Art (II)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM F, the chief art museum of New York City and the largest and most inclusive in the United States. It was established in 1870 and in the following year the State Legislature appropriated $500,000 for a building at Central Park. The first building of the museum was completed in 1879, and the center portion of the Fifth Avenue front was finished in 1902. It was built from designs prepared by Richard Morris Hunt and cost $1,200,000. A further appropriation was made in 1904 for the north part of the Fifth Avenue front. Additional extensions were made in 1907 and in years following. The total cost of the buildings of the museum is about $20,000,000. The museum is governed by a Board of Trustees selected from the Fellows of the institution which compose a corporation. It is administered by a director, secretary, treasurer, and other officials. The city appropriates about $200,000 annually toward its support, while the remainder of the expenses, which amount to about $500,000, are met through contributions and through sums received for ad- L mission on certain days. The museum possesses collections of the first rank. The department of paintings is especially notable for Flemish, Dutch, Old English, French, and American masters. Many of the finest col- A lections of antiquities are housed here. 19-Vol. I-Cyc These include the Cesnola collection of Cypriote antiquities; one of the largest Egyptian collections in the world, and many important and representative collections of sculpture, examples of decorative arts, and a notably large and fine collection of medieval armor. The museum has received from time to time large sums of legacies and bequests. These include Jacob H. Rogers' bequest of about $7,000,000 in 1901, a bequest from Francis L. Leland of $1,- 000,000 00 in 1912, a bequest from Frederick T. Hewitt of $1,000,000, and other bequests and gifts from other friends of the institution. The museum has held many notable exhibitions. Among the most important of these was the Hudson-Fulton Memorial exhibition of Dutch paintings and early memorial art, in 1909. There have also been displayed from time to time important loan collections including those of old masters and other objects of art of J. P. Morgan. Following the death of Mr. Morgan, his son gave to the museum a large portion of the wonderful collections of his father. To house these collections an additional wing was built called the Pierpont Morgan Wing. This was completed in 1918. The museum receives important accessions to its various collections each year. It carries on educational courses and it is yearly visited by an increased number of people. The director from 1910 was Edward Robinson, who succeeded Sir Caspar Purdon Clark. ARTABANUS (-bā'nus) IV., the last of the Parthian monarchs. Having incited his subjects to revolt, he was captured in 226, and put to death. Thus ended, in the 3d century, the Parthian empire.