The Frick Collection members' magazine (Spring/Summer 2006)

2006·19.8 MB·English

by  The Frick Collection

Board of Trustees
Margot Bogert
President
Howard Phipps Jr.
Vice President
L.F.Boker Doyle
Treasurer
John P.Birkelund
Secretary
Peter P.Blanchard III
W.M. Brady
I.Townsend Burden III
Walter A.Eberstadt
Emily T.Frick
Martha Loring
Juan Sabater
Stephen A. Schwarzman
Melvin R. Seiden
Henry Clay Frick II
Chairman Emeritus
Helen Clay Chace
President Emerita
Walter Joseph Patrick Curley
Paul G. Pennoyer Jr.
Trustees Emeriti
Everett Fahy
Charles Ryskamp
Samuel Sachs II
Directors Emeriti
The Frick Collection Hours
10:00 to 6:00 Tuesday through Saturday;
11:00to 5:00 Sundays; closed Mondays
and holidays
The Members' Magazine ispublished three
times ayear by The Frick Collection as a
benefit for its members.
Volume 6,Number 2
ISSN: 1534-6412
Editor: Rebecca Brooke
THE FRICK COIiLEC'TION
MEMBERS' MAGAZINE SPRING / SUMMER 2006
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Jean-Henri Riesener, Cabinetmaker to King Louis XVI
PAGE7
UPCOMING EXHIBITION I
Jean-Étienne. Liotard (1702-17,89): Swiss Master
PAGE 10
PAGE 14
COLLECTION NEWS
Frick Appoints New Conservator, Furniture Specialist Joseph Godla
PAGE 15
LIBRARY
Conservation Department Digitally Preserves Vintage Negatives for the Future
PAGE 16
COMMUNITY
Goya, Tango, and Tapas:
FRONT COVER:
Young Fellows Ball Benefits Education Program Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789), detail of
Liotard Laughing, c.1770, oilon canvas,
PAGE 18 Muséed'art etd'histoire, Geneva,
photograph byBettina Iacot-Descombes
SPRING / SUMMER CALENDAR BACK COVER:
Liotard, detail ofSelf-Portrait Known as "witna
Museum Shop, Concerts, Lectures
New Beard," 1782,graphite pencil and chalk on
yellowedblue paper, Musée d'art etd'histoire,
PAGE 20 Geneva,photograph byNathalie Sabato
COLLECTION NEWS
MARGOT BOGERT ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE FRICK COLLECTION'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES
M
argot Bogert was unanimously where she studied international relations, Baden-Powell. A scout as aboy, Campbell's
elected The Frick Collection's graduating in 1975. A major benefactor of interest in the program was rekindled
fourth president atthe December 2005 meet- the collège, Bogert served as vice chair- through the meeting, sparking what would
ing of its Board of Trustees. A member of man of Sarah Lawrence's board beginning become a lifelong interest in the scout-
the Board since 2001, Bogert says she has in 1995 and as its chairman from 1998 to ing movement. His vision and generosity
witnessed "tremendous change" at the Frick 2004. Prior to her board service, shewasthe made it possible to implement local scout-
during this short time, citing, among other college's director of development for nearly ing programs in Africa, where teenagers
things, the appointment of the institution's a decade, during which time she launched are taught skills that help them to improve
first woman director, the expansion of its Sarah Lawrence's first major capital cam- their cornmunity's resources. His leader-
special exhibitions program, an increase in paign and increased the institution's endow- ship and financial support also led to the
the museum's fundraising efforts, and the ment from $2million to $40 million. Among creation of the World Scout Foundation,
development of an architectural study that other achievements, shemobilized the board a capital endowment fund that has grown
addresses the need for additional gallery, to secure funding for a campus science cen- steadily and today does much to ensure the
library, and officespace. ter and the Campbell Sports Center, named long-term financial stability of scouting.
"I consider being named the Prick's first for her parents. She also was one of the key In 2004, Bogert founded the World
nonfamily president quite an honor," says leaders in developing the college's current Scout Fund/USA, which sponsors commu-
Bogert, who succeeds Helen ClayChace, the strategie plan and led its recently completed nity projects in underdeveloped nations.
great-granddaughter of Henry Clay Prick, $81 million campaign, the largest in Sarah She is currently the only woman on the
the Collection's founder. "There aresomany Lawrence history. fifteen-member board of the World Board
important projects happening at the Frick Bogert is one of the first women mem- of Scouting, which isheaded byHis Majesty
right now.Weare once again making acqui- bers of the national executive board of KingCarl XVIGustaf of Sweden.
sitions by purchase, we're planning more directors of the Boy Scouts of America, Bogert, an only child, was born at Fort
educational programs than ever before, and formerly the vice chairman of the World Sill, a military base in Oklahoma where
we're increasing public and critical aware- Scout Cornmittee, and a member of the her father served as a field artillery instruc-
ness. We're thrilled to have received a plan- board of directors of the World Scout tor during World War II. Her parents had
ning grant from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. She comes by this interest in met a few years before in New York City's
Foundation forthe Center forthe History of scouting through her father, the lateWilliam Presbyterian Hospital, where her father was
Collecting inAmerica, which willbe located D. Campbell. Campbell, who dedicated his recovering from an automobile accident and
atthe Library and willeventually expand the life to advancing scouting, was the honor- her mother wasworking asanurse. Growing
Frick's role as a leading research institution ary president of the World Organization of up in Southern Pines, North Carolina, she
with new programs and fellowships." the Scout Movement. Born in 1907, he later attended public school through seventh
Over the years, Bogert has demonstrated spent sixyears in Kenyaon a ranch that he grade before moving with her parents to
an impressive record of service to anumber had won playing baccarat in Monte Carlo. NewYorkCity sothat she could attend The
ofnonprofit boards, including the Episcopal During that time, he was commissioned by Chapin School. After high-school gradua-
Charities of the Diocese of New York, the the American Museum of Natural History tion, Bogert spent six months studying in
Northern Westchester Hospital Center, and to collect animal specimens for five of the Florence, an experience, shesays,that solidi-
theWoodland Foundation inNewYorkCity. dioramas in the museum's African wing, fied her love of art and architecture, espe-
She has a long affiliation with the board of which bears his name. While in Kenya, he ciallyworks ofthe ltalian Renaissance.
her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College, met the founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Shebegan her collegecareer at Radcliffe,
2 The Prick Collection
COLLECTION NEWS
where she met Helen Clay Chace (then
Symington). Coincidentally, the two college
friends ended up livingacrossthe street from
each other in Bedford, NewYork,both with
twosmallchildren. Itwasthrough thisfriend-
ship that Bogert began her association with
the Frick,first asacontributing supporter in
1971,then asaHenry ClayFrickFellowinthe
1990S.Most recently,she became a founding
member ofthe Director's Circle.
Bogert says that her husband of forty-
three years, Jeremiah M. Bogert, is"terribly
supportive" of her philanthropie involve-
ment. Aninvestment advisor with Silvercrest
AssetManagement Group, he also serves on
several boards, including, for many years,
heading theboard oftheInternational Center
for the Disabled, which was founded by his
grandfather in1924tohelpveterans ofWorld
War I, and two family foundations, the JM
Foundation and the Milbank Foundation for
Rehabilitation. She has known her husband
sincetheywereteenagers, when both oftheir
families spent summers atFisher's Island, off
the coastofConnecticut. Theyhaveadaugh-
ter, Millicent, who liveswith her husband in
northern California, where sheworks for the she welcomes. "This is an extremely excit- InDecember 2005, Margot Bogert became the fourth
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, ing time for The Frick Collection, and l president ofThe Frick Collection's Board ofTrustees.
Shesucceeds Helen ClayChace (president, 2001-5),
and a son, Ieremiah, a photo editor with feel privileged to have the opportunity to
Henry ClayFrickII(president, 1965-2001), and Childs
The New York Times. He lives in Brooklyn help Anne Poulet realize her vision for the Frick (president, 1920-65).
Heights with his wife and three children, institution's future. Myjob isto help her,the
ages8,5, and 2. Board, and the staff to preserve the beauti-
Balancing time spent with her family ful, calm atmosphere created by Henry Clay
with her responsibilities to several boards Prick, while at the same time making his
has, over the years, proven rewarding to wonderful collection of masterpieces acces-
Bogert, who describes herself as someone sible to a wider, more diverse public-not
who thrives when she is involved in simul- only today but weIl into the future. l can't
taneous projects. Becoming president of the wait to get started, because I love to make
Frick's Board of Trustees is a challenge that things happen,"-Rebecca Brocke, Editor
Members' Magazine Spring/Summer 2006 3
CURRENT EXHIBITION
VERONESE'S ALLEGORIES:
VIRTUE, LOVE, AND EXPLORATION IN RENAISSANCE VENICE
Apriln through [uiy 16, 2006
K
nown for his opulent and majestic Prick Collection, along with one from The porary Venetiangarbturning toward thepro-
works, the Renaissance artist Paolo Metropolitan Museum of Art and two oth- tective embrace of Virtue, in order to avoid
Veronese enjoyed a career that was distin- ers from the Los Angeles County Museum the clutches of Vice; Wisdom and Strength
guished bycommissions from the most pres- ofArt-provides visitors to the Prickwith a (below, right) shows the figure of Divine
tigious institutions in Venice, both secular unique opportunity to explore this particu- Wisdom stepping over earthly possessions,
and ecclesiastic. An exhibition devoted to lar aspect ofthe artist's oeuvre. juxtaposed with Hercules'brute strength. The
Veronese has not been seen in the United Thegroup offivecanvases,installed inthe Metropolitan's Venus and Mars United byLove
States since 1988, and never before have Oval Room, demonstrates the different ways (page 6,left) extolsthe all-conquering power
an five of his large-scale allegories from in which Veronese conveyed messages and of love, while the figures in the two works
American collectionsbeenpresented together ideas through allegorical deviees.Both Frick from the LosAngelesCounty Museum ofArt
atasinglevenue. Veronese's Allegories: Virtue, pictures aremeant topromote virtuous living. arepossiblyhistorical characters representing
Love, and Exploration inRenaissance Venice- The Choice between Virtue and Vice (below, different modes of navigation. In the canvas
which focuses on his two paintings in The left) depicts a nobleman dressed in contem- illustrated at right, a man holds across-staff,
4 The Prick Collection
CURRENT EXHIBITION
an instrument used to establish the altitude
of the sun and stars in order to determine
latitude. The second painting (page 6,right)
showsaman holding aplanispheric astrolabe,
which alsowasusedto determine the altitude
ofthe sun and other celestialbodies.
The precise meaning of each of the five
canvases isunclear (asisthe casewith most
of Veronese's allegorical paintings), and
issues such as their dating are problematic.
The patrons who commissioned the works
are unknown, although they were probably
prominent members of the Venetian and
international aristocracy.
In 1913, the art historian Detlev von
Hadeln proposed that the three New York
paintings, together with a fourth, Hermes,
Herse, and Aglauros (now inthe collection of
the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), had
been created asacycleforEmperor Rudolf II
after his coronation in 1576. The discov-
ery of a document dated almost ten years
earlier (1567), in which the dealer Jacopo
Strada offered the Frick paintings to Duke
Albrecht Vof Bavaria,disproved this theory.
It now seems unlikely that the four paint-
ings were conceived as a series, although
they did travel together for centuries, and
their association with sorne of the most
famous and prestigious collections makes
THIS PAGE:
Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), AllegoryofNavigation with
aCross-Staff,c.1560-65, oilon canvas,LosAngeles
County Museum ofArt
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Veronese, TheChoicebetween Virtue and Vice,c.1565,
oiloncanvas,The FrickCollection
Veronese, Wisdom andStrength, c.1565,oilon canvas,
The FrickCollection
Members' Magazine Spring/Summer 2006 5
them important for the history of collecting Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1910, while Veronese's Allegories: Virtue, Love, and
and display.The canvaseswere firstrecorded Virtue and Vice and Wisdom and Strength- Exploration in Renaissance Venicewas coor-
together in Emperor Rudolf I1's castle in having been in Thomas Hope's collection in dinated for the Frick by Andrew W Mellon
Prague in1621. Following the sackofthe city London-entered The Frick Collection in Curatorial Fellow Xavier F. Salomon in con-
in1648, they weretaken bythe Swedisharmy 1912. This exhibition reunites these three of junction with Associate Curator Denise Allen.
to Stockholm, where they entered the col- the four canvases for the first time in more A full-color catalogue tracing the history of
lection of Queen Christina of Sweden.With than two hundred years. the paintings, the different interpretations of
the queen's abdication and conversion to Despite unanswered questions associated their iconography, and their place within the
Catholicism, the paintings traveled to Rome. with their creation, these grand paintings artist's oeuvre accompanies the exhibition and
They subsequently passed through the col- demonstrate Veronese's impressive technical isavailable in the Museum Shop.
lection of the duc d'Orléans in Paris, after virtuosity, hissubtle and vibrant useofcolor, Major funding for the exhibition has
which they went separate ways. Venus and and his skillin producing magnificent repre- been provided by The Christian Humann
Mars United by Love was purchased by The sentations for hisVenetian and international Foundation. Additional support has been
clientele. Bybringing these fivemasterworks provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas
ABOVE, LEPT TO RIGHT: together forthe firsttime, the exhibition may Foundation, Hester Diamond, The Helen
Veronese, VenusandMars UnitedbyLove,1570s,oilon
enable art historians and scholars to answer Clay Frick Foundation, and the Fellows of
canvas,The Metropolitan Museum ofArt,NewYork
sorne of the many outstanding questions The Frick Collection. The publication ismade
Veronese, AllegoryofNavigation with anAstrolabe,
about their history and meaning.-Xavier F. possible, in part, by Lawrence and Julie
c.1560-65,oilon canvas,LosAngelesCounty
Museum ofArt Salomon, Andrew W Mellon Curatorial Fellow Salander.
6 The Frick Collection
PERMANENT COLLECTION
JEAN-HENRI RIESENER,
XVI
CABINETMAKER TO KING LOUIS
l
ntegrating the decorative arts with paint- designs were moving generally in the direc-
ings and sculpture has alwaysbeen para- tion of sparer, classically influenced forms,
mount in the display of works of art at The although he never completely abandoned
Frick Collection. This sympathetic combina- the elaborate floral marquetry patterns that
tion of fine and decorative arts was greatly he learned asayoung craftsman.
enhanced by Henry Clay Frick's numerous Little is known of Riesener's early life,
acquisitions ofexceptionaleighteenth-century other than that he was born in 1734 in
French furniture between 1914 and 1918. The Gladbeck in the Rhineland, the son of a
furniture added to the collection during the chair maker. He moved to Paris in 1754, one
last years of Frick's life not only completes of a large group of German and Flemish
the interiors but alsoallowsvisitorsto under- craftsmen working in the city during the
stand the shiftingtastes of the late eighteenth middle of the eighteenth century. Shortly
century.No artisan or designerofthat period after arriving in Paris, he was hired by the
had amore influential careerthan Jean-Henri great ébéniste Jean-François Oeben (1721-
Riesener, who bridged the gap between the 1763), who wasbestknown forhisinnovative
rococo and neoclassical and used his role designs featuring the lively rococo forms
as ébéniste du roi (cabinetmaker to the king)
tounifythe furnishings inthemanypalacesof
LouisXVI.Heiscelebratedfortheunsurpassed
quality ofhisfurniture's designand construc-
tion,aswenashissuccessfulcollaborationwith
the makersofgilt-bronzemounts.
The Frick Collection boasts five pieces
by Riesener, constituting one of the coun-
try's largest and most important collections.
Dating from 1781 to 1791, the five pieces
represent a transitional phase of Riesener's
long career. During this period, Riesener's
o'"
TOP: o'C"l
Antoine Vestier (1740-1824), Jean-Henri Riesener, 1786, ;o
oilon canvas,Musée national deschâteaux deVersailles
etdeTrianon, Versailles
ABOVE:
Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), writing deskofoakand mahogany
with mahogany veneer and gilt-bronze mounts, 1785-90, The Frick
Collection. Adetail ofthe desk'sgilt-bronze mounts appears atleft.
Members' Magazine Spring/Summer 2006 7
PERMANENT COLLECTION
decorated with floral marquetry that were
favored by Madame de Pompadour. Oeben
had an atelier in the royal workshops, which
allowed hirn freedom from the rigid guild
restrictions. The exemption was instrumen-
tal to the success of his designs as it allowed
hirn to commission gilt-bronze mounts to
decorate his furniture, resulting in a grace-
fuI marriage of the surface decoration of the
wood and the applied mounts.
Itwas in Oeben's workshops that Riesener
mastered the skill of cutting marquetry into
elaborate patterns and developed his inter-
est in complex mechanical furniture. Playing Riesener began to stamp his own name to work outside of the guild-system regula-
a leading role in the workshop, he attained on his pieces after becoming amaster in 1768, tions and, like Oeben before hirn, could thus
the position ofpremier-garçon by the time of and shortly thereafter he was again working commission custom mounts that perfectly
Oeben's death in 1763.Having not yet received for the Crown. Bycombining complex forms complemented his furniture designs.
the guild status of master, Riesener contin- such as the secrétaire à cylindre and secré- In the role of ébéniste du roi, Riesener's
ued to work in the style of Oeben with the taire à abattant with surface decorations, influence stretched well beyond that of a
finished products bearing the latter's starnp. induding beautiful marquetry patterns and single craftsman. He became one of the
He secured his position at the center of the the highest quality gilt-bronze mounts, he most influential designers of the time by
most important group of Parisian ébénistes established hirnself as the top cabinetmaker producing large quantities of furniture for
when, in 1767, he married Oeben's widow, in Paris. Riesener was named ébéniste du roi the highly visible and often-emulated royal
Françoise- Marie Vandercruse, the sister of the in 1774, the year Louis XVI acceded to the settings. Demands on his workshop were so
prominent cabinetmaker Roger Lacroix. throne, and supplied the king with more great that he often contracted others to fill
Perhaps the best-known piece of furniture than seven hundred pieces of furniture dur- his orders. Doing so allowed hirn to dictate
produced by Oeben's workshop during the ing the next ten years. the pieces produced by many of the city's
1760s is the masterful roll-top desk made for The privileges that accompanied Riesener's leading ébénistes, furthering his efforts to
Louis X:V's study at Versailles. Nine years in new title afforded hirn an the necessary pro duce a consistent style.
the making, the desk (or secrétaire à cylindre) advantages to build elegant objects of the The five Riesener pieces (and one nine-
was started by Oeben in 1760 and finally highest quality. The workshop he inherited teenth-century copy) in the Collection pro-
delivered by Riesener in 1769. (It remains in from Oeben was located in the Arsenal, vide excellent examples of three of the four
the collection of the Châteaux de Versailles et a royal complex primarily devoted to the major phases in the arc ofRiesener's evolution:
de Trianon, Versailles.) The combination of manufacturing of weapons and, therefore, rectilinear neodassical forms veneered with
a bold rococo form embellished with twenty the home of many metal workers. Itinduded brightly colored exotic woods; neodassical case
beautifully executed marquetry panels, elabo- a forge, allowing for the manufacture of pieces with pictorial marquetry and geometrie
rate gilt-bronze mounts, a dock, and com- components for the mechanical furniture parquetry patterns of dyed domestic woods
plex mechanisms cost the Crown 62,985 livres, he designed. Because Riesener was making or lacquer panels imported from the Far East;
more than ten times Riesener's annual income. pieces in the royal workshops, he was free and plain mahogany furniture with exquisite
8 The Prick Collection