|
Indepth Arts News:
"The Huguenot Legacy: English Silver 1680-1760"
1999-09-18 until 1999-11-28
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis, IN,
USA United States of America
Caught up in the elegant scrolls and sinuous curves of more than 100 works of silver you will
find the story of two peoples: Huguenot silversmiths--refugees who left their French
homeland because of religious persecution--and the English aristocrats whose passion for
French style and fine craftsmanship supported these silversmiths in a foreign land. Political
events of the 17th century brought these two groups together, and their interaction sparked a
revolution in the style and quality of English silver.
The Designers
The Huguenots, French Protestants, were protected from the
religious persecution of Catholic rulers until Louis XIV
revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The Edict had given
the Huguenots a certain amount of religious freedom in
France. Many fled to the northern European countries until
the arrival of William of Orange in England in 1688. Like
the Huguenots, William was also an immigrant and a
Protestant. Understanding their plight, he issued a
proclamation encouraging Huguenot settlement in England.
Among the Huguenots who immigrated were some of the
finest silversmiths of their time. Many who settled in
London had been trained in the latest French court styles.
Their skills and styles were passed on to their descendants
who continued to influence silversmithing into the 1760s.
The Importance of Silver
During the Huguenot period, England was an extremely
prosperous nation. The combination of a thriving English
economy and a huge quantity of available silver increased
the demand for silver as both displays of wealth and of
physical assets. English gentlemen were expected to display
their wealth, social status and taste at the dinner table, and
fine silver was essential to the presentation. During this
period, silver was second only to land in its popularity and
importance as a physical asset. To the original owners of
the pieces featured in The Huguenot Legacy, the works
were not luxury items; they were social and economical
necessities.
The Styles
Although France and England were economic and military
rivals during the 17th and 18th centuries, England looked to
its rival for fashion, decorative style and cuisine. Before the
revolutionary Huguenot silversmiths changed the face of
English silver, the country's metalwork had been generally
simple and unadorned; but all that changed as the English
broadened their tastes. Many preferred French foods, but
new forms were needed for serving French ragouts, stews
and sauces. The Huguenots met the needs of the English by
creating new serving dishes such as tureens and sauce
boats, often in the more ornate French style. In the 1650s,
the English were introduced to coffee, chocolate and
tea--new beverages that also required new vessels.
The Collection
The Hartman Collection is considered one of the finest
private collections of Huguenot silver in the world. It is a
collection that shows the techniques of craftsmen who
revolutionized English silver. According to Barry Shifman,
IMA curator of decorative arts, the flight of the Huguenot
silversmiths was a drain on the craftsmanship in France,
but it created a great burst of activity in England and led to
production of some of the most finely crafted, designed and
conceived silversmithing in European history. Their
influence reminds us that the creation of art has to do with
people. The Huguenot Legacy is about people and what
they brought to the craft of silversmithing.
Related Links:
| | 
|
