Coming up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Art and Love in Renaissance Italy through February 16, 2009

This exhibition explores the various exceptional objects created to celebrate love and marriage in the Italian Renaissance. The approximately 150 objects, which date from about 1400 to the mid-16th century, range from exquisite examples of maiolica and jewelry given as nuptial gifts, to marriage portraits and paintings that extol sensual love and fecundity, such as the Metropolitan's Venus and Cupid by the great Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto. The exhibition also includes some of the rarest and most significant pieces of Renaissance glassware, cassone panels, birth trays, and drawings and prints of amorous subjects. See the exhibition preview for more information, including sponsorship credits.

And then ...

Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C., through March 15, 2009

This exhibition focuses on the extraordinary art created as a result of a sophisticated network of interaction that developed among kings, diplomats, merchants, and others in the Near East during the 2nd millennium B.C. Approximately 350 objects of the highest artistry from royal palaces, temples, and tombs—as well as from a unique shipwreck—provide the visitor with an overview of artistic exchange and international connections throughout the period. Because many of these works have either only recently been excavated or have never been shown abroad, "Beyond Babylon" is a singular opportunity for the public to experience the rich artistic and cultural traditions of this period. See the exhibition preview for more information, including sponsorship credits.

Visit the Met's Web site at http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp for more news and information on other exhibits.

A free dinosaur tooth will be given to each of the first 100 children (ages 7 to 13, and accompanied by an adult) who visit the headquarters of Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple, in Dallas between 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17. Each 67-million year old tooth is from a giant, meat-eating Spinosaurus, the largest carnivore to ever walk the earth, and will be given away during the preview of Heritage’s Signature Natural History Auction to be held on Sunday, Jan. 18.
 
“Kids and dinosaurs are a natural fit, as any parent will tell you,” said David Herskowitz, Director of Natural History at Heritage. “If a child goes crazy over a plastic dino you pick up at a toy store, imagine what it will be like for them to have an actual tooth of what was once a real live hunting and fighting dinosaur.”
 
The dino teeth being given away range in size from 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches. The offer is strictly limited to the first 100 eligible kids that come into the gallery.
 
As Heritage has become the world leader in Natural History Auctions, it has also increased its commitment to creating the next generation of dedicated and educated collectors. A prize like the Spinosaur teeth being offered will not only make any child the envy of every kid on the block, it also presents a real, tangible link to one of the greatest creatures the world knew – or ever will know again – tens of millions of years ago. Little could serve as more inspiration, or edification, to a budding paleontologist.
 
“We are very committed to our role as the world’s leading Natural History auctioneer,” said Herskowitz. “Part of that role is to educate both our clients and their families, and to bring history alive in a way that only the real thing can possibly do.”
 
Once in the gallery, children and parents alike will also have the opportunity to view the vast array of significant natural history treasures being offered at auction starting at 1 p.m. the next day, Sunday, Jan. 18.
 
Some of these singular relics include a 93% intact skull of a Triceratops, one of the fiercest and most famous dinosaurs of all. This massive specimen – five feet wide and seven feet long – is in fantastic condition, is as rare as they come and features the three large horns that this dinosaur is known for.
 
Also on view will be a virtually complete flying dinosaur known as a Petrosaur; an enormous 11-1/2 foot tusk from a Woolly Mammoth; a 336 pound Iron meteorite and pieces of the moon and the planet Mars.
 
For more information on this auction, to view the entire catalog or to see fully enlargeable images of each lot, and to bid, go online to www.HA.com/6012.
 
For more information, call David Herskowitz at 800-872-6467, ext. 1610, or email to DavidH@HA.com.
 
To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 1150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.
 
Heritage Auction Galleries is the world’s third largest auction house, and by far the largest auctioneer of rare collectibles, with annual sales more than $700 million, and 400,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage's auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, visit www.HA.com.

Ancient Egypt captures the imaginations of old and young alike - even mid-lifers like me.

BBC News posted an article that captured my attention today:

Mummy of female pharaoh uncovered

Egyptologists have discovered the remains of a mummy thought to belong to a queen who ruled 4,300 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief has said.

It's a brief article. Stories like this make me squirm in my chair and want to say "tell me more, tell me more!"

I remember once asking one of my college professors about new discoveries and their impact on how we interpret history. His response was something like: as time goes on, the chance of such discoveries decreases, along with the chance of re-interpreting history.

It made sense to me at the time. But now I find myself unsatisfied with that answer and looking forward to new discoveries of the old.

Do any of you have an opinion you'd like to share?

Feel free to post a reply.

Exciting news.  This is truly a rare and exciting opportunity.

The priceless treasure from the shores of the Dead Sea will be put on rare display in 2010 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

It will be the first time the ancient and priceless writings will be displayed publicly in Minnesota, museum officials said Tuesday.

You can read the full article from the Star Tribune by clicking here.

Barbie, Thomas Kinkade, Stickley, Double Eagle, Stradivarius, Whitetail

What do these items all have in common?

Their collectible value, millions of enthusiasts worldwide and they can now be insured.

With the addition of a new insurance carrier, Collectibles Insurance Services reports it is now able to provide coverage for Dolls, Fine Art, Antique Furniture, Gold Coins, Musical Instruments and Taxidermy. "The addition of these types of antiques and collectibles allows us to fully satisfy our customers' needs for specialized insurance," advises Dan Walker, consultant for Collectibles Insurance Services.

Click here to learn the details.

Although the most popular collections insured at Collectibles Insurance Services are stamps, sports memorabilia, firearms, model trains, comics, glass and pottery, Walker says they also insure unique collections which include barbed wire, vintage airline air sickness bags and most recently a shrunken head. How's that for meeting the demands of customer satisfaction?

I guess for every weird and wonderful item out there, there is a collector waiting to add it to their treasure chest. And keep it safe.

-- Robyn