From invention to perfection

goût moderne

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GOÛT MODERNE

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Invention and Perfection

Late Baroque or goût moderne

by Hans Ottomeyer In the years shortly before 1700, a style of interior design emerged that contemporaries referred to as le goût moderne, and soon after, also as the goût du temps (“taste of the time”) or the goût de notre siècle (“taste of the century”). As its designations indicate, it was regarded as a new style for the new century, innovative and attuned to the tastes and mind of the younger generation. The first field in which this modern style made its presence felt was that of decorative painting. The designs of Jean Bérain and Claude Audran effected the transition from the strict concept based solely on non-figural motifs taken from architectural ornamentation to a form of decoration in which architecturally defined spaces were filled out with axially symmetrical compositions featuring arcs and spirals. In an echo of the grotesques of the Italian Renaissance, this new decorative painting was brought alive with masks and outlandish creatures of ­fable, and enriched with new elements such as Chinamen, drôleries, and monkeys.

Important ideas for this development came from Jean Bérain, who had been Dessinateur de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi since 1674 and had propagated the forms he had invented in a volume of engravings published around 1690 (fig. 1). However, far from being a mere ornemaniste, Bérain maintained close and active relations with the leading artist-craftsmen of his time: Even as early as 1687, for example, Nicodemus Tessin reported upon Bérain’s collaboration with André-Charles Boulle. Bérain also provided the designs for the Dauphin’s famous Cabinet de Monseigneur at the château de Meudon, which was completed in 1699 and is documented in a painting by an unknown artist (fig. 2). Bérain’s

motifs and schemes continued to exert an influence well after his death in 1711; they became known far and wide through the dissemination of his engravings. In the years around 1720, however, Bérain’s ideas and inventions were to be adopted and carried forward in a manner of even greater significance.

Gilles-Marie Oppenordt, son of a cabinetmaker from the Low Countries, worked with Bérain before getting to know the Rome of Bernini and Borromini in 1692. After having found no permanent post initially after his return to Paris in 1699, Oppenordt was appointed architect to the duc Philippe d’Orléans in 1715, who, following the death of Louis XIV in that same year, was now Regent for the five-year-old Louis XV. Oppenordt’s oeuvre is documented in a volume of engravings containing numerous design draw-

fig. 1 Apollo on the Throne, etching by Marguerin Daigremont after a sketch

by Jean Bérain the Elder (1637–1711), Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum

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Invention and Perfection

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Cat. no. 2

Cylindrical tankard with incised coat of arms belonging to the Pfannenstiel family Böttger stoneware, polished, Meissen, c. 1710–15 Contemporary silver-gilt mount, Nuremberg hallmark, master craftsman’s mark “HN” (see Rosenberg 1922–28, vol. 3, no. 4289) and an as yet unidentified coat of arms H. 22.5 cm (8⅞ in.)

For comparison: Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Porzellansammlung, inv. no. P.E. 2367 (published in Syndram/Weinhold 2009, p. 45, fig.14); Leipzig, Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst, inv. no. V1516 [I.C. 547] with the same incised pattern (illustrated in Gielke 2003, p. 84, no. 8); Nuremberg, Germanisches

fig. 10 From the series Groteschgen Werk von Mahler Goldschmidte Stucato inventirt durch Paulus Decker Architectum, etching by Lorenz Beger (Heidelberg 1663–1735 Frankfurt am Main) after a sketch

by Paul Decker the Elder (Nuremberg 1677–1713 Bayreuth), published by Johann Christoph Weigel the Younger (Redwitz 1661–1726 Nuremberg), Nuremberg, between 1701 and 1735, Brunswick, Herzog Anton UlrichMuseum

Nationalmuseum, inv. nos. 545 and 3236 (published in Bott 1982, p. 83, figs. 76 and 77) This polished, cylindrical Böttger stoneware tankard has a broad applied band handle and an incised coat of arms in an oval frame topped with a baldacchino found in a similar form in

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Cat. no. 7

Octagonal coffee pot Böttger stoneware, Meissen, c. 1710−14 Model by Johann Jakob Irminger H. 16.7 cm (6⅝ in.)

For comparison: Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen porcelain collection (unpublished)

When Johann Jakob Irminger (probably Zurich 1635−1724 Grimma) was looking for suitable models for Böttger stoneware and Böttger porcelain, he drew primarily on his own repertoire as the Dresden court goldsmith. When creating the model for this coffee pot, for example, he adopted a contemporary silver form.

The eight-cornered, pear-shaped vessel stands on a moulded foot ring and has a domed cover with a pointed finial. The side panels of the pot, which are framed by narrow bands, are decorated with a wickerwork relief while those on the cover have a diaper pattern. Whereas the handle takes the form of a downward-curving scroll, the equally curved octagonal spout issues from the open mouth of a fish with scales, hatching, spots, and clearly marked eyes. This detail originated in the Chinese porcelain tradition, with which Irminger was familiar through pieces in the royal collection of Augustus the Strong (Dresden 1670–1733 Warsaw). Irminger was aware of the king’s love of all things oriental, but as there were no Chinese or Japanese coffee pots for him to use as models, he added at least this exotic element to his design for execution in Böttger stoneware.

UP

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Invention and Perfection

Cat. no. 16

Pair of covered vases Böttger porcelain, Meissen, c. 1714–1719 Model by Johann Jakob Irminger Painted decoration by Johann Ehrenfried Stadler, c. 1724 H. 21 cm (8¼ in.)

For comparison: London, Victoria & Albert Museum (without decoration), inv. no. C.833&A-1920 Literature: Donnemann/Wächtler 1982; Rückert 1990 These two covered vases stand on a moulded foot and have a goblet-shaped body terminating in a twofold moulding. The slightly domed cover protrudes over the rim of the vase and features a round moulded pedestal that tapers up towards a finial in which a flattened ball is crowned by a gilded disk rising to a sharp point.

The model for the vases was created by Johann Jakob Irminger (presumably Zurich 1635–1724 Grimma), who had been jeweller to the court of Dresden from 1687; in the staff lists of the Meissen manufactory, where he was responsible for the earliest designs, he is described as a “court silver worker.”1 In this early period, the vessels were inspired by (or were direct copies of) East Asian pieces from Augustus the Strong’s (Dresden 1670_1733 Warsaw) vast porcelain collection, or they reflected the forms of European gold and silver models. The direct copies of East Asian porcelain were, to a large extent, made at the behest of Augustus the Strong; and as for the Europeaninspired models, even a year before Irminger began to work for Meissen, Johann Friedrich Böttger (Schleiz 1682–1719 Dresden) had expressed the desire, in so many words, that “the

style of the pieces should follow that of silverware, and should change accordingly, also with respect to the ornaments such as engraving, cutting, and polishing, and that this work should be done by good masters, so that the beauty of the wares should be all the more evident.” 2 These two covered vases in Böttger porcelain are entirely indebted to the formal canon of the gold- and silversmiths (see fig. 20). However, the creation of similar forms in the new ceramic medium called for a new approach to match porcelain’s particular technical characteristics and aesthetic potential. The semi-sculptural ornaments—also known as “Irminger’s appliques”— were “sprigged” onto the undecorated vessels with clay slip; in the present case, they consist of acanthus leaves applied concentrically to the lower sides and to the cover, and of two mascarons placed diametrically opposite one another on the sides, where they were further embellished with partial gilding.

It was not until a number of years after their manufacture that the vases finally received their chinoiserie decoration in polychrome enamels.

The painting, which was executed in the East Asian style by Johann Ehrenfried Stadler (Dresden 1701–1741 Meissen),, shows exotic flowering shrubs in green, yellow, purple, and iron-red, with magnificent birds and multi-coloured insects hovering in the air around them. Stadler appears to have been employed in the Meissen painters’ workshop from 1723, decorating porcelain with floral motifs (“bluhmen-Werck”).3 SKAA

1

See Rückert 1990, p. 82.

2

Quoted from Menzhausen 1982, p. 191.

3

Quoted from Rückert 1990, p. 194.

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Cat. no. 20

Console table France, c. 1700–20 Table top in Sarrancolin marble “Duc d’Antin” H. 82.5 cm (32½ in.), L. 104 cm (41 in.), D. 52 cm (20½ in.)

Comparable pieces: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (published in De Ricci 1929, p. 78); Paris, ­Musée des Arts décoratifs (published in De Ricci 1929, p. 74); formerly Lowengard Collection (published in De Ricci 1929, p. 78) Literature: De Ricci 1929; Pons 1995 With a classicistic form based on architectural principles, this exceptional console table possesses straight baluster legs and friezes over a rectangular plan. It has richly carved decoration and displays strict axial symmetry.

The straight baluster legs with ornamentation in low relief have delicate, knob-like feet topped by a cube decorated with rosettes that form the junction to the stretcher, above which a rectangular shaft with outline beading and pendant foliage flares to a baluster segment consisting of a trapezoid decorated with mascarons and a terminating element of acanthus scrolls.

The four baluster legs are joined by an Xshaped stretcher with curving square-section crosspieces leading to a finial at the centre. The flat frieze is decorated with a diamond pattern and ornamental carving in low relief; at the centre it extends downwards in a freely sculpted section. Placed in a round-topped cartouche at

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Cat. no. 24

An ensemble from the so-called “Berner Goldfondservice” Consisting of a pair of cups with saucers, a pair of double-handled beakers, and a sugar box Böttger porcelain, Meissen, c. 1720 Hausmaler décor by Abraham Seuter (Augsburg 1699–1747 Augsburg), Augsburg, c. 1726–30 H. 4.2 cm (1⅝ in.) and 4.6 cm (1¾ in.), D. 7.3 cm (2⅞ in.) (bowls), 12.4 cm (4⅞ in.) (saucers), H. 8.1 cm (33/16 in.), D. 7.3 cm (2⅞ in.) (beakers), H. 6 cm (23/8 in.), L. 12.1 cm (4¾ in.) W. 9.9 cm (3⅞ in.) (sugar box)

Literature: Ducret 1971, vol. 2, p. 124, fig. 123 (sugar box), p. 174, fig. 233 (bowls), and p. 175, fig. 235 (saucer), p. 201, figs. 284 and 285 (two-handled beaker), p. 201, figs. 286 and 287 (twohandled beaker) For comparison: Oberschleissheim, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Schloss Lustheim, Ernst Schneider Collection (coffee pot from the service, inv. no. ES 278, published in Eikelmann 2004, pp. 238ff, cat. no. 92); New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (teapot from the service, inv. nos.

1974.28.122a, b, published at www.metmuseum.org); private collection (bowls, chocolate cup, and saucer from the service, published in exh. cat. Düsseldorf 1997, p. 113, cat. no. 76) All the pieces in this magnificently decorated coffee and tea service, which originally comprised twenty-three items, are covered entirely with a gold ground from which decoratively scalloped polychrome painted reserves surrounded by an ornamental band of etched foliate decoration have been excepted. Based on

seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century engravings, the virtuoso painting was done in the workshop of the brothers Bartholomäus (Augsburg 1678–1754 Augsburg) and Abraham Seuter (Augsburg 1699–1747 Augsburg) in Augsburg and was probably executed by Abraham Seuter (cf. cat. no. 30).

Formerly held in the Kaufmann Collection, this service for six persons was originally kept in a case embroidered with the crown of Saxony. In 1963, it was broken up and sold at auction by Stuker of Berne, with individual pieces passing onto public and private collections all over the world.

Like the shallow saucers, the bowls have everted rims and rise above a high foot ring. On the sides of the bowls two scalloped cartouches are excepted from the ground while the saucers each have a single reserve. All these reserves contain painted depictions based on as yet unidentified engravings.

The first bowl shows two scenes inside a building: In one a lady seated in an easy chair with a black cat on her lap is conversing with a young girl while in the other, observed by a

goût moderne

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Ducret 1971, vol. 2, p. 170, figs.

219 and 220.

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winged Cupid, an elderly bearded man in a purple robe is about to embrace a seated young woman against the backdrop of a luxurious green drapery. Identical scenes are found on ­another drinking vessel painted by Abraham Seuter, published by Ducret in 1971.1 The second bowl bears two different scenes in an al fresco setting: a fisherman conversing with a fisherwoman, and two huntsmen, with one of them depicted firing his gun.

On the first saucer is a group of four figures composed of a girl in simple dress with a birdcage, a gentleman clad in brown with raised index finger, and an elegant lady in a yellow gown together with Cupid, whose bow she is holding between the thumb and index finger of

her left hand—an ensemble presumably derived from a depiction of the disarming of Cupid.

The scene on the second saucer shows a female falconer in a green robe facing a lady being ­caressed by Cupid against the backdrop of a forested landscape. The falconer is accompanied by a hunting dog and a bird of prey perched on her ungloved left hand.

Both beakers stand on a high foot ring and have two elegantly curved applied handles and flaring rims. They are also decorated with two lavish reserves showing four hunting scenes, three of which are based on mezzotints by Johann Elias Ridinger (Ulm 1698–1767 Augsburg) from the series entitled Schwarzkunstblätter, welche

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Cat. no. 27

Rinsing bowl with decoration of a castle after the view of the old Berlin City Palace Böttger porcelain, Meissen, c. 1720 Painted in iron-red and grey by Ignaz Preissler, Bohemia, c. 1725 H. 8.2 cm (3¼ in.), D. 17.8 cm (7 in.)

For comparison: Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, (drinking bowl and saucer (published in Pazaurek 1925, vol. 1, p. 217, fig. 178) The present thin-bodied rinsing bowl of Böttger porcelain, with its high foot ring and everted lip, is an example of Ignaz Preissler’s (Friedrichswalde 1676–1741 Kronstadt) qualities as a painter of architectural elements, harbour views, and merchant scenes on porcelain.

Against a background of mountain peaks rises a splendid palatial Renaissance complex with towers and a single-sided encircling wall in

front. On the right, it borders on a harbour ­basin, which is located in front of additional buildings connected by bridges. A narrow pair of trees that is crossed over in the foremost picture plane leads seamlessly over to the depiction of an opening natural bay in which some ships lie at anchor and some gather pace. In turn, between unregularly rhythmising pairs of trees, a brick-built riverside grounds connects to the central view of the castle, thus completing the view running around the bowl. Merchants engaged in negotiations and overseeing the unloading of their wares animate the scenery. The plants and trees that are growing in the foreground are in the same style and technique as those found on the drinking bowl and saucer of cat. no. 26.

A painting of a yet unknown artist which was executed around 1690 shows the Stadt­ schloss or electoral castle in Berlin in the same architectural condition as the painting on the wall of the bow (fig. 29). The Landesmuseum Württemberg holds a saucer also painted by Ignaz Preissler showing a similar view of the palace, which almost entirely burned down due to an air raid in World War Two on February 3, 1945, and which was completely destroyed by demolition in 1950.

SKAA

fig. 29 Unknown artist, View of the Electoral Castle, c. 1690, oil on canvas, 164.5 x 189 cm (64¾ x 747/16 in.), inv. no. GEM 89/10, ­Berlin, Stiftung Stadt­ museum

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Cat. no. 30

Franz Christoph Janneck (Graz 1703–1761 Vienna) Two gatherings al fresco: The First ­Encounter and The Reading Lesson c. 1740 Both panels in oil on copper 25 x 31.5 cm (9⅞ x 12⅜ in.) each

Provenance: Mauboussin Collection, German fine art trade Literature: Exh. cat. Salzburg 1996; Pucher 1996 For comparison: Franz Christoph Janneck, Picnic in the Park, oil on copper, 26 x 34.7 cm (10¼ x 13⅝ in.), ­Lotherton Hall, Leeds Museums and Galleries The panels depict two pleasing landscapes filled with elegant parties of four figures each.

They are customarily known as “cabinet pieces” with the theme of Fête champêtre, a genre that was very popular during the time of production. Janneck painted them as commissions due to the wishes for his clients at court. They consist of variations with a greater or lesser ­degree of staffage. In the first painting a young man is reclining beside a brook. He has just poured himself a glass of wine from a wicker bottle he is putting back in the water to keep it cool. His rather dreamy gaze, probably the ­result of his imbibing, is directed toward the ­elegantly dressed lady being introduced to him by a portly gallant with a plumed hat. At the left-

hand edge of the picture is a young girl who ­observes the scene with curiosity. On the right, the forested landscape opens up to disclose a spreading view of a hilly plain in the evening sunshine. In the second panel, all the figures are seated in a clearing. A cavalier seen from behind is listening intently to the lady sitting opposite him who is presumably reciting from an opened book. Between the two is another lady holding a fan with a small dog sitting at her feet. A young boy between the two women clings to the reader with his gaze upon her.1 Here again, the landscape is divided between a background of thickly set trees and a view of an open landscape, this time to the left. This also shows a broad plain in the setting sun framed by a cropped, tallish tree trunk on the edge of the picture. Once again, a bottle of wine and glasses emphasise the pleasurable character of the gathering.

Cabinet pieces and genre scenes make up a considerable part of Franz Christoph Janneck’s (Graz 1703–1761 Vienna) oeuvre. Various depictions of courtly society engaging in their chief occupations, namely leisure and pleasurable activities, belong to this group. The inspiration for these subjects was, above all, the work of Jean-Antoine Watteau (Valenciennes