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The Wonders of Tuscany: Florence and Siena

Study Trip Abroad
October 3–11 and 17–25, 2024

Optional Extension
Bologna and Ravenna
October 12–16, 2024

Portugal: The Edge of the Old World

Study Trip Abroad
March 2–11 and 16–25, 2024, Azores Extension March 11–15

New York Antiques Weekend and Emerging Scholars Colloquium

Special Program January 19–20
Colloquium and Brunch Fundraiser January 21

Pewabic Pottery in Detroit Virtual Tour

Available to Watch Now
Pay What You Can

The Decorative Arts Trust is a non-profit membership organization that promotes and fosters the appreciation and study of the decorative arts through programs, partnerships, and grants and scholarships.

About

Calendar

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Dewey Lee Curtis Symposium Scholarships

Apply by February 23 for Nashville

Research Grants for Graduate Students

Apply by April 30

Prize for Excellence and Innovation

Apply by June 30

Events in the Field Online Calendar

Find in-person and virtual lectures, conferences, symposia, and panel discussions from around the globe on the Decorative Arts Trust’s Events in the Field calendar.

FROM THE MAGAZINE

Hervey Silver at Ickworth

Palermo's Capella Palatina

Philadelphia Ceramics

FEATURED VIDEO

Picturing Providence and the Cultural Landscape of College Hill

Robert P. Emlen, Visiting Scholar, Department of American Studies, Brown University, presented the Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lecture Picturing Providence and the Cultural Landscape of College Hill during the Decorative Arts Trust’s Fall Symposium in Rhode Island in October 2023.

IN THE BULLETIN

Seeking Asia in British Country Houses

The Portraits of Zedekiah Belknap

The Seminole Doll: Crafting and Marketing

ON INSTAGRAM

Nov 22

Beginning in 1935, approximately 100 Haudenosaunee artists were hired by the Rochester Municipal Museum to manufacture a new ethnographic collection, led by Arthur C. Parker, an anthropologist of Seneca descent. These artists produced over 5,000 objects, including beaded and quilled moccasins, burden straps, wooden carvings, masks, and other items that cataloged Seneca artistic knowledge. Modeled on historical precedents, this modern collection embodies many paradoxes and contradictions.

See the link in bio to read about this project in a 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post by Julia Silverman, who received a Research Grant to study the objects at the museum, now called the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Pictured:
Unfinished cornhusk moccasin from the Indian Art Project Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center.
Men's beaded buckskin shirt by Louise Kennedy (Tonawanda Seneca), Indian Art Project Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center.
Carved cherry goose effigy cup by Elon Webster (Tonawanda Seneca), 1935, Indian Art Project Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center.

@juliajuliajuliajulia @rocRMSC
#TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #Haudenosaunee #Seneca #NativeAmericanArt #IndigenousArt

Nov 20

Join us in New York in January! To celebrate Americana Week, we invite you to our New York Antiques Weekend program on January 19-20 and our Emerging Scholars Colloquium on January 21.

The popular New York Antiques Weekend program begins on Friday, January 19, with a convivial lunch followed by a special guided experience at Alexander Hamilton’s Grange and a rare opportunity to see the splendid private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Carswell Rush Berlin. On Saturday, January 20, we enjoy private tours of @TheWinterShowNYC with lunch in the Armory’s Board of Officers Room followed by curator-led tours of @TheMorganLibrary & Museum and its latest exhibition 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The 8th Annual Emerging Scholars Colloquium will be held in the Board of Officers Room at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday, January 21. This morning of lectures is sponsored by @ClassicalAmericanHomes Preservation Trust and Mr. & Mrs. Donald B. Ayres, III, and features Lauren Drapala from Bard Graduate Center; Neil Grasty from Morehouse College and the High Museum; Laura Ochoa Rincon from the New Orleans Museum of Art; Krishna Shekhawat from the University of California, Berkeley; and Lea Stephenson from the University of Delaware. An optional Brunch Fundraiser for the Trust's Emerging Scholars Program follows.

See link in bio to learn more or to register for one or both programs.

Pictured: The Morgan Library & Museum (2); Alexander Hamilton’s Grange (2); 2023 New York Antiques Weekend at the Winter Show; 2023 Emerging Scholars Colloquium; Replica of silver wine cooler George Washington gifted Hamilton, The Grange; Faithful reproduction of Hamilton’s desk c. 1800, The Grange; Plate, 1519, Gubbio, Italy. The Morgan Library & Museum, purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1906, AZ020; 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, Frontispiece from a register of creditors of a Bolognese lending society. Illuminated by Nicolò di Giacomo di Nascimbene, called Nicolò da Bologna Italy, Bologna, 1394–95. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.1056 fol. 1v detail. Purchased by the Fellows Fund, special gift of Mrs. Roy O’Connor, 1984.

Nov 14

Are you in love with blue and white? Becky MacGuire just released a new book about the extraordinary Frelinghuysen collection, featuring a wide array of Asian blue and white export porcelain assembled over 50 years!

Read more about 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 & 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 (Paul Holberton Publishing, 2023) in the 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post linked in our bio.

Pictured:
Seated cat, Wanli period (1573–1620). Frelinghuysen collection.
Apothecary jar, Chongzhen (1628–44) to Kangxi (1662–1722) period. Frelinghuysen collection.
𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 & 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 book cover.

@beckymacguire @php_books
#DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #Porcelain #Ceramics #ChineseExportPorcelain #JapaneseExportPorcelain #FourCenturiesOfBlueAndWhite #Books

Nov 6

Join us for our October 2024 Study Trip Abroad to Tuscany! This dazzling Italian adventure is sure to inspire and elevate the spirit, and even frequent visitors to Tuscany will have the opportunity to discover new sites.

Exploring Florence, Siena, and environs, travelers savor the intersection of history and beauty, from the majesty of the Medici court and its signature artistic output, to the Medieval magnificence of the region’s architecture. World-class museums, stunning galleries, and private tours occupy our days, while evening fêtes traditional to the Tuscan table astound our palettes. Our sweeping itinerary covering the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and beyond highlights the history, high art, and heritage of Tuscany as we encounter an influence that spread across all of Europe. Our four-night Optional Extension delves into the ancient Etruscan city of Bologna with a day trip to nearby Ravenna to discover that city’s magical legacy as mainland Italy’s capital of Byzantine mosaics.

Tour 1 of The Wonders of Tuscany: Florence and Siena is October 3–11, 2024, and Tour 2 is October 17–25, 2024. The Optional Extension to Bologna and Ravenna runs October 12–16, 2024.

See the link in bio for itinerary details and to register. Or call 610.627.4970. Decorative Arts Trust programs fill quickly. Register today!

Pictured: Siena Duomo; Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala fresco, photo by Sailko; Palazzo Pitti; Radda in Chianti; Palazzo Medici Riccardi (2); Pienza; Siena; Monte Oliveto Maggiore; Florence.

#TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture #ArtTravel #Travel #Florence #Siena #Bologna #Ravenna #Tuscany #Italy

Nov 3

Tick, tock, an alabaster clock. But not just any clock. Hyde Hall’s George Clarke purchased this French imported clock at the shop of David J. Magnin in New York City. Katherine Novko, who is researching domestic materials with Neoclassical motifs at Hyde Hall for her thesis at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, received a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant to study this clock and the educational and social world of George Clarke and his family.

Read more about her research in the 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post linked in our bio.

@hydehall1817 @coopgradprogram
#TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #MuseumStudies #ArtHistory #Clock

Nov 1

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 IDEAL Internship Grants:
The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA
MassArt in Boston, MA
San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum in Lodi, CA
The Wolfsonian in Miami Beach, FL

See the link in bio for a 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post with more details about the IDEAL Internship Initiative and these institutions’ plans.

Pictured:
Adebunmi Gbadebo, a Resident Artist at The Clay Studio, at work in her studio. Courtesy of The Clay Studio.
Installation view of the current exhibition 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘺𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭: 𝘈 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, on view through May 19, 2024. Photo by Mel Taing. Courtesy of MassArt Art Museum.
Objects from the Little Manila Rising Collection of Filipino Farm Labor Trunks. Courtesy of the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum.
The “frozen fountain” from the Norris Theater in Pennsylvania and Lawrence Weiner’s installation (LO & BEHOLD) (MIRA & VE) in the lobby at The Wolfsonian–FIU. Photo by Lynton Gardiner. Courtesy of The Wolfsonian–FIU.

@theclaystudiophl @massartboston @sanjoaquinhistory @wolfsonian
#TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Art #History #Museum #Internship #Grants

Oct 30

After our Fall Symposium concluded, we headed back to Newport, this time delving into the town’s Colonial history. @TheRedwoodLibrary and Athenaeum, pictured here, was America’s first purpose-built library (1747). The Redwood was Peter Harrison’s first major architectural commission. Harrison, who had amassed an extensive architectural library, chose his designs from patterns reproduced in the most stylistically advanced architectural books of his day. The model for the Redwood Library, a Roman Doric temple with portico and wings, was probably derived from Edward Hoppus’s 1735 edition of Andrea Palladio’s architecture. George Snell of Boston designed the Reading Room, the first expansion of the library, which opened in 1859. George Champlin Mason extended the room in 1875. Both additions were designed in keeping with Harrison’s original building. The Library contains 200,000 volumes, with particular strengths in early American history, material culture, and architecture. The museum holds an important collection of portraits and artifacts, including a c. 1775 Claggett tall case clock.

See our stories and “Rhode Island” highlight for more scenes from our Rhode Island adventures!

Learn more about Decorative Arts Trust Symposia at https://decorativeartstrust.org/symposia/.

#TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture #InteriorDesign #NewportRI

Oct 29

Meet Lan Morgan! Since graduating from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, Lan has had a hand in a number of impressive exhibitions and reinstallations as an Assistant Curator at the @PeabodyEssex Museum. We are fortunate to have Lan with us in Providence, as a Dewey Lee Curtis Scholarship recipient at our Rhode Island Symposium.

Lan is pictured with a c. 1900 fireplace surround by Hugnet Frères in Providence’s Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum. Members enjoyed curator-led tours at the Museum today.

Established in 1877, the Museum boasts nationally significant collections of American decorative arts, French impressionist painting, and a famous costume and textile collection. The current exhibition, 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 1900 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘸 reflects the interconnectedness of the disciplines RISD teaches and the cross-pollination among art forms and media that can influence how artists work.

The Museum connects to the Pendleton House and a stellar collection of RISD objects blended with those assembled by Charles L. Pendleton, a man called the “father of art as applied to furniture” by Luke Vincent Lockwood.

View our stories and “Rhode Island” highlight for more images of Providence!

Learn more about Decorative Arts Trust Symposia at https://decorativeartstrust.org/symposia/, and learn more about our scholarships at https://decorativeartstrust.org/scholarships.

@lanmmorgan @materialculturewinterthur
#TravelsWithTheTrust #TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Museum #Curator #ProvidenceRI

Oct 28

Allow us to introduce you to Luli Zou, a Dewey Lee Curtis Scholarship recipient attending our Fall Symposium in Providence, RI. Luli is a Masters student in Decorative Arts and Material Culture at the Bard Graduate Center who has held internships and fellowships with the Bureau of Historic Sites, New York and the Preservation Society of Newport County. Luli aims to combine her conservation background and object-based material culture knowledge to delve deeper into the intricate narratives woven into lacquerware and draw a broader picture of 18th- and 19th-century America and China’s cultural communication.

Luli is pictured at the John Brown House, the first mansion built in Providence. The house was designed by Brown’s brother Joseph and was built 1786–88. John Quincy Adams wrote in his diary that this house was “the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent.” Richly detailed woodwork is evident in all of the public rooms, and 11 of the building’s 12 mantelpieces are original. In 1942, the Brown family donated the site to the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS). The museum contains many original furnishings provided by the Brown family estate, including notable sculpture, artwork, silver, porcelain, and textiles.

View our stories and “Rhode Island” highlight for more images of Providence!

Learn more about Decorative Arts Trust Symposia at https://decorativeartstrust.org/symposia/, and learn more about our scholarships at https://decorativeartstrust.org/scholarships.

@rhodeislandhistory @bardgradcenter
#TravelsWithTheTrust #TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture #InteriorDesign #ProvidenceRI

Oct 27

Our second day in Newport, RI, featured exclusive visits to private sites as well as tours of amazing venues. Perched above Greenwich Bay in Warwick, Clouds Hill is a profound example of Victoriana, having remained within a single family through four generations. The mansion—also known as Cedar Hill—was designed by William Walker & Sons, designer of many Rhode Island buildings. The 27-room country home was built between 1872 and 1877. Quite uniquely, ownership of and maintenance over Clouds Hill has passed from eldest daughter to eldest daughter over its multi-generational family history. The home was built as a wedding gift for Elizabeth Ives Slater from her father William Smith Slater upon her marriage to Alfred Augustus Reed, Jr. Elizabeth’s great-granddaughter, Anne, the property’s current steward, opened its doors to the public in 2000. Given this exclusive, single-family reign, the home’s contents are nothing short of remarkable, an unrivaled and intact collection of authentic, 19th-century treasures.

View our stories and “Rhode Island” highlight for more scenes from Newport!

Learn more about Decorative Arts Trust Symposia at https://decorativeartstrust.org/symposia/.

#TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture #InteriorDesign #NewportRI #CloudsHill

Oct 26

We're in Rhode Island! And our Pre-Symposium Optional Tour in Newport is underway. The Breakers, the Gilded Age crown jewel, is a Renaissance Revival mansion built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Built between 1893 and 1895 and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the era’s preeminent architect, the estate is a classic Italian palazzo design, inspired by the 16th-century palaces of Genoa and Turin. Incorporating the finest of American and European craftsmanship, Cornelius and his wife Alice spared no expense in constructing this grand palace. The mansion itself occupies a full-acre footprint within the 13-acre property. Its rapid two-year construction timeline was transatlantic in nature. The sprawling mansion of 70 rooms includes 48 bedrooms for family and house staff. The central Great Hall, with its 50-foot-high ceiling, was inspired by the open-air courtyards of Italy, while embodying the signature grandeur of America’s Gilded Age. Throughout, the Vanderbilts included their signature familial motif of the acorn and oak leaf, signifying durability and strength.

The youngest daughter of the famed clan, Gladys Vanderbuilt, inherited the cottage upon her mother’s passing in 1934. Gladys was an avowed supporter of preservation in Newport and ultimately opened the family estate in 1948 to public tours organized through and in support of the Preservation Society, which purchased The Breakers from Vanderbilt heirs in 1972.

See our stories and "Rhode Island" highlight for more scenes from Newport!

Learn more about Decorative Arts Trust Symposia at https://decorativeartstrust.org/symposia/.

@newportmansions #TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture #InteriorDesign #NewportRI #TheBreakers

Oct 19

Recycling didn’t just begin in the last century! Susan Eberhard found that imported Chinese and Japanese lacquer pieces had been repurposed at several stately English country houses during her experience at the 2023 Attingham Summer School.

At Chatsworth, two cabinets (pictured) re-used closet panels that were “japanned” in 1692 by English cabinetmaker Gerrit Jensen. The lacquer panels were spliced together in rectangular fragments. On the first cabinet, the repetition of blue, green, pink, white, and red tones across the three panels as well as likely by some subsequent finishing on the part of the cabinetmaker, helps the eye smooth over the two vertical seams that punctuate the front-facing side. Yet once you see them, they are quite obvious. On the second cabinet, the central panel has been installed upside-down, likely to allow for continuity of the swirling clouds at the bottom of the central and right panel, while sacrificing the directionality of the primary motif.

Read more about Susan’s findings in the 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post linked in our bio.

@s.eberhard @theattinghamtrust
#DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Furniture #Design

Oct 13

Zedekiah Belknap may have died alone and penniless in 1858, but he is now remembered as one of the notable members of the folk portraiture movement in the early 19th century.

Nicholas Wendell from @UniversityOfVermont, Burlington, studied Zedekiah Belknap’s work during his @HistoricDeerfield Summer Fellowship. Read about Nicholas’s research and discoveries in the 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post linked in our bio.

Pictured: Zedekiah Belknap (attributed to), 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴, c. 1832, Dummerston, VT. Oil on canvas. Historic Deerfield, Gift of William B. Borus and Julie N. Borus, in honor of Harold Richardson Borus and Elisabeth Fowle Borus, HD 2017.8.

#TrustEmergingScholars #ArtHistory #Artist #History

Oct 6

This is the earliest known extant Seminole doll.

Amanda Thompson from the Bard Graduate Center utilized a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant to study this doll at @HistoryMiami and to research doll materials, processes, and documentation at Brighton Reservation and @CollierMuseums. The mother (whose name we unfortunately do not know yet) of Seminole Big Charlie’s daughter Darnassiee made and then traded the doll with a settler and received “a gaudily dressed French doll for it” around 1900.

Read about Amanda’s findings about the doll crafting, marketing, and consumption in the 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post linked in our bio.

@amandola47 @bardgradcenter
#TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Doll #Seminole #Florida #IndianHistory #NativeAmericanHistory #IndigenousHistory

Oct 2

October 31 is the application deadline for 2024 Dean F. Failey Grants for research, exhibition, publication, and object-based conservation projects! See link in bio for information on how to apply. Please share!

One of our 2023 recipients was the Center for Painted Wall Preservation's Virtual Museum of Painted Walls. See their 3D model of the Hersey-Whitten House at https://www.pwpcenter.org/virtual-museum.

The Hersey-Whitten House was built in Center Tuftonboro, NH, for the Copp family in the late 18th century or early 19th century. They most likely commissioned the decorative paintwork found in the entry/stair hall and the front parlor between 1826 and 1840. The murals are not signed but bear motifs associated with the John Avery family.

@historicpaintedwalls
#DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #PaintedWall #InteriorDesign #HistoricHouse #Grants

Sep 29

Ahmauri Williams-Alford, the recipient of the William C. and Susan S. Mariner Fellowship for Emerging Museum Professionals sponsored by the Decorative Arts Trust, experienced myriad sites and objects during the 2023 Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) Summer Institute. One of her favorites was an early 19th-century mahogany music stand attributed to Savannah, GA.

See the link in bio to read about what Ahmauri says this stand can tell us about music education, life, and position in the 19th century.

@MESDAgram @TelfairMuseums
#TrustEmergingScholars #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #History #Furniture #MusicStand

Sep 27

As the second France in the Footsteps of Jefferson tour winds to a close, we would like to highlight the exquisite Maison Carrée in Nîmes. No building was more consequential to Thomas Jefferson than this one.

Built c. 16 BCE during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the Maison Carrée is one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the world. Jefferson knew it from illustrations in Palladio's 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 as well as Charles Louis Clérisseau’s 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, which inspired him to select its temple form for the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond even before he reached Nîmes. Upon seeing it, he wrote Madame de Tessé, “Here I am, Madam, gazing whole hours at the Maison quarrée [sic], like a lover at his mistress.” He considered the temple “the most perfect model of ancient architecture remaining on earth” and engaged Clérisseau to help him with its adaptation for use as a government building.

Following the classic Roman design, characterized by a rectangular shape and raised platform, the temple measures approximately 85 feet long, 49 feet wide, and 55 feet high. Its exterior façade showcases Corinthian columns and intricate friezes depicting scenes from Roman mythology. The temple was dedicated to Augustus’s adopted sons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, and served as a focal point for religious ceremonies, as well as a symbol of Roman authority and power in the region. The Maison Carrée has undergone several transformations, with a conversion into a Christian church in the 4th century and later used as a consular house during the Middle Ages. Despite these adaptations, the temple’s essential architectural elements were preserved.

Travelers also visited Glanum, Orange, and the Pont du Gard. See our stories and the "France" story highlight on our Instagram page for photos!

Thank you for following along on our France in the Footsteps of Jefferson Study Trip Abroad! Learn more about our 2024 Study Trips Abroad at https://decorativeartstrust.org/study-trips-abroad/.

@arenesdenimes_officiel
#TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Architecture

Sep 25

Tour 2 of France in the Footsteps of Jefferson is underway, and members were thrilled by the Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris's most significant decorative arts collection outside of the Louvre and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

The house and collection represent decades of assiduous acquisitions and efforts by Moïse de Camondo (1860–1935). The Camondos were powerful financiers of Sephardic Jewish origin who found refuge in the Ottoman Empire during the Spanish Inquisition. From roots in Constantinople, family members established connections in Vienna, London, and Paris. Moïse was the second generation to live on the Rue de Monceau, rebuilding his father’s mansion from 1911–14 with the assistance of society architect René Sergent. Largely inspired by the Petit Trianon, the house was envisioned as a gallery for an impressive collection focusing on the highest quality French 18th-century decorative art, particularly the transitional style that connected Rococo and Neoclassical design.

While the grandeur of the museum is spellbinding, the fate of the Camondo family is heartbreaking. In 1891, Moïse married Irène Cahen d’Anvers, the daughter of another powerful Jewish financier, and the couple had two children before a bitter public divorce in 1902. Their son, Nissim, the museum’s namesake, was killed in 1917 while piloting a mission during World War I. Moïse bequeathed the house and collection to France following his death. His only surviving heir, a daughter, Béatrice, her two children, and husband, were arrested by French collaborators in 1942 and 1943 and held at Drancy. None returned from Auschwitz. Rarely do sites intertwine beauty and tragedy to such an incredible degree.

Tour participants also saw the Hôtel de la Marine, the Place des Vosges, the Musée Carnavalet, Château Malmaison, the Château de la Petite Malmaison, Versailles, the Petit Trianon, and the Hameau de la Reine. See our stories and the "France" story highlight on our Instagram page for photos.

Read about our Study Trips Abroad at https://decorativeartstrust.org/study-trips-abroad/.

@madparis
#TravelsWithTheTrust #DecorativeArts #MaterialCulture #ArtHistory #Travel #France #Paris

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