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Clever Museum Gifts at eMuseumStore

Clever Museum Gifts...

I'm always looking for "amusing" new gift items for our online store eMuseumStore.com. The kind of gifts which evoke a wry laugh because they are just so darn clever. This Dali Portrait Watch with Big Mustache and Ant is just this type of item. Dali was almost as famous for his eccentricity and exhibitionism as for his Surrealist paintings, which he called hand-painted dream photographs. Influenced by the writings of Sigmund Freud and his emphasis on erotic imagery and the subconscious, his paintings often include ants, flies or incongruous compositions. Here Dali stares out in a dream-like trance as his flamboyant mustache tells the time and an ant ticks the seconds around him. (Pictured above, Dali Watch, PN# 7115, $34.95). At right, Dali's Elephant from his painting "The Temptation of St. Anthony" illustrates a dream-like impossibility of an elephant's body on skeletal legs (PN# SD04, $72). View our entire DALI COLLECTION.

This  Monkey with Skull (1892-93) by Hugo Rheinhold, also known as 'Philosophizing Monkey' attracted a great deal of attention at the Berlin Art Exhibition in 1893. The monkey looks inquisitively at a human skull suggesting the possible connection between each. To underscore the question at hand, the monkey sits on a book with the name Darwin, presumably referencing the legendary study "On the Origins of Species". Another book bears the biblical quote "Eritis Sicut Deus" from Genesis ("Thou shalt be as God") which paraphrases the serpent's words to Eve to entice her to taste the apple. (PN# RHE01, $48)

Klimt's most famous artwork, The Kiss, is here reproduced on a squeezable throw pillow. Inside, it has an old-fashioned wind up music box which plays A Kiss is Still a Kiss (As Time Goes By.  (Klimt Throw Pillow, PN# 7111, $34.95). To put your honey in the mood, add a tin of "Before The Kiss" gourmet mints...Don't let a good kiss go bad! (PN# 7150, $2.95). View our entire KLIMT COLLECTION.

Eternally condemned to roll a rock up a hill, Sisyphus rolls a rock around this clock every minute. Do you feel like you're continually pushing a rock too? Then this is the perfect, perpetual task clock for you! From Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished for his hubris and trickery. Let this be a lesson for us all!  (Sisyphus Pushing a Rock Clock, PN# 7155, $23.95)

Poses of Pain: Portrait Heads by Messerschmidt

Poses of Pain: Portrait Heads by Messerschmidt

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736-1783) left behind 55 character heads; 17 in alabaster, 36 in metal (usually a tin-copper alloy), one in wood and one in limestone. He never named them himself and just referred to them as 'heads'. The name they are known by now and the indication of the moods and characters they portray originated in an anonymous publication that appeared some ten years after his death.

Messerschmidt set out to illustrate a range of emotional responses to pain as a scientific system which he believed would help others in distress. He also intended for the poses to ward off the evil spirits which had haunted him since he recovered from an illness in 1774. To visualize his physiological response, he pinched himself near the rib area to create pain. He had been suffering a digestive disorder, now believed to be Crohn's disease, and this must have helped him cope with his own suffering.

The above statue head illustrates A Strong Man (PN# ME02, $69). One imagines that this man is picking up a heavy item requiring acute physical intensity. His clenched mouth and tightened neck muscles demonstrate Messerschmidt's profound talent at capturing a human gesture. This statue reproduction is part of the Parastone Mouseion 3D Collection of collectible museum reproductions.

In another example named The Yawning Man (PN# ME01, $69). Messerschmidt again selects to illustrate the moment in the gesture with the most physical force. The man's mouth is hyper extended, with even his tongue tightened into a rigid shape as his brows furrow and eyes squint tightly.

From the web, Theodor Schmidt has researched 49 heads which are numbered and in his opinion form a set. He describes strong similarities in certain pairings which "follow a bizarre numerological pattern" related to a mathematical calculation. On his website, he posted small pictures of the pairings.

From Wikipedia, Messerschmidt discussed the heads in 1781 with German author Friedrich Nicolai and his interest in necromancy and the arcane. He had been a disciple of Hermes Trismegistus abiding by his teachings on the pursuit of "universal balance". Messerschmidt claimed that his heads had angered "the Spirit of Proportion" who forced him to endure humiliating tortures at night.

These heads evoke a strong response from the viewer. Whether we are supposed to feel Messerschmidt's physical pain, his superstitious pain, or his emotional pain is unclear. However, they are a lasting memory of human pain which as a universal condition has endured for centuries.

Research Links: Brief article by Theodor Schmidt, Wikipedia's Article

What's in the Vatican Library Collection?

What's in the Vatican Library Collection?

 I've been to Rome and seen the Vatican's exterior colonnade, the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica, but I've never been inside the Vatican Library. When I came across some very lovely "Vatican Library Jewelry" to add to our store, I started wondering... What's in the Vatican Library?

It seems that other "knowledgeaholics" like myself have also been curious about this. In 1993, the Library of Congress hosted an exhibition with an overview still posted on the net,  "Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library & Renaissance Culture" (The exhibition's catalog can still be purchased on Amazon, Rome Reborn). According to the catalog, The Vatican Library is the prototypical modern research library with thousands of documents, some religious but many others focusing on the liberal arts and sciences. Since Pope Nicholas V founded it in the 1450's, the Library has proactively collected a variety of documents with a surprising emphasis in non-theological areas such as the history of the exact sciences, East Asian languages and literature, and music history.

The Library of Congress' description of the show online is quite enlightening because it breaks the collection down into categories with pictures of letters, documents or journals from each: Archaeology, Humanism, Mathematics, Music,  Medicine, Nature, Orient to Rome, Rome to China. Whether you're interested in reconstruction drawings of ancient Rome, Euclid's treatise on geometry, the origins of Opera, the first translation of Hippocrates' medical works in Latin, or the Jesuits' attempt to spread Christianity to China, documents about these remarkable subjects are all there in the library's collection. I spent an hour looking at the scanned original documents and marveled at the wealth of information preserved in the Vatican Library...and also, sighed, thinking of what the great library at Alexandria must have contained before it burned in ancient times.

New Jewelry inspired by the drawings and motifs in the Vatican Library...

I'm always looking for "historical" new gift items for our online store eMuseumStore.com. So, when I came across jewelry inspired by drawings in the Vatican Library Collection, I thought they'd be a good fit for our customers. The available designs are religious, serving the inspirational needs of Christians today. They are the same pieces sold in the Vatican Museum gift stores and a portion of the proceeds go back the Vatican. Being functional as well as beautiful, I was attracted to their quality of design, finish, and weight.

Below images:
1 - Crosses with Crystals and Guardian Angels Bracelet, $41.95
2 - Rosary and Rosary Box Set with Gray Simulated Freshwater Pearls, $51.95
3 - St. Christopher Patron Saint of Travelers Key Ring, $27.95

Someday I would like to visit the Vatican Libraries not only to see some early maps of Rome, architectural sketches by Bernini and a loving letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn (I'm am avid viewer of Showtime's "The Tudors"), but also to revel in the wealth of knowledge preserved therein. And if I happen upon some good pasta on the way there...well, then all the better! Veni, vidi, vici, Nina

Research Links: The Vatican Library's main website, Wikipedia's Article, Library of Congress Exhibition - Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library & Renaissance Culture

NOTE: The information contained here has been completed with a casual search of the internet and from reading several articles. It is preliminary research of which would need to be verified with additional study. It is not my intention to mislead or misrepresent the facts.

What is a scutum?

 I was reading along a description of a man's Roman ring and the description mentioned it had a "scutum" on it. Recognizing the Latin "-um" at the end, I figured it must be a Roman word with ancient meaning. So I spent a little time researching and learned today that a "scutum" is the name for a Roman soldier's shield. It has the legion's design on the front and a curved edge to help protect against missiles in battle. From this website, Romans in Britain, they described the soldier's action of thrusting the "scutum", then the "gladius" (sword), then the "scutum", then the "gladius", and so forth. Stiched together in a tightly formed front line, the Roman militia advanced on their opponents with repeated success. Isn't it great to learn something new today?

Educational Clip Art for Art History

While surfing the net, I came up to this Clip Art website made available by Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse at Etc Clip Art: Sculpture Category . It is an excellent source for educational projects related to the Visual Arts. This resource has translated many famous artworks into line drawings. The drawings are useful for young students learning about the arts. We highly recommend it!

Egypt demands loan of Nefertiti bust for museum opening

Nefertiti, from Akhetaten (modern Tell el-Amarna) Dynasty 18, c. 1348-1336/5 BCE. Limestone, height 20". Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Agyptisches Museum.

Egypt demands but Germany declines a three-month loan of the priceless Bust of Nefertiti to be put on display in the new Grand Egyptian Museumscheduled to open in 2012 near the site of the Great Pyramids at Giza, outside Cairo. This request raises issues again of whether originating countries have any claim to their artworks when the artwork passed to new ownership through suspect contracts. This bust was found in an ancient artist's studio by German archeologists and taken back to Germany under a 1913 agreement.

The director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, told German journalists that if the 3-month loan is approved, he would return it at the end of the period: "We respect all our contracts and agreements -- after all, we are not living in the 12th century. Of course the bust would go back to Germany after three months".

However, if the loan is not approved, Hawass warned "we will change our tune," saying Egypt could potentially ally with countries such as China, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Syria and Iraq "to put together a wish list of artifacts that we would like returned from abroad". Culture Minister Bernd Neumann has rejected this request claiming the sculpture is too fragile and valuable to be transported.

Link: From news.sawf.org - Egypt demands loan of Nefertiti bust for museum opening .

Link: Nefertiti Bust "museum quality" reproduction available at eMuseumStore.com

Knockoffs of Consumer Goods Put On Display in New Museum

Contrary to the "honor" that artworks receive by being display in a museum, the society Plagiarius opened a new museum on April 1, 2007 "dishonoring" the plagiarized copies of popular consumer products. As part of an iniatiative dating back to 1977, this group Plagiarius has sought to reduce consumer products copying by publishing lists of products which are illegal imitations at the annual “Ambiente” trade fair during a press conference. The award is given to those companies that the jury has found guilty of making "the most flagrant" design imitations.

The group esimates that 10% of world-wide commerce are fakes and plagiarisms leading to a world-wide economic loss of EUR 200-300 billion and a world-wide loss of jobs at 200,000.

View the "negative award" winners for 2007 on the Plagiarus website at: Negative Awards 2007

Museum Address:
Museum Plagiarius, Bahnhofstraße 11, 42651 Solingen | Plagiarius Museum

Link: Plagiarius | Innovation contra Imitation.

French Masterpieces on Loan to New Orleans Museum of Art in Show: Femme, Femme, Femme

The French Cultural Ministry is living up to its promise made to New Orleans two months after hurricane Katrina. They have loaned masterpieces artworks (85 works from the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and 40 other museums throughout France) to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) for a show illustrating the many roles of women. It is an unprecedented gathering of these artworks in the US in a show title "Femme, Femme, Femme" on display from March 4 - June 3, 2007.

The art exhibit examines the many roles of the modern women as seen through art including "timeless images of domestic life in the family circle from birth to death, progressing to the nineteenth-century phenomenon of women working outside the home and the emerging independence of the twentieth-century woman." -- From New Orleans Museum of Art Website. The show includes important works from well known masters including Renoir, Degas, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso.

According to NOMA, the operations and surroundings have returned to normalcy now over a year since hurricane Katrina. They welcome visitors and encourage art lovers to return to one of the great cultural centers of the US.

Link: NOMA | New Orleans Museum of Art and Femme, Femme, Femme Info.

Link: Exhibition Guide at RMN for Femme, Femme, Femme

Link: Museum Replicas at eMuseumStore.com: Female Statue, Mother and Daughter Sculptures.