Friday, December 28, 2012

Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco

Jenn has been exposing the kids to art during their home-school days. But I still wasn’t sure if the kids would enjoy extended time at a classical art museum. But they really enjoyed looking at the various sculptures, painting, and items.

The Legion of Honor has the Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette on exhibit. The entrance is marked by a large hanging tapestry artfully woven, displaying two angels holding a crown above the family crest (my interpretation). I was in awe by the way it looks like a very solid and lively image from a distance, yet upon close examination we can see threads of various colors weaving their way through the fabric (all of this and more is shown on the video below).

In other rooms, there are various useful objects, such as trays, vases, and serving vessels. The function is quite ordinary, but the appearance is far from ordinary. Something that would normally be plastic or steel, is made of gold or silver. A container and it’s lid are adorned with a garden of intricate leaves and flowers made with gold and jewels. It’s simply stunning to see.

I was also impressed by the tiny snuff boxes with portraits painted on the lids. Normally, we might see this and think it’s quite easy to replicate. We use inkjet printers, or other methods of image reproduction. However, these images have been carefully painted with what I can only imagine to be very tiny brushes. The art is so precise that even close inspection barely reveals any brushstrokes or evidence of having been drawn by hand.

The treasures will be there through March, 2013. I highly recommend visiting.

The detail can be seen better at full-screen. Click on the expand icon (four arrows pointing outward) to go full-screen.

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