A little taste of history, one morsel at a time.
Happy Friday! Today on Museum Quick Bites we’re stepping into Jean-Leon Gérôme’s, The Carpet Merchant (c1887) on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Rich in detail with vibrant colors, this gorgeous painting transports us to the Court of the Rug Market in Cairo.
Winter has gotten real here at Museum Bites, and in defiance of the subzero temperatures and deep snow, we’re going to sample some spring bling. So grab a warm brew and settle in as we wind the clock back to the late 1800s and the origins of the squash-blossom necklace.
Today on Museum Quick Bites we’re celebrating Presidents’ Day with an up close and personal look at Jean-Antoine Houdon’s terracotta bust of George Washington. Sculpted in the late 1780s, Houdon portrays a pensive, post-Revolutionary War Washington. Houdon’s goal was to depict Washington as a noble, Roman statesman, hence the toga he added to the sculpture. But for a man who eschewed pomp and displays of ego, who would go on to insist on serving only two terms in office, Washington balked at these lofty portrayals.
Today on Museum Quick Bites we’re kicking off February and Black History Month with a masterpiece. The Death of Cleopatra (1876) by Edmonia Lewis is a haunting portrayal of the Egyptian queen just moments after her suicide.
Museum Bites 