Merrin Gallery: Wonders of the Past
The
Merrin Gallery Presents: Wonders of the Past
The Merrin Gallery is a
gallery which features centuries-old art from vastly
different geographic areas. Merrin Gallery directors
Samuel Merrin and Edward Merrin have chosen the highest
quality Pre-Columbian, Egyptian, Near Eastern, and
Classical art pieces to show in their gallery. Acting
with their guiding philosophy as a cicerone, Samuel
Merrin, Edward Merrin, Linda Schildkraut, and the entire
managerial staff at the Merrin Gallery have labored to
research and acquire only the finest quality pieces of
ancient art.
The Merrin Gallery's Wonders of the Past show is a
stellar example of the elevated taste, style, and level
of research that goes into the decision-making process at
the Merrin Gallery when ancient acquisitions are
deliberated.
TIE-DYED TEXTILE
Peruvian, South Coast, Nazca, 300-600 AD
Camelid fiber (wool)
66 x 41 inches (167.6 x 104 cm)
The Merrin Gallery's Wonders of the Past featured a
tie-dyed textile panel created in the first century AD on
the South Coast of Peru. The textile was dyed using the
resist technique characteristic of the area, a complex,
intricate process by the name of planghi. The labor
intensive process involved interlocking small, delicately
tied fabrics in a painstaking process that required a
weaving and dying expertise that can only be as a
complete mastery of the craft.
THREE WHITE DOG
Maya, 600-900 AD
Central Maya Lowland
Terracotta, traces of paint
Height 7 1/8 inches (18 cm)
Formerly in a private New York collection and the Gilbert
Collection
The Merrin Gallery has a vast collection of Mayan art,
and Three White Dog is a figurine which is particularly
illustrative of Mayan culture and beliefs. In the ancient
Mayan belief system, the way or nagual of an individual
was a constant companion and shadow whose spirit
paralleled the life of the child who it was associated
with. To this end, the way (animal spirit or alter ego)
of an individual frequently appears in ancient Mayan art
as an expression of identity.
The Merrin Gallery's Three White Dog figurine featured in
the Wonders of the Past show features a way titled for
its glyphic name: Three White Dog. Often, Mayan art will
illustrate an individual's way, or animal spirit in the
midst of a ritual dance, and Three White Dog is a
remarkably well-preserved example of this trend. The way
in the figurine wears a dog-headdress and a tail, and
appears to be in the prelude to a whirling rhythmic
dance. Equipped with rattles to punctuate his movements
aurally, Three White Dog likely represents the way of a
holy lord in the midst of a hallucinogenic state.
INLAY OF A KING'S
FACE
Egyptian, New Kingdom, early Dynasty XIX, perhaps the
reign of Seti I, 1303-1290 BC
Red Jasper
Height 1 ¼ inches (3.2 cm)
Formerly in the “Per-neb” Collection
At one time, part of a larger, more complex composition
made of several luxury stones and materials (experts
suggest gold); this inlay of a king's face has through
the passage of time been separated from its original
accompanying raiment. A crown, an inlaid eye, among other
luxury trappings, are noticeably absent segments from the
original composition. In a way, however, these missing
portions of the original piece allow the brilliance of
the red jasper that does survive (serving as the
monarch's skin) to shine forth in a unique way.
RELIEF OF CALF AND
KEEPER
Egyptian, from Hermopolis Magna, originally from Amarna
New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, reign of Akhenaten, ca.
1352-1336 BC
Limestone
Height: 8 7/8 inches (22.6 cm)
Width: 20 ½ inches (52.1 cm)
Formerly in Pomerance Collections
Published: The Brooklyn Museum The Pomerance Collection
of Ancient Art [1966] no. 69;
John D. Cooney Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis in the
American Collections [1965] no. 36;
Gunther Roeder Amarna-Reliefs aus Hermopolis. Ausgraben
der Deutshen Hermopolis--
Expedition in Hermopolis 1929-1939, vol. II [1969] pp.
193. 238. 304. 310. and pl. 175. no. PC 32.
The Merrin Gallery's inclusion of the Relief of Calf and
Keeper in its Wonders of the Past exhibition was an
inclusion that told a story of dramatic, stark, and
ancient change. The historical relevance of the relief in
the Merrin Gallery's exhibition told a story in its own
right: the story of a transmutation of power, of
monarchal overturn, and of a paradigm shift in religion.
Akhenaten begot a new religion and a new art style when
he ascended to the throne in his Akhetaten capital,
located in what is now Amarna. The new art style included
a trend in sunken reliefs which would line the temples
where his new monotheistic religion would be celebrated:
the worship of the sun god, Aten. The Merrin Gallery
showing of the Relief of Calf and Keeper is a remnant
from the times of Akhenaten.
The reliefs of the monotheistic monarch Akhenaten were
reused after his death. Declared a heretic, his policies,
government, and monuments were overturned, but the
artistry of the reliefs of Akhenaten were reincarnated to
a new building program by his successor, Ramesses II. The
Calf and Keeper relief at the Merrin Gallery's Wonders of
the Past exhibit was used in a construction program at
Hermopolis Magna, where its overlapping layers and depth
of detail overlooked a second monarch's reign.