gold leaf

This is a brilliant example of an early 17th-century Spanish petition relating to nobility, similar in style to examples from Granada. The rank of Baron is signified by the five helmet bars in the crest on the coat of arms full-page miniature. To the left is another full-page miniature, likely of the Coronation of the Virgin with King Philip III in attendance. The use of bright red, blue, green, and gold demonstrates the wealth and power that stood behind the petition.

The late-16th century was the golden age of Japanese screen painting, both literally and figuratively. The Momoyama period (1573-1615) was also an age of monumental architecture, with feudal lords building forts and castles of a size unprecedented in Japan. The great masters of the art of screen painting who were called upon to decorate the interiors of these large buildings filled them with screens of bold and innovative aesthetics, some with gold leaf covering their entire surfaces. Japan had a well-established tradition of incorporating gold leaf into art and decorative work.