Medieval and Renaissance treasures at the Speed

Louisville's Speed Art Museum will host an exhibit, Medieval and Renaissance Treasures From the Victoria and Albert Museum, from January 22 through April 20, 2008:

Statuette: Crucified Christ by Giovanni Pisano, 1285-1300, Ivory, 15.3 cm. © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum.

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition presents 35 masterpieces including a rare notebook on geometry and mathematics by Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. The notebook, written in mirror image cursive, is the highlight of the exhibition.

Drawn from one of the greatest collections of medieval and Renaissance works in existence, these mostly small-scale “Treasury Arts” were created principally for the church in the Middle Ages and for wealthy collectors during the Renaissance.

Included in the exhibition are carved ivories, bronze sculpture, jeweled metalwork, stained glass and works by Donatello and Pisano.