Not everything is bigger in Texas! The DMA’s collection contains works that range in size from the miniscule, such as the gold Veraguas Armadillo Ornament that takes up approximately .5 square inches, to the very large, like Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Stake Hitch which stands at over 53 feet. This Friday Photos post is meant to draw attention to works in the collection that are often overlooked because of their size. I’d venture a guess that the smallest work in the DMA is somewhere in the collection of African beads, Mesoamerican gold ornaments, or Greek jewelry.
Click on the images below to find out their exact dimensions. You might be surprised…
Can you find these tiny pieces in the Museum? Or better yet, can you find something even smaller?
Artworks shown:
- Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pende Peoples, Pendant Mask (Gikhokho), late-19th or early-20th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Clark and Frances Stillman Collection of Congo Sculpture, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott.
- Mixtec, Bell in Form of Human Head, AD 1100-1500, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the McDermott Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated.
- Khmer Empire, Buddhist Trinity, 12th-13th century, Intended bequest of David T. Owsley.
- Dorothea Margaret Tanning, Jeux d’Enfants, 1942, Lent by private collection.
- Veraguas Culture, Pendant: Jaguar, AD 800-1200, Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison.
- Giovanni Corvaja (designer), “The Golden Fleece” ring, 2008, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Deedie Rose.
- Greek, Pair of Earrings with Female Figure, late-4th century BC, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum League Purchase Funds, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., and Cecil H. and Ida M. Green in honor of Virginia Lucas Nick.
- Malia Jensen, Unmade Bed (Duvet with Squares), 2006, Collection of Marguerite Steed Hoffman.
- Henry Moore, Small Animal, 1980, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, bequest of Margaret Ann Bolinger.
- Africa, Kongo Peoples, Standing Figure (Nkisi), 19th-20th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Clark and Frances Stillman Collection of Congo Sculpture, gift of Eugene and Margaret McDermott.
- Greek, Attic, Standing Figure, mid-5th century BC, Dallas Museum of Art, on loan from the Ola Brockles Estate.
- Japan, Meiji Period, Vase, 1890-1910, The John R. Young Collection, lent by John R. Young.
Alex Vargo
McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching