One of a Pair of Painted Terracotta "fat ladies" Chinese, Tang Dynasty, 8th century Painted clay Gift of Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter, Phoenix Art Museum #2013.507.1-2

"The term 'fat lady' is used in both Chinese and English to identify this kind of sculpture. In the imperial Chinese capital of the Tang dynasty, the standard of feminine beauty changed between the seventh century and the eighth century. Emperor Tang Xuanzhong (r. 712-755) became extraordinarily infatuated with one of his concubines, Yang Guifei. She was reknown for her voluptious beauty. His subsequent neglect of political affairs led to the An Lushan revolt and his forced suicide, for which she was partially blamed." (From info card). But until that debacle, "Yang Guifei set the style for feminine beauty of her time."

Gaston Lachaise's sculpture of his favorite plump model had Julia and I each aping her pose (I really should have taken photos of that).

Standing Woman with Arms behind her Back, 1918 Gaston Lachaise, American, born France, 1882-1935 Bronze Gift of Mr. and Mrs Orme Lewis, Phoenix Art Museum #1974.76??

While I wish I had snapped Julia with this statue, I did capture her with a huge cloissonné vase:

Chinese Cloissonné Enamel Jardinière (Flower Vase) on French Bronze Tripod Stand Flower Vase: Chinese, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), probably 19th century Tripod Stand: French, signed by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), probably 1860-70 Vase: cloissonné enamel; stand: bronze Museum purchase and gift of Robert H. Clague, Phoenix Art Museum #1982.214

Not only the French, the Dutch also had a frenzy for Oriental things:

Delft blue and white vase with cover, c. 1660 Dutch, faience Museum purchase with funds provided by Collector's Study Club and Friends of European Art, Phoenix Art Museum #2014.37.A-B

"A change of dynasty and turmoil in China between 1644 and 1656 disrupted Dutch trade routes. Consumers lost access to blue-and-white porcelain from China in 1657, but the desire for it didn't wane. To fill the void, Dutch potters developed their own high-quality version, now known as Delft ware, named after the city in which it originated. This large covered jar is an outstanding example of this production.

"Delft is not porcelain; it is faience, or earthenware. Delft potters did not have access to the kaolin clay that produces porcelain, and so their objects have a different chemical make-up and different properties. The clay object is coated in a tin oxide glaze to make it white; cobalt is painted on top, and then a transparent glaze is applied to make the object shiny. The decoration on this large covered jar includes disparate scenes that read as 'exotic' and 'Chinese', including palm trees, an elephant, and patterns that suggest mountains or floral elements. Other Delft pieces from this time show almost identical scenes - the elephant in particular - suggesting the potters shared pattern sources."

So far, all of these pieces I remember are from the museum's own holdings. The Vilcek collection has an interesting sculpture by Alexander Archipenko:

Woman with a Fan, c. 1958 (modeled in 1914) Alexander Archipenko, American, b. Ukraine, (1887-1964) Polychromed bronze, H- 35 1/2 in. (90.2 cm) Collection of Jan T and Marica Vilcek, Promised gift to The Vilcek Foundation "Woman with a Fan was cast by the artist during the 1950s from a reworked plaster of a 1914 original constructed out of wood, canvas, metal, and glass." - from the info card Archipenko's signature, "ARCHIPENKO 1914 VARIANT D"

(Note of July 29, 2015)
I did a little digging and learned, "The Vilcek Foundation aims to raise public awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts, and culture in the United States. The Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia."

I wondered if they were Czech, I could be related to them! :)

Returning back to the museum's own holdings, I found a Matisse lithograph to add to my photo gallery of Matisse, "Matisse's Pieces" :)

Head, 1938 Linocut © 2015 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS) Gift of Mr and Mrs Jack E. Brown, Phoenix Art Museum Accession number uncertain #1978.119???, photo too fuzzy :(

And here's a Monet for "Mon Monets":

Flowering Arches, 1913 Claude Monet, French, 1840 - 1926 Oil on canvas, Inscription: lower left: Claude Monet Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Donald D. Harrington, Phoenix Art Museum #1964.231 Monet's signature

And I got a new view of that dear little Calder piece:

And today there will will be more happy snaps, too. Perhaps I'll go back to bed for some more shut eye? I do want to be well-rested for today.