Feature Article Sep/Oct 2011

Princely Treasures European Masterpieces 1600–1800 from the Victoria & Albert Museum

The Art Gallery of WA beckons with opulent riches reaching back in time to lure a wide range of visitors.

Garniture, Sèvres porcelain factory, France, 1780-90, porcelain, painted with enamels and gilded with gilt-bronze mounts and later replacements. Clock: V&A: 171-1879 Vases: V&A: 172&A-1879. ©Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Images.

Immerse yourself in fascinating history, sumptuous wealth and luxurious design at the much anticipated Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600-1800 from the Victoria & Albert Museum at the Art Gallery of WA. The second in the Great Collections of the World series, the exhibition features ninety artworks and objects rarely seen on Australian shores, representing acquisitions by European men and women of great power, wealth and taste. Made by the finest artists and craftsmen, using precious materials from around the world, the works originate from all corners of the continent from Britain to Germany, Russia, Spain and Holland.

The exhibition covers an enormous range of mediums from painting, sculpture, prints and drawing to ceramics, glass, metalwork, furniture, textiles, tapestry, personal adornment, dress and armoury. Stefano Carboni, Director of the Art Gallery of WA, says he is proud to host such a colourful and rich collection with enormous public appeal, and a coup for Perth as the only venue in Australia for the exhibition. “It will not only delight visitors young and old including art lovers, history buffs and antique enthusiasts, it will also provide an intimate view into the lives of the wealthy and powerful in Europe past. The rich textiles, truly opulent furniture and stunning clothing and personal apparel are a wonder, as is the outstanding craftsmanship, use of dazzling materials and historic nature of many of the pieces such as suits of armour.”

The collectors behind the works in the exhibition demonstrate acquisitions and support for the arts on a grand and ostentatious level difficult to imagine. Like to own your own tapestry workshop? The French Sun King Louis the Fourteenth did just that in 1662 specifically to create tapestries for royal residencies, including a set of twelve for each residence representing each month of the year. The work shows precious objects within a highly embellished framework of garlands as a demonstration of the prosperity and luxury of the court.

Like to own twenty thousand pieces of Japanese and Chinese porcelain? Augustus the Second, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland had, by 1719 done just that. A rough diamond by accounts, he was also known as Augustus the Strong, famous for bending horse shoes with his bare hands. Yet he supported the newly formed Royal Meissen Manufactory with commissions in porcelain such as a menagerie of life size animals intended to reach six hundred, stopping short at 458. King Vulture, included in the exhibition is one of this commission.

Works in the exhibition also represent valuable objects exchanged between courts as gifts, through diplomacy and marriage alliances. The finest artists and craftsmen travelled widely following the courts which could afford their skills.

Princely Treasures is presented thematically providing an eclectic coverage of life between 1600 and 1800. Princely Patronage features key patrons of the era; Power and Glory underlines the importance of military status at home by commissioning works depicting victorious battles; Religious Splendour reveals objects of worship; Display and the Domestic Interior shows decorative works for the home, and Fashion and Personal Adornment highlights the lengths aristocratic men and women went to in the name of fashionable style.

Covered beaker by Herman Schwinger, Nuremberg, glass about 1600, engraving about 1680, diamond and wheel-engraved glass, silvergilt, mounts by Friedrich Hillebrandt. V&A: 242-1872. ©Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Images. Magnificent palaces were built all over Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries displaying the wealth of the owner via exotic purchases.

Sourced from the world’s leading museum of art and design, the Victoria & Albert is a unique remembrance to the couple who made a huge imprint on history. Queen Victoria, whose name was given to the Victorian era, said Albert her consort was behind the vision for the museum. Born from the profits of the Great Exhibition of 1951, Albert battled public apathy towards the museum despite his great success with the first world exposition. A temporary museum building, designed by Albert, was nicknamed the Brompton Boilers. The roof leaked in the iron structure and the upper gallery floors would not bear the weight of plaster casts. Taking no chances, architect James Pennethorne designed the building at its current location in South Kensington extending the site over nine years from 1957. In 1899 Queen Victoria added a grand entrance and renamed the South Kensington Museum the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Upgrades and refurbishments have been in progress since 2000 at the V&A, allowing loans such as Princely Treasures to occur while galleries are closed.

Despite setbacks Albert never wavered from his vision of a museum where all levels of society, particularly the working class, could learn and be educated. A vibrant public programs calendar at the Art Gallery of WA during the exhibition adheres to his vision as the art museum being a place for everyone. Children can build their own fantasy palace from Lego inspired by Baroque architecture, and Grandparents Day allows quality time with grandchildren for a special Princely Treasures children’s trail. A gala Family Day will emphasise family and court life in the 17th and 18th centuries.

A Masterclass Lecture Series includes day and evening talks from academics, artists, celebrities, directors and curators. Director Stefano Carboni will discuss different ways of looking at Catholic and Protestant patronage during the era and its importance.

An additional Princely Treasures shop will be stationed alongside the exhibition space. Art Gallery of WA Shop Manager Maria Gabriel spent five days at trade fairs in Paris sourcing new stock for the exhibition. “It really was an experience and elevated your creative thinking to a whole new level,” she said. “I was able to directly source products for the shop you just cannot source at the trade fairs in Sydney and Melbourne, and at prices which really work for buyers.”

“I have some really beautiful pieces for sale - replica Marie Antoinette earrings from the Louvre, antique-style bird cages, Madame Pompadour print scarves, vintage-inspired children’s toys, Christmas decorations and gorgeous furniture like the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost Chairs.”

“The exhibition shop looks amazing - full of birdcages and pink roses,” she said.

“Next year I am hoping to go to New York to source more amazing merchandise for the next show - Picasso to Warhol: Twelve Modern Masters from The Museum of Modern Art, New York.”

Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600-1800 from the Victoria & Albert Museum is open until 9 January 2012. Tickets available though Ticketek or the Art Gallery of WA: Adults $20; concession $16; children $12, under 5 free; family $50; unlimited multi entry individual $55. Visit www.artgallery.wa.gov.au.

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