Exhibition dates: February 21 – February 25, 2007
Location: Special Exhibition Gallery, first floor
A Taste for Opulence: Sèvres Porcelain from the Collection presents a selection of objects such as vases, dinner and tea services, furniture decorated with porcelain plaques, and other luxurious wares produced in the 18th century by the Sèvres porcelain factory. Established in the Château of Vincennes just outside Paris in 1740, the factory quickly became the preeminent producer of porcelain in Europe. Supported in its early years by the patronage of Louis XV, the factory was named the manufacture du roi in 1753 and was purchased by the king in 1759. Catering in large part to the tastes of the court, the factory strove for constant innovation and originality throughout the 18th century, frequently employing the leading artists and designers of the day to provide models and inspiration for the factory's artisans. A Taste for Opulence, which focuses on the diversity of the factory's production, will include approximately 90 objects drawn entirely from the Museum's superb holdings of Sèvres porcelain and from its unparalleled collection of 18th-century French furniture decorated with Sèvres plaques. The exhibition will be on view from February 21 through August 13, 2006.
The exhibition is made possible by The David Berg Foundation.
The experiments in porcelain production that led to the establishment of the Sèvres factory began at Vincennes in 1740, but successful commercial production did not begin until the late 1740s. As the popularity of the porcelain produced at Vincennes grew, the factory outgrew its original quarters and in 1756 moved to the town of Sèvres, located to the west of Paris. Louis XV, who became sole owner in 1759, was an avid patron of the factory, as was his mistress Madame du Pompadour. The prestige conferred by royal patronage contributed to the growing popularity of Sèvres porcelain among the aristocracy in France and abroad. Sèvres products were ideal diplomatic gifts given by the king to foreign monarchs. The exhibition includes a tureen that was part of a large dinner service presented by Louis XV to the Danish king Frederik V in 1758. The first service created using the new green ground color, it must have been regarded as an extremely lavish and fashionable gift and diplomatic correspondence indicates that it was given in response to a gift of stallions from the Danish king. After the death of Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette continued to patronize the factory, and Sèvres vases and dinner services remained coveted diplomatic gifts throughout the 18th century.
Vases were among the most expensive and prestigious products of the Sèvres factory—some costing more than the annual salary of a lower-level professional worker—and frequently reflect the innovation and originality for which the factory became famous. New stylistic currents appeared more immediately in vases than in dinner or tea services, where adoption of new forms would have been more costly. On view in the exhibition are various examples of vases reflecting different stylistic currents such as the opulence and playfulness of rococo in the 1750s and the more restrained lines of neoclassicism of the 1760s. The six elephant-head vases after designs by Jean-Claude Duplessis epitomize the former, whereas the pair of tower vases with their amazing openwork lids is a beautiful example of the latter.
The variety of the Sèvres factory's output was enormous, ranging from vases and dinner wares to small luxurious objects, and to porcelain plaques for incorporation into clocks, barometers, and large pieces of furniture. Among these is a graceful secretary that was purchased in 1782 by the Grand Duke Paul (1754–1801) and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Fedorovna (1759–1828), the future emperor and empress of Russia, while traveling incognito through Europe on their grand tour as the comte and comtesse du Nord. It was later displayed in her boudoir in the palace at Pavlovsk.
Exhibition Credits
A Taste for Opulence: Sèvres Porcelain from the Collection is curated by Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide, Curator, and Jeffrey Munger, Associate Curator, in the Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. Exhibition design is by Michael Batista, Senior Exhibition Designer, with graphic design by Norie Morimoto, Graphic Designer, and lighting by Clint Ross Coller and Richard Lichte, Senior Lighting Designers, all in the Museum's Design Department.
Educational Programs
Six gallery talks will be given by the curators during the run of the exhibition. There will be two Look Again! family programs on July 29, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The exhibition will be featured on the Museum's website (www.metmuseum.org).
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February 17, 2006
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