Checkmate! Medieval People at Play
Time: 10:00 AM | 05:00 PM
On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Date: 07/17/10 - 10/10/10
We are all familiar with praying monks, but playing monks? A Book of Hours from Flanders finds them deep in a game of blind man’s bluff, while on the opposite page, peasant boys enjoy a rigorous game of hockey. Such delightful images of play are surprisingly ubiquitous in medieval manuscripts. Neither stodgy nor perpetually pious, medieval people found time for amusement in the margins of their lives and their manuscripts. Surprisingly, playful images are most often found in religious books, where artists populated the margins with humorous, even outrageous imagery.
This exhibition looks at many different aspects of medieval play, including board games, sports, free play, visual ciphers and even games of love. Drawn entirely from the Walters' own stellar collection, the exhibition features 26 manuscripts, original medieval game pieces and a 13th century toy soldier. In the pages of these books, knights battle with dice instead of swords, children shirk their winter duties to lob snowballs at eachother, and lovers nonchalantly play footsies during their backgammon game. Through these images, this exhibition ecnourages visitors of all ages to explore a sense of whimsy and fun that is uniquely medieval yet remarkably relevant to us today.
Featured Events
Free Walk-in Tour of The Walters Collection
Date: 04/04/10 - 04/11/11
Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Free docent-led tours of the permanent collection or the special exhibition are offered Sundays at 2 p.m. (unless otherwise noted). No reservations are required. Meet in the Centre Street Lobby near the Visitor Services Desk.
Checkmate! Medieval People at Play
Date: 07/17/10 - 10/10/10
Time: 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Neither stodgy nor perpetually pious, medieval people found time for amusement in the margins of their lives and their manuscripts. From peasant boys shirking their winter duties in order to lob snowballs at each other to monkeys gleefully dancing to "Ring around the Rosie," their antics have come down to us in art.
Art History 101
Date: 09/08/10 - 12/15/10
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
If you've always wanted to learn more about art
history, then don?t miss our Art History 101 classes (a great
value taught by our curators).
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