Figaro Unbound: Culture, Power, and Revolution at Play
Readers in the Los Angeles area as well as those planning to attend ASECS may find this series from LA Opera of interest. The associated programming is extensive. –CH
Figaro Unbound: Culture, Power, and Revolution at Play
Various venues in the Los Angeles area, January — April 2015
After Jean-Marc Nattier, Portrait of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, ca. 1755 (Institution: Comédie-Française)
From February 7 through April 12, 2015, LA Opera will produce three operas inspired by the works of the French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799). Beaumarchais was a man of many talents: a playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, fugitive, spy, publisher, horticulturalist, arms dealer, satirist, financier and revolutionary (both French and American). His trilogy of Figaro plays—The Barber of Seville (1775), The Marriage of Figaro (1784) and The Guilty Mother (1792)—captured staggering changes in social attitudes of the late 18th century. These plays and their characters have been subsequently adapted into operas (some more successful than others) by Paisiello, Salieri, Massenet and Milhaud to name a few.
LA Opera’s programming of the “Figaro Trilogy”—John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro—within the 2014/15 season will immerse audiences in the world of a character who created a sensation in the years leading up to the French Revolution. The lasting legacy of the free-thinking barber will be explored in Figaro Unbound, a three-month celebration of the revolutionary spirit.
With a variety of programming for all ages, Figaro Unbound will investigate the ongoing relevance of Figaro and the Beaumarchais trilogy. There will be performances of alternate musical adaptations of Figaro’s story and opportunities to examine his lasting influence on American political and cultural life. Figaro Unbound partners include ArcLight Cinemas, the Hammer Museum, Opera UCLA, A Noise Within, LA Theatre Works, FIDM Museum, the Huntington Library, LACMA, the Norton Simon Museum, the Getty Museum, and the Opera League of Los Angeles, among others.
Call for Papers | RACAR Thematic Issue: The Nature of Naturalism
From the call for papers:
RACAR Thematic Issue—The Nature of Naturalism: A Trans-historical Examination
Edited by Sarah Guérin (Université de Montréal) and Itay Sapir (UQAM)
Proposals due by 1 February 2015; completed articles due by 1 August 2015
In spite of its inherent complexities and ambiguities, the definition of naturalism in art is often taken for granted. Indeed, the history of art continues to be schematized by dividing it into periods of greater and lesser naturalism. Thus, for instance, the remarkably life-like capital foliage of Reims cathedral is flagged as a break from a typically medieval ‘abstract’ style; and the categorization of artists such as Caravaggio as ‘naturalists’ is repeated, but seldom questioned, throughout the spectrum of art historical texts, from scholarly studies to wall texts addressing the museum-going public.
The relations and interactions between art and nature, however, are never simple. Works of art can seek to imitate one aspect of nature while ignoring, or actively discarding, others. General interest in natural phenomena does not necessarily imply a ‘naturalistic’ technique, and vice versa. The perspective shifts even more dramatically when considered within the framework of global art history. The definition of nature is in itself, of course, a fraught philosophical question, exemplified, but not exhausted, by the distinction between Natura naturans and Natura naturata.
In this special issue of RACAR (Revue d’art canadienne / Canadian Art Review), we seek to problematize further the concept of naturalism in the visual arts. What are the criteria that define a work, a corpus, or a style, as naturalistic? How do artists formulate an approach to nature through the related aspects of content, form, and function? Should one distinguish naturalism from realism and mimesis, terms frequently used as quasi-synonyms? Is the category of ‘naturalistic art’ helpful at all for art historical discourse, or should it be dispensed with altogether? A perennial question in the history of art, the nature of naturalism remains relevant to the field.
We welcome both theoretical texts and specific case studies treating questions of naturalism from any historical period, geographical region, and artistic medium. The articles (of a maximum of 8,500 words including footnotes) will be due on 1 August 2015 and will be submitted to double-blind peer review. Please email your 250-word abstract and a short CV to Sarah Guérin (s.guerin@umontreal.ca) and Itay Sapir (sapir.itay@uqam.ca) by 1 February 2015.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
RACAR, un numéro thématique—La nature du naturalisme: un questionnement transhistorique
Sarah Guérin, Université de Montréal Itay Sapir, UQAM
En dépit de sa complexité et de ses ambiguïtés, la définition du naturalisme dans l’art est souvent tenue pour acquise. En effet, l’histoire de l’art continue d’être schématiquement divisée en périodes selon le degré de naturalisme. Ainsi, par exemple, les chapiteaux végétaux remarquablement véridiques de la cathédrale de Reims sont décrits comme une rupture par rapport au style médiéval qui serait typiquement « abstrait » ; et des artistes comme Caravage sont régulièrement étiquetés « naturalistes » dans des textes historiographiques divers, sans que cette description soit sérieusement expliquée ni remise en question.
Il est évident, pourtant, que les relations entre l’art et la nature sont loin d’être si simples. Les œuvres d’art peuvent tenter d’imiter directement un aspect de la nature tout en ignorant ou en rejetant activement d’autres ; un intérêt général pour les phénomènes naturels ne signifie pas nécessairement une technique « naturaliste », et vice-versa. La perspective bascule de façon encore plus radicale lorsque nous prenons comme cadre une histoire de l’art mondiale. La définition de la nature est en elle-même, bien sûr, une question philosophique complexe : la distinction entre Natura naturans et Natura naturata en est un aspect crucial parmi bien d’autres.
Dans ce numéro spécial de RACAR (Revue d’art canadienne / Canadian Art Review), nous souhaitons problématiser le concept de naturalisme dans les arts visuels. Quels sont les critères qui définissent une œuvre, un corpus ou un style comme naturaliste ? Comment les artistes formulent-ils leur approche à la nature à travers le contenu, la forme et la fonction de leurs créations ? Faut-il distinguer le naturalisme des termes fréquemment utilisés comme ses synonymes, tels le réalisme et la mimesis ? La catégorie d’« art naturaliste » est- elle d’une quelconque utilité pour le discours historiographique, ou serait-il préférable de l’abandonner ? La question de la nature du naturalisme, soulevée par les artistes et les théoriciens tout au long de l’histoire, demeure d’actualité.
Nous invitons des propositions d’articles (en anglais ou en français) traitant de la question du naturalisme dans l’histoire de l’art. Les textes qui se penchent sur des questions théoriques générales ou qui se concentrent sur des études de cas sont fortement encouragés. L’appel est ouvert à des sujets provenant de toutes les périodes historiques, toutes les aires géographiques et culturelles et tous les médias artistiques. Les articles (d’un maximum de 8500 mots y compris les notes) seront exigibles le 1er août 2015 et seront soumis à un examen par les pairs en double aveugle. Veuillez soumettre vos propositions d’un maximum de 250 mots et un court CV avant le 1er février à Sarah Guérin (s.guerin@umontreal.ca) et Itay Sapir (sapir.itay@uqam.ca).
Exhibition | The King of Groningen: Jan Albert Sichterman (1692–1764)
Johann Dietrich Findorff, after Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Clara the Rhinoceros, ca. 1752
(Schwerin: Staatliches Museum)
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
Along with the exhibition highlighting treasures from the Dresden Picture Gallery acquired in the eighteenth century, the Groninger Museum is currently presenting an exhibition addressing the collection of the Dutch merchant Jan Albert Sichterman:
De Koning van Groningen: Jan Albert Sichterman (1692–1764)
Groninger Museum, Groningen, 20 September 2014 — 1 March 2015
Philip van Dijk, Portrait of Jan Albert Sichterman (Groninger Museum)
The art collection of the Groningen merchant Jan Albert Sichterman—one of the most striking figures of the eighteenth century—included Asian ceramics, beautiful porcelain, splendid portraits painted by Philip van Dijk, Cornelis Troost and others, inconceivably fine pappercutting by Koster, furniture, silver, chintz, and memories of Clara the rhinoceros. After Sichterman’s death in 1764, his art collection was auctioned off and the collection largely dispersed. Fortunately, many collection pieces remained within the family and, in the course of time, the Groninger Museum has also been able to acquire several items. With this exhibition, the Groninger Museum has seized the exceptional opportunity to gather together what has been diffused since 1764. For this occasion, the Museum’s own Sichterman collection has been supplemented by hitherto unshown objects from private collections, as well as a number of works on loan. Never before has so much Chine de Commande porcelain owned a single family been exhibited in our country.
Christiaan J.A. Jörg, Egge Knol, and Denise A. Campbell, Jan Albert Sichterman (1692–1764): Een imponerende Groninger liefhebber van kunst (Groningen: Groninger Museum, 2014), 184 pages, ISBN: 978-9071691737, €39.
New Book | The Portrait Collection of Francesco Maria Niccolò Gabburri
From Artbooks.com:
Andrea Donati, Conoscere Collezionando: I ritratti della collezione Gabburri (Foligno: Etgraphiae editrice, 2014), 120 pages, ISBN: 978-8890868481, $69.
Nella storia del collezionismo europeo e della cultura illuministica Francesco Maria Niccolò Gabburri (Firenze, 1676–1742) rappresenta un caso di straordinario interesse per l’autentica passione e lungimiranza che lo contraddistinsero a Firenze come accademico, mecenate, collezionista, conoscitore. L’interesse per i ritratti maturò in lui fin dalla giovinezza, sulla scorta delle memorie fiorentine e delle raccolte dei Granduchi di Toscana, ma divenne parte vitale di un progetto originale, quando egli capì di dover combinare la sua vocazione collezionistica con lo studio della storia dell’arte. Conoscere collezionando, questo è il senso della sua vita e della sua opera. Questo è il senso del libro che gli ho dedicato.
Stuart Miniatures by Liotard on Offer at TEFAF 2015
Jean-Étienne Liotard, Prince Henry Benedict Stuart (left) and Prince Charles Edward Stuart (right), ca. 1736–38, watercolour and gouache on vellum, 7.4cm high by 5.5cm wide (excluding frame), €275,000.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
From the press release:
Tomasso Brothers Fine Art at TEFAF
Maastricht, 13–22 March 2015
Recognised as leading dealers in the field of European sculpture, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art also specialises in Old Master paintings and objets d’art. At TEFAF 2015 the gallery unveils an exquisite pair of portrait miniatures by one of the most sought-after masters of the genre Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702–1789), which depict Princes Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788) and Henry Benedict Stuart (1725–1807), last in the lineage of Stuart Kings in Scotland and England. The asking price for these miniature masterpieces is €275,000.
Born to French parents in Geneva, Jean-Étienne Liotard trained in Paris under the miniaturist and printmaker Jean-Baptiste Massé. While in Rome between 1736 and 1738, Liotard was commissioned by the exiled ‘Old Pretender’ James Edward Stuart (1688–1766) to paint portraits of his young sons Princes Charles and Henry. One of the most romantic figures in British history, celebrated in folklore as Bonnie Prince Charlie, Prince Charles Edward Stuart led the final Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 that was to end in defeat on the battlefield of Culloden.
Powerful and compelling imagery of the Stuart royal family—in the form of portrait miniatures, engravings and prints—was dispatched throughout Europe to garner loyalty and raise funds for the Jacobite cause to re-claim the throne of England. Evidence shows these particular miniatures may have been part of a group of three Stuart portraits sent to Vienna to be seen by Empress Elizabeth, wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. A miniature of Prince Charles is also recorded as having been sent to Dorotea, Dowager Duchess of Parma and mother of the Queen of Spain. The attribution has been fully endorsed by Professor Marcel Roethlisberger, author of the definitive 2008 monograph on Jean-Étienne Liotard in which they are illustrated.
Dino Tomasso, one of the Directors of the gallery, comments: “We are delighted to be exhibiting two masterpieces by the highly esteemed Jean-Etienne Liotard. This exquisite pair of miniatures is unrivalled amongst Liotard’s Stuart portraits in terms of their quality, and the fact that they are executed on vellum strongly suggests that they were his primary portraits of the young princes.”
Based at Bardon Hall, Leeds, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art was established in 1993. A second gallery was opened in St. James’s, London in 2013. Dino and Raffaello are recognised internationally for specialising in important European sculpture from the early Renaissance to the Neoclassical periods, with particular expertise in European Renaissance bronzes, along with an in-depth knowledge of Old Master paintings and objets d’art. They have promoted and supported, through loans and exhibitions, major international institutions and were one of the sponsors of the landmark show Bronze at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2012. Significant sales have been made to some of the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Bode Museum, Berlin; The Liechtenstein Collection and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven; and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Provenance
Possibly James Francis Edward Stuart, Palazzo Muti, Rome: whence Empress Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, Vienna, by 1738.
Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, Clonmannon, Ashfrod, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, by 1968.
Private Collection, England.
Published
Marcel Roethlisberger and Renee Loché, Liotard: Catalogue Sources et Correspondance (Davaco 2008), Volume 1, pp. 257–58; Volume 2, cat. 46 & 49.
Related Literature
Edward Corp, The King over the Water: Portraits of the Stuarts in Exile after 1689 (National Galleries of Scotland, 2001), p.73
Additional information is available here»
New Book | The Buildings of Peter Harrison
From McFarland:
John Fitzhugh Millar, The Buildings of Peter Harrison: Cataloguing the Work of the First Global Architect, 1716–1775 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2014), 244 pages, ISBN: 978-0786479627, $75.
Perhaps the most important architect ever to have worked in America, Peter Harrison’s renown suffers from the destruction of most of his papers when he died in 1775. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1716 and trained to be an architect as a teenager. He also became a ship captain, and soon sailed to ports in America, where he began designing some of the most iconic buildings of the continent.
In a clandestine operation, he procured the plans for the French Canadian fortress of Louisbourg, enabling Massachusetts Governor William Shirley to capture it in 1745. This setback forced the French to halt their operation to capture all of British America and to give up British territory they had captured in India. As a result, he was rewarded with commissions to design important buildings in Britain and in nearly all British colonies around the world, and he became the first person ever to have designed buildings on six continents.
He designed mostly in a neo–Palladian style, and invented a way of building wooden structures so as to look like carved stone—“wooden rustication.” He also designed some of America’s most valuable furniture, including inventing the coveted “block-front,” and introducing the bombe motif. In America, he lived in Newport, Rhode Island, and in New Haven, Connecticut, where he died at the beginning of the War of Independence.
Material-culture historian John Fitzhugh Millar has several books to his credit on architectural history, colonial ships, and historic dance; he also runs the historic Bed & Breakfast Newport House in Williamsburg, Virginia.
C O N T E N T S
Preface
1. Carl Bridenbaugh’s Account of Harrison
2. A New Narrative of the Life of Peter Harrison
3. The British Isles and Europe
4. Canada
5. New England
6. The Mid-Atlantic
7. The American South and Atlantic Islands
8. The Caribbean
9. Other Continents–South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia
10. Furniture
Appendices
A. Buildings Attributed to Harrison
B. Student to Teacher
C. Architectural Pattern Books in Harrison’s Library
Illustrated Glossary of Architectural Terms
Bibliography
Index
Louvre Aims to Purchase the Teschen Table
Johann Christian Neuber, Teschen Table, 1779, H. 81.5 cm; W. of tabletop: 70.5 cm, wooden core clad with gilt bronze, hardstones, Saxony porcelain (Photo by Philippe Fuzeau for the Musée du Louvre)
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
Included in the exhibition Gold, Jasper, and Carnelian: Johann Christian Neuber at the Saxon Court, the Teschen Table was on view in 2012 at the Grünes Gewölbe (Dresden), the Frick Collection (New York), and the Galerie Kugel (Paris). The Louvre’s campaign to raise acquisition funds for the table runs until the end of January 2015.
Press release (17 October 2014) from the Louvre:
New Donation Campaign for the Acquisition of a ‘Work of Major Heritage Value’
In the wake of the Tous mécènes! (Become a patron!) donation campaigns launched by the museum in 2010 for a painting by Cranach, in 2011 for the restoration of two treasures from Cairo, in 2012 for the acquisition of two magnificent ivory statuettes thought lost, and in 2013 for the restoration of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Louvre is once again appealing to the generosity of the general public to raise one million euros to add to its national collection with the purchase of the famous Teschen Table, a masterpiece of 18th-century decorative arts and monument commemorating a key moment in European history.
The Teschen Table, also known as the Breteuil Table or the Table of Peace, is the only work of its kind, made unique by its illustrious past and virtuoso craftsmanship. Both a table and a piece of jewelry, it was listed as a ‘National Treasure’ then as a ‘Work of Major Heritage Value’ by the French Consultative Commission for National Treasures. The table’s wooden structure, clad with gilt bronze, is inset with 128 numbered samples of semiprecious stones representing Saxony’s geological riches and Saxony porcelain medallions, allegorical celebrations of peace, on the table’s oval top. A booklet from 1780, kept in a drawer beneath the tabletop, identifies each numbered stone. By the precious nature of the materials used, likening it to the work of a jeweler, and the ‘stone cabinet’ layout of the tabletop, the table is a surprising and spectacular display of the rise and development of the natural sciences during the Enlightenment. It masterfully illustrates the secular tradition of decorative furniture made to the glory of European sovereigns.
The total budget for this exceptional acquisition is 12.5 million euros. Every donation, regardless of the amount, will be crucial to the success of the campaign to give the Teschen Table its rightful place in the Department of Decorative Arts. The Louvre is thus appealing to the generosity of the general public once again to raise one million euros before January 31, 2015. At the same time, the museum continues to seek funding from corporations and major donors, and will draw significantly on its own acquisition funds.
A Monument Commemorating European History
The War of Bavarian Succession broke out in 1778, when Maximilian Joseph, Elector of Bavaria, died without a legitimate heir on December 30, 1777. The clash between contenders to the Bavarian throne, which also threatened the interests of the Prince-Elector of Saxony, centered round the rivalry between the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and King Frederick II of Prussia. For six months this conflict, gravely threatening the balance of European power, prompted impressive troop movements and intense diplomatic negotiations. The emperor’s brother-in-law Louis XVI played a dominant role in the ‘diplomatic war’ led by the French foreign minister, the Comte de Vergennes. The king wisely refused to involve France in an armed conflict. Louis-Auguste Le Tonnelier, Baron de Breteuil, his ambassador in Vienna, was charged with vigorously affirming France’s neutrality and offering to mediate.
During the peace negotiations in Teschen, a city now divided into two towns in the Czech Republic and Poland, Breteuil conducted himself courteously, discreetly, and skillfully. The Teschen Peace Treaty was signed on May 13, 1779, under the successful joint mediation of France and Russia. As a mark of gratitude for his ministrations, and particularly for safeguarding the interests of Saxony, Baron de Breteuil received as a gift from Frederick Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, this table decorated with semiprecious stones. The Teschen Table or Table of Peace, a genuine monument commemorating a key event in European history, has remained with his descendants until today. To many historians, the Teschen Table immortalizes the Treaty of Teschen, considered by diplomats to be the first modern treaty in which two nations, France and Russia, served as guarantors of peace between Austria and Prussia and, more globally, collective security in Europe.
A Masterpiece by Johann Christian Neuber, Goldsmith and Mineralogist
Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808), a hardstone merchant and principal jeweler to the court of Saxony, finished his career as curator of the royal collections amassed in the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) in Dresden by the electors of Saxony since the Renaissance. Herein undoubtedly lies the originality of an artist who was also a man of science and inventor of the ‘Zellenmosaic’ technique, or mosaic composed of hardstones and semiprecious stones extracted from Saxony’s mineral deposits. Neuber was renowned for his snuffboxes, genuine miniature mineral display cabinets captioned with numbers and accompanied with an explanatory booklet, keenly collected by scientists and scholars. The Louvre has twelve of these exceptional Steinkabinett Tabatieren on display in the new Department of Decorative Arts galleries devoted to the 18th century (room 56).
During the Enlightenment, while Paris was the undisputed capital of taste and fashion in Europe, Neuber distinguished himself by his personal, innovative style. With the Teschen Table, Neuber created one of the first neoclassical masterpieces in Germany: shaped feet, garland decoration, palmette friezes, fluted legs reinterpreted to exalt the goût grec (Greek taste). The grisaille medallions painted on Saxony porcelain by Johann Eleazar Zeissig, known as Schenau, are still in keeping with the rococo tradition, but the iconography is clearly inspired by the Antiquity and neoclassical in nature, particularly the central medallion depicting the closing gates of the temple of war and the flame reignited over the altar of Peace.
A New Masterpiece for the Recently Inaugurated 18th-Century Decorative Arts Galleries
Solemnly presented on January 1, 1780 to the Court of Dresden, and celebrated as far as Versailles upon its arrival in France in August, the Teschen Table has remained in the Breteuil family since the 18th century, and has rarely been exhibited outside the Château de Breteuil, in the Chevreuse Valley, 40 km west of Paris. In 2012, it was the focus of remarkable exhibitions at the Grünes Gewölbe (Dresden), the Frick Collection (New York), and the Galerie Kugel (Paris).
The addition of this exceptional table to the Louvre’s new 18th-century decorative arts galleries inaugurated in June 2014 would be a highlight of the museum. Showcased within the revamped museum space, the artwork would be given a worthy setting at the center of the neoclassical masterpieces. Its acquisition is a unique opportunity to welcome a masterpiece whose symbolic, historical, and artistic dimensions naturally resonate with the Louvre’s vocation as a national museum.
New Book | The First Frame: Theatre Space in Enlightenment France
From Cambridge UP:
Pannill Camp, The First Frame: Theatre Space in Enlightenment France (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 299 pages, ISBN: 978-1107079168, $99.
In the late eighteenth century, a movement to transform France’s theatre architecture united the nation. Playwrights, philosophers, and powerful agents including King Louis XV rejected the modified structures that had housed the plays of Racine and Molière, and debated which playhouse form should support the future of French stagecraft. In The First Frame, Pannill Camp argues that these reforms helped to lay down the theoretical and practical foundations of modern theatre space. Examining dramatic theory, architecture, and philosophy, Camp explores how architects, dramatists, and spectators began to see theatre and scientific experimentation as parallel enterprises. During this period of modernisation, physicists began to cite dramatic theory and adopt theatrical staging techniques, while playwrights sought to reveal observable truths of human nature. Camp goes on to show that these reforms had consequences for the way we understand both modern theatrical aesthetics and the production of scientific knowledge in the present day.
Pannill Camp is Assistant Professor of Drama at Washington University, St Louis. His research examines points of intersection between theatre history and the history of philosophy, especially in eighteenth-century France. Before joining the faculty of Washington University, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Humanities Center at Harvard University and taught in Harvard’s Department of the History of Art and Architecture. At Brown University, he won the Joukowski Family Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Humanities, and The Weston Award for theatre directing. His work has been published in journals including Theatre Journal, Performance Research, the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
C O N T E N T S
Introduction: The ‘first frame’ of Enlightenment theatre space
1. The divided scene of theatre space in the Neo-classical era
2. The theatrical frame in French Neo-classical dramatic theory
3. Enlightenment spectators and the theatre of experiment
4. Theatre architecture reform and the spectator as sense function
5. Optics and stage space in Enlightenment theatre design
Epilogue: Modern spectatorial consciousness
Appendix: Dedicated public theatres built in France, 1752–90.
New Book | Fashion Victims
From Yale UP:
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015), 352 pages, ISBN: 978-0300154382, $60.
This engrossing book chronicles one of the most exciting, controversial, and extravagant periods in the history of fashion: the reign of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in 18th-century France. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell offers a carefully researched glimpse into the turbulent era’s sophisticated and largely female-dominated fashion industry, which produced courtly finery as well as promoted a thriving secondhand clothing market outside the royal circle. She discusses in depth the exceptionally imaginative and uninhibited styles of the period immediately before the French Revolution, and also explores fashion’s surprising influence on the course of the Revolution itself. The absorbing narrative demonstrates fashion’s crucial role as a visible and versatile medium for social commentary, and shows the glittering surface of 18th-century high society as well as its seedy underbelly.
Fashion Victims presents a compelling anthology of trends, manners, and personalities from the era, accompanied by gorgeous fashion plates, portraits, and photographs of rare surviving garments. Drawing upon documentary evidence, previously unpublished archival sources, and new information about aristocrats, politicians, and celebrities, this book is an unmatched study of French fashion in the late 18th century, providing astonishing insight, a gripping story, and stylish inspiration.
Exhibition | A Look at 1700: Prints from the Viladegut Collection
Jacques Rigaud and Martin Engelbrecht, Siege of Barcelona of 1714 (Comment l’on soutient et repousse les sorties), etching, Augsurg, ca.1750.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
From the Museu Frederic Marès:
Una Mirada al 1700: A partir dels gravats de la col·lecció Gelonch Viladegut
Una Mirada al 1700: A partir de los grabados de la colección Gelonch Viladegut
A Look at 1700: The Engravings of the Gelonch Viladegut Collection
Museu Frederic Marès, Barcelona, 16 June — 2 November 2014, extended until 11 January 2015
A partir del diàleg entre els gravats de la col·lecció Gelonch-Viladegut i les col·leccions del Museu Frederic Marès es vol oferir una galeria d’imatges sobre la Catalunya de començament del segle XVIII, concretament a la fi de la Guerra de Successió. L’exposició mostra com des del col·leccionisme també es pot aportar una visió del context sociocultural del país al voltant del 1714.
The press release (in Catalan) is available here»
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
The catalogue is available from Artbooks.com:
Xevi Camprubi et al, Una mirada al 1700: A partir dels gravats de la col·lecció Gelonch Viladegut (Barcelona: Ajuntament de Barcelona, Institut de Cultura de Barcelona, 2014), 154 pages, ISBN: 978-8498505597, $38.
Organised into five areas, the exhibition offers a view of Catalonia in the context of the War of the Spanish Succession based on the testimonies from collectors: first, the engravings from that period from the collection of Antoni Gelonch Viladegut, and secondly the collections of the Frederic Marès Museum, from which some works from its sculpture and 18th-century object collection in its extensive Collector’s Cabinet have been chosen. The five areas show images of power, territory, war, everyday life, and devoutness.
Enfilade 
leave a comment