Desk and Bookcase, ca. 1750

On Monday, I asked our Facebook Fans what collections they would like to hear more about or share with other users.  We had a couple people mention our Decorative Arts collection, so today I will share with you more information about, in particular, our Chipstone Collection.  


The Chipstone Collection contains more then 1,250 digitized images of beautiful ceramics, furniture and prints dating from the 17th to early 19th century.  The objects belong to the Chipstone Foundation, which was created in 1965 in part to preserve and interpret the decorative arts collections of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin. 


This image on the left is a beautiful piece of furniture found in the collection.  This desk and bookcase dates back to the 1750s and is attributed to John Welch.  This piece is made of mahogany and is intricately carved with great detail. 


This piece on the right is part of the ceramics collection. This harvest jug also dates back to the 1750s and is attributed to John Hockin. The jug is pale red-brown earthenware and is extremely detailed.  The piece has a unicorn and a lion holding the Royal Arms with the initials GR for George II.  Also below the handle the rhyme:

Harvest Jug, 1748

now I am come for

to Supply your workmen when

in harvest dry when they do

Labour hard and Sweat good drink

is better fare then meat also

in winter when tis cold I like

wise then good drink can

hold both Seasons do the

Same require also most

men do good drink desire

John Hockin

1748 

This collection is great for furniture enthusiasts and just people who appreciate great craftsmanship.  The collection also has prints that show views of Boston and other U.S. cities during the 1700s. 

The Chipstone Collection is only one part of our Decorative Arts Collection.  Dig around a little and you never know what you could find. Let us know what you think!

Today I'm feeling a bit under the weather and thought I'd blog about some of my cures for the common cold.

My first cure is hot tea.  Every time I'm sick I try and drink as much hot tea as I can.  It warms me up and soothes my throat.  This tea pot from our Decorative Arts Collection looks like it could hold some delicious tea! and its extremely intricate.

Also when I'm sick I always have a bowl of soup.  Sometimes chicken noodle or french onion, yum I love hot soup.  I've never tried cheeseburger soup, which is what this artist book at the right is titled, but you never know it could hit the spot!

The last thing I like to do when I'm sick is watch a ton of movies.  Today I think I'll watch How To Train Your Dragon, which if you haven't seen is a movie about Vikings and Dragons.  I know it's a kids movie but it's exactly what this cold needs.  This image on the left is of a silver Viking ship with dragon heads.  It looks like it could be right out of my movie!

I hope this combination cures my cold! What do you do to make yourself feel better when you're sick?

Moorish architecture and decoration can be found in various regions in Spain. James Cavanah Murphy spent the last 12 years of his life preparing notes and drawings for a publication on this Moorish architecture. The resulting book, The Arabian Antiquities of Spain, was only partially published at his death in 1814.

Thomas Hartwell Horne added text descriptions to Murphy’s measured drawings, and the whole was reprinted in 1815. Murphy’s careful documentation of the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra in Granada are appreciative acknowledgements of the Moors’ artistic achievements.

The large format illustrations in the book conveyed details of Islamic-influenced ornament to help fuel the Romantic fascination with non-Western cultures. Moorish Revival style became popular in both Europe and America throughout the 19th century.

This book contains beautiful hand drawn images that show the ornamental decoration on these buildings, it is almost like seeing them in person.

Our Decorative Arts and Material Culture Collection has something for anyone who appreciates art. One Collection in particular, the Johann Hienrich Ramberg pictorial guide to drawing the human figure, is perfect for anyone who loves to draw or sketch.

Ramberg (1763-1840) was one of the most popular illustrators in Germany. He worked in a variety of media but his strength was in linework.

This compendium contains variously-dated plates, including studies of heads, limbs, and bodies in

multiple views.

The guide demonstrates the various ways to sketch multiple parts of the human figure. One page contains images over 100 ways to draw a hand and foot.

Anyone who has ever tried to sketch the human figure will appreciate the techniques found in this book.