Wharfedale

DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY: The recent meeting of the Skipton and Wharfedale Decorative and Fine Arts Association was addressed by Dr Ann Birchall on Masterpieces of Classical Art in the British Museum. Rather in the manner of Dr Neil MacGregor’s “history of the world in 100 objects”, she chose 13 pieces to describe to us, from a small statuette of a female figure dating from around 4000 BC, to pottery, mosaics and pictures of some parts of the Elgin Marbles, which were part of the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. Dr Birchall has wide international experience in archaeology, and is a former assistant keeper in Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the museum. Her fascinating talk covered a vast period of time, and diverse artefacts. We were left with a tremendous desire to visit the museum and see for ourselves some of the wonderful pieces kept there.