The Body Transformed: The Purpose and Power of Jewelry; "The urge to adorn ourselves is now nearly universal"
Above, Hellenistic, ca. 200 B.C., Greek, gold. These serpentine armbands represent two tritons, male and female, each holding a small winged Eros. The hoops behind the tritons' heads were used to attach the armbands to the sleeves of a garment, for otherwise, their weight (each over 6 1/2 ounces) would have caused them to slip down the arms. Rogers Fund, 1956, Metropolitan Museum of Art
What is jewelry? Why do we wear it? What meanings does it convey? Featured in this exhibit will be a rare head-to-toe ensemble from ancient Egypt that accompanied the elite into the afterlife, as well as items from the Royal Cemetery of Ur, implicated in one of the most mysterious rituals of ancient Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is presenting the exhibition Jewelry: The Body Transformed which will traverse time and space to explore how jewelry acts upon and activates the body it adorns. This global conversation about one of the most personal and universal of art forms brings together some 230 objects drawn almost exclusively from The Met collection. A dazzling array of headdresses and ear ornaments, brooches and belts, necklaces and rings created between 2600 B.C.E. and the present day will be shown along with sculptures, paintings, prints, and photographs that will enrich and amplify the many stories of transformation that jewelry tells. The exhibit is scheduled to end February 24, 2019.
“Jewelry is one of the oldest modes of creative expression — predating even cave painting by tens of thousands of years — and the urge to adorn ourselves is now nearly universal,” commented Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “This exhibition will examine the practice of creating and wearing jewelry through The Met’s global collection, revealing the many layers of significance imbued in this deeply meaningful form of art.”
If the body is a stage, jewelry is one of its most dazzling performers. Throughout history and across cultures, jewelry has served as an extension and amplification of the body, accentuating it, enhancing it, distorting it, and ultimately transforming it. Jewelry is an essential feature in the acts that make us human, be they rituals of marriage or death, celebrations or battles. At every turn, it expresses some of our highest aspirations.
“To fully understand the power of jewelry, it is not enough to look at it as miniature sculpture,” stated Melanie Holcomb, Curator, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. “While jewelry is ubiquitous, the cultures of the world differ widely regarding where on the body it should be worn. By focusing on jewelry’s interaction with — and agency upon — the human body, this exhibition brings in a key element that has been missing in previous studies of the subject.”
Exhibition Overview
The exhibition opens with a dramatic installation that emphasizes the universality of jewelry — precious objects made for the body, a singular and glorious setting for the display of art. Great jewelry from around the world will be presented in a radiant display that groups these ornaments according to the part of the body they adorn: head and hair; nose, lips, and ears; neck and chest; arms and hands; and waist, ankles, and feet.
Years 500–700, one of a pair of bracelets, probably made in Constantinople, Byzantine, gold, silver, pearls, amethyst, sapphire, glass, quartz. Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- "In America, No One Is Above the Law": House of Representatives Moving Forward with Articles of Impeachment
- Jo Freeman: The Equal Rights Amendment is BAAACK! Much Has Changed Since the First ERA Was Proposed 98 Years Ago
- Jo Freeman's Review of Michael Barone's How America’s Political Parties Change (And How They Don’t)
- Jo Freeman Reviews - The Book of Gutsy Women by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
- Jo Freeman Reviews: American Founders by Christina Proenza-Coles
- Exclusion: The Presidio's Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration
- Rembrandt's The Night Watch Condition Is Being Investigated; The Painting Has Been the Highlight of the Rijksmuseum Collection Since 1808
- Scout Report Choices: It's Okay to Be Smart, Hidden Brain, LGBT Materials in NY Public Library, Trevor Project and Others
- Prepare for Fashion and Faith At The Legion of Honor; "A painting by Mr. Tissot will be enough for the archeologists of the future to reconstruct our era"
- Jo Freeman's Review of The Road to Healing: A Civil Rights Reparations Story in Prince Edward County, Virginia