Hands: Silent Yet Speaking

"I'm moved by Saint Sebastian's bound hands as symbols of linguistic oppression." —Emmanuel von Schack, educator and ASL user

"I'm moved by Saint Sebastian's bound hands as symbols of linguistic oppression."—Emmanuel von Schack, educator and ASL user

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How does the sculpted body communicate? Hear from Met experts, leading authorities, and rising stars, each with a unique viewpoint on the language of gesture, facial expression, and pose.

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A Self-Portrait painting by the African American Painter Horace Pippin. A Black man sits against a blue background from his shoulders up looking directly towards us with deep brown eyes. He is wearing a black suit, off-white yellowish suit, and a striped tie with brown and a golden-mustard yellow.
How has art history overlooked the crucial role disability played in Pippin's painting?
Bryan Martin
July 26, 2023
Close-up of the marble statue of Nydia, The Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii, made by Randolph Rogers, from her above her shoulders showing a young girl with closed eyes and a hand cupped around her right ear in a gesture suggesting it aids her hearing. Nydia’s face is directly facing the camera. The sculpture is in the American Wing Engelhard Sculpture Court at The Met, a skylit space with direct, dramatic natural light.
"No place for a blind girl in a city of ash."
Georgina Kleege
July 10, 2023
Sculpture of a right ear with the canal indicated by a circular hole, traces of red paint, and five syllabic signs carved into the lobe
Disabled and Deaf artists reflect on work from the Museum's collection.
Victoria Martinez
July 1, 2022
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Saint Sebastian, Master of the Furies  Austrian, Ivory; kingwood socle, Austrian, possibly Salzburg
Master of the Furies
17th century