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

Date: 

Saturday, January 5, 2019, 10:30am to 11:30am

Location: 

Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street

Join us for an in-depth look at 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.

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.