High Fashion at the Frick

     The rich fineries of the eighteenth century are on sumptous display now at The Frick Collection in a new exhibition entitled "Gainsborough The Fashion of Portraiture," which features 25 paintings by the English painter Thomas Gainsborough, who lived from 1727 to 1788. 

     Gainsborough was one of the great portrait painters of his time, along with Joshua Reynolds, and this is the first exhibition of his portraits to be mounted in New York City. The show is housed in the new exhibition space at The Frick Collection, made possible by the recent expansion of the museum. You can read my story for Frederic magazine about how this great New York institution started as the home of the Frick family. 

     Henry Clay Frick himself was a great admirer of Gainsborough's paintings, stated Aimee Ng, the Peter Jay Sharp chief curator at The Frick Collection and organizer of the exhibition, at the preview. "In fact he collected them most avidly," she said. Three paintings on display are from the museum's permanent collection and the rest are on loan in this one-of-kind gathering of portraits. 

    The focus of the show is on fashion and how clothing expressed the identity of the sitter. Gainsborough's painting style has been described as a "gossamer web of sheer paint'" and his approach perfectly captured the textures and colors of eighteenth century fabrics including silks, brocades, velvets and laces. Gainsborough's painting expressed the fashionable, contemporary styles of the day, and the artist's loose, feathery brushstrokes brought movement and life to his paintings. The moody and atmospheric portraits have a lot of personality and romance. I was entranced. The show is a treat.   

     Above is the lovely Grace Elliott. She was a controversial character for having scandalous affairs with prominent men and she reportedly gave birth to a child fathered by the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. What a face! Here she looks directly at the viewer, her languid eyes framed by graceful eyebrows. A black ribbon at her chin falls seductively to meet a blue jewel and pink bow at her shapely bosom.

     Here above is another, earlier, more conservative, less provocative painting of Grace Elliott by Gainsborough. Her statuesque height is accentuated by a towering powdered hairstyle a la Marie Antointette and the high empire waist of the shimmering gold silk gown that falls in long folds and shines as she moves. A white silk petticoat rustles underneath. 

     The above painting of Mrs. Samuel Moody tells a sad story. Gainsborough originally had painted Elizabeth Moody alone. After she died at age 26 of tuberculosis, her widower asked Gainsborough to repaint it to add their two children, creating an imaginary reunion. This painting displays so well the artist's mastery of rendering the essence of fashion including the pale gown tied with a light green sash and the blue jacket wrapped in a gossamer violet shawl, a delicate and beautiful combination of colors and textures. 

     Captain Augustus John Hervey's authoritative naval uniform reflects his status and achievements. The captain is shown leaning on a gigantic anchor, as one does. His tailored navy blue wool coat is edged in glinting gold braid and his cream colored waistcoat of silk or satin fastens with gold buttons that catch the light. Peaking out from the tailored jacket sleeves are soft ruffled lace cuffs. Navy blue plus gold and neutrals is a handsome combination that never goes out of style. 

     The end of the exhibition finds the last self-portrait that Gainsborough painted in 1787 when he was 60 and one year before he died. It features the loose, sketchy brushwork that was his signature. He is dressed dandily in a green tailored jacket and a buff-colored waist coat that are softened by a flowing cravat tied at the neck. Most prominent though are Gainsborough's knowing eyes, which saw so well the fashion of the time and how his subjects wanted to be portrayed in this delicious exhibition. 

A Trip to the Winter Show

I always enjoy a trip to The Winter Show (previously called The Winter Antique Show) at the Park Avenue Armory during the cold, dark days of January to see some beautiful things and escape the state of current affairs. This was the 72nd year of the show, with over 70 international dealers presenting art, antiques, jewelry and furniture -- truly a cornucopia of treasures. And it supports a good cause too. Proceeds from the ticket sales and benefit events go to the East Side Settlement House, the community organization that which provides education, development and resources for residents of the Bronx. 

     A favorite dealer off the bat was Robert Young Antiques from London, which sells wonderful folk art. The booth was light and cheerful with a wood plank floor and delicately stenciled walls. I love folk art, which has a simplicity and humbleness but also can be refined and graceful.

 

This charming diorama of a butcher's shop had the delightful, child-like whimsy of a doll house. Inside the wooden box, the waving butcher is surrounded by hanging carcasses and joints of handcarved, painted wood. It was made in England circa 1884 and had already been sold by the time I viewed it. 

 

The colorful wedding chest was made in Norway in 1832. The handpainting inside the lid features a happy landscape and the exterior is covered in decorative swirls. The bride must have been delighted to use such a chest! In the gallery, above it was hung an eighteenth century equestrian portrait, the colors of which perfectly complemented the chest . 

 

These six humorous metal penguins squatted happily on a wood trestle table. Made of painted and weathered sheet metal in France in the late twentieth century, they looked like they were ready to waddle away. Hanging above them was an English private road sign that listed toll road charges and was dated September 1898.

     I chatted a bit with the proprietor Robert Young about the appeal of folk art. We both lamented the destruction of the wonderful Folk Art Museum building on West 53rd Street which was designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien in 2001 and then demolished by the Museum of Modern Art in 2014 to make way for its own expansion. 

 

When I was an art history major in college, I wrote a paper about elegant Greek lekythos vases and so I was delighted to see this lovely specimen featured in the Hixenbaugh Ancient Art gallery. The lekythos vase was used to hold oil and had a signature tall, graceful shape that was decorated with delicate line painting that perfectly fit the vase's profile. The gallery founder Randall Hixenbaugh told me that this vase was created in Athens, Greece, circa 480 BC by one of the finest vase painters who is called the Berlin Painter. This one features Eros, the god of love, flying away but looking back at the work he has done so in one gesture it tells a little story. 

 

At the Thomsen Gallery, I admired these small, exquisite Japanese tea caddies. Erik Thomsen explained to me that they were gold lacquer on wood. The fine decoration and gleaming surfaces made them look like pieces of jewelry. These tea caddies reminded me of Jayne Wrightsman's collection of small, gorgeous snuff boxes that I wrote about for Cottages and Gardens magazine –

 

In contrast to these fanciful decorations was this simple pine chair in the striking, dark gallery of prominent English designer Rose Uniacke, who is debuting this year at The Winter Show. One of a set of eight, the Swedish chair made circa 1932 by furniture designer Axel Einar Hjorth features a handsome, smooth wood grain and blackened iron rivets paired with a soft velvet cushion for a striking mix of natural and elegant, the best combination.