By the Seashore (1883)
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Ocean breezes are perfect in summer. Would you like to know the artist's name, who the sitter was and where/why this canvas was painted? Click on the image!)

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art issued a press release today announcing that a late 15th-century relief sculpture by Andrea della Robbia (Italian, Florentine,1435-1525) slipped its metal mounting brackets overnight and landed on the floor underneath the doorway to the European Paintings and Decorative Arts Galleries. The floor is made of stone, so it was likely an extremely unhappy meeting when Saint Michael the Archangel (ca. 1475), a hefty, 31 1/8 x 61 7/8 in. glazed terracotta sculpture in a heavy wooden frame, hit the deck.

In happier news, the MMA Communications Office also stated, "Preliminary inspection indicates that the relief has not been irrevocably harmed and that it can be repaired and again presented to the public." Saint Michael... is in the process of being removed to the Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation within the Museum, after which time the Read more...