Tahoe- Day 1
A couple weeks ago I went to Tahoe with my dad and his friend, Maddy. It’s a three hour drive from the East Bay, which means that you still get the better part of a day after you get there. Our first stop was the …
Tag: Museums
This week ….
Just to letcha know, there will be lots of exciting photos this week, including jellyfish, hissing cockroaches, trees, national parks, baby ostriches, and real, live bear poop! Stay tuned.
Furniture Tour
Hey, art lovers. There’s still one more tour we haven’t seen from my wonderful day at the Met during my week in New York. And get ready, it’s a nerdy one.
Royal furniture and stately rooms! I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff.
The first stop was the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, though I think the craftsmen should get some credit. The entire room is wooden inlay, or intarsia, and uses the grains of wood to make the pictures look three dimensional.
Notice the detail to use a different grain to cast a shadow.
Our curator shone light on one edge to show a better example of the 3D effect. This would be extraordinary if created now in the age of power tools.
Next came embroidery from Louis XIV. These are not tapestries, mind you. This was all done by hand, not loom.
Can you see the silver thread?
Another example of elaborate inlay using ivory, tortoiseshell and ebony.
Rococo chandelier.
Scallop shell armchairs with original tapestry from the mid-18th century. Take the oldest buildings in our country, and this chair is even older.
Lacquered desk of Louis XV, all part of a fascinating process of tapping trees in Southeast Asia for the effect.
Marie Antoinette’s chair.
Can you see her insignia? It’s in the center under the cabinet top.
A raised desk with compartments and a book slant for more comfortable reading. Kind of robotic for the neoclassic period.
By 1710 porcelain was made in France during the reign of Louis XV by the famed company Sevres. Porcelain was of particular interest with royal furniture because it retains its color over age. This furniture was intended for the women of the court.
The carvings on the side panels are Wedgwood.
I snapped these as I walked through Medieval art to catch up with the next tour.
Now I’m appreciating my Aunt Ettorina’s wedding china she passed on to me. It has patiently waited in my father’s garage for at least five years, and now it will be used everyday in my new little kitchen.
Stay tuned for the excitement! I don’t think it’s Sevres, but it’s antique as far as I’m concerned.
Arts of the Islamic World
Okay, how much do you know about Islamic art? Because I know nothing. So to continue with neato things from the Met, here are some snapshots from the tour of Arts in the Islamic World. Notice the importance of symmetry, arches, and the use of …
Highlights from the Met
It’s been a busy couple weeks moving. I’m still coming up for air, so let me take this time to reflect on a day trip in New York I haven’t shared with you yet. A jam-packed afternoon leaves us with art for days! (And that …
California or Bust
At the Oakland Museum last week, I especially identified with their extensive history exhibit on settlement and migration so prevalent to this state.
Just a little over a year ago, I too immigrated here from the East Coast, a pioneer anxious to stake claim on a new life.
I never needed propaganda to send me west.
This looks alarmingly similar to my first car I drove west to California from Wisconsin right after college, complete with a “California or Bust” sign in the window. My dad wasn’t kidding when he said we looked like Okies.
The Oakland Museum
Last week, I went to the Bay Area for a couple days to catch up with my pop. When we’re looking for a good time, we head to the museum. I grew up in Oakland until I was 12 and the Oakland Museum was one …