Exhibition dates: July 26, 2004 – February 20, 2005
Exhibition location: Special Exhibitions Gallery, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Galleries, first floor
Many of the gold objects adorning sumptuous French interiors—from the Palace of Versailles to grand residences in Paris—are generally not made of gold at all but of gilt bronze. Both functional and highly decorative, gilt-bronze mounts and bronzes d'ameublement, such as light fixtures, fireplace fittings, and clocks, played a very important role in the French interior from the late 17th to the early 19th century. Always in keeping with the latest stylistic changes, gilt-bronze pieces were often designed by well-known artists and sculptors, such as Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier and Augustin Pajou, and manufactured by highly specialized craftsmen. A rigid guild system maintained the high standards of craftsmanship and regulated the process of gilt bronze manufacture. The exhibition All That Glitters Is Not Gold: The Art, Form, and Function of Gilt Bronze in the French Interior focuses on the use of gilt bronze in the interior décor, as well as on the designs and techniques involved in the casting, chasing, and gilding of gilt bronze objects. Drawn from the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibition will include some 80 objects.
The exhibition is made possible by The David Berg Foundation.
The exhibition will include mounts made for furniture, clocks, vases, and other objects, as well as furniture, and mounted porcelain and hardstone vases. Among the examples of bronzes d'ameublement is a pair of fanciful Rococo candlesticks after a model by Meissonnier (ca. 1693–1750). A spectacular mantle clock designed by Pajou (1730–1809), made of gilt bronze on a marble base and representing the "Triumph of Love over Time," will also be on view. Another exceptional object is a splendid tripod microscope of gilt bronze and blue-green shagreen, or sharkskin, made in 1760 by Claude-Siméon Passement (1702–1769), the scientific instrument maker to King Louis XV. Well-informed about the scientific developments of his day, the king is likely to have owned a comparable example.
The core of the Museum's holdings of gilt bronze mounts is the collection formed by the Parisian architect, ceramicist, and collector Georges Hoentschel (1855–1915). In 1906 J. Pierpont Morgan, then president of the Metropolitan Museum, acquired the collection and gave it to the Museum. Long kept in storage, it provides an excellent overview of stylistic developments from the late Baroque to Empire periods. Wonderful examples of bronzes d'ameublement have also entered the Museum's collections from other benefactors, such as Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman and the Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold: The Art, Form, and Function of Gilt Bronze in the French Interior is curated by Daniëlle O. Kisluk-Grosheide, Associate Curator in the Metropolitan Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. Exhibition design is by Michael Langley, Senior Exhibition Designer, with graphic design by Emil Micha, Senior Graphic Design Manager, and lighting by Richard Lichte and Clint Ross Coller, Lighting Designers, all of the Museum's Design Department.
A variety of educational programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition, including lectures and gallery talks.
The exhibition will be featured on the Museum's Web site (www.metmuseum.org).
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