The Triumph of the Name of Jesus. Oil on paper, laid down on canvas 64 3/16 x 43 11/16 in. (163.03 x 110.96 cm), Princeton University Art Museum. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund and Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund, 2005-34, Photo: Princeton University Art Museum / Art Resource, NY.

FAIRFIELD, CONN.- The Fairfield University Art Museum is presenting a major international loan exhibition—The Holy Name. Art of the Gesù: Bernini and his Age, which is on view in the museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries from February 1 through May 19, 2018. Its focus is the Church of the Gesù (Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina) in Rome. The principal or mother church of the Society of Jesus, which was founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1540 in the charged religious and political climate of the Counter-Reformation, the Gesù is a testament to the power and prestige of the new religious order, its edifice a formidable symbol of the militant Church reborn. The long and at times fraught campaign to erect the church and embellish its interior, the imperative to formulate an imagery celebrating the order and its newly canonized saints, the competing visions of the Jesuits and their strong-willed patrons, and the boundless creative energies of the artists who realized the vastly ambitious project are all explored. 

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680), Bust of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino, 1621-24. Marble 30 ⅞ x 27 ½ x 19 ¾ in. (76.5 x 70 x 50 cm), Church of the Gesù, Rome. Photo: © Zeno Colantoni 

Situated in the heart of Rome in the shadow of the ancient Forum, the Gesù, designed by the Renaissance architects Jacopo Vignola and Giacomo della Porta, is one of the city’s most glorious architectural monuments. Its resplendent interior is famous for the grand illusionistic vault fresco, the Triumph of the Holy Name of Jesus (IHS) by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (il Baciccio)—a soaring vision of an expansive, light-filled heaven populated by the blessed from which demons tumble forth--and other celebrated works of art from the Baroque period. Gaulli was the disciple of the great impresario Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was associated with the Gesù for much of his life. Early in his career, Bernini carved the marble bust for the tomb of the Jesuit Cardinal and theologian Roberto Bellarmino, and his close friendship with the Superior General of the Order, Gian Paolo Oliva, meant that he was deeply involved in the project to decorate the church’s interior decades later. According to his son Domenico, Bernini in his later years regularly attended mass at the Gesù and was among the throngs of the faithful who flocked there to hear the preached sermons for which it was renowned.  

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680), Portrait of Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino, 1665-66. Red chalk on buff paper, 14 15/16 x 8 ¾ in. (37.9 x 22.2 cm), Yale University Art Gallery, Egmont Collection, Yale Library Transfer (1961.61.36). 

This landmark exhibition, organized to commemorate Fairfield University’s 75th anniversary, features artistic masterpieces from the Gesù itself, never before seen in America: Bernini’s bust of Roberto Bellarmino (the patron saint of Fairfield University), Gaulli’s monumental painted wood model of the apse, a shimmering gilt bronze altar sculpture by the versatile painter, draftsman and sculptor Ciro Ferri, the stunning jeweled cartagloria from the altar of St. Ignatius—a consummate example of Baroque goldsmith’s work—and the magnificent embroidered chasuble of the church’s great benefactor, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. These treasures are joined by more than forty paintings, sculptures, rare books, precious objects, drawings, and prints by Bernini, Domenichino, Gaulli, Ciro Ferri, Carlo Maratti, and Andrea Pozzo, among other luminaries of the Baroque period, generously lent by numerous American museums and private collections.  

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680), Putti Carrying the Cross, 1672-75. Charcoal and black chalk, with stumping, on ivory laid paper 10 7/8 x 7 15/16 in. (27.50 x 20.20 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago, Margaret Day Blake Endowment and Harold Joachim Memorial Endowment Fund, 1993.173. Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY

Together these masterpieces tell the fascinating and intertwined stories of the church’s early history and splendid interior embellishment, and the foundational chapters of the Society of Jesus. Within this overarching narrative are a number of “sub-plots” that the exhibition also highlights: the enviable patronage of the powerful Farnese family, who championed the cause of the new religious order and funded the building of the Gesù (though with vexing strings attached); the push to suitably embellish its austere and barren interior and dedicate and outfit its principal altars, and the creation of a new imagery exalting and promoting the Society’s founders, Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, following their canonization in 1622. The two other Jesuit churches founded in Rome in the 17th century, Sant’Ignazio and Sant’Andrea al Quirinale (the latter designed by Bernini) are also part of this presentation.  

Francesco Bertos (Italian, 1693-1733), Francis Xavier with an Angel Holding a Crucifix, ca. 1720-1725. Bronze, 25 x 14 x 6 1/6 in (63.5 x 35.56 x 15.66 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010.114. Purchase, Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ignazio Peluso, Ada Peluso and Romano I. Peluso Gift, 2010. Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY

This landmark exhibition will give visitors to the museum an unparalleled window onto the extraordinary works of art found within the walls of the Gesù, the immensely talented artists who created them, and the illustrious and strong-willed personalities whose ambitions—and financial means—made it all possible. 

The exhibition is organized by Linda Wolk-Simon, Ph.D., Frank and Clara Meditz Director and Chief Curator of the Fairfield University Art Museum.  

Francesco Bertos (Italian, 1693-1733), Ignatius Loyola with an Angel Holding a Book Inscribed with the Motto of the Society of Jesus, ca. 1720-1725. Bronze, 24 5/8 x 13 7/8 x 4 5/8 in (62.54 x 35.24 x 11.74 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010.113. Purchase, Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ignazio Peluso, Ada Peluso and Romano I. Peluso Gift, 2010. Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY

Distinguished scholars serving on the exhibition planning committee are Christopher M. S. Johns, Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Professor of History of Art, Vanderbilt University; Franco Mormando, Professor of Italian and Chairperson, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures; Boston College; John O’Malley, S. J., University Professor, Department of Theology, Georgetown University; Louise Rice, Associate Professor of Art History, New York University; and Xavier F. Salomon, Peter J. Sharp Chief Curator, The Frick Collection, New York. Philippe de Montebello, Director Emeritus of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is Honorary Chair of the exhibition committee. 

“If I were still Director of the Metropolitan, I would be jealous of Fairfield doing this show. It’s simply incredible,” de Montebello said. “It brings to the Fairfield University Art Museum some of the greatest artists working in 17th-century Rome".

Chasuble of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, ca. 1575-1589. Silk embroidered with gold, silver and silk threads, 43 3/8 x 31 ½ in. (110 x 80 cm), Church of the Gesù, Rome (museum). Photo: © Zeno Colantoni

Domenico Zampieri, called Domenichino (Italian, 1581-1641), Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Vision of Christ and God the Father at La Storta, ca. 1622. Oil on canvas 65 3/8 x 38 5/8 in. (166.05 x 98.11 cm). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of The Ahmanson Foundation, M.89.59. Photo: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, www.lacma.org.

Ciro Ferri (Italian, 1634-1689), Saint Teresa of Avila, ca. 1687-89. Gilt bronze, 28 ¾ x 19 ¾ x 9 ¾ in. (73 x 50 x 25 cm). Church of the Gesù, Rome (museum), from the altar of Saint Ignatius. Photo: © Zeno Colantoni.

Ciro Ferri (Italian, 1634-1689), The Death of Saint Francis Xavier, 1674-1679. Black chalk 20 1/16 x 12 5/8 in. (50.95 x 32.06 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Mrs. Carl Selden and Florence and Carl Selden Foundation Gifts, 1966 (66.9).

Carlo Maratti (Italian, 1625-1713), Apotheosis of Saint Francis Xavier, ca. 1674-79. Pen and brown ink, over traces of graphite, on ivory laid paper 11 1/8 x 11 1/8 in. (28.25 x 28.25 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago, The Charles Deering Collection, 1927.4214.

Alessandro Algardi (Italian, 1598-1654), Saint Ignatius Loyola with Saints and Martyrs of the Jesuit Order, designed ca. 1629 and probably cast in the later 17th century by Giovanni Andrea Lorenzani (Italian, 1637-1712). Bronze, 11 ⅜ x 18 ⅝ in. (28.89 x 47.30 cm). Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1938 (38.152.20) Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Italian, 1639-1709), Painted Model for the Apse Fresco of the Gesù, 1680. Oil on paper, laid down on wood, 39 ¾ x 78 ¾ x 39 3/8 in. (100 x 200 x 90 cm), Church of the Gesù, Rome (museum) Photo: © Zeno Colantoni.

Johann Adolf Gaap (German, active in Italy, 1667-1724), Cartegloria of Saint Ignatius, 1699. Silver, gilt bronze, lapis lazuli, and glass; 23 1/8 x 32 5/8 in. (59 x 83 cm), large; 15 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (40 x 35 cm), small Church of the Gesù, Rome (museum), from the altar of Saint Ignatius. Photo: © Zeno Colantoni

Lot 1862. A superb doucai bottle vase, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 25.5 cm., 10 in. Est.15,000,000—25,000,000 HKD. Lot Sold 21,940,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's 2010

the elegantly potted ovoid body rising from a recessed base to a tall cylindrical neck with cup-shaped mouth, superbly decorated around the exterior with underglaze blue, green, yellow, aubergine and iron-red enamelled ruyi-head cloud scrolls swirling up and around the body from the base to the rim, base inscribed within double-circles with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: A French Collection.

Rainbow-coloured Clouds for the Yongzheng Emperor by Regina Krahl

This elegant vase embodies some of the Yongzheng Emperor's greatest passions: his love of classic styles of the past; his taste for exacting contemporary design; his insistence on outstanding quality; and his infatuation with portends of good luck.

Like the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722) before him, the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-35) took a keen interest in the work of the various imperial manufactories in his empire and the production of the Jingdezhen imperial kilns in particular; but in addition, and unlike his father, he also brought his personal influence to bear the workshop's artistic direction. By fine-tuning shapes to ideal, harmonious proportions, developing sophisticated yet uncontrived designs, and taking the best works of the past as standards to aspire to, he achieved, together with his brilliant kiln supervisor, Tang Ying, a porcelain production of a distinctive style, subdued elegance and material refinement unmatched in any other period. His intimate knowledge of the palace collection made him appreciate ancient masterpieces and commission new products of the same rank. As can be gleaned from an official record of 1732, which lists 57 porcelain designs to be produced by the imperial kilns for the Yongzheng Emperor, the most admired wares of the past were some Song dynasty (960-1279) wares, Xuande (1426-35) blue-and-white and Chenghua (1465-87) polychrome porcelains.¹Although antiques from the Song and Ming (1368-1644) sometimes served as models for direct copying, for which the emperor sent originals from the court collection in Beijing to the Jingdezhen manufactories, the most admirable Yongzheng wares – such as the present vase – are free contemporary interpretations of classic designs. Their successful creation posed for the potter not only the challenge to match the physical quality of the ancient models, but also – and more importantly – their aesthetic inspiration and artistic genius.

The present vase may thus be regarded as a distant echo of a famous but extremely rare and equally unorthodox Ming style of doucai bottles painted with stylized cloud scrolls coloured only in green. Inscribed with Chenghua reign marks, these distinctive bottles have always been – almost certainly in the Yongzheng period – accepted as Chenghua products. Recently, a date slightly later in the Ming dynasty has been suggested by Julian Thompson.² A bottle he discusses and illustrates, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, and part of the Qing court collection, is also published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 160; other examples of this Ming design are in the Shanghai Museum, the British Museum and the Seattle Art Museum. Although the Ming prototypes are different in shape, smaller (c. 19 cm) and with a more depressed pear-shaped body, their tall slender neck terminates in a somewhat raised rim flange which may well be at the root of the everted mouth of the present form, which does not seem to be otherwise recorded.

The eccentric, almost completely abstract design of our bottle is most characteristic of the taste of the Yongzheng emperor, who was a somewhat eccentric personality himself. The courage to abstraction in design and to immaculate, stream-lined forms calculated on the drawing board, which to us today seem ultra-modern, are a trademark of Yongzheng artefacts unique in Chinese art, as no other emperor appears to have had a similarly sophisticated cultural understanding and artistic vision.

The polychrome (doucai) colour scheme, where underglaze blue is used for an outline drawing filled in with washes in underglaze blue and four different overglaze enamels, gained popularity with the Chenghua Emperor. The term doucai, which refers to the interaction of the colours (cai), is ambiguous since the term dou allows for the colours to be characterized as clashing or matching. Terms such as 'contrasting', 'contending', 'interlocking', 'joined', 'dove-tailed' have been suggested as translation, the most satisfactory rendering perhaps being 'a competition of colours', as used by Fang Chaoying.³

The doucai style, which was originally probably referred to as wucai, 'five colours', is ideally suited for rendering five-coloured clouds. 'Rainbow-coloured' or five-coloured clouds (wuse yun) are in China considered as highly auspicious portends of good omens. According to Terese Tse Bartholomew clouds (yun) are used as a pun on a word for fortune and are considered benevolent because of their power to supply water.⁴ Auspicious rainbow-coloured clouds are often – as here, too – depicted in lingzhi (longevity fungus) shape, and the lingzhi itself has the form of the wish-granting ruyi ('according to your wish') sceptre. As Heir Apparent, the later Yongzheng Emperor had himself portrayed in clay wearing a coat with five-coloured cloud roundels over a cloud-decorated robe.

It was the Yongzheng emperor, who in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) refreshed the strong interest in auspicious symbols, which became ubiquitous later in the Qianlong reign (1736-95). He revived the custom of giving ruyi sceptres, and had himself often painted together with symbols of good luck. Upon his enthronement the Italian court painter Giuseppe Castiglione offered the emperor a painting of a porcelain vase containing an auspicious lotus bouquet with special double flowers.

This design of this bottle appears to be known only from one other piece, a pair to the present one, which has part of the neck missing and a whole drilled into the sides for electrification as a lamp, sold at Nagel's, Stuttgart, 8/9th May 2009, lot 278. Otherwise, only a small pair of doucai waterpots appears to bear a similar design of rainbow-coloured clouds on their own, from the collection of Paul and Helen Bernat, sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 9, and illustrated in Sotheby's Hong Kong: Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 252.

Related five-coloured clouds appear also on a Yongzheng stemcup, but together with a red sun; see the piece from the collections of Roger Lam, T.Y. Chao, Nancy and Ira Koger, and now in the Meiyintang collection, illustrated ibid., pl.253, in Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong 2003, pl.185, and published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. IV, London, 2010, no. 1744. The purity of the Yongzheng design was not preserved into the Qianlong period, when the clouds were interspersed with red bats, thereby losing their striking abstract quality; compare a Qianlong jar and a vase in Sotheby's Hong Kong: Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pls. 235 and 236.

¹ S. W. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art Illustrated by Examples from the Collection of W. T. Walters, New York, 1896, pp. 368-90/London, 1981, pp. 195-205.
² Julian Thompson, 'The Message in the Mark', Art and Imitation in China, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 86 and 93, and fig. 11.
³ Fang Chaoying in the biographical entry on the Chenghua Emperor in Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368-1644, New York and London, 1976, p. 302.
⁴ Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p.105.

Sotheby's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2010

Lot 1856. A rare and finely enamelled famille-rose'Boys' vase, seal mark and period of Jiaqing (1796-1820); 32 cm., 12 5/8 in. Estimate 2,500,000—3,000,000 HKD. Lot Sold 3,020,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's 2010

the ovoid body set with broad sloping shoulders, tapering to a round splayed foot, the body exquisitely decorated in bright enamels and traces of gilding with a continuous scene of boys at play celebrating the Spring Lantern festival set within gardens in a landscape, the children depicted in animated groups holding lanterns, playing music from drums, cymbals and horns, lighting a firecracker and carrying auspicious emblems, all between a trefoil and key-fret borders at the shoulder, above the key-fret border around the base and inverted leaf petals around the foot, the waisted neck enamelled with two blooming peonies, flanked by a pair of gilded and iron-red dragon handles, with a classic ruyi-head band below the gilded mouth rim, the fine white porcelain base with six-character underglaze blue seal mark.

Note: This rare vase belongs to a group of wares produced at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the early years of Jiaqing's reign. Wares of this period continued to be influenced by Qianlong designs and were possibly produced by the same potters who made wares for the Qianlong emperor and his household. The form of this fine and meticulously painted vase is reminiscent of Qianlong vases also depicting boys at play with similarly high sloping shoulders and a tall cylindrical neck painted with lotus blooms and twin-fish, but with rims turned over and moulded into a border of ruyi heads and without handles; see a pair sold in our London rooms, 10th June 1997, lot 95; another sold at Christie's New York, 1stDecember 1994, lot 440; and another, but of globular form, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, 1989, p. 341, pl. 22.

For further examples of Jiaqing vases of various shapes depicting the theme of boys at play, see one with angled shoulders and archaistic handles flanking a flaring yellow-ground neck enamelled with flowers and emblems, sold at Christie's London, 16th November 1999, lot 248; and another portraying the boys participating in a dragon boat race between ruby-ground and famille-rose decorated neck and foot, in the Huahaitang collection, included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 138.

Lot 1952. A large yellow-ground grisaille box and cover, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period (1875-1908); 32.2 cm., 12 5/8 in. Estimate 250,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot Sold 740,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's 2010.

of circular form, the central medallion of the domed cover painted with a full-frontal dragon encircling a 'flaming pearl', surrounded by sprigs of narcissus, lingzhi, grapes, peach, petunia and peach blossoms, all painted in grisaille reserved on a vivid yellow ground, enclosed within a stylised key-fret border at the rim, the fitted box rising from a straight footrim to an unglazed inner lip, the exterior similarly decorated, the interior and the base covered in a white glaze, the underside inscribed in iron-red with a four-character seal mark Ti He Dian zhi ('Produced by the Hall of Embodied Harmony'). Quantity: 2.

Note: For the pattern of this box in the famille-rose palette, see one published in Guanyang Yuci, Beijing, 2007, p. 272. A related box with a grisaille central dragon medallion surrounded by flowering branches on a yellow ground is illustrated ibid., p. 263, together with its colour pattern, p. 262. Further yellow-ground boxes decorated in grisaille with the composition of a central medallion surrounded by plants are included ibid., pp. 271 and 275.

Lot 1946. A fine pair of 'famille-rose' bowls, seal marks and period of Jiaqing (1796-1820); 10.9 cm., 4 1/4 in. Est. 350,000 — 450,000 HKD. Lot Sold 620,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's 2010

each with deep rounded sides flaring sharply at the rim, finely painted with a fruiting and flowering gourd vine entwining around a spray of bamboo attended by two butterflies, the four large bitter melons with their skins delicately picked out in yellow, pink and green, two of the ripe fruit with skin bursting open to reveal the orange flesh inside, the design climbing over the rim and continuing into the well.

Note: For an extensive discussion of the depicted fruit, see Ka Bo Tsang, 'An Unusual Botanical Motif: The Bitter-sweet Kugua', Orientations, October, 1993, pp 64-7, where figs 1 a-b, a Qianlong example in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, is illustrated. In the former article Tsang also notes (p. 67) that the symbolic meaning of the composition of the decoration in the guoqianzhi (branch over a wall) manner, revoking the expression changzhi (long reign), is the wish for a long and prosperous reign.

Compare a Daoguang bowl of this design sold in these rooms, 8th April 2007, lot 812.

 Sotheby's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2010

Lot 1950. A famille-rose'Hundred-bats' bottle vase, mark and period of Xuantong (1909-1911); 39.5 cm., 15 1/2 in. Est. 80,000 — 100,000 HKD. Lot Sold 375,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's 2010

the globular body painted with numerous iron-red bats in flight amongst swirling multi-coloured clouds above a band of lappets encircling the base, a raised gilt fillet encircling the shoulder with a border of lotus blooms borne on foliate stems interspersed with shou characters above, the waisted neck with further bats amongst clouds and with a ruyi band about the flared mouth.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 13th November 1990, lot 321.

Note: A Xuantong vase of this pattern is included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, pl. 144..

 Sotheby's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2010

Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini) (Cortona 1596–1669 Rome). Hagar and the Angel, ca. 1643. Oil on canvas, 114.3 × 149.4 cm. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936, SN 132. Courtesy © Florida International University

MIAMI - Courageous heroines and deceptive femmes fatales abound in the Old and New Testaments. From Judith to Esther, Salome to Mary Magdalene, Delilah to Lot's Daughters and Potiphar's wife, these women — perceived as dangerous to society — shaped biblical history. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU presents the world premiere of Dangerous Women, the timely new exhibition that explores shifting perceptions of these historic characters, whose power to topple the strongest of male rulers made them “dangerous” but whose strength serves as an historical foundation for thinking about contemporary causes (including the “Me Too” movement).

While some were portrayed as paragons of family goodness who saved their people, others were shown as harlots and hussies, purveyors of sin, deadly temptresses and seductresses. Featuring spectacular and thought-provoking Old Master paintings from the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Dangerous Women showcases more than twenty paintings and etchings of women found in the Bible by 16th and 17th century artists, including: Pietro da Cortona, Fede Galizia, Pordenone, Giovanni Andrea Sirani and Francesco del Cairo. Many of these works are accompanied by Old Master prints and drawings, including JanSaenredam’s series Famous Women of the New Testament. The exhibition concludes with modern and contemporary works, including the sensuous Salome (1901) by Robert Henri, and Portrait of Mamma Bush (2010) by Mickalene Thomas. 

 Francesco Cairo (Italian, Milanese, 1607-1665), Judith with the Head of Holofernes, ca. 1633-37, Oil on canvas, 46.8 × 37.1 inches, Museum Purchase, 1966, SN 798. 

The opening reception is free and open to the public on Saturday, February 17, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. The museum presents a panel discussion about feminism in art history and the lives of women in Renaissance society, on the day of the opening from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Led by the museum’s Director, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, panelists include: Kimberly Dennis, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Art & Art History and Program in Sexuality, Women’s & Gender Studies, Rollins College; Mary D. Garrard, PhD, Professor Emerita of Art History, American University; and Guido Ruggiero, PhD, Professor of history and College of Arts and Sciences Cooper Fellow, University of Miami. The panel discussion is also free and open the public (RSVP required in advance). The museum is located on the campus of Florida International University

“Dangerous Women demonstrates how throughout history men have feared women who wield power through their intellect and sexuality,” said Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, the Director of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU. “This timely new exhibition of old-master paintings demonstrates how powerful women were feared, even when their acts were heroic,” adds Pomeroy. “As the museum in Miami that distinguishes itself by presenting works that span all historical periods, we want our audiences to appreciate the narrative of women who are either victims of sexual violence or dominate powerful men, which feels utterly relevant to conversations trending right now. As remote as some of these works may initially appear, art history provides a lens with which to see shifting perceptions about women over centuries,” said Dr. Jordana Pomeroy.

Whether these women were deemed as saints or sinners, their stories and passions shaped biblical history and these perceptions of women have been taught, reviewed and re-evaluated for centuries.

While some artists from the Renaissance and Baroque periods often included these characters as an excuse to paint the sensuous female nude form, other artists from these and other periods focused on the drama and morals contained in these women’s stories.  

Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mamma Bush, 2010, rhinestones, acrylic and enamel on wood (Girls' Club collection)

Dish, Ming dynasty, mark and reign of Wanli, 1573-1619. Porcelain with imperial yellow glaze, 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001, SN11122.62.© The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Blue and white moon flask, Ming Dynasty, early 15th Century. White porcelain, 12 3/4 × 8 3/4 × 5 5/8 in. (32.4 × 22.2 × 14.3 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001; SN11122.64. © The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Bowl, Ming Dynasty, third quarter of 16th Century. Porcelain with green enamel and gold, Kinrande type; 2 5/8 × 4 1/2 in. (6.7 × 11.4 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001; SN11122.49. © The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Dish, Ming Dynasty, early 15th Century. White porcelain, 3 × 15 in. (7.6 × 38.1 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001; SN11122.63.© The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Stem cup, Ming dynasty, middle of 16th Century. Porcelain, painted in enamels with pendant chains, 5 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (14 × 16.5 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001; SN11122.48. © The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Stem cup, Ming dynasty, 16th Century. Porcelain painted in underglaze blue with red enamel, 4 1/2 × 5 3/4 in. (11.4 × 14.6 cm). Gift of Ira and Nancy Koger, 2001; SN11122.55.© The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Les Hollandais à Paris : 1789-1914 au Musée du Petit Palais.

PARIS - Le Petit Palais est heureux de présenter, en collaboration avec le musée Van Gogh d’Amsterdam et le RKD (Institut Néerlandais d’Histoire de l’Art) de la Haye, la première grande exposition en France dédiée aux riches échanges artistiques, esthétiques et amicaux entre les peintres hollandais et français à Paris, de la fin du XVIIIe siècle jusqu’au début du XXe siècle. Cent quinze œuvres empruntées aux plus grands musées des Pays-Bas, mais aussi à d’autres musées européens et américains, jalonnent ce parcours retraçant un siècle de révolutions picturales.

Le parcours chronologique raconte ces liens qui se sont noués entre les artistes hollandais et leurs confères français, les influences, échanges et enrichissements mutuels à travers les figures de neuf peintres hollandais : Gérard van Spaendonck pour la fin du XVIIIe et Ary Scheffer pour la génération romantique ; Jacob Maris, Johan Jongkind et Frederik Kaemmerer pour le milieu du XIXe siècle et enfin, George Breitner, Vincent van Gogh, Kees van Dongen et Piet Mondrian pour la fin du XIXe siècle et le début du XXe siècle. Leurs œuvres sont présentées aux côtés de celles d’artistes français contemporains comme Géricault, David, Corot, Millet, Boudin, Monet, Cézanne, Signac, Braque, Picasso... afin d’établir des correspondances et comparaisons.

De 1789 à 1914, plus d’un millier d’artistes hollandais se rendent en France, attirés par la Ville-Lumière et le dynamisme de sa vie artistique. Paris est en effet la destination prisée de nombre d’artistes du monde entier. Elle attire par les multiples possibilités qu’elle offre : son enseignement, les opportunités de carrière, un marché de l’art émergent, les musées aux riches collections. Les séjours des artistes néerlandais, plus ou moins longs, sont parfois le premier pas vers une installation définitive en France. Ces artistes ont en tout cas une influence décisive sur le développement de la peinture hollandaise, certains comme Maris ou Breitner diffusant des idées nouvelles à leur retour en Hollande. De la même manière, des figures comme Jongkind ou Van Gogh apportent à leurs camarades français, des thèmes, des couleurs, des manières proches de la sensibilité néerlandaise.

Le parcours chronologique s’ouvre sur l’œuvre de Van Spaendonck, jeune artiste ambitieux spécialisé dans la peinture de fleurs qui arrive à Paris en 1769. Par son talent et ses relations bien placées, il est nommé en 1793 professeur de dessin botanique au jardin des Plantes. Ami de Jacques-Louis David, Van Spaendonck devient une personnalité importante de la vie artistique parisienne et fait figure de précurseur pour toute une génération de peintres néerlandais qui souhaitent faire le voyage jusqu’à Paris. Ary Scheffer est l’un d’entre eux. Il s’installe dans la capitale vers 1830 et devient l’un des artistes les plus en vue sous le règne de Louis-Philippe. Parrainant de nombreux jeunes artistes français, il est l’un des relais essentiels entre les Pays-Bas et la France.

À partir du milieu du XIXe siècle, l’afflux d’artistes étrangers dans la capitale française devient de plus en plus important. Le succès des expositions universelles en est l’une des raisons. C’est à cette période que s’installent les peintres Jongkind, Maris et Kaemmerer. 

Ils fréquentent assidûment les cafés et se lient d’amitié avec les artistes français, tels Boudin ou Monet avec Jongkind ou tout du moins ils observent attentivement leur peinture comme Maris très influencé par l’école de Barbizon. Cette vie artistique foisonnante inspire leur manière de peindre. Le développement du marché de l’art leur permet également de mieux se faire connaître. Kaemmerer profite en effet de ses liens avec la galerie Goupil pour accroître sa renommée et obtient ainsi plusieurs commandes officielles. 

À la fin du XIXe siècle et jusqu’au début du XXe siècle, l’attrait pour Paris est à son apogée. La capitale est un passage obligé pour tous les artistes internationaux. Breitner, Van Gogh, Van Dongen puis Mondrian ne font pas exception. Breitner ne reste pas longtemps à Paris, mais les artistes français et notamment Degas le marquent durablement et influencent sa peinture. Vincent van Gogh lui y restera deux ans. Son séjour sera décisif pour l’évolution de son style. Il se lie d’amitié avec de nombreux artistes comme Emile Bernard, Toulouse-Lautrec, Camille Pissaro, Signac… Aux contacts des impressionnistes, sa palette s’éclaircit et sa touche devient plus déliée. Kees van Dongen quant à lui fait partie des artistes qui s’installent définitivement à Paris. La vie nocturne parisienne le fascine et constitue le sujet principal de ses tableaux aux couleurs vives et violentes. Au début du XXe siècle, Mondrian voit également son style évolué suite à des séjours dans la Ville-Lumière. En 1912, ce dernier en mal d’inspiration vient à Paris pour y trouver un nouveau souffle et poursuivre son cheminement de la figuration vers l’abstraction. La fréquentation des peintres cubistes comme Braque et Picasso l’aide et il trouve enfin son propre langage abstrait. 

La scénographie de l’exposition plongera le public dans des univers très différents pour chacun des neuf peintres hollandais présentés et donnera des clés pour comprendre leur époque.

Une salle dédiée à la médiation sera intégrée dans le circuit de l’exposition. Intitulé L’atelier du peintre, cet espace proposera aux visiteurs de découvrir et d’expérimenter la technique des peintres présentés et l’évolution marquante de leur style. Un audioguide accompagnera les visiteurs.

6 février – 13 mai 2018

Kees van Dongen, À la Galette, 1904-1906. Photo Courtesy Galerie Artvera’s© Adagp, Paris 2017

Jan Sluijters, Bal Tabarin, 1907, huile sur toile, Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum. © Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Lot 1958. A green-ground 'Dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722); 13.2 cm., 5 1/4 in. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 HKD. Lot sold 275,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 2010.

the delicately potted exterior finely incised with a pair of sinuous dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl hovering over crashing waves amid wispy clouds, the decoration picked-out in aubergine glaze reserved against a bright emerald green ground, the interior glazed white, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark.

Note: Formerly in a Japanese Collection.

Sotheby's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2010

Lot 1844. A gilt-decorated brown-ground archaistic 'hu' vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 20.5 cm., 8 in. Estimate 100,000 - 10,000 HKD. Lot sold 250,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's 2010.

of pear shape supported on a tall foot, the rich brown glazed globular body pencilled in gold with a pair of archaic taotie masks flanked by two further mythical masks, reserved on a leiwan ground between bands of pendant and upright leaf lappets, all below a further band of taotie masks at the flared mouth, the interior and base glazed white.

Note: J.P. Morgan Collection, no. 1504.
Christie's London, 6th November 2007, lot 197.

Sotheby's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS & WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2010

Lot 2443. A unique diamond necklace suspending a pear-shaped rose-cut D colour, Internally Flawless, Type IIa diamond of 18.47 carats. Estimate HKD 8,000,000 - HKD 12,000,000 (US$1,000,000-1,500,000). Price realised HKD 10,180,000 / US$ 1,307,112 / £ 901,948 / € 1,065,846 to an Asian private. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Suspending a pear-shaped rose-cut diamond weighing 18.47 carats, accented by a rose-cut diamond spacer, surmounted by a lozenge-shaped diamond weighing 6.11 carats, to the fine neckchain with collet-set diamond detail, mounted in 18k white gold, 40.5 cm long.

Accompanied by report no. 0911023 dated 12 November 2009 from the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory stating that the 18.47 carat diamond is D colour, internally flawless clarity; also accompanied by an appendix and a note stating that this diamond is classified as Type IIa (a chemically very pure type of natural diamond, with no measurable traces of nitrogen). It possesses a purity of colour and degree of transparency which are particular to the finest of natural colour type IIa diamonds. Diamonds of this type and size, exhibiting a superior quality, are very rare. Such diamonds have been unearthed from only a limited number of sources around the world (e.g. South Africa, Brazil and India).

Report no. 1112300899 dated 27 October 2009 from the Gemological Institute of America stating that the 6.11 carat diamond is D colour, internally flawless clarity, with excellent polish.

Christie's. Jewels: The Hong Kong Sale, 1 June 2010, Hong Kong