History Then vs Now- The Art of Collecting Art

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This description of the “Making Marvels: Sciences and Splendor at the Courts of Europe” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum has an intended audience of 8th grade students in their Social Studies class. Presently in their curriculum they are learning about the similarities between the European Aristocrats of the 17th century, and the Robber Barons/Philanthropists of the 19th century, who were both involved collecting artwork. This essay is designed to prepare the students for their very own field trip to the Metropolitan Museum, while teaching them that collecting and showcasing artifacts is still done nowadays, since even their favorite celebrities and influencers collect luxurious items that might be in museums someday.

Going to the Met Storytime
Picture a subway ride that was only meant to be in an hour, transform into taking two A trains, one B train and an uber, all while it is raining and windy outside. Well, that was my commute to the Metropolitan Museum. I got lost with a friend, arrived 35 minutes late (one my friends wasn’t so pleased with the tardiness) and my socks were wet. But don’t feel bad for me, the “Making Marvels: Sciences and Splendor at the Courts of Europe” would make up for my commute. After buying the tickets for a small donation of $2 and meeting up with my friends at the entrance of the Egyptian Exhibit, the museum adventure could finally begin. Museum Tip 1 When looking for a smaller exhibit in a museum as large as the Met, ask for directions, because they might not be included on the map. Once we were directed up the marble staircase, took two left turns and passed several European painting and busts, we finally arrived at our desired exhibit.

What is the Sciences and Splendor Exhibit?

The navy-blue walls of the dimly lit exhibit were very different from the bright halls that we had just walked past. There were around a dozen people at the first section of the exhibit, most of them middle-aged women and men. The artifacts were mostly gold and silver colors, which is a tell-tale sign that they are expensive. Museum Tip 2 Museum exhibits are definitely a place where one should maintain an “inside voice”. As I enjoyed seeing silver washbasins, a heart-shaped flask and several glittering clocks, I remembered that many of these items were showcased to “flex” at lavish parties. The wealthy aristocrats and princes of the Renaissance era commissioned these works of science, technology, and art to showcase their high status and to impress each other. The paintings, furniture, sculptures, and other trinkets were displayed in cabinets of curiosity which evolved into collections that would then be showcased at museums such as the Met (Sotheby’s Institute of Art, 2018). The second section of the exhibit contained the famed and featured “Dresden Green” hat ornament. Although this exquisite 41 cart diamond piece of jewelry, has 4 fewer carats than Cardi B’s engagement ring, it comes with a suspenseful tale (Parker, 2019). The “Dresden White” also known as the “Dresden Green’s” more expensive sister, was stolen from the Royal Palace in Dresden, Germany, but thankfully the Dresden green was tucked away safely at the Met, safe from the sticky fingers of jewel thieves (Barron, 2019). As awestruck as I was from looking at the diamonds, there was more to see, such as clocks and The Great Ruby Watch.

The Great Ruby Watch
The melodious sounds of chimes lured me into the exhibit’s clock section. Many of them were gold and absolutely luxurious, but I was missing the gems and stones that were on the “Dresden Green”. I walked up to three small watches but one of them was prettier and more colorful than the rest. It is around 3 inches in height due to the “crown” it has on top, and 2 inches wide Artifact Fact 1 The 85 blood-red color of the rubies, surrounded by the orange, blue and green flowers takes up the space of the entire cover of The Great Ruby Watch(. The arrangement of the clear rubies at the center of the watch reminded me of a flower, and the extreme detail of the cover of the watch, made me completely forget that I could not see the face of the watch. The floral theme continues inside as we can see a similar floral pattern replicated, with a golf rim and turquoise paint which covers the base. Artifact Fact 2 The watch was created by Nicolaus Rugunda’s the Younger in Augsburg, Germany around 1670.

It is not surprising to learn that Nicolaus Regundas was part of a family of established and skilled clock and sundial makers. This watch has been passed along important names families involved in collecting art. Artifact Fact 3 Baroness Alphonse de Rothschild, owned this watch at some poin t(The Rothschild Archive, 2020). She had married into the French portion of the Rothschild family, which during the 19th century possessed the largest privately-owned fortune in the world. As a wealthy family, collecting beautiful innovations such as the watch and other spectacular pieces was one their interests. Artifact Fact 4 Prior to being received by the Metropolitan Museum J.P Morgan was the last person to have owned the watch. As a wealthy captain of industry, J.P Morgan founded a highly successful bank, which allowed him to afford several expensive works of art, such as The Great Ruby Watch. As we learned in class, successful Robber Baron such as himself were also involved in philanthropic works, which is why all of his artworks other than the those in his library were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In his own words J.P Morgan wanted to make his art collections, “permanently available for the instruction and pleasure of the American people”(The Morgan Library & Museum, 2020).

Modern Collectors
Don’t think that the collecting of art and watches ended when Museums were created. The Great Ruby Watch instantly reminded me of the jewelry worn by rappers such as Offset, Quavo, Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi, Lil Pump, and T-Pain. When they are not rapping about the Cuban-link chains on their necks and wrists, it is about the watches on their wrists. We all know the Ayo & Teo song “Rolex”, which is about wanting to wear a Rolex iced-out with diamonds, but there are countless references to watches in hip-hop. Watch Reference 1 “This a Rollie not a stopwatch, **** don’t ever stop” from Drake’s, Nonstop. Watch Reference 2 “New Patek on my wrist, white diamonds them **** hits pink” from Lil Uzi Vert’s, New Patek. Watch Reference 3 From Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow, “Rollie got charms, look like frosted flakes (Traina, 2018) . Many of these artists have large jewelry and watch collections that we might see in museums someday. Who knows, they might even have some expensive artificial intelligence that they only showcase amongst themselves, like the European aristocrats.

References

1. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194113
   Barron, J. (2019, December 19). Science, Splendor and ‘Dresden Green’ to Impress a Sovereign. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/arts/design/making-marvels-exhibition-metropolitan-museum.html
2. Dailymail.com, H. P. F. (2019, October 15). Cardi B’s diamond rings cost over $1M and weigh in at 45 carats. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7576775/Cardi-Bs-diamond-rings-cost-1M-weigh-45-carats.html
3. Jack Morgan. (2014, March 13). Retrieved from https://www.themorgan.org/about/pierpont-morgan-collector/7
4. Paintings. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rothschildarchive.org/family/family_collections/paintings
5. Sotheby’s Institute of Art. (n.d.). Cabinets of Curiosities and The Origin of Collecting. Retrieved from https://www.sothebysinstitute.com/news-and-events/news/cabinets-of-curiosities-and-the-origin-of-collecting
6. .Traina, A. (2018, December 17). Rap and Watches in 2018: All The Best Song References. Retrieved from https://www.rescapement.com/blog/rap-watches-best-of-2018