Crookies and Cloisters (1300th Post)

We awoke early in New York City, and Mom and I headed out for breakfast and coffee. I had really wanted to try a "crookie" while in town, and I ordered one for us to share.

A crookie typically consists of a buttery, flaky croissant stuffed with a cookie dough filling, resulting in a crispy, chewy, and layered treat. Like its cousin the cronut, the crookie is a popular pastry in New York which has gone viral on social media in the past few years.

Today, our plan was to visit The Cloisters, branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of medieval Europe. Located at Fort Tryon Park just north of Manhattan, the museum is built to evoke the atmosphere of a medieval monastery and is filled with art and artifacts from the European Romanesque and Gothic periods.

In the early 20th century, American sculptor and collector George Grey Barnard amassed an impressive collection of medieval European artifacts, which he displayed in his private museum in Upper Manhattan.

During the First World War, Barnard was heartbroken to see so many abbeys, castles, churches, and monasteries in Europe destroyed or looted for stones, bricks, and other materials. At the time, it was still uncommon to recognize the inherent historical value of old buildings.

Barnard, born to modest means but later achieving financial success as a sculptor, faced near financial ruin due to his obsession with acquiring and preserving medieval art and architecture. 

His passion drove him to collect an extraordinary array of European artifacts and architectural elements, which he displayed in his private museum in Upper Manhattan. 

Recognizing the cultural significance of Barnard’s work, John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased Barnard's entire collection in 1925 and donated it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Along with this generous contribution, Rockefeller also gifted land in what is today Fort Tryon Park to provide an ideal setting for a new museum dedicated to medieval art. 

To enhance the immersive experience, five authentic medieval cloisters (monastic courtyards from France and Spain) were purchased, disassembled, transported to New York, and meticulously reconstructed brick by brick. These ancient structures now hold the exhibitions at the museum.

When The Cloisters opened in 1938, it stood as a remarkable achievement, both a tribute to Barnard’s artistic vision and Rockefeller’s dedication to cultural preservation.

By the nature of the collection, the art is mostly religious, but there are some really interesting and fairly whimsical items on display as well. 

For example, one wall featured a painting of a camel. Camels would have been unheard of in Europe, but due to extensive Medieval trade with the Middle East, art from Egypt, Syria, and Arabia would have made its way back to Europe.

The Fuentidueña Apse, on the other hand, is an incredibly well-preserved example of a Romanesque chapel. Originally part of a 12th-century church in Fuentidueña, Spain, the stunning structure was nearly destroyed by war before its rescue in the mid 20th century. This ambitious effort not only preserved the structure but also allowed a significant piece of European history to find a new home where it continues to inspire visitors.

Descending the stairs of the museum, we came into a bright and airy room wrapped with stained glass windows.

This solemn and reverent hall displayed coffins of several Medieval knights, lords, and ladies.

I was very curious to learn more about how every buried knight had a carving of a dog at his feet. These carvings symbolize loyalty, courage, and guardianship, which are qualities admired in knights.

The presence of a faithful hound at a knight's feet was believed to signify the knight's unwavering dedication to duty and the protection of his family or kingdom. The symbolism ties closely to the themes of steadfast devotion seen in medieval religious and artistic traditions.

Before leaving, we visited the "Unicorn Room", perhaps the most famous exhibition at the museum.

The Unicorn Tapestries are among the most enigmatic works of medieval art. This series of seven woven panels, created in the late 15th or early 16th century in the Southern Netherlands, depicts the hunt, capture, and symbolic death of a unicorn. Praised for their vibrant detail, each panel features lush, detailed depictions of flora and fauna, with over a hundred identifiable plant species woven into the design. 

While the exact meaning of the tapestries remains a mystery, they are often interpreted as allegories of love, purity, and Christian symbolism, with the unicorn representing Christ, and its capture symbolizing the Passion. The tapestries' remarkable preservation, combined with their captivating imagery, makes them one of the most treasured highlights of The Cloisters' collection.

The most famous tapestry at The Cloisters, and the image which adorns most of the items in the gift shop, is The Unicorn Rests in a Garden.

One of the most interesting artifacts on display was a narwhal tusk, recovered from a medieval castle's collection.

Once thought to be the horns of unicorns by Europeans who had never seen, nor could ever imagine a narwhal, these tusks were treasured and kept in churches across Europe. One tusk at Saint-Denis near Paris was believed to have been gifted to Charlemagne in the ninth century by the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid. Another, housed in San Marco, Venice, was said to have been a gift from the legendary Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent himself.

It was still early in the day, and since our ticket also included entry to the main branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, we decided to make our way towards America's largest museum and the fifth largest in the world.

Founded in 1870, the Met was created by a group of businessmen and philanthropists who wanted to create an institution for the preservation of arts and artifacts which would educate and inspire the American public.

The Temple of Dendur is one of the most iconic and awe-inspiring exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Dating back to 15 B.C., the temple was originally constructed by order of the Roman Emperor Augustus to honor the Egyptian goddess Isis, the god Osiris, and two deified sons of a local Nubian chieftain, Pedesi and Pihor. 

The temple once stood on the banks of the Nile in Dendur, a village in Nubia (now part of modern-day southern Egypt). In the 1960s, when the construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge numerous ancient monuments, the Egyptian government gifted the Temple of Dendur to the United States in gratitude for its efforts in helping to save other endangered sites. The temple was dismantled, transported to New York, and meticulously reassembled in a specially designed wing at The Met.

Displayed within a vast, light-filled gallery with a reflecting pool that echoes the temple’s original riverside setting, the structure invites visitors to experience the grandeur of ancient Egyptian architecture up close. The sandstone temple is adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes of offerings to the gods and hieroglyphic inscriptions, blending Egyptian iconography with Roman influences.

After a cup of coffee, we moved on and explored more of the exhibits. In the American Wing, I especially enjoyed the beautiful stained-glass windows made by Tiffany and Co. I had a much greater appreciation for Tiffany glasswork after visiting the New York Historical Society.

I had a wonderful time in New York, but it was time for me to fly back to Thailand. I had only booked a short trip back to the States, and I needed to get back home.

That night, I bade farewell to my mom and brother. After a nice dinner by the fireplace at Mom's hotel's lounge, I headed back to JFK. My flight was delayed by several hours, but it was fine... by 2am, I was finally boarded, and ready to head back to Bangkok by way of Manilla.