Princely Treasures

The sunny little island of Singapore did not really live up to its name today. This morning it was raining. Luckily for me, to mark the start of my country expedition, I had chosen something indoors - the National Museum of Singapore. This was the perfect choice because by the time I left the museum, the skies were clear and blue so I managed to get some shots of the roads leading to to the museum and shots of the building itself.

the road to the left and right of the museum if 

you were to stand facing its main entrance

The exhibit I went to was 'Princely Treasures - from the House of Liechtenstein'. As the name implies, the exhibition was displaying art pieces owned by the aristocratic Liechtenstein family. 

It seemed appropriate to start at that exhibit as it was there that I first had the idea of exploring Singapore before I left. Yes, you read it right, I had gone to the same exhibition just two Saturdays before with my dad. However, because I had enjoyed it thoroughly and felt like there was still 'more to be seen', I decided to head back.

I must admit at this point that this is the third exhibit I have been to (that I remember) at the National Museum in my entire lifetime! The other two were an exhibit on Egyptian mummies and the lost Italian city of Pompeii.

the front of the museum
(to the left of the photo you can see the banner
promoting the 'Princely Treasure' exhibit)

I am not sure if it's just me, but I feel that we often forget about the many things our own city has to offer, something else I hope to change about myself before I leave.

What I enjoyed the most was the Baroque Art on display. I'll include the link to Wikipedia's pages on Baroque Art and the Princely family of Liechtenstein below for anybody interested in finding out more about either!


I am a fan of Greek mythology, and though I have yet to pick up a book by Homer, I have spent many nights scouring through online Greek archives and reading the stories of different characters. Many of the pieces on display are based on famous Greek characters and stories as well as biblical characters. If you were to read more about Baroque Art, you would see how religion, more specifically Roman Catholicism, greatly influenced this style of art. Thus many of the bible's characters are the subject matter of the pieces. 

different Baroque pieces all based on Greek mythology

Judith and the head of Holofernes

I also managed to speak to June, a staff at the museum. She said she was a 'bench sitter' and basically was a security guard who had to "make sure no one touches the paintings, kids don't run around screaming and that people don't use flash when they take photographs". I assumed she was an art student and she said she was one on break. She shared that she enjoyed being able to work there as she could view the paintings/ displays free of charge and all the time, but was also sure to add that there was no need to see the same exhibit everyday for 2 months! 

more Greek inspired paintings

Christ on his deathbed

a wide variety of subject matter from fruits to cherubs...

my attempt at using the panorama function on my iPod Touch

Being a Wednesday, there were not many visitors. That meant that I could take my time at each art piece, reading the description and taking a good long look at each and every painting! It was rather surreal to be able to stand alone in a whole room of art - as though I was truly in the moment with the characters in the painting. I am not sure if that sounds enjoyable or creepy, but it was definitely a more intimate way to experience the art. 

the bronze statue is watching you...

portraits of aristocracy

Another thing I greatly enjoyed was taking photos of the pieces and the people looking at them. I managed to get most of the photographs with other museum goers in the shots. I enjoyed watching how they reacted to the paintings. Some leaned closer to scrutinize the details of the pieces, while others took steps back to better see the picture as a whole. It was fascinating to see how different people reacted to what they saw, especially with some of the more graphic paintings. 

sharing thoughts and opinions (:

My favourite painting was one called Il Consiglio alla Vendetta or Vengeance is Sworn. The two women in the picture are painted in such a 'human' fashion it was not hard at all to imagine they were really in front of me. 

Vengeance is SWORN... to the left (;

After spending three hours at the gallery, I left. I felt that it had been a fulfilling three hours spent at the museum. Not only did I manage to enjoy some good Baroque Art, I was also able to witness human curiosity in action. Before I left, I took a few more photographs of the architecture of the inside of the Museum. Hope you enjoy them! 

walkway to the exhibit hall

STAIRS! My worst enemy...

juxtaposition of classic and modern

To end off, here's a song about the Greek character Icarus. (I'll include a link on his story for you)

'Icarus is flying too close to the sun. Icarus is life, it has only just begun. It's just begun' - Icarus, Bastille


Wiki page on Princely Family of Liechtenstein: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princely_Family_of_Liechtenstein 
Wiki page on Baroque Art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque

Wiki page on Icarus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus