Page 6 - catalogue 2016
P. 6
Praise of the Folly for Mounted Porcelain
When he stole fire from the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus, Prometheus 18th Century. In this way, the creations of two continents came to
offered humans the means to progress. However, Jupiter took his revenge cohabitate with ease, bringing rare, brilliant and above all inalterable
by creating Pandora whose box, when opened by misfortune, allowed all colors to the homes of enthusiasts and the cabinets of collectors.
of the evils known to mankind to escape. Between War and Peace, fire
nonetheless gave people the means to develop civilisations whose only As the East triumphed initially with the creation of porcelain, Europe
remaining traces today are ceramics and bronze. proved its strength with the invention of gilt bronze, yet another art of
fire (art du feu). France developed an unsurpassed excellence in this area
Given man’s limitless imagination, he rapidly had the idea to complement thanks to the talents of the different communities and guilds of master
the beauties of nature with creations of his own genius, including those founders (maîtres fondeurs) and master gilders (maîtres doreurs). Thanks
resulting from his mastery of fire. The firing of ceramics first reached its as well to the designers, sculptors and model-makers, this technical
highest state of perfection in the Far East with the invention of porcelain superiority was complemented by an artistic creativity which rapidly
whose textures, shapes, colors and decoration embodied the ultimate ennobled all areas of decorative arts. Enriching porcelain objects
form of refinement. A Courtly Art in the service of gods and princes, regardless of their origin became a sought-after specialty that added a
porcelain long remained confined to the circles of a privileged few. With certain air de Paris to these foreign creations. The porcelain factories at
the spread of sacred treatises and popular literature, it eventually Meissen and Sèvres even began to produce forms specially conceived to
penetrated into the lower classes of society. Porcelain’s diffusion be mounted in gilt bronze.
gradually reaches Europe via the Middle East, where it accumulated in
mediaeval treasuries, both religious and civil, with pieces becoming In time, the decorators let their imagination run rampant by dreaming up
objects of veneration. different ways to embellish the porcelain, often completely altering the
object from its original use. Through this metamorphosis, each piece
During the 16th and 17th Centuries, the explosion of diplomatic and trade found a new purpose, either decorative or useful. The gilt bronze mounts
ties between Europe and the Far East enabled collectors to assuage their transformed Asian bestiaries and celestial pantheons into something new
insatiable bulimia for porcelain. Even the exorbitant price couldn’t stop and different and succeeded in marrying East and West. Buddhas and
it from invading every surface of tables, chimneys and drawing-rooms of shepherds, water buffalo and sheep all managed to cohabitate under trees
a rich clientele avid for its exotic allure. China, Japan and Southeast Asia which flowered more brightly than in springtime. Ever since this time,
all rapidly adapted to this new demand. In Europe, virtually every country these fantastic recreations have taken pride of place in grand collections
frantically tried to discover the secret of making this precious material or, and intimate boudoirs alike, never going out of fashion to this day.
at the very least, to find a way to copy Asian porcelain at a lower cost.
After these early attempts to imitate Asian wares, the Europeans began Christian Baulez
to develop their own original colors and designs during the course of the
4
When he stole fire from the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus, Prometheus 18th Century. In this way, the creations of two continents came to
offered humans the means to progress. However, Jupiter took his revenge cohabitate with ease, bringing rare, brilliant and above all inalterable
by creating Pandora whose box, when opened by misfortune, allowed all colors to the homes of enthusiasts and the cabinets of collectors.
of the evils known to mankind to escape. Between War and Peace, fire
nonetheless gave people the means to develop civilisations whose only As the East triumphed initially with the creation of porcelain, Europe
remaining traces today are ceramics and bronze. proved its strength with the invention of gilt bronze, yet another art of
fire (art du feu). France developed an unsurpassed excellence in this area
Given man’s limitless imagination, he rapidly had the idea to complement thanks to the talents of the different communities and guilds of master
the beauties of nature with creations of his own genius, including those founders (maîtres fondeurs) and master gilders (maîtres doreurs). Thanks
resulting from his mastery of fire. The firing of ceramics first reached its as well to the designers, sculptors and model-makers, this technical
highest state of perfection in the Far East with the invention of porcelain superiority was complemented by an artistic creativity which rapidly
whose textures, shapes, colors and decoration embodied the ultimate ennobled all areas of decorative arts. Enriching porcelain objects
form of refinement. A Courtly Art in the service of gods and princes, regardless of their origin became a sought-after specialty that added a
porcelain long remained confined to the circles of a privileged few. With certain air de Paris to these foreign creations. The porcelain factories at
the spread of sacred treatises and popular literature, it eventually Meissen and Sèvres even began to produce forms specially conceived to
penetrated into the lower classes of society. Porcelain’s diffusion be mounted in gilt bronze.
gradually reaches Europe via the Middle East, where it accumulated in
mediaeval treasuries, both religious and civil, with pieces becoming In time, the decorators let their imagination run rampant by dreaming up
objects of veneration. different ways to embellish the porcelain, often completely altering the
object from its original use. Through this metamorphosis, each piece
During the 16th and 17th Centuries, the explosion of diplomatic and trade found a new purpose, either decorative or useful. The gilt bronze mounts
ties between Europe and the Far East enabled collectors to assuage their transformed Asian bestiaries and celestial pantheons into something new
insatiable bulimia for porcelain. Even the exorbitant price couldn’t stop and different and succeeded in marrying East and West. Buddhas and
it from invading every surface of tables, chimneys and drawing-rooms of shepherds, water buffalo and sheep all managed to cohabitate under trees
a rich clientele avid for its exotic allure. China, Japan and Southeast Asia which flowered more brightly than in springtime. Ever since this time,
all rapidly adapted to this new demand. In Europe, virtually every country these fantastic recreations have taken pride of place in grand collections
frantically tried to discover the secret of making this precious material or, and intimate boudoirs alike, never going out of fashion to this day.
at the very least, to find a way to copy Asian porcelain at a lower cost.
After these early attempts to imitate Asian wares, the Europeans began Christian Baulez
to develop their own original colors and designs during the course of the
4
