July 24, 2017 -- ROM, part 1

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Craning our necks and looking far right out our window, we could see sky.  This is looking south-southeast toward Lake Ontario.  No lake view for us, alas.

That's the train station with the pillars and banners, across the street.

My better half had no bridge plans on July 24, 2017.  We decided to go to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

We caught the subway at the Union Station stop, and took the left leg of this U shaped line north.

I love maps.  And these "live" subway maps, that tell you where you are?  Really excellent.



We neglected to ensure that the AGO was open.  Apparently it's closed on Mondays.......  So we walked on up to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).  It was open, and filled with screaming children.

We climbed staircase after staircase, and found ourselves in the ancient artifacts collection, which was, thank goodness, relatively free of children.  (WHY does anyone think it's ok to take children anywhere other than a playground and let them go crazy?  Good grief.)



Alas, I neglected to collect ID info on this item.  I can't remember what it is.  Given the end of the stick in that vessel, I have to wonder if this isn't some sort of mashing/powdering implement.  I think it must be rocks, bound to the stick.  (They look like they might be papier-mâché, but I'm pretty sure papier-mâché would not have survived from ancient times.....)

Actually, the more I think about it, and the more I notice the vessels seem to be alabaster, I wonder if this isn't how they hollowed out alabaster to make vessels.........

There was very low light on a lot of the ancient artifacts in the ROM.  While I appreciate the need for minimal light on biodegradable materials (especially textiles, and maybe paper?), I am less clear why it's needed for ceramics and stone.

In any case, my attempts to make visible the details of the work I've shown here have resulted in colors that are not much like the originals, in many cases.



Hanging vessel.  One sees hanging vessels fairly often, in museums.  I wonder why they wanted hanging vessels.  Just because they could have them?  Or did they have some vermin-deterring quality?   This one has a flat bottom -- maybe the "handles" are just decoration?

Cool surface decoration on a very thin-walled pot from Meroë, which is in modern-day Sudan.  Made about 100 CE.

Painted decoration.

Love the shape.  Round bottoms are also very common.  I wonder why......

I believe these are the oldest hand tools I'd ever seen, at 100,000 - 70,000 years BCE.  From Nubia.

These images are in the order we encountered them....  The Roman emperor Tiberius.

More painted surface decoration.

A cup you can't put down, unless it's empty.

More painted decoration (on another cool shape).

I would not be surprised to see a newly-made cup very like this for sale now.  1800-1700 BCE.  Minoan.

Signs of ancient corgi dogs!  The ID info clearly says that 11-16 are dogs.  Dogs with short legs and up ears, and either a curly tail, or no tail.....  (Alas, I did not collect the info on who made them, or when.)

More painted decoration.  The technical mastery showcased in all of these ceramics is amazing.

Pins for holding big rectangles of fabric into sort-of-clothing-like shapes.  Greece, 750-700 BCE.

Again with the technical mastery.  See springs at upper left on these pieces?  The pin is gone, but you can see the hook on the right side that would have held the left-side pin in place, thus securing the garment on the wearer.........

Ok, this made me laugh.  Have you seen the Christmas Story movie?  I don't find it entertaining, but the father in the story won a lamp for something he did at work (if I remember the story correctly).  The lamp was in the shape of a woman's leg, and was tackiness to the Nth degree.

Soooooooo.............................  I don't suppose this was actually a lamp, but surely it belongs in the same genre as the lamp?  Something tacky you'd win for being salesman of the year at work?  Or something?

Always nice to turn your pot over and discover the bottom is embellished, too.  If I were making pots these days I would play with putting at least a little something on the bottom............  A few paint-brush marks with iron oxide, maybe?  Some scratches?  Hmmm........  So many opportunities.

I think this is a pin, with very thin gold leaves.  Gold can be thin enough that it is so flexible it bends in the breeze when worn......

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