Vive la France!
Enjoy this playful grouping of French objects from the collection of the Frick Pittsburgh.
In this portrait of the Queen of France in “ordinary dress,” the artist, Nattier, imbues the queen with the softness and delicacy valued in painting at the time.
Known for her delicate, detailed watercolors, often featuring fashionable women in beautiful settings, Madeleine Lemaire made her debut at the Salon in 1864.
Rest in the Park (Le Repos dans le parc) (c. 1720s) by Jean-Baptiste PaterThe Frick Pittsburgh
This small work is a study for Fragonard’s painting “The Pursuit,” from “The Progress of Love,” commissioned in 1771 by Madame du Barry, Louis XV’s mistress, for her château near Versailles.
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Now at the Frick Collection, "The Progress of Love," is considered to be one of the greatest decorative ensembles of the 18th century. Henry Clay Frick purchased the panels in 1915 from J. Pierpont Morgan.
This chair bears the inscription “Meuble de la Couronne” (Furniture of the Crown) under the seat and was made for the Palace at St. Cloud. The palace was purchased by Louis XVI as a retreat for Marie Antoinette and their children.
Born in Germany, Martin Carlin moved to Paris to become an ébéniste—a furniture maker who works with marquetry and wood veneer. He became known for elegant tables, music stands, and cabinets decorated with Sèvres porcelain. This table is decorated with twenty-eight Sèvres plaques, painted with bouquets of flowers.
The ébéniste (cabinetmaker) was a German, Jean-Pierre Latz, who came to Paris in 1721 and became by 1738, "Privileged Cabinet Maker to the King."
It is thought that this organ was made for Marie Louise Elisabeth, daughter of King Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczynska.
Pair of Ewers and Stands (1767/1767) by Pierre GouthièreThe Frick Pittsburgh
These small pitchers are designed to represent water and wine.
Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813) was the most famous Parisian bronze chaser and gilder of his day. He received commissions from leading French figures, and in 1767, he was named doreur du roi (gilder to the king).
These two small figurines illustrate an innovation known as “biscuit ware” by the Sèvres porcelain factory.
The factory began producing these unglazed ceramics—purportedly “discovered” and popularized by Madame de Pompadour—around 1750.
Impatient to see her still-unfinished order on a visit to the factory, Madame de Pompadour demanded to see the pieces and was so impressed with their marble-like appearance that she ordered them to be delivered as they were.
Claude Michel, called Clodion, was one of the most successful sculptors of 18th-century France. This urn is likely from a set made for the terrace at Versailles.
Tonneau (circa 1898 - circa 1898) by Panhard et LevassorThe Frick Pittsburgh
This Panhard Tonneau was purchased in Paris in the summer of 1900 by Howard C. Heinz, son of Henry J. Heinz of Pittsburgh. Heinz eventually brought this vehicle to Pittsburgh, and it was one of the first automobiles in the city.
The couture house of Gustave Beer was based in Paris on the Place Vendôme. Beer's designs were also sold at luxury hotels during the tourist season.
According to her daughter Helen, Adelaide Frick wore this ensemble by French designer Gustave Beer to a reception given at the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt.
This book of traditional French songs, illustrated by Boutet de Monvel likely belonged to Helen Clay Frick, who received French instruction from an early age.
Boutet de Monvel was an academically trained artist who became one of the most famous French illustrators of children’s books.
French Jumeau dolls were prized for their beautiful faces and couture fashion clothing.
This pair, dressed as a shepherd and shepherdess, were a Christmas gift from Henry Clay Frick to his daughter Martha.
