after looking at the “Making Marvels” exhibit at the Met we headed off to find some lunch.
on the way i had to take a few quick photos of these faberge beauties.
This is an “Imperial Lilies-of-the-Valley” basket.
This basket is considered the most important Fabergé piece in the United States and the highest achievement of the workmaster August Wilhelm Holmström. It consists of nineteen individual stems decorated with pearls and diamonds and was presented to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Czar Nicholas II) on the occasion of her visit to the Pan-Russian Exhibition in 1896. The czarina treasured it not only because the lily-of-the-valley was one of her favorite flowers but also because, in the language of the flowers, it symbolizes domestic happiness and conjugal bliss.
I mean, the most important Beberge piece in the US, just there in a hallway. that’s the kind of place the Met is. Oh, and the inscription on the bottom of it is “To Her Imperial Majesty, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, from the Ironworks management and dealers in the Siberian iron section of the Pan Russian Artistic and Manufacturing Exhibition in the year of 1896 .”
I also just read that the czarina loved that lily of the valley so much that she took it with her when she travelled.
Here’s just one more terrific Faberge piece, a wonderful egg.
Quite a while ago there was a wonderful museum somewhere in lower Manhattan that had a huge collection of Faberge eggs and other beautiful things, but it’s gone now. Sad. But maybe the eggs are all at the Met now?
We lunched in the American cafe, splitting a sandwich and pringles and a delicious key lime tart.
It was great to sit down, but i just perused the Met’s online menu and there’s a lovely afternoon tea in the swanky dining room on the 4th floor. Maybe we’ll do that next time.
Here’s the Sackler Wing with the Temple of Dendur. We couldn’t go in because they were setting up for some big event, but it was nice just to see it. It always makes me think of “when harry met sally” because of that funny scene from the movie that was shot there. kevin and i watched that on new year’s eve.
Whew, we made it out! we hopped on a bus headed for the south side of the park.
and then did a whole bunch more stuff…
ok then,
g.h.