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Gallery 1
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Welcome to the Hidden in Plain Sight Tour
Curator of Education Glenna Barlow welcomes you to explore the unseen aspects of the CMA Collection in this audio tour.
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Double Portrait
Gallery 2
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A Second Life
Delve into this double portrait to uncover its remarkable restoration story and consider the mysterious relationship between its two subjects.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Unknown artist (American or English). Double Portrait, ca. 1735. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Safran. CMA 1963.35.
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Mary Magdalene
Gallery 4
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Symbols and Secrets
Explore the symbolism within this portrait of Mary Magdalene, revealing how medieval viewers once identified saints through art. Look closely at the painting’s shape, surface, and repairs to uncover clues about its original life as a religious object.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Bartolommeo Bulgarini (Italian (Sienese School), c. 1300/1310–1378). Saint Mary Magdalene, c. 1350–1360. Tempera painting on lindenwood panel. Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. CMA 1954.22.
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Claesz Still Life
Gallery 6
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The Upper Crust
Learn how this still life says far more about the wealth, values, and social realities of 17th-century Dutch society than it does about the typical diet of the period.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Pieter Claesz (Dutch, 1596/7–1660). Still Life, 1657. Oil on oak panel. Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. CMA 1962.18.
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Bodhisatva
Gallery 7
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Hallowed and Hollow
With insights from art history professor Dr. Kerry L. Brown, uncover the clues that point to this sculpture’s role as a vessel for spiritual power and divine communication.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Unknown artist (Chinese, late Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) or early Ming dynasty (1368–1644)). Water-Moon Guanyin Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Carved wood with traces of original polychromy. Gift of Robert Y. Turner. CMA 2011.8.
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Bodhisatva
Detail of red pigmentation on the crown of Bodhisattva
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Bodhisatva
Hollowed out back of Bodhisattva
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Scorpion Chain
Gallery 8
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What Lies Underneath
Look beneath the surface of this Renaissance portrait. Learn how X-rays revealed the possible contributions of a very famous artist, and unravel the mystery behind the sitter’s unusual accessory.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Attributed to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (Italian (Lombard School), 1467–1516). Portrait of a Young Woman with a Scorpion Chain, ca. 1490–1505. Oil on fruitwood panel. Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation. CMA 1961.9.
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X-Ray images of the portrait's underdrawing
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Thomas Day
Gallery 12
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Opening Drawers
Take a look inside this beautifully crafted bureau and discover the remarkable skill behind its construction, along with the complicated story of its North Carolina-based maker, Thomas Day.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Thomas Day (designer and manufacturer) (American, 1801–1861, active 1823–1861). Bureau, c. 1855. Mahogany, mahogany veneer, yellow pine, poplar, marble, mirror (replaced). Museum purchase with funds provided by the Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Clark and the Richard H. Jenrette Decorative Arts Purchase Fund. CMA 1998.9.
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Images of bureau interior and joinery
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Catawba Pottery
Gallery 15
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A Sacred Site
With the help of former Catawba Nation Chief Bill Harris, learn what makes the Catawba pottery tradition so unique and why the source of its distinctive clay has remained a closely guarded secret for generations.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Georgia Henrietta Harris (Catawba, 1905–1997). Bowl with Effigy Heads, c. 1973. Pit-fired earthenware. Gift of Georgia Henrietta Harris. CMA 2001.14.
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Dave Jug
Gallery 15
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The Maker’s Mark
While most stories on this tour are hidden from view, this one is written in plain sight. Discover how David Drake left his mark on history through inscriptions that still speak to us today, with additional commentary from the South Carolina State Museum’s chief curator, Paul Methany.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Dave (later recorded as David Drake) (American, c. 1801–1870s). Jug, 1857. Stoneware. Toussaint Collection.
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Pier 48
Gallery 17
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Peering Into History
What appears to be a crumbling industrial landscape is also a portrait of a community in transition. Discover how New York City’s historic piers became spaces of creativity, connection, and activism during a pivotal moment in the city's history, with reflections from former NYC resident and current CMA board member Joseph Bruce.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Archival Images of NYC’s West Side Piers
Note: This is a link to the VillagePreservation.org website. To return to the tour, hit the back button in your browser.
Image: John Dobbs (American, 1931–2011). Pier 48, Lower Manhattan, c. 1982. Oil on canvas. Gift of the National Academy of Design under terms of the Ranger Fund. CMA 1984.26.
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Paolo and Francesca
Gallery 18
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Out of Obscurity
With added context from Senior Curator Michael Neumeister, discover how both this sculpture and its artist were overlooked for decades before restoration and renewed scholarship brought them back into view.
Hear a verbal description of the piece.
Image: Marguerite Stix (American (born Austria), 1907–1975). Paolo and Francesca, 1958. Bronze. Gift of Bernhardt Crystal. CMA 1975.34.
