Attributed to Charles Robert Ashbee (1863-1942), Superb Guild of Handicraft Pendant. Silver Gold Garnet Pearl. H  10.70 cm (4.21 in); W  4.70 cm (1.85 in). © Tadema Gallery.

This pendant can be attributed to Ashbee, as it shows the characteristics of his style, for example in the use of the foliage and the combination of materials such as silver, gold, garnet cabochons and blister pearls, for this cf. Charlotte Gere and Geoffrey Munn, Artist's Jewellery, Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts, Woodbridge 1989, Colour Plate 17.

Literature: cf. The Guild of Handicraft Limited, Silversmiths & Jewellers by Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen

Art Nouveau Exceptional Ring, France, c. 1900. Gold, plique-à-jour, pearl & diamond. H 2.40 cm (0.94 in); W 1.50 cm (0.59 in)© Tadema Gallery.

An exceptional Art Nouveau ring in the manner of Georges Fouquet. 
The baroque-shaped natural pearl measuring approximately 11.3 x 7.6 mm. 

Literature: cf. Die Fouquet, 1860-1960, Schmuck Kunstler in Paris, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, 1984. 
Schmuck Kunst im Jugendstil,Art Nouveau Jewellery, 
Arnoldsche, 1999, p.33-50. 
The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Jewellery, volume 1, A-K, Alastair Duncan, 1994, p.247-260. 
Art Nouveau, The French Aesthetic, Victor Arwas, 1992, p.360 
Imperishable Beauty, Art Nouveau Jewelry, Yvonne J. Markowitz & Elyse Zorn Karlin, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2008.

Belle Epoque "Naiad & Sturgeons" Brooch, France, c. 1895. Gold, Carved Agate & Pearl. H 3.80 cm (1.50 in); W 3.50 cm (1.38 in) ©Tadema Gallery.

A rare depiction in jewelry of a naiad* (fresh water mermaid) encircled by two sturgeon & water lily leaves. It appears that the naiad has called the sturgeon up stream to spawn.
Inspiration & workmanship worthy of a Faberge Jewel. 
A Fin de Siecle homage to caviar? 
*see painting by J W Waterhouse 1896 Hylas is abducted by the Naiads.  

Karl Rothmüller (1860-1930), Eternal Entwined Snakes Brooch, German, c. 1900. Gold, Peridot, Diamond, Pearl. W 2.90 cm (1.14 in); L 3.30 cm (1.30 in) ©Tadema Gallery.

The naturalistic snakes biting a large emerald cut fine green peridot The power & vitality of a good Lalique jewel. 

Literature: cf. Meyers Lexikon Schmucksachen II, brooch version with oval stone Serpentina - Snake Jewellery from around the World, Fritz Falk, 2011, ISBN 978-3-89790-354-8 silver & gold pendant version, p.126 
Schmuck in Deutschland und Osterreich 1895-1914, Ulrike von Hase, 1977, p. 256 no 417 Art Nouveau Jewelry, Vivienne Becker, 1985, p.227 Imperishable Beauty, Art Nouveau Jewelry, Yvonne J. Markowitz & Elyse Zorn Karlin, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2008, p. 78 & 149

Payson Ni Jewelry, 'Underworld', inspired by traditional Chinese architecture and garden.

Prepared by Charles Willson Peale, Long Eared Owl (Asio otus) (detail), 1786–1827. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ornithology Department, Harvard University, 67850. Photo: Jeremiah Trimble; Courtesy of the Ornithology Department, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- The Harvard Art Museums present The Philosophy Chamber: Art and Science in Harvard’s Teaching Cabinet, 1766–1820, a special exhibition that brings together many long-forgotten icons of American culture. It presents new findings on this unique space—equal parts laboratory, picture gallery, and lecture hall—that stood at the center of artistic and intellectual life at Harvard and in New England for more than 50 years. 

Celebrated at the time as one of the grandest spaces in America, the original Philosophy Chamber and its adjacent rooms housed an extraordinary collection of paintings, portraits, and prints; mineral, plant, and animal specimens; scientific instruments; indigenous American artifacts; and relics from the ancient world—all of which was used regularly for lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. Highlights include: full-length portraits by John Singleton Copley, Native Hawaiian feather work, carving by indigenous artists of the Northwest Coast, Stephen Sewall’s 1768 mural-sized copy of the Wampanoag inscription on the famous Dighton Rock in southeastern Massachusetts, and the elaborately ornamented grand orrery (a model of the solar system) created by Joseph Pope between 1776 and 1787. Many of the objects in the exhibition have not been shown publicly since the collection was dispersed almost 200 years ago. 

Lump of Lava Containing a Coin, 18th-19th century. Volcanic rock and bronze, 3.5 x 7.5 x 7.2 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University; 1977.216.2223. © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The reassembled Philosophy Chamber invites visitors to examine the role that images and objects play in building, organizing, and transmitting knowledge; and as a historical study, it deepens our understanding not only of Harvard’s past, but also the history of early American art and culture. 

The exhibition presents close to 70 objects from the earliest days of Harvard’s collecting, shown together with a small group of 18th- and 19th-century objects that closely match the description of original pieces in the collection that have been lost or destroyed, or that survive but are too fragile for display. In addition, the show includes period representations of other teaching cabinets to contextualize the material on display. The exhibition’s accompanying catalogue expands on the research into the chamber’s collection, history, and uses, presenting information on the approximately 200 objects that have been tracked thus far—just one-fifth of the original collection once housed in Harvard Hall. 

Denarius of Octavian, Uncertain Mint, Italy, Early Roman Imperial period, 32 - 29 BCE. Silver. Obverse: Victory, draped, standing r. on prow, holding wreath in r. hand and palm in l. hand. Reverse.: Octavian standing in ornamented slow quadriga r., holding branch in r. hand, reins in l. hand. In exergue; Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The George Davis Chase Collection of Roman Coins, Gift of George Davis Chase, Professor of Classics and Dean of Graduate Study at the University of Maine; 1942.176.59. © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The exhibition and catalogue provide a 360-degree view of early American history through the examination of the artwork displayed in the Philosophy Chamber, the instruments and specimens handled by the students and faculty who met there, and the cultural artifacts dispatched to the college by foreign envoys and the nation’s first merchant explorers. The project considers what the convergence of these objects in a New World college can tell us about the transfer of knowledge, burgeoning trade, the role of collections, and America’s emerging identity in the mid-18th to early 19th century. 

The Philosophy Chamber: Art and Science in Harvard’s Teaching Cabinet, 1766–1820 is on display through December 31, 2017 in the Special Exhibitions Gallery at the Harvard Art Museums. The exhibition then travels to The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, where it will be on view March 23 through June 24, 2018. 

Sestertius of Nero, Rome, Early Roman Imperial period, 62-68 CE. Bronze. Obverse: Laureate head of Nero l.; around. Reverse: Triumphal arch, hung with wreath across front and l. side; above, the emperor in facing quadriga escorted on r. by Victory holding wreath and palm and on l. by Pax holding caduceus and cornucopiae; just below the quadriga on extreme l. and r., two small figures of soldiers; on l. side of arch in niche, figure of Mars standing facing, r. hand holding spear, l. round shield; ornamental reliefs on the faces and plinths of the arch. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The George Davis Chase Collection of Roman Coins, Gift of George Davis Chase, Professor of Classics and Dean of Graduate Study at the University of Maine; 1942.176.124 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

“Rooted in deep research and fresh curatorial insight, this exhibition invites audiences—both American and international—to explore a cultural landmark of the 18th-century Atlantic World,” said Martha Tedeschi, the Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard Art Museums. “Our efforts to unearth this largely forgotten landmark of early American art and culture led us to map collections, library archives, herbaria, and other museums across campus, in addition to public and private institutions throughout the Northeast and abroad. Thanks to this exceptional cross-institutional collaboration, we can present an immersive interdisciplinary experience that brings an important period of history to life for all visitors.” 

“Weaving together art and science, this exhibition considers one of the most vibrant spaces in early America and presents a veritable cross-section of the period’s art and material culture,” said Ethan W. Lasser, curator of the exhibition, and the Theodore E. Stebbins Jr. Curator of American Art and head of the Division of European and American Art at the Harvard Art Museums. “The Philosophy Chamber opens a window into a forgotten piece of American history; the story of this room intersects with some of the most admirable—and the most challenging—aspects of Harvard’s past.”  

Aftercast of a Sestertius of Vespasian with the Colosseum by Cavino, Roman, 18th century. Bronze. Obverse: Laureate bust of Vespasian r. Reverse View of the Colosseum showing the front from the outside and the back from the inside, tiers and arches, all containing figures; to left obelisk on base (meta sudans); to right part of a portico. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the daughters of Florence and Mason Hammond; 2003.100.9.10 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

History of the Philosophy Chamber 
Between 1766 and 1820, Harvard College assembled an extraordinary collection of specially commissioned scientific instruments and benefactor portraits, as well as donations from supporters around the globe. These objects were displayed in a set of three rooms adjacent to the college library in Harvard Hall, a large brick building that still stands at the center of campus today. The largest of these spaces, the Philosophy Chamber, was an ornately decorated room named for the discipline of natural philosophy, a field of study that wove together the sciences that sought to explain the natural world. 

The collection and the chamber, which came into existence when Harvard Hall was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1764, played a vital role in teaching and research at Harvard, while also serving as the center of artistic and intellectual life in the greater New England region for over 50 years. Artists, scientists, students, and advocates of American Independence—including George Washington—came to the Philosophy Chamber to discover, discuss, and disseminate new knowledge. Students attended lectures and demonstrations there, and visitors from around the globe flocked to the space to see works by some of the Atlantic World’s greatest artists and artisans, including John Singleton Copley and John Trumbull. 

Denarius of Augustus, Lugdunum, Early Roman Imperial period, 8-7 BCE. Silver. Obv.: Laureate head of Augustus to r.; border of dots. Rev.: Augustus togate seated in stool to l. reaching his r. hand toward small child held by male figure standing to l., naked except for cloak over shoulders.Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Celia and Walter Gilbert, Claude-Claire Grenier, and the Marian H. Phinney Fund; 2005.115.91 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The only repository of its kind in New England when it was established, the Philosophy Chamber was closely linked to the 18th-century Enlightenment, and connected to a network of teaching cabinets in Europe, the United States, and South America, such as the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University, the Académie des Sciences in Paris, the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, and the University of Córdoba in Argentina. These teaching cabinets were offspring of the 17th-century Wunderkammer, or privately held cabinets of curiosities, and ultimately foreshadowed the beginnings of the modern museum. 

While the chamber’s collection survived the Revolutionary War thanks to a temporary relocation (along with all of Harvard College) to Concord, Massachusetts, in 1775, an expansion of the college library in 1820 ultimately led to the dispersal of the collection to various university departments and local museums. 

Washington Allston, American (Georgetown, SC 1779 - 1843 Cambridge, MA), Mensuration, Problem VI, c. 1797-1799. Brown ink on ivory laid paper, irregular: 23.6 x 19.2 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Loan from The Washington Allston Trust; 8.1955.7© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Research 
The exhibition has its origins in curator Ethan Lasser’s early days at the Harvard Art Museums. While researching the Fogg Museum’s holdings of early American art, Lasser repeatedly came across references to the Philosophy Chamber. Intrigued, he initiated a campaign to locate the artifacts with a team of researchers at the museums. Lasser then expanded on the research by co-teaching a graduate seminar with Harvard professor Jennifer Roberts in Fall 2014. They enlisted their students to research the history of the chamber, the objects that were accessioned, and the people who visited. To date, the growing team of researchers—including curators, professors, conservators, scientists, and students from across the university—has tracked approximately 200 objects, or roughly one-fifth of the collection once housed in Harvard Hall. The whereabouts of the remaining four-fifths of the collection are unknown. Over the past 200 years, many objects have no doubt been lost, stolen, or destroyed, while some may be stored undetected in various campus and regional collections.  

Washington Allston, American (Georgetown, SC 1779 - 1843 Cambridge, MA), Mensuration: Drawing to Illustrate a Geometry Problem (IV), c. 1796-1800. Brown ink on ivory laid paper, 23.7 x 18.8 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Loan from The Washington Allston Trust; 8.1955.17© President and Fellows of Harvard College

The Installation/Works on View 
The Philosophy Chamber features more than 100 works displayed within four thematic sections. 

The first section addresses how the collection was used in teaching and research, and includes tools and specimens that were regularly deployed for teaching in the 18th century. Included is the large-scale orrery, a dazzling astronomical model created by Joseph Pope. Labored over by Pope for 12 years, it was only the third orrery made in America, and was among the most celebrated objects to enter the chamber. Also included: one of two portable electrical machines for conducting demonstrations related to electricity (Benjamin Franklin advised on its purchase) and a group of six recently discovered drawings of skulls from around 1810 used to support instruction in the unsettling pseudo-discipline of racial science. A projector installed in this gallery shows large-scale digitized images of solar microscope specimens and magic lantern slides.  

Joseph Pope, with the possible assistance of Simeon Skillin and Paul Revere, Grand Orrery, 1776–87. Mahogany, brass, bronze, reverse-painted glass, and ivory, with dome perhaps added later, in the early 19th century. Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University, 0005. Photo: Courtesy of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

A second gallery explores how the non-commissioned objects in the chamber’s collection arrived at Harvard, and reflects on the collecting practices of wealthy alumni, entrepreneurial merchants, and scholars who sent objects from abroad. At the time, there was no curator of the collection, and very few objects were specifically solicited, resulting in a rather haphazard and idiosyncratic collection. This gallery features gifts sent to Harvard by five different donors or donor groups. In the late 18th century, as American ships began circumnavigating the globe, new courses were charted, and trade routes were established. An early 19th-century French map in this gallery shows the routes around North and South America that Captain James Cook and other explorers used. Shipmates on these missions brought back the exceptional examples of Native Hawaiian feather work on a colorful cape and a crested helmet seen in this space, as well as examples of carving by indigenous artists of the Northwest Coast. A touchscreen monitor in this gallery presents an animated map with points of origin of some of the objects in the collection, as well as demonstrations of two objects from Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.  

A third section addresses the entangled histories of the objects gathered in the chamber and the origin story of the United States after the Revolutionary War. Works here show how artists and scholars were actively writing American history. Included are engravings after paintings by John Trumbull, who gave a portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio to the college, which also hangs in this space. The gallery includes another celebrated object in the chamber’s history: Stephen Sewall’s mural-sized copy of the Native Americans’ inscriptions on the landmark known as Dighton Rock, an 11-foot boulder formerly located in the Taunton River, and now housed in a museum. Sewall was a professor at Harvard and his 1768 drawing is the only life-size representation of the monument known to exist. The rock was puzzled over by scholars from Harvard and around the world, and a variety of theories about the origin of the inscriptions were posited. Today, scholars attribute the inscriptions on the rock to the Algonquian-speaking peoples of the Eastern Woodlands, and more specifically to the Wampanoag who lived in the rock’s vicinity. By contrast, in the period when Sewall made his drawing, European interpreters actively disavowed the possibility of Native American authorship.  

John Smibert, American (Edinburgh, Scotland 1688 - 1751 Boston, MA) After Anthony van Dyck, Flemish (Antwerp, Belgium 1599 - 1641 London), Previously attributed to John Trumbull, American (Lebanon, CT 1756 - 1843 New York, NY), Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio (1579-1644), after Van Dyck, c. 1719-1720. Oil on canvas, 75.8 x 63.4 cm; Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University Portrait Collection, Gift of John Trumbull to Harvard College, 1791; 1969.50 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The final room is a loose reconstruction of the Philosophy Chamber itself, an experiential space complete with a re-created version of the red wallpaper that John Hancock had donated to the original room. Three early full-length portraits of Harvard benefactors by John Singleton Copley are included, as is a series of six mezzotints after Copley paintings that were given to Harvard by the artist’s heirs. Harvard was Copley’s first major patron, and plans to turn the Philosophy Chamber into a space dedicated to the artist’s life were never realized; the gift of mezzotints has never been shown until now. A bust of William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham, given by Benjamin Franklin in 1769, was the first gift of sculpture the college received after the Great Fire consumed Harvard Hall in 1764. This gallery has been complemented by a digital tool, accessible on the museums’ website, that allows visitors to access recordings of present-day Harvard students reading from period sources, offering a sense of the kinds of conversations and debates that took place in the original chamber. The tool also includes deeper information about the objects displayed in the gallery.  

John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Thomas Hancock (1703 - 1764), 1764-1766. Oil on canvas, 242.7 x 150.9 cm. Frame by Unidentified American Framemaker. Harvard University Portrait Collection, Gift of John Hancock, nephew of Thomas Hancock, to Harvard College, 1766; H22© President and Fellows of Harvard College

John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Nicholas Boylston (1716 - 1771). Oil on canvas, 238.8 x 144.8 cm. Frame by John Welch. Harvard University Portrait Collection, Painted at the request of the Harvard Corporation, 1773; H20 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Thomas Hollis III (1659 - 1731). Oil on canvas, 238.1 x 147.3 cm. Frame by Unidentified American Framemaker. Harvard University Portrait Collection, Commissioned by the Harvard Corporation, 1765; H25 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Valentine Green, British (1739 - 1813) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Eli and Samuel, 1780. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 66.7 × 51.8 cm, image: 66.1 × 50.8 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of John Singleton Copley; G4675 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Valentine Green, British (1739 - 1813) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Tribute Money, 1783. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, 52 x 63 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of John Singleton Copley; G4674 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Robert Dunkarton, British (1744 - before 1817) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Richard, Earl Howe, 1794. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 43.8 × 36.4 cm, plate: 43 × 35.3 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G4405 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Robert Dunkarton, British (1744 - before 1817) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Abraham's Sacrifice, 1797. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas,  sheet: 67.7 x 51 cm, plate: 66.7 x 50.2 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G4403 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Robert Dunkarton, British (1744 - before 1817) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Hagar and Ishmael, 1798. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 68.4 × 51.4 cm, plate: 67.5 × 50.4 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G4404 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

James Ward, British (1769 - 1859) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Victory of Lord Duncan, 1800. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 59 × 78.2 cm, plate: 57.7 × 77 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G5705© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Robert Dunkarton, British (1744 - before 1817) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Earl Spencer (George John), 1801. Mezzotint on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 67.1 × 46.5 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G4408 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Joseph Wilton, British (London, England 1722 - 1803 London, England), William Pitt (1708 - 1778), 1766-1769. Composite ceramic, 68 x 42 x 19 cm. Harvard University Portrait Collection, Gift of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, 1769; P17 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Conservation 
The research and rediscovery of objects once belonging to the Philosophy Chamber collection has led to exciting research by conservators and conservation scientists in the museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. Several members of the Straus Center staff contributed essays to the exhibition catalogue on the following topics: 

• Conservators were able to examine two of the full-length portraits by John Singleton Copley. Use of X-radiography and infrared digital photography helped them determine earlier iterations of a portrait of Thomas Hancock, painted between 1764 and 1766, showing Copley had reworked the painting twice to arrive at the formal, dignified pose seen in the final portrait. By contrast, a painting of college benefactor Thomas Hollis III was shown to have very few changes. 

• Joseph Wilton’s bust of William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham—given to Harvard by Benjamin Franklin—underwent scientific, technical, and art historical research, allowing staff to assess how the ceramic sculpture was made and to document its alteration over the centuries at Harvard. Guided by this research, the conservation treatment included removal of later overpaint layers and cleaning to uncover the original white painted surface. 

• A close examination of Stephen Sewall’s drawing of the inscription on Dighton Rock sheds light on his chosen materials and processes. Conservators believe Sewall directly traced the markings rather than using a rubbing or chalking method.

Jean-André Getti, French (active early 19th century), Manufactured by Musée du Louvre Atelier de Moulage, Head of Laocoön, after the Antique, c. 1803. Plaster, 63 x 39 x 32 cm, Harvard University Portrait Collection; P12.A © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Jean-André Getti, French (active early 19th century), Manufactured by Musée du Louvre Atelier de Moulage, Head of One of Laocoön's Sons, after the Antique, c. 1803. Plaster, 41 x 27 x 19 cm, Harvard University Portrait Collection; P12.B© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Francesco Bartolozzi, Italian (Florence, Italy 1727 - 1815 Lisbon, Portugal) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Death of the Earl of Chatham, 1791. Engraving, image: 56.8 × 77.3 cm, sheet: 65.4 × 81 cm.Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of William Gray from the collection of Francis Calley Gray; G191 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Johann Gotthard von Müller, German (1747 - 1830) After John Trumbull, American (Lebanon, CT 1756 - 1843 New York, NY), Battle of Bunker's Hill, 1798. Engraving, sheet: 61.6 × 83.2 cm, plate: 58.4 × 80 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of William Gray from the collection of Francis Calley Gray; G2840 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Edward Savage, American (Princeton, MA 1761 - 1817 Princeton, MA), George Washington, 1792. Stipple engraving, plate: 13.2 x 10.8 cm, sheet: 21.8 x 14.9 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Anonymous Fund for the Acquisition of Prints Older than 150 Years; 2015.6 © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Johan Frederik Clemens, Danish (Poland 1749 - 1831 Copenhagen) After John Trumbull, American (Lebanon, CT 1756 - 1843 New York, NY) Published by Antonio Cesare Poggi (active 1769 - 1836), Death of General Montgomery, 1798. Engraving on cream antique laid paper, plate: 50.8 x 76.5 cm, sheet: 64.8 x 87.6 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Anonymous Fund for the Acquisition of Prints Older than 150 Years; 2015.7© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Italian (Florence, Italy 1727 - 1785 London, England), Monument to Thomas Hollis, the Younger, 1767. Etching, Sheet: 31.3 × 24 cm, Plate: 21.2 × 27 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Mrs. Frederic T. Lewis, in memory of Dr. Frederic T. Lewis; M13864© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Abraham Raimbach, British, English (1776 - 1843) After Francesco Bartolozzi, Italian (Florence, Italy 1727 - 1815 Lisbon, Portugal) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Key to the Death of the Earl of Chatham, 1791. Engraving, sheet: 24.3 × 80.9 cm, plate: 23 × 80.9 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gray Collection of Engravings Fund; G4271© President and Fellows of Harvard College

William Sharp, British (1749 - 1824) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, 1810. Engraving, sheet: 67.5 × 94.6 cm, plate: 66 × 86 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gray Collection of Engravings Fund; G4896.A© President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Anthony Fogg, British (active 1792-1805) After John Singleton Copley, American (Boston, MA 1738 - 1815 London, England), Priam Beseeching Achilles for the Body of Hector, 1799. Stipple engraving on paper mounted on canvas, sheet: 45.4 × 55.7 cm, plate: 44.2 × 55 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from Harvard University, Gift of Gardiner Greene; G4571© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Schelte Adams à Bolswert, Flemish (c. 1586 - 1659) After Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish (Siegen, Westphalia 1577 - 1640 Antwerp, Belgium), The Annunciation, 1630-1645. Engraving, sheet: 43.6 × 32.8 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Belinda L. Randall from the collection of John Witt Randall; R2249© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Sacrifice to Concordia, Manufactured by Wedgwood, British (founded 1759), Modelled by Henry Webber, British (London, England 1754 - 1826 London, England), late 18th century. White jasperware body with lavender-gray glaze; blue zodiac border, all figures in white relief, 5.8 cm diam. x 0.3 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop; 1943.1171© President and Fellows of Harvard College

The Dipping of Achilles, Manufactured by Wedgwood, British (founded 1759), After James Tassie, British, English (Pollokshaws, Scotland 1735 - 1799 London, England), late 18th century. White jasperware body with blue glaze back and front surmounted by green jasperware border; figures and decoration in white relief, 6.6 cm diam. x 0.3 cm depth. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop; 1943.1176© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Diomedes with the Palladium, Manufactured by Wedgwood, British (founded 1759), After Bernard de Montfaucon, French (1655 - 1741 Paris), late 18th century. Lavender jasperware body with blue central field; decorative border and figures in white relief, 4.1 cm diam. x 0.5 cm depth. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop; 1943.1208© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Edward Savage, American (Princeton, MA 1761 - 1817 Princeton, MA), Ezekiel Hersey (1709 - 1770), c. 1785. Oil on canvas, 242.4 x 149.8 cm. Harvard University Portrait Collection, Painted at the request of the Harvard Corporation for Harvard College, c. 1785; H139© President and Fellows of Harvard College 

Celadon glazed jar with six handles and design of lotus petals, Southern Dynasties, 5th-6th century. Overall H. 24.0, mouth D. 11.2, bottom D. 10.5.; TG2213© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

Celadon glazed jar with foru handles, Sui - Tang Dynasty, 7th century. H. 26.4, mouth D. 13.6, bottom D. 10.1. Important Cultural Property. Horyuji Treasure; N121© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

Three-color glazed jar with plum blossom design, Tang Dynasty, 8th century. Overall H. 23.8, mouth D. 13.5, bottom D. 11.1. Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TG2417© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

White stoneware phoenix-head ewer, Tang Dynasty, 7th century. Overall H. 28.1, body D. 15.0, bottom D. 11.0. Important Cultural Property. Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke, TG645© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum.

Three-color glazed phoenix-head ewer with applied ornaments, Tang Dynasty, 8th century. H. 32.5, mouth D. 5.9, bottom D. 10.1. TG2172© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

White porcelain dish with lotus flower design, Ding Ware, Northern Song Dynasty, 11th-12th century. H. 2.7, D. 25.8, bottom D. 18.3. Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke, TG736© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

White porcelain bowl with design of cranes and clouds in gold, Ding Ware, Northern Song Dynasty, 11th-12th century. H. 5.6, mouth D. 17.6, bottom D. 3.9.. Important Cultural Property. Gift of Mr. Inoue Tsuneichi and Mrs. Inoue Fumiko., TG2919© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

Celadon glazed incense burner, Longquan Ware, Southern Song Dynasty, 13th century. H. 9.6, mouth D. 13.7, bottom D. 7.0. Gift of Mr. Hirota Matsushige, TG2166© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

Celadon glazed foliate bowl, Guan Ware, Southern Song Dynasty, 12th - 13th century. H. 9.1, mouth D. 26.1, bottom D. 7.1. Important Cultural Property. Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke, TG1234© 2004-2017 Tokyo National Museum

This file photo taken on January 24, 2014 shows a gallery supervisor posing for photographs with two versions of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings at the National Gallery in London. Five versions of Vincent van Gogh's masterpiece painting "Sunflowers" will be united across three continents for the first time on August 14, 2017 via a consecutive livestream feed, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has said. LEON NEAL / AFP

LONDON.- In 1888/9 in Arles in the South of France, Vincent van Gogh painted several versions of one of the most famous paintings ever made – his Sunflowers. 

Today five Sunflowers paintings are located in museums across the globe and have never been united. Until now that is. On 14 August 2017, in a world first, all those Sunflowers will come together in a ‘virtual exhibition’ bringing the paintings together in a way the artist could never have imagined. 

Over 95-minutes on that evening, The National Gallery (London), Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Neue Pinakothek (Munich) and the Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art (Tokyo) will link up in a unique and unprecedented global collaboration to explore the Sunflowers series, live on Facebook. 

Starting at 5.50pm (UK time) in London, there will be a consecutive relay of five, 15-minute Facebook Live broadcasts. Each will take place in front of a different Sunflowers painting, all will celebrate and explore Vincent van Gogh’s life and work. 

This is the first time ever there has been a live Facebook ‘relay’ of this type between different institutions worldwide. 

To further unite the paintings, and in such a way that would be totally impossible in the physical space of a gallery, the five galleries have worked with Facebook to create a fully immersive digital exhibition, Sunflowers 360. 

Using a combination of VR technology and CGI to create an experience that will look and feel as if the five paintings were actually together in one room, viewers can interact with Sunflowers 360 on Gear VR or view as a 360 video on Facebook. Entering the gallery in VR, people can rotate around a 360 degree environment to view each of the paintings, or go on a guided tour of each painting. Willem van Gogh - the great-grandson of Van Gogh’s brother Theo – narrates the experience, sharing personal memories of the paintings. Sunflowers 360 is released today (10 August 2017) on the Facebook pages of each museum and through the Oculus store. 

The inspiration for this world first collaboration came from the UK, where the National Gallery’s highly successful Sunflowers display in 2014 reunited the London and Amsterdam versions of the painting for the first time in 65-years. 

National Gallery Director Dr Gabriele Finaldi says “We launched our first Facebook Live a year ago and they've been growing in popularity ever since, so we are delighted to be teaming up with galleries all over the world and Facebook for the first ever live relay focusing on Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’. This collaboration is a key step in the National Gallery’s Digital Strategy, which will see us fully explore the potential of immersive media to create new ways of experiencing art.” 

Glenn Miller, Strategic Partner Manager for Facebook, said: “This iconic series of paintings have been experienced as individual pieces of art around the world. By creating this immersive experience we can now bring these masterpieces together, inspiring and bringing enjoyment to new and existing fans, no matter where they are in the world.” 

Willem van Gogh said: “Rather like the‘Mona Lisa’ and‘The Night Watch’, Van Gogh’s‘Sunflowers’ are works of art that continue to intrigue and inspire, perhaps into eternity. Indeed, each generation forges a fresh, highly personal bind with them. The virtual gallery and live stream now provide a novel way for art lovers, young and old, to admire these magnificent masterpieces, from all corners of the globe. I think this is fantastic!” 

At the National Gallery, London the tour of Room 43 – where Sunflowers hangs - will be hosted by Christopher Riopelle, Curator of Post 1800 Paintings. He says “The excitement we saw three years ago when the London and Amsterdam ‘Sunflowers’ were shown together, especially among young visitors to the National Gallery, convinced us that there is a deep curiosity on the part of the public and scholars alike to understand how this famous series came into being, what the pictures meant to Vincent, and what they mean to us today.”

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1889. Oil on canvas, 5 cm x 73 cm. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888. Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm. Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924; NG3863 © 2017 The National Gallery, London.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 - 1890), Sunflowers, 1888 or 1889. Oil on canvas, 36 3/8 x 28 inches (92.4 x 71.1 cm). The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr., Collection, 1963; 1963-116-19© 2017 Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888. Oil on canvas, 92.0 x 73.0 cm, Neue Pinakothek München© Bavarian State Painting Collections.

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888. Oil on canvas, 100.5 x 76.5cm© 2016 - 2017 Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art.

Japanese. Amida Buddha (Amida Nyorai), 12th century (detail). Lacquer, gold and pigment on Cypress (Hinoki), crystals, 118.5 x 36.1 cm diameter (overall). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2010 (2010.3)

MELBOURNE.- From the tranquil smile of an enlightened icon to the widely recognisable laughing Buddha, nine iterations and cultural interpretations of Buddha from throughout Asia are being presented in Buddha’s Smile, on view in the Asian Art temporary exhibitions gallery at NGV International. The exhibition focuses on that silent yet powerful act of transmission of Buddhist philosophy. 

Spanning more than 1000 years, the exhibition presents Buddhist principles and Zen philosophy in a fresh context through a display of contemporary art and antiquities, including textiles, paintings, prints, devotional objects, sculptures and scripts from the NGV Collection. Buddha’s smile also features new and never-before-seen acquisitions, as well as select works from private collections. 

‘Buddha’s Smile offers a renewed perspective on the symbolic and diverse incarnations of Buddhist art throughout Asian history. This exhibition elucidates the various historical narratives of Buddhist philosophies in a contemporary presentation,’ said Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV. 

On entry to the exhibition, visitors are greeted by a large-scale contemporary photographic portrait of the Laughing Buddha by Chinese-Australian artist Liu Xiaoxian. Paired with a Qing dynasty miniature porcelain figurine of Budai the Laughing Buddha, this dramatic contrast in scale and era presents the popular Chinese Buddhist deity of wealth, happiness and good fortune in a new light. 

Japanese. Amida Buddha (Amida Nyorai), Heian period (12th century), lacquer, gold and pigment on Cypress (Hinoki), crystals, 118.5 x 36.1 cm (overall), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2010 (2010.3).

The exhibition also explores the founder of Zen Buddhism and travelling monk Bodhidharma’s much fabled story, through a grouping of contemporary Korean ceramics, historical Qing dynasty porcelain, historical Japanese scrolls, and a recent acquisition of prominent Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s print Daruma the Great. 

Buddha’s Smile explores other Buddhist incarnations including Jizo Bosatsu, who, akin to a modern day saint, was a spiritual incarnation of Buddha who looked after the souls of departed children; Amida Buddha, famous in Japan as Buddha of Limitless Life who presided over a heavenly paradise; and Guanyin, known as the one who hears sounds, who remains a popular image of worship in Chinese Buddhist temples.

Chinese. Guanyin, Jin dynasty (1115-1234), wood, pigments, 110.7 x 77.6 x 57.4 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Felton Bequest, 1939, 4645-D3.

Japanese. Bodhisattva (12th century) (detail), (Sho-Kannon Bosatsu 聖観音菩薩), lacquer, gilt-Cypress (Hinoki), crystal, 172.0 x 60.0 x 50.0 cm (overall), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2011, 2011.118.

Chinese. White robed Guanyin in a landscape (early 14th century) (detail), pigments, ink on silk, 115.3 x 56.2 cm (image and sheet), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of the National Australia Bank Limited, Honorary Life Benefactor, 1997, 1997.94.

Japanese. Bodhidharma (16th century-17th century) (detail) (菩提達磨), pigment on silk, 88.3 x 38.2 cm (image and sheet), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Gift of H. W. Kent, 1938, 3784-D3.

Chinese. Guanyin (17th century), porcelain, 25.3 x 14.6 x 9.3 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Gift of J. T. Hackett, 1924, 2592-D3.

Tibeto-Chinese. Avalokiteshvara (17th century-18th century), gilt-bronze, semi-precious stone, pigment, 115.0 x 72.5 x 45.4 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Felton Bequest, 1966, 1485-D5.

Tibetan. The life of Tsongkhapa (18th century), opaque watercolour and gold paint on cotton, 206.1 x 338.0 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Gift of the O. F. Semler family in memory of O. F. Semler, 1955, 1533A-D4.

Khmer. Ceremonial hanging and covering (19th century) (Pidan), silk, dyes (weft ikat), 99.5 x 144.5 cm, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased, 2006, 2006.280.

Chinese. Buddha (late 19th century-early 20th century), porcelain, 13.0 x 13.9 x 11.7 cm,. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Bequest of Howard Spensley, 1939, 4327-D3.

Liu Xiaoxian (China/Australia), Our Gods, Laughing Buddha 2000. Digital (lamda) print on aluminum. Ed. 2/3, 300 x 300 x 2 cm (overall), (made up of 9 panels 100 x 100 x 0.2 cm each). Loan from artist (Sydney).

Tim JOHNSON, Imitating art 2005, synthetic polymer and metallic paint on canvas, (a-i) 183.2 x 592.3 cm (overall), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Purchased with funds from the Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2005, 2005.425.a-i © Tim Johnson