365 Days at the Met

Gallery 548, the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court, is a huge rectangular space well over two stories high. It's topped with a glass ceiling in the form of an inverted V, so that in the day, at least, the gallery is flooded with light. It houses many of the Met's masterpieces of European sculpture, largely from the 19th century but also from earlier and later periods. Facing the entry is a fine marble. statue by Canova of Perseus holding the head of Medusa; Perseus' nude body is as honed and idealized as that of any classical Greek statue. I also take special note of a lovely Canova Venus, whose slim limbs and full breasts I envy, a casting of Rodin's Burghers of Calais, and a couple of Maillol nudes, immediately recognizable by their simplified forms. What's especially nice is that, while there must be 15 or 20  works on display here, the gallery is so large that it isn't at all crowded, and in fact, you can walk around most of the

January 24, 2020 Galley 543 is the first of several galleries housing the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection of European sculptures, paintings, and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Beginning in the 1920s, the couple began collecting 18th century porcelain figurines from most of the major porcelain centers of Europe. I'm struck by how many of these centers there were, including manufacturies in Switzerland, Spain, Russia,  France, and Denmark, most of which I've never heard of. (Well, I have heard of Royal Copenhagen!) The signage notes that the Linskys favored figures that typified the 18th century interest in representing figures from daily life, as well as harlequins and other characters from the commedia dell'arte. But this strikes me as a bit disingenuous on the part of the Met, since a great many figures on display are of hunchbacks, exotically robed sultans, or Chinese men, who are portrayed as caricatures, with bald heads and Fu Manchu must

January 13, 2020 Many of the works in gallery 542 are appealing, but there's little coherence to them, at least little that I can discern. There are several oil paintings of various sizes, dates (from the mid-16th through the 17th centuries), and countries (France, the Netherlands, and Spain). There are many bronze statuettes, mostly from the 17th century and again from different countries (France, Italy, The Netherlands,  England, Germany), alhough the general Italian influence seems clear. There's a crystal cup  with an elaborately enameled handle in the shape of a dragon from 17th century Bohemia. And there are  many pendants dripping wih gold, pearls, enamel, and gemstones that were made in Europe during the 19th century. Perhaps what all the objects have in common is that they were gifts from wealthy patrons that had to be displayd somewhere? It's interesting to see that almost all the human figures depicted in the bronze statuettes are nude. I suppose the subj

January 10, 2020 I r eturned to gallery 541, which was, thankfully, open, and turned out to be a small passageway between two larger galleries. Along one wall is a settee (here labeled a sofa), with four small oils arranged symmetrically above it. The paintings seem to have been selected for this space more for their size and format than for any similarities of theme or provenance. Two square-shaped paintings are by 18th century French painters who are unknown to me, Taunay and Pater. The former depicts a billiards room; it shows a table surrounded by men, one of whom wears a not accidentally eye-catching red outfit. The second is entitled "The Golden Age."  I think it shows a group of children and their dog in an outdoor setting. I emphasize "think" because the figures in both paintings are small and because the two paintings are fairly dark in palette and  poorly lit.  Perhaps they need a good cleaning? In contrast, the two rectangular paintings that fla

January 6, 2020 If gallery 546 was memorable for its simplicity and harmony, gallery 547, a room from a Bordeaux mansion (possibly the Hotel de Saint-Marc) built between 1782 and 1784, is striking for the amount of stuff in it. High-class, expensive stuff, but stuff.  In an oval space perhaps 20 feet long and 15 feet wide are arranged any number of donations to the museum, including five tables (most notably, a card table and a backgammon table), eight chairs, a niche with a life-size statue of a female classical figure,  two statuettes framing a mantel clock above a fireplace,  other statuettes topping two of the tables, silver candlesticks, porcelain bowls and dishes, and an oak wine cooler, not to mention playing cards and dice. Really, there is no place for the eye to rest. But I suppose a room furnished in this way would have been intnded for recreation, not for rest. Sill, it's a reminder that clutter creates stress. The gray-green walls may have been intended to ind

January 3, 2020 Gallery 546 is a small period room, perhaps 14 feet long and 12 feet wide, from the Hotel de Crillon, which was built on the Place de la Concorde between 1755 and 1775. (Actually, I suspect the walls and panels come from the Hotel de Crillon; I'm not sure about the furniture and can't find a placard describing its provenance.) I haven't much liked most of the 18th century period rooms I've seen, but I find this one really charming, for many reasons. First, the five gold-framed  mirrors - one situated in each corner and one above a settee that faces a window- make the room feel light and airy. Second, the walls, paneling, curtains, and carpet are brought together by a harmonious, soothing palette of light blue, cream, and gold; most of the upholstery is also white and gold, with a pair of salmon-colored side chairs providing accents. Third, the furnishings are relatively small in scale and Neoclassical in design, with clean, restrained lines.