Boxing Day at Rienzi

Mexican, Chest (Baúl de Tapa Curva), 18th century, wood, tortoiseshell, and silver, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, Museum purchase funded by the Rienzi Society.
Spanish, Spice Box, late 18th century, silver, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Boxing Day at Rienzi
Celebrated in Great Britain on December 26, Boxing Day is a day when employers traditionally boxed up gifts for their workers to thank them for their service throughout the year.
Today, Rienzi invites you to bring the family and enjoy a few English traditions in Houston! The Garden Club of Houston has been busy decorating the house and grounds with lights and garlands. Look for holiday needlework and garden-themed ornaments on the Christmas trees. Tickets are free, available in advance here.
Schedule
- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Self-Guided Tours of the House See Rienzi at your own pace, and visit with docents in the galleries.
- 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Art-Making Activity Create your own Christmas crown with colorful jewels.
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Cookies and Cider Enjoy warm beverages and cookies, while they last!
- 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Holiday Music Harpist Hope Cowan plays classical and seasonal music.
- 2 p.m. Gallery Talk “Containing Narratives” Assistant curator Misty Flores explores the stories behind boxes from Mexico and Spain, highlighting the economic importance of silver in 18th-century viceregal Mexico and the exhibition Looking South: Collecting the Arts of Mexico.
- 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Theater Performance Actors Laura Kaldis and Spencer Plachy from Main Street Theater perform a short scene from Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.
Questions? rienzi@mfah.org
• Learn more about Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts.
Education programs at Rienzi receive generous funding from the Sterling-Turner Foundation; Alkek and Williams Foundation; Carroll Sterling and Harris Masterson III Endowment; and the Caroline Wiess Law Endowment for Rienzi.