Collections
Help us celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of one of the America’s great archaeological treasures - the ruins of Altun Ha.
The ROM may be the most romantic place in the city this Valentine’s Day. We scan the collection for signs of Cupid… and find they are everywhere.
On August 30, 2012 I posted a blog on the rediscovery of a very striking and important ancient Roman amethyst gem engraved with the image of Victory writing on a shield, dating to about 50 BC to AD 25. I also mentioned that the gem was in the collection of Sir Francis Cook by 1903. The posting paid off! Last week I received an email from Dr. Erika Zwierlein-Diehl, a professor at the University of Bonn, Germany, telling me that she had seen my blog and immediately recognized our gem. Dr.
Dr. Chris Darling brings out some cool insects. As well, from Out of the Vaults: the Bronze Beetles of George Foster will be on display.
By Ka Bo Tsang, Assistant Curator, Chinese Paintings & Textiles
This large painting done in a hanging-scroll format is from a royal hand, that of Cixi, the Empress Dowager (1835-1908). Directly or indirectly, this most powerful woman in China in the latter half of the 19th century was in full control of the Qing empire until the very end of her life.
ROM’s newest exhibit, “Spirit & Utility: Art from Cambodia and Thailand,” opened over Thanksgiving weekend in the Middle East / South Asia Special Exhibit case, 3rd Floor Lee-Chin Crystal.
Posting by Kirstin Bourne
Mushroom season has only just started and already ROM mycologists have been out in the field conducting research and searching for new specimens to add to the museum collection. Last week I got the chance to join Jean-Marc Moncalvo, the ROM’s Senior Curator of Mycology, along with Ph.D. Candidate Santiago Sanchez and Josie Carding, a summer intern in the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity for a few days of foraging and camping in Ontario’s Awenda Provincial Park.
Mystery portrait in the ROM's collection, later revealed to be Sunder Shyam Chadha in the film “Chhottii Babhi,” 1951
Posting by Brendt Hyde, Mineralogy Technician
The discovery of diamonds in the 1990’s marked a beginning for Canada’s first diamond mine, the Ekati Diamond Mine, located in the Northwest Territories. It also marked the beginning of the, still relatively young, diamond mining industry in Canada.
