Ever wonder what it would be like to take a museum object out of its case for a closer look? Try the next best thing! Join an educator on select days at the Getty Villa and handle replica objects along with the materials and tools that ancient artists used to create the works of art on display in the galleries.

From salt and sand to objects of beauty: drop by to learn about the transformative process of glassmaking in this unique handling session. Through touch and close looking, you'll discover colorful and beautifully crafted works of glass that complement objects on display in the exhibition Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity. See how contemporary glassmakers creatively employ ancient techniques used to create the works in the exhibition—including free blowing, inflation, and mold blowing—and explore up close the remarkable variety of shapes, colors, patterns, and textures found in glass art. Handle objects, including a playful flask molded in the shape of a fish, an ingenious elegant pitcher–within–a–pitcher, and a mosaic glass bowl created by merging lengths of multicolored glass. Explore tools in an ancient glassmaker's tool kit and explore the different recipes used to make glass.

Video: Watch a glassmaker demonstrate ancient glassmaking techniques.

Handling Sessions are also available for blind and low vision groups. Learn more about how to sign up.

Painting Portraits
February 1–July 31, 2011

Mummy portraits provide a human face to ancient life in Greco-Roman Egypt. This drop-in handling session explored how painters created likenesses and the techniques of tempera and encaustic painting on wood. Participants discovered some of the surprising materials ancient artists used, which ranged from gold leaf and honey to rabbit-skin glue. With an educator as a guide, visitors learned about how mummy portraits like those of Herakleides and Isidora were created from start to finish.

Video: Watch a conservator discuss the scientific analysis of the mummy of Herakleides and recent discoveries about its origin, materials, and construction.

Video: Follow the steps of the mummification process in this short animation about the Getty Museum's Romano-Egyptian mummy Herakleides.

Gem Carving
March 11–August 1, 2010

This handling session explored the materials and tools in an ancient engraver's tool kit, including chisels with tips the size of a grain of sand and carving materials like diamond dust and olive oil. Participants enjoyed handling replicas of gems on display in the collection as well as an array of gemstones used in ancient times.

Video: Follow the process of engraving gemstones and take a peek at the materials featured in this Handling Session.