Abstract:The Besloten hofes (enclosed gardens) of Mechelen are cabinet-shaped altarpieces that feature miniature garden spaces filled with an assortment of handmade silk flowers, devotional images, and relics. This article examines the process of creating these silk flowers and their impact on the presumed crafters or restorers—the professed nuns at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwegasthuis (Hospital of...
Abstract:This article links Thomas Traherne’s method of meditation to the precarious art of “thinking Well.” Traherne rejects or reforms historical and contemporary meditative practices of humiliation, scriptural engagement, and solitude, in favor of self-love, personal creativity, and community. Meditation is proven to be “Easy and Sweet” because good thoughts are “Prepard” and “inlaid” in the...