Since the arrival of Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt, the DMA has been serving some serious cat-titude. We’ve spent the past few months celebrating these awesome animal companions in several different ways: families could enjoy our Friendly Felines family guide while others could really get into the spirit of the exhibition with the Divine Felines Spotify playlist.
However, as a dog person, I think man’s best friend could use a little more attention. Here are a few of our dearest dogs matched against some of our favorite felines from the collection. Which would you prefer?
Jean-baptiste Oudry, Water Spaniel Confronting a Heron, 1722, Lent by the Michael L. Rosenberg Foundation.
Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, 1846-1847, Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum League Fund.
John White Alexander, Miss Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt (later Mrs. Langdon Geer), 1901-1902, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation in memory of Pauline Gill Sullivan.
Thomas Sully, Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire, 1843, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation.
Mythical aso, 19th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund and the Museum League Purchase Fund.
Sword ornament in the form of a lion, mid-20th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
Make sure you visit Divine Felinesbefore the exhibition closes this Sunday, January 8!
Cats are invading the DMA beginning this Sunday, October 9, when the Museum opens the nationally touring exhibition Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt. The exhibition features 80 objects from the world-renowned Egyptian collection of the Brooklyn Museum depicting cats and lions in ancient Egyptian mythology, kingship, and everyday life (and a few dogs too).
Below is an interview with DMA curator and avid cat-lover Dr. Anne Bromberg that was first published in the DMA Member magazine Artifacts. Mark your calendars for a cat-tastic night on Friday, October 21, during a special Late Night celebrating all things cat and Egypt. Listen to the purrrfect soundtrack to understand why cats are the Furry Conquerors of Culture, and follow the DMA on Spotify.
What are you most excited to present in this exhibition? The ancient Egyptians were superb artists. Or perhaps one should say they were wealthy enough that they could afford to pay artists generously. The other interesting aspect is that for the Egyptians, cats were very important as divinities, as well as fun and delightful in ordinary life. I’ve said this to practically everybody, but cats have the closest brains to primates, or us, monkeys!
Sphinx of King Sheshenq, Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, c. 945–718 B.C.E., bronze, Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 33.586
Many people associate the ancient Egyptians with death or funerary rituals. That’s partly because tombs were substantially built, so they survived. It’s clear from tomb paintings that the homes of the ancient Egyptians were equally glamorous, but almost none of that has survived.
What did this glamorous life look like? They had beautiful clothes and were well fed. Furnishings of the everyday, as well as ritual objects, were exquisitely made. I’m sure they had trashy junk (because everyone does) but the impression you have is that the objects people lived with were really beautiful. The Egyptians believed that after death you could live forever in the land of eternal life. Part of the appeal of all Egyptian art, and certainly of this show, is that you see art made by people who believed you could take it with you.
Cat’s Head, Egypt, Roman Period, 30 B.C.E.-3rd century C.E., bronze and gold, Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.114
It’s impressive that the ancient Egyptian civilization lasted so long. They were isolated to some degree, and they had a foolproof source of food with the Nile River. They were also extremely literate. People who conquered Egypt knew they were taking over one of the most sophisticated cultures in their world, so they allowed that culture to continue. This many-thousand-year continuity of culture did not disappear until the coming of the Christians, who were opposed to traditional Egyptian religious ideas.
Does any part of that culture persist today? Something that has continued unabated from prehistoric times and up until today is the passion for cats. It is still a very pro-cat civilization.
Figure of a Cat, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period-Roman Period, 305 B.C.E.–1st century C.E., wood (sycamore fig), gilded gesso, bronze,rock crystal, and glass, Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1945E
Kimberly Daniell is the Senior Manager of Communications, Public Affairs, and Social Media Strategy at the DMA.
Dogs are said to be man’s best friend, but can they also be his muse? The following artists sure thought so! These four-legged friends were never far from their master’s side, eager to give a bark of approval for work well done or a shake of the muzzle to try again, and, in dire circumstances, to lend their tail as an extra paint brush. These furry entourages inspired, encouraged, and lent a paw whenever they could to their famous owners. Happy National Dog Day to the creative canines behind the canvas!
The Education team works very hard to make your summer vacation fun and exciting for families and kids of all ages. So it only makes sense that we play just as hard! Some of us had some big art-related vacations, exciting camping adventures, and we had a lot of fun working in between (with or without our pups!). Check out some of our summer highlights!
Madeleine visited Mykonos, an island in Greece known for it’s bright blue skies, windmills and clear water.
Madeleine and her friends at the Basilica of the Annunciation with the US’s mosaic. Each country has one!
Madeleine stayed with her friend’s family in Israel. This is the view of the Mediterranean from her house!
Madeleine finally visited the Acropolis! A dream she’s had since her first art history class in high school.
Emily led a touch tour in the Sculpture Garden for students from DISD with vision impairment.
After Emily’s touch tour, everyone made a Minimalist sculpture inspired by Richard Serra using cookies!
George and his Uncle Cosmo celebrated the Fourth of July in style!
George also prepared a dog-themed nursery for his future BFF. Crib skirt and dog pillow by Leah.
Sarah stayed close to home and visited the Fort Worth Zoo with her son Rhys.
Rhys enjoyed watching the playful penguins and his favorite animal, zebra!
Leah hiking in Utah with her sister.
Leah and her sisters about to do a ropes course at the Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.
Amanda taught at MoMA as part of The Art of Examination forum.
While in New York, Amanda and her mom saw the Broadway musical Matilda.
Amanda saw the Martin Creed installation at the Park Avenue Armory while in New York.
Lindsay took a selfie with this Renaissance-inspired mirror while at an antique store on King Street.
Lindsay visited her parents in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lindsay captured a Gone With the Wind sunset while in the Lowcountry Region of South Carolina.
Lindsay’s pup Hattie celebrated Independence Day (with a bandana from Whitney Sirois)!
Andi visited Epcot and Disney World in June.
Andi went on a safari at Disney World and hung out with giraffes!
Jessica’s family hit the open road this summer!
Jessica’s family camped out, ate s’mores, and hiked through the Badlands.
Jessica’s daughter Julia loved seeing Mount Rushmore up close and personal!
Howdy, y’all! I’m so excited to write my second blog post for this fantastic blog. Even though I still haven’t been invited to go inside the DMA to see where my human spends her days away from me, it’s still such a doggone fun place to visit and tromp around outside.
Especially now, since they have a fancy, new outdoor patio cafe that is…dog-friendly! I love going with my family to eat at dog-friendly spots. The outdoor cafe is called Socca and is named after the type of grub it serves – which is a chickpea crepe made PAWpular in southern France, where it is a specialty. Tres chic! The PAWsome thing about Socca, is that it is healthy; humans can add tuna, chicken, lettuce, and my ultimate fave – cheese. Great news for us mutts as we patiently await food dropping from tables. Well behaved dogs on leashes are welcome on the Socca patio – woohoo!
Ready to eat!
I love this place!
Socca-ing up some rays.
Can you find me?
Encompassing Socca is the brand new Eagle Family Plaza, which is a relaxing spot full of lush grass on which to lounge and a fantastic commissioned sculpture called Pas de Deux (Plaza Monument) by British artist Rebecca Warren, which I thoroughly enjoyed gazing up at to admire.
If the new cafe isn’t exciting enough, guess what the Late Night theme is tonight? It’s all about us: four-legged furry family members! If you’ve been working like a dog all week, bring your muttly crew for a evening of fun. Although canine companions aren’t allowed inside the DMA, humans can celebrate the PAWsomeness with pup-focused films (one of my faves, Best in Show – you can’t beat the Terrier Song), to animal-themed tours, live music, and scavenger hunts, it’ll be a PAWsitively rip-roarin’ good time.
I hope to see you rompin’ around the grass-filled surroundings of the DMA soon!
My human leaves me at home each day to spend time in a place where I am not allowed, but that doesn’t stop her from getting my PPOV (puppy-point-of-view) on her work. She has incorporated me into many aspects of her job, from dressing me up as George Washington (George PAWshington, as I like to call him) and as dapper gent Woodbury Langdon, to organizing a day for dogs in the Dallas Arts District – complete with doga (dog yoga). She is totally obsessed with me.
Unless you’re a service dog, we canines aren’t allowed inside the DMA…what do they think we’re going to do, chew on the art?! My friend Echo (guide dog extraordinaire to artist John Bramblitt) has been to the DMA many times and has told me that the works of art are doggone drool-worthy. Check out this PAWsome video of Echo – she is quite the gal. While there are many reasons for humans to paws and enjoy artwork depicting four-legged fur-balls in the DMA galleries (check out this post for my top dog picks), how are creative canines supposed to experience it? Simple, young pups – admire it outside! The DMA has several works outside for us art dogs to appreciate. Check out some of my fur-friends and me hamming it up at the DMA. Who let the dogs out, indeed!
It’s me, George!
Luna has one ear up, ready for action!
Jane the Dog striking a pose
Darcy found a colorful mural at the DMA to add to her growing collection of mutt mural portraits, Luna color-coordinated her cute bandana with DMA artwork, Chaussettes found the perfect backdrop to show off her styled new summer cut, and sweet Jane stopped for the PAWparazzi on her daily jaunt around the Museum.
Luna, enjoying a peaceful moment.
Jane the Dog, DMA signage spokesdog
Inquisitive Chaussettes, ready for her close-up!
These hounds are always up for an arty party. Explore the pawsibilities of spending your next dog day afternoon sniffing out some artwork – sit, stay, and then snap a photo or two!
Hot dog – tomorrow is National Dog Day! What better way to celebrate man’s best friend than to have an entire day devoted to our canine companions? We love dogs here at the DMA and have a paws-itively delightful variety of works of art depicting them. Grab your furry friend and have a tail-waggin’ good time as you celebrate National Dog Day with the top dogs of our collection.
Nicolas Mignard, The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife, 1654, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
Home is where your dog is, and this home is about to welcome two new babies to the family. This painting tells the story of a shepherd who found two babies—Romulus and Remus—in the woods. They were abandoned by their family and had been living with a she-wolf who took care of them. Luckily the babies have a four-legged family member to help watch over them!
Pair of Mythical aso, Borneo, Greater Sunda Islands, Kayan people, 19th century, wood (kayu tapang or Koompassia: Excelsa), Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund and the Museum League Purchase Fund
Beware of dog! Their bark may be louder than their bite, but these two creatures certainly look strong and fierce. This is a pair of asos, a mythical animal that is a mix of a dog and a dragon. Dogs and dragons both guard and protect and for the Kayan people of Borneo, asos protected the most important people in their society.
Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Water Spaniel Confronting a Heron, 1722, oil on canvas, Lent by the Michael L. Rosenberg Foundation
Friend or fowl? Jean-Baptiste Oudry was known for painting hunting scenes, but there is a question about who is hunting whom in this picture. It looks like this bird is barking up the wrong tree. My money is on the mutt!
Nicolas de Largillière, Portrait of the Comtesse de Montsoreau and Sister as Diana and an Attendant, 1714, oil on canvas, Lent by the Michael L. Rosenberg Foundation
These girls are dressed up to have their portrait painted with their two pampered pooches – who wouldn’t want a painted portrait with their dog? The girls are dressed as the Goddess Diana and an attendant; Diana is the Goddess of the Hunt and her symbol is a crescent moon.
John White Alexander, Miss Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt (later Mrs. Langdon Geer), 1901-1902, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation in memory of Pauline Gill Sullivan
This pup looks dog-tired! Dogs can say a lot without ever barking—just look at their ears and tail! This dog, Shamrock, may be taking a cue from his owner as they sit and stay to have their portrait painted. The woman in this portrait is Miss Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt, cousin to President Theodore Roosevelt. As a teenager, Dorothy visited the White House often for parties and events. One might say that Shamrock is one fashionable dog, check out his elegant gold collar!
The next time you feel like drooling over paintings depicting pups, take a two-legged visit to the DMA to search out the hounds.
Amanda Blake is the Head of Family, Access, and School Experiences at the DMA