Enfilade

Thanks to Courtney Barnes for passing along this press release from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (dated 3 August 2012) . . .

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has agreed to purchase the exceptional mahogany dressing table that has been on loan to the Museum for 36 years. Made in Philadelphia in the late 1760s or early 1770s, the table is the mate to the Museum’s monumental high chest, which was donated in 1957 by Amy Howe Steel Greenough. The dynamic carved decoration on both the high chest and the dressing table depicts a scene from Aesop’s fable of “The Fox and the Grapes” on their central drawers. The impressive proportions of these remarkable examples of 18th-century craftsmanship echo the architectural framework of the bedchamber for which they were made. Together, they epitomize the elegance and sophistication that distinguish Philadelphia furniture as the finest produced in British colonial North America.

“The Museum has now realized its cherished dream of keeping ‘The Fox and the Grapes’ dressing table together with its companion high chest,” said Timothy Rub, the Museum’s George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer. “The two anchor our galleries of early American art; and now that their future together is secure, we can continue to display and interpret them as superlative artistic achievements.”

The high chest was known to Museum curators early in the 20th century when it was borrowed from Mary Fell Howe for the 1924 exhibition Philadelphia Chippendale. Lauded for its stately presence, highly figured mahogany, abundant carved ornament, and the rare depiction of a narrative from one of Aesop’s fables, the high chest also generated curiosity about whether or not its companion piece—the dressing table—was still in existence. “The Fox and the Grapes” dressing table was soon discovered and made its debut in William MacPherson Hornor, Jr.’s 1935 publication The Blue Book of Philadelphia Furniture: William Penn to George Washington. Joseph Kindig, Jr., the preeminent York, Pennsylvania, furniture and gun dealer, purchased the dressing table from Miss Eliza Davids in the late 1930s. Though Kindig was an antiques dealer, the dressing table was not offered for sale. Instead, it remained in the Kindig’s private home. Mr. Kindig died in 1971, and soon thereafter a friend of the Museum alerted curators to the whereabouts of the coveted “Fox and Grapes” dressing table. The Kindigs agreed to lend the dressing table so it could be displayed next to its high chest in 1976 for Philadelphia: Three Centuries of American Art, the great survey celebrating American art exhibited at the Museum during the bicentennial year. The two looked superb together—each had found its accompaniment—and after the exhibition closed, the dressing table remained on loan to the Museum. (more…)

The following petition, written by Jeffrey Hamburger, Kuno Francke Professor of German Art & Culture at Harvard University, voices concerns for the exhibition fate of Old Masters at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. The German text is available at the petition website. Kate Connolly reported on the story for The Guardian (12 July 2012).

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We write to you to ask that you reconsider the current plan to empty the Gemäldegalerie to make room for a display of twentieth-century art from the Pietzsch collection.

We understand that Mies van der Rohe’s Nationalgalerie provides inadequate space for Berlin’s growing collections of modern art, and we welcome the prospect of a permanent home for them.

However, finding that space in the Gemäldegalerie at the expense of one of the world’s premier collections of Old Master paintings, without also making concrete plans to display that collection concurrently in its entirety, would be a tragedy. In the current plan, it appears that once again the past is being asked to make way for the present without sufficient attention to its future. The disappearance into storage of whatever paintings cannot be displayed in the Bode Museum – which we call on you to disclose — is not acceptable, even for only six years. In the current political and economic climate, and with stiff competition for funding from politically more expedient, if culturally more dubious, plans to rebuild the Stadtschloß, we fear that six years could easily become a decade or more.

All too often, it seems, great works of art in Berlin serve as pawns in a seemingly endless chess game, to be moved about and sacrificed at the will and whim of politicians. Germany is fortunate in that culture remains a focus of political and public concern. That concern, however, would best be expressed by finding a reasonable solution, one that respects a legacy that barely survived the centuries and that deserves better than to be rendered invisible for an indeterminate length of time.

We therefore write to ask, not that you shelve your plans for the Pietzsch collection, but rather that you complement them with an adequate strategy that will do justice to the whole of Berlin’s extraordinary collections. We believe that the Old Master collection should be moved to make way for the Pietzsch collection only after space on the Museuminsel has been found to accommodate it – hardly a rash proposal.

Yours sincerely, Jeffrey Hamburger, Kuno Francke Professor of German Art & Culture, Harvard University

To add your name to the petition, click here»

Press release from Sweden’s National Museum:

Pehr Zethelius, Queen Lovisa Ulrika’s Memorial Cup, silver, ca. 1782. Photo: Hans Thorwid/Nationalmuseum.

Queen Lovisa Ulrika’s memorial cup was donated to the museum at the annual meeting of the Friends of Nationalmuseum. This unique object was made by silversmith Pehr Zethelius and presented as a memento to Johan Wingård, Bishop of Gothenburg, in thanks for the funeral sermon that he gave for the deceased Queen in 1782.

The existence of Queen Lovisa Ulrika’s memorial cup, donated by the Friends of Nationalmuseum, has been unknown to most people until now. The silver cup is an impressive size and weighs almost three kilos, as befits a sister of King Fredrik the Great of Prussia. The rediscovery of the memorial cup adds an important jigsaw piece to the history of Swedish design at the Nationalmuseum. At the same time, this magnificent piece is an example of the long royal tradition of presenting an expensive gift to the key officials at ceremonies of state such as christenings and funerals.

The Dowager Queen Lovisa Ulrika died at Svartsjö Palace on 16 July 1782 and was buried in Riddarholmen Church on 31 July. The funeral sermon was given by Chaplain to the Queen Johan Wingård, Bishop of Gothenburg. In thanks for this, he was given this specially commissioned cup, which was then passed down through the family. The craftsman who made the memorial cup was Pehr Zethelius (1740-1810), a leading light in Swedish silversmithing during the late 18th century. Pieces from his workshop show both high artistic and technical quality. Zethelius became a real trendsetter and was responsible for introducing new styles from the Continent.

The memorial cup was donated in memory of Henry Montgomery (1927-2010), chairman of the Friends of Nationalmuseum from 1982-1994. The Barbro and Henry Montgomery Donation Fund was established in 1998 and is managed by the Friends of Nationalmuseum.

Press release from London’s National Gallery:

Sir Thomas Lawrence, “Portrait of the Hon. Emily Mary Lamb,” 1803 (London: National Gallery)

A portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence that has never been on public display since it was painted over two hundred years ago is now available for visitors to enjoy at the National Gallery in Room 34. Portrait of the Hon. Emily Mary Lamb (1787–1869), 1803, has been allocated to the National Gallery by Arts Council England under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, which allows donors to leave major works of art to the nation in lieu of inheritance tax. Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830) is generally regarded as one of the finest European portraitists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, portraying some of the most important personalities of his day. This work is an important addition to the National Gallery’s British collection. The Gallery currently holds examples of formal and full-length works by Lawrence – John Julius Angerstein, aged about 55, about 1790; John Julius Angerstein, aged over 80, 1824; and Queen Charlotte, 1789 – but this painting exemplifies Lawrence’s influential but more informal depiction of children and families. Its inclusion in the collection will enable Gallery visitors to appreciate the breadth of Lawrence’s repertoire.

The oval portrait depicts the 16-year-old sitter in motion, her head turned towards the viewer in a pose that has a long tradition in the history of portraiture. However, Lawrence brings a freshness to the work, reflected in the informality and economy of his brushwork. The Hon. Emily Lamb went on to become an influential, politically prominent society hostess. She first married Peter Leopold Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper. After his death, in 1839 she married Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who served twice as Prime Minister between 1855 and 1858 and again from 1859 to 1865. Her brother, Viscount Melbourne, also served as Prime Minister. His wife, Lady Caroline Lamb, was notorious for her affair with Lord Byron.

The work was commissioned by the subject’s father, Peniston Lamb, 1st Earl Melbourne, whose image can also be seen in the Gallery represented in a work by Stubbs, The Milbanke and Melbourne Families, about 1769. Lawrence’s painting has been in the possession of the sitter’s descendants since its completion. Born in Bristol, Lawrence was largely self-taught and a child prodigy; he was already producing accomplished portraits in crayon aged 10. He went on to become a pupil at the Royal Academy at the age of 18 and exhibited his first portrait the following year. He had a distinguished career during which he became a member of the Academy, going on to become its president in 1820. He was appointed Painter-in-Ordinary to King George III and received a knighthood in 1815.

I have long thought that museum gift shops would make a mint with good quality reproductions of these vessels, or perhaps even better, commissions for updated versions from local ceramicists. I first encountered the type as a graduate student, at The Smart Museum of Art in Chicago, and have been childishly enamored ever since. The following comes from Kathryn Kane’s posting at The Regency Redingote (3 July 2009). Happy Fool’s Day! -CH

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Puzzle Jug, tin-glazed earthenware, Liverpool, ca. 1750 (Liverpool: Walker Art Gallery)
Inscribed: "Here Gentlemen come try your skill, I'll hold a wager if you will, That you don't drink this liquor all, Without you spill and let some fall." For more information, click on the photo. 

A diverting drinking vessel which could be found in village inns and public houses for centuries had a resurgence in popularity in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These vessels had been made throughout England and northern Europe since at least the fifteenth century. Most commonly called puzzle jugs, they were also sometimes called teasing pitchers or wager jugs. It was a challenge to determine how to drink the liquor which they contained and wagers were often placed on the outcome of the attempt.

By the time of the Regency, puzzle jugs were being made not only for use in inns and taverns, but also for home use. Many gentlemen enjoyed entertaining their male visitors with drinking games using their own puzzle jugs.

Puzzle jugs are a puzzle because it is not obvious how to imbibe the beverage which they contain. The neck of the jug is perforated, often in ornamental patterns, so one cannot simply raise it to one’s lips and drink. Most puzzle jugs also have a hollow rim which can have between three to seven spouts which protrude from it. This hollow rim is connected to either a hollow handle, which opens into the lower part of the jug body, or the inside of the jug has a tube or pipe built into the jug wall. It is through this concealed piping that the liquid contents of the jug flow to the hollow rim. The secret of the puzzle jug is to know which of the spouts on the rim to plug with the fingers, while sucking the liquor out of the jug via the remaining spout. Some puzzle jugs have a small additional opening somewhere below the neck or beneath the handle which will spill the liquid on the hapless drinker if the jug is not held just so. . .

The full posting (including a brief reading list) is available at The Regency Redingote.

This open access announcement from the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C., is, to my thinking, fabulous news! How exciting (and refreshing) to hear the museum articulate the policy in terms of the public good: “The Gallery’s open access policy is a natural extension of its mission to serve the United States of America by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards.” Bravo! In addition to making the images available via open access, the museum provides a useful interface complete with lightbox and intuitive links for finding more information about particular images. -CH

National Gallery press release (16 March 2012) . . .

Antoine Watteau, The Italian Comedians, ca. 1720
Washington, D.C., National Gallery, Kress Collection, 1946.7.9

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The National Gallery of Art announces the launch today of NGA Images, a new online resource that revolutionizes the way the public may interact with its world-class collection at http://images.nga.gov. This repository of digital images documenting the National Gallery of Art collections allows users to search, browse, share, and download images believed to be in the public domain.

“As the Gallery marks its 71st anniversary, it is fitting that we introduce NGA Images and an accompanying open access policy, which underscore the Gallery’s mission and national role in making its collection images and information available to scholars, educators, and the general public,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “In turn this supports research, teaching, and personal enrichment; promotes interdisciplinary research; and nurtures an appreciation of all that inspires great works of art.”

Many of the open access images have been digitized with the generous support of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Designed by Gallery experts to facilitate learning, enrichment, enjoyment, and exploration, NGA Images features more than 20,000 open access digital images, up to 3,000 pixels each, available free of charge for download and use. The resource is easily accessible through the Gallery’s website, and a standards-based reproduction guide and a help section provide advice for both novices and experts. Users may search by keyword in the Quick Search box on the home page of NGA Images, or they may browse the regularly updated “featured” image collections prepared by Gallery staff on topics such as 19th-century French art or frequently requested works. Other features for users include the ability to create one or more “lightboxes,” or images sets, and to save, share, and download multiple images at a time. Users may add individual labels and notes to their lightboxes or to images within them. Links to users’ customized lightboxes may be shared via e-mail or may be copied and pasted to social media sites.

Users may freely browse the NGA Images website and download screen- and lecture-size images without registering an account. Registration is required to use certain features of the NGA Images website, including saving and sharing lightboxes and e-mailing image links to others. Additionally, registration is required to fulfill certain image requests including direct downloads of reproduction-ready images.

With the launch of NGA Images, the National Gallery of Art implements an open access policy for digital images of works of art that the Gallery believes to be in the public domain (those not subject to copyright protection). Under the open access policy, users may download any of these images free of charge and without seeking authorization from the Gallery for any use, commercial or non-commercial. The Gallery’s open access policy is a natural extension of its mission to serve the United States of America by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards. In applying the policy in a global digital environment, the Gallery also expands and enhances its educational and scholarly outreach. The Gallery believes that increased access to high-quality images of its works of art fuels knowledge, scholarship, and innovation, inspiring uses that continually transform the way we see and understand the world of art.

View the full Open Access Policy at http://images.nga.gov/openaccess.