Tonight:
"After Hours"
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
$12 / $5 students / $10 seniors
Details

Isabella Stewart Gardner collected so many works of art that the origins of some pieces are still unknown even after more than 80 years in her museum. (Of course, the whereabouts of some pieces remain unknown.)

There is something beautiful, ancient, and/or devotional in every direction of Gardner's Italian palazzo by the Fens. One can be overwhelmed by the European art, and it's easy to overlook the Japanese panels and Asian sculptures. Outside the Tapestry Room, there was a textile that kept its birthplace (and birthday) a secret for a century although it was alternately believed to be from Spain or Goa, India. Pedro Moura Carvalho began to connect the dots and eventually identified this ornate embroidery as a 400 year-old Bengali colcha -- one of three existing examples with blue dye.

It is currently serving as the focus of the "Luxury for Export" exhibit curated by Moura Carvalho. Unlike Columbus, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama actually made it to India and initiated a lasting trade relationship. Over time Indian goods and art were being shipped to Portugal, and Mughul rulers began collecting European/Christian art. The Indians and Portuguese cultures influenced each other for a few centuries, then many from both regions eventually settle in Massachusetts. Coincidence?

While not as exciting as an Indiana Jones movie, the key to the puzzle is on display next to wall hanging. The original image came from a Spanish book, a print of an arch created for a visit by Philip III of Spain to Lisbon. The book made its way to Bengal, and we have this amazing representation that blends East-West imagery. Besides the arch in the center, profiles of Portuguese kings are surrounded by all sorts of mythological creatures, hunters in European garb, and various Indian flora and fauna.

The exhibit includes some Asian objets d'art with Christian and Hindu imagery, as well as the largest nut that you'll ever see bound in silver. The sophisticated design in often precious materials creates a show that will elevate your visit through May 4. There is an accompanying website that is a fine complement to "Luxury for Export."

Every third Thursday, The Gardner Museum hosts its mixer for art-lovers and the people who love art-lovers; it seems a bit cooler to hang out there at night in a social atmosphere. Have a drink or two, a bite to eat, and soak in the culture.

Tonight's theme is "Caught on Paper," so instead of merely strolling throught the rooms, you can take a "poetry tour" of the museum written by poet and a Gardner Artist-in-Residence Ann Lauterbach. There will be poetry readings throughout the galleries as well. They added an interactive aspect by encouraging you to pick up a pen/pencil and do a little sketching or poetry-writing. The courtyard band will be a Renaissance-style quartet, Seven Times Salt.

There's also a concert by vocal jazz group, Syncopation, in the Tapestry Room for an additional cost.

Image from the "Luxury for Export" website.