GENERAL DESCRIPTION
By the mid-eighteenth century, women’s dressing tables displayed the height of exotic luxury in the rococo taste. With its fine draperies and expensive accoutrements, the dressing table rivaled the state bed and sideboard as a stage for dazzling extravagance.
Created in the late-eighteenth century, this Chelsea porcelain carnet, or notebook, was included as part of a lavish porcelain and gilded silver dressing box, or toilette set, (see 1995.22.1.A-I) designed by Charles Gouyn and made by St. James's Factory in London, England. Many toilette sets included a variety of objects such as scent-bottles, snuffboxes, sewing materials, brushes and combs, jewelry, various containers for cosmetics and powders, and writing accessories.
This carnet is gold-mounted and is decorated with sprays of roses. The clasps of the carnet are joined by a reeded gold pencil, the top set with an oval intaglio of a classical head. The interior includes vellum and paper leaves and is lined in watered silk.
Drawn from:
- Douglas Hawes, "Dressing casket with accessorie" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 204.
- Bonnie Pitman, ed. "Dressing casket with accessories" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 162.
- Kevin W. Tucker, Label Copy, Margot B. Perot Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, August 2004
- "Important Silver and Objects of Vertu including Works of Art from Houghton" in Christie's Catalogue (London: December 8, 1994), 12.
NOTES
This note was submitted but not tagged with a status by Megan Wanttie, summer 2016. I am tagging with #incomplete so that the note can be reviewed for formatting, tags, and text. I am also adding department tags so that the note can be routed. (EAS, 08/26/2016)
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Gold-mounted
Porcelain with enamel decoration
Paper
Silk
Wrought
Modeled
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
The leaves of the carnet feature a note in Portuguese which may be a clue about the elusive original owner of the dressing set.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1995.22.5.a-b
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General Description
By the mid-eighteenth century, women’s dressing tables displayed the height of exotic luxury in the rococo taste. With its fine draperies and expensive accoutrements, the dressing table rivaled the state bed and sideboard as a stage for dazzling extravagance.
Created in the late-eighteenth century, this Chelsea porcelain carnet, or notebook, was included as part of a lavish porcelain and gilded silver dressing box, or toilette set, (see 1995.22.1.A-I) designed by Charles Gouyn and made by St. James's Factory in London, England. Many toilette sets included a variety of objects such as scent-bottles, snuffboxes, sewing materials, brushes and combs, jewelry, various containers for cosmetics and powders, and writing accessories.
This carnet is gold-mounted and is decorated with sprays of roses. The clasps of the carnet are joined by a reeded gold pencil, the top set with an oval intaglio of a classical head. The interior includes vellum and paper leaves and is lined in watered silk.
Drawn from:
- Douglas Hawes, "Dressing casket with accessorie" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 204.
- Bonnie Pitman, ed. "Dressing casket with accessories" in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 162.
- Kevin W. Tucker, Label Copy, Margot B. Perot Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, August 2004
- "Important Silver and Objects of Vertu including Works of Art from Houghton" in Christie's Catalogue (London: December 8, 1994), 12.
Fun Facts
The leaves of the carnet feature a note in Portuguese which may be a clue about the elusive original owner of the dressing set.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
This note was submitted but not tagged with a status by Megan Wanttie, summer 2016. I am tagging with #incomplete so that the note can be reviewed for formatting, tags, and text. I am also adding department tags so that the note can be routed. (EAS, 08/26/2016)
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Gold-mounted
Porcelain with enamel decoration
Paper
Silk
Wrought
Modeled
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1995.22.5.a-b
source file
object_notes_1_a-0131.xml.nores