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Divine acquisition by the Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has acquired a 16th-century depiction of Apollo that has been hailed as one of the finest Renaissance bronzes ever made.
The 16¼-inch figure, which is parcel-gilt bronze with inlaid silver eyes, was created by Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi (c.1460-1528), one of the most important sculptors and bronze-casters of the early Italian Renaissance. Based at the Gonzaga court in Mantua and nicknamed ‘L’Antico’ because of his enthusiasm for Classical art, Bonacolsi was a pioneer of using the lost-wax process to produce bronze sculptures in multiples, and the new acquisition is the finest of three versions known to exist.
Depicting the Apollo Belvedere – a celebrated marble sculpture depicting the god as an archer, which is thought to be a Roman copy of a Greek bronze – the item was acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum through the Arts Council’s Acceptance in Lieu Scheme. This means it has now been reunited with the wider Boscawen Collection (which was amassed by the late Lieutenant Colonel Mildmay Thomas Boscawen and gifted to the museum in his memory in 1979 and 1997), of which it forms a key part, and the number of Boscawen bronzes at the Fitzwilliam now stands at 56. The figure is now on display in Gallery 7.
Herefordshire Hoard on display
One of the most significant Viking hoards ever found in western Britain is to go on display at the JORVIK Viking Centre in York this month.
The Herefordshire Hoard came to public prominence in 2019 when four men were sentenced to a combined jail term of 23 years for concealing, stealing, and selling its contents (CA 359). Only an estimated 10% of its contents have since been recovered, but these items represent the first evidence of the Great Viking Army’s presence in Herefordshire.
Its surviving artefacts, which were buried near Leominster c.AD 878, include 29 silver coins, a silver ingot, a beast’s-head gold bracelet, a rock-crystal pendant (above), and a gold ring. The hoard will be on show in York until the summer; for more information about its contents, see CA 361, and for more details of how to visit the display, see http://www.jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk.
Conserving the Blenheim Palace clocks
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the home of the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705 – has launched its annual deep clean.
In a process expected to last 6-8 weeks, expert attention will be paid to every room (beginning in the library), and to their historic collections of silverware, tapestry, and objects including 18 clocks, 38 pieces of armour, and 40 busts and sculptures. Visitors are invited to come and learn more about the work, with daily restoration and conservation tours (included with a Blenheim Palace ticket) running until 16 February.
Vital restoration work will be carried out on the palace’s Clock Tower, with conservators undertaking significant repairs to its clock (which has four faces and three bells, and dates to 1710). For more information, and to book tickets, visit http://www.blenheimpalace.com.
New exhibitions
Following the Lights
Scottish Maritime Museum, Dumbarton, 25 February-29 April
http://www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org/exhibitions/ following-the-lights-exhibition
Voicing objects
Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne, Until 14 April http://www.greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/ voicing-objects
Aotearoa – Māori myths and legends of New Zealand
Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, Until 9 June
http://www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk/events/ aotearoa-maori-myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand
Last chance to see
Burma to Myanmar
British Museum, London, Until 11 February
http://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/burma-myanmar
Return of the Gods: Zeus, Athena, Hercules
World Museum, Liverpool, Until 25 February
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/world-museum/exhibition/return-of-gods
Shoes: Inside Out
The Arc, Winchester, Until 6 March
http://www.arcwinchester.org.uk/event/ shoes-inside-out
