During a recent visit to New York City, a book printer recommended us to visit The Morgan Library and Museum. It was a revelation dear reader, a real treat for book lovers. And I had never even heard about it in all the years I lived in the city.
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| Entrance to The Morgan Libary and Museum on a winter morning. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016 |
It was the personal library of the banker JP Morgan, who at the end of his life commissioned Charles F. McKim to build a classically inspired library behind his own house on Madison Avenue at 36th Street. The building looks like a temple, with marble columns and frescoes. It contains invaluable paintings and books, including one of the very few complete Bibles printed by Gutenberg in his revolutionary printing press.
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| The front of the Morgan library and museum is now being renovated. The Lyons symbolizing the origin of writing in Mesopotamia are covered. The visitors enter through the back door that connected JP Morgan's house to his library. |
I was the only one who signed up for the highlights tour at 12:30 PM and to my delight, I had the lovely lady guide to give me a private tour of the old library. We started with the atrium, a recently finished modern building that connects the old library, what remains of JP Morgan's house and his son's house. The new addition by the Italian architect Renzo Piano includes five stories of underground construction and houses everything a modern library needs including restoration rooms. Not to be missed is the museum shop and while you enter have a look at the very chic dining room to the right.
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| The old library room. |
I learned that unlike Astor or Rockefeller who came from modest backgrounds, JP Morgan came from a very rich family of bankers and had a privileged education. His love for art and refinement is evident in every detail of the old library and in his study.
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| JP Morgan's studio. I took this picture standing behind his desk chair. This would have been his view from the room. Over the mantlepiece a painting of him in a sober black suit. Dramatic red velvet and silk and priceless medieval and renascence art on the walls. There is also a fireproof safe where he kept his most valuable positions. |
The study remains frozen in time and I couldn't help imagining that all those studies where scenes of my favorite romance novels happen would look like this one.
We also have a heroine who reigned over the library: Belle da Costa Green. An intelligent, sophisticated and sensual woman from a highly educated black family. She had to claim Portuguese ancestry to overcome the problems of segregation. JP Morgan in a rare progressive moment hired her has his librarian. He could have hired anybody, most likely a man, but he chose her. Belle leads a fascinating life and became one of the most powerful women in the art world while purchasing invaluable pieces for the Morgan library. One of her famous quotes was "Just because I am a librarian, doesn't mean I have to dress like one". Belle was asked if she was JP Morgan's mistress and she said: "we tried". Certainly, there is untapped potential for a novel here. Don't miss her office while you visit the library.
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| The librarian's office entrance flanked by two lapis lazuli columns. This was Belle da Costa's sanctuary. |
The Morgan has also modern collections and you can choose to admire several small exhibits of amazing art and books during your visit. While I was there I had the luck to see an exhibit about Tolkien: his life, his writings, and his beautiful illustrations.
See more about this exhibit in "The Morgan: Part II" coming soon.
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Thanks for reading,
Miranda
further reading about Belle da Costa:
1)amazing art deco divas blog
2)Belle_da_Costa_Greene Wikipedia
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