HOW TO READ A LABEL
You can learn a lot about a work of art by reading its identifying label. Here are a few hints. Let's take the label for this work by Rachel Ruysch as an example.
Rachel Ruysch
Dutch, 1664/1665 - 1750
Floral Still Life, 1686
Dutch Painting
Oil on canvas
45 1/8 in. x 34 3/8 in. (114.62 cm x 87.31 cm) (without frame)
Acquired with contributions made in memory of Brenda Rowntree by her friends, through the Acquisition Fund of the Women's Council, and the Marion Stratton Gould Fund, 82.9
Rachel Ruysch |
Artist's name |
Dutch, 1664/1665-1750 |
Artist's nationality, birth and death dates |
Floral Still Life, 1686 |
Title and date artwork was made |
Dutch Painting | Type of artwork |
Oil on canvas |
Medium, the materials the artist used |
45 1/8 in. x 34 3/8 in. (114.62 cm x 87.31 cm) | Dimensions |
Acquired with contributions made in memory of Brenda Rowntree by her friends, and through the Acquisition Fund of the Women's Council and the Marion Stratton Gould Fund. |
The source of the artwork, which means the name or names of the people who gave it to the Gallery or the funds we used to buy it. This painting was bought with money from three sources. |
82.9 |
Accession number. The first set of digits tell the year the artwork
was acquired. The number following the period indicates the order it
came into the collection that year. This was the 9th
artwork acquired in 1982. |
Unknown, Mycenaean
Krater, 1275 BCE-1225 BCE
Mycenaean Ceramics; Made in Cyprus
Terracotta, paint
18 1/2 in. (46.99 cm)
R.T. Miller Fund, 51.203
What do "BCE" and "CE" mean?
Some artworks have creation dates that include the terms "BCE" and/or "CE." BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) refer to the same time periods as the more traditional BC (Before Christ) and AD ("Anno Domini," which means "The Year of our Lord").
In today's global society, constant interaction between people of all religious beliefs requires a shared, or common, way of reckoning time. Although the terms BCE and CE have their origins in the Christian calendar, they are now widely used by people of many faiths and cultures.
For this reason, the Memorial Art Gallery has adopted BCE and CE for use in its galleries.