Special Collections

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This exhibit features a collection that has never been shown as a whole and that remains virtually unknown to the public and scholars alike. Because many of the objects have been in storage and need extensive work to stabilize, clean and restore them, the exhibition explores some of the challenges and issues involved in the care and preservation of such an old collection by showing some objects midway through conservation. Included in the exhibition is Donatello’s beloved marble relief (pictured) of Madonna of the Clouds and a signed bronze statuette by Giambologna. The exhibition also features such well-known masterworks as Antico’s bronze Bust of Cleopatra and long-forgotten sculptures such as St. John the Baptist by Giovanni Francesco Rustici. Other artists include Luca della Robbia, Mino da Fiesole and Bartolomeo Bellano.

The San Diego Natural History Museum’s massive exhibition Dead Sea Scrolls spans two floors and 12,000 square feet. Twenty-seven Dead Sea Scrolls—ten of which are being exhibited for the first time ever—will be on display over the course of the exhibition. After three months they will change the scrolls so new ones will be on display. One of the exhibition features is a portion of the Copper Scroll (pictured), shown for the first time outside of Amman, Jordan. The six-month exhibit brings together materials never before seen together: scrolls from Israel and Jordan reunited for the first time in 60 years, ancient Hebrew codices from the Russian National Library and medieval manuscripts from the British National Library. Tracing the scrolls and their meaning through time, the exhibition connects the ancient world to the modern.

In addition to the manuscripts, exhibition highlights will include: a virtual-reality tour of a 3-D model of Qumran; ancient artifacts from Qumran; an exploration of modern scientific methods used to study the scrolls; panoramic photography; modern interpretations of the text; the original 1950s excavation equipment; and a bilingual audio tour.

Since our March/April issue went to press, the exhibit formerly called From Abraham to Jesus discontinued its planned tour schedule. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. The exhibit is now called Ancient Treasures of the Holy Land and is currently on view at Dallas Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, through July 28, 2007. The exhibitors are uncertain where it will go next. Check the Web site www.holyland1.com for updates.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Boston, Massachusetts