For your château? Meissen Vase

Meissen Factory. Vase, 1750. porcelain with ormolu mounts. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

This lovely porcelain vase was made at the Meissen Factory around 1750.  When the item was made the factory had been illustrious for 4 decades, and their pieces were de rigeur for the first part of the century.  This vase features two exagerated handles on each side decorated with gilt vines and flowers.  This motif is mimicked on the base of the vase.  The dynamic flow of the base is very organic and implies the body of the vase is floating or balancing, quite gracefully, upon the growth (roots). 

The body of the vase is also organic in shape and covered in very small and well detailed blooms.  The texture is apparent and the blooms frame a miniature of a couple strolling through a pleasure garden.  The nature of this piece, with all it's floral motifs and organic bulbus shapes may just be found within an exotic pleausre garden. 

But what about your chateau? Perhaps it would sit upon the wooden end table in your living room? Or on your night stand in your private apartments? What do you say?

Intuitive Style: Princess Elizabeth

Robert Peake the Elder, Princess Elizabeth. c. 1606, Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In this portrait of Princess Elizabeth by Robert Peake, you might notice a rather impressive poof.  Truly before her time style-wise, the young princess has her hair piled high and offsets it with pearls, rubies and emeralds.  Lovely!

With killer eyes and a nice sense of style Elizabeth would become the Queen of Bohemia, but only for a short period. She and her husband were quickly exiled and became royal refugees.  Their residence of choice was The Hague and she remained in Holland for the rest of her life, aside from travel!

Lecture: Music and Theatre in Watteau's Paris

"Antoine Watteau's art would be unthinkable without the culture of the Parisian musical theater from which it sprang."

-Cowart

Have you ever been to a lecture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?  If not, here is a 'chance'!

I have posted below the lecture given by Professor Georgia Cowart, on Watteau in reference to the recent exhibition Watteau, Music and Theater.  If you have 50 minutes to spare it is well worth it.  I know it sounds like a long time, but it will pass quickly!

She briefly covers his early background, when he lived with Crozat (a major patron of arts), as well as the works he was producing at that time.  Watteau was often in the company of musicians and he was no stranger to the opera!  She really makes it easy to imagine Watteau's Paris, particularity the changing realm of opera and it's influence on society.  Her slide show of works in the exhibition highlight all the little details and ways Watteau found himself influenced by both the theater and, of course, music!

The second half discusses theater, with a focus on the Comédie-Italienne and Comédie-Française.  You will learn about characters such as Pierrot (above) Harlequin and even his fetching female counterpart: Harlequina.  This is well worth the watch whether or not you were able to view the exhibition.