Issuu

T L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E DA U G H T E R : A LEGACY OF COLLECTING SARAH HALL

Director of Curatorial Affairs

Arthur Devis (English, 1711–1787), Sir Joshua Vanneck and His Family (detail), 1752, oil on canvas.

8 AUTH O R

he Frick Pittsburgh’s story is a multifaceted one. It’s a family story, it’s a story about Pittsburgh, and it’s a story about life at a time when Pittsburgh was the industrial heart of the United States. It’s also a story about aspirations—aspirations to create a place of beauty, and for learning about history, and above all to provide public access and enjoyment of fine art and beautiful objects. The collection here at the Frick begins with the foundation of industrialist and world-renowned art collector Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919)—his early collecting, his taste, and his roots in Pittsburgh, and continues through his daughter Helen Clay Frick (1888–1984) (fig. 1), adding to his legacy her interest in preservation and her own particular love of eighteenth-century French art and early Italian Renaissance painting. Helen grew up on the property—at Clayton, the family home—a local landmark and the last remaining mansion from Millionaires’ Row. The neighborhood, Point Breeze was, from the 1860s to 1880s, known as Carnegie Country because Andrew Carnegie (until 1867), his brother Thomas, and some of Carnegie Steel’s most important executives lived in this fashionable East End suburb. Pittsburgh during America’s Gilded Age was a vital, bustling, energetic industrial city. Known as the Smoky City, or as writer James Parton famously described it in the Atlantic magazine in 1868, “hell with the lid taken off,”1 Pittsburgh nonetheless was a city of enormous national importance. What is less often quoted is Parton’s other assertion that, “here all is curious or wonderful—site, environs, history, geology, business, aspect, customs, everything.”2 The steel that built much of America was made in Pittsburgh (including, famously, the Brooklyn Bridge), and the wealth that steel and other Pittsburgh industries like glass, aluminum, and electricity brought to local captains of industry created a city of immense contrasts—millionaires building mansions and founding art collections in pastoral neighborhoods while working-class laborers, many of them recent immigrants, worked 12-hour days and 6-day weeks in the mills and lived in crowded urban conditions. Our story really begins with the birth of Henry Clay Frick in 1849, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Born to John and Elizabeth Frick in the Spring House at his grandfather, Abraham Overholt’s estate, Henry Clay Frick came from a relatively prosperous background. His maternal grandfather Abraham Overholt, of Old Overholt Whiskey fame, had founded the successful distillery in 1810. One oft-told tale is that when, as a young man, Henry Clay Frick applied to Judge Thomas Mellon for a loan, the agent sent to determine Frick’s reliability before approval of the loan, commented that young Frick was “a little too enthusiastic about pictures, but not

L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E D A U G H T E R : A L E G A C Y O F C O L L E C T I N G

T L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E DA U G H T E R : A LEGACY OF COLLECTING SARAH HALL

Director of Curatorial Affairs

Arthur Devis (English, 1711–1787), Sir Joshua Vanneck and His Family (detail), 1752, oil on canvas.

8 AUTH O R

L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E D A U G H T E R : A L E G A C Y O F C O L L E C T I N G

Fig. 9 Henry Clay Frick and Helen Clay Frick, outside at Eagle Rock, the family summer home (c. 1918). Courtesy Frick Collection/ Frick Family Archives

The Frick Art Museum also owns significant pieces of contemporary art, including a Sèvres porcelain Madame de Pompadour (page 116) soup tureen designed by Cindy Sherman, featuring the artist’s characteristic role-playing in a self-portrait as arts patron, porcelain lover, and mistress to Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour. Contemporary art has also been supported through The Frick Art Museum’s exhibition program, which since the year 2000 has periodically invited artists to make work inspired by the collections and experiences of visiting the multi-acre site. Brazilian-American artist Vik Muniz was the first artist to receive this invitation, and the resulting exhibition, Clayton Days: Picture Stories by Vik Muniz, featured photography born out of a sort of impromptu theater and featured staff members photographed in period costumes as they performed and posed on the grounds and in Clayton, acting as stand-ins for the missing inhabitants of the nineteenth century. The museum acquired the entire suite of 64 images. The opening of the Car and Carriage Museum in 1997 created another opportunity for growth of the collection. Local industrialist and car enthusiast, G. Whitney Snyder, who partnered with the Frick on the expansion to create the Car and Carriage Museum, bequeathed the Frick 16 vehicles, which form the core of our transportation collection; other generous car collectors have also added to the collection.

SARAH HALL

The Frick also occasionally expands the collection through purchases. In 2007 an early sixteenth-century illuminated manuscript page from the Circle of Jean Bellegambe was purchased. Bearing the same coat of arms as our Bellegambe diptych (page 63) the manuscript page, decorated with delightful naturalistic renderings of fruit and flowers in the highly detailed GhentBruges style, complements our existing collection and allows us to tell more of the story of Bellegambe, his patronage, and his world. Another major gift to the collection, Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier’s 1806, Jena (page 84) helps us to illuminate the wider picture of collecting in Gilded Age Pittsburgh beyond the Frick family. This major Napoleonic canvas by the French academic master—once the wealthiest artist of his day—came to Pittsburgh for the 1896 Carnegie Annual. It was then purchased by the Lockhart family and remained with the family until 2007. Research for the Frick’s 1997 exhibition Collecting in the Gilded Age: Art Patronage in Pittsburgh 1890–1910 had brought the lost masterpiece to public attention, and now the painting, with both frame and canvas conserved, has permanently joined our collection of French paintings. Through the foresight of Helen Clay Frick (fig. 9), who valued Pittsburgh, and who understood that her youth at Clayton was one of unique privilege— not simply financially, but aesthetically—these collections are the heart of the experience at the Frick Pittsburgh. Whether you visit Clayton to immerse yourself in an authentic Gilded Age interior, spend time at the Car and Carriage Museum, or visit The Frick Art Museum, the collections at the Frick are the reason to return. The story here is one of family, one of beauty, and one of aspirations—and it’s a story told through the collection. But that’s just one of many stories, and each object has much more to say, perhaps a different story for each visit. NOTES

1 James Parton, “Pittsburg” [sic], The Atlantic (January 1868), p. 21. 2 Ibid., p. 17. 3 Gabriel P. Weisberg et al., Collecting in the Gilded Age: Art Patronage in Pittsburgh 1890–1910, Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh. p. 111–12. 4 Ibid., p. 135. 5 Ibid., p. 149. 6 John McCarten, “Daughter of her Father II,” The New Yorker (July 22, 1939), p. 23.

L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E D A U G H T E R : A L E G A C Y O F C O L L E C T I N G

Fig. 9 Henry Clay Frick and Helen Clay Frick, outside at Eagle Rock, the family summer home (c. 1918). Courtesy Frick Collection/ Frick Family Archives

SARAH HALL

L I K E F AT H E R , L I K E D A U G H T E R : A L E G A C Y O F C O L L E C T I N G

simplified but striking nevertheless (fig. 3). Osterling transformed the original structure into a four-story, 23-room chateauesque home. The irregular roofline creates picturesque views of the house from every angle, articulating the asymmetrical flow of the interior. The floor plan was enlarged substantially with bays on the eastern and western facades, an arcaded stone porch, and a completely rebuilt southeast corner with an expanded dining room, kitchen, butler’s pantry, and scullery with a sitting room and bedrooms above. The porte-coche`re was the only recognizable survival of the earlier structure. So extensive was the remodeling that the Fricks leased a residence in nearby Shadyside where they could oversee the restoration without it hampering their daily activities. The restoration was lengthy and costly, far exceeding the original budget drafted by Osterling. Frick was often exasperated by delays and poor communication. In a terse letter to Osterling on June 25, 1891, he wrote, “I think it is simply outrageous the way you are looking after my house. If I had had any idea that your business methods were as bad as they appear to be I would not have had anything to do with you … I am not accustomed to having business done in the manner in which you do it, and am out of all patience with you.”2 The family moved back into Clayton in the spring of 1892. The majority of the renovation was finished, but there was still work to be done. Family friend Annie Blumenschein Stephany remembered, “Parquet floors had to

Fig. 3 Clayton, c. 1901, photographed by Lewis Stephany. The porte-cochère, to the right, is the only recognizable element of the original structure. Courtesy of The Frick Collection/ Frick Art Reference Library Archives

DAW N R E I D B R E A N

Fig.4 Clayton reception room, c. 1901, photographed by Lewis Stephany. The French Louis XVI style garniture Frick purchased from Tiffany & Co. in 1881 sits on the mantel, amidst Royal Worcester porcelains and English cameo glass. Pond of Vipers by Narcisse-Virgile Diaz de la Peña hangs over the door to the right of the fireplace. Courtesy of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives

be sanded and polished; woodwork had to be finished; shades, curtains, and draperies had to be hung; dishes and bric-a-brac were carefully handled and put in their proper places … All was confusion throughout the home.” 3 The result was conservatively elegant and refined, but not opulent by contemporary standards. Indeed, Clayton appears downright modest when compared with other East End mansions of Frick’s peers. The Fricks turned again to the artistic prowess of New York, engaging A. Kimbel & Sons as the primary decorator to appoint furniture (in some cases working to Osterling’s specifications), wall coverings and decorations, machine-made carpets, and luxurious curtains and portie`res. G. W. Koch & Sons of New York provided elaborately bordered parquetry floors for the first floor, halls, sitting room, and library. Much of the woodwork, in a classically inspired egg-and-dart pattern, was executed by Baltimore firm P. Hansen Hiss and lent cohesion to the updated interior. Decorating conventions of the time dictated that the style and character of a room follow its intended function. The reception room, with its emphasis on socializing and entertaining, followed proscribed notions of femininity and elegance (fig. 4). Kimbel & Sons provided Rococo-inspired furnishings, a style long associated with bourgeois trappings of status, wealth, and refinement. Louis XV style chairs, sofa, and tables, selected directly from Kimbel’s trade catalogue, displayed embellished carving, lavish gilding, and Aubusson

C L AY T O N : E V O LV I N G P O R T R A I T O F A H O M E

DAW N R E I D B R E A N

C L AY T O N : E V O LV I N G P O R T R A I T O F A H O M E

A T O U R O F C L AY T O N ,

E NT RA NC E HALL

“THE DEAR OLD HOME”

Most visits to Clayton begin in the entrance hall. The golden oak woodwork displays egg-and-dart molding and foliate carved pilasters—seen throughout the house—designed by Osterling during the 1892 renovation. The frieze and coffered ceiling panels are adorned with what resembles tooled leather, but is in fact Lincrusta-Walton. Lincrusta was a British invention patented in 1877 by Frederick Walton, the son of the inventor of linoleum. The material is a mixture of linseed oil and wood pulp machine-pressed and embossed with a high relief pattern. The Fricks chose a design reminiscent of leather wall coverings from the seventeenth century to complement the Renaissance inspired interior (fig. 9).

Fig. 9 (opposite) The entry hall at Clayton. Fig. 10 (above) The reception room at Clayton.

DAW N R E I D B R E A N

RECEP TIO N RO O M

In accordance with formal Victorian etiquette, the Fricks would have greeted their visitors in the reception room. Its present appearance evokes the silk damask wall coverings provided by Cottier & Co. in 1904, which covered the floral painted canvas executed by Kimbel & Sons in 1892. Cottier also replaced the mahogany mantle with one of green marble, changed out the chandelier, and supplied a new suite of furniture (currently unidentified). The furniture currently in the reception room is from Eagle Rock. The exquisite ceiling is created from panels of aluminum enriched with plaster ornaments and gilding, also by Cottier. Today, this room displays Portrait of Helen Clay Frick by Théobald Chartran and Landscape with River by George Hetzel, the first documented art purchase by Henry Clay Frick. This acquisition sparked a lifelong passion for collecting paintings, landscapes in particular (fig. 10).

C L AY T O N : E V O LV I N G P O R T R A I T O F A H O M E

A T O U R O F C L AY T O N ,

E NT RA NC E HALL

“THE DEAR OLD HOME”

Fig. 9 (opposite) The entry hall at Clayton. Fig. 10 (above) The reception room at Clayton.

DAW N R E I D B R E A N

RECEP TIO N RO O M

C L AY T O N : E V O LV I N G P O R T R A I T O F A H O M E

THE COLLECTION

A P O L LO N I O D I G I O VA N N I

Florence, c. 1415–1465

Scenes from Homer’s Odyssey: Story of Penelope, c. 1440 Tempera on panel 7 1/2 x 37 3/8 in. (19.1 x 94.9 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1973.31 Purchased 1924 by Helen Clay Frick

This long and damaged wood panel, cut on its left side, was part of a cassone or wedding chest. Apollonio di Giovanni’s workshop specialized in producing cassoni for wealthy Florentine families. Cassoni were usually decorated with scenes of love, devotion, or fidelity, and this example is no exception. It illustrates the adventures of Homer’s Greek hero Ulysses in the famous Odyssey—an epic journey through the Mediterranean that ended with his return to Ithaca, his home city, and his wife, Penelope. Ulysses’ wife, Penelope who waited for him during his journey, is one of the most famously devoted wives in all of literature.

FINE ART

Episodes in the story unfold from the left, where the muse Calypso watches as Ulysses (not visible) fells a tree to build a raft for his return to Ithaca. Subsequent scenes show Ulysses in a triumphal chariot en route to the palace of King Alkinous. A banquet at the palace follows. In the next scene, in a setting framed by a Renaissance interior, we see Ulysses’ wife Penelope at her weaving. In the last scene, the nurse Eurykleia recognizes Ulysses. A small piece from this panel is in the collection of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, and the Art Institute of Chicago has the entire panel from the opposite side of the chest.

F I N E A R T

A P O L LO N I O D I G I O VA N N I

Florence, c. 1415–1465

Scenes from Homer’s Odyssey: Story of Penelope, c. 1440 Tempera on panel 7 1/2 x 37 3/8 in. (19.1 x 94.9 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1973.31 Purchased 1924 by Helen Clay Frick

FINE ART

F I N E A R T

FINE ART

ARTHUR DEVIS

Preston, 1711–Leiden, 1769

ENGLISH

WILLIAM HOGARTH

London, 1697–1764

Portrait of the Honorable Captain John Hamilton, c. 1740 Oil on canvas 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.23 Purchased 1918 by Henry Clay Frick

Sir Joshua Vanneck and Family at Roehampton House, Putney, 1752 Oil on canvas 57 1/2 x 55 3/4 in. (146.1 x 141.6 cm) Signed and dated on tree trunk at left: Ar. Devis fe. 1752 Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.24 Purchased 1916 by Henry Clay Frick

Although best known for his satirical paintings, drawings, and prints, Hogarth also used his psychological insight to great effect in portraiture. Between 1738 and 1743, he focused on cultivating commissions for relatively small-scale portraits, which were in great demand by the rising middle class. This example, acquired by Henry Clay Frick the year before his death, was part of a group of paintings, including a number of fine English examples, acquired from the Edward Bacon collection. It was installed in the Frick’s summer home in Massachusetts, and brought to Pittsburgh by Helen Clay Frick in 1952. Hogarth’s single portraits were typically of clergymen, professionals, and merchants; only rarely did the aristocracy

FINE ART

sit for him. The sitter’s confident posture, accented by his unbuttoned coat and forthright expression, creates a powerful, individual presence. The direct, unassuming portrayal is enlivened by lovely, painterly passages—on his waistcoat, which is lavishly embroidered with flowers and gold, and also in the frothy white ruffle of his jabot. The subject of this portrait, John Hamilton (b. 1713/14), was a captain in the Royal Navy and was also painted twice by Sir Joshua Reynolds. He drowned off the coast of southern England on December 18, 1755, on a rocky shoal that has since been called Hamilton Shoal. The Hamilton family retained the portrait until the early twentieth century.

This painting depicts the Vanneck family on their estate outside London along the Thames. Arthur Devis specialized in “conversation pieces,” group portraits that were meant to appear more natural than formal portraiture. Sir Joshua Vanneck, a wealthy merchant, is shown at the left. The Vanneck’s pride in their success— property, learning, and finery—is beautifully captured by Devis. Although no document exists identifying the individuals in this painting with certainty, the group probably includes: Mrs. de la Mont (Vanneck’s sister), four Vanneck daughters, two sons, and two sons-in-law. The married couples are Elizabeth and her husband the Hon. Thomas Walpole (1727–1803) and Anna Maria Cornelia and her husband Henry Uhthoff. The

remaining children are Gertrude, Joshua (d. 1816), Gerard (1743?–1791), and Margaret, the youngest daughter, who is seated on the ground. (Vanneck’s wife died two years before this painting was made.) Devis’s work could be somewhat formulaic, relying on set props (like the telescope and table included here) and portraying his subjects in a stylized, doll-like way, with little sense of real portraiture. This, however, is one of Devis’ most spectacular works. The figures in their gorgeously rendered satins, appear almost like petits fours arranged perfectly in a perfect setting. The work is full of visual delights to discover, from the shine of the shoe buckles, to the individual stems of flowers distributed carefully amongst the figures.

FINE ART

ARTHUR DEVIS

Preston, 1711–Leiden, 1769

ENGLISH

WILLIAM HOGARTH

London, 1697–1764

Portrait of the Honorable Captain John Hamilton, c. 1740 Oil on canvas 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.23 Purchased 1918 by Henry Clay Frick

FINE ART

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S FURNITURE

J E A N - P I E R R E L AT Z , maker

French (b. Germany), c. 1691–1754

F R A N Ç O I S D U H A M E L , maker

French, 1723–1801

Parlor organ, c. 1750 Wood with marquetry inlay in various woods and gilded bronze mounts 29 1/2 x 36 x 20 1/4 in. (74.9 x 91.4 x 51.4 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.24 Purchased 1967 by Helen Clay Frick

Aristocratic patrons of eighteenth-century Europe sought French furniture, renowned for its artistic and technical superiority. Most furniture was the collaborative effort of various specialized raftsmen who were regulated by a strictly enforced guild system. This lavish parlor organ required the skills of several expert artisans: an ébéniste (a cabinetmaker); a fondeur-ciseleur (who cast and chased the bronze mounts); and a ciseleur-doreur (who gilded the mounts). The organ bears four stamps identifying the maker as Jean-Pierre Latz, a premier ébéniste noted for his exquisite floral marquetry. The delicately sinuous legs and exotic wood marquetry are hallmarks of Latz’s

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

work. An additional mark belongs to François Duhamel, although the extent of his contribution is unclear. Latz was born in Cologne, Germany, and immigrated to Paris in 1719. In 1741, Latz received the title ébéniste privilégié du roi (privileged cabinetmaker to the King), which allowed him to practice without becoming a master. He counted several members of European royalty amongst his clients and it is thought that this organ may have been made for Marie Louise Elisabeth (1727–1759), daughter of King Louis XV and Queen Maria Leszczynska. She was one of Latz’s regular patrons, as were the kings of Prussia and Poland.

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S FURNITURE

J E A N - P I E R R E L AT Z , maker

French (b. Germany), c. 1691–1754

F R A N Ç O I S D U H A M E L , maker

French, 1723–1801

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

C H I N E S E, Q I N G DY N A S T Y

Qianlong period, 1736–1795

Vase, 18th century Porcelain with enamel decoration 21 x 10 1/2 in. diam. (53.3 x 26.7 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.16

C H I N E S E, Q I N G DY N A S T Y

Qianlong period, 1736–1795

Vases, 18th century Porcelain with enamel decoration 20 1/2 x 15 in. diam. (52.1 x 38.1 cm) each Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.12-13 Purchased 1916 by Henry Clay Frick

Qing Dynasty porcelains rose to an unprecedented level of technical skill in the early 1700s, due in large part to the development of new colors. Porcelain artists discovered that by adding a lead arsenic white pigment to translucent, tinted enamels, they could create opaque colors. The vastly expanded color palette, called famille rose for the characteristic pink hue, allowed for scenes with subtle gradations of color that resembled oil painting. These extraordinary vases represent the scientific and artistic pinnacle of the Qianlong period. Both bear a sixcharacter reign mark that signifies they were made under imperial patronage. The painting is masterful—the flowers and leaves of the peach tree and

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

chrysanthemums are both botanically precise and delicately expressive, as if a slight breeze was rustling the braches. The compositions show buds, blossoms, and fruit together, a combination impossible in nature. Even so, the painter was sensitive to the bulbous shape of the vase, evidenced by the fact that elements on the shoulder are depicted more prominently than those at the top and bottom. Both vases reflect traditional Chinese imagery, but the peaches are particularly significant. The peach is a symbol of both longevity and good fortune in China. The fact that there are nine is also notable; the Chinese character for nine has the same pronunciation as the word for “long-lasting.”

This superb vase represents the high quality of decoration achieved by porcelain artists working during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Sixteen enameled dragons soar in profile amidst flowers of the four seasons on a white background. The colors are slightly transparent, yet rich and lustrous. Subtle gilded highlights accent the sinuous bodies of the dragons, as well as the scrolled, iron-red handles. A sumptuous turquoise glaze coats the interior of the vase. A six-character seal mark on the bottom indicates that this large vase was made under imperial patronage. The four-clawed dragons signify that it was made for a member of the royal family or a high-ranking official; dragons with five claws were reserved for the emperor himself. Two additional labels offer clues on the vase’s more recent history. A handwritten note on one reads “Mr. H. C. Frick” while the other records “Drawing Room”—likely at Eagle Rock, the Frick family’s summer residence in Massachusetts—although it is not known from where Frick purchased the vase.

D E C O R AT I V E A R T

C H I N E S E, Q I N G DY N A S T Y

Qianlong period, 1736–1795

Vase, 18th century Porcelain with enamel decoration 21 x 10 1/2 in. diam. (53.3 x 26.7 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.16

C H I N E S E, Q I N G DY N A S T Y

Qianlong period, 1736–1795

Vases, 18th century Porcelain with enamel decoration 20 1/2 x 15 in. diam. (52.1 x 38.1 cm) each Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.12-13 Purchased 1916 by Henry Clay Frick

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

D E C O R AT I V E A R T

Attributed to

THOMAS WEBB & SONS,

manufacturer British (Stourbridge), 1837–1990

Vases, c. 1886 Glass Left: 8 5/8 x 3 1/2 in. diam. (21.9 x 8.9 cm) Right: 5 3/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 7/8 in. diam. (14.6 x 13.3 x 7.3 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1986.88-89 Purchased 1886 by Henry Clay Frick

104

Interest in the ancient art of cameo glass was revived in the eighteenth century and reached new heights in England and France during the second half of the nineteenth century. The discovery of the Portland Vase, the most famous Roman cameo glass created between 1 and 25 AD, and its subsequent exhibition in England, led many artists to attempt to recreate the exquisite technique of cutting through contrasting layers of glass to create relief decoration. Thomas Webb & Sons of Stourbridge, England was one of the most prolific manufacturers, with a wide variety of styles suited to the eclectic tastes of the Aesthetic Movement. Although these vases are unsigned, they relate closely in style, technique, and shape to several examples signed by Thomas Webb and Sons. Webb’s skilled craftsmen used a combination of acid

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

etching, wheel engraving, and hand carving to achieve a cameo effect on cased layers of glass. The acid etching process, introduced on an industrial scale in the 1860s, allowed a greater degree of relief and shading than ever previously achieved. Successful application of the effect is demonstrated by the exquisite gradation of color on the rose-colored orchids against a vibrant yellow background. Both forms are influenced by Chinese ceramics, as are the swirling peony blossoms of the turquoise and pink bottle. An 1886 invoice from J. E. Caldwell & Company, a prominent Philadelphia retailer of luxury goods, lists two “cameo glass vase[s]” purchased by Henry Clay Frick on December 13, most likely in reference to these two objects.

DERBY CROWN PORCELAIN C O M PA N Y

British (Derby), 1876–1890

Covered vases, 1887 Porcelain with enamel and gilded decoration Left: 12 x 6 3/8 in. diam. (30.5 x 16.2 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center 1986.77 Right: 11 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. diam. (29.2 x 14 cm): Frick Art & Historical Center 1986.82

Llewellynn Jewitt’s influential volume The Ceramic Art of Great Britain (published in 1883) served to highlight Britain’s past successes in the ceramic arts and promote modern industry. His assessment of the work produced by the Derby Crown Porcelain Company was especially favorable: “The specialties [of Derby] are the vases, principally of Persian and Indianesque in character, decorated in the richest of styles with a profusion of raised gilt ornament and an elaborate colouring that is eminently effective.” These two vases closely match Jewitt’s description of choice wares from Derby Crown, including the vibrantly colored grounds, opulent gilding, and delicately studied floral arrangements. Both vessels demonstrate the exoticism and naturalism associated with the Aesthetic Movement. The bulbous forms with

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

attenuated necks decorated with patterned bands recall Persian metalwork. The scattered flowers and leaves are similar to Japanese composition, but they are painted with more realism than expected. The dynamic contrast between the brilliant yellow body and the gradated enameling is particularly eye-catching. The blue vessel, though more subtle, is equally rich with a mottled ground in tones of lapis lazuli and turquoise. Both vases, purchased by the Fricks in the 1880s, are marked by W. W. Wattles, a prominent Pittsburgh ceramics and glass dealer. An 1889 advertisement in the Pittsburgh-Dispatch publicized a sale of Wattles inventory of Worcester, Doulton, and Crown Derby porcelains, noting, “This is an opportunity to furnish your home with artistic wares, never before equaled …”

105

Attributed to

THOMAS WEBB & SONS,

manufacturer British (Stourbridge), 1837–1990

104

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

DERBY CROWN PORCELAIN C O M PA N Y

British (Derby), 1876–1890

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

105

T R A N S P O R TAT I O N CARS & CARRIAGES

L . G L E S E N K A M P, S O N S & C O.

American (Pittsburgh), 1875–1920

Spider Phaeton, pony-sized, c. 1897 65 x 64 x 90 in. (165.1 x 162.6 x 228.6 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1986.229

C I N D Y S H E R M A N , artist

American, b. 1954

A N C I E N N E M A N U FAC T U R E R O YA L E D E L I M O G E S ,

manufacturer French (Limoges), 1737–present

A R T E S M A G N U S , commissioner

American (New York), 1989–present

Madame de Pompadour (neé Poisson) tureen and stand, 1990 Porcelain with photo-screenprint and painted platinum decoration 12 x 22 x 14 3/4 in. (30.5 x 55.9 x 37.5 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Scaife, 1994.1

116

In this playful soup tureen and platter, contemporary artist and photographer Cindy Sherman fashions herself as one of the most recognizable figures of the eighteenth century—Madame du Pompadour, official mistress of King Louis XV and supreme patroness of the Rococo arts. The ornamentation borrows liberally from its Rococo antecedents and the form is based on an original design commissioned by Pompadour in 1756. The soft pink ground imitates rose du Pompadour, the color created for the courtesan by Sèvres Manufactory in 1757. As the firm’s most loyal customer, Pompadour played a tremendous role in establishing Sèvres as the premier producer of porcelain in Europe. Sherman creates a visual play on Pompadour’s

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

The Spider Phaeton, the only Pittsburghmade carriage in the collection, was manufactured by L. S. Glesenkamp, Sons & Co., a firm headed by German immigrant Louis Glesenkamp (1826– 1898). Its dash and fenders are patent leather and the carriage is trimmed in Bedford cord, a durable fabric similar to corduroy. Given to Helen Clay Frick at age nine, her initials are on each side of the carriage. A skilled carriage maker, Glesenkamp came to Pittsburgh around

1847 and his business became one of the largest and most successful in the region. The company offered vehicles, accessories,and repair services, with an office and showrooms on Penn Avenue and factories on Liberty Avenue downtown. Archival records reveal that between 1881 and 1909, the Fricks purchased parts, accessories, and several carriages from the company, who also performed repairs and maintenance on other Frick carriages and automobiles.

maiden name, Poisson (French for fish) with an additional vignette inside the tureen depicting fish bedecked with strands of pearls. Sherman’s image is transferred onto the porcelain through a complex process requiring multiple photo-silkscreens. Despite its light-hearted appearance, the object provokes the viewer to go deeper and consider the construction of identity and consumerist culture. Sherman makes a subtle yet powerful comment on the commodification of women and the elitism of art and fashion. Through the acquisition and display of this object and those like it, the Frick Pittsburgh is able to reinvigorate its historic collections and draw connections between past and present.

T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

117

T R A N S P O R TAT I O N CARS & CARRIAGES

L . G L E S E N K A M P, S O N S & C O.

American (Pittsburgh), 1875–1920

Spider Phaeton, pony-sized, c. 1897 65 x 64 x 90 in. (165.1 x 162.6 x 228.6 cm) Frick Art & Historical Center, 1986.229

C I N D Y S H E R M A N , artist

American, b. 1954

A N C I E N N E M A N U FAC T U R E R O YA L E D E L I M O G E S ,

manufacturer French (Limoges), 1737–present

A R T E S M A G N U S , commissioner

American (New York), 1989–present

116

D E C O R AT I V E A R T S

T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

117

Text and illustrations © Frick Art & Historical Center 2016 This edition © Scala Arts Publishers, Inc., 2016 First published in 2016 by Scala Arts Publishers, Inc., 141 Wooster Street, Suite 4D, New York NY 10012, USA www.scalapublishers.com In association with Frick Art & Historical Center 7227 Reynolds Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208 www.TheFrickPittsburgh.org ISBN 978-1-78551-071-7 Edited by Eugenia Bell Designed by Andrea Hemmann/GHI Design Printed and bound in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers. Every effort has been made to acknowledge correct copyright of images where applicable. Any errors or omissions are unintentional and should be notified to the publishers, who will arrange for corrections to appear in any reprints.

Front cover: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640). Portrait of Charlotte-Marguerite de Montmorency, Princess of Condé, c. 1610. Oil on canvas. 1970.049 Back cover: Francesco Guardi (Italy, 1712–1793). The Grand Canal at Saint Geremia, Venice (detail), c. 1760–1765. Oil on canvas. 1984.26. Frontispiece: Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875), Flight of Crows (La Fermière), c. 1866 (detail). Conté crayon and pastel on blue-gray wove paper. Opposite contents page: attributed to Thomas Webb & Sons, Stourbridge, England, Cameo Glass Vase, c. 1890. Colored glass, cased and cameo engraved. Unless otherwise credited, object photographs by Richard Stoner, room interiors by Tom Little. Fig 8, Clay Kisker Fig. 22, Ed Massery