A little trip continued ~ Metropolitan Museum of Art

 These few posts about our trip are probably boring as sitting in a corner to all but me!  So feel free to breeze past!  ;)

Still on day one.... after meeting up with Jesse in mid-town, we had some good Thai (Thai @ Lex) from one of the gazillion hole in the wall joints to be found in NYC we headed to The Met.  I really cannot do justice in describing the MASSIVE nature of the Metropolitan Museum... you could easily go here every day for a few days in a row and not see everything... you could perhaps, walk through every exhibit in a few days.  It's truly jaw dropping in it's scope as well as in the incredibly intimate proximity you can have with masterpieces of art, architecture, statuary, artifacts and much much much more.  To stand next to ancient masterpiece from the Bronze Age (2000 bc), and not even have any type of partition between oneself and the artifact is hard to believe.  There are many pieces behind Plexiglas cases (most of which are accessible from all sides) but so many things are simply standing in a large space where one can walk right up to to it to examine and admire. I hope my pictures will convey a teensy sampling of what you can find at The Met.  We spent several hours and walked and walked and walked... and read and read and read, and were A M A Z E D over and over.

Greek Pottery, 7th Century BC

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Look Ma.. no barricade, guess it's not too valuable at thousands of years old!  

Bronze helmet and nik naks, didn't get date, but they were BC

Roman torso, marble 1st Century AD

See what I mean, don't bump things! 

Greek 4th Century BC

Haunting statue remains....  (Greek 4th Century BC)

This Bronze 'The Boxer' is a special exhibit, not permanent.  Fascinating info; http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/the-boxer
Pardon the immodest angle, didn't notice at the time... really!!

If you didn't click on the link, please do...it's really interesting.  This bronze was saved from destruction from the barbarian invasion by burying it... wasn't rediscovered till the 1800s... http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/the-boxer

I loved this girl with deer.  :) 

Look... oak leaves and acorns, a lasting design element!  

Guess why he is looking up?  Because it's Emperor Constantine I, looking to the Savior (we hope the conversion was sincere) , marble head, 320 ad

OMG the artwork!  American painter, Edward Hooper 1930s

Georgia O Keefe!  (more paintings coming up!)

Large marble table with intricate, beautiful details....curled hair, cloth, floral wreath... 

Front of the same marble table, beautiful proportion, hands, feet, spilled bowl and notice the zodiac symbols around the table's edge.  Imagine the talent and time involved in carving and polishing this.

Beautiful expression... 

Ron walking around an old greek god...  ;)

Okay, you just have to get over the blatant displays of nakedness in these statues. They are true to the greek myths from which the subject matter comes. Still this statue of  Perseus with the head of Medusa is a magnificent piece of art!  1804 by Antonio Canova

Sit down and have a chat with Pharoah, he dressed more modestly.  ;)

The Egyptian collections at The Met are breathtaking.  

Exit?  No way. 

Many intricate small nik naks were buried with royalty in their tombs.  

Painted mud-plaster ceiling fragment from the palace of Amenhotep III, 18th Dynasty, 1300's BC. 

Original reward/wanted poster from Lincoln's assassination.

Finally... Christ the Redeemer.  Italian marble 1600s.  (most Christendom antiquities are housed at The Cloisters, another part of the Met, on the other end of Manhattan.  Photos from that trip are coming in their own post.)

I'm about HALFWAY through my Met shots, and have omitted dozens (really!).  More coming later.  ;)