Monday, August 12
On our last day in Sarasota we took a break from house hunting and decided to do something completely different. We went to the Ringling Museum. The Ringling Brothers, whose famous circus was known the world over, were based out of Sarasota. John Ringling and his wife, Mable, had 60 acres near the water with a large Venetian style mansion set on parklike grounds and beautiful gardens with trails lined with statuary. Also on the grounds was a large Palazzo style building that was filled with art that they collected in the 1930s. Upon their death the entire compound was willed to the people of Florida. Today it is a popular tourist destination.
(Venetian Style Mansion)
The grounds are open to the public but if you want to see the museum that will cost you $25.00 per person. Want to see the mansion too? The first floor will cost you an additional $10.00 and the second floor another $10.00. For some unknown reason the museum was free today so we opted to see the museum, which includes a separate display on glass art.
The grounds are a wonderful place to stroll. Many of the exotic trees are labeled. We particularly enjoyed seeing the huge, sprawling Banyon Trees. Many of the statues on the grounds seemed familiar so we assumed that they were copies of famous sculptures.
The museum started with a special exhibition on Indian textiles. The displays ranged from ancient cloth making and included examples of how modern designers are trying to keep the ancient craft alive in today’s mechanized world. There were many videos on how patterns and decorations were laboriously produced by hand. It was all very interesting.
The permanent collection starts with early Renaissance works. Each room showcases later and later periods until the middle 1800s. At the end was another special exhibition. This time they were showcasing modern works by a Canadian artist.
The most interesting display was a great hall filled with huge paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. He was said to have done 12 paintings in support of the Eucharist during the time of the Reformation. Only seven of those paintings are still known to exist and five were on display in the museum. They were magnificent works.
(The Four Evangelists by Rubens, 1628)