Las Momias Chinas!

[lady_kishiria]

I am officially in love with the Bowers Museum. americanstd adored it as a kid, so I was inclined to like it and it exceeded my expectations. Aside from the mummies, of which there were only two and a model, there was also a South Pacific exhibit that was very cool, Chinese art (swoon) a small California history exhibit and a gallery of breathtaking quilts. I said to electorprince and shadowcell that it inspired me to consider taking some quilting classes--until I picture americanstd's horrified expression at finding the house taken over by fabric scraps.

The mummies there were the famous Beauty of Loulan, who really is amazingly beautiful. I did not really how lovely she'd be. She looks like she's sleeping, her wavy red hair curled around her head and shoulders. The blue-eyed baby looks more like a doll than anything else, wrapped snugly in his swaddling clothes for all eternity.

And the clothes, oh my gosh. There was one fabric purse with cloth streamers that looked brand new. If I made bags like it, they would sell. The Tarim graves were famous for their gorgeous clothes and textiles, which show a distinct multicultural influence from Persia and Greece, and again, they exceeded my expectations. The Prince got a few prohibited photos (no flash of course) so I'll urge him to post them.

The Mayan exhibit was the best I've seen outside Mexico. There's a film that vanirpriestess mentioned in her blog about Mayan religious practice that was thoroughly gruesome and led shadowcell to draw parallels between them and Raiders fans.

The Bowers has hosted the Han Soldiers exhibit before, Dead Sea Scrolls and other exhibits I wanted to see but the Army sent me elsewhere. I am going to pay much more attention to this museum in future.

Comments

[napoleonofnerds.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty awesome. I bet you'd like the Asian art wing of the MFA in addition to the classical galleries, if you're ever in Boston.

[shadowcell.livejournal.com]

Actually the one at Bowers was a different mummy than the Beauty of Loulan.

mummies are cool.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

Ah. I regret the error.

Good times, good times.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

Quilting doesn't absolutely require patchwork.

Have you ever seen Seminole patchwork? You cut strips of fabric and sew them together with really tiny stitches on a sewing machine. Then you cut new strips from the bit you sewed together and sew those strips together. It's really pretty. You don't need to have bits of fabric lying around. You have whole pieces of fabric until you are ready to work.

I have done a bunch of it and would be happy to answer any questions.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

Could I do it by hand? I don't have the space for a sewing machine and don't know how to use one anyway.

I'm interested.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

Well, originally, it was done by hand, but I don't understand how. The strips that are sewn together are cut across the stitching and if it isn't done with tiny machine stitching I don't understand why it wouldn't unravel.

Maybe you could borrow a sewing machine from a friend on occasion. It's really, easy to sew straight seems. The friend could show you how in about five minutes.

[zeonchar.livejournal.com]

I love going to museums.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there's a way to become a Friend of the Museum for valuable cash and prizes!

Your mom must be pretty if she looks like that mummy.

[vonjunzt.livejournal.com]

I got to see a wonderful exhibit on the Queen of Sheba there. The best part of course was the eighth century BC Yemeni tombstones, but it even had movie posters from the 30's version of King Solomon's Mines. It's amazing the kind of exhibits that little museum is able to pull in.

[theletterelle.livejournal.com]

I would love to see these pictures of purses. Can you link when/if they're posted?

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

I don't know if he got photos of the clothes. He's asleep right now so I'll ask later.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

I love going to museums and being wowed by good exhibits. Too bad they were discouraging photos. I'm glad to see that more and more museums are letting people go ahead and take photos now (without flash).