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- 1. Attributed to the workshop of Wenzel Jamnitzer (c. 1507-1585)
Project for a couple with a silver lid, c. 1575-1585
Pen and brown ink, blue and grey wash over a black stone line - 24.2 x 18 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Drawings for forks, chandeliers, stoves and mirrors? If the former Hôtel Turgot has always been home to furniture and objects, it is nonetheless a paradoxical exhibition that is stopping by the Fondation Custodia. Coming straight from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, it seems destined to surprise the public, which is certainly very used to old drawings but probably less so to the decorative arts. The history of this young collection is nevertheless fascinating and it seems impossible not to be seduced by these very original sheets, often anonymous but sometimes accompanied by a prestigious pedigree. One does not need to be a fan of German Mannerist goldsmiths to appreciate the subtlety of the washes and scrolls on this sheet (ill. 1), which most probably came from the workshop of the famous Wenzel Jamnitzer. It was elegantly mounted, probably during the 18th century, by an enthusiast who was obviously sensitive to the beauty of the drawing and the originality of the object. He was not the last, as it bears the discreet and elegant mark of the collector Lodewijk Houthakker (1926-2008), an essential figure whose shadow hangs over the entire exhibition because of his pioneering taste for ornamental and architectural drawings. The catalogue of his collection, compiled by the art historian Peter Fuhring and published in 1989 before it was dispersed, is still an authoritative work today, and its introduction already described these beautiful architectural and ornamental drawings as "the abandoned children of the art market".
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- 2. Master of the Blue Wash
Florence, c. 1650-1675
Project for a glass table ornament (trionfo), c. 1650-1675
Pen and brown ink, blue wash over a black stone line - 26.9 x 20.1 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Since 2013, a small group of enthusiasts has been scouring galleries and auction rooms in an effort to assemble as varied a collection of decorative arts drawings as possible, of which an enticing selection of over 200 sheets is currently on display at the Fondation Custodia. Led with panache by Reinier Baarsen, Curator Emeritus long responsible for the art object collections at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, this invigorating project has been supported from the outset by loyal patrons, foremost among them Elsbeth van Tets, who already cited Lodewijk Houthakker as her mentor in her interview to CODART in December 2015. These lovers of old master drawings and objets d’art have set up the Decorative Art Fund, which provides funding for the many acquisitions, although there are also many donations. Other patrons of the Dutch museum have also taken an interest in this exciting venture, including Mr Hans van der Ven, not to mention the various collectors and dealers who keep an efficient watch on the art market. The selected sheets often leave one dreaming, as with this extraordinary project for a table ornament (ill. 2), whose thin, translucent base makes it possible to imagine that the object was to be made of... glass!
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- 3. Late 17th century Roman work, circa 1675-1690
A silver gilt candlestick by Carlo Spada
Pen and black ink, brown wash on a graphite line - 55.4 x 18.4 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
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- 4. By or after Francesco Mochi (1580-1654)
A candle or candlestick, c. 1646-1650
Pen and black ink, grey wash - 37.4 x 23.3 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
To our knowledge, there are not really any galleries dedicated to decorative art drawings, although some dealers have made a speciality of them: it is impossible to ignore the role of Nils Viebahn, the true official supplier of the collection, whose name appears very frequently in the catalogue. Fortunately, public sales are full of drawings that are sometimes misattributed: take for example this large sheet (ill. 3) acquired for a very reasonable price in an online only sale at Christie’s. This "French 18th century school" is indeed adorned with the Barberini bees and faithfully reproduces one of the four candlesticks delivered in 1672 for the high altar of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Well documented and still preserved, these were commissioned from the goldsmith Carlo Spada by Cardinal Francesco Barberini. The object prepared for - or reminiscent of - this other drawing (ill. 4) for a candlestick, acquired from the Parisian dealer Nicolas Schwed, remains rather mysterious: should it not be a candle? The presence of the keys of St Peter, the tiara and the Pamphilj arms once again refer to a great Roman family, that of Pope Innocent X, who reigned in the mid-seventeenth century.
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- 6. View of the exhibition Creating. Drawing for the Decorative Arts 1500-1900 at the Fondation Custodia
Photo: Philip Provily - See the image in its page
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- 6. View of the exhibition Creating. Drawing for the Decorative Arts 1500-1900 at the Fondation Custodia
Photo: Philip Provily - See the image in its page
The exhibition harmoniously blends preparatory sheets and retrospective drawings, whose role is explained by the presence of "real" objects: for example, an astonishing triangular saltcellar, also from the Rijksmuseum, is shown next to a project proposing two alternatives so that the eventual commissioner can arbitrate (ill. 5) between the different solutions, which nevertheless draw on the same repertoire of grotesques. A masterpiece of the so-called auricular style, or kwab, the cup made by Adam van Vianen in 1625 was immortalised about a century later (ill. 6), probably at the instigation of the Amsterdam collector Anthony III Grill (1664-1727), who had assembled a large group of works by the silversmith. Two other drawings from the same album preserve the memory of a cup that has unfortunately been lost, but which the side view and the top view make us want to find again, as the object seems to have come straight out of Disney’s Beautiful and the Beast, the favourite cartoon of decorative arts fans. On the other hand, we would have appreciated it if the Louvre’s Objets d’art department could have lent Nicolas Loockemans’ extraordinary covered cup, illustrated by a beautiful drawing by Aert Schouman - which entered the Rijksmuseum’s collections in 1986 - who was able to admire it while it was still in the family of Cornelis de Witt, to whom it was offered in 1667.
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- 7. Attributed to Ubaldo Gandolfi (1728-1781)
Project for a door knocker, c. 1760-1770
Pen and brown ink, brown wash over a black stone line - 28.7 x 20 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
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- 8. Charles-François Hutin (1715-1776)
Project for a porcelain mantel clock, circa 1764-1770
Black stone, pen and black ink, watercolour - 37 x 28 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Among the eighteenth-century sheets that have particularly caught our attention, two very free drawings show the limits of the exercise: the attractive project attributed to Ubaldo Gandolfi (ill. 7) will certainly appeal to more than just knocker enthusiasts, its energetic brown wash having caught the attention of, among others, collector Lodewijk Houthakker. On the other hand, it is questionable whether this is a genuine preparatory drawing or a pure exercise in imagination, as in this design for a mantelpiece clock (ill. 8) bearing the signature of Charles-François Hutin. Its delicate colour highlights suggest that the clock was to be made in porcelain at the Meissen factory, as the artist worked in Dresden, where he became director of the Academy in 1764. The sheet also has an interesting pedigree: after having belonged to Armand-Albert Rateau, it was part of the collection of Louis-Antoine and Véronique Prat, who sold it through the Prouté gallery. The drawing was included in the catalogue "Architecture & Ornement" published by the Parisian gallery for the Salon du Dessin in 2014 (see article): entrusted to Peter Fuhring, it is also a reference for decorative arts drawings and it is not surprising to see several sheets from this set in the exhibition.
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- 9. Luigi Valadier (1726-1785)
Design for a silver and gilt bronze chandelier, c. 1764
Pen and brown ink over a black stone line - 44.5 x 29.1 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
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- 10. Luigi Valadier (1726-1785)
Chandelier delivered for the cathedral of St John of Compostela, 1764
Silver and gilt bronze - 360 cm
Santiago de Compostela, Fundación Catedral de Santiago
Photo: Galleria Borghese - See the image in its page
Clearly divided into twelve thematic sections, the exhibition does, however, take a step aside by evoking the Valadier dynasty, an important family of Roman goldsmiths of French origin whose workshop kept a fabulous collection of drawings covering all stages of the creative process until its closure. In addition to their documentary interest, these sheets fascinate by their variety, ranging from the first thought to the very accomplished presentation drawing. One of the most important (ill. 9) prepares for a major commission entrusted to Luigi Valadier: one of the two monumental chandeliers delivered in 1764 for the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This drawing, executed in pen and ink without a wash, clearly shows the figure of the patron saint of Spain, which is perfectly recognisable on the chandelier (ill. 10), which returned to its place of creation in 2019-2020 on the occasion of the exhibition that the Galleria Borghese dedicated to Luigi Valadier.
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- 11. Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839)
Project for a gilded bronze table, c. 1788-1789
Brown, yellow, pink, black wash and white highlights on a black stone line - 23 x 38.5 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
While we would like to cite all the drawings by the Valadier workshop, from project for a bronze door handle to gilded silver frame inlaid with lapis lazuli, let us content ourselves with illustrating a project by Giuseppe Valadier offered to the museum by Alice Goldet in 2017: this very careful drawing (ill. 11) prepares for a prestigious commission, since it was to provide two large bronze tables intended to support heavy granite trays. Installed in the Vatican Library, they were restored some years ago. However, we have to be content with the vignettes in the catalogue: neither the Spanish chandelier nor the Vatican table came with their preparatory drawings.
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- 12. Frédéric-Jules Rudolphi (1808-1872 ?)
Project for a gold-plated binding for a missal, c. 1841-1848
Pen and black ink, watercolour, gold highlights on a graphite line - 28.5 x 27.5 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
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- 13. Frédéric-Jules Rudolphi (1808-1872 ?)
Project for a gold-plated binding for a missal, c. 1841-1848
Pen and black ink, watercolour, gold highlights on a graphite line - 28.6 x 27.9 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Acquired at a sale organised by Chayette & Cheval at the Hôtel Drouot in November 2017, two fascinating drawings by Frédéric-Jules Rudolphi [1] - A third one unfortunately remained in the Rijksmuseum - was preparing the binding of a missal for Empress Maria Anne of Austria (1803-1884), whose coat of arms can be recognised on the first proposal (ill. 12), decorated with a Virgin and Child, which is replaced by a Crucifixion on the second (ill. 13). One is immediately carried away by the decorative profusion of these projects, the outcome of which is unknown, but which are evocative testimonies of this "golden age of the decorative arts" which even extended to religious goldsmithing.
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- 14. Karel Sluyterman (1863-1931)
Projects for a pepper mill, a mustard pot and a silver salt shaker, 1892
Pen and black ink, watercolour, metallic paint on a graphite line - 27.5 x 37.9 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Although the exhibition is composed of sheets that are mainly "useful" in nature, it does indeed encourage visitors to daydream, since they are often tempted to start making a snuffbox, coffee cups or an earthenware plate. How can one resist Karel Sluyterman’s designs (ill. 14) for a pepper mill, a mustard pot and a silver salt shaker? One can already sense the Art Nouveau style in these elegant pieces, whose shapes and ornaments remain very rococo in spirit. René Lalique is well represented in the last room of the exhibition, even if we may naturally prefer him as a designer who is less well known in our country, although he worked for two years in Paris before joining the goldsmiths Hoeker & Zoon.
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- 15. Alexandre Bruel (1869-1954)
Project for the back wall of a gallery, 1898
Black stone, pen and black ink, watercolour, white gouache highlights, metal point - 68.8 x 61 cm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Photo: Rijksmuseum - See the image in its page
Would we want to live in the room designed by the little known Alexandre Bruel in 1898? Nothing is less certain, but this marvellous drawing (ill. 15), which has retained its original exhibition frame and passe-partout, is a vivid testament to the talent of the architect-decorators trained at the École des beaux-arts in Paris and easily stands out as one of the most impressive sheets in the exhibition. It is like one of the rooms designed by Rémond and Morand or Alexandre Sandier for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, recently rediscovered at the Musée des Arts décoratifs (see article) where the exhibition "Le dessin sans réserve" (see article) was held after two confinements. The Rijksmuseum is not as fortunate as the Paris museum, which inherited the Maciet albums and entire collections of decorative arts drawings. Not all the sheets exhibited here were acquired in recent years, but the overwhelming majority are recent additions orchestrated by Reinier Baarsen and his small group of loyal patrons [2] The Parisian public thus has the chance to discover this brilliant sampling, the enumeration of which commands respect, all the more so as the ensemble has never before been presented as such at the Rijksmuseum.
As early as 2016, a first article published in the Bulletin of the Amsterdam institution gave the measure of the efforts made to build up the collection, while a second progress report announced a few months ago a new salvo of acquisitions, even though the exhibition had already opened its doors in Bois-le-Duc! Among other treasures, we can admire a banner project acquired for a modest price at a public sale in Paris and promptly reattributed to Giovanni Battista Foggini. These prospects in no way detract from the pleasure of (re)visiting this exhibition, where there is never a dull moment, even if the French-speaking public has to make do with the rich visitor’s booklet composed by Maud Guichané and Marie-Liesse Choueiry based on the exhibition’s exemplary catalogue, which is only available in English, but whose impeccable notes underline the solidity of a passionate scientific work that deserves nothing less than our highest praise.
<Curator: Reinier Baarsen
Edited by Reinier Baarsen, Process: Design Drawings from the Rijksmuseum 1500-1900, nai010 publishers, 2022, 400 p., €49, ISBN: 9789462087354
Practical information: Fondation Custodia, 121 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris. Open every day except Monday from 12 noon to 6 pm. Price: 10 € (reduced 7 €). Website.