The Mechanical Table built by Martin Carlin, a German-born cabinet maker who worked in Paris, was constructed around 1780 out of oak veneered­ with maple, plaques of porcelain, and gilt bronze, in the French 18^th Century Neo Classical style.  Continue reading

In this book, Sharon Lebell attempts to give a new interpretation to the teachings of Epictetus, a man born into slavery in 55 A.D. in the Roman Empire.  Freed from slavery, he established a school of Stoic philosophy.  Stoicism at the time was a belief system that virtue is the highest good, and that perfecting moral virtue will free humans from sadness, loneliness, fatigue and more.  His school helped human beings can meet the challenges of life successfully by putting his teachings into practice. Continue reading

This Roman Couch and Footstool from the 1^st-2^nd century CE is constructed of wood with bone carvings and glass inlays.  It has been reassembled from fragments probably discovered in the imperial villa of Lucius Verus (co-emperor of Rome, CE 161-169) outside Rome. Continue reading