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Something dastardly is afoot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is up to the guests to figure out whodunit-by completing a scavenger hunt. A company called Watson Adventures has organized a fun yet cerebral murder mystery in the museum, where the detectives must solve the crime via clues linked to works of art throughout the Met. Those who’ve been say that solving the crime is delightfully difficult, and feels like something you’d find in a Dan Brown novel. If you want to get in on the fun you may not have to wait very long, because Watson Adventures already has plans to bring the mystery to museums all over the country, with stories and clues created specifically for each museum’s collection. Now you have an excuse to go lurking around your favorite museum after hours!
Link image via Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press
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Created in Germany ~1500-1525, this ivory carving is the terminal on a rosary.
Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay.
The other terminal and six exquisitely-carved beads and their silver, partially-gilded mounts, can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art link.
Link, via La Muse Verte.
The objects above are remarkably ornate baby rattles/ teething toys, as crafted by a master silversmith. They are attributed to Nicholas Roosevelt, an 18th-century American craftsman, and are now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This rare and precious gold toy, with its elaborate chased and repoussé ornament, might have been given as a lavish christening gift. It consists of a whistle, a piece of teething coral, six of the original eight bells, and a loop to hang a toy on a ribbon around the child’s neck. Aside from being a teething device, the coral in the whistle and bells was thought to ward off enchantment and disease.
One can’t help but wonder if creations such as this had some influence on the development of the idiom “bells and whistles” to describe supplementary showy functions.
Link, via Titam et le Sirop d’Érable.
This embossed, etched, and gilded steel close helmet is attributed to German armourer Kolman Helmschmid. It currently resides in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where there is a relevant essay on fashion in 16th century European armor.
Helmets fitted with masklike visors were a popular German and Austrian fashion about 1510 to 1540. With their visors forged and embossed as humorous or grotesque human masks, such helmets were often worn in tournaments held during the exuberant pre-Lenten (Shrovetide) festivals, celebrations somewhat akin to the modern Mardi Gras. Substitute visors of more conventional type were often provided for everyday use.
Interestingly, the postulated 1515 date for this helmet would make it contemporary with the “horned helmet” previously posted at Neatorama.
Link, via Titam et le Sirop d’Erable. Photo credit Metropolitan Museum of Art.
