Toledo Art Museum

The main building of the museum is a century old, grey, columned, Greek temple. An attached Grecian theatre, also serves as home to the city's symphony. One large room contains the cloister walls from three monasteries fitted together. To-morrow ends a glass exhibit in the main building. In such an exhibit they frown on photographing, even the works in their own collection. One was brought from across the street, and will be back there soon, it was spectacular—Iago’s Mirror by Fred Wilson *1954 made of black murano glass.

I used a search engine to see what photos would come up for 'Toledo Art Museum'. I got a lot for the Glass Pavilion, across the street, and the red Calder stegosaurus in the center front; some other outdoor sculptures; a couple stories on an Etruscan kalpis the Italian government wants; a few on their recent acquisitions, and a few on some others. The piece they are most proud of is a Rubens that was in the possession of Göring, Crowning of Saint Catherine. The following did not come up, but i found them very intriguing.

Arthur Hughes. Ophelia. 1865. Toledo, O.

This is Hughes second Ophelia, the first was in 1852 as a white skinned, blond pixie. Here she is pre-Raphaelite red haired, blue eyed beauty. In Shakespeare's Hamlet act IV. scene v. Ophelia has gone mad and is carrying flowers. Soon she will drown. A museum guard saw me about this painting, and told me of the hundreds of paintings in the Museum, only this one had bright, blue eyes.

Gerard David. St. Anthony, the 'Mule' and Eucharistic Miracle. c.1500-10. Toledo, O.

Gerard David of Bruges painted a multi-scened altarpiece. Parts are in Edinburgh, the District of Columbia, Chicago, and in Toledo, Ohio, which has three miracles of St. Anthony of Padua and Lisbon. One has the raising of a murdered boy in Lisbon, a second is preaching to fishes, and the third is a mule (or ass) acknowledging the presence of the Body of Jesus in the Eucharist to the disbelief of the merchant Bononillo.

Desiderio da Settignano. St. Helena (?). c. 1460-4. Toledo, O.

Desiderio da Settignano, Desiderio de Bartolomeo di Francesco detto Ferro *1430, 1464† was a stone carver of Florence. Toledo bought this bas-relief in 1938, thinking it was from the hands of Desiderio. It was in the Florentine style of Donatello (the teacher of the teacher of Desiderio).

Its identification became uncertain and the museum hid it from viewing. It is carved from pietra serena sandstone. I remember seeing epoxy reproductions sold as Donatello's St. Cecilia. I did not know the original was here, i recognised it immediately and with some happy joy. The museum's display card says it has been thought as Mary, Catharine, and now St. Helena the Empress. The guess is based on the diadem (headband crown with ribbon), and separate halo. It may be a Renaissance beauty without a historical identity.

Benjamin West. Saint Thomas à Becket. 1797. Toledo, O.

Benjamin West *1738, 1820† was the tenth child of Pennsylvania Quakers. [aside: I find it interesting, how often a later or last child of a large generation of a family's children becomes a great talent. It is terrible how often a child has heard a devastatingly cruel remark concerning his number. In Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure a terrible tragedy is done after such a thought, "Done because we are too menny."] West painted portraits and historical scenes. He became the court painter of George III.

Well, i was surprised to see this subject. The first Act for Catholic Relief in 1778 relaxed some anti-Catholic laws was opposed by Lord George Gordon who as the President of the Protestant Association in 1779 instigated the Gordon Riots of 1780 which attacked English Catholics, and properties, and foreign Catholic nation embassies.

Saint Thomas was Archbishop of Canterbury and assassinated on the orders of King Henry II in 1170. Why would he be the subject of West's brushes? The Museum has a second West painting of 1797, that of Saint Michael defeating the Dragon and Devils. Is it possible for West to have painted a more haughty figure? I was surprised to read the card as Beckett.

Pierre Courteys of Limoges. Gathering of Manna. 1568. Toledo, O.

This is an enameled dish on copper with the Exodus account of gathering of manna in the desert. The painting is based on an illustration by Raphael. This was one piece in a glass box with several items of the finest art tableware.