Category Archives: Decorative Arts

Calling Rapaljes, Rapeljes, Raplees and all descendants!

Get ready for some surprising encounters when you visit the Brooklyn Museum’s beloved period rooms this February, when several of the rooms will be the site of a group show called Playing House, which I’ve been working on with curator … Continue reading

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All Geared Up for a Timely Repair

For 19th-Century Modern, which opened last month, the conservation department undertook the cleaning and stabilization of many objects, among them the five-piece silvered bronze candlesticks and clock/thermometer set that forms the centerpiece of the exhibition. The set was created by … Continue reading

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Take a seat…

Starting on December 2nd, that’s exactly what you’ll be able to do in the Museum’s Fourth Floor Schenck Gallery—in a handcrafted replica of our 17th-century, American, Wainscot Chair.  The detailed carving, turning and mortise-and-tenon joinery of the original chair were … Continue reading

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Italian Design on Display

Newly on view on our 4th floor: Italian Post-World War II Design The Brooklyn Museum has been at the forefront of collecting Italian twentieth century design since the mid 1950s. One pivotal event made consumers in the United States aware … Continue reading

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The Schenck Houses – their story through the Museum Library and Archives

Drawing by Daniel M. C. Hopping. From the book American interiors, 1675-1885: a guide to the American period rooms in the Brooklyn Museum by Marvin D. Schwartz. Museum libraries and archives are rich storehouses of textual and visual information. This … Continue reading

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Schenck Re-Installation 2007

Slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. Having trouble seeing the slideshow? Photos are also on Flickr. These slides show the Jan Martense Schenck House as it is being installed in its new location on the 4th floor. In the first few … Continue reading

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Dutch Houses in Brooklyn

When John published his post about his own Dutch house in Brooklyn, he also kindly provided a list of all the Dutch houses in the area that are still standing. Clicking the markers in the map below will take you … Continue reading

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My Old House

The Brooklyn Museum’s Schenck family houses have had a profound personal effect on me. In 1990, I was the editor for a book on the Schenck houses called Dutch by Design, written by curator Kevin Stayton. I found that book … Continue reading

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