Monday Museum #5: Frieze, Mammoth!
November 9, 2009
These days, we often hear from museum theory people that we need to “take our museums outside,” to find ways of showing parts of the museum on its exterior. If we can actually place some exhibits and programs outside the building’s walls, we can better share our museums with the community.
As this charming relief on the Sedgwick Museum shows, these sorts of ideas are far from new. The Sedgwick, which is the geological museum of Cambridge University, was opened in 1904.
OK, so it probably isn’t really a frieze, but how could I resist?
Mammuthus bronzeius ?
It does look bronze-y, but I think it is actually a weathered Mammuthus areniticus or arkosicus. Maybe someone in Cambridge will correct me on this, but it looks like sandstone to me.