[Jug and two glasses, Venetian, 15th Century]

Ludwig Belitski|Baron Alexander von Minutoli

1854 · Salted paper print from glass negative · Photographs

Stamped in Latin on the back of this print, the words "Sincerely and Truthfully," act as a guarantee: before us is an allegedly unadulterated image of indisputably real things. Veracity was critical to Ludwig Belitski, who was hired to document the decorative arts collection of a Prussian baron. In exactly the sort of project prefigured by Talbot’s Articles of Glass (exhibited nearby), he depicts this glassware with extraordinary precision, preserving a model for future makers. This and other photographs in his series were circulated among local craftsmen for study. Belitski illuminates these vessels before a dark backdrop, bringing translucent details into focus. The resulting view is as worthy of emulation as the objects themselves.

Artist

Ludwig Belitski|Baron Alexander von Minutoli

Date

1854

Medium

Salted paper print from glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2016