Art and Museums
Rings At the Cloisters: Declarations of Status, Expressions of identity and Protective Talismans
Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection on display at The Cloisters — a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. The collection is named after the mythical creature that was part lion and part eagle. In medieval lore, the griffin was often a guardian of treasure and was known for seeking out gold in rocks — hence its fitting use for this private collection of precious gold rings. more »
Van Gogh and Nature, the Serious Artist, Not the Mythic 'Tortured Painter' of Film and Fiction
Over the course of his short but intense working life, Van Gogh studied and depicted nature in all its forms — from the minutiae of insects and birds' nests to the most sweeping of panoramic landscapes — creating a body of work that revolutionized the representation of the natural world at the end of the nineteenth century. more »
An Elegant Society: Adam Buck, Artist in the Age of Jane Austen
Well-known to collectors and Jane Austen enthusiasts, Irish artist Adam Buck (1759–1833) was one of Regency England's most sought-after portrait painters. He worked in Ireland for twenty years, becoming an accomplished miniaturist; but moved to London in 1795 and immediately gained a roster of star clients including the Duke of York and his scandalous mistress, Mary Anne Clarke. more »
Gold and the Gods, Jewels of Ancient Nubia: Lapis Lazuli, Blue Chalcedony, Amethystine Quartz, Carnelian and Enameling
Elaborate jewels accompanied the burials of Nubian queens, including pendants made of precious metal and hard stone. Gold amulets, gold finger and toe caps and funerary masks adorned the tombs' royal mummies. Throughout antiquity, jewelry was imbued with magical meanings — wearing it was literally a matter of life or death. more »