During the first week of August, the J. Paul Getty Museum’s select collection of European silver, with examples dating from about 1600 to 1800, was moved and displayed in a new location – a south-facing section of the South Pavilion with abundant natural light. Previously, these pieces had been shown individually in various galleries, with just two showcases exclusively reserved for silver objects, all primarily French.
The new arrangement includes two extraordinary works of Italian silver – a monumental Baroque basin, and a finely rendered decorative wall plaque – relocated from other galleries, and two works of German sixteenth- and seventeenth-century silver brought out from storage. All are being shown together for the first time with the Museum’s collection of French Rococo silver, such as the naturalistically rendered centerpiece, the Machine d’Argent. The installation also includes a Neoclassical tureen by the famous English silversmith Paul Storr. It was among the first purchases of decorative art made by J. Paul Getty in 1938, and has never been on permanent display at the Getty Center.
These objects can now be viewed more closely, in greater proximity to one another, and in much better light that allows for the many superbly crafted details to be seen clearly. Included below are five images taken just after the objects were installed and before the plexiglass covers where placed over the showcases – offering what we hope will be a few enticing glimpses of these remarkable works of art.
The new arrangement includes two extraordinary works of Italian silver – a monumental Baroque basin, and a finely rendered decorative wall plaque – relocated from other galleries, and two works of German sixteenth- and seventeenth-century silver brought out from storage. All are being shown together for the first time with the Museum’s collection of French Rococo silver, such as the naturalistically rendered centerpiece, the Machine d’Argent. The installation also includes a Neoclassical tureen by the famous English silversmith Paul Storr. It was among the first purchases of decorative art made by J. Paul Getty in 1938, and has never been on permanent display at the Getty Center.
These objects can now be viewed more closely, in greater proximity to one another, and in much better light that allows for the many superbly crafted details to be seen clearly. Included below are five images taken just after the objects were installed and before the plexiglass covers where placed over the showcases – offering what we hope will be a few enticing glimpses of these remarkable works of art.
