Not currently on display at the V&A

Frieze

ca. 1844 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This carving was one of the very earliest acquisitions made by the Museum. It was bought for the study collections of the Government School of Design from the 'Triennial Exposition of Articles of Manufacture' in Paris. The Superintendent of the Schools, Charles Heath Wilson, had been sent to Paris to buy plaster casts and objects which were fine examples of different crafts and manufactures. He clearly had a good eye, because the young carver of this piece was to become one of the most influential French designers of the nineteenth century. Liénard carried out schemes of carving for palaces, cathedrals and public buildings, including the celebrated restoration of the Château de Blois where he worked with the architect Félix Duban (1798-1870) from 1845, working also with him on the restoration of the Louvre from 1849. Late in his career, Liénard provided some of the best-known craftsmen and manufacturers with designs for armour, jewellery and metalwork. He participated in many of the international exhibitions of his time, but his name was often overshadowed by that of the people responsible for making the pieces.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved walnut
Brief description
Frieze of walnut, French, ca.1844, carved with scrolling foliage in Renaissance revival style
Physical description
A section of frieze carved in renaissance revival style with arabesques, leaves and flowers, and with two fanciful birds. To the right the frieze is carved wtih a putto standing on a bracket, within a niche, holding a fish. Just to the left of this is a mythical bird perching on the scrolls, its beak open and a tongue showing. From this the scrolls run to the left, ornamented with vine leaves, roses and rose leaves and with pointed trefoil leaves. At the left edge is another fantastical bird, with a long beak and long legs.
Dimensions
  • Height: 65.5cm
  • Maximum width: 19.5cm
  • Maximum depth: 5.3cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
1056-1859 (Wrong Museum number in ink on the back of the panel, in addition to correct number on front face.)
Object history
Purchased, possibly from the 1844 Paris exhibition. The purchase price in the earliest printed catalogue is listed as £8 but no source is recorded.
Production
The original printed inventory lists of the Museum list this as 'French, modern. (Lianard, Paris), but Liénard was surely intended
Subjects depicted
Summary
This carving was one of the very earliest acquisitions made by the Museum. It was bought for the study collections of the Government School of Design from the 'Triennial Exposition of Articles of Manufacture' in Paris. The Superintendent of the Schools, Charles Heath Wilson, had been sent to Paris to buy plaster casts and objects which were fine examples of different crafts and manufactures. He clearly had a good eye, because the young carver of this piece was to become one of the most influential French designers of the nineteenth century. Liénard carried out schemes of carving for palaces, cathedrals and public buildings, including the celebrated restoration of the Château de Blois where he worked with the architect Félix Duban (1798-1870) from 1845, working also with him on the restoration of the Louvre from 1849. Late in his career, Liénard provided some of the best-known craftsmen and manufacturers with designs for armour, jewellery and metalwork. He participated in many of the international exhibitions of his time, but his name was often overshadowed by that of the people responsible for making the pieces.
Collection
Accession number
1056-1844

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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