365 Days at the Met

January 28, 2019 Gallery 302,  carved out from under the Grand Staircase leading from the main to the second floor, is dedicated to the art of Byzantine Egypt. It's a reminder that until its conquest by the Muslims in 641, Egypt was one of the most important and wealthiest parts of that empire.  Christianity played an important role in the culture and art of the period; its influence can be seen in architectural elements taken from monasteries (among them, birds nibbling grapes, a symbol of the Eucharist) and in crosses adorning gravestones. I knew that the Coptic Church evolved separately from the Orthodox and Roman churches, but not that the name "Coptic" derives from the Greek term for Egypt, Aigyptos. (Now there's a word origin grounded in fact, not my idle speculations!) Many objects come from the Met's turn-of-the-20th-century excavations in the Kharga oasis, located in the western desert at the intersection of trade routes from Nubia and the

January 25, 2019 Gallery 301 contains a potpourri of objects -- among them, architectural elements, jewelry, lamps, a large floor mosaic-- that date from the first millennium and come from a wide expanse of Europe and other areas near the Mediterranean (rock crystal from Carthage, for example). Again, there is so much to learn, or to be reminded of.  For one thing,  the "Barbari," although they came from lands outside the bounds of the Roman Empire, were intimately connected with Rome. Many barbarians in the areas closer to the empire's borders served as mercenaries in the Roman armies, and their art represents an admixture of  classical and Byzantine artistic traditions along with indigenous ones (some of the latter dating back to the Bronze Age). The caption explains that the Romans used the nearby tribes (the "Germanii") as buffers against more remote and hostile groups and paid their rulers in gold coins, which the rulers then used to comm

January 23, 2019 As often as I've walked through Gallery 300, a long hallway that leads to additional Medieval galleries - and that must be hundreds of times over the years - I never stopped to note that the gallery is devoted to the art of the Byzantine Empire.  Today's object reminds me that while, as promised in my last entry, I may be more familiar with Medieval art than with Asian art, I still have a very great deal to learn.  That object is s a  bird-- perhaps six inches long,  suspended by wires, and finely wrought in silver -- that constituted part of a treasure of sacred objects made for a church in Attarouthi, Syria between 550 and 650 C.E. My first thought was, "What's that bird doing there?" Not until I read the caption did I learn that the bird is a dove, and of course, the answer is that it represents the Holy Spirit. A cross would have been suspended from the loop in the bird's beak. Apparently, such doves were hung over altars ove

January 18, 2019 In rereading my entries, I'm struck by how much I liked the particular objects I wrote about. Yet in general, the art of Southeast Asia has limited appeal for me. I think it's because it doesn't strike me as all that original. Chinese art impressed me with its intellectual rigor, and Indian art with its sensuousness. The art of Southeast Asia seems to fall in between, without the strength of either of these great traditions. The art of Tibet is, unexpectedly, an exception - I find myself curious about it, wanting to know more, perhaps because of its very strangeness, and wildness. An excursion to the Rubin Museum is in order! I face a choice at this point. I have completed the galleries with numbers in the 200s. But I learn that there are two additional galleries containing later Indian works with numbers in the 400s.  Do I break numerical order to visit these galleries? Or do I move on to the300-numbered galleries, which house the Met's medieval

January 14, 2019 "My" gallery 251 is not, in fact, the Met's gallery 251, and I will revise my earlier entries accordingly. The true gallery 251 currently houses a display of 18th and 19th century court paintings from the Pahari court in the Himalayan foothills of present-day India and Pakistan. Many of the paintings depict scenes from the great Hindu epics and sacred texts; there are multiple representations of Durga, Krishna, and so on. The paintings are wonderfully detailed. I'm amazed to read that tiny shreds of beetle wing cases were used to create the iridescent jewels in a painting of Devi surrounded by other gods.  A work I especially like , the subject of today's entry, shows Krishna celebrating the start of the rainy season. Roughly 8" by 10" and painted in opaque watercolor and silver on paper, it is based on a devotional text. The blue-skinned god, wearing an elaborate headdress and lots of jewelry, sits under an umbrella surrounde

January 11, 2019 Gallery 252,* which focuses on the art of Tibet, makes me realize how little I know about Buddhism, with its many strains and  traditions. Yes, I can conjure up the phrases "esoteric Buddhism" and "tantric Buddhism," but I am really not sure what they mean. I am giving myself a homework asssignment: to learn  a bit more about this subject, with the knowledge that others spend a lifetime learning about such things.  (Later: I gather that t antric Buddhism marks a radical departure from standard monastic practice and involves spells, magic, visualization of the deity, mantras, and rituals involving alcohol and sex. It strikes me as somewhat similar to the contrast between rabbinic and Kabbalistic Judaism.) Two works especially command my attention and raise these questions. The first is a 16th c

January 7, 2019 I'm not sure I've identified Gallery 251 correctly: the map is not very clear,  and I can't locate the gallery number posted anywhere on the museum walls.*  In any case, "my" Gallery 251 centers on the art of Nepal. The works date mostly from about 1000 to 1500 C.E. and reflect both Buddhist and Hindu themes. Many are finely wrought plaques and statuettes of gilded copper alloy. I especially like a plaque depicting Garuda, his arms/wings outstretched in flight and his eagle's beak contrrasting sharply with his human ears adorned by large earrings. I also like a small, elaborately detailed statuette of Durga slaying Manisha. And there's an interesting polychrome wooden statue of the goddess of dance, who is, unexpectedly, a form of Buddhist savior. Her upper arms are so intricately painted that at first I wonder if the design suggests tattooing; on closer inspection, I decide she's wearing a delicately patterned top. Today's

January 4, 2019 Gallery 250  holds mostly small statues and ceramics from Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, and Burma) that date from the 11th to the 16th centuries. I realize that  I made numerous trips to the Indian galleries before I traveled to India, but none to these galleries before my 2010 trip to Southeast Asia. In fact, I doubt I even realized that the galleries existed. Would knowing more about the art and culture of these countries beforehand have enhanced my visit, I wonder? On the other hand, I recall the pleasure I got from recognizing both Buddhist and Hindu images at Angkor Wat. So maybe it was good to know just enough to make such "discoveries" possible. The captions make clear the influence of other cultures on Southeast Asian art. Thus, the Vietnamese ceramics on display mimic the blue-and-white decoration of Ming porcelains, and one stoneware ewer from Vietnam takes the form of a phoenix. I learn, too, that Buddhist iconography in Southeast A

January 2, 2019 Gallery 249 centers on Khmer statues of bronze, copper alloy, and stone from the 9th through the 11th centuries. They include representations of Buddha and bodhisattvas, Shiva and other Hindu gods, kings and queens, and guardian figures. That said, one of the most striking works is a large hanging rattan piece made by a contemporary Cambodian sculptor who was born in 1971.  The woven portion of the rattan  depicts what is recognizably a human figure, with a defined head and torso; beneath this,  the rattan strips hang shapelessly. The topknot on the figure's head makes him further identifiable as Buddha.  The ends of some of the rattan strips have been dipped in red dye.  The artist, notes the placard, was inspired to make the work by his childhood memories of a Buddhist temple during the time of the Khmer Rouge. The temple's statues of Buddha were crushed, its walls and floor were stained with blood.   Today's object, however, is peaceful, even ra