-Princeton's Hidden Gems-

  For my birthday, I had the pleasure of going to the Princeton University Art Museum and seeing some beautiful paintings.  It's difficult to find information on a lot of the pieces at the museum online, but trust me, it is an unknown wonder.  By the way, the museum has amazing information on all of the pieces within the collection on the plaques.  
    Of course, I was immediately drawn to my areas of interest.  There's a breathtaking 19th century gallery including a large Frederic Leighton painting, some studies by Ingres, a Rosa Bonheur sketch of a dog and this amazing Bouguereau that I am pictured with titled "Women with an Iris" (1895) amongst other works. There is also a Prud'hon pastel portrait of a man in its original period frame.
     Perhaps the most impressive is a partially finished oil on canvas painting by J.L. David and his studio as a copy of his 1787 masterpiece "Death of Socrates," which is on display at the MET.  It's difficult to explain but the painting is partially finished because it was used as a teaching tool in his studio so you get to see the layers pealed back from finished to a rough ebauche underpainting.  It's a great piece and very difficult to track information on.
   The museum has a great all-around collection, from Sargent and Bierstadt paintings, renaissance and Dutch masters to Roman sculpture and beautiful Japanese and Chinese works on paper.  
     If you're in the area, stop by and see the collection, because it has so much to offer.

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