George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum - Springfield, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 06.214 W 072° 35.102
18T E 699683 N 4664097
The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum is located in the southeast part of the Quadrangle museum complex in Springfield, MA
Waymark Code: WMHFZ0
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2013
Views: 3
"FOOT TOUR — 1.5 m.
8. The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum (open weekdays except Mon. 1-5; Sun. 2-5) was designed in 1895, in the Italian Renaissance style, by Renwick, Aspinwall, Renwick and Walter T. Owen. In addition to paintings, it contains an especially fine collection of Chinese porcelain and cloisonne enamels."
--- Massachusetts; a guide to its places and people. Page 363; copyright 1937
The George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum is dedicated to the fine and decorative arts. It represents the personal collection and taste of George Walter Vincent Smith. The museum displays Chinese cloisonné, Japanese arms and armor, ivory carvings, ceramics, and other decorative arts.
The Museum was build in the Italianate style in 1895. Renwick, Aspinwall and Renwick were the architects and the stained glass windows were manufactured by the Tiffany Company of New York City. The orange brick two level building features a large loggia, an ornate frieze, and, on the north wall, the names of famous artists. The collection is divided into several exhibit halls.
The Ancient Treasures Gallery displays objects from ancient Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. The Japanese Arms and Armor Gallery holds Smith's collection of arms and armor from throughout the world. It features almost 500 examples from Japan. An exibit of 150 pieces of Chinese cloisonné is one of the largest outside of China. Museum also has a collection of 48 plaster casts of Classical and Renaissance masterpieces made from molds taken directly from the originals, including Renaissance works by Michelangelo, della Robbia, Verrocchio and Giovanni da Bologna. The American Paintings Salon features paintings by artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, William Hart, Walter Tallant Owen, Arthur Parton, William Trost Richards, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, and Benjamin West.