We spent a fun and relaxing Monday visiting the Estate, Art Museum, and Circus Museum of John Ringling, one of the five circus entrepreneurs, the Ringling Brothers.
But wait... Estate? Art Museum?
It's easier to imagine people involved in the early history of circuses to be kind of rowdy folks, akin to fairground barkers or strange people who can do things like twist their heads all the way around. The Ringling boys were said to have gone to a circus when they were very small, and so enjoyed themselves they determined to learn everything about it, even practicing acts and holding impromptu shows in their back yard. They never lost their sense of excitement and dedication, and despite being initially drawn into the venture by the thrill of circus acts they'd witnessed, these were intelligent businessmen, who eventually went on to create one of the pre-eminent circuses in America.
The estate, known as Ca d' Zan (which means "House of John" in the Italian dialect spoken in Venice,) belonged to John, the youngest of the Ringling Brothers, and his wife Mabel, who were in fact connoisseurs of art. Their early trips to Europe were with the Ringling Circus, but while there they became enamored of European art, and eventually became serious, knowledgeable collectors. Their home is grand and elegant, built in the 1920's in the Venetian Gothic style they both loved. It is full of antiques collected in their travels. Large doors lead out to a piazza overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, very beautiful!
The Art Museum holds works by Rubens, Titian, and many other important "Old Master" painters, along with Greek, Roman, and Asian artifacts, and works by more modern well-known artists such as Marcel Duchamp.
These were purchased by John Ringling in his travels abroad, or from auction houses he enjoyed frequenting in New York and London. He had the Museum built in the late 1920's to house his huge collection.
The Circus Museum includes old costumes, handbills, clown props, and other artifacts from the Ringling Circus's early days. Some of the big parade wagons which held lions and elephants are here, reminiscent of bright gypsy caravans.
Most impressive is a miniature replica of the Circus in its heyday years of the 1920's and 30's. This was created by the master model builder Howard Tibbels, and features incredible detail!
There are thousands of wee circus performers and workers, animals, train cars, tents, ticket booths, etc., all done to perfect scale. We could have spent the entire day looking over this exhibit, and still not taken everything in.
Also on the grounds is the reconstructed Asolo Theatre, original to 1790's Italy. In the 1930's, this was about to be razed by new Italian fascist leaders, who considered it "decadent." The decorative panels were rescued by an art dealer who purchased and then stored them. Twenty years later, they were sold to the Ringling Museum's first art director, who had the theatre rebuilt on the estate premises. Today, it remains an active community venue for the performing arts.
The estate's landscaping is beautiful, too, with big fascinating banyan trees everywhere, as well as elegant antique statues, and Mable's beloved rose garden.
We really didn't expect to encounter elegance when we decided to visit the "Ringling Museum" on this rainy day. We truly did think it would be all about the clowns!
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