ONLINE LEARNING
Enlivening Ancient Vessels: Interactions with Roman Bronze Figural Balsamaria
BY ARIELLE SUSKIN
Balsamaria are a somewhat enigmatic genre of Roman metalwork. They are small containers in the shape of human heads or busts, ranging from approximately two to eight inches tall, typically featuring hinged lids and applied handles.
Shapes and Motifs in Motion: Rethinking Ivory Pipe Cases Across Worlds
BY NUR’AIN TAHA
Ivory has long been one of the most charged raw materials of global exchange, prized for its smooth texture, lustrous surface, and capacity for fine carving. The ivory pipe case—a portable yet striking item—offers a revealing window into the intersections of trade networks, cultural exchanges, and material.
Changing Identities: 17th-Century Netherlandish Miniatures
BY JASPER MARTENS
Netherlandish miniature portraits with costumed mica overlay share a uniform visual language and were produced within a relatively short span during the 1630s and 1640s. These little-studied objects are primarily female portraits accompanied by about 20 translucent overlays depicting a wide range of costumes, both male and female, that often reference distinct geographical identities and social and economic roles.
Time Travel in the Thames Valley: Ham House and Osterley Park
REVIEW: SPRING 2025 STUDY TRIP ABROAD
Vibrant Visions: The Frescoes of Knossos and Their Decorative Legacy
REVIEW: EARLY SPRING 2025 STUDY TRIP ABROAD
Making Music at Nemours: Alfred I. duPont’s Music Room at his Delaware Mansion
REVIEW: SPRING 2025 SYMPOSIUM
Whose Revolution at the Concord Museum
BY REED GOCHBERG
What did it feel like to live through a revolution? The Concord Museum’s new special exhibition, Whose Revolution, explores a pivotal moment in American history, when simmering tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain led to the outbreak of war.
The Silvered Stories of 19th-Century Southern Asia
BY KATHERINE ANNE PAUL
Silver entered global markets at an accelerated rate in the 19th century, and the artistry of Southern Asian silversmiths played a major yet under-sung role in converting a once-rare material into items we now take for granted. The Harish K. Patel Collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama provides a thorough record of this trend.
Fighting for Freedom: Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence
BY WILLIAM A. STROLLO
A collaborative exhibition between the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum, Fighting for Freedom: Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence centers on the lives, experiences, trials, and triumphs of Black craftspeople, illuminating their journey towards autonomy and presenting inclusive vignettes into the American fight for freedom.
A Room of Her Own: New Book Explores the Estrado
BY ALEXANDRA FRANTISCHEK RODRIGUEZ-JACK
Made possible through a generous Publishing Grant from the Decorative Arts Trust, the book A Room of Her Own: The Estrado and the Hispanic World brings new scholarship to this overlooked subject. Accompanying a groundbreaking exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York City, the book explores the estrado, a long-forgotten emblem of opulence and mystery, which once played a crucial role in the social and domestic lives of women in the Hispanic world.