Medieval Money Matters, from Macabre to Moral

I’ve written about the Morgan Library a half dozen times or so over the years. It’s an oasis and a treasure trove, never vapid, never fake, never preachy. It never sticks a codpiece in its trousers. It’s 100 this year and, correctly, the museum is reflecting on its past and tipping its hat to its audience of connoisseurs and art lovers. And no one needs a degree, much less a pedigree, to love art or to discern quality. A good eye and good taste help, as does an open mind, but the Morgan Library, as a place, soothes and heals. In frenzied Manhattan, you need to want that to enjoy it.

For the first time in a year or so, I visited last week, wanting to see what I knew would be delicious art but also to see how it projects itself. Money, the Bible, Tiepolo, and, of course, J. P. Morgan star. There’s a show on herbals for the crunchy.