Lecture On Rousseau Atelier Will Be At Greenwich Antiques Society May 14

 

FOR MAY 2 LECTURE ON ROUSSEAU ATELIER WILL BE AT GREENWICH ANTIQUES SOCIETY MAY 14 set 4/21 AVV/CD #735913

GREENWICH, CONN. — The Greenwich Antiques Society will present a lecture, “Exquisite Decor: Interpreting Design Drawings From The Rousseau Atelier,” given by Virginia Dossett Dreux, on Wednesday, May 14, at 10:30 am at the Bruce Museum.

Jean-Simeon Rousseau (1747–1820), a French painter, sculptor and decorator, known as Rousseau de la Rottiere, and his older brother, Jules-Hughes Rousseau (1743–1806), also a sculptor and designer, have long been identified with the creation of some of the finest iconic interior decor created in France during the final years of the “ancient regime.”

The brothers functioned as “sculpteurs des Batiments du Roi” in the household of Louis XVI and in the personal “batiments” of Marie-Antoinette and her brother-in-law, the Comte d’Artois, later Charles X.

The illustrated lecture will explore the role the Rousseau brothers played while working chiefly for the French court during its peak aesthetic development and most extensive organization. The period saw the emergence of the decorator as a professional who served as an intermediary and facilitator between the architect, the client and the artisans who carried out the work.

Dossett Dreux is an independent art historian who specializes in eighteenth Century French decorative arts. She is a former president of the Greenwich Antiques Society and of the Connecticut Ceramics Circle.

The society’s annual luncheon will follow the lecture. The museum is a 1 Museum Drive. For reservations, 203-869-9531 or 914-631-9439