The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of my favorite places to roam. There’s always something to discover and plenty of beauty for the grand total of zero dollars admission.

There’s one room with an enormous wooden bench where I sometimes sit to just appreciate the space. Truth is, that bench is my favorite thing in that room but I never really thought about it’s origins. In that room, my fella especially enjoys a painting called Alexander the Great and the Fates by the Italian Baroque artist Bernadino Mei. It’s a compelling work of art where two of the three Fates who control the tread of life spin and measure Alexander’s life thread. The third goddess grapples with Alexander, preparing to cut the thread and end his life. There’s much more to it than that and I always see something new. 

I usually go in and plop down on that big bench. It’s a great place to rest a moment and appreciate Alexander the Great before continuing on through the maze of galleries. On our last visit, I noticed there’s a card on the end of that bench. It reads “Palace Bench, Florence Italy, 15th Century, Walnut, Museum Purchase 1953.156, PLEASE SIT.”

Holy cow. How many times have I sat here without knowing that it’s more than just a pretty bench? 

How many people have sat on this bench to pray, to mourn or to celebrate? How many museum goers have, like me, wandered through without noticing that we were sitting on a piece of history?

Here’s my advice for today. Don’t be afraid to look around and to admire things in a museum. Stand in one spot and just take in your surroundings. Study the painting you don’t understand. If you think it’s interesting, Google it while you stand there so you can understand what’s happening. Pay attention to the things that no one else looks at. Read the card discreetly placed on the thing everyone sits on. 

There’s usually a story!