Enfilade

Zacarías González Velázquez, Mary Magdalene and Head of a Moor,
1793. Black chalk, wash and white chalk highlights on grey
tinted paper (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

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Press release (13 September 2013) from SMU’s Meadows Museum:

Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum announces the acquisition of six new paintings and drawings, including important works by influential Spanish artists Alonso Cano, Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, and Juan de Valdés Leal.

“We are thrilled to add six extraordinary works by artists who are so central to the history of Spanish art,” said Mark A. Roglán, the Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum and Centennial Chair, Meadows School of the Arts, SMU. “We are particularly excited to acquire such exquisite paintings by Cano and Meléndez as the first examples of works by these two prominent artists to enter the Meadows’ collection.”

The six new works are Alonso Cano’s painting Christ Child (c. 1636–38); pendant paintings by Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Portraits of Philip V, King of Spain, and his first wife, María Luisa Gabriela of Savoy (c. 1701–03); a sanguine and black chalk drawing by Juan de Valdés Leal, Apparition of Christ to Saint Ignatius on his Way to Rome (c. 1662); a chalk drawing by Zacarías González Velázquez, Mary Magdalene and Head of a Moor (1793); and a pencil drawing by Antonio Carnicero, María Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain (1789).

“As one of the most comprehensive museums of Spanish art in the world, the Meadows is constantly growing. These works will greatly enhance and help complete the Museum’s distinguished permanent collection,” said Linda Custard, chair of the Meadows Museum Advisory Board.

Earlier this year, the Meadows announced nine significant acquisitions, including five early 20th-century Spanish paintings from the Coleman Collection; a small oil painting by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1904 or 1905); a miniature portrait attributed to Alonso Sánchez Coello (c. 1580), a terracotta sculpture by Juan Alonso Villabrille y Ron (c. 1715); and The Stewart Album, an anthology of cartes de visite, drawings and correspondence compiled by renowned American collector and expatriate William Hood Stewart during the latter half of the 19th century.

Together, these recent additions mark a milestone expansion of the Museum’s premier permanent collection of Spanish art that will be featured under the banner “Launching the Next 50 Years: Continuing the Legacy of Collecting at the Meadows Museum.” The Museum officially celebrates its 50th anniversary in April 2015.

“This has become a landmark year of acquisitions for the Meadows,” said Roglán. “Not only is it remarkable to be adding such extraordinary works by so many artists during a single year, but the breadth and variety of the acquisitions is tremendous — the new paintings, sculpture and drawings range from the 16th century to the 20th century.”

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Alonso Cano, Christ Child (c. 1636–38)

Alonso Cano, Christ Child (Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat), c. 1628–29. Oil on panel (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

The exquisite oil painting Christ Child (Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat) is the first work by the noted Sevillian artist Alonso Cano (1601–1667) to be acquired by the Meadows Museum, and the first time the painting has come to light in some 200 years. Dated to 1636–38, the work is thought to be the tabernacle door for the altarpiece of Saint Theresa of Ávila originally in the church of the former Carmelite monastery of San Alberto de Sicilia in Seville, Spain. The altarpiece was dismantled in the early 1800s, and the painting’s discovery provides new clues into the history of the altarpiece ensemble, of which only two other works are known to exist.

“This is a unique and special work by a very influential Spanish artist,” said Iraida Rodríguez-Negrón, the Meadows/Kress/Prado Curatorial Fellow who conducted extensive research on the history behind Cano’s Christ Child. “Most tabernacle doors are either lost or still located in churches, and the quality of this Cano painting is magnificent.”

Funding for the acquisition of Cano’s Christ Child was generously provided by Friends and Supporters of the Meadows Museum and the Meadows Museum Acquisition Fund.

Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Portraits of Philip V, King of Spain, and his first wife, María Luisa Gabriela of
Savoy (c. 1701–03)

Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Portrait of Philip V, King of Spain, c. 1701–03. Oil on copper (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

Miguel Jacinto Meléndez’s previously unknown oil paintings on copper, Portraits of Philip V, King of Spain, and his first wife, María Luisa Gabriela of Savoy, date to between 1701 and 1703, before he officially began his long career as Philip V’s court painter. The works are now recognized as the earliest known likenesses of the monarchs to be painted by the artist, and they are also the first examples of work by Meléndez (1679–1734) to enter the Meadows Collection.

Although Meléndez painted the two portraits when he was only in his early 20s, the works show the technical mastery and exquisite delicacy that made him one of the greatest Spanish portraitists of the early 18th century. The paintings were previously owned by Lord Mowbray and Stourton and his wife, Jane de Yarburgh-Bateson, and displayed at Heslington Hall in Yorkshire, England and Marcus House in Angus, Scotland.

Funding for this acquisition was generously provided by Richard and Gwen Irwin and the McDermott Foundation.

Juan de Valdés Leal, Apparition of Christ to Saint
Ignatius on his Way to Rome (c. 1662)

Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, Portrait of María Luisa Gabriela of Savoy, c. 1701–03. Oil on copper
(Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

This extremely rare, unpublished drawing by Sevillian artist Juan de Valdés Leal (1622–1690) is a preparatory work for his Jesuit painting series depicting scenes from the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Apparition of Christ to Saint Ignatius on his Way to Rome corresponds to the fourth in the series of at least fifteen canvases commissioned by the Jesuits of Seville for the Cloister of La Casa Profesa de la Compañía de Jesús, where the paintings were installed until the order’s expulsion in 1767.

The work is the first drawing by Juan de Valdés Leal to enter the collection of the Meadows Museum. It joins one Valdés Leal painting in the Museum, Joachim and the Angel (1655–60), as well as a print by the artist depicting the cathedral of Seville created for the canonization of Ferdinand III in 1671. There are only about 13 known drawings by Valdés Leal in the world, and until the Meadows acquired this work, only one drawing was in the United States.

Funding for this acquisition has been generously provided by Friends and Supporters of the Meadows Museum.

Zacarías González Velázquez, Mary Magdalene and
Head of a Moor (1793)

Juan Valdés Leal, Apparition of Christ to Saint Ignatius on the Road to Rome, 1660–64. Black and red chalk on paper (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

The chalk drawing Mary Magdalene and Head of a Moor by the Madrid painter Zacarías González Velázquez (1763–1834) contains two intricately executed sketches for two distinct González Velázquez paintings commissioned for the Cathedral of Jaén: Calvary and Martyrdom of St. Peter Pascual. In the drawings, González Velázquez depicts only each figure’s face, with concentration given to capturing the emotions of each character. Only minor changes can be found between the drawn figures and their painted counterpart, suggesting that this was one of the artist’s final sketches before beginning work on the canvas.

Mary Magdalene and Head of a Moor joins only one other González Velázquez work in the Museum’s collection, the painting Portrait of a Lady with a Fan (c. 1805–10). The addition of this new drawing into the Meadows collection is part of a planned expansion in holdings of original works on paper.

Funds for this acquisition were generously provided by a Challenge Grant by the Gill Family in honor of their daughter,
Anju Gill.

Antonio Carnicero, María Luisa of Parma, Queen of
Spain (1789)

Antonio Carnicero, María Luisa de Parma, Queen of Spain, 1789. Chalk on paper (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU)

María Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain is the first work to enter the Meadows Museum by Madrid painter Antonio Carnicero (1748–1814), who would become court painter to King Charles IV in 1796. This drawing stems from the period well before Carnicero’s royal appointment, which indicates the sovereigns’ awareness of Carnicero’s exceptional talent.

As a propagandistic campaign to disperse the new sovereigns’ images throughout the Spanish kingdom, portraits of Charles IV and María Luisa were commissioned from Carnicero and other painters. In Carnicero’s drawing, a bust-length portrait of María Luisa is set within an oval, and an elaborate headdress of feathers and ribbons sits on the queen’s wig of ringlets. The work is a preparatory drawing for the painted portraits of the queen, but its exquisite, polished lines resemble an engraving more than a sketch made in anticipation of a work on canvas.

Funds for this acquisition were provided by a Challenge Grant by the Gill family in honor of their daughter, Anju Gill.

High resolution images are available here»

Press release (13 August 2013) from Tate Britain . . .

Tate Britain, London. Photo by Tony Hisgett
from Wikimedia Commons, 2011

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A new Tate Britain will be unveiled on 19 November 2013. The transformation of the oldest part of the Grade II* Millbank building by leading architects Caruso St John marks a significant moment for Tate Britain. The unveiling this autumn follows the opening in May 2013 of ten new galleries and the chronological presentation of the unparalleled collection of British art.  The £45 million project includes:

• the reopening of the main entrance to Tate Britain on Millbank, combining new architectural features with the excavation of the most beautiful original architectural elements of the building. The changes will restore the historical logic of the building and include a striking new spiral staircase inside the entrance opening up access to new public spaces below;

• the reopening of The Whistler Restaurant, with its famous Rex Whistler mural, The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats 1926-7, fully restored; and the new Djanogly Café, opposite the restaurant, which will open onto an exterior terrace. Both will serve food made with seasonal British ingredients;

• contemporary interpretations of tables and seating inspired by leading British Arts and Crafts designers active in the founding year of Tate Britain – 1897;

• new learning studios located throughout the gallery including a dedicated schools’ entrance and reception underneath the Millbank Entrance steps; and a new archive gallery, which will present temporary displays from Tate’s extensive archive of artists’ letters and ephemera. The first display by Paul Noble will be inspired by the history of the Tate Britain site as a penitentiary;

• the circular balcony of the Rotunda’s domed atrium, closed to visitors since the 1920s, which will become the elegant new café and bar for Tate Members; and a light-filled space overlooking the Thames, the original Grand Saloon, created for seminars and events; and

• site-specific work to celebrate the transformation of Tate Britain by three contemporary artists: Richard Wright will design handmade glass and leading for the eastern window in the Millbank foyer; Alan Johnston will create a ceiling drawing for the Djanogly café and Nicole Wermers will create a tea and coffee spoon for use in the café and for sale in the shop.

Director of Tate Britain, Penelope Curtis, said, “The new Tate Britain opens up the Millbank entrance to reassert and enhance the original grandeur and logic of the galleries. Adam Caruso and Peter St John have created new spaces out of old and artists have helped to articulate a new sense of the public realm.”

Press release (12 August 2013) from the Getty:

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The Getty announced that it is lifting restrictions on the use of images to which the Getty holds all the rights or are in the public domain. Getty President and CEO Jim Cuno made the announcement in a post on The Iris, the Getty’s blog.

“As of today, the Getty makes available, without charge, all available digital images to which the Getty holds all the rights or that are in the public domain to be used for any purpose,” wrote Cuno, citing the new program.

As a result, there are roughly 4,600 images from the J. Paul Getty Museum available in high resolution on the Getty’s website for use without restriction—representing 4,689 objects (some images show more than one object), including paintings, drawings, manuscripts, photographs, antiquities and sculpture and decorative arts. The Getty plans to add other images, until eventually all applicable Getty-owned or public domain images are available, without restrictions, online.

The Getty Research Institute is currently determining which images from its special collections can be made available under this program, and the Getty Conservation Institute is working to make available images from its projects worldwide.

“The Museum is delighted to make these images available as the first step in a Getty-wide move toward open content,” said J. Paul Getty Museum Director Timothy Potts. “The Getty’s collections are greatly in demand for publications, research and a variety of personal uses, and I am pleased that with this initiative they will be readily available on a global basis to anyone with Internet access.”

Previously, the Getty Museum made images available upon request, for a fee, and granted specific use permissions with terms and conditions. Now, while the Getty requests information about the intended use, it will not restrict use of available images, and no fees apply for any use of images made available for direct download on the website.

“The Getty was founded to promote ‘the diffusion of artistic and general knowledge’ of the visual arts, and this new program arises directly from that mission,” said Cuno. “In a world where, increasingly, the trend is toward freer access to more and more information and resources, it only makes sense to reduce barriers to the public to fully experience our collections. This is part of an ongoing effort to make the work of the Getty freely and universally available.”

From the Nationalmuseum’s press release (as noted at the French Silver Blog , 14 August 2013) . . .

Plate Warmer by Rudolf Wittkopf, 1709. Diameter 20 cm, height 12 cm, weight 830 g. (Stockholm: Nationalmuseum, inventory number: NMK 102/2013) Photograph: Bodil Karlsson / Nationalmuseum)

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A plate warmer manufactured by Rudolf Wittkopf in Stockholm in 1709, believed to be a unique artifact, has been added to Nationalmuseum’s collection of early 18th-century Swedish silver. The piece, the only known surviving example in Sweden of a silver plate warmer, consists of a stand with three cast-metal feet and a removable burner with oil reservoir. The upper section is perforated to improve the airflow to the flame providing the heat, and at the top are three volute-shaped handles that hold the plate of food to be warmed.

The new, refined dining customs that appeared in Swedish upper-class circles in the early 18th century were modelled on French practices. Nationalmuseum’s extensive collection of hand drawings includes depictions from this period of two French réchaudes, or plate warmers, which were intended to serve as models for the modern silverware to be ordered by the Swedish court and aristocracy. The royal household accounts of Queen Hedvig Eleonora show that, in 1705, the fashion-conscious monarch purchased “a silver dish ring that can also be used as a heating dish” from Petter Henning, a Stockholm silversmith. However, little of the royal silverware from this period has survived, and there are no known examples in Sweden apart from the plate warmer now acquired by Nationalmuseum. This suggests that objects of this kind were a rarity even in their day and were probably manufactured only in very limited quantities.

The new acquisition is an important addition to Nationalmuseum’s collection of late baroque silver, illustrating how closely the Swedish court and aristocracy followed contemporary fashion, especially that of France.

Nationalmuseum’s acquisition of the Rudolf Wittkopf plate warmer has been made possible by a donation from the Barbro Osher Fund. Nationalmuseum has no budget of its own for new acquisitions, but relies on gifting and financial support from private funds and foundations to enhance its collections of fine art and craft.

Next Friday at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich:

Press release (9 August 2013) from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich . . .

Paintings completed after Cook’s first voyage to Australia are the earliest depictions of a kangaroo and a dingo in Western art.

George Stubbs, Portrait of the Kongouro (Kangaroo)
from New Holland, 1772 (private collection)

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The National Maritime Museum, London has announced a £1.5M appeal to acquire two oil paintings, Portrait of the Kongouro from New Holland and Portrait of a Large Dog, by the celebrated British artist George Stubbs (1724–1806).

Press release (13 July 2013) from The Westmoreland:

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The Westmoreland Museum of American Art broke ground Friday [12 July 2013] to celebrate and begin the expansion and renovation of The Future Westmoreland. Ennead Architects of New York City and LaQuatra Bonci Associates: Landscape Architecture of Pittsburgh are working with the museum to create a new experience for visitors including a brand new wing, renovation of the existing building to have LEED silver certification, and a complete re-design of the grounds.

Pennsylvania’s First Lady Susan Corbett, Chairwoman of PA Council on the Arts, was a guest speaker at Friday’s ceremony, “The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has served as a cultural asset to downtown Greensburg and Southwestern Pennsylvania since its establishment in 1959,” said Corbett, “The renovation and expansion of the museum will provide both visitors and residents with new ways of experiencing our American heritage.” (more…)