This Tuesday was a completely free day for us to explore NYC! I had a blast. And for the record, it looks like most of the tours that the choir participates in have much less free time for sight seeing as I've had. So I feel so grateful that on this trip I can not only enjoy performing but also enjoy the wonderful areas that I find myself in. I am very excited to see Boston once we get there.
This is a recreation of a room from the year 1819. Martin Harris, who mortgaged his farm to finance the publication of the Book of Mormon would have lived in a home like this near Palmyra New York. He was a very wealthy man who had a work to do from God. Amazing how well kept these treasures are from 2 centuries ago!
And then to the Metropolitan Opera for the Ballet, Cinderella, by Prokofiev. Stunning!!
My morning was spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Shipley Munson showed us the highlights of the museum as it relates to events from scriptures and prophets modern and ancient. Because he grew up here and because he has a degree from Harvard in folklore, his knowledge of the stories of the bible is vast and fascinating.
I know that friends and family are going to read this entry, but this entry is mostly for me so I don't forget all the amazing things I learned from Shipley on the tour. You might learn some interesting things about Mormonism or Christianity in this post! It is VERY long- so pardon me if I wax philosophical and share / record personal thoughts and feelings mixed with historical insights from the art I saw in the museum.
To start things out, he showed us the earliest items in the museum, a footed bowl and stylized oil holder from Egypt. (Kicking myself that I didn't take out my camera until later). The oil holder is one of the earliest examples we have of the sign that we today equate with "the cross" which is often a symbol of the crucifixion. We believe that the ancient patriarchs (Adam to Abraham) looked forward to the coming of Christ and that his mission was known and taught.
I also saw a completely intact basket made of reeds from the time of Hatshepsut, who is rumored to have been the one who found Moses among the rushes in the Nile. She was interesting because she became Pharoah herself and there are a lot of statues of her with the manly beard showing her role as ruler, and her body shape was stylized to look more like a man than a woman.
The next stop held figurines of varying scenes of industry from Egypt. We can better understand how Joseph of Egypt counted and stored the grains during the seven years of plenty is due to these figures that were buried with the estate managers in Egypt who believed that they would be resurrected with all their riches and items contained in their tombs (including the figurines of slaves and grain!)
This is part of a reconstruction of a Babylonian throne room. Shipley pointed out the symbol of fertility as being a pomegranate that was held in the hands of most of the carved figures on the walls. I mentally noted how interesting it is that mankind went from praising fertility gods and counting children and posterity as blessings to our day when those who choose to have big families are laughed at. (I have personally been attacked on this point and was told by a woman that Mormons breed like rabbits). Whatever ones opinion may be, it appears that the riches and wealth of an empire in ancient days was equated with the children that came to a family!
This vase made of beautiful stone has a name engraved on it, "Ahaserus" -- the name of the King in the Book of Esther.
Several lion reliefs were found in a deep pit in the area where ancient Babylon was located. It is rumored that this was the actual lions den in which Daniel was placed due to his steadfastness in prayer.
The sad thing is that a lot of these artifacts have been destroyed recently by ISIS and other groups fighting in the Middle East. I know there is a big debate about where the artifacts belong, but I'm glad that at least some of the items have been removed to places where people like me can come and appreciate part of human history.
This head is the likeness of Alexander the Great. Although he is not in the Bible himself, he played a crucial role in developing what we know today as the canonized Old Testament. He got together a group of 70 rabbis to decide which books of scripture to keep and rule by-- Septuaginti. They determined what was the law and what was the prophets of the Old Testament as well as who were the major and minor prophets. And Alexander is also responsible for the spread of the Greek language, which is the language of the New Testament.
This wall is a remnant of a home in Pompeii from the time of the eruption of Vesuvius. The walls that were painted really showed what the town looked like in Ancient Rome. There are many statues to varying Gods- and it brought to my mind the sermon of Paul to the people about the statue they erected to the "unknown God". The shift in mindset for them from worshipping many Gods to just one God must have been hard to wrap their heads around. Anyway, it's amazing that they have a whole room preserved from the volcanic eruption! And the art shows the depth and perspective.
Emperor Constantine. Also not in the Bible, but responsible for bringing together bishops at the council of Nicea. Shipley explained to me that Constantine in this picture is not sculpted realistically but figuratively-- looking upward in a sign of devotion to God. The way that Constantine set up the kingdom made Bishops rulers of areas, and not just ecclesiastical in nature, which led to a lot of corruption in the Holy Roman Empire and beyond. Because I believe an apostasy- or falling away from the fullness of Christ's gospel- it isn't hard to see where mankind stepped in and changed things in Christ's church. Reforms in Catholic theology and the reformers (Martin Luther, for example) paved the way to looking to the Bible for the real truth of how Christ ran His church.
This is a very early Byzantine depiction of the Christ child on Mary's lap. All very symbolic of course! I never knew that blue was a royal color (symbolizing the royal line of David).
This painting was among my most favorites. I am so glad he showed us this. The reason he pointed it out was to show the emergence of perspective in Byzantine art, but the elements in this Nativity Scene are what caught my eye.
Mary is lying on the bed still probably tired from bearing Jesus. The three wise men are in the foreground obviously coming to worship Jesus. Joseph is holding one of the gifts, and Jesus himself is in the arms of the first wise man. He has taken his crown off and it lies at the feet of Joseph in a sign of submission and devotion. I have never seen a piece like this before but it resonates with me because of one of the songs we have been singing on tour, "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"-- here are the words from the last verse which has always brought me to tears:
Finish, then, Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
'Til in heav'n we take our place.
'Til we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
I steadfastly and eagerly await the day when I can cast my crowns before Christ. Any special honors I attain in this life are nothing compared to the honor and glory I owe to my Savior.
I just love this one. Not really part of the narrative Shipley was giving us but he did point this painting out and I love it!!
Rembrandt's self portrait. Again, not related to Shipleys tour but super historic piece!
Peter Breugel! I saw several of his works in the Kunst Historiches Museum in Vienna. I love how he captures the labored resting under the shade of a pear tree, which symbolizes eternal life. I am glad Shipley pointed this one out to us!
And below are some iconic pieces of founding fathers:
And here is me and Terry Graff who ate lunch together outside the museum when all was said and done.
In the evening I went to Thai food with some ladies from choir and orchestra:
Wish I had taken pictures of the ballerinas at the end of the night as they were bowing. Spectacular.
Comments