“Located in a magnificent Vanderbilt limestone mansion, walking into Carlton Hobbs is as if you entered some small museum in France,” she wrote. “The classical architecture is superbly executed and the exclusive antiques from the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries are particularly jaw dropping seen in this environment… Carlton Hobbs occupies a rarefied strata in the antiques business.”

She explained that the collection focused on furniture and art which belonged to royal families, aristocrats and famous architects of that period.

Next, Miller explored the Lillian Nassau collection, which included “the most beautiful Tiffany Studio pieces…classic lamps to windows, pottery, glass and desk accessories.” She added, “Seeing the real McCoys up front and personal I was simply wowed by the beauty of these objects.”

Her final tour was with Phoenix Ancient Art, where she admired “the most precious of precious antiquities from 5000 BC until around 14 AD.”

“Hicham Aboutaam owns the business with his brother Ali Aboutaam, a business originally started by his father in Lebanon in the 1960s,” she explains. “The gallery is a pristine environment of stunning dark bronze metal clad walls elegantly complimenting the stone floors, all very effective for displaying the select pieces on display and conjuring up the sense of ancient times long gone by.”

“The particular collection at Phoenix Ancient Art includes objects from civilizations that lived in Europe, the Near East, Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Balkans, Eurasia as well as from the Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras in history.”

According to the West Virginia Gazette, the White Oak Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society is preparing for a ribbon cutting on May 4^th. The venue will be called White Oak Depot Artisan and Heritage Center.

Susan Craun, chapter secretary, explained that live music and artistic demonstration will be offered at the site throughout the next few months. So far, fifteen artists have been juried for the gallery.

The new Center will be built on the halfway point along the White Oak Rail Trail, which was built around 1903. Thanks to donations from the Coal Heritage Highway Authority, the site will feature a handicap-accessible restroom, as well as landscaping, seating, and a dog-watering station.

According to Art DeCamp, a member of the Honorable Company, the gathering provides an outlet for kindred spirits to share knowledge and techniques that would otherwise be lost in history.

“In the old days, it was knowledge that was passed down word-of-mouth from the shop master to his apprentice,” DeCamp explained. “It was not written down.”

The non-profit organization aims to document the trade in a way that is educational to the public while remaining loyal to the period.

“We are all artisans,” said Jeff Bibb, guild master of the Honorable Company. “We are all working to produce items that are historically significant and continue the study of the history of our country.”

Learn more about the Company:

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“Originally, Zarsha Leo was just a small catering company that a friend and I launched after graduating from college. We bought a van and worked at smaller events like births, birthday parties, anniversaries and wakes.

“As we gained experience and many connections in the field, it was easier to branch out and eventually launch our own restaurant. Today, Zarsha Leo has venues on almost every continent and in numerous cities throughout the U.S.”

How it will fare against its competition, which includes Ben Affleck’s critically-acclaimed Argo, is unclear, but the majesty of Lincoln is irrefutable.

60 Minutes ran a segment on the film, profiling director Steven Spielberg and actor Daniel Day Lewis and the creative processes that they both went through while making the film.

The topic of Abraham Lincoln has always fascinated American authors and screenwriters, as well as the general public. Today, February 12th, is the former president’s birthday. The Shapell Manuscript Foundation offers insights into Abraham Lincoln’s confidence and expectations, as well as his reoccurring use of the phrase “in our hands.” They also bring forth an interesting observation regarding the film.

In a new exhibit called “Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind,” the history museum presents more than one hundred works ranging from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago alongside some of the more modern artists including Henri Matisse, Henry Moore and Joseph Hecht. The ancient pieces are made primarily of ceramic or mammoth bone.

Jill Cook, the exhibit’s curator, said “The modern works are there to show that way back in time, the key concepts of drawing, sculpting and modeling were well-known and utilized.”

“The modern brain has been able to create and formulate in these ways as far back as the ice age,” she added.

Many scholars have stated that Picasso and Moore’s works were influenced by paleolithic art. The French artist owned two casts of Venus de Lespugue, which was made with mammoth ivory, and is known to have lamented the vast stores of prehistoric art that has been lost or destroyed throughout the years.

David, a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, is especially grateful to the community. He has hosted a national PBS televisions series, written for the San Francisco Food Chronicle, and co-hosted a number of radio broadcasts and cooking shows.

In an effort to give back, David is involved in many projects. He serves as president of the Board of the Assyrian Aid Society of America and chairman of the Board of the Berkley Fund, while hosting the annual Narsai’s Taste of the Mediterranean which support the Assyrian Aid Society of America.

David explained that Turlock is part of his identity, as it is of many Assyrians from Chicago.

“All Assyrians came to Chicago, where the first jobs were. Once they had enough money, they wanted to find land that reminds them of home. The first Assyrian went to Turlock and bough requisite of land and began an Assyrian migration in Turlock,” he said. “There are a lot of Assyrians here. I graduated from Turlock Joint Union High School and have a warm spot in my heart for Turlock.”

David’s statue has evoked numerous responses in the community already. Resident Amil Adishol said: “This statues is a symbol of art and symbol of women in power. She was the first female that ruled the empire without being ruled by a king. Regardless of race, it is something that everyone can appreciate.”

Raymond George, president of the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock, added: “Aside from being Assyrian, we have a civilization of 5,000 years. The Queen is known for her beauty and pride. It is fitting to see that beauty and pride in Turlock.”

The center, uncovered beneath one of the city’s busiest streets, was built by the emperor Hadrian in 123 A.D. Featuring three enormous halls and marble terraced seating, the center hosted poetry and speech performances for Roman nobles.

“Hadrian’s auditorium is the biggest find in Rome since the Forum was uncovered in the 1920s,” Rossella Rea, the dig’s supervising archaeologist, explained.

The site was discovered thanks to recent excavations for a new subway.

Rea said: “We don’t have funds for these kinds of digs so this has come to light thanks to the new line.”

Though the discovery may hinder the subway construction, Rea believes the ruins can be left intact beside the new station.

“I believe we can run one of the exits from the station along the original corridor of the complex where Romans entered the halls,” she said.

Alam, 64, explains that her art comes from a fascination with ancient pottery from all over the world.

“I have examined the claywate of every culture: Greek, Chinese, Egyptian, Harappan and Mohenjodaro,” she said. “The bulbous female figure, prominent in the clayware of many ancient cultures, was the starting point for my work…It is considered a symbol of fertility.”

Though her art has been displayed across the globe, Alam’s art has a meaningful local connection.

“I believe I am a Harrappan. I prefer colors that reflect Pakistani culture, especially the domes and minarets I saw as a Lahori. If someone asked me to create a traditional Japanese bowl, I could not, as it is not me,” she said.

Alam’s pieces were moved to the new exhibit from a displat at the Koel Art Gallery. Owner Noel Bilgrami said:

“Sheherezade’s forms are fluid… They encapsulate the essence of ‘time’ as it spans across the Indus Valley Civilization, through ancient cultures and the Islamic period to the island of extremely refined sensibilities, Japan.”

The event hosted more than 60 exhibitors, featuring works including fine paintings, sculptors, antiquities and jewelry.

The Epoch Times recently released snippets from a press preview of the show. It explained that the Douglas Dawson Ethnographic Arts showcased ceremonial gear and ritual items from a range of African cultures, as well as old currency in the form of torques. The dealer also exhibited a 19^th century Ainu robe from Hokkaido.

“At S.J. Shrubsole, you can find a variety of antique English and American silver and jewelry. Make sure to ask about Etruscan and Egyptian revivalist jewelry brought into vogue by the building of the Suez canal in the 18^th century,” the preview suggests.

Meanwhile, Samina Inc. put forth exquisite jewels from the Mughal to Deccan Indian courts. These include headpieces, bracelets and pendants.

“For a day-trip to Ancient Greece, visit Phoenix Ancient Art,” the preview states. “Marvel at rare and well-preserved mosaic depicting Ganymede and Zeus in his many animal transformations. Owner Hicham Aboutaam has legends to tell about each of the pieces, which include several vessels and one of the most significant partial sculptures of Aphrodite available outside a museum.”

Other galleries include the Sladmore Gallery, the MacConnal-Mason Gallery, Daniel Crouch Rare Books, Drucker Antiques, European Decorative Arts Company and many others.