Monday, October 21, 2013

Visit to the British Museum



Today I visited (perhaps for the first time) the British Museum I was impressed by the size and scope of the enterprise.
I can imagine that a lot of non-UK visitors are surprised at how much of the contents of the enterprise are from colonial and foreign lands.
The scope and ambition of the  Museum is I think unlike other museums I've visited either in the UK or abroad (I am thinking and comparing here the British Museum to the Egyptian Museum  in Cairo Museum and our own  V&A here in London).
I spent some time looking at the display Showing Greek and Roman life that focused on life at around the time of Jesus Christ but also was interested to see the display that focused on the 'enlightenment'.
Dr John Dee who was described both as a scientist and 'magician' at the time of Queen Elizabeth I and Stuart Townley who was significant in the enlightenment project, much of the endeavor was about painstaking collecting cataloging and classifying and he did hsi fair share across the field that is now described as the arts.
Other aspects of my too brief visit were the fantastic 12th Century Lewis Chessmen (see the documentary below) and the selection of Marble materials now known as Tolley Marbles.
Next visit by me will be more focused and I might even try and take in the current 16th Century Japanese exhibition.

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