I know I say this every time I write a post about the MET, but I love this building. It is so huge and I think it's just beautiful. I probably have more pictures than I need of its facade. With our camera, there is no way to get the whole building in a single photo from street view. So you'll just have to settle with a partial view.
The giant floral arrangements in the foyer caught my eye. They were very pretty.
I got a great picture of the foyer from the second floor balcony.
The first thing we wanted to see was the roof gardens. We hadn't taken the opportunity to explore this level yet and wanted to see what it was like. Somehow we got turned around and ended up wandering through the second floor looking for the elevator up to the roof. We found a whole new section with Islamic Art that we hadn't seen before. I kept getting distracted at all the cool things there and finally Brian asked a museum worker for directions and pulled me back on track. It's so hard to not to get distracted because there is so much to see.
The roof garden was great! It's not very big, but offers a gorgeous view of the city from mid-Central Park. We had fun walking around and snapping photos.
On our way to the third floor to see the exhibit on Japanese brush writing, we passed this display of Chinese snuff bottles. The bottles were so tiny; some only two or three inches tall. Despite their size they were very ornate.
The painting on this one was so colorful and detailed for being so small.
This bottle was fascinating because its painted on the inside.
The Japanese brush writing exhibit was great. There were displays of the writing desks along with the ink wells and brushes. Everything was decorated and ornate.
The displayed calligraphy was beautiful.
I loved the kimonos that we saw. This one with a background of mandarin orange plants was by far my favorite. I loved the colors.
Amid all the beautiful Asian writing and drawings we found this deer. At first we thought it was just a deer-shaped sculpture made out of the glass bubbles, but after reading the plaque we learned that there is an actual taxidermy deer inside. You can really see the deer below the bubbles in the picture, but the deer's outline and coloring wasn't so apparent when actually looking at it. Once we knew about the deer, the piece went from weird to bizarre. We sat on a nearby bench for a few minutes and watched people as they viewed the exhibit. They were drawn to the deer because of its shiny nature, but we could tell the moment they realized that there was an actual deer inside because the look on their faces changed from intrigued-interest to shock and sometimes disgust. It was really funny, because we had just experienced the same reactions ourselves.
Our next stop was back to the Islamic Art Section that we happened upon before. Each section of the museum feels different, not just because it houses different items, but because the architecture and designs of each room reflect the items they showcase. The rooms containing the Islamic Art had dome shaped doorways, arches and geometric tile designs.
They had this page from the biggest copy of the Quran. It was so big that it required a cart to move it. I should have had Brian stand in front of it so you could perceive its size. It's probably four or five feet tall.
I think that the written Arabic language is so pretty. We noticed that there were not a lot of figures, such as people or animals in their art. Instead, we found their written language in the majority of pieces we looked at. We later found a sign that explained why. Although using people and animals was not strictly forbidden in their art, it was thought that painting or drawing people would lead to or be a form of idol worship. So instead of people, their art consists of geometric shapes and their written words.
Their language was also incorporated into their fabric. I loved the design of this material.
I found this section very fascinating and loved seeing the various designs and the color combinations used in everything from wall decorations, to doors to their dishes.
The piece of art below is actually the official signature of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent from Turkey. It is a combination of his name, his father's name, his title and the phrase "the eternally victorious." I suppose if you are Magnificent then you need a matching signature.
Their style of art was also incorporated into their buildings. This hand carved ceiling was beautiful.
This rug caught my eye. I loved its design and colors. I wouldn't mind a rug like this in our apartment.
Brian and I both laughed when we found this item. The metal ball is called a goa stone and the ornate dome is its case. The description on the nearby plaque read: ""Goa stones" were manufactured by Jesuit priests living in Goa, a small province on India’s western coast. They are man-made versions of bezoars (a mixture of gallstones and hairs found in the stomach of deer, sheep, and antelopes) that, when scraped and ingested with tea or water, were supposed to have medicinal properties. Elaborate containers of gold or silver were made for them and they were exported to Europe."
I found this small,, delicate glass case. It's only three to four inches long and I thought it was pretty.
As we were making our way back towards the museum's exit we found the Faberge display. This exhibit was the one that I had most wanted to see, so I'm glad we found it before we left. Easter is such an important holiday in Russia, and giving and receiving eggs is one of their Easter traditions. A total of fifty eggs were made for the Romanov family by the House of Faberge from 1885 to 1917. Thirty of the eggs were for Czar Alexander III's wife and twenty were for his son, Czar Nicholas II's wife. Only 42 of the 50 eggs are identified today. The creation of a single Faberge egg could take over one year to make. A myriad of people worked on each egg, including designers, engravers, gem cutters, enamelers, gem setters, miniaturists and polishers.
Each of the three eggs that were on display were so elaborate and intricate. They were gorgeous. They did not disappoint my expectations.
This red egg is known as the Imperial Caucasus Egg and was dated Easter 1893. Each of its door flaps contain one number of the year 1893. They each open to reveal a painting of the imperial hunting lodge that resided in the Caucasus Mountains. The egg is made from gold, silver, platinum, enamel, diamonds, pearls, crystals and ivory. The diamond at the egg's top was extremely clear and when you look through it you can see a picture of one of Czar Alexander III's sons.
This pink egg is called the Imperial Danish Palaces Egg and was dated Easter 1890. The ten painted panels folded up and fit inside this egg. Each painting sports one of Empress Maria Feodorovna's (Alexander's wife) favorite Danish and Russian vacation spots. The materials used to create this egg include gold, enamel, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, mother of pearl, and crystal.
This egg was the Imperial Napoleonic Egg and was dated Easter 1012. It's design commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Russian victory over Napoleon. It consists of gold, diamonds, platinum, velvet and silk.
We have never been disappointed after spending a day at the MET. There is always so much to see that we haven't seen before. Each of our visits is always different and unique.
I really loved the MET. How cool that you have it right there and can go back and see specific exhibits you didn't see before. It was hard to fit much in the one day we were there, as you know :)
ReplyDeleteThe Romanov's could put their very own bezoars into their Faberge eggs.
ReplyDeleteI deal strickly in lacto-bezoars.
And I am reminded of Chrysanthemum and Bee.