Sunday, August 27, 2017

Summer Vacation Redux #6: Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, part 7 of 9


Across the Kirkwood Hall at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and you go from 20th century European Art to the Art of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.  Like every aspect of this museum, the design of the spaces and displays are as wonderful as the works of art they offer up.  Here are 10 examples to enjoy.

 "Torso of Archibios," 2nd century BCE, Ptolemaic Period - Mendes, Egypt
 "Ushebtis of Meret-it-es" 380-250 BCE, 30th Dynasty, Faience, Egypt.

These "Ushebtis" represent agricultural laborers and were entombed with the mummy of the Pharaoh Meret-it-es to ensure his afterlife would be a prosperous one.
 "Stele of Se-ankhy and Ankhu" circa 1970-1950 BCE, 12th Dynasty, Abydos, Egypt
 "Winged Genie Fertilizing a Date Tree" 884-860 BCE, Assyrian - Nimrud, Iraq
 "Head of a Woman" mid-3rd millennium BCE, Mesopotamian - Khafaje, Iraq
 "Head of Sesotris III" circa 1836-1818
 "Foundation Figure" circa 2125-2025 BCE, Mesopotamian - Telloh, Iraq
 "Herakles" circa 100 BCE-100 CE, Roman copy of a Greek original
 "Torso of a Dancing Satyr" circa 1st - 2nd century CE, Roman copy of a Greek original

I found this fragment so compelling, so vital even in the face of how beaten up it was through time.  I suppose the little "tail" in the middle of the back identifies it as a Satyr.  Although I went to middle school with a kid how had a fur patch in about the same location on his back--and no one ever called him a Satyr...
 You can see "Herakles" in the wall cabinet to give you some perspective of it's size.

"Roman Youth, possibly Emperor Severus Alexander" circa 225 CE, Roman

This one sort of reminded me of my friend Stanley.

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