This semester, I am taking an art history course on the Northern Renaissance. Through various articles and in-class lectures, I have discovered a cache of words that needed some defining.
verisimilitude: (1) the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability
(2) something, as an assertion, having merely the appearance of truth.
fecundity: (1) the quality of being fecund; capacity, especially in female animals, of producing young in greatnumbers.
(2) fruitfulness or fertility, as of the earth.
virtuosity: the character, ability, or skill of a virtuoso
virtuoso: ( modifier ) showing masterly skill or brilliance
esoteric: understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest
homunculus: (1) an artificially made dwarf, supposedly produced in a flask by an alchemist
(2) a fully formed, miniature human body believed, according to some medical theories of the 16th and17th centuries, to be contained in the spermatozoon.
conflation: the process or result of fusing items into one entity; fusion; amalgamation
All of these definitions were retrieved from dictionary.com.
By far, homunculus is my favorite- there are so many definitions for it as well. However, they always use it when referring to representations of the child Christ. In the Merode Altarpiece, by Robert Campin, the Holy Spirit is represented as a a “homunculus Christ” on the cross zipping across the room.
But it seems all too common for the 1400s Netherlands to churn out these “homunculi.”
Take a look at another one of Campin’s works, Nativity, also from 1425-
But it is Campin’s apprentice, Rogier van der Weyden, who exceeds his master in quantity, style, and portraying some frightening children.
I also would like to mention that the first image came from a tumblr called uglyrenaissancebabies.tumblr.com, where you can go to get your fill of scary babies!
Sound & Sweet 