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Brooklyn Museum. (Photo: Adrianna Glaviano)

The Nature Lover’s Guide to the Brooklyn Museum

Explore art at the intersection of history and the natural world.

It was March when a stray queen bee came looking for a home at the Brooklyn Museum. A few of our staff were on the roof of the building with Bruce Gifford of Cultured Bees, discussing how and when he would install a hive atop the Museum. Suddenly, an enormous bee appeared, alighting on one of the crates that would soon contain the new hive. “She knows!” we said. After a few moments, she flew away. A colony of bees—and our own Brooklyn Museum apiary—are now safely installed on the roof with a different queen, having been abandoned by this would-be ruler. 

In the outdoor plaza that surrounds our front entrance, you may spot some of those bees buzzing around our eco-friendly wildflower garden at the ground level. Installed by Brook Landscape, all the plants in the garden are native to North America and some to Brooklyn. Feel free to log your observations on iNaturalist, where visitors have already taken note of woodland crocuses, violets, and geraniums growing near the building, as well as fireflies, butterflies, and other winged creatures.

The Brooklyn Museum holds a deep appreciation for nature both outside and inside its walls. For millennia, artists have worked to understand and interpret our relationship with the natural world. The results, including many pieces in our collection, stand at the intersection of history, ecology, and spirituality. We invite you to explore a selection of highlights for nature lovers in and around the Museum—and to appreciate them from afar if you’re not able to buzz over in person.


In the Museum


Second Floor

 

Seated Buddha

The lotus flower—which appears underneath this seated Buddha from Sri Lanka, and elsewhere in depictions of Buddhist or Hindu deities—holds symbolic significance in many religious traditions. Observers are often inspired by the seemingly miraculous way that these beautiful flowers emerge from murky, shallow waters.

 

Square Tile

Floral motifs are a popular decoration in much of the Islamic World; carnations and hyacinths were especially popular in Ottoman court paintings of the sixteenth century. They’re recreated on this tile, which would have been part of a larger decorative wall panel in Ottoman Turkey.

 

Brush Pot with Imperial Inscription 

Accessories like this Chinese brush pot—adorned with plants, animals, and rock formations—bring elements of the natural landscape into the scholar’s space for contemplation and inspiration. This artist used variations in the stone to highlight carved images, such as one of a pine tree. 

Hear more about this work in our Arts of Asia and the Islamic World audio guide.

Third Floor

 

The Resurrection of Christ 

One of the signature elements of the della Robbia workshop was the garland border, meant to offer a smooth transition from nature to the sacred. The border of this lunette, likely designed to be set into architecture, is jam-packed with identifiable and symbolic plants and animals. Be on the lookout for snails and a squirrel!

Blue-Painted Vase with Marsh Scene

In ancient Egypt, the life-giving waters of the Nile River and its surrounding marshes were closely associated with creation and fertility; they were also frequent subjects in art. Here, two nude figures in boats made from reeds are surrounded by lush vegetation, waterbirds, and young cattle.

 

Ritual Knife

This knife, including its detailed handle, was created early in ancient Egyptian history—around 3300 to 3100 B.C.E., about 500 years before the first pyramid. Carved rows of minuscule animals—including elephants, lions, a giraffe, and sheep—cover both surfaces of the handle.

Fourth Floor

 

“Dragonfly” Lamp

Clara Driscoll and other women who designed Tiffany lamps famously took inspiration from natural elements. They laid real flowers and insects on forms in the studio to inform their designs. 

Fifth Floor

A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning

The Hudson Valley has been a popular escape from urban life since the 1820s. The Catskill Mountain House—seen nestled in this sprawling landscape—opened in 1823. Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole created such paintings to capitalize on the tourism boom of the era. This surge was ignited by the expansion of steam travel as well as by art, guidebooks, and literature such as Rip Van Winkle, which is set in the Catskills. 

Wind, Sunshine and Flowers

Spend some time with Alma W. Thomas’s abstract take on our natural world. She was inspired by flower petals, dappled light, and the feeling of wind on her skin. What patterns emerge when you think of nature?

 

Elizabeth Treptow is a Digital Content Producer and Corinne Segal is the Senior Web Content Manager at the Brooklyn Museum.