Silver Gilt Roman Drinking Cups

The Museum Docent - Series

In the Princeton University Art Museum Ancient Art section a 1st century A.D. Roman drinking cup is currently on view. The cup with Bacchic motifs in high relief was purchased by the museum in 2000 from the Fowler McCormick Fund . The silver gilt cup was signed on the foot by its owner, Sisimis. The cup is made in five pieces consisting of two handles, one foot, an interior straight undecorated flat stock of silver, and one exterior repousee of high relief… read the entire article: The Making of Silver Gilt Roman Drinking Cups

Amedeo Modigliani, Hero or Villain

Modigliani: Hero or Villain?

The success of an artist is usually measured by how many and for how much his or her works are sold. Many artists become famous because the works emerged at the right time. Others are connected to the branded galleries, celebrities or the wealthy. Artist failure, on the other hand, seems to be related to the simple fact that some artists are just not particularly good. This is not a universalization of success and failure factors of artists but a rudimentary analysis of the process of the consequences of engaging the art world. For Amedeo Modigliani, known as Mode to his friends, the plate was weighed down deep by genetic traits and those environmental dispositions chosen by the artist. Modigliani, for most of his life, was a failure in that he did not do well selling his paintings. At the heels of his death, his work catapulted, but too little and too late… read the entire article: Modigliani: Hero or Villain?

Collecting Civil War Era Newspapers

The First Emancipation Proclamation and the First South Carolina Colored Regiment

The following is a wonderful 1862 contemporary newspaper report from the New York Tribune. It is the true story of the events surrounding the birth of the “1st South Carolina Colored Regiment,” how it was formed and organized, along with a complete list of its commanding officers as they existed on June 5, 1862. As far as we know, this is the first time this eye witness account has seen the light of day since it was published nearly 150 years ago, on Saturday, June 21, 1862. In fact, the specific information contained in this story was heretofore unknown, and especially as it relates to the specific record of the officers who served in the 1st South Carolina Colored Regiment. As a result, many of the officers’ official war records are incomplete–save brief mentions for a few who are referenced in some databases as having being assigned to “colored troop detail.”

So, let’s dig into this historical piece and see what we can learn about the first Emancipation Proclamation and about what the Union Army referred to as an “experiment” which was to utilize the untapped resources of what was termed the “loyal Southern slaves” …read the entire article: The Joy of Collecting Civil War Era Newspapers #2

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