Small Wonders: Netherlandish Boxwood Carving of the 16th Century

LECTURE | SMALL WONDERS: NETHERLANDISH BOXWOOD CARVING OF THE EARLY 16TH CENTURY WITH BARBARA DRAKE BOEHM

In the early sixteenth century, artists in the Low Countries carved intricate miniatures from boxwood as symbols of religious devotion for their wealthy Christian patrons. Today, these carvings produce an uncanny effect on museum visitors—they stop people in their tracks and demand to be remembered.

Why do these tiny treasures from half a millennium ago have such an outsized impact today? Barbara Drake Boehm, The Paul and Jill Ruddock Senior Curator of the Met Cloisters, Emerita, explores the world of these small wonders and ponders their mesmerizing effect. Free with required reservation.