Art and History, Or, What I Did on My Holidays (Part Two)

On our second day, we headed to the Royal Ontario Museum, which meant going in the opposite direction to out previous explorations, and took us via Queens Park and the Ontario Legislature buildings, and various parts of the University.

Ontario Legislature building

As you can see, after the grey skies and drizzle of our first day, there were blue skies and sunshine, which was lovely. There were huge beds full of tulips, along the road side, all making for a very enjoyable walk.

The museum itself it  mixture of old and new, architecturally. The older parts reminded me of the Natural History Museum in London, with the added attraction of a Byzantine inspired mosaic ceiling in the main entrance way.

I like museums, and this was no exception. It has a nice collection of dinosaurs, a further Natural History section with a gallery of taxidermied birds, and sections on endangered species of the region.

There is also a small but well presented Egyptian section, and Greek and Roman artefacts.

Ancient Egyptian model of a cow giving birth

My personal favourite, however, and the area I found most interesting, was the section of the museum dedicated to the First Peoples of Canada, and their history and culture. The exhibitions have been curated by, or with input from, experts who have indigenous heritage themselves, and it includes information and exhibits about the interactions between indigenous cultures and white settlers (for instance, items made in the 1880's for early tourists)

Birch Bark freight canoe (made in 1971 to 1880s pattern)

 There was a beautiful, full outift, made by/for a Cree woman in around 1850, which had gorgeous floral embroidery and beading, and to my uneducated eye, looked similar to the type of style I associate with Eastern European traditional dress. I wonder whether there were early trade links via Russia and Alaska, a d if so, who influenced whom, more.

Cree women's hood, C1850

There were also articles such as Sitting Bull's war bonnet (and its case, which opened at both ends so that the bonnet can be inserted and removed without damaging the feathers)

Sitting Bull's War bonnet

Finally, there were some modern pieces of art, created by 1st Nations artists drawing on tradition, such as this Golden Eagle, by Ben Thomas.

Golden Eagle carving (1984) Ben Thomas (Mohawk, Six
Nations of the Grand River )

It was very interesting, and sobering. I am pretty sure that if I lived in or near Toronto, I would be visiting regularly.

Mention must also be made of the building itself, which now incorporates the dramatic and appealing Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, an extension to the building added in 2007.

St James' Cathedral

That evening, we visited St James' Cathedral, where I was made very welcome at their bellringing practice.

The (12) bells are a recent addition, having been installed in 1997. The bells are older that that, having previously  hung in St. James’ Church in Bermondsey, London, as a ring of 8, with the other 4 bells being cast from spare bell-metal, some of which was shaved from the inside of the other bells when they were re-tuned. 

My ringing skills are a bit rusty, but I couldn't miss the chance to ring on a whole new continent! (and one of just 8 towers in Canada)

Video from the Cathedral's website

The following day we went in for more culture, with a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario, which , unsurprisingly, has lots of Canadian art, as well as some pieces but European artists, including a rather nice Picasso.I liked the works of Lawren S Harris and the wood / lino cuts of Mary E Wrinch and Dorothy Haines Hoover.

There are also some wonderful examples of Inuit and indigenous sculpture, some very old, like these seals, some of which date back to 300 AD,

Walrus Ivory seals

 Others which are much more modern, like this standing bear. 

Standing Bear, Pauta Saila, 1975

The Gallery also has some wonderful architecture. The spiral stair you can see (behind the Henry Moore)on the outside of the museum in the previous post, continues inside in wood.

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There is also a lovely wood and glass gallery on the side of the building, which, from the inside, feels a little like being under the hull of a huge canoe.

It's very appealing. I'm not sure who the architect is, but I approve!