Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine Coins
See: for the adjacent park; for the 1944 meeting that laid the groundwork for the United Nations; for the concerto by Igor Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks is a historic estate in the of It was the residence and garden of (1875–1962) and his wife (1879–1969). The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection was founded here by the Bliss couple, who gave the property to in 1940.
Dumbarton Oaks 2017 Byzantine Coins and Seals Summer Program, Dumbarton Oaks, July 3–28, 2017. Coins and seals offer priceless insight into the historical geography, prosopography, paleography, art history, theology, and economic, institutional, and administrative history of the Byzantine world. DUMBARTON OAKS RESEARCH LIBRARY AND COLLECTION Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in.
The research institute that has emerged from this bequest is dedicated to supporting scholarship in the fields of, and and studies, especially through its research fellowships, meetings, exhibitions, and publications. Dumbarton Oaks also opens its garden and museum collections to the public, and hosts public lectures and a concert series. Contents. History Early History The land of Dumbarton Oaks was formerly part of the Rock of Dumbarton grant that made in 1702 to Colonel Ninian Beall (ca. About 1801, William Hammond Dorsey (1764–1818) built the first house on the property (the central block of the existing structure) and an orangery, and in the mid-nineteenth century, Edward Magruder Linthicum (1787–1869) greatly enlarged the residence and named it The Oaks.
The Oaks also was the Washington residence of U.S. Senator and Vice President (1782–1850) between 1822 and 1829. In 1846, Edward Linthicum bought the house, and enlarged it. In 1891, bought the house. Bliss Era Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss acquired the property in 1920, and in 1933 they gave it the name of Dumbarton Oaks, combining its two historic names.
The Blisses engaged the architect (1876–1960) to renovate and enlarge the house (1921–1923), thereby creating a residence from the existing Linthicum-era Italianate structure. Over time, the Blisses increased the grounds to approximately 54 acres (220,000 m 2) and engaged the landscape architect (1872–1959) to design a series of terraced gardens and a wilderness on this acreage, in collaboration with Mildred Bliss (1921–1947). The Blisses’ architectural additions to the estate included four service court buildings (1926) and a music room (1928), designed by Lawrence Grant White (1887–1956) of the New York City architectural firm of, and the superintendent’s dwelling (1933), designed by Farrand. Later renamed the Fellows Building, this building is now known as the Guest House. After retiring to Dumbarton Oaks in 1933, the Blisses immediately began laying the groundwork for the creation of a research institute. They greatly increased their already considerable collection of artworks and reference books, forming the nucleus of what would become the Research Library and Collection. In 1938 they engaged the architect (1900–1951) to build two pavilions to house their Byzantine Collection and an 8,000-volume library, and in 1940 gave Dumbarton Oaks (which included about 16 acres (65,000 m 2) of land) to Harvard University, Robert Bliss’s alma mater.
At the same time they gave a portion of the grounds—some 27 acres—to the National Park Service to establish the. In 1941, the administrative structure of Dumbarton Oaks, now owned by Harvard University, was modeled according to the following design: the Trustees for Harvard University, composed primarily of the, made all appointments, including those to the Administrative Committee, which in turn would supervise the entire operation and refer to the Trustees such recommendations as may require their action. This committee was first chaired by (1878–1965), Harvard Professor and Associate Director of the, but by 1953 it was chaired by the Dean or Provost and, beginning in 1961 and thereafter, by the President of Harvard University. In early years the Administrative Committee appointed a Board of Scholars to make recommendations in regard to all scholarly activities.
The Board of Scholars was first organized in 1942 (with eleven members, of which seven were from Harvard); its membership was increased to twenty-two members by 1960. In 1952, this board was titled the Board for Scholars in Byzantine Studies. In 1953, a Garden Advisory Committee was created to make recommendations in regard to the garden and, later, to the Garden Library and its Fellows, and in 1963 an Advisory Committee for Pre-Columbian Art was created.
The Administrative Committee also historically appointed a Visiting Committee consisting of persons interested in the welfare and broad aims of Dumbarton Oaks. This committee was abolished in 1960 when it was replaced by a Board of Advisors. Wishing to increase the scholarly mission of Dumbarton Oaks, in the early 1960s the Blisses sponsored the construction of two new wings, one designed by (1906–2005) to house the Robert Woods Bliss Collection of Pre-Columbian Art and its research library and, the other, a garden library designed by (1887–1972), of the New York City architectural firm and King, to house the botanical and garden architecture rare books and garden history reference materials that Mildred Bliss had collected. Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. The music room In 1937, Mildred Bliss commissioned (1882–1971) to compose a concerto in the tradition of Bach’s to celebrate the Blisses' thirtieth wedding anniversary. (1887–1979) conducted its premiere on May 8, 1938 in the Dumbarton Oaks music room, due to the composer’s indisposition from tuberculosis.
At Mildred Bliss’s request, the was subtitled “Dumbarton Oaks 8-v-1938,” and the work is now generally known as The Dumbarton Oaks Concerto. Igor Stravinsky conducted the concerto in the Dumbarton Oaks music room on April 25, 1947 and again for the Bliss's golden wedding anniversary, on May 8, 1958. He also conducted the first performance of his Septet, which is dedicated to the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, in the music room on January 24, 1954. Dumbarton Oaks Conference In the late summer and early fall of 1944, at the height of the Second World War, a series of important diplomatic meetings took place at Dumbarton Oaks, officially known as the. Delegations from China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States deliberated over proposals for the establishment of an organization to maintain peace and security in the world.
Their meetings resulted in the that was adopted in San Francisco in 1945. A fountain in the Dumbarton Oaks garden In 1921, the Blisses hired landscape gardener to design the garden at Dumbarton Oaks, and for almost thirty years Mildred Bliss collaborated closely with Farrand.
Together they transformed the existing farmlands surrounding the house into terraced garden rooms and vistas, creating a garden landscape that progressed from formal and elegant stepped terraces, in the near vicinity of the house, to a more recreational and practical middle zone of pools, tennis court, orchards, vegetable beds, and cutting gardens, and concluding at the far reaches of the property with a rustic wilderness of meadows and stream. Within the garden rooms, Bliss and Farrand used a careful selection of plant materials and garden ornaments to define the rooms’ character and use. Since that time, other architects working with Mildred Bliss—most notably Ruth Havey and Alden Hopkins—changed certain elements of the Farrand design. The garden at Dumbarton Oaks was first opened to the public in 1939. The is a 27 acre naturalistic streamside valley park, maintained as a part of. Events Music at Dumbarton Oaks In 1946, Dumbarton Oaks inaugurated the Friends of Music concerts to offer a yearly chamber music subscription series in the music room.
This series was based on the similar Friends of Music at the Library of Congress, of which Mildred Bliss was a long-time member. In 1958, Dumbarton Oaks commissioned (1900–1990) to compose Nonet for Solo Strings (generally known as Nonet for Strings) in honor of the Blisses’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Nadia Boulanger conducted its world premier with nine members of the National Symphony Orchestra on March 2, 1961. Copland dedicated the piece “to Nadia Boulanger after forty years of friendship.” In 2006, Dumbarton Oaks commissioned to compose Dumbarton Quintet, which was premiered in the music room on April 12, 2008, with the composer at the piano. In 2017 the series was renamed Music at Dumbarton Oaks.
Public Lectures Public lectures are offered regularly, held in the Oak Room of the Fellowship House. The lectures are noted for presenting recent discoveries or innovative scholarship that command public interest. Directors., Acting Director, 1945, Director, 1946–1969., 1969–1977., 1977–1984., 1984–1989., 1989–1998., 1998–2007., 2007–present See also.
References. Whitehill, Walter Muir (1967). Dumbarton Oaks: The History of a Georgetown House and Garden, 1800-1966.
Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 'Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C'. Apollo Magazine. Tamulevich, Susan (2001). Dumbarton Oaks: Garden into Art. New York: Monacelli Press. Gudrais, Elizabeth (June 2008).
Harvard Magazine. Pp. 48–56, 95. Goode, p.85. Carder, James (2010). 'The Architectural History of Dumbarton Oaks and the Contribution of Armand Albert Rateau'. A Home of the Humanities: The Collecting and Patronage of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss.
Dumbarton Oaks Museum Publications. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks. 'Various articles'. Bulletin of the Fogg Art Museum. 9 (4): 63–90. Dumbarton Oaks (1950).
The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Harvard University, 1940-1950. Washington, D.C. Brooks, Jeanice (2010). 'Collecting Past and Present: Music History and Musical Performance at Dumbarton Oaks'.
A Home of the Humanities: The Collecting and Patronage of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss. Dumbarton Oaks Museum Publications. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks.
Constable, Giles (1979). Dumbarton Oaks and the Future of Byzantine Studies: An Address to the Byzantine Studies Conference (ann Arbor, Michigan, November 4, 1978).
Washington, D.C.: Trustees for Harvard University. Constable, Giles (1983). 'Dumbarton Oaks and Byzantine Field Work'. Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 37: 171–176. Anastos, Milton V.; Angeliki E. Laiou; Henry Maguire (1992).
'Dumbarton Oaks and Byzantine Studies: A Personal Account'. Byzantium, a World Civilization. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.
Wright, David H. 'Wilhelm Koehler and the Original Plan for Research at Dumbarton Oaks'. Barker (ed.). Pioneers of Byzantine Studies in America. Byzantinische Forschungen. Amsterdam: Adolf M. CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter.
Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim; Angeliki E Laiou; Michel Conan (1996). Twenty-Five Years of Studies in Landscape Architecture at Dumbarton Oaks: From Italian Gardens to Theme Parks. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Lewis, Hilary; John T O'Connor (1994).
Philip Johnson: The Architect in His Own Words. New York: Rizzoli International Publications. Von Eckhardt, Wolfj (1963-12-08). 'Dumbarton Pavilion's Scheme is Inside Out'.
Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Academy of Achievement (2007-11-30). Academy of Achievement. Archived from on 2011-07-21. Johnson, Philip; Susan Tamulevich (2001). 'Foreword: The Pavilion in the Garden'.
Dumbarton Oaks: Garden into Art. New York: Monacelli Press. Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim; Jack Becker (1998).
American Garden Literature in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection (1785-1900): From the New England Farmer to Italian Gardens; An Annotated Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. O'Malley, Therese (2010). 'Mildred Barnes Bliss's Garden Library at Dumbarton Oaks'. A Home of the Humanities: The Collecting and Patronage of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss. Dumbarton Oaks Museum Publications. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks.
Byzantine Coins And Their Values
VSBA Architects & Planners. VSBA Architects & Planners.
Retrieved 2014-03-20. National Park Service (2000). Cultural Landscape Report: Dumbarton Oaks Park, Rock Creek Park. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Of the Interior.
Thacher, John (1977). Music at Dumbarton Oaks: A Record, 1940 to 1970.
Washington, D.C. Further reading.
Coinage of the Byzantine Empire Special Exhibition Museum Dumbarton Oaks Exhibit at Dumbarton Oaks, March 20, 1999-January 2, 2000 In conjunction with a colloquium held in March 1999 to mark the publication of the final two volumes of the Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and the Whittemore Collection, a special exhibition, Coinage of the Byzantine Empire, was organized at Dumbarton Oaks by Cecile Morrisson, advisor for Byzantine numismatics, and Susan Boyd, curator of the Byzantine collection. They were ably assisted by assistant curator Stephen Zwirn and curatorial assistant Ginger Crockett. Joseph Mills took the photographs that were such an essential part of the exhibit, and the installation was skillfully overseen by Christopher Harrison and Suzanne Mercury. As a new initiative Dumbarton Oaks has decided to transfer the exhibit to an online format to make it more widely accessible. Clarence Foules, Chris Dunham, and Lauren Henkin of the Publications Department were responsible for the transformation of the exhibit into electronic form. Coinage of the Byzantine Empire offers insights into the numismatic holdings at Dumbarton Oaks that, with the exception of some spectacular late Roman gold and silver medallions, are only rarely on public display. As is well known, coins are difficult to exhibit because of their small size.
A total of 118 gold, silver, and bronze coins were selected for display in three vitrines. They focused, respectively, on three themes: (I) history of the monetary system and its denominations, (II) imperial representations, and (III) religious representations. Photo enlargements and short explanatory comments complemented the coins. Also, seven wall panels of more extensive comparative images, in addition to enlarged photographs of the coins, set the coins in their larger historical context.
Gold Byzantine Coins
The themes of these panels are as follows:. an introduction answering practical questions, such as where the coins come from, how one reads a coin, how coins were made. the history of Byzantine coinage. mints. the uses of coins as political and economic instruments. christianization of the coinage.
Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine Institute
representations of Christ. representations of the Virgin. the history of the Dumbarton Oaks coin collection.