Tuesday, May 24, 2011

New York City Building Details


While I was in New York, I really didn't travel a very wide path. Nonetheless, wherever I looked, I saw wonderful architectural details. And the more one looks at the city's carved portals, window frames and friezes, the more one realizes that New York of the 1800s and early 1900s must have had armies of stone carvers.


These two keystone cartouches (my own label for them)
were next door to each other.


These stones, which are indented like rows of dominoes,
are doubtlessly cast, but they complement lovely carved pieces.



Where will you find such detail today?



This detail is probably cast,
but I saw many companions to it that were carved.


This detail, from the same neighborhood,
brought the Treasury at Petra to mind.



Perhaps these figures were inspired by their cousins
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
.

10 comments:

  1. Next week I'll be in NY and looking at the same things. Thanks for the show and tell, and thanks for your kind comments, they really do mean a lot. I love your frieds apartment, show us more.

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  2. so true and being a great photographer helps!

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  3. Hi, Kevin - New York was a little nippy, but that suited this Florida fella just fine; I savored it. You might want a light jacket for next week ...

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  4. Mark, exactly we just do not have these kinds of artisans today for major architectural projects.

    I love that you are featuring such beauty.

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  5. Hello Mark:
    And so much of this extraordinary detail must be passed by on a daily basis without it receiving so much as a sideways glance.

    In addition to the craftsmanship, it is also interesting to see how the original architects and stonemasons were influenced by patterns and designs taken from different and much older cultures. Fascinating.

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  6. As a youthful Montrealer, NY was often a destination for work, shopping a fun - seen through carefree eyes. Now days, I see NY with different eyes - still appreciating it immensely. That's the beauty of NY. Love your photographs!
    Anyès
    XX

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  7. Karena, I think the last project I witnessed that used stone carvers extensively was the National Cathedral in Washington, D. C.

    Jane and Lance, the next to last photo certainly reminded me of Florence, Italy. It was part of a door frame that I dearly would have loved to incorporate into my own house!

    Anyes, thanks for the compliment! I look forward to more New York visits, and more photographing.

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  8. wow Mark! These are such eye candy! I love carved stone and those assyrian lions are magnificent!

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  9. Hi, Theresa - I enjoyed the lions too, especially after I'd just seen the ones in the Met after which they're modeled. The lions at the Met stand about eight feet tall, at least.

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