Tour: Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings

Date: 

Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 3:30pm to 4:45pm

Repeats every month on the 28 of November until Wed Nov 28 2018

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street

Join us for an in-depth tour of our special exhibition Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings, on view from September 7, 2018 through January 6, 2019. Tours will be given by curators, graduate students, and other experts.

This tour will end with an optional close-up encounter with objects related to the Animal-Shaped Vessels exhibition in the museums’ Art Study Center. Please be prepared to present a photo ID. Children age 14 and older are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.

Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World brings together nearly 60 elaborate vessels of animal shape from collections in the United States and Europe. While the songs, speeches, and prayers that enlivened ancient feasts are now largely lost to us, these vessels have survived, offering a glimpse into the rich symbolism and communal practices that found expression at these gatherings. Taking animal-shaped vessels as performative props in the multifaceted world of feasting, the exhibition not only introduces the social and ceremonial functions of these ritual occasions, but also highlights the essential and universal role played by food and drink—and by the highly imaginative containers used to consume them.

Exhibition tours will be offered on select Wednesdays at 3:30pm and select Saturdays at 10:30am, during free admission hours supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This tour is limited to 15 people and tickets are required. Ten minutes before the tour, tickets will become available at the admissions desk.

Please meet in the Calderwood Courtyard, in front of the digital screens between the shop and the admissions desk. Museums staff will be on hand to collect tickets.