It’s an exciting time here at the Blackstone! Our spring calendar is officially under way, which means the programs celebrating our 125th Anniversary are finally here! One of those special events is a visit from Joel Dryer all the way from Chicago on Saturday, April 9th. Who is Mr. Dryer? He’s the official biographer of Oliver Dennett Grover, the artist who painted our incredible dome! Mr. Dryer will be sharing all kinds of information about the man responsible for one of our biggest WOW factors here at JBML, and in order to get you all excited for his visit, we’ll be featuring up close looks at those amazing panels over the next few weeks. Today we’re featuring panels one and two, complete with descriptions from the artist himself:
In the decorations of the dome it is designed to illustrate pictorially and in a decorative way the evolution of book-making. The first step in this direction is presumed to be the gathering of Egyptian papyrus with a view to providing materials for scroll inscriptions, which may be regarded as the primitive book-making of the earliest time. This first picture of the series of eight is entitled “Gathering the Papyrus.”
The palm, the tall heavy reeds and the simply attired figures in the foreground show almost in silhouette against a warm sky and the reflecting surface of the river at the back, while in the distance rising from the level plain are pyramids tipped with gold by the rays of the declining sun.
“Records of the Pharaohs,” the second of the series and also Egyptian, shows another phase of that civilization in the massive architecture, the emblematic ornamentation, the calm dignity and consciousness of power of the dominant race.
The picture represents an officer of the court of Pharaoh with an attendant guard by his side dictating from a papyrus roll which lies open across his knees, to a worker who is transferring the records to the base of a monument. While in this panel sufficient license has been taken to preserve the artistic harmony and decorative composition, the detail of character, costume, ornament and architecture is carefully studied and accurately rendered from correct and acknowledged authorities.