Object of the Day
Discover a different object from the Museum’s collection every day of the week!
Museum curators, conservators, and educators, as well as design enthusiasts like our teen Design Scholars, docents, and Master’s students, are sharing their favorite objects from Cooper-Hewitt’s incredible collection.
Many of these objects will be featured in the expanded collection galleries when Cooper-Hewitt reopens in 2014. Until then, “Object of the Day” is your uniquely-curated corner of the Museum!
A House of Unique CharacterPosted by Gail S. Davidson, on Tuesday January 08, 2013Anna Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Townsend House, St. Regent’s Park, drawing, Sir Frederick Leighton, William Burgess, Frederic Edwin Church, Olana, Albert Bierstadt, Royal Academy of Arts, Architecture, interiors |
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Iris and the RainbowPosted by Caitlin Condell, on Monday January 07, 2013From high up in the heavens, the Greek goddess Iris strides forward, extending her arms in both directions. The drapery of her garments, caught by a forceful wind, clings to her legs and billows behind her. Although she seems embattled by the wind, with her head titled back and her body contorted, she remains a graceful figure in the midst of a chaotic scene. Three winged putti surround her, two fending off the storm clouds with guests of divine breath, the third flying triumphantly upward. Iris’s attention, however, is not on the storm or the putti. Felice Giani, Italy, mythology, Iris, rainbow, drawing, watercolor |
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When Scents were as Precious as Gold and Wood carving told the Tale: The Adoration of the MagiPosted by Sarah D. Coffin, on Sunday January 06, 2013"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:11). wood carving, adoration, Magi, walnut, panel, gold, frankicense, myrrh |
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New DayPosted by Susan Brown, on Saturday January 05, 2013Often called "England’s Eamses," Robin and Lucienne Day were a designing couple utterly committed to modernism. The unexpectedness and vitality of their postwar interior furnishings, particularly Lucienne’s pattern designs for textiles, carpets, wallcoverings, and dishware, shaped the look of modern England in the 1950s. Robin Day, Lucienne Day, Festival of Britain, Calyx, Paul Klee, textiles, textile design, england, 20th century, interiors |
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Braille wallpaperPosted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Friday January 04, 2013Listen and Record is the first Braille wallpaper I have encountered. A number of years ago, I curated a show on children’s wallpaper and wanted to include some designs for visually impaired children. Although I understand that a paper of this kind would appeal to a small market, I was still surprised to learn that no such wallpaper existed. wallpaper, Braille, polka dots, flock, typography |
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Collections Candy: Very Pinteresting!Posted by Katie Shelly, on Thursday January 03, 2013If you're not familiar with Pinterest, let me try to paint the picture a bit for you. It's a pretty low-commitment social networking site with a simple signup process and an easy-to-use interface. The logo is swirly and red like a peppermint candy. Pinterest, social media, collections, Collectors and collecting |
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Mod MetropolisPosted by Pamela Lawton, on Wednesday January 02, 2013“There are perfectly sober people who will tell you they have seen high buildings shimmy.”
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Trompe l'oeil Wallpaper FriezePosted by Gregory Herringshaw, on Tuesday January 01, 2013I have always been captivated by the realism and voluptuousness of this frieze. This trompe l’oeil design, with its drapery swags, ostrich plumes, jewels, and tassels, is an over-the-top depiction of luxury materials. The attention to detail required to bring this degree of realism to light is exemplary. The drapery swags are flocked, then overprinted with several colors to create highlights and shadows that better capture the look of silk velvet. wallpaper, frieze, drapery, passementerie, jewels, trompe l'oeil |
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How many bubbles do you like?Posted by Sarah D. Coffin, on Monday December 31, 2012Those who drink champagne have varying ideas how bubbly it should be. This glass prompted me to think about how the shape of a glass affects the taste of champagne. Although we tend to associate saucer-style champagne glasses with elegant figures from the 1920s, this shape existed well before then. champagne, Glass, saucer, flute, celebration, bubbles, fizz, Lobmeyr |
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Dude Never Would Be MissedPosted by Kimberly Randall, on Sunday December 30, 2012While researching one of our printer-dyer record books for the Cooper-Hewitt exhibition Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product, I discovered a curious fabric swatch on page 105. record book, textile printing, swatches, fabric, American, opera, 19th century |
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