The Frick Collection is renowned for its remarkable holdings of 18th-century French fine and decorative arts and for galleries such as the Fragonard and Boucher rooms. In recent years, acquisitions in this area have included sculptures by Jean-Antoine Houdon (active 1741-1828), Claude Michel Clodion (1738-1814), and Josef Chinard (1756-1813), as well as a rare vase from the Sèvres royal manufactory.
Trustee Sidney R. Knafel has given the New York museum an extraordinary pair of candelabra by Pierre Gouthière, the great French chaser-gilder who worked in the second half of the 18th century for an elite clientele, including Madame Du Barry, the Duke of Aumont and the Duchess of Mazarin (the latter having commissioned from Gouthière, the Frick's iconic blue marble table with gilt-bronze mounts). The newly acquired candelabra will be presented in the Frick's groundbreaking monographic exhibition “Pierre Gouthiere: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court” planned to open this fall.
"At this time last year, with the help of Sidney R. Knafel, the Frick acquired a very important 16th-century Saint-Porchaire ewer by the famed French ceramicist Bernard Palissy. A fascinating object, it inspired closer study and fresh scholarship of a vase from the same region purchased 100 years earlier by founder Henry Clay Frick. We are deeply grateful to Mr. Knafel once again for supporting the institution's desire to amplify and enrich its remarkable holdings in the decorative arts with the gift of this remarkable pair of candelabra," said Ian Wardropper, director.
"These stunning objects exemplify the technical and artistic excellence reached in Paris in the second half of the 18th century,” added Charlotte Vignon, curator of Decorative Arts. “They also have a significant lineage, as they were created for the Duke of Aumont, one of the greatest collectors of the time. They will certainly find a remarkably appropriate setting for display and study here at the Frick.”
The Frick Collection is located at 1 East 70th Street in Manhattan, N.Y.
To learn more, visit www.frick.org.