsmiths College<\/p>\n

Bold strokes and creative resistance in 1913 London. Immerse yourself in the art and science of making.<\/p>\n

\"Painted<\/p>\n

\n

Getting in a Scrap with the Avant-Garde<\/a><\/h4>\n

Jack Monaghan, Imperial College<\/p>\n

Know your atoms from your alloys? Leap into the history and production methods of C\u00e9sar’s fabulous Habitation<\/em>, of 1960.<\/p>\n

\"Metal
Habitation by C\u00e9sar, \u00a9 The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London \/ DACS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\n\n\n

\"closed<\/a>Global Union<\/a><\/h4>\n

Katrina Brain, Imperial College<\/p>\n

Exotic beasts and precious materials from international trade networks define an exquisite marriage casket from seventeenth-century Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

Venetian Glow<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"TheMelisa Lenero, Royal College of Art & Imperial College<\/p>\n

How an eighteenth-century glass dish emulates bioluminescent sea creatures through expert craft techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"\"Puzzling Construction<\/a><\/h4>\n

Anabel Hazeldine, Central Saint Martins<\/p>\n

Part drinks vessel and part game, a jug that would have invited playful usage across seventeenth-century taverns and dining rooms alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

\"decorated<\/p>\n

Sumptuous Devotion<\/a><\/h4>\n

Nathasha Gertler, Imperial College<\/p>\n

Pinpointing which semi-precious stones are inlaid into the frame of this portable altarpiece proves harder than you might imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

Faith Suspended<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"a<\/a><\/h3>\n

Devon Abts, Kings College<\/p>\n

This miniature pendant from the early seventeenth century raises questions about who it was for and what holy object it held close to the wearer’s heart<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

Man-made Magic in Murano\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"glass<\/h3>\n

Eleanor Magson, Imperial College<\/p>\n

Learn the secrets of eighteenth-century Venetian glass-makers through this bowl, and see how they competed with Mother Nature herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"silver<\/p>\n

Coffee Culture<\/a><\/h4>\n

Maryam Ala Amjadi, University of Kent<\/p>\n

The game-changing drink became known in England from the seventeenth century via travellers to the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Isfahan. What can an eighteenth-century coffee pot recall about the ensuing social and intellectual pursuits that boomed in coffeehouses throughout the country?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n

\"carvedWeaving and Masquerade in the C\u00f4te d’Ivoire<\/a><\/h4>\n

Niahm Collard, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)<\/p>\n

Find out why this loom pulley is shaped like a beautiful female mask and is the object of the Guro weaver’s gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

\"paintedLyrical Flowers<\/a><\/h4>\n

Laila El-Sayed, University of Kent<\/p>\n

Carnations and tulips abound: do the swirling flowers on this Iznik dish hold a deeper cultural symbolism?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n

\"elegant<\/strong>Filigree Fancy<\/a><\/h4>\n

Victoria Druce, Imperial College<\/p>\n

Get granular with the techniques and chemical components of glasses made in Venice and England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"miniature<\/strong>Piety Reformed<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Josephine Neil, Kings College<\/p>\n

A pair of German miniature picture bibles bears witness to the talents of the K\u00fcsel sisters, who produced these devotional objects while navigating a time of religious upheaval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"decorated<\/strong>Illustrious Craft<\/a><\/h4>\n

\nTanja Tolar, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)<\/p>\n

Islamic and Christian heritages intertwine in this Spanish lustreware dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"woodenArtisans on Athos<\/a><\/h4>\n

\nEleni Dimitriadou, The Courtauld Institute of Art<\/p>\n

The monks of Mount Athos worked painstakingly on this carved wooden cross. Can you follow the biblical stories whittled intricately across it?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n

Sculpture and Decorative Arts including Illuminating Objects is proudly supported by McQueens Flowers.<\/p>\n

\"McQueens<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students working outside the History of Art explore the ornate and unusual, each focusing on one object at The Courtauld that sparks their curiosity. Check out their discoveries below. A Criptic Vessel Mikayla Hu, Science Communication Postgraduate at Imperial College London Unlock multiple narratives in medicine and art through this jar filled with mysteries. \u00a0…<\/p>\n

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