Big Deal: Egyptology & Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hatsheptsut Temple. Pronounced: Hat-Cheap-Suit

I would like to bring to your attention a very interesting article about "the Met's Work in Egypt", which is coincidentally the title of it. It's a very interesting look at ancient-Egypt and how it fits into the life of modern-Egypt, and comes from the director himself. It says:

In eighteen months on the job, I [Thomas P. Campbell, director of the Met] have traveled all over the globe, and it is incredible to understand the scope of the Met's international reach. In fact, I have just returned from a tour of the Met's archaeological work in Egypt, activity that extends back to the earliest days of the Museum.

Natural History (How I Met Your Mother)

Barney riding a lion, Robin opening a beer on it's teeth.

The recent How I Met Your Mother episode (Season 6, Episode 8) featured the Natural History Museum in NYC - one of my favorites! The crew went around touching various ancient art exhibits - something I always wanted to do. Ironically, this episode was filmed at the Natural History Museum in California, and not New York - but most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference (though I was a bit puzzled as I know the place pretty well).

Reclaiming Stolen Ancient Art from the West

Bust of ancient Egypt's queen Nefertiti in Berlin

Trying to reclaim the numerous artifacts of ancient Egypt that are scattered around the world, Egyptian authorities name the Louvre in France and the British Museum in the UK as two of the biggest culprits in robbing Egypt of it's ancient legacy.

Interestingly, the Met Museum in NYC has conformed to the Egyptian requests, and returned a few objects from Tut's tomb. While at the same time, Californian arts dealers have been caught smuggling ancient Mesopotamian items stolen from Iraq during the war. Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern art is the most sought-after in the world, due to it's delicate colors, patterns, and truly ancient history.

Stuff to see at the Met (museum)

While living in NYC, art is always at your fingertips. Whether it be ancient, classical or modern—you always have something to be inspired from. There's some new stuff in the Met (I mean the museum, not the operah, duh!), so for anyone who's interested, I suggest you check it out. Particularly, this piece which was acquired a few years ago, but is on show now:

2000 year old bearer or something (the unknown)

It originated in Mexico, and much like most ancient South American art (called pre-Columbian as the time before Columbus "discovered" the place) it is very elegant, and unlike the traditional stuff we're used to seeing in the West, originating from the Old World of ancient Greece, Rome, Near East, that kinda stuff. This piece is from Colima, a state in south-western Mexico, at the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and it's elaborate history is detailed in the The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin of Fall 2008:

In the centuries on either side of the first millennium, much three-dimensional ceramic sculpture was made in the western Mexican region that now corresponds to the modern states of Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco. The three states have given their names to the styles of three groups of ancient ceramics that have been identified within their borders. The Colima style, today the most popular of the three, is generally known for its contained volumes, simplified detail, and almost monochrome surfaces, which are most frequently a rich red-brown that at its best is brilliant in appearance. 

Substantial numbers of Colima ceramic sculptures like this one have been discovered in burials, where they were placed as funerary offerings. Some large, probably family tombs held dozens of them.The specific meaning of many of the depictions can only be conjectured. Warriors, for instance, are identified by the slings they carry and their pugnacious attitudes.This example may be a standard bearer. The raised right arm and empty fist that could well have supported a staff with a banner suggest that it might be. Standard bearers are more common in later Mexican sculpture, when they are frequently depicted in stone.