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Lovers of art, history and literature spend days at the Morgan Library and Museum exploring the most astonishing collection of manuscripts, paintings and books, with a collection of important, rare and priceless pieces covering Egyptian art, Renaissance, manuscripts , rare books, and even the earliest evidence of writing.
Founded in 1906 to house the private collection and library of John Pierpont Morgan, which includes a rare collection of prints and drawings, the library was designed by Charles McKim. In 1924, Morgan’s son, John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., made it a public institution, and the building is now a National Historic Landmark.
Today, the complex of buildings that houses the Library and Museum also serves as a center for academic research. The library has many illuminated manuscripts, as well as original manuscripts by famous authors. Some interesting and unusual articles include ‘Ivanhoe’ by Sri Walter Scott and ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. The manuscripts of Charlotte Bronte, Lord Byron, and the original poems of Robert Burns are other popular items on display.
The collection also has a large compilation of incunabula, prints and drawings by European artists. The collection encompasses Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough, Dürer, and Picasso. The incunabula include early printed Bibles, which include the Latin Bible, the earliest good example of a European ‘moving metal type’, and two other Gutenberg Bibles and Old Testament miniatures with inscriptions in Latin, Persian, and Judeo-Persian. The collection of printed books and bindings extends to cover important first editions of the 20th century, highlighted by first editions by classical authors. The vast collection of bindings of approximately one thousand volumes represents bindings in English, French and Italian from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Most students of literature and history are drawn to Ancient Egyptian material and medieval liturgical objects. Also on display are original drawings for William Blake’s Book of Job edition and Antoine de Saint Exupery’s conceptual drawings for The Little Prince.
The Morgan Library and Museum is also home to an excellent collection of musical manuscripts, first editions of sheet music and librettos, some 1,700 items spanning six centuries and spanning many countries. Highlights of the collection include the autograph manuscript for Violin Sonata no. 10 in G and Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony, again an autograph manuscript. In addition to The Library, it also houses an impressive collection of manuscripts by Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, and Richard Strauss.
The collection of drawings and paintings spans the 14th to 21st centuries, and focuses primarily on European drawings prior to 1825. The collection includes Italian drawings from the 16th and 18th centuries; works by Raphael, Michelangelo, and da Vinci, France represented by Claude, Watteau, and Fragonard, and covers the works of Rembrandt, with the largest collection of Rembrandt etchings in the United States, Rubens, and van Dyck.
Exploring Morgan’s vast collection would definitely take a couple of days and the best option would be to find accommodation in the surrounding area. To stay nearby, try the Shelburne Murray Hill Hotel in New York. Located in Midtown Manhattan, the hotel also offers easy access to Fifth Avenue shopping, the UN headquarters, and other interesting attractions and museums.