british museum: the enlightenment living room

I've lived within a 10-minute vicinity of the British Museum for 3 years, and I've never stepped foot in it since a short visit 5 years ago on my first trip to London.

I went today after giving up on hopes that the sun would hold up (reading The White Peacock on the roof just had to wait). I actually went specifically for the new exhibition, The Horse: from Arabia to Royal Ascot.

It fell short of expectations, and I was done with it in about 30 minutes. The 'Arabia' part was very well thought-out and the items on display quite spectacular, including a life-size horse armour. However, the 'Royal Ascot' bit seemed hastily thrown together, and based mainly on drawings and paintings that gave limited insight. Still, I really enjoyed the diaries of Anne Blunt, who co-founded the Crabbet Arabian Stud with her husband. Her entries are beautifully illustrated with her own watercolours- what a talented lady. The sketch of the anatomy of the horse by George Stubbs is another highlight, it is so wonderfully detailed, and will certainly make you look at his Whistlejacket at the National Gallery in a new light. But I would have liked to see some more concrete display items in the 'Ascot' section- saddles, training equipment, pedigree papers- and a bit more history behind professional racing. I did like the short clips of races, Olympics dressage and show-jumping at the end of the exhibition, but they could have been a bit longer.

After leaving the exhibition disappointed, I wandered by chance into the Enlightenment Room. Now this is a place worthy of hours of leisurely lingering. It was like walking into the living room of an Enlightenment hoarder. What makes this exhibition unique are the walls of artefacts from bird eggs, stuffed birds, sea shells, china, wax seals and statues. The huge collection of beautiful antique books lends the room a distinct flavour of legacy. If I had the time and a ladder, I could easily spend a day scouring the entire literary contents of the room from floor to ceiling.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.