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Curator’s Corner

A Meal and a Plate for It

Monday, November 19, 2018 | Karl Cole

This week, I’m going to recognize Thanksgiving with works of art, rather than odes to a holiday that has evolved from “giving thanks for blessings” to gluttony and narcissism (gee, n ...

Curator’s Corner

Porcelain in the West

Monday, June 18, 2018 | Karl Cole

What do you think of when I say “porcelain”? “American” is probably not the first word that springs to mind when paired with “porcelain.” We all know that China dev ...

Curator’s Corner

Some Flourish While Others Decline

Monday, November 27, 2017 | Karl Cole

It drives me absolutely nuts as an art historian the way Western art history textbooks treat Mesoamerican and South American cultures in a peripheral way, yet fawn all over ancient Greece and ancient ...

Curator’s Corner

Not an Easter Egg

Monday, April 17, 2017 | Karl Cole

On our planet, the egg has been almost universally viewed as a symbol of rebirth and fertility since ancient times (imagine ancient eyes seeing something living come out of something hard and apparent ...

Curator’s Corner

Vietnam, part 2

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 | Karl Cole

Yesterday I told you about the Champa kingdom that flourished in Vietnam. For the second post in my series on Vietnamese art, I will introduce you to the development of ceramics in Vietnam. ...

Curator’s Corner

Smoke

Monday, December 5, 2016 | Karl Cole

I happen to burn a lot of incense, because I think it’s nicer than any of those spray products that immediately fall to the floor and dissipate. And who wants a plug-in air freshener that runs u ...

Curator’s Corner

A National Treasure

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 | Karl Cole

Every so often it dawns on me how artists can be more than the production of their art. They can evolve to be a great gift from their country, their culture, and act as representatives of humankind&rs ...

Curator’s Corner

It's Summer

Monday, June 27, 2016 | Karl Cole

It seems that every year it takes longer and longer for summer to get here. Then when it does get here, it’s gone in a flash! I can’t think of anything bad to say about summer, well, excep ...

Curator’s Corner

Rookwood, A National Treasure

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 | Karl Cole

I’m a really big fan of American art pottery, so you can just imagine me doing a little jig of joy in my office when we recently acquired this gorgeous pitcher from the Brooklyn Museum! If I cou ...

Curator’s Corner

Endlessly Engaging (Ancient) Egypt

Monday, December 7, 2015 | Karl Cole

Naturally occurring pattern always fascinates me, especially when there’s a good art history story behind it. I present you with three ancient Egyptian vessels, all with different, random patter ...

Curator’s Corner

German American Heritage Month

Monday, October 5, 2015 | Karl Cole

The more things change, etc. I get really irritated with people who say in speeches that immigrants to the US should “speak American.” For one thing, “American” isn’t a l ...

Curator’s Corner

Survey No. 8: Neoclassicism

Monday, January 5, 2015 | Karl Cole

Art is produced steadily on a second-by-second basis throughout the world. In our art history survey, we are now entering the 1800s, a period in world history when the influence of art from non-Wester ...

Curator’s Corner

Layered Magnificence

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 | Karl Cole

I am eternally grateful for the ability to be “wowed” on a continual basis when I see works of art/artists I’ve never seen before! This may just be the art historian nerd in me, but ...

Curator’s Corner

Head Vessels

Monday, July 21, 2014 | Karl Cole

Effigy (portrait, human head, or whole figure) ceramic art (usually male) has been featured in all sorts of wares since ancient times from throughout the world. In many instances it is associated prim ...

Curator’s Corner

Japanese Porcelain Tradition

Monday, June 9, 2014 | Karl Cole

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but I’m absolutely bonkers about ceramic art, and particularly Japanese and Chinese. This piece especially garnered my attention because it combines re ...

Curator’s Corner

Fantasy Christmas Present I

Monday, December 9, 2013 | Karl Cole

Since I am not expecting to see a new car with a red bow on top of it for a Christmas present, I thought I would use the month of December to present gifts that I would absolutely LOVE to get (but nev ...

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A Meal and a Plate for It

Porcelain in the West

Some Flourish While Others Decline

Not an Easter Egg

Vietnam, part 2

Smoke

A National Treasure

It's Summer

Rookwood, A National Treasure

Endlessly Engaging (Ancient) Egypt

German American Heritage Month

Survey No. 8: Neoclassicism

Layered Magnificence

Head Vessels

Japanese Porcelain Tradition

Fantasy Christmas Present I

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Most Popular

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