Glass

An exhibition of colourful glass in Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen. In the background you can see just a glimpse of the Waalbrug, an arch bridge over the Waal River.

Glass lady

Nice art from the collection of Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen.

Museum library

A long table with art books giving background information about the current exhibitions in museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen.

Faces from the past

Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen has it's focus on art and archeology. I showed an example of art in yesterday's post, today 2 photos of historical objects. This large clay pot, found near Nijmegen has 3 (similar) faces. Pots like these were used during ritual ceremonies.

This is a reconstructed iron 'facial helmet' from the 1st century. The mask was once covered with a thin layer of silver. The three holes in the cheek represent a tattoo. Very remarkable is the clothing with a plaiting made of horsehair. The facial helmet that you see in the background contains some original parts; it was found in 1991, also near Nijmegen, on the spot where a Roman army base was located between 40 and 70 AD.

The soft chair

This remarkable chair is a piece of art named ´Mother´s Invention´, and is one of the 'Horti sculptures' by Ferdi Tajiri-Jansen (1927-1969). It belongs to the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, but can now be seen as part of the exhibition ´Pop Art´ in Museum De Valkhof in Nijmegen.

Ferdi started to create Horti sculptures in 1966. On a trip through Mexico she became fascinated by the boundless vitality and the amazing wealth of colour of the nature there. The Horti sculptures radiate the spirit of the sixties: psychedelic, playful, colourful, flower power. This sculpture depicts the domain of motherhood: a place of refuge, a place of rest, and a throne for the Alma Mater. (Latin alma "nourishing/kind, mater "mother")