The MET, NYC: A Trip Around The World, In A Time Machine

The MET, NYC: Visiting the MET is like a trip around the world, in a time machine.

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Musings…By Mix Hart: The MET, NYC.

Above is a replica of the 1718 principal bedroom in the Palazzo Sagredo (the furniture is the original), Venice, Italy.

My trip to NYC was in late August but since that time my life has been very busy and I haven’t been able to get my final NYC post out to you. I saved the best for last! I am in love with The metropolitan Museum of Art. I kinda knew I would be…ever since reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg (at age 9 or 10), I have wanted to visit The MET. The thought of being locked in The MET overnight still appeals to me somehow!

I have been fortunate to visit a few of the biggest and most impressive museums in the world: Le Louvre, The British Museum, The Vatican Museums, The Uffizi, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Museu Picasso, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The San Francisco MOMA and the NY MOMA, The NY Natural History Museum, Museu Dali, are some of the museums I have had the opportunity to explore. However, The MET is my favourite. It is HUGE. I’d need over a month to properly explore it. Mistaya and I did our best to explore it in 1 1/2 days. I’ll share a very small sample of some of the exhibits that caught our eye and that the photographs worked out for—again, a no flash rule so some of the exhibits were just too dark for the photos to work.

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Mistaya, outside of The MET–a very busy place.

The period rooms were some of my favourite exhibits at The MET. As a writer, I like to transport myself to other times and places. To view these period rooms, as though they would have originally been lived in, encourages my imagination to time travel for a moment and experience life in another time.Below are a selection of European and Americans rooms:

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Walls from a Roman bedroom 1st C BC, The MET
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Bedroom from the Palace of Versailles.
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Mistaya at the Hotel de Cabris reception room from 1775, Grasse, France.
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Musings…By Mix Hart
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Musings…By Mix Hart
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Time to leave Europe and head into America, but first a lunch break in the courtyard.
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Lunch at The MET was actually very healthy and tasty. They had great soups and sandwhiches.
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An American Living room in the 1800s.

Below are some of my favourite rooms. I want to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house! Below is a recreation of the living room of a home he designed.

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Frank Lloyd Wright living room: The Met, NYC
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The MET
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A cozy fireplace cubby from the Arts and Craft Era in North America.

Aboriginal Art

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First Nations of the Plains: beaded baby and doll moccasins. Plains aboriginal children had the cutest dolls and great doll clothes too.
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A tribal costume from the South Pacific, The MET, NYC

The African Art section included a sculptures of women from The Congo. Tribes in this region are matriarchal and women represent leadership, power and authority.

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The MET, Musings…By Mix Hart

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Ancient Greece and Rome

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Eyes from 5th Century BC, Greece, The MET

The above eyes would have been in a marble statue. Originally, the ancient statues would have been colourful and the eyes inserted to give a life-like appearance to an either marble or bronze statue.

The ancient Greek hair medallion below was of interest to me because I thought of my daughter Tabitha, and her Rapunzel-like head of hair that she often twists into a bun. This medallion would look amazing on Tabitha.

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Greek hair medallion, 2nd C BC, The MET
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A pillar from The Temple of Artemis (I took this picture for my niece Artemis)

Below are two statues of Hercules with his lion-skin robe. I took these photos for my daughter Pippi as she is fascinated with ancient Greece and their gods. The two Hercules statues would have been included in a courtyard across from one another.

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Hercules as a mature man.
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Hercules depicted as a young man.
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Me passing through an atrium of European sculptures, an Auguste Rodin on my right, The MET, NYC

Oil Painting as The MET

The MET holds an enormous collection of famous works (modern and historical paintings). I am including only a very few.

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Mist viewing one of my favourite portrait artist’s works: John Singer Sargent.
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Mist looking at beautiful impressionist portraits of women and girls. To the right, a Mary Cassatt.
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Young Woman Drawing, a self-portrait by Marie Denise Villers, French, 1801.
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Mistaya and a Renoir–I like this one as I have three musical daughters with long hair in shades of gold.
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I like this painting of an unknown NY family in 1850 (artist also unknown) as it depicts their lavish home on the banks of the Hudson River. It is a glimpse into a long ago NYC. Though, on further inspection, the painting may be much more somber as the couple is dressed in black and the woman’s cameo necklace hints that the child may be deceased.
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Mistaya, 2nd floor of The Met, NYC.

Ancient Egypt

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These statues represent the same individual. I took a picture of him (it doesn’t have breasts) because he has such a beautiful face. The statues represent an individual who would have been a personal servant to the pharaoh.
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The vibrant colours on the top of this ancient Egyptian column are still visible. 4th C BC.
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Mistaya at The MET–ancient Egypt.
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I took a picture of this ancient Egyptian painting to show my family that the Egyptian grass I grow in the summer IS often depicted in ancient Egyptian paintings (they refused to believe me).
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If you’ve ever dreamed of solid gold sandals…perhaps you were an Egyptian Queen in a past life. The Egyptian royal women were buried in golden shoes and finger and toe tips.
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Mist in the huge atrium devoted to ancient Egypt–The MET.
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The Chinese costume exhibit was especially interesting. The exhibit is very colourful and theatrical; I suppose, a little like Chinese theatre.

I hope you enjoyed this tiny peak of The MET. Of course, the vast majority of exhibits did not make it into this blog post. If you’ve never been, put The MET on your bucket list and give yourself a good 3+ days to explore.

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Mistaya, after leaving The MET–on our way to Central Park. One never leaves The MET feeling “finished.” One only leaves to take a break in between visits. Mistaya caused a lot of staring in NYC–I felt like I was walking with Taylor Swift.

 

2 Responses

  1. Sandra Hart
    | Reply

    Wonderful pictures! Makes me wish I go visit the MET.

    • Mix Hart
      | Reply

      New York is just your style S. You’d love exploring all the museums and strolling through Central Park. I recommend you book your trip for next spring–stay at The Belleclaire–you’ll love it!

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