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| Etching (proof) Fame Italian c.1649 |
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| Etching Death of Leonardo Italian c.1780 |
Continuing to exploit the Met inventory (where I chanced to turn up all those mesmerizing Roman artifacts yesterday) attention now turns to a group of accessions from miscellaneous European cultures and periods, acquired by the Museum over the past century or so. As before, only the sketchiest of texts were found in company with images of very high quality.
That angel at top descends from many centuries of progressively refined Italian angels. Animated by supernatural momentum it floats free of earth, yet remains at the same time obedient to laws of earthly physics. If one figure were wanted to demonstrate the essential paradox of the baroque, this one would do the job.
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| Ink & wash Design for ornamentation, rear axle of a carriage Italian 17th century |
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| Embroidered cabinet English c.1670 |
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| Giltwood sofa French c.1760 |
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| Photograph Parthenon colonnade French c.1870 |
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| Photograph Bridge of Augustine French 19th century |
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| Photograph Helen Wills (tennis champion) American 1929 |
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| Photograph Brigitta Wens by Alfred Stieglitz American 1900 |
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| Amulet Limestone Foot with suspension hole Egyptian |
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| Implement to loosen knots Jade China |
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| Pat of dried mud (with thumbprints) Fragment of material formerly sealing the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun Egyptian 1329 B.C., excavated 1909 |
This modest group of artifacts also happens to represent post number 3,000 on the rolling screen called Spencer Alley, in continuous (not to say obsessive) daily operation since 2008.