at the Galerie des Gobelins

LE MOBILIER NATIONAL
présents
at the Galerie des Gobelins
TIME, FIRE, LIGHT
Bronzes from the Imperial and Royal Treasury
1800 - 1870
Exhibition from 21 September 2010 to 27 February 2011
Pendule-monument, conçue par Louis Duguers de
Montrosier à la mémoire de Frédéric II, roi de Prusse,
Paris, Mobilier national © Isabelle Bideau
Le Mobilier national has inherited a rich collection of clocks and bronzes (chandeliers,
candelabras, candlesticks, wall-lights, firedogs, vases and toiletry articles…) from the
Imperial and Royal Treasury. These pieces, which were originally used to decorate imperial
and royal palaces, represent an exceptional collection.
The majority of the exhibits have not been shown in Paris before and a number of them are
being exhibited for the first time. They form an ensemble of a rare diversity and are, amongst
furniture and furnishings, particularly representative of their period, being symbols of power,
expressions of artistic blossoming and the reflection of a vanished royal and imperial decor.
The bronzes, brilliantly put together by Didier Blin, appear amidst the rare ensemble of
tapestry cartoons, soft furnishings and wall hangings, of the same period. Conceived as a
timeline and guide to the museography, this exhibition places clocks, like a backbone, at the
start of the journey, allowing them to be discovered in all their
splendour as well as marking the progression of the visit as
symbols of time. Thus the rhythm of the clock reverberates
through the historical periods and successive styles … the
Consulate, the First Empire, the Restoration, the July Monarchy,
the Second Empire, …
To evoke links with other creative fields through the same
periods, the journey is accompanied by furniture and tapestry;
from large wall tapestries, which form part of the wealth of the
Mobilier national collections, to chair upholstery often in
brilliant colour schemes. The visit is marked by theme
“moments”, in the “period room” spirit such as the Egyptomany
sectio bronze doré Paris, Mobilier national © Isabelle Bideaun,
Pendule, Les Adieux d’Hector et Andromaque,
Paris, Mobilier national © Isabelle Bideau
where a pavilion situated in the centre of the upper floor
presents an anthology of candelabras in a succession of display
cases, playing with the effect of de-multiplying forms and silhouettes in a game of
transparency…
The sumptuous clocks, which are amongst the star exhibits of the
exhibition, are representative of an historical period of upheaval.
From the turning point of the XVIII century to the end of the
Second Empire, 1800-1870 are eminently artistic years
throughout the successive political regimes; chandeliers,
candelabras, candlesticks, chimney pieces and firedogs blend with
the décor and achieve the status of works of art.
Progressively, the changing themes and forms reflect the
evolution of ideas and succession of tastes during one of the most
brilliant periods in the history of French decorative arts.
Among the works of art presented at the exhibition the visitor can
discover:
•
•
•
Lustre Empire, Paris, Mobilier national
Toilette of Psyche which adorned the boudoir of the © Isabelle Bideau
Empress’s apartment in Saint-Cloud.
the exceptional «clock-monument» designed by Louis Duguers de Montrosier in
memory of Frederic II the Great, King of Prussia.
a clock representing the Farewell of Hector and Andromache which, in 1805, was
placed in the grand salon of the Petit Trianon and then in the Emperor's grand salon in
Rambouillet Palace the following year.
The ensemble of exhibits illustrates the richness of design demonstrated by the great bronze
masters of note such as Thomire, Galle, Barbedienne or Charpentier who designed the decors,
while highly accomplished clock masters such as Lepaute, Lépine, Le Roy, Bailly and Robin
created ingenious time movements.
The publication accompanying the exhibition expands on the first volume published by Faton
in 2006. It sheds new and precise scientific light on the history of the collections, their
utilisation never having been the subject of serious academic study and more generally on
the décor of the court life, through which a number of objects adorning places of prestige
could be identified by the author.
Curator of the exhibition : Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, inspector-advisor of la création
artistique et de l'action culturelle
Architect-museographist : Didier Blin
This exhibition benefits from the sponsorship of Saint-Gobin and Breguet and the support of Biennale des
Antiquaires, Lyon Manufacture Passementerie, la Manufacture Prelle and Maison Fossier.
Press contacts!
MOBILIER NATIONAL ET MANUFACTURES
DES GOBELINS, DE BEAUVAIS ET DE LA
SAVONNERIE
Véronique Leprette / 01 44 08 53 46
[email protected]
AGENCE OBSERVATOIRE
Véronique Janneau, / [email protected]
Céline Echinard / [email protected]
2, rue Mouton Duvernet 75014 Paris
Tél!: 01 43 54 87 71
www.observatoire.fr
GALERIE DES GOBELINS
42, avenue des Gobelins 75013 Paris
Tél : 01 44 08 53 49
Ouverture : tous les jours sauf le lundi de 11h à 18h
(Fermé le 25 décembre et le 1er janvier)
Plein tarif : 6 euros
tarif réduit : 4 euros
Pour plus d’informations,
www.mobiliernational.fr