London
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The British Museum and the Natural History Museum have always displayed collections of world fame. The National Gallery is not as famous as other world museums specialized in classic art, however, it houses an impressive collection and it is well worth a visit.
The British Museum
Like most museums in London, The British Museum is free of admission (though some events and special exhibitions have an admission charge). But were it the most expensive attraction in the city, it would be worth the price. Often rated the number one tourist attraction, it houses millions of artifacts from around the world and through history.
Beginning with the collection that branched off to the Natural History Museum, for over 250 years the institution has offered viewers a chance to see history up close in large and small.
The museum gained a reputation for housing significant cultural artifacts as early as 1801 when it acquired the Rosetta Stone. Now displayed outside, this ancient slab contains writings in Egyptian and Greek from the Ptolemaic Period, circa 200BC. It was one of the earliest tools used for deciphering the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt.
The theme is continued with the large collection of mummies housed in colorful sarcophagi along with statuary from all over the Middle East. Alongside them are a variety of non-human animal mummies, companions that were often buried with the rulers.
Ancient Greece is equally well represented in the form of a fragment of the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, though the highlight of the section is unquestionably the famous Elgin Marbles. Purchased by Lord Elgin in 1816 from a Turkish Sultan (who ruled Greece at the time), these magnificent works were carved around 440BC. Once a part of the Parthenon, the statuary resides in the Duveen Gallery designed by the architect of the Jefferson Memorial.
Ancient Rome's influence on Britain is not neglected either. The Weston Gallery houses dozens of items from the Mildenhall Treasure of 4th-century tableware. And, in the next room, visitors can gaze at the Sutton Hoo Treasure. Dating from the 7th century the many swords and helmets, often sporting rubies and sapphires, make a fitting adjunct to the Dark Ages king's shield displayed.
From a period long before the Roman invasion of Britain, there's a heavily visited item called 'the Peat Marsh man'. Discovered by archaeologists in a Cheshire peat marsh, the body of this 1st century unfortunate is believed to be that of a victim of ritual sacrifice.
But objects far outside Europe are also on display. There are examples of Native American hunting artifacts from 10,000 years ago. There are the Sainsbury African Galleries housing ivory, gold and ancient wooden masks. And, in the Korean Foundation Gallery there are numerous porcelain artifacts from Asia.
But be sure to save some time to focus not just on the items housed, but the container. The building and several rooms are themselves cultural artifacts worth seeing.
From its Ancient Greek facade on the exterior to the 19th century round Reading Room in the interior, the British Museum itself is an artwork the equal of any it contains.
The British Museum is easy to reach via the London Underground. Exit at Russell Square.
For a preview of the 90 galleries covering 14-acres, see British Museum web site.
The National Gallery
Throughout its troubled history, the National Gallery in London has persevered to maintain one of the greatest art collections in the world.
Having no Royal collection with which to begin, the museum found its start with the purchase of a mere 38 paintings from the estate of a recently deceased banker, J.J. Angerstein. Housed in his home at 100 Pall Mall for the first 10 years of its existence, the National Gallery opened to the public there in 1824.
Finding the museum frequently overcrowded and ill-adapted for the display of paintings, the directors finally persuaded Parliament to sponsor a new home near Trafalgar Square. The move was fortunate and the collection expanded accordingly.
During its first 30 years the galleries housed mostly 15th and 16th century Italian paintings, many of which are still on display. But over the decades the collection has grown to encompass representatives from 1250 AD to 1900 AD.
(Though it still houses works from the early 20th century, a decision was reached in 1996 to cut off acquisitions for any work post-1900 and several trades were arranged with the Tate Britain.)
The works, which number in the thousands, now cover every great name and hundreds of lesser ones. Rembrandt's Self-Portrait at 34 is here, as is da Vinci's Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John. Titian's Death of Actaeon was purchased in 1972 and Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks in 2004. A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal (a musical instrument) by Vermeer is also here.
Holbein the Younger's The Ambassadors is part of the collection along with Botticelli's Venus and Mars and Velásquez' Rokeby Venus. Canaletto's Regatta on the Grand Canal and The Stonemason's Yard are here, showing the artists typically excellent sense of perspective and details of figure.
But there are several much later works, as well. Cézanne's Les Grandes Beigneuses is here. And what museum would be complete without a Monet Water-Lily Pond or a Renoir, such as The Umbrellas?
But unquestionably among the most well-known works in the Gallery are the Van Eyck Arnolfini Portrait - found in nearly every art history book - along with J.M.W. Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
Few major additions, though many minor and controversial ones, were made to the building until the addition of the Sainsbury Wing in 1991. That, too, was controversial but nearly everything in the art world is among some. The addition is modern, but nowhere near as large a contrast as the I.M. Pei addition to the Louvre. One of the highlights housed in the new wing is an altarpiece by Cima of The Incredulity of St Thomas.
In 2004, the museum gained a new ground level entrance from Trafalgar Square as part of the East Wing Project.
Nearby, and technically part of the collection, is the National Portrait Gallery. This separate building houses many of Britain's most outstanding portraiture from the 15th through the 20th centuries.
Reaching the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery is easy via the London Underground i.e. 'the tube' or subway. Exit at Charing Cross station.
The Natural History Museum
Since its founding in the mid-19th century, the Natural History museum has offered one of the largest, most diverse collections in the world. The dinosaur exhibits are world-renowned, but there are dozens of others equally deserving of a visit.
The building itself makes the trip worthwhile. Completed in 1880, the Italian Renaissance design sports an ornate terracotta facade with several stepped arches. It looks as much like a Gothic cathedral as a museum. Terracotta was popular, as it stood up well to Victorian soot. The exterior is festooned with hundreds of carvings that reflect the contents of the interior.
Inside, there are displays as old as 1750 and as new as today. The original collection was formed from a bequest of the estate of Dr. Sloane, physician to Queen Anne. Comprising books, dried plants and animal and human skeletons and much more, it was transferred from the original site, Montague House, which had served for more than 100 years. The collection, originally part of the British Museum, grew to require its own building.
Expanding in the 19th century, as explorers and naturalists brought back specimens from their travels, the museum grew to house the largest dinosaur collection anywhere. The long-ago erected giant Diplodocus skeleton is one of the more prominent symbols of the collection in Waterhouse Way.
Today that collection has even become animated as several of the life-sized reptiles have been re-cast in animatronics. T-Rex shows his ferocious, teeth-lined jaw in motion while velociraptors battle oviraptors. Visitors can get a real sense of how the dinosaurs not only looked, but moved and sounded.
Out of the millions of specimens, some of the oldest are still the most spectacular. The mineral exhibit holds an array of quartzes, gemstones and rocks that dazzle the eye and the mind. The variety possible from a few simple elements will amaze kids and adults alike.
But the exhibits aren't all as static as rocks. There is a floating squid -preserved from a live specimen netted in the Falkland Islands- that's a full 26 feet (8m) long and still looking very lifelike. There are also scaled down erupting volcanoes and simulated earthquakes that give a good view of how dynamic the Earth is.
Visitors can get an inside look at people and animals too. There are skeletons galore, but also a Human Biology Gallery that allows viewers to walk through a birth-simulation chamber. And the remains of a 82ft (25m) Blue whale is suspended overhead in one section.
The new Darwin Centre showcases 22 million samples - many that the famed naturalist gathered on his voyages. There's a frog from Seychelles Islands and a Komodo dragon, among many others. Nearby are items from the Creepy Crawlies Gallery. Among the creepy is a giant scorpion that will frighten some children and amuse others.
Many of the exhibits allow hands-on interaction with the objects and discussions with the working scientists who study them. Take advantage of the opportunity to find out first hand about ongoing research and the latest discoveries.
The Natural History Museum is easy to reach via the London Underground, i.e. 'the tube' or subway. Exit at South Kensington.
Where to go from here? There are many options: Explore British food, get familiar with British pubs, travel to another city of the world, taste food in Europe, discover wine in Europe, or return to World Food and Wine home page and seek a new adventure.
