Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The Met: The Aquamaniles

Well-traveled as we are in Europe, we had never heard of aquamaniles, or if we had, it did not quite register. Perhaps understandably. In any case, an aquamanile (water + hand) was a Medieval table piece, used chiefly to pass around and wash one's hands. Mostly in German lands. Mostly the nobility. The Met has a number of these items, both at Fifth Ave and at the Cloisters. We were impressed, and I count the discovery of aquamaniles to be among my most important take-aways from the great museum.











The Met: Arms And Armor

Yet another day we wandered into the Met's arms and armor department. Not our cup of tea, but impressive nonetheless. 

Portrait of Philip IV in battle dress

Well-dressed knight

Skirt for combat a cheval

Well-rounded set

Rifles

Charge of the heavy brigade...this stuff always reminds me of Agincourt

Cross bows and arrows

Variety of points to suit the occasion

Pistols

Carbines

Gentlemen's set

One of many halls of arms and armor

Henry VIII's field armor...surely he had more than one set,
especially as he grew...wait a second...why isn't this at Hampton
Court or the British Museum? Maybe the BM would be willing
to trade an Elgin Marble or two to get Henry's armor back...


Chain mail shirt

"Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"

Ancient specimens...more in the ancient Greek and Roman
departments

Really ancient specimen...said to be one of the largest
and most perfectly knapped flint axe heads yet found...not
known whether it was for actual use or merely "ceremonial"


Saturday, January 18, 2025

The Met: Musical Instruments

One day we wandered into the musical instruments department of the Met...


In addition to all the instruments, there are many paintings, sculptures,
etc., relating to music...

As related in various posts previously, I played the oboe in
5th through 11th grades (Allapattah Elementary, Horace Mann
JHS, Miami Edison HS), and naturally feature the oboes and
other double-reeds in posts such as this...

I was also principal oboist in the Miami Symphonic
Society...when no other oboists showed up...pretty 
intimidating for a 13 year old, especially when the other
two youngsters in the orchestra were genuine prodigies
who went onto some fame in the musical world

Obligatory Stradivarius

Obligatory Erard...decorated for English nobility..Erard was the choice
of Wagner and other composers...

19th century oboes; I eventually learned to make my
own reeds, thereby saving my family a small fortune

Contra-bass saxophone

Said to be the oldest surviving piano, early 18th
century, by Cristofori; I also played piano in my teens;
but did not attempt to play this one


Tuesday, January 14, 2025

The Met: Henry R. Luce Center For The Study of American Art

The Luce Center does for American art what the Greek and Roman Study Center does for classical art: it stores a lot of things not on permanent display, but in a mode accessible and well-cataloged and well-described. The Center is immense: the Met itself is immense because of its relative youth and situation in Central Park. Imagine, all the spare parts are under the same roof...

Helpful map
Some of the silver

Plates, bowls

Aisle after aisle of all these things



How to make a Tiffany lamp


Paintings

Chests

More paintings...in the portraits division...note the screen whereby
you can identify pieces, read descriptions...

Frames

More paintings

Including a Mary Cassatt

A Benjamin West

Elliot portrait of Mathew Brady...1857...before he became
really famous

Glass...evidently I was overwhelmed, wandering aimlessly...

Another Bierstadt...

OBF

Chairs dept.






Overcome, we retreated to the roof-top cafe for a sunset view