What A Day In Atlanta!

It's no wonder why I haven't added any new items to my Etsy shop. First there was the end of the semester, then Christmas and visits with the family and today - a wonderful trip to Atlanta.

We (3 adults, 3 kiddos) began our day visiting the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. Words cannot describe the magnificence. Sadly, photos were not permitted so I cannot share the various artifacts of Ramses II, Akhenaten, Amenhotep III and Tutankhaman. The beauty of the gilded and solid gold jewelry, shoes and coffinettes is indescribable. The detail in each carving was exquisite artistry. The photo below depicts a statue of Ramses II found in the exhibit.

After spending a couple of hours looking through the King Tut exhibit, we made our way to the High Museum of Art to see 3 fabulous exhibits: China's Terracotta Army, Medieval & Renaissance treasures and pieces from the Louvre. Each exhibit was unique so here are a few highlights and photos...

China's Terracotta Army was the most impressive. Discovered in 1974, the first Emporer of China, Qin Shihuangdi, constructed an underground tomb complex, complete with life sized terracotta soldiers and other figures. To date, over 1000 figures have been excavated but archeologists believe there may be as many as 7000! These figures were most impressive - from the assembly line method of production, the stamping of names on pieces to ensure "quality control" & "accountability" and the details in the terracotta costumes, hair and even musculature. The faces of each soldier is unique and different - a testimony to the expertise of those constructing the clay warriors. They stood guard over the Emperor in his afterlife, for over 2000 years! Below... 2 examples of the terracotta soldiers...

We also visited the Midieval/Renaissance treasures. Lots of gorgeous pieces and the influence of the Church was evident from an ivory carved book cover (below) to an ivory and gilded diptych. I was most intrigued with the notebook of Leonardo daVinci... how incredible to see his writings!

Finally, we visited the Louvre exhibit which included vessels, paintings, sculpture and assorted carved pieces. The red chalk drawings by Michelangelo which included the "Ideal Head of a Woman" is simply beautiful and very different from what we associate with Michelangelo!

While today was a full day, we did manage to have a little fun... here's the kids playing in front of a piece of modern art...

Educational, enlightening, amazing and fun... what a day in Atlanta!!! :D