12 | July | 2023 | Enfilade

Wadsworth Atheneum Acquires a Portrait by Rosalba Carriera

Posted in museums by Editor on July 12, 2023

From the press release (10 July 2023). . .

Rosalba Carriera, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1730, pastel on paper, laid down on canvas, 24 × 18 inches (Hartford, CT: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Charles H. Schwartz Endowment Fund).

The Wadsworth Atheneum has acquired an outstanding work by Rosalba Carriera (widely known as ‘Rosalba’), the most famous woman artist working in the eighteenth century and admired as a pioneering and brilliant pastellist. Portrait of a Gentleman (ca. 1730), was created when she reached the height of her career, portraying the upper echelons of society with a deft hand and observational sensitivity. It is the first example of the artist’s work in the Wadsworth Atheneum’s collection.

Rosalba (1675–1757) started her career as a miniaturist, but she became best known for her skill with pastels—her technical and artistic innovations elevating the uniquely powdery medium to great popularity among artists and collectors. Royalty, cardinals, and cognoscenti across Europe commissioned portraits and allegories from her. It quickly attracted admirers and younger followers such as Jean-Étienne Liotard and Maurice Quentin de la Tour.

“Portrait of a Gentleman is a work of rare elegance and grace—it is also an exemplary work by Rosalba. The freshness and radiance of the colors as well as the vaporous quality of the surface truly distinguish this work and lend to its liveliness. That we are as yet unable to definitively identify the sitter is secondary to the captivating beauty of this portrait,” said Oliver Tostmann, Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art at the Wadsworth.

The figure depicted was first identified as the legendary art collector Pierre Crozat, and later as Louis Armand II de Bourbon, Prince de Conti; neither suggestion, however, has been verified. The sitter poses with torso in profile and his head positioned toward the viewer, nearly achieving contact while maintaining a slight aloofness. With his magnificent shoulder length wig, damask justaucorps coat, and splendid red vest embellished with gold embroidery and buttons, this handsome sitter was clearly someone of status and rank.

“This breathtaking portrait will greatly enrich our growing collection of works on paper. Not only is it a work of the highest quality, but it is also from the hand of the most celebrated pastellist of the eighteenth century. We are proud to welcome Portrait of a Gentleman into the Wadsworth’s collection and look forward to sharing Rosalba Carriera’s brilliance with our visitors very soon,” said Matthew Hargraves, Director of the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Exhibition | New Nation, Many Hands

Posted in exhibitions by Editor on July 12, 2023

Unidentified maker, Powder Horn, 1802, Lisbon, Connecticut, cow horn, pine, and iron (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, James L. Goodwin Art Purchase Fund, 2023.22.1).

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Now on view at the Wadsworth Atheneum:

New Nation, Many Hands
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, June 29–ongoing

Curated by Philippe Halbert

Political independence from Great Britain in 1783 transformed American society, and citizens celebrated the promise of their young republic through art. Acknowledging the complexities and contradictions of the era, New Nation, Many Hands presents a cross-section of objects from the permanent collection that shaped emerging American identities and the ongoing fight for freedom. Household goods, from ceramics and furniture to metalwork and textiles, combined practicality with patriotism in the early years of the United States. Some of the objects reflect changing fashions, distinct regional styles, and expanded trade networks. Others express pride in the new nation and hope for its future. All reveal stories of the people who created, used, cherished, and benefited from them during a formative moment in American history.

New Book | French Silver in the J. Paul Getty Museum

Posted in books by Editor on July 12, 2023

From the Getty:

Charissa Bremer-David, with contributions by Jessica Chasen, Arlen Heginbotham, and Julie Wolfe, French Silver in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2023), 178 pages, ISBN: 978-1606068281, $55, with digital copies available free.

Vividly illustrated, this is the first comprehensive catalogue of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s celebrated collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French silver.

The collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French silver at the J. Paul Getty Museum is of exceptional quality and state of preservation. Each piece is remarkable for its beauty, inventive form, skillful execution, illustrious provenance, and the renown of its maker. This volume is the first complete study of these exquisite objects, with more than 250 color photographs bringing into focus extraordinary details such as minuscule makers’ marks, inscriptions, and heraldic armorials. The publication details the formation of the Museum’s collection of French silver, several pieces of which were selected by J. Paul Getty himself, and discusses the regulations of the historic Parisian guild of gold- and silversmiths that set quality controls and consumer protections. Comprehensive entries catalogue a total of thirty-three pieces with descriptions, provenance, exhibition history, and technical information. The related commentaries shed light on the function of these objects and the roles they played in the daily lives of their prosperous owners. The book also includes maker biographies and a full bibliography.

Reflecting Getty’s commitment to open content, the free online edition of this publication is available here, with 360-degree views and zoomable high-resolution photography. Also available are free PDF and EPUB downloads of the book, and JPG downloads of the main catalogue images. For readers who wish to have a bound reference copy, this paperback edition is available for sale.

Charissa Bremer-David retired in 2020 from her role as curator in the Department of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Jessica Chasen is an associate objects conservator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Previously, she was an assistant conservator in Decorative Arts and Sculpture Conservation at the J. Paul Getty Museum and in Science at the Getty Conservation Institute.
Arlen Heginbotham is conservator of decorative arts and sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Julie Wolfe is conservator of decorative arts and sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

c o n t e n t s

Foreword by Timothy Potts
Acknowledgments

Introduction: J. Paul Getty as a Silver Collector and the Formation of the Museum’s French Silver Collection
Note to the Reader I: Stamps and Marks
Note to the Reader II: Historic Units of Measure and Currency

Catalogue
1 Water Fountain (Fontaine), transformed from a Water Flagon (Buire), with Technical Summary by Jessica Chasen
2 Lidded Bowl (Écuelle couverte)
3 Pair of Tureens, Liners, and Stands (Paire de terrines, doublures et plateaux)
4 Pair of Decorative Bronzes: Sugar Casters in the Form of Cane Field Laborers (Sucriers à poudre en forme d’ouvriers des champs de canne)
5 Two Sugar Casters (Deux sucriers à poudre)
6 Pair of Lidded Tureens, Liners, and Stands (Paire de pots à oille couverts, doublures et plateaux)
7 Tray for Lidded Beakers (Gantière pour gobelets couverts)
8 La Machine d’Argent, or Centerpiece for a Table (Surtout de table)
9 Sauceboat on Stand (Saucière sur support)
10 Two Girandoles (Deux girandoles)