Ecstasy Baroque
16 September 2017 – 4 February 2018
UQ Art Museum

More info: https://www.artmuseum.uq.edu.au/coming-soon.

Almost four centuries after its creation, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s St. Teresa in Ecstasy 1652 remains the emblem for religious visionary experience and baroque sensibilities in art. Going
beyond the sensuous suffering depicted by Bernini, Baroque Ecstasy brings historical depictions of ecstatic experiences together with modern and contemporary works that feature transcendence of normal consciousness, trance or trancelike states, expanded spiritual awareness, and visionary experiences. From saints and mystics, to bacchanalian fetes and dreamscapes, the exhibition also explores how Baroque stylistics such as theatricality, exaggeration, high drama, extravagance, frenzy and excess continue to permeate the work of contemporary artists.

Supported by the UQ Node, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions (Europe 1100–1800)

500 Years On: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
de Beer Gallery, Special Collections, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ
Opens 24 March, 2017 and runs to 9 June, 2017

Our exhibition offers an overview of what was a massive revolution that occurred in Europe. The books on display are from Special Collections, University of Otago, the Hewitson Library, Knox College, Dunedin, and a private collection. Some of the items that will be on show include our Nuremberg Chronicle, printed in 1493; a late 15th century medieval Book of Hours; a sheet of Koberger’s German Bible, printed in 1483, an early guidebook to Rome (1515), and most notably, a rare Latin Bible (1481) that contains fragments of indulgences printed by William Caxton. Luther’s own work features, including his Deuteronomy (1525), his Works (1550), and a facsimile of his Bible, Die Propheten Alle Deutsch [1534; 1935]. Works by Johannes Cochlaeus, Erasmus, and Philip Melanchthon also feature. Also on display are colourful facsimile leaflets (flugblatt) from the period. They include Weiditz’s ‘Käsebauer und Käsefrau’ [Cheesemaker and his wife] (1521) and Erhard Schön’s ‘Der Teufel mit der Sackpfeife’ [The Devil playing the Bagpipe], 1535.

For a handlist of books/manuscripts, click here.

European Splendour 1500–1800 Exhibition
Until 26 February 2017
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

More info: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/whats-on/exhibitions/nga-toi-arts-te-papa/european-splendour-1500-1800/exhibition

Exquisite European art and objects reveal how the Church, trade, and innovation influenced what was once considered the height of affluence.

For centuries in Europe, luxury goods were the preserve of the monarchy, church, and nobility. But waves of change gave more people than ever access to the beauty and sophistication of gold, fine furniture, silks, and lace.

Discover these objects of desire spanning 300 years of history.

The past two physical exhibitions held at the University of Otago Special Collections now have an online presence. One reflects use by researchers in Special Collections; the other an excellent collaboration with the University of Otago’s Matariki Network partner: Dartmouth College, NH.

• Scholarly Favourites. Researching in Special Collections: http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/exhibitions/scholarly_favourites
• A Letterpress Legacy: The Dartmouth College Book Arts Workshop: http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/exhibitions/letterpress_legacy

Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum
Art Gallery of New South Wales
11 November 2017 – 18 February 2018

More info: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/rembrandt/

This is a rare opportunity for Sydney audiences to experience outstanding works of art by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ruisdael, Hals, Steen, Dou, Lievens and Leyster – each masters of their respective genres – drawn from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the great national collection of the Netherlands.

Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age presents a richly unfolding panorama of Dutch society in an era of unparalleled wealth, maritime power and cultural confidence. Vivid and compelling, the paintings encompass the tranquil Dutch landscape, the colourful life of the cities, Dutch society and morality, ships on the high seas and the characterful people who made the Dutch Republic such a success.

Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World
31 October, 2016 – 23 April, 2017
Western Australian Maritime Museum, Fremantle

More info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/maritime/travellers-and-traders-indian-ocean-world

Merchants and sailors have crossed the Indian Ocean for thousands of years and 70% of the world’s goods continue to do so today. This vast expanse of water was the world’s first highway and has been the centre of world economy for millenia, but how well do we know it? This exhibition, fittingly located in the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle on the edge of the ocean, takes you on your own journey across the Indian Ocean to discover its rich history through ancient objects and stories about its traders, explorers and the many different peoples who inhabit its shores.

Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World brings together precious objects from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the British Museum, the art galleries of South Australia and New South Wales, Museum Victoria, the Berndt Museum at The University of WA and the WA Museum, as well as private collections, including the Kerry Stokes Collection.

Mirror of the World: Books and Ideas
State Library of Victoria
On Until 31 December 2016

More info: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/mirror-world-books-ideas

Discover stunning artwork alongside powerful words in this visual feast for book-lovers.

Recent acquisitions and new stories are featured each year in this special exhibition, revealing different aspects of the Library’s Rare Books collection, and showcasing rare and significant works that trace the history of book design from medieval manuscripts to comics.

The exhibition features 235 new items, dating from 2050 BC to the present day. Highlights include:

• selections from the John Emmerson collection, including the collected writings of King James I, printed in 1616 and given to his son Charles I
• the Mercurius Civicus Londons Intelligencer, the first major city newspaper ever produced
• early editions of literary masterpieces, including Milton’s Paradise Lost and Cervantes’ Don Quixote
• a special display to mark the 50th anniversary of the Print Council of Australia
• a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Alice, including the Library’s recently acquired first editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1872)

Ships, Clocks & Stars: The Quest for Longitude
Australia National Maritime Museum, Sydney
5 May–30 October 2016

More info and tickets: http://www.anmm.gov.au/longitude

Discover the extraordinary nautical instruments that led to maritime history’s greatest scientific breakthrough.

For hundreds of years, European merchants staked their fortunes on long-distance voyages. Travel at sea was dangerous and safe passage relied on fair weather and effective navigation. Unlike on land, the sea has no fixed points to help seamen determine their position. This could lead to unnecessarily long voyages or the loss of ships, cargo and life.

Travelling from the National Maritime Museum, London, this award-winning exhibition tells the story of the search for better ways of navigating by finding longitude – distance east and west. It was a problem that had frustrated the greatest minds since the late 1400s. Three hundred years ago the first Longitude Act offered life-changing rewards for workable solutions. Eventually two emerged – using clocks and stars – which cracked the longitude problem and helped re-shape our understanding of the world.

The Art of Adornment: Greek Jewellery from the 17th to 19th Centuries
Hellenic Museum, Melbourne
From August 26, 2016

More info: http://www.hellenic.org.au/the-art-of-adornment

The latest collection from the Benaki Museum to travel to Australia’s Hellenic Museum tells a tale of more than just the wearing of jewellery. Opening Friday 26 August, 2016, The Art of Adornment: Greek Jewellery from the 17th to 19th Centuries features items that were said to bring the wearer good luck, enhance fertility, and ward off evil spirits for protection and prosperity.

The collection, that spans 300 years, features over 90 exquisite and intricate objects which highlight the artistry involved in jewellery making throughout this period as well as portraits in the gallery showing how these items were worn.

The exhibition has been divided geographically or thematically into seven main categories. They include: Greek islands; Jewellery and silverware for men; Asia Minor; Central Greece; Thessaly; Epirus; Northern Greece: Macedonia and Thrace.

Items in the collection include: a pair of earrings with pendants in the shape of caravels from Patmos, Dodecanese dated 18th c.; an amulet with a relief representation of St George on horseback slaying the dragon from the 19th c.; a head-cover ornament made up of silver, gilt details, corals, glass gems from Asia Minor dated 19th c.; a necklace consisting of three Austrian coins hung from a filigree chain from Thessaly dated second half of the 19th c.; marriage crowns decorated with flowers from Asia Minor dated second half of 19th c.; and a belt buckle decorated with polychrome enamel from Thessaly dated early 19th c.