The Decorative Arts Trust - Fostering appreciation for the decorative arts

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LATEST NEWS

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Aug 5

Enjoy Rebecca Migdal’s lecture recording 'Modern in the Mountains: Mid-Century Design in the Berkshires.' In this presentation, she describes trends in architecture and furniture design in New England and includes examples from the H. Lee Hirsche House, Albert L. Keep House, and many more. ⁠
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Migdal, an independent museum consultant based in the Boston region, presented the Marie Zimmermann Emerging Scholar Lecture at the Decorative Arts Trust Fall 2019 Symposium Inspired by the Berkshires: Autumn in Western Massachusetts. ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/mid-century-design-berkshires/⁠
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📷 The Fred Jaffee Residence, 1958 (renovated c. 2016), in Richmond, MA, by architects A. Clifford "Tip" Dorsel and Stephen Gerard Dietmann. ⁠
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@MuseumMercenary⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#MidCenturyModernism⁠
#Furniture⁠
#Architecture⁠
#House⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#TheBerkshires⁠
#Massachusetts⁠
#MA⁠
#NewEngland

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Aug 3

Now on the website: Select articles from the summer issue of 'The Magazine of The Decorative Arts Trust'! This issue features stories about Summer Research Grant recipients, the DAR Museum, Fort Ticonderoga, Historic Deerfield, the Moffatt-Ladd House, the New Orleans Museum of Art, Newport mansions, and more. ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/summer-2020-magazine-articles/⁠
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If the stories in this issue inspire you, please consider becoming a member of the Decorative Arts Trust or donating to our Critical Operations Support Fund so we can continue developing quality decorative arts content!⁠
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🌟 https://decorativeartstrust.org/join⁠
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🎁 Link in bio: https://decorativeartstrust.org/operations-fund

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Jul 30

In honor of Old Salem Museums & Gardens new campaign, The Historic Summer, we are dedicating this Throwback Thursday entry to our 2016 exploration of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), the focal point of our spring symposium in Winston-Salem. The program was timed in celebration of the recent overhaul of the museum’s galleries. To assert that our MESDA colleagues pulled out all the stops would be a gross understatement. The capstone of our time at the museum was an afternoon sequence of all-access tours that covered the full spectrum of the extraordinary collection on view there. Facilitated by MESDA’s incredible staff and a handful of esteemed guests, Trust members enjoyed the opportunity to select from a list of focus tours, ranging from metalwork to miniatures to masterworks. Even devotees of Southern material culture came away with new insights, a testament to the exciting research and acquisitions generated by MESDA’s talented curatorial team. Please consider your support of this exceptional organization’s ongoing initiatives in education, research, collections, and restoration. ⁠⠀
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🔗 https://www.oldsalem.org/historicsummer/⁠⠀
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@OldSalemInc⁠⠀
@MESDAgram ⁠⠀
#TheHistoricSummer⁠⠀
#TBT⁠⠀
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#History⁠⠀
#ArtHistory⁠⠀
#Quilt⁠⠀
#Furniture⁠⠀
#Pottery⁠⠀
#Museum⁠⠀
#MuseumFromHome⁠⠀
#Exhibition

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Jul 29

“Eileen Gray” at Bard Graduate Center Gallery delves into the life and career of the eponymous architect and designer, whose pioneering contributions to modernism have long been overlooked in comparison to those made by her male counterparts. Just two weeks into the exhibition’s run on the Upper West Side, the gallery had to close its doors, prompting the creation of an online companion to make the exhibition accessible on screens at home. Go behind-the-scenes into the development of their interactive website in a new blog post from Taryn Clary: https://decorativeartstrust.org/eileen-gray-bard-graduate-center/. ⁠
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📷 “Eileen Gray” exhibition view. Photo by Bruce White. ⁠
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@BardGradCenter ⁠
@TarynUpMyHeart14⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture ⁠
#DesignHistory ⁠
#OnlineExhibition ⁠
#MuseumFromHome ⁠
#DigitalHumanities ⁠
#EileenGray ⁠
#Modernism

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Jul 27

The Trust team's summer read is 'Collecting the Globe: The Salem East India Marine Society Museum' by George H. Schwartz! Matt, Carrie, and Sara are enjoying this history of the precursor to the Peabody Essex Museum, which we will visit with Trust members for the Fall 2021 Symposium (fingers crossed). We also mailed this book as a benefit to members at the Patron level and above. Are you enjoying this summer read? ⁠
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@PeabodyEssex⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#History⁠
#Museum⁠
#Exhibitions⁠
#Antiques⁠
#Collecting ⁠
#Salem⁠
#MA⁠
#Books⁠
#SummerReading

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Jul 23

Tom Savage has been an ardent supporter of the Decorative Arts Trust in his roles as a Trust Governor and as Winterthur Museum, Library & Garden's Director of External Affairs. He shares: "I am so proud of the Decorative Arts Trust for being a leader in supporting young and emerging scholars. While many programs benefit from the Trust's scholarship and grants programs, I am particularly grateful for the support we offer to The Attingham Summer School on The Country House, The Summer Institute of The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, and The Williamsburg Antiques Forum, programs that shaped and continue to inform my career. Winterthur is proud to have Trust sponsored lecturers at its conferences and at The Delaware Antiques Show providing young scholars both podium presence and a forum for resume building scholarly articles." Thank you, Tom!⁠
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📷 Tom Savage at Mawley Hall in Shropshire, England. ⁠
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🔗 For more information about the Trust's Emerging Scholars Program grants and scholarships, visit https://decorativeartstrust.org/grants-and-scholarships/.⁠
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🌟 If you love the arts, history, and travel and would like to join the Decorative Arts Trust community, consider becoming a member at https://decorativeartstrust.org/join/.⁠
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@TomSavage1775⁠
@WinterthurMuse⁠
@TheAttinghamTrust⁠
@MESDAgram⁠
@ColonialWmsburg⁠
#DelawareAntiquesShow⁠
#MawleyHall⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀⁠
#Art⁠
#Design⁠
#Architecture⁠
#Scholarship⁠
#Research⁠
#Grants⁠
#Nonprofit⁠
#Leadership

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Jul 22

When non-essential businesses around the globe closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Christie's, like other arts institutions, made the quick shift to remote work. For an auction house with locations in 46 countries and a schedule of around 350 auctions annually, this entailed a nimble dance of sale postponements, greater reliance on private sales, and a major push for online bidding and virtual viewing rooms. ⁠
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With almost forty years of experience at the company, John Hays, Deputy Chairman of American Furniture and Decorative Arts, has a uniquely panoramic perspective on how Christie’s has and continues to adapt. In a conversation for the Trust Blog, Hays shared his thoughts on the ways in which collecting at Christie’s has changed, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Read Taryn Clary's interview on our blog. ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/john-hays-christies/⁠
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📷 Charlotte Perriand, (1903-1999), ‘En forme’ low table, designed c. 1953 for the house of Jacques Martin and Charlotte Perriand in Tokyo and executed in 1954 by the Miyoshi Mokko workshop. Hinoki cypress and Manchurian walnut, 14 5/8 x 78 1/2 x 45 5/8 in. (38 x 199.5 x 116 cm.). Sold for €550,000 on July 10, 2020 in the “ONE: A Global Sale of the 20th Century” at Christie’s Paris.⁠
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@ChristiesInc⁠
@TarynUpMyHeart14⁠
#DecorativeArts ⁠
#MaterialCulture ⁠
#Christies ⁠
#LiveAuction ⁠
#OnlineAuction ⁠
#ChristiesOne ⁠
#ArtMarket ⁠
#CharlottePerriand⁠
#Art⁠
#Design

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Jul 20

On July 22 at 12:30 EST, join the Furniture History Society for a virtual program about 20th-century collections! During the online Early Career Development Research Forum, Decorative Arts Trust Program Coordinator Carrie Greif will take a deep dive into Winterthur Museum, Library & Garden's Mid-Century Modern furniture collection in her presentation "Unity by Design: Midcentury Modernism at Winterthur" and Petra Seitz, Nia Thandapani, and Gregor Wittrick will share the history of Pierre Jeanneret’s mid-century modern furniture for the city of Chandigarh, India in their presentation "Chandigarh Chairs."⁠
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👉 Contact grants@furniturehistorysociety.org for the Zoom link⁠
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📷 Carrie Greif with a portion of the Mid-Century Modern exhibit at Winterthur ⁠
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@ceegeegrams⁠
@furniturehistorysociety⁠
@winterthurmuse⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#MidcenturyModern⁠
#Furniture⁠
#Chairs⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#Design⁠
#InteriorDesign⁠
#Art⁠
#History

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Jul 15

Our campaign Providing a Future for Students of the Past is a success! The Board of Governors of the Decorative Arts Trust is honored to announce the successful conclusion of a $2M campaign to raise endowed funds in support of the Emerging Scholars Program! The campaign commenced in 2017 and was achieved through contributions from more than 200 donors. Upwards of 50 emerging scholars benefit from the Trust’s support in a typical year. ⁠
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🔗 Read more at https://decorativeartstrust.org/campaign/. ⁠
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📷 Maureen Marton (center) was the Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Intern at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute Museum of Art (MWPAI). Here she evaluates the back of a crazy quilt with MWPAI staff. Photo by Richard Walker Photography. ⁠
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#TrustEmergingScholars ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Nonprofit

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Jul 13

NEW! Virtual puzzles from the Decorative Arts Trust! We took some of our favorite program photos, including this one of the Chateau of Villandry's gardens, and created digital puzzles that you can complete on your device. The digital puzzles begin at 54 pieces, but you can click the “waffle” (nine-square grid) icon to increase or decrease the number of pieces. Enjoy! ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/in-the-field/puzzles/ ⁠
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The Château of Villandry is the last of the great chateaux of the Loire built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. When Jean Le Breton acquired the Villandry estate, the building was a Medieval fortress. The defensive architecture was pared down, opened up and enhanced with elements of Renaissance décor. Decorative Arts Trust members visited the château and gardens during the From Château to Vineyard: The Lower Loire Valley Study Trip Abroad program in fall 2019.⁠
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#TravelsWithTheTrust⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Villandry⁠
#LoireValley⁠
#France⁠
#Chateau⁠
#Garden⁠
#Puzzles⁠
#Travel

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Jul 9

An unexpected gem from last fall’s Study Trip Abroad to the Loire Valley was privately owned Château de Beauregard. Originally a royal hunting lodge belonging to François I and dating from 1515, the structure was enlarged in the mid-16th century for Jean du Their, scholarly secretary of state to Henri II. The king’s Italian cabinet maker, Francesco Scibec de Carpi, provided du Their with a magnificent study paneled in gilded oak. Known as the Cabinet des Grelots, this room is decorated with the bells, or grelots, of the family crest. Paintings of gentlemanly recreational pursuits, including an early iteration of tennis, adorn the walls. The unforgettable Gallery of Portraits, a rare survival, was added in the 17th century by a subsequent owner, Paul Ardier, Henry IV’s former treasurer. The room has a ﬂoor of Delft tiles depicting an army on the march under Louis XIII and a painted ceiling by Jean Mosnier, which incorporates the exotic and expensive blue paint ultramarine, containing ground lapis lazuli. The showstopper is the assemblage of 300 historic portraits of kings, queens, statesmen, saints, and explorers who chart the course of Western history from 1328 to 1643. Joining 15 French kings are figures ranging from Christopher Columbus to the 16th-century Ottoman sultan Suleiman. The chateau’s owners are undertaking a comprehensive conservation treatment of the portrait collection.

🔗 Read more about the trip at https://decorativeartstrust.org/loire-valley-2019/.

@ChateauDeBeauregard
#TravelsWithTheTrust
#TBT
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#LoireValley
#France
#Chateau
#Delft
#Tile
#Ceiling
#Portraits

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Jul 8

Welcome to Carrie Greif, who joins the Decorative Arts Trust team as the Programs Manager! An alumna of the Winterthur program in Early American Material Culture, Carrie recently completed the prestigious Tiffany & Co. Foundation Curatorial Internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has held roles at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, and Hampton National Historic Site. Carrie has been a recipient of Trust Emerging Scholars Program grants, and you may have met Carrie during one of our programs or at Colonial Williamsburg's Antiques Forum in February. ⁠
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🔗 Learn more about Carrie on our blog: https://decorativeartstrust.org/carrie-greif/. ⁠
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@ceegeegrams⁠
@MaterialCultureWinterthur⁠
@WPAMC⁠
@MetMuseum⁠
@Hirshhorn⁠
@AmericanArt⁠
@ChryslerMuseum⁠
@ToledoMuseum⁠
@HamptonNPS ⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#Art⁠
#Travel⁠
#ArtTravel⁠
#HistoryTravel⁠
#ArtPrograms⁠
#Nonprofit

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Jul 6

The Decorative Arts Trust's Dean F. Failey Grant funding will increase from $10,000 to $25,000 for the upcoming cycle, which has an application deadline of October 31, 2020. The Failey Grant supports noteworthy research, exhibition, publication, and object-based conservation projects in decorative arts scholarship, material culture, craftsmanship, and historic preservation. According to the Trust’s Executive Director, Matthew A. Thurlow, the organization “had the opportunity to reallocate funding within the Emerging Scholars Program to enhance the Failey Grant program. In light of the adverse effect of the pandemic on museum finances and fundraising, we are eager to lend additional support to our colleagues in the cultural sector.” ⁠
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📷 Alexandra Ward discusses hardware with Trust members at Yale's Hume Furniture Study Center, a past grant recipient. ⁠
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🔗 Learn more on our blog: https://decorativeartstrust.org/failey-grant-increase/.⁠
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#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Museums⁠
#Exhibitions⁠
#Research⁠
#Grants⁠
#Funding

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Jul 1

We miss the chance to visit exquisite private collections. Fortunately, Trust members Kelly and Randy Schrimsher have shared a ""virtual"" tour of their unique collection of classical furniture and contemporary art glass with us. The Schrimshers' combinations of stunning, swirling sculptures with intricate, historical furnishings are sure to inspire. Pictured here is a Dale Chihuly 10-piece Green Glass Seaform Set with Yellow Lip Wraps on a c. 1825 center table attributed to the New York cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe. ⁠
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🔗 Enjoy more creative combinations on our blog: https://decorativeartstrust.org/studio-glass-classical-furniture/ ⁠
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#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Furniture⁠
#ClassicalFurntiture⁠
#CenterTable⁠
#DuncanPhyfe ⁠
#ArtGlass ⁠
#Chihuly

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Jun 29

While museums remain largely closed across the country, scholarship and discussion about decorative arts continue virtually–in this case in the form of podcasts, equal parts education and diversion. This selection of nine podcasts, hosted by a range of art world professionals and enthusiasts alike, delve into topics of material culture, history, design, museums, and more, satisfying our craving for object-based content this summer. These shows demonstrate that even though we cannot hold or see them in person just yet, objects still have the power to tell stories. ⁠
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🔗 Read more in this new blog post from Taryn Clary: https://decorativeartstrust.org/decorative-arts-podcasts/.⁠
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Do you have a favorite podcast we missed? Share with the Decorative Arts Trust what you’re listening to! ⁠
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@antiquesmag ⁠
@objectiveinterest ⁠
@adaesthete ⁠
@philbrookmuseum ⁠
@99percentinvisible ⁠
@missedinhistory ⁠
@boweryboysnyc ⁠
@aasif ⁠
@amhistorymuseum ⁠
@dressed_podcast ⁠
@britishmuseum ⁠
@iszi_lawrence⁠
@tarynupmyheart14⁠
#MuseumConfidential ⁠
#LostattheSmithsonian⁠
#DecorativeArts ⁠
#MaterialCulture ⁠
#MuseumfromHome ⁠
#Podcasts ⁠
#ArtPodcasts ⁠
#HistoryPodcast

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Jun 26

The US Postal Service was honoring some of America's great landscape designs with their new American Gardens stamps! The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (pictured) was founded in 1910 with botanist Charles Stuart Gager as director, after New York State legislation reserved 39 acres for a botanic garden in 1897. The Olmsted Brothers firm laid out the original site plan, and in 1912 Harold Caparn began a decades-long tenure as the Garden's landscape architect. The museum led the way with one of the first Children’s Garden programs, followed by one of the first public Japanese gardens in the United States by landscape designer Takeo Shiota. The Garden’s Sakura Matsuri Festival (cherry blossom festival) is one of the highlights of Brooklyn’s springtime season. This sheet of 20 stamps also features Biltmore Estate Gardens, Brooklyn, Chicago Botanic Garden, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Dumbarton Oaks Garden, The Huntington Botanical Gardens, Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and Winterthur Garden. Trust programs have included visits to some of these extraordinary sites, and we appreciate their beauty being commemorated. ⁠⠀
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🔗 https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/american-gardens-S_572704⁠⠀
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@biltmoreestate⁠⠀
@brooklynbotanic⁠⠀
@chicagobotanic ⁠⠀
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens⁠⠀
@dumbartonoaks⁠⠀
@thehuntingtonlibrary⁠⠀
@maclaygardenssp⁠⠀
@norfolkbotanicalgarden⁠⠀
@stanhywet⁠⠀
@winterthurmuse⁠⠀
@uspostalservice ⁠⠀
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#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#LandscapeDesign⁠⠀
#Gardens⁠⠀
#Stamps

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Jun 24

In her blog post, Annapolis’s Landscape of Craft: The Roles Enslaved Men and Women Played, Summer Research Grant recipient and Winterthur Program in American Material Culture alumna Bethany McGlyn shares her findings about objects in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Here she studies a John Shaw desk. Her research uncovered enslaved carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers, shipwrights, silversmiths, and cabinetmakers who created luxury objects in urban craft workshops. ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/annapolis-enslaved-men-women/ ⁠
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📷 McGlyn studying a John Shaw desk ⁠
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@bethanymcglyn_ ⁠
@materialculturewinterthur ⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#BlackHistory⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#History⁠
#Art⁠
#Furniture⁠
#Annapolis⁠
#Maryland

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Jun 22

Lynn Byrne has been an insightful and inspiring addition to the Decorative Arts Trust community. Why does she support the Trust? In her words… ⁠⠀
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“I love all of my activities with the Decorative Arts Trust, especially learning about the history behind the beautiful objects and homes that I adore. It’s magic. Everything comes alive.” ⁠⠀
📷 Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY, during the Spring 2018 Symposium in the Upper Hudson ⁠⠀
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“Trust days are filled with new discoveries around every corner and laughter!” ⁠⠀
📷 With Elisa Milkes at Powis Castle during the 2019 Study Trip Abroad to Wales ⁠⠀
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“As a new member of the Trust, I was quickly embraced by some of the kindest people I have ever met.” ⁠⠀
📷 Mary Kay Parker and Kristina Gray at Bodnant Gardens during the 2019 Study Trip Abroad to Wales ⁠⠀
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“Look at that! I can’t wait to discover what I will see next with the Decorative Arts Trust!” ⁠⠀
📷 Naumkeag Gardens during the Fall 2019 Symposium in the Berkshires⁠⠀
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🌟 If you love the arts, history, and travel and would like to join the Decorative Arts Trust community, consider becoming a member at https://decorativeartstrust.org/join/. ⁠⠀
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@lynnbyrnenyc⁠⠀
@thefarmersmuseum⁠⠀
@ntpowiscastle⁠⠀
@bodnantgardennt⁠⠀
@naumkeagofficial ⁠⠀
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#Art⁠⠀
#Architecture⁠⠀
#Design⁠⠀
#Travel⁠⠀
#ArtTravel

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Jun 19

Today across America, communities celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that marks our country’s second independence day. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth." To learn more, join National African American Museum of History & Culture Founding Director Lonnie Bunch III on a tour highlighting stories behind some of the Museum’s most important objects, including Nat Turner's bible, freedom papers of free African Americans, and a Sibley tent that housed African Americans who ran from Southern plantations in search of freedom with the Union army. Please join us in commemorating this day, richly deserving of the national recognition encouraged by the Black Lives Matter movement. ⁠
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🔗 https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/celebrating-juneteenth⁠
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📷 This slave cabin was dwelling on Edisto Island, Charleston County, SC, built on Charles Bailey's Point of Pines plantation in 1853 along with approximately nine other cabins of identical type. ⁠
🔗 https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2013.57⁠
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@NMAAHC⁠
#Juneteenth ⁠
#BlackHistory⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture ⁠
#History⁠
#Art⁠
#Architecture

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Jun 17

Now is the time to submit your nominations for the $100,000 Decorative Arts Trust Prize for Excellence and Innovation! The June 30 deadline is almost here. This Prize funds outstanding projects that advance the public’s appreciation of decorative art, fine art, architecture, or landscape. The Prize shall be awarded to a non-profit organization in the United States or abroad for a scholarly endeavor, such as museum exhibitions, print and digital publications, and online databases. The Trust’s selection committee aims to recognize impactful and original projects that advance scholarship in the field while reaching a broad audience. Please share! ⁠
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🔗 https://decorativeartstrust.org/prize⁠
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🏆 #TrustPrize ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#FineArt⁠
#Architecture⁠
#LandscapeDesign⁠
#Museum⁠
#HistoricHouse⁠
#Collection⁠
#Art⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#History

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Jun 15

New on the blog: Allison Robinson shares her research into watercolors of dolls produced as part of the Works Progress Administration's Index of American Design. Her University of Chicago dissertation illustrates how the portrayal, description, and exhibition of these depictions serve as a window into the racial ideologies of the 1930s as formed through a federal interpretation of early American material culture. Congratulations to Robinson as she continues her work as a Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellow this fall! ⁠
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🔗 http://blog.decorativeartstrust.org/doll-paintings-racial-ideologies/⁠
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📷 Mina Lowry, Doll, c. 1936. Watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard. Anonymous Craftsman (object maker), The New-York Historical Society (object owner). Index of American Design, 1943.8.11221. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.⁠
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@UChicago⁠
@Smithsonian ⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#DollPaintings ⁠
#Research⁠
#Art⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#History⁠
#IndexOfAmericanDesign

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Jun 12

The National Gallery of Art in London recently acquired an exquisite pastel by the French artist Jean-Etienne Liotard. Does this picture offer an opportunity to address social injustice and reach diverse audiences? Titled "The Lavergne Family Breakfast" (1754), the scene offers a rich essay for the decorative arts enthusiast. The artist's finely dressed relatives sit at a tea table with the accoutrements of their morning meal laid before them on a lacquer tray. As museums strive for inclusivity, however, we hope the NGA will take advantage of an opportunity to confront the narrative of slavery inherent in such polished images of 18th-century elite society. From the sugar in the porcelain bowl to the coffee in the silver pot to the mahogany from which the tea table was rendered, the NGA can share the deeper meaning of Liotard's work through gallery labels that move beyond traditional art historical descriptions.⁠
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🔗 See https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jean-etienne-liotard-the-lavergne-family-breakfast#VideoPlayer95676 for more information.⁠
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@NationalGallery ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Painting⁠
#Liotard⁠
#Art⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#MuseumFromHome

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Jun 11

During our programs, Trust members have the opportunity to learn through shared experiences and reflection. As Trust Governor Ralph Harvard shared in a recent post about his love for the organization, he prided our desire to explore sites in their totality, moving beyond the manor and into the spaces that illustrate the sacrifices of those who worked the land and tended to the house. In the Antebellum American South, these contributions were made by enslaved field hands and servants. During our Fall 2018 Symposium in Louisiana, numerous sites offered this type of experiential learning with proactive and insightful commentary by our hosts, but two stand out: Evergreen, a River Road plantation, and the Hermann-Grima House, a French Quarter residence. Both locations educate visitors on the topic of slavery in the Gulf South through the extant dwellings where enslaved people lived and worked. Evergreen Plantation is one of the largest and most intact complexes of its type in the South, with a double row of 22 wooden slave dwellings, built between 1830 and 1860, the largest surviving group in Louisiana. The sugar mill (now demolished) stood at the end. The Hermann-Grima House was built in 1831 and retains an open-hearth kitchen and quarters within an extensive courtyard complex in back. Using archival sources the HGH staff is sharing the story of the enslaved people who lived there and presenting to the public a more complete view of urban life in the Antebellum period. These powerful places stand as the embodiment of racial injustice and allow us to learn "a more truthful and inclusive narrative of history."⁠⠀
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📷 The first three images are from Evergreen Plantation, and the second three images are from the Hermann-Grima House. ⁠⠀
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🔗 For more information on an innovative project to to preserve, interpret, maintain, and sustain extant slave dwellings visit https://slavedwellingproject.org. ⁠
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@EvergreenPlantation ⁠⠀
@HGrimaGallier1831⁠⠀
@SlaveDwellingProject ⁠⠀
#TravelsWithTheTrust ⁠⠀
#TBT ⁠⠀
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#NewOrleans⁠⠀
#NOLA⁠⠀
#History⁠⠀
#BlackHistory⁠⠀
#ArtHistory

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Jun 9

On our blog, Erica Lome shares her experience as the Concord Museum’s Peggy N. Gerry Curatorial Associate, sponsored by the Decorative Arts Trust. She is helping with the museum’s two-and-a-half-year plan to reinterpret, redesign, and reinstall fourteen permanent galleries. Even during quarantine, she has been working on galleries related to April 19, 1775, the day when local Massachusetts Provincial militia and minute companies assembled in Concord to defend a stockpile of military supplies from being seized and destroyed by British Regulars. ⁠
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📷 Detail of Barrett’s Mill shop Chest-on Chest, about 1776.⁠
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🔗 http://blog.decorativeartstrust.org/concord-museum-galleries/⁠
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@ericaplome⁠
@concordmuseum ⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#History⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#Art⁠
#Sculpture⁠
#DanielChesterFrench⁠
#Concord⁠
#Massachusetts⁠
#MA

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Jun 2

As we bear witness to expressions of anguish, anger, and despair around the country, we are reflecting on objects that share America's search for peace and hope. As art historians, we can turn to the creativity and technical mastery that allows all cultures to achieve beautiful and meaningful expressions. The enslaved potter Dave of Edgefield District, SC, was an artist and poet whose inscribed stoneware jars are revered masterworks. On one particularly poignant piece, dated 1857, he appears to address his lost family while also sharing a great hope for the brotherhood of mankind: "I wonder where is all my relations / Friendship to all and every nation." Following Dave's verse, we can all learn to love and to strive for a more just society. (Image Courtesy of the Greenville County Museum of Art.)

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May 27

🎉 Congratulations to the 2020 Summer Research Grant Recipients!⁠
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Kayle R. Avery, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, Winterthur, University of Delaware⁠
Elizabeth S. Browne, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ⁠
Christina L. De León, Bard Graduate Center ⁠
Catherine Doucette, The Courtauld Institute of Art⁠
Lamar Gayles, University of Illinois Chicago⁠
Robert Gordon-Fogelson, University of Southern California ⁠
Cecilia Gunzburger, University of Virginia⁠
Cynthia Kok, Yale University⁠
Kayli Rideout, Boston University⁠
Isabella Rosner, King's College London⁠
Cambra Sklarz, University of California, Riverside ⁠
Paige Weaver, University of South Carolina⁠
Xiaoyi D. Yang, Bard Graduate Center⁠
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Due to travel restrictions, these grant recipients will have until Spring 2021 to complete their travel. We look forward to hearing from them about their journeys!⁠
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🔗 Read more about their research on our blog: http://blog.decorativeartstrust.org/2020-summer-research-grant-recipients/⁠
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📷 Grant recipient Isabella Rosner will research Quaker makers of shell and wax work boxes. Mary Morrison, wax and shellwork shadow box (detail), 1769, Philadelphia, PA. Chester County Historical Society. ⁠
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@xtina_de_leon⁠
@catherineedoucette⁠
@lgaylesjr⁠
@ceciliagunzburger⁠
@cyn_kok⁠
@kaylirideout⁠
@historicembroidery⁠
@p_weavs⁠
@satomi.young⁠
@materialculturewinterthur⁠
@MIT⁠
@bardgradcenter⁠
@courtauld⁠
@UIC⁠
@ThisIsUIC⁠
@uicaah⁠
@USC⁠
@UVA⁠
@yale⁠
@bostonu⁠
@lifeatkings⁠
@ucriversideofficial⁠
@uofsc⁠
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#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Art⁠
#ArtHistory ⁠
#Research

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May 26

Ralph Harvard has been a Decorative Arts Trust member for over 20 years and also serves on the Trust’s Board of Governors. Why has he stayed with the Trust so long? In his words… ⁠⠀
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"I like the Trust because you can have fun while you are learning and bond with interesting folks while you are seeing cool stuff."⁠⠀
📷 Ralph Harvard at Belle Grove in Middletown, VA, during the Winchester Symposium⁠⠀
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"I have met so many lifelong buddies there."⁠⠀
📷 Jeane and Pat Yancey⁠⠀
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"We get see new places and old friends!"⁠⠀
📷 Ralph Harvard, Jeffrey Blydenburgh, Martha McLanahan, and Clifford Harvard at Drottningholm Palace near Stockholm, Sweden, during the Scandinavian Castles and Collections Study Trip Abroad ⁠⠀
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"We see more than the 'big house.'"⁠⠀
📷 The servants’ cottage at Berry Hill in Halifax County, VA, during the Lynchburg Symposium⁠⠀
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"We don’t have to go to the gym!"⁠⠀
📷 Members at Locust Grove in Lynchburg, VA⁠⠀
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If you love arts, history, and culture and would like to join the Decorative Arts Trust community, consider becoming a member at https://decorativeartstrust.org/join/.⁠⠀
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@TheRalphHarvard⁠⠀
@BelleGrove1797⁠⠀
@Kungligaslotten⁠⠀
#DrottningholmPalace⁠⠀
#BerryHill⁠⠀
#LocustGrove⁠⠀
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#Architecture⁠⠀
#Art⁠⠀
#Travel⁠⠀
#ArtTravel

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May 22

Congratulations to Ellie Richards for being selected as the inaugural recipient of Winterthur-Decorative Arts Trust Maker-Creator Fellowship. Richards is an artist, furniture-maker, and sculptor whose work engages with traditional decorative arts materials and forms. Her project “The Highboy's Understory: Deconstructing the Icon” will examine Winterthur’s collection of high chests and other related forms. ⁠
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🔗 Read more on our blog: http://blog.decorativeartstrust.org/ellie-richards-named-winterthur-decorative-arts-trust-maker-creator-fellow/⁠
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@EllieInTheWoods⁠
@WinterthurMuse ⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars ⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#Art⁠
#Woodworking⁠
#Furniture⁠
#Sculpture⁠
#Highboy⁠
#HighChest ⁠
#Research⁠
#Artist⁠
#Maker

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May 21

A highlight of our Spring 2015 Study Trip Abroad to Eastern Germany was an excursion to the picturesque UNESCO World Heritage site of Wörlitz, to see the Palace and Gothic House as well as an impressive English park that comprises a series of folies and monuments along an extensive sequence of waterways. Planned as a celebration of the Enlightenment by Duke Leonard III of Anhalt-Dessau upon his return from a Grand Tour through France, Italy, and England. This last destination proved particularly influential on Leopold as well as his architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff and garden and landscape designer Johan Friedrich Eyserbeck. The Duke intended the complex to serve as an educational essay on architecture, with examples of Chinoiserie, Neoclassical, and Gothic styles incorporated. The Palace is considered the first Neoclassical building in present-day Germany. Leopold also commissioned the Luisium, a jewel-box Neoclassical structure, as a separate retreat for his wife, Louise Henriette Wilhelmine. The interiors and furnishings of each of Leopold’s projects were designed in line with the exterior and offer an impressive essay on 18th-century revivalism. During this memorable visit, we traversed the extraordinary landscape by boat, recreating a processional tour that Leopold’s own guests would have enjoyed.⁠⠀
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🔗 Read more about this trip: https://decorativeartstrust.org/discovering-eastern-germanys-treasures/ ⁠⠀
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🌟 Join the Trust: https://decorativeartstrust.org/join/ ⁠⠀
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#TBT⁠⠀
#TravelsWithTheTrust⁠⠀
#DecorativeArts⁠⠀
#MaterialCulture⁠⠀
#Germany⁠⠀
#Architecture⁠⠀
#InteriorDesign⁠⠀
#Design ⁠⠀
#Art⁠⠀
#Travel

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May 20

Grace Converse traveled to Lomaland near San Diego to research artist Reginald Willoughby Machell and the Theosophical Society’s melding of craft, art, and performance for her doctoral studies at the University of Southern California. Read more on our blog! ⁠
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🔗 http://blog.decorativeartstrust.org/theosophical-art-southern-california/⁠
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📷 Detail of Reginald Willoughby Machell, 'The Prodigal,' c. 1895, Gift of Mrs. Iverson L. Harris, 74.9.1.⁠
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@graceconverse⁠
@USCDornsife⁠
#TrustEmergingScholars⁠
#DecorativeArts⁠
#MaterialCulture⁠
#TheosophicalSociety⁠
#ArtHistory⁠
#Art⁠
#Research ⁠
#Woodcarving⁠
#Lomaland⁠
#Krotona ⁠
#California ⁠
#Machell

IN THE FIELD

Edgefield District Stoneware at The Met

Exploring the Charles and Ray Eames House

A Spanish Chamber Pot in New Orleans

EXHIBITIONS

Chateau de Chanteloup in Tours

Berkshires Naumkeag and mission house

Yale's New Furniture Study Center

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM AND PRIZE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS UPCOMING TRIPS, LECTURES, AND PROGRAMS

ONLINE LEARNING NEW RESEARCH FROM THE FIELD, EXHIBITIONS, BOOK REVIEWS, AND PUZZLES

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