Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1529937
OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. Strike a Pose C h a d D o r s e y 's n e w Strike showroom in the Dallas Design District highlights his modernist stone mantels in styled settings so beautiful you'll be tempted to put a fireplace in every room in your home. The showroom opened last month in Dorsey's former Slocum Street design offices, which he relocated a block away. Six mantels are on show, including four from his latest collection, Strike 2.0. The mantels are carved from large, hand- selected blocks of unusual stones into heroically proportioned and elegant designs. Some feature a mix of materials, such as limestone, marble, and brass clasps — all custom-scaled to exact project specifications and made to order. Each mantel is arranged with Dorsey's favorite collections of vintage Brutalist furniture and lighting, pottery, and artwork from Conduit Gallery — all available for purchase. Strike showroom, The Dallas Design District, 1316 Slocum St., strikefireplaces.com. Rebecca Sherman From top, both at Meadows Museum, SMU: Wall painting from lararium (household shrine), mid-first century CE, Pompeii. Wall painting fragment showing a woman (so- called Flora), early first century CE, Villa Arianna, Stabiae. Strike by Chad Dorsey Plinth and Laguna fireplaces for Ann Sacks T he Roman Empire, one of the mythic civilizations of the ancient world, lives o n t o d a y t h r o u g h i t s s u r v i v i n g a r t , architecture, and grand public works, from roads to aqueducts. Besides Rome itself, the city most identified with ancient Rome is Pompeii, as well as its sister hamlet, Herculaneum, playgrounds for the R o m a n e l i t e ; b o t h were tragically buried intact after the 79 CE volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius killed their inhabitants, sealing both cities in ash for millennium like time capsules. Exhibitions spun around Pompeii are always crowd pleasers, displaying intricate art, artifacts, and often even the dramatic casts of Vesuvius victims. "The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples" at the Meadows Museum, SMU, takes a different approach. This jewel of a show is envisioned and impeccably curated for the Meadows — its sole venue — by Michael Thomas, professor/director of the Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History at The University of Texas at Dallas. The Spanish-focused Meadows unpacks a look at the Age of Enlightenment's discovery and excavations sponsored by the future king of Spain, Charles VII of Naples, and his wife, Maria Amalia, and continued by heir and successor, son Ferdinand IV. The exhibition amounts to a history lesson on the regal patronage of Bourbon kings of Spain. Showcased are sumptuous royal portraits and historical scenes paired with porcelain, furniture, and prints inspired by Pompeiian archaeology that ushered in the Neoclassical movement that swept Europe two centuries ago. These works are paired with the thrilling 18th-century discoveries financed by the Bourbon kings that sparked them: a cache of frescoes that command attention, most loaned from Naples' famed archaeological museum, alongside a gladiator helmet, a bronze sistrum used in the mystic rites of Isis, and a 19th- century reproduction of the iconic bronze runner that held court at Herculaneum's Villa of the Papyri. Through January 5, 2025; meadowsmuseumdallas.org. Catherine D. Anspon Roman-Mania Grips Meadows Museum BOTH WORKS NAPLES, MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE DI NAPOLI © GIORGIO ALBANO 22