Museum Shopping - Holiday Gift Guide 2012 - #3

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s

Russian Dragonfly Pin

Price: $90.00

The Metropolitan Museum’s Russian Dragonfly Pin is a sparkling adaptation of a whimsical brooch of platinum, diamonds, emeralds, and a pearl on display in the Moscow Kremlin Museums. This brooch embodies the popularity of insect motifs in the early twentieth century.

Produced in cooperation with the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

22K gold and silver overlay, with Swarovski™ crystals and a cultured freshwater pearl. 

Hand enameled, with polished finish. 2 1/4''L x 3''W

ART

SHOPPING

2012

GIFT GUIDE #3

From the 

Gift Shop

at the

Metropolitan Museum

of Art, NYC

(editor's note) This year ARTSnFOOD is trying something different, by having each gift guide focus on a different museum shop.  The Met Museum of Art, Gift Shop in New York City is featured in this our 3rd gift guide. All of the items shown below can be ordered from The Met Museum by calling 800-468-7386 or order online: http://store.metmuseum.org/  

Golden Bamboo Burnout Shawl

Price: $95.00

Lacquer surface decoration, especially with gold, was refined to the highest level in Japan. In the Museum’s collection is an elegant black-and-gold-covered lacquer box (ca. 1800) decorated with stylized bamboo and birds. The distinctive burnout pattern on our stunning shawl is based on this ornate box.

Viscose/silk blend. Imported. 70'' x 21''.

Art History:

Among lacquer techniques developed to the highest degree in Japan is the use of gold and silver in powdered form, either mixed in to form gold or silver lacquer or sprinkled over lacquered surface to create a graduated gold or silver effect. The resultant works often display great subtlety and delicacy, and maki-e (gold or silver) lacquer is one of the supreme achievements of Japanese decorative art.

Fifth Avenue at Night Unisex Tee

Price:$55.00

Produced in cooperation with the New York Historical Society.

Available in small, medium, large, or x-large. Polyester blend. Unisex. Made in the USA. Machine washable.

Size Chart (Chest Width):
Small (19'')
Medium (20 1/2'')
Large (21 1/2'')
X-Large (22 1/2'')

Art History:

The streets of New York, and its changing cultural, political, and social landscape, have provided a rich backdrop for artistic expression from its earliest days to the present. Quintessential New York images of parks, bridges, subway trains, brownstones, and crowded city streets have been immortalized in various mediums and art forms. Never short on inspiration, New York has been the preeminent muse to countless artists throughout modern history.

Renaissance "M" Dot Unisex Tee

Price: $25.00

Since the early 1970s every visitor to The Metropolitan Museum of Art has received the now-familiar admission button. The button, distributed to between four and five million visitors annually, has varied little in appearance since its inception. Featured in the center is the Museum's Renaissance "M" logo, a design taken from the first printed book known to treat the construction of the alphabet and to discuss the shapes and proportions of classical Roman letters. An original edition of Italian artist Luca Pacioli’s (Italian, d. ca. 1514) De divina proportione is in the Museum's collection.

Our Renaissance "M" Dot Tee adapts the Museum’s “M” in a playful contemporary design.

Available in small, medium, large, and x-large. Cotton. Unisex. Machine washable.

French Marquetry Slim Fit Top

Price: $50.00 $25.00

The design of our French Marquetry Slim Fit Top is developed from the marquetry arabesque patterns on a beautiful writing desk of around 1685, now in the Museum’s collection. One of the few surviving pieces commissioned for Louis XIV's personal use, it was one of a pair intended for the king's small private room in Versailles. Surrounding the king’s royal symbols on the top of the desk, the intricate marquetry pattern is crafted in tortoiseshell and brass.

Available in small, medium, large, or x-large. Cotton/spandex. Slim fit. Cap sleeves. Imported. Machine washable.

Size Chart:
Small (4–6)
Medium (8–10)
Large (12–14)
X- Large (16)

Art History:

Marquetry is the art of applying veneer to cover the surfaces of furniture with skillful design and intricate patterns. Some of the most elegant and refined furniture ever made was created in Paris during the late seventeenth and eighteenth century.

Picasso Signature Unisex Tee

Price: $15.00

Pablo Picasso's (Spanish, 1881–1973) multisided genius is richly reflected in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our unisex tee design is adapted from a detail in Picasso Original Prints Exhibition, Galerie Nierendorf, Berlin 1964, an original linoleum cut in the collection.

Available in small, medium, large, or x- large. Cotton. Unisex. Machine washable. Imported.

Art History:

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) influenced the development of modern art with unparalleled magnitude. Over the course of his long and prolific career―from the time he was a teenager into his nineties―he produced over 20,000 works in various media and styles.

Mughal Buti Print Jacket

Price: $150.00

The repeating buti (small floral discs or circles) on this jacket are typical of those seen on splendid Mughal-period textiles in the Museum’s collection. Royal support for court painters, architects, weavers, and goldsmiths led to the development of a distinctive and unified Mughal style, which was characterized in the decorative arts by a wealth of floral motifs, rich colors, and fine workmanship.

Available in small, medium, and large. Mandarin collar, button closure, boxy silhouette, hits at hip, 3''L side slits, long sleeves. Cotton. Quilted contrast-pattern lining. Imported. Hand wash.

Size Chart:
Small (4–6)
Medium (8–10)
Large (12–14)

Art History:

The Mughal empire in India (1526–1858) flourished under a long line of dynamic and highly cultured rulers. Some of the greatest achievements of Indian art and architecture were produced during this period. Because Mughal rulers required a large quantity of textiles and carpets to decorate their palaces, tents and gardens, they developed extensive court workshops to produce them. 

American Eagle Necklace

Price: $165.00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to one of the best-known works in American art, the monumental canvas Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze (American, 1816– 1868). Our patriotic necklace is based on the eagle crest on the painting's frame recreated from a vintage photograph by Eli Wilner & Company, New York, for The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

24K gold overlay, with Swarovski™ crystals and lapis-colored glass beads. Removable hook closure. 16 1/2''L; pendant: 2''L x 1 3/4''W.

Art History:

For the rehanging of the magnificent Washington Crossing the Delaware in the American Wing, a large and stately gilded frame was painstakingly re-created from a recently discovered 1864 photograph of the painting. The photograph shows the canvas displayed in a dramatic frame replete with patriotic regalia, including a crest several feet across crowned by a spread-winged eagle. The splendid new frame, gilded with 12,500 leaves of gold, features a hand-carved eagle crest and ornamental shields. Today the gilded American eagle with its sweeping wings again provides a fitting emblem for the drama of Washington’s crossing.

American Timepiece Cuff Links

Price: $150.00

A charming trade catalogue in the Museum’s collection is the basis for our unique timepiece cuff links with functioning watches. Our handsome cuff links are developed from a clock pictured in the Illustrated Catalogue of Clocks, published about 1880 by the F. Kroeber Clock Company of New York.

Art History:

Gold overlay case, with steel snap back (to replace battery). Quartz movement. 3/4'' diam.

The nineteenth-century Industrial Revolution in England and America spurred a host of innovations in manufacturing and distribution. To entice a widespread and growing clientele with their mass-produced consumer goods—hardware, ceramics, textiles, furniture, and more—merchants and wholesalers circulated trade catalogues illustrating their wares. Among these newly affordable products were pocket watches and alarm clocks, needed by middle-class citizens to synchronize their lives to Standard Time, instituted in the U.S. in 1883.

2012 Angel Tree Christmas Ornament

Price: $55.00

In 1964, the Metropolitan Museum received the Loretta Hines Howard collection of Neapolitan crèche figures and, since then, the Museum’s annual display has become a cherished holiday tradition. One of the largest groups in the collection is the host of elegant silk-robed angels suspended in adoration above the Holy Family. The 2012 Angel Tree Christmas Ornament is based on an original eighteenth-century angel from this vivid Nativity scene.

Gold overlay. Hand painted. Includes a gold cord for hanging. Gift boxed. 3 5/8''H x 2 1/4''W.

Art History:

The crafting of Christmas crèches originated as a devotional practice in Europe in the Middle Ages. The custom of crafting large crèches with a multitude of figures was already well established in Naples when Charles III of Bourbon became king in 1734. As the creation of crèche figures gathered momentum and crèches became increasingly elaborate, the most gifted sculptors of Naples lent their talents to the task.

19th-Century Openwork Wreath Frame

Price: $95.00

The Museum’s collection includes a detailed cameo bust (ca. 1835) of President Andrew Jackson, carved out of helmet-conch shell by George W. Jamison (American, died 1868), who worked as a cameo cutter in New York between 1835 and 1838 and exhibited his “Conchylia portraits” at the National Academy. The cameo is mounted in a frame with a black enamel border and a multicolored gold wreath, which was made by metalworker William Rose (American, active 1839–50). Our graceful frame is adapted from the original nineteenth-century pattern. The removable paper within the frame features Asher Brown Durand's (American, 1796–1886) painting Mrs. Winfield Scott (ca. 1831).

Pewter, with 18K matte-gold overlay. Gift boxed. 8 3/4'' x 6 3/4''; holds a 4'' x 6'' photo.

Art History:

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the art of cameo cutting enjoyed a revival, as “cameo fever” swept through Europe and England. Exotic materials such as helmet-shell and queen-conch shell were favored for cameos; by cutting through the shell’s layers to reveal contrasting colors, skilled craftsmen could achieve detailed portraits or miniature scenes.

Vignelli Glass 

The Vignellis, both Massimo and Lella, are among the most influential and prolific post-World War II designers. As husband and wife collaborators, their Modernist points of view celebrates the simplicity of geometric shapes and patterns.

Vignelli Carafe

Price: $95.00

Created by renowned modernists Massimo Vignelli (American, b. in Italy, 1931) and Lella Vignelli (American, b. in Italy, 1934), this pristine glass carafe was originally conceived in 1979 as part of a larger design commission for an Italian hotel chain, which included furnishings and interiors. At lunch in Venice, Massimo Vignelli was asked by his client to describe the new glassware: Vignelli pointed across the Grand Canal to the beautiful ribbed domes of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, and said, “Just like that but upside down.” Their graceful, lightweight design is masterful in its geometric simplicity. Rounded ribs catch and reflect light, bringing an inviting and celebratory sparkle to the glass.

Glass. 32 oz. 7 1/2''H. 

Vignelli Tumbler

Price: $10.00

Glass. 10 oz. 4 1/2''H.

Vignelli Double Old-Fashioned Glass

Price: $10.00

Glass. 10 oz. 3 1/2''H.

Rodin: The Thinker

Price: $250.00

Our scaled reproduction in hand-patinated bonded bronze was scanned from a bronze in the Museum’s collection, which was cast about 1910 from an original 19th-century model by Rodin.

Bonded bronze. Hand patinated. 7 1/2''H x 6''L x 4 1/2''W.

Art History:

Sculptor Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) received his first commission from the French government in 1880, for a monumental portal covered with sculptural relief for a museum planned in Paris. Rodin proposed The Gates of Hell, a vast composition based loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy, but the work remained unfinished and was never cast in bronze during the sculptor’s lifetime. In the 1880s, Rodin began to extract individual figures from the reliefs of The Gates of Hell and enlarge them to create freestanding sculptures. In its original position in this work, The Thinker (Le Penseur) presided over the damned from the center of the portal’s lintel. The detached, brooding figure has been invested with multiple meanings—poet, judge, sculptor.

Rodin: Adam

Price: $495.00

The Museum’s Adam was cast in bronze about 1910 from Auguste Rodin's (French, 1840–1917) original 1880 model. Based on this work, our reduced-scale reproduction was created with a combination of three-dimensional imaging and traditional sculpture techniques.

Bonded bronze. Hand patinated. 15''H x 6''W x 5 1/2''D.

Art History:

Sculptor Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) was strongly influenced by the work of Michelangelo, which he experienced both in Italy and in the Musée du Louvre. In his expressively distorted Adam, Rodin conveys the inner anguish of a powerful but immobilized being. Two of Michelangelo’s works explain the meaning and origins of the strange gestures that Rodin gave to Adam: the figure’s right arm alludes to The Creation of Man in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, and the left arm is borrowed from the dead Christ of the Pietà in the Cathedral of Florence. In his tormented Adam figure, Rodin has used Michelangelo’s modeling to embody both the beginning and the end of life.

Rodin: Eve

Price: $395.00

The Museum’s Eve was cast in bronze in 1910 from Auguste Rodin's (French, 1840–1917) original 1881 model. Based on this work, our reduced-scale reproduction was created with a combination of three-dimensional imaging and traditional sculpture techniques.

Bonded bronze. Hand patinated. 13 1/4''H x 4''W x 4 3/4''D.

Art History:

Sculptor Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) received his first commission from the French government in 1880, for a monumental portal covered with sculptural relief for a museum planned in Paris. Rodin proposed The Gates of Hell, a vast composition based loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy, but the work remained unfinished and was never cast in bronze during the sculptor’s lifetime. A sketchbook in the Musée Rodin in Paris contains a study for The Gates flanked by standing figures. The two figures were not original to Rodin’s plan, but they survive in the larger-than-life-size Adam and Eve. Their meaning is evident from their original context, seen here in the dejected Eve figure, the source of mankind’s fall from grace.

BOOK - Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900

Price: $45.00

By John Guy and Jorrit Britschgi

Traditionally, Indian paintings have been classified according to regional styles or dynastic periods, with an emphasis on subject matter and narrative content. This fascinating publication counters the long-held view of the anonymity of Indian art, emphasizing the combined tools of connoisseurship and inscription evidence to reveal the identities of individual artists and their oeuvres through an analysis of style. Enchanting color illustrations highlight over one hundred works spanning eight centuries.

The introduction outlines the origins of early Indian painting in the first millennium, which set the scene for the development of the art of the book. The chapters that follow examine manuscript painting as it developed from palm leaf to paper; the Sultanate and North Indian Hindu tradition; the Mughal school under the patronage of emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan; the renaissance of the Hindu courts from 1650 to 1730; the later styles of the Punjab Hill and Rajasthani courts; Company School painting; and the coming of photography. Each chapter features a summary of the period and biographical essays of specific artists followed by a selection of their works. The eminent artists chosen are among the greatest in the history of Indian painting. Each could lay claim to the honorific bestowed by emperors on their favorite painters: Nadirai-i-zaman, "the wonder of the age."

224 pages, 155 full-color illustrations. 9 1/4'' x 10 1/2''. Hardcover; clothbound, with jacket.

“...this volume splendidly explores 800 years of Indian painting… ambitious… the beautifully reproduced images will make this book appeal to Indian art aficionados as well as those looking for a digestible introduction to an oeuvre of lesser-known masters” 

      —Publishers Weekly

TOY: 4D™ Cityscape New York City Puzzle

Price: $39.95

• Ages 12 and older
• Includes 640 pieces, 120 skyscraper models, 5 bridges, a glow-in-the-dark street map, poster, and booklet
• Foam board
• 12'' x 28'' x 4'' when assembled

Manhattan’s famous skyline not only in three dimensions using scale-model buildings, but also along the axis of fourth dimension time, spanning 101 years of its architectural history. The puzzle includes 120 plastic buildings that depict the city as it appeared as far back as 1812 through to 1971 with the addition of the World Trade Towers, and into the future in 2013 with the completion of the Freedom Tower. Including landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and the United Nations, the buildings fit into pre-cut holes in a traditional 2D jigsaw puzzle composed of 575 pieces that form the city’s street layout and islands. The streets glow in the dark, highlighting the city that never sleeps.

Ages 12 and older. Includes 640 pieces, 120 skyscraper models, 5 bridges, a glow-in-the-dark street map, poster, and booklet. Foam board. 12'' x 28'' x 4'' when assembled.

Named one of Dr. Toy’s 10 Best™ in the toy category.

TOY: Hand Puppets

Mythical Mates

Price: $23.95 $18.00 

Set out on a quest for fun with your young knight. Princesses, knights, and castles are prominent in children’s tales. They are also represented in the art of the Middle Ages. The Cloisters, the branch of the Museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was itself assembled from architectural elements that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries. Located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan; the Cloisters collection comprises approximately 3,000 works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about the ninth to the sixteenth century. A pair of puppets—a knight and a dragon—make telling stories so much fun!

Recommended for ages 3–6. Includes a knight and dragon hand puppet.

Fairyland

Price: $23.95 $18.00

A pair of puppets—a fairy and a unicorn—make telling stories so much fun! Princesses, knights, and castles are prominent in children’s tales. They are also represented in the art of the Middle Ages. The Cloisters, the branch of the Museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was itself assembled from architectural elements that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries. Located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan; the Cloisters collection comprises approximately 3,000 works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about the ninth to the sixteenth century.

Recommended for ages 3–6. Includes 2 hand puppets.

More 2012 Museum Gift Guides to come!

Until later,

Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness, the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved. Concept, Original Art, Text & Photographs are © Copyright 2012 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All gallery, museum, fair, auction or festival photographs were taken with permission. Images © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.