Do You Know the Nine Great Water Features at The Met?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue location houses nine distinct water features, offering visitors diverse aesthetic and historical experiences beyond the well-known Temple of Dendur reflecting pool. These installations range from tranquil and contemplative to dynamic, each contributing to the museum's atmosphere and connecting with its vast collections. Beginning with the iconic Temple of Dendur reflecting pool in The Sackler Wing, the article highlights its historical significance. This pool, evocative of the Nile River, complements the ancient Egyptian temple, which was gifted to the museum by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The museum is currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of this significant acquisition. Moving to the Asian Art galleries, the Astor Court features a Chinese courtyard inspired by a 17th-century Suzhou garden. Completed in 1981 by twenty-six Chinese craftsmen using traditional methods, the courtyard includes an inhabited koi pond, a serene element within the bustling museum environment. In the Japanese galleries, Isamu Noguchi's 'Water Stone' presents a subtle water feature. Created for the galleries' opening in 1987, the sculpture circulates water so gently that its surface remains almost perfectly still, creating a quiet and meditative experience. The Charles Engelhard Court in The American Wing showcases two early 20th-century fountains. One features sculptures by Janet Scudder, designed in 1906, while the other is an ornate fountain by Louis Comfort Tiffany, inspired by Byzantine mosaics. These fountains are central to the court's role as a concourse for monumental American sculpture. Within the Robert Lehman Court, which displays 700 years of Western European art, a peaceful fountain surrounded by benches offers a quiet respite. This water feature provides a moment of calm amid the extensive collection. In the Greek and Roman Art galleries, reopened in 2007, a black marble fountain in the Roman Sculpture Court complements the classical sculptures. This installation revives a historical tradition, as the gallery once housed a restaurant in the 1950s with a central pool designed to evoke a Roman villa. The Patti Cadby Birch Court in the Department of Islamic Art features a fountain designed to evoke late medieval Morocco. Constructed in 2011, the court utilized 15th-century methods, with glazed tiles surrounding a bowl-shaped fountain, reflecting traditional Islamic artistry. Finally, the Damascus Room, an 18th-century Ottoman reception chamber, includes an 'ataba' fountain. This central fountain highlights the historical importance of water features in Damascus homes, which were often fed by ancient underground channels. An editor's note clarifies that a ninth water feature was added to the article on August 1, 2017. #MetropolitanMuseumOfArt #WaterFeatures #TempleOfDendur #AstorCourt #IsamuNoguchi #LouisComfortTiffany #JanetScudder #RobertLehmanCollection #IslamicArt #MetropolitanMuseumOfArt #WaterFeatures #TempleOfDendur #AstorCourt #IsamuNoguchi #LouisComfortTiffany #JanetScudder #RobertLehmanCollection #IslamicArt

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