New York Series #5

The Egyptian Art wing in the Met was our first visit. To put our mindset in perspective, a couple years ago we visited the Tutankhamun exhibit in Philadelphia which was an incredible display of relics from Egypt and the Tutankhamun tomb.

And to put it bluntly, the Met squashed that exhibit like a grape.

That sounds more cruel against the Tut exhibit than it should, but the real message is just how expansive the Met's exhibit was. Room after room of ancient artifacts completely overwhelmed us from large statues to walls of artwork. There were cases of trinkets and scarabs that looked as commonplace as Cracker Jack toys. There was a room of multiple sarcophagus lined up as if it were a morgue.

Perhaps most impressive was the Temple of Dendur, exhibited in the beautiful Sackler Wing of the museum overlooking Central Park. Here was a haven for visitors to explore the remarkable exhibit or to simply relax in the peaceful confines.

Inside the temple was another interesting find - graffiti. But not contemporary graffiti; markings over a century old. Funny to think that J Livingston scratched his name into this piece of art close to two hundred years ago...perhaps the predecessor to today's Bart Simpson.

Even the decayed pieces were stunning to look at, showing not only the precision of the sculpture, but the effects of time.