An apology is due for those who were unable to view any pics of my post on Fri. Apparently, if you were not signed into google you would have had that problem. But now, you should be able to read the post in its entirety and I hope you do. Here goes...
When we lived in Manhattan I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art as often as I could, initially while studying at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in order to obtain inspiration for class projects and subsequently with my first child in tow (an infant, then) when we lived a few blocks away.
It houses marvellous collections from all over the world. One of my many favorite spots to visit within the museum has always been the Department of Egyptian Art, which houses one of the finest collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world outside of Cairo, dating from ca. 300,000 B.C. to the 4th century A.D.!
A few weeks ago we visited the Met on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The museum was packed. Our first stop was Egypt. I dared not take pictures with my camera (no flash photography permitted) so I took a few pictures with my iPhone. This is a small sampling of what we saw.
These pictures are far from perfect and in some instances it was too crowded to get an unobstructed view. Therefore, pardon the quality. I also did not take note of specifics - descriptions and dates - of most items.
Chair of Reniseneb (left), made of wood, ebony, ivory. ca. 1450 B.C.
It is always awe-inspiring to see elaborately carved pottery such as these pieces.
Amazing woven basket.
Hand-held mirrors!
Gold leaf in abundance.
Ornate jewellery.
Sophisticated piece of glassware.
Headdress.
The garments worn by the women were so intricate, as is indicated by the pattern on this statue. Carved of wood with gesso, paint.
The Temple of Dendur, built in 15 B.C. by Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. It was dismantled to save it from the rising waters of a river...(must have been quite a feat) .....
...In 1965 it was gifted to the U.S. by the Egyptian government and subsequently given to the Met in 1965. It was installed in 1978 and is one of the popular displays within the entire museum. (Obstructed views follow).
Inside the temple.
This is truly a breathtaking wing of the Museum. I shall have to return soon in order to view the other many exhibits I did not have time to see and to take down more detailed descriptions of what I see. We are fortunate to have such an array of incredible artifacts (about 36,000!) available to view at the Met. Definitely a must-see for visitors to NY.
Next week, I shall reveal my kids' canvas art, a really good interpretation of the original, with details of how it was done. I had posted a glimpse of it here.
Have an amazing weekend, however you spend it!
I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa
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