MYSTIC, CT (PNAN) – On view through the summer of 2022 at the Mystic Seaport Museum, dolphins, mermaids, seaweed, sea urchins, fast ships and ocean waves, “Sea as Muse” is an exhibit of 115 objects, made by silversmiths and wood carvers that were inspired by the sea.
The show also offers a fresh perspective, focusing on the fine art and intricate design of the treasures themselves. Sea as Muse showcases more than 50 silver trophies, many locally made in Meriden, CT or Providence, RI, were home to some of the largest silver manufacturing companies in the country in the 1800s.
“In the late 19th Century, silversmiths and wood carvers often drew inspiration from the sea, and we are lucky to be able to showcase more than 100 of these pieces,” said Museum President Peter Armstrong.
While much of the exhibit showcases fine silver, there is a wood carving portion, featuring items from the yacht Aloha II, which was owned by a wealthy American named Arthur Curtiss James. The carvings on display are from the yacht’s deck saloon and include a series of magnificently carved wood panels that illustrate excerpts from an ancient Norse epic poem.
For more on this exhibit, see www.mysticseaport.org.
About
As the nation’s leading maritime museum, Mystic Seaport Museum was founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and includes a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship still in existence.