Philadelphia museum removes mummies after China objects

The Beaux Arts building that houses the University Museum is one of the landmarks of the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Beaux Arts building that houses the University Museum is one of the landmarks of the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Beaux Arts building that houses the University Museum is one of the landmarks of the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A museum just days away from opening a long-awaited exhibit of mummies and other historical artifacts from China is gutting the display at the request of Chinese officials, the museum announced Wednesday.

The artifacts were part of Secrets of the Silk Road, which is scheduled to open Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia. The exhibit has already traveled to museums in California and Texas without issue.

Penn museum spokeswoman Pam Kosty said she could not offer any more information beyond a statement saying Chinese officials had requested the items not be shown. She declined to identify the officials.

Attempts to reach the Chinese consulate for comment were unsuccessful because of the Chinese New Year holiday.

The exhibit’s main attraction is a nearly 4,000-year-old, pristinely preserved mummy from far western China, whose flaxen hair and eyelashes are still intact. A well-preserved mummy of a baby, along with vibrantly colored burial trappings of a third mummy, were among more than 100 ancient objects featured.

The artifacts come from the Tarim Basin in the autonomous Xinjiang Uyghur region of China. Victor Mair, a Penn professor of Chinese language and literature, has been researching and leading expeditions in the area for more than 20 years and helped develop the exhibit.

On Wednesday, Mair said in an e-mail that he could not discuss the dispute but that he hoped to continue negotiating with the Chinese after the New Year holiday.

In a Jan. 21 interview with The Associated Press, Mair said Secrets of the Silk Road had been years in the making because China jealously guards its antiquities.

Mair was especially excited to display them at the Penn museum, a regional attraction that is a hub for research but struggles to attract visitors. It was to be the exhibit’s only East Coast stop.

“It’s going to be the rebirth of this museum,” Mair said last month. “It’s going to put it back on the map.”

As he spoke, various museum officials interrupted to report that the artifacts had arrived. Mair noted that the exhibit’s Chinese chaperones would be sightseeing in the area, including trips to New York and Atlantic City, N.J.

The mummies are particularly fascinating because they have Caucasian features, proving that populations migrated eastward from Europe and brought their customs and skills with them.

Other artifacts include clothing, fabrics, wooden and bone implements, and even preserved foods such as an early wonton, spring roll and fried dough.

There were no problems for Secrets of the Silk Road in the four months it spent at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where it attracted huge crowds, museum spokeswoman Latha Thomas said Wednesday.

A call to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Calif., where the exhibit was displayed early last year, was not immediately returned.

Kosty, the Penn museum spokeswoman, said previously that the exhibit was expected to be a blockbuster for the institution, its first with timed-ticket entry. Now, several thousand tickets that were presold will be refunded, she said.

Instead, the museum plans to put on a pared-down display using photos of the mummies and artifacts, along with multimedia exhibits and interactive stations, Kosty said. It will be free with regular museum admission.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-02-02-11 1506EST

 

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The Beaux Arts building that houses the University Museum is one of the landmarks of the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Beaux Arts building that houses the University Museum is one of the landmarks of the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Retrospective of Jim Dine’s sculpture opens in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Foreground: ‘Primary Ladies (Detail),’ 2008, painted bronze, 63 x 72 x 33 inches, and background: ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels.’ Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Foreground: ‘Primary Ladies (Detail),’ 2008, painted bronze, 63 x 72 x 33 inches, and background: ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels.’ Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Foreground: ‘Primary Ladies (Detail),’ 2008, painted bronze, 63 x 72 x 33 inches, and background: ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels.’ Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is the exclusive venue for the first retrospective of sculptural works by Pop Art master Jim Dine. As one of the most revered American artists, Dine has been a major force across the contemporary scene since the advent of the Pop Art movement. Celebrated for his paintings and graphic work, Dine’s equally prolific and profound efforts as a sculptor are less well-known. Jim Dine: Sculpture will be on display Jan. 28 through May 8.

The exhibition traces the origins of Dine’s sculpture from the early work of the late 1950s and the early 1960s through his most recently completed efforts. Many of Dine’s iconic themes are explored including his use of tool and tool imagery, the Venus figure and the heart motif. Most recent is his exploration of the Pinocchio theme.

“Dine has a vast creativity and willingness to turn to a variety of images, many derived from found objects and popular or consumer culture,” said Joseph Becherer, Vice President and Chief Curator of Sculpture. “His sensitivity for textures and surfaces coupled with his mastery of materials allows him to create works in a range of materials from cloth to bronze, straw to wood.”

With more than 20 works, it is Dine’s largest sculpture exhibition to date. It will encompass all three of Meijer Gardens’ gallery spaces as well as nontraditional exhibition spaces. The Technicolor Heart (The Big One), a 12-foot painted bronze heart, will be displayed on the adjoining Keeler Sculpture Terrace. Venus in Five Colors, five-foot bronze female figures in a variety of hues, will be installed in the five-story Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. Visitors can experience the depth and breadth of the artist’s efforts by also visiting The Thunder, part of the organization’s permanent collection, on display in the Sculpture Park.

“Dine is one of the most important artists in our collection and we’re proud to host this complete and breathtaking survey of his sculpture,” said Becherer. “He has the ability to create a body of iconic imagery. While frequently personal in initial inspiration and use, his work speaks to a broad and diverse audience.”

Jim Dine: Sculpture has been organized in cooperation with the artist, the Pace Gallery, New York and Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago. This exhibition is sponsored the Meijer Foundation and the Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Jim Dine will speak at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on April 14 at 7 p.m. as part of the 2011 Midwest Art History Society Conference. The event is open to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park members and conference attendees.

A native of Cincinnati, Dine studied at the Boston Museum school before attending Ohio University. In 1959 he lived in New York and immersed himself in the downtown scene – both the art world and the realities of the street. In the 1960s he garnered initial international attention as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement. In the ensuing years, his reputation solidified and increased as he translated numerous themes into visual icons that both appealed to and helped define contemporary culture. His imagery and innovative techniques earned a worldwide reputation. Dine’s work is featured in museum and private collections across the United States, Europe and Asia. He has been the subject of many exhibitions at prestigious museums including the Guggenheim, the National Gallery of Art, and the Gerry. The exhibition at Meijer Gardens is the premier survey of his sculpture.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is one of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences. With attendance of more a half-million people annually, Meijer Gardens was recently ranked in the top 100 most-visited art museums worldwide by Art Newspaper, the leading publication in global art news. The 132-acre grounds feature Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the largest children’s gardens in the country; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Degas and Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens; and a 1900-seat outdoor amphitheater, featuring an eclectic mix of world-renowned musicians every summer. The Sculpture Park features a permanent collection including works by Rodin, Oldenburg, Moore, Bourgeois and Plensa, among others. Indoor galleries host changing sculpture exhibitions with recent exhibitions by Picasso, Degas, di Suvero, Borofsky, Calder and Chadwick.

For details about the Jim Dine: Sculpture exhibit, visit the website: www.meijergardens.org or call 888-957-1580.

 

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Foreground: ‘Primary Ladies (Detail),’ 2008, painted bronze, 63 x 72 x 33 inches, and background: ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels.’ Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Foreground: ‘Primary Ladies (Detail),’ 2008, painted bronze, 63 x 72 x 33 inches, and background: ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels.’ Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Shown (left to right): ‘Nancy and I at Ithaca,’ 1966–1969, sheet metal and straw, 62 x 72 x 14 inches; ‘A Lady and a Shovel,’ 1983, cast bronze, 26 x 26 x 16 inches; and ‘Green Suit,’ 1959, oil on cloth, 62 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Shown (left to right): ‘Nancy and I at Ithaca,’ 1966–1969, sheet metal and straw, 62 x 72 x 14 inches; ‘A Lady and a Shovel,’ 1983, cast bronze, 26 x 26 x 16 inches; and ‘Green Suit,’ 1959, oil on cloth, 62 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Shown (left to right): ‘Wheat Fields,’ 1989, painted bronze with patina and pigment, 80 x 172 x 99 inches, and ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels,’ 2007, oil-based enamel and charcoal on wood, 81 1/2 x 58 1/4 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Shown (left to right): ‘Wheat Fields,’ 1989, painted bronze with patina and pigment, 80 x 172 x 99 inches, and ‘White Gloves, Four Wheels,’ 2007, oil-based enamel and charcoal on wood, 81 1/2 x 58 1/4 x 24 inches. Image courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Fontaine’s to cap daylong auction with Civil War session, Feb. 19

This magnificent pair of Carl Faberge silver figural candelabra could fetch $100,000 or more. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.

This magnificent pair of Carl Faberge silver figural candelabra could fetch $100,000 or more. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
This magnificent pair of Carl Faberge silver figural candelabra could fetch $100,000 or more. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A massive, two-session cataloged antique auction featuring over 800 lots of period furniture, vintage clocks and lighting, firearms, militaria, antique and Russian silver, estate jewelry and highly collectible Civil War items will be held Saturday, Feb. 19, by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. The Civil War items will be a session unto itself – over 400 lots.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The auction will be held in Fontaine’s gallery facility, located at 1485 W. Housatonic St. in Pittsfield, where bidders will also have the option to bid live on site or via absentee and phone bids. Previews will be held Feb. 18, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Feb. 19, the date of the sale, from 8 a.m.-11 a.m.

Session One will begin at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19, and last until 4 p.m. A one-hour break will then be held, after which Session Two – the Civil War items – will cross the block starting at 5 p.m. The action will continue until the last gavel comes down – close to 9 p.m., if not later. It will be the first cataloged antique auction of the new year for Fontaine’s.

One lot in Session One could bring $100,000 or more. It is a splendid pair of Carl Faberge silver figural candelabra, 24 inches high overall and weighing 268 ounces. Two 9 1/2-inch winged putti stand on a large sphere, each holding a wreath above their heads, while branching from the top are three scrolling cornucopias. The lot has no breaks, repairs or losses.

Rare and vintage clocks are a category for which Fontaine’s has become renowned in recent years. Three French clocks expected to do well include a Chronos & Amour figural mantel clock with a “Love and Time” figural theme; an animated bronze gilt bronze cherub clock made around 1840, showing cupid; and a marble and bronze annular clock, circa 1880.

American-made clocks in the auction’s first session will include a two-weight mahogany grandfather clock made by Walter Durfee & Co., Providence, R.I., with brass dial; a nice carriage clock with painted ivory panels, made circa 1880 by Bigelow Kennard & Co. (Boston); and a Seth Thomas No. 5 weight-driven wall clock with 7 1/2-inch dial and walnut case.

Works of art will be very much in evidence. Some of the better pieces will include:

  • A signed oil on canvas luminous landscape, signed Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875), showing a woman standing by the shore (est. $25,000-$35,000);
  • An oil on canvas rendering of a French battle scene by Wilfird Constant Beauquesne (French, 1847-1913), 33 inches by 51 inches, in great condition (est. $12,000-$15,000);
  • A terracotta bust by Alexander Ney (Russian Federation, b. 1939), red on a tan base and signed (1999), 17 inches tall and in excellent condition (est. $10,000-$15,000);
  • An oil on canvas landscape work by J. Francis Murphy titled Grey Weather, signed lower right and in very good condition, 30 inches by 36 inches (est. $8,000-$12,000).

Two other lots in Session One bound to get a lot of attention are a 1941 Ford pickup truck with a 90 horsepower flathead V-8 engine, fully restored by the consignor who’s had it for over 50 years (est. $20,000-$30,000); and a Russian silver and enamel architectural-style salt chair, weighing 22.96 troy ounces (est. $5,000-$7,000).

The Civil War session will be chock full of offerings, beginning with some sharp frocks and jackets. These will include a circa-1860 U.S. New York Regiment militia frock coat, enlisted man’s gray with seven large New York state buttons down the front; a New York State 71st Regiment swallow-tailed full-dress dark blue jacket with a row of nine eagle buttons down the front; and a U.S. Louisville Legion-style wool frock coat, dark blue, with five Ohio buttons.

Revolvers and pistols will feature a cased pair of Durs Egg percussion dueling pistols, .62 caliber, with 5 1/2-inch octagonal barrels; a magnificent engraved and gold-filled Colt Model 1860 Army revolver in excellent condition and with all matching numbers; and a matched pair of circa-1812 flintlock sea service pistols, .69 caliber, with 9.25-inch barrels, needing repair.

Sword enthusiasts will not be disappointed. Two examples in particular will pique the interest of the crowd. One is a Model 1862 Infantry presentation sword with a 30-inch blade in near-mint condition and a tight leather handle; the other is an Ames Model 1832 artillery short sword with scabbard, signed and dated (1835) on the blade. Both could command up to $2,500.

Also to be offered in Session Two: a Model 1861 U.S. percussion rifle-musket made in 1864 and with papers from the New York Militia; a metal-bodied Queen’s Lancer drum, 10 1/2 inches high by 15 1/2 inches wide, colorful and complete with two drumsticks; and a handmade Confederate leather belt with buckle (the “E Pluribus Unum” is upside-down) and cartridge box.

For more information about Fontaine’s Gallery and the Feb. 19 two-session sale, please log on to www.FontainesAuction.net or call (413) 448-8922.

 

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

French gilt bronze animated cherub clock, circa 1840, with Cupid depicted on a clock tower. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
French gilt bronze animated cherub clock, circa 1840, with Cupid depicted on a clock tower. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Beautiful signed landscape oil on canvas painting by renowned French artist Corot (1796-1875). Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Beautiful signed landscape oil on canvas painting by renowned French artist Corot (1796-1875). Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Wonderful cased pair of Durs Egg dueling pistols, .62 caliber, with 5 1/2-inch octagonal barrels. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Wonderful cased pair of Durs Egg dueling pistols, .62 caliber, with 5 1/2-inch octagonal barrels. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Enlisted man's gray shell militia frock coat, circa 1860, U.S. New York Regiment, very clean. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Enlisted man’s gray shell militia frock coat, circa 1860, U.S. New York Regiment, very clean. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Colorful, metal-bodied Queen's Lancer drum, complete with drumsticks, 11 inches by 16 inches. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Colorful, metal-bodied Queen’s Lancer drum, complete with drumsticks, 11 inches by 16 inches. Image courtesy of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.

Ryan O’Neal donates Farrah Fawcett’s red swimsuit to Smithsonian

The famous poster of Farrah Fawcett came out the same year that the TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ debuted. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.

The famous poster of Farrah Fawcett came out the same year that the TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ debuted. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
The famous poster of Farrah Fawcett came out the same year that the TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ debuted. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The red swimsuit that helped make actress Farrah Fawcett an icon is going to the Smithsonian.

Fawcett’s longtime companion Ryan O’Neal is donating the swimsuit and other items to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. A 1976 poster of Fawcett in the dampened red swimsuit sold millions of copies.

Also going to the Smithsonian are Fawcett’s copies of scripts for the first season of Charlie’s Angels and a 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll.

The items will be part of the museum’s popular culture history collection.

Fawcett died in 2009 at the age of 62 after battling cancer.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-02-02-11 0813EST

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The famous poster of Farrah Fawcett came out the same year that the TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ debuted. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
The famous poster of Farrah Fawcett came out the same year that the TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ debuted. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.

Male model behind the Mona Lisa’s smile, expert claims

Speculation continues regarding the model for the Mona Lisa, which Leonardo painted in the early 16th century. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Speculation continues regarding the model for the Mona Lisa, which Leonardo painted in the early 16th century. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Speculation continues regarding the model for the Mona Lisa, which Leonardo painted in the early 16th century. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

ROME (AP) – An researcher says the main influence and model for the Mona Lisa was a male apprentice of the artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Gian Giacomo Caprotti, known as Salai, worked with Leonardo for years starting in 1490. Art historian Silvano Vinceti said Wednesday that several Leonardo works, including St. John the Baptist, were based on Salai and that similarities with the Mona Lisa’s nose and mouth were evident.

This is one of many theories surrounding the identity of the Mona Lisa, ranging from a self-portrait to a Florentine merchant’s wife.

It is not the first time Salai’s name has been mentioned as a possible model. Vinceti insists there were various sources of inspiration at various stages and that the painting is full of symbolic meanings.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-02-02-11 0845EST