For more on the Ringling, see last week’s post.
Gardens
Between the wings of the Ringling Museum is a formal garden with a couple dozen bronzes, mostly famous works from classical antiquity. The focal point of the garden is a life-size bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David.
Fireplace from the Huntington Mansion in New York
As I said in part one, among the features of the Ringling that I like most is the variation in its galleries: they’re not all beige with spotlights. If you turn left from the main entrance hall, you find a room constructed especially to display a fireplace and some decorative work from the Gilded Age mansion of railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington (1821-1900), on Fifth Avenue at 57th St. (now the location of Tiffany’s). When the mansion was slated for demolition in 1926, Ringling purchased the fireplace and other architectural elements, and installed them in the museum.
The Ringling’s label suggests that these lovely figures were stock pieces purchased from a Parisian workshop.
Stevens, Parisian Celebrities, 1889
Oil on canvas. For the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Stevens painted a panorama 393 feet long that incorporated more than 600 portraits of famous men and women, 1789-1889. After the Exposition closed, the painting toured Europe and the United States. No one purchased it, so it was eventually cut into sections and dispersed. Ringling’s fragment includes dramatists, writers and composers, among them Sarah Bernhardt at the lower right, in the white gown. The man in the top hat toward the upper right looks to me like opera composer Giuseppe Verdi.
Astor Mansion, New York City
Another architectural salvage operation: this interior in the Rococo / Louis XV style was removed from the Astor Mansion before its demolition. The Astor mansion, designed by Richard Morris Hunt, stood at Fifth Avenue and 61st Street. Notice the view through to the next room, whose decor is completely different.
Tiepolo, Two Allegorical Figures, 1760
Fresco transferred to canvas. Because Tiepolo usually worked on a huge scale and in fresco, most of his paintings remain in their original locations in Italy, Spain, and Germany. This one, with figures symbolizing triumph, glory, and eternity, was probably wall decor in a palazzo in Vicenza. I love the stylization of Tiepolo’s paintings, which were made to be seen from several yards away: he never gets lost in the details.
Canaletto, Venetian Scenes, ca. 1760
Like many of Canaletto’s paintings, these were probably created for sale to visitors who came to Venice on the Grand Tour. They are not photographic reproductions from a particular spot: Canaletto has altered things slightly to make a more effective composition.
Copy of an ancient head of Menelaos
I thought I knew all the ancient heads … How pleasant to find out there are more to see!
Wright of Derby, Moonlight Landscape, ca. 1785
Wright’s most famous work, The Air Pump, shows the same fascination with light: here moonlight rather than candlelight.
After Arcimboldo, Autumn, ca. 1575-1600
Arcimboldo’s composite “faces” have a weird fascination.
Asian Art
The Ringling has a relatively new section of Asian art. Here are the two works that stuck in my mind.
Above: Ink and pigments on silk. I’ve never seen a modern figure on a Japanese screen: this one is charming! Skiing became popular in Japan beginning in the 1920s. I haven’t been able to find any other works by this artist, but that’s probably because I’m unable to search in Japanese.
Above: porcelain, probably made for the European market.
More
- I’ll be continuing my series on the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, in an few weeks. The Ringling is just too vivid in my mind right now to postpone writing about it.
- In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon print and Kindle formats.
- Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.