Enfilade

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Installation of the exhibition Sir William and Lady Hamilton at the Gallerie d’Italia, Naples, with a view of Joshua Reynolds’s 1777 Portrait of Sir William Hamilton (London: NPG) and George Romney’s 1782 Portrait of Lady Hamilton as Circe (Waddesdon Manor). Photo by Roberto Della Noce.

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Closing soon at the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples:

Sir William and Lady Hamilton

Gallerie d’Italia, Naples, 25 October 2024 — 2 March 2025

In the wake of the important studies by Carlo Knight (who recently passed away) and the great exhibition at the British Museum in 1996, the Gallerie d’Italia–Napoli dedicates its 2024 autumn exhibition to William Hamilton, the British royal ambassador at the court of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon and his wife Maria Carolina of Hapsburg. Diplomat, antiquarian and volcanologist, Hamilton, with his multifaceted personality, found fertile ground in the ‘Enlightened’ Naples of the second half of the 18th century to affirm and develop his great passions: antiquity and science.

Jakob Philipp Hackert, View of the English Garden at Caserta, 1793, oil on canvas, 93 × 130 cm (Madrid: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza).

The exhibition highlights Hamilton’s great interest in volcanology, landscape painting, music, and collecting, as well as the role he played in Neapolitan society of the time, amplified by the sometimes legendary figure of Lady Emma Hamilton. In reconsidering and promoting the extraordinary human, political, and intellectual story of a man who was undoubtedly one of the greatest interpreters of his time, leaving a profound mark on the city, the exhibition also traces the fruitful cultural and artistic exchanges that took place between Italy and the United Kingdom at a key moment in European history.

By virtue of its theme, the exhibition has the support of the Italian Embassy in the United Kingdom as well as the support of the British Embassy in Rome and boasts the presence on the scientific committee of Carlo Knight and Kim Sloan, curators of the important exhibition Vases and Volcanoes dedicated to Hamilton in 1996 by the British Museum, and Aidan Weston-Lewis, Chief Curator of European Art at the National Galleries of Scotland.

William Hamilton—cadet son of Lord Archibald Hamilton, the ‘milk brother’ of King George III of England, possessed of a solid cultural education and a rich network of social relations—moved to Naples as British ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples in 1764, together with his first wife Catherine Barlow. In the Bourbon capital, where he stayed until 1798—when the French troops arrived—he was able to cultivate his greatest passions: Greco-Roman antiquities, of which he became one of the greatest collectors of all time, the scientific study of the eruptions of Vesuvius, collecting ancient and contemporary paintings, the sea, and hunting. His residences crammed with works of art and full of charm, Villa Emma in Posillipo, Villa Angelica near Torre del Greco, and especially Palazzo Sessa in Pizzofalcone with its famous view of the gulf, were the theatres of a refined and cosmopolitan worldliness for over thirty years. His extraordinary publishing ventures, his relationships with Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina—cultivated also thanks to his second wife Emma, the legend of whom has been nurtured in modern times by literature and film—and with great international travellers, such as Goethe, Mozart, William Beckford, and the Russian Tsar Paul I, made him one of the most influential figures in 18th-century European culture, as recognised by prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of London.

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Attributed to an unknown French prisoner in Dartmoor Prison, Napoleonic War Model (Unidentified British Frigate), ca. 1790–1820, bone with a wooden stand covered in paper, 16 × 12 × 3 inches (Philadelphia: Independence Seaport Museum, Gift of Elizabeth Blaisdell, 1969.091).

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From the press release (3 February 2025) . . .

Small but Mighty! Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships
Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, opening 20 March 2025

For centuries, people of all ages have been intrigued by model ships. Made for myriad reasons ranging from pure enjoyment to promotional tools, most are unique objects made by hand. Opening on 20 March 2025, a new permanent exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum (ISM) will display nearly 50 rarely seen models dating from the early 19th century to the later 20th century, along with related paintings and prints. Primarily made of wood, the models were also fashioned out of paper, bone, and metal. Among the examples to be displayed are extraordinarily detailed and realistic models, such as the Heavy Cruiser USS Indianapolis, as well as highly stylized toy models intended for adults and children.

“Guests to the ISM over the years have remarked at the amazing range of ship models, toys, and pond models in our permanent collection,” said Peter Seibert, museum president and CEO. “This new exhibition has given us the opportunity to not only exhibit some of the public’s favorite examples along with many that have rarely ever been shown before. Young and old alike will love exploring these masterpieces of miniature craftsmanship.”

Over the centuries, ships models were used for various purposes. Some were design sources, known as half hulls, used in building larger vessels, while others were used for sport, such as pond models that were raced. Model ships were made as toys for children, and highly crafted, expensive models were intended as toys for adults. Other models were made to commemorate new vessels and were presented to shipbuilders or owners; some that were made by prisoners were used to exchange for food. Model ships were also used as tokens of remembrance either made by those who were on particular boats or those who were simply avid towards certain boats. Most of the models in the Independence Seaport Museum’s collection are ‘scratch built’, meaning that the craftsmen had to shape each piece from raw or lightly prepared materials rather than using premade parts. This method can be complex: metal casting is often used to produce the funnels, propellers, and other elements of a highly detailed model.

Among the most noteworthy ship models to be on view is the Heavy Cruiser USS Indianapolis. The legendary ship—launched on 7 November 1931 at the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey to deliver the bomb to end World War II—was sunk by Japanese submarine 1-58 on 30 July 1945, after being hit by two torpedoes. Within just twelve minutes, the ship sank and the majority of the crew was launched into the water, while the remaining 300 or so crew members were left onboard. Three days later, a random sighting by a pilot led to the rescue of some of the sailors. (Today, the USS Indianapolis is most famous because its story was recounted in a scene in the movie Jaws.) This model of the Indianapolis, built in 1934–38 by Walter H. Gerber, a German mechanical engineer who originally worked at Cramp’s Shipyard in New York and then later transferred to Cramp’s Shipyard in Philadelphia, is massive in size: it measures 12 feet long by 17 inches wide. It was originally constructed as a radio-controlled, in-water model that had the capability to power its inside mechanics as well. The maker also has an interesting story: Gerber came under scrutiny from the United States government during World War II because he was fixated on the accuracy of the model and came from an enemy country. Afraid that information about the United States Navy would fall into the wrong hands, his actions were monitored and his home was raided, looking for cameras and other equipment supposedly to have been reported and/or voluntarily turned over to the government. Nothing of significance was found.

Another exquisite model of early shipbuilding is the Napoleonic War Model. Made entirely of bone by French prisoners in the British Dartmoor Prison, it was likely traded for food (prisoners were held on British prison ships during the Napoleonic wars; other similar models may have been made by American prisoners during the war of 1812). This model depicts an unidentified British frigate with 50 guns and has a decorative paper-covered wooden stand dating from about 1790 to 1820. With no provenance, it is assumed to be French and made for the British. The model, considered a folk-art masterpiece, was presented to David Bruce, Sr. by Commodore Charles Stewart, United States Navy, at Bordentown, New Jersey, in about 1820. Stewart was a Philadelphian who served in the navy for 63 years, playing key roles in the Quasi-War, Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.

On 10 August 1893, the Steamer Priscilla, made by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works Company (John Roach & Sons) in Chester, Pennsylvania, for the Old Colony Steamboat Company, launched. Three years later, she was recreated as a child’s toy by R. Bliss Manufacturing Company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, known for making inexpensive but realistic toys. One of these large toy ships made of chromolithographed paper attached to a wooden frame is equipped with wheels for motion, is a highlight of Small but Mighty! Measuring 37 inches long by 20 inches high and 5 inches wide, it is in pristine condition and illustrates the color and beauty of late 19th-century ships. This faithfully executed toy offered children a duplicate of the type of vessels actively used on America’s waterways. Toys such as these were sailed on the floors of large Victorian homes and enjoyed by children and, likely, adults as well.

The racing of small model yachts began in England in the 1870s, spread across the European continent, and eventually came to the United States. (New York’s Central Park Lake was built expressly for people to use in sailing pond models.) Organizations such as the Model Yacht Association determined rules and umpired regattas of two types: open water sailing and pond sailing. By 1950, five classes of model yachts were used, including the Marblehead or ‘M’ Class (also known as the 50/800 Class). Their small, manageable size made this sport appealing to those who could not handle a full-scale boat or those with limited financial resources. One such example of an ‘M’ Class model made in 1949, the Pond Yacht Almary II, is featured in the exhibition. It was made by Albert Link (born in Fishtown, Pennsylvania, 1909–1993) and is considered to be one of the biggest and best of its kind. Link worked as a machinist for Smith, Kline, and Beecham in Philadelphia. Link built approximately 15 model sailboats in his lifetime (the Almary II was his eighth) and raced them at Gustine Lake in Fairmont Park, Concourse Hunting Park, League Island Swimming Pool in Philadelphia as well as on Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey, and Long Island, New York. In 1950, he was a national prize winner at the New York Yacht Club and again in 1954 at Cooper River. He stopped racing that same year.

For children of all ages who are fascinated with model ships, Small but Mighty! Models, Toys, and Miniature Ships will delight and inform.

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John Pike, Fan: Land of Matrimony and Land of Celibacy, London, late 18th century, paper and wood
(Wellesley College Special Collections)

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From the press release for the exhibition:

Better on Paper: Recent Acquisitions of Prints, Drawings, Photographs, and Books
Davis Museum, Wellesley College, Massachusetts, 7 February — 1 June 2025

Curated by Amanda Gilvin and Ruth Rogers

Better on Paper is a new exhibition that spotlights and celebrates some of the thousands of newly acquired and previously unseen works of art on paper, including prints, drawings, photographs, books, and other objects, acquired by the Davis Museum and the Wellesley College Library Special Collections over the last decade. The exhibition emphasizes contemporary art, while also showcasing many new acquisitions of art from past centuries. More than 100 recent gifts and purchases will be on view in Better on Paper, along with two other new exhibitions at the Davis Museum all highlighting new acquisitions.

“Better on Paper presents a stunning array of visionary works of art from Wellesley’s collections in this collaboration between the College Library’s Special Collections and the Davis,” said Amanda Gilvin, the exhibition’s co-curator and Interim Co-Director, Sonja Novak Koerner ’51 Senior Curator of Collections, and Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs.

The exhibition calls attention to Wellesley’s decades-long leadership in the field of the study of photography, Gilvin said. She notes works that will be on view and are now part of the Davis collection include Nigerian artist Taiye Idahor’s Ekundayo; prominent African American photographer in the 1970s and 1980s Ming Smith’s Self Portrait, Harlem, NY; work by locally-based multimedia artist Jo Sandman; Chitra Ganesh’s Architects of the Future, City Inside Her; and Magdelena van de Passe after Crispijn de Passe the Elder’s Spring. Special Collections will present 18th-century publisher John Pike’s satirical fan The Land of Matrimony [and] Land of Celibacy and Swiss graphic designer Romano Hänni’s artist book It is Bitter to Leave Your Home: A True Story Depicted in Typographic Images.

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Motonori Taki, Kōkei Saikyūhō [Emergency Remedies for the Benefit of People], Kyōto: Izumoji Bunjirō; Edo: Hanabusa Daisuke han, ca. 1790
(Wellesley College Special Collections)

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The Davis and the Wellesley College Library Special Collections have joined together to mount Better on Paper to pay homage to these new acquisitions that represent Wellesley’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Often collaborating with Wellesley faculty, staff, and students, curators have acquired the objects in the exhibition to support and expand the Wellesley College curriculum. The prints, drawings, photographs, books, and other objects in Better on Paper originate from around the globe, spanning diverse makers and approaches, and dating to many periods.

“It is a tremendous opportunity for the College Library’s Special Collections to be off the shelves and on view to a wider audience,” said Ruth R. Rogers, Curator of Special Collections and Visiting Lecturer, Art Department. “Better on Paper allows us to share a selection from the range of international, rare books, contemporary artists’ books, and other evidence of material communication that are the basis of teaching and research on campus.

Building these collections supports today’s Wellesley Method: object-based and human-centered learning across disciplines. “We invite you to study, learn, and teach in this exhibition—and to find out more about the many other works on paper in the Davis Museum and Special Collections,” Gilvin said.

Better on Paper was co-curated by Amanda Gilvin and Ruth Rogers with contributions from Nicole Berlin, Associate Curator of Collections, Alicia Bruce, Friends of Art Curatorial Project Manager and Researcher, Yuhua Ding, Kemper Assistant Curator of Collections and Academic Affairs, L. Goins ‘26, 2024 Summer Curatorial Intern, James Oles, Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art and Senior Lecturer, Art Department, Mariana S. Oller, Associate Curator of Special Collections, and Semente, Curator of Education and Public Programs. The exhibition is presented with generous support from the Anonymous ’70 Endowed Museum Program Fund, Marjorie Schechter Bronfman ’38 and Gerald Bronfman Endowment for Works on Paper, and Wellesley College Friends of Art at the Davis.

From the press release for the exhibition:

Nevers in the World
Davis Museum, Wellesley College, Massachusetts, 7 February — 1 June 2025

Curated by Nicole Berlin, with Alicia Bruce and Yuhua Ding

Gadrooned Dish, ca. 1700, Faience, made in Nevers (Davis Museum, Wellesley College, 2023.3.24).

Nevers in the World is an intimate exhibition of 11 newly-acquired seventeenth- to nineteenth-century French ceramics that were recently donated to the Davis Museum at Wellesley College. The French faience vessels are highly stylized glazed ceramics, created using a tin-glaze technique that originated in the Middle East, likely around Iraq, as a response to the vibrant white porcelain of China. Over time, this technique spread to Egypt, Spain, Italy, and eventually France, where it evolved into a distinctive art form.

The exhibition spotlights these beautifully glazed vessels, used mostly for dining tables, and illustrate a cross-cultural migration from their early origins in Iraq to the early iterations of Italian pieces and expanded color palettes and shapes by the French.

“When the generous gift of French faience arrived and our Curatorial team first saw it in storage, we were immediately excited by the many ways we could integrate it into both the permanent collection and a temporary exhibition,” said Nicole Berlin, Associate Curator of Collections at the Davis Museum and the Nevers show curator. “The vibrant colors, whimsical shapes, and the centuries-old ceramic glazing technique open up a wealth of creative possibilities for showcasing this remarkable collection.”

Spirit Cask, 1779, Faience, made in Nevers (Davis Museum, Wellesley College, 2023.3.26).

Nevers in the World is a selection of artworks from the generous bequest of the late Wellesley Trustee Emeritus Sidney R. Knafel, who spent decades assembling a world renowned collection of French ceramics. These objects demonstrate how artistic innovation can flourish through cross-cultural exchange. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a group of artisans in Nevers, France created extraordinary ceramic vessels using the faience technique. Invented nearly a millennium earlier, faience describes a glaze for ceramics that includes tin. In eighth-century Iraq, craftspeople discovered that adding tin to ceramic glaze produced an opaque, white surface suitable for colorful decoration. As the method spread across Asia and Europe, Italians called it maiolica. In France, it became known as faience, after the Italian city of Faenza.

In 1565, French aristocrat Henriette of Cleves married Italian politician Louis of Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers. The couple brought artisans from Italian maiolica centers to Nevers, where they introduced a style of storytelling through images in addition to tin-glaze. By 1600, European demand for Chinese porcelain spurred workshops in Nevers to attempt imitations in faience. Nevers artisans quickly developed a distinctive style that reached its zenith in popularity under King of France Louis XIV (1638–1715), when it featured in his elaborate dinner parties at Versailles. Today, these objects continue to tell stories about the people who made and used them.

Nevers in the World was curated by Nicole Berlin, Associate Curator of Collections with Alicia Bruce, Friends of Art Curatorial Project Manager and Researcher, and Yuhua Ding, Kemper Curator of Collections and Academic Affairs. This exhibition is supported by the Sandra Cohen Bakalar ‘55 Fund, the Judith Blough Wentz ’57 Museum Programs Fund, and Wellesley College Friends of Art at the Davis.