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Horseman and dog (terracotta) from the Late Archaic period (c. 500 B.C.)
Photos by New York Scugnizzo
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By Giovanni di Napoli
I meant to write this sooner, but my busy schedule wouldn't allow it. Now that I have some spare time, I'm sitting in front of my computer with a Manhattan Special and a couple of taralli determined to get it done. After scrolling through my photos, trying to decide which ones should accompany this post, I fondly remembered my recent visit to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
We went to the North End to unwind, but visiting the MFA was a priority and Friday was a good day to go because the museum stays open later on weekdays. For me, there is precious little more relaxing than meandering through the hallowed halls of a celebrated art institution and losing myself in its renowned collection for a while. After checking into our hotel and a short rest we made our way to the museum.
Beginning with the Late Archaic Gallery (113), there were plenty of black-figure ceramic hydria and amphora from Greece and Magna Graecia on display. Seeing all the renderings of gods and heroes on the pottery was almost like looking at a storybook of Greek mythology. Fittingly, a marble bust of the poet Homer stood prominently in the center of the room. I was especially fond of a water jar attributed to the so-called Edinburgh Painter. Found in Capua, the vessel shows the Tyrian Princess Europa being carried off by a bull (Zeus) to Crete.
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(L-R) Homer (Late Hellenistic or Roman Imperial, about 50 B.C.—A.D. 50)
and a two-handled amphora (about 500-490 B.C.)
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Next to a large bronze foot basin with wrestlers on its rim (found in Picene, but probably imported from Laconia or Southern Italy) was a magnificent terracotta sculpture group from Sicily depicting a horseman and his dog [See photo top]. Discovered in a grave of a young man, the work is believed to be a votive offering.
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Athlete crowning himself (bronze) from the early Classical period
(c. 470 B.C.). Said to have been found in Croton, Southern Italy
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Moving to the Early Classical period we find fragments of a pediment and volutes from two Ionic capitals from the façade of a small shrine or funerary monument in Southern Italy, possibly Locri. A small bronze figurine of an athlete crowning himself can be found in the back of the gallery. Said to be from Croton, the statuette was a support for a mirror.
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Hermaphrodite (marble) from Roman,
early Imperial period (about 20 B.C. — A.D. 40)
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In the Egypt: Late Period Gallery (216) we found a fascinating marble statue of Hermaphrodite wearing an Egyptian style headdress. The offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite, the deity possesses both male and female sexual attributes. Sometimes depicted holding Cupid (remnants of the god of desire can still be seen), the apotropaic statue was also given a nurturing aspect. The work was discovered in the Villa of the Contrada Bottaro near Pompeii.
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Harpsichord (maple case), probably Naples, about 1550
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Next to Art of the Ancient World was the Musical Instruments Gallery (103d). Among the assortment of instruments crammed into this small room were two important pieces from Naples. The first was a harpsichord with a maple case. Dating from the 16th century, the instrument is one of the earliest known surviving harpsichords. The second was a mandolin made with maple, spruce, ebony, ivory and tortoiseshell. Vincenzo Vinaccia, a member of the famed Neapolitan family of luthiers, created it in 1771. Considering Naples' storied musical past, one can only imagine the beautiful music they once played.
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Mandolin (maple, spruce, tortoiseshell, ivory, ebony),
made by Vincenzo Vinaccia (active 1769-1785), Naples, 1771
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The adjoining Jewelry Gallery (104) was filled with many brilliant baubles, but a coral and gold revivalist jewelry suite from Naples caught my eye. Inspired by the new archaeological discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the necklace, brooch and earrings incorporate motifs from the Classical world, including Bacchus the god of wine. They reminded me of some of the more intricate (and pricey) coral jewelry I saw in Torre del Greco while shopping for a cameo and cornuta.
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Coral revivalist jewelry suite (gold and coral), Naples, about 1840-1860
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After a short coffee break and purchasing a few postcards from the gift shop to send family and friends back home, we continued our exploration. Making our way through the Art of Europe galleries, we saw many incredible paintings and sculptures from a number of Europe's greatest masters, some of which included a series of soft-paste porcelain figurines from the Capodimonte manufactory in Naples. I really liked a canvas by Joseph Wright of Derby depicting a Grotto by the Seaside in the Kingdom of Naples with Banditti, Sunset. Painted in 1778, the work was inspired by the Englishman's visit to Naples and Salerno while on his Grand Tour.
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Grotto by the Seaside in the Kingdom of Naples with Banditti, Sunset, 1778
(oil on Canvas) by Joseph Wright of Derby (English, 1734-1797)
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In the Catalonian Chapel Gallery (254a) housing an amazing 12th century fresco of Christ in Majesty (from the apse of a small church in the Pyrenees) were two exquisite ivory oliphants from Southern Italy. Through its contacts with the Islamic world, African elephant ivory was imported into the Regno during the early years of Norman rule and fashioned by carvers and epigraphers into delicate household and religious devices (combs, jewelry boxes, croziers, etc.). In the case of these horns, they were meant to demonstrate the owners’ opulence or martial prowess. Purely decorative, they were not used in war or for the hunt.
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The Oliphant on the left is probably from Amalfi (c. 1100).
The one on the right is from Sicily or Salerno and dates from the 11th century
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Unluckily, a few exhibition rooms were temporarily closed for renovations, further limiting the space available to exhibit the museum's vast collection. Among the paintings from Southern Italy not on view were Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Massimo Stanzione and The Virgin Presenting the Portrait of Saint Dominic to the Friar of Soriano by Francesco de Mura. In addition, there were four canvases by Luca Giordano out of circulation: The Entombment of Christ, Apollo in his Chariot, The Communion of the Apostles and Venus Giving Arms to Aeneas. It should be noted that there is a possibility these paintings are out on loan or perhaps too fragile for public display.
Thankfully, Giordano's King Tiridates Before Saint Gregory the Armenian was on view in the Robert and Ruth Remis Gallery (244). Without a doubt the highlight of my visit, this small canvas depicts cruel King Tiridates of Armenia with a head of a boar kneeling before Saint Gregory the Illuminator. According to legend the King was cursed for executing a group of virgin nuns who refused his lecherous advances. Miraculously healed by Saint Gregory, Tiridates converted, thus making Armenia the first nation to officially adopt Christianity.
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King Tiridates Before Saint Gregory the Armenian (oil on canvas)
by Luca Giordano (Neapolitan, 1634-1705)
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While I did not get to see everything I wanted to (the museum needs more than a day to take in properly) I did see more than enough to temporarily sate my appetite for fine art. With its enviable collection of artwork, including an eclectic selection from Southern Italy, the MFA is a must see for anyone visiting this wonderful city.
