1 col.

High chest, 1740–1750, black walnut, soft maple, white pine; japanned decoration; brass. Gift of Henry Francis du Pont.

2 col.

Sideboard, New York, 1795–1805, and urn-shaped knife boxes, England, 1790–1800; bequest of Henry Francis du Pont. Tankards, Paul Revere, Boston, 1772; gift of Henry Francis du Pont.

FOR 11-2

WORCESTER ART DECORATIVE ARTS FROM WINTERTHUR

ak/lsb set 10/26 #717553

WORCESTER, MASS. — Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, in Delaware’s picturesque Brandywine Valley, is the former family home of the du Pont family. Open to the public since 1951, Winterthur displays Henry Francis du Pont’s (1880–1969) magnificent collection of American decorative arts. In celebration of Winterthur’s 50th anniversary in 2001, an exhibition of the rarest and most renowned objects from the museum’s collection was organized for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Now, for the first time, some of Winterthur’s most prized possessions are traveling the nation. “An American Vision: Treasures from the Winterthur Museum” will be on view at the Worcester Art Museum November 4–April 6.

This installation presents more than 300 masterpieces from Winterthur’s collection, including furniture, textiles, paintings, prints, drawings, ceramics, glass and metalwork, all made or used in America between 1640 an 1860.

The exhibition explores major style periods and themes that mark du Pont’s accomplishments as a collector. Several themes run through each section, including documented works signed or labeled by their makers; English, European and Asian sources of inspiration; and the uniquely American aspects of the works on view.

The exhibition begins with decorative arts of the earliest settlers in colonial America. Many of these works are reminiscent of Mannerist and late Renaissance designs that were popular in England and the Netherlands at the time. Another section includes outstanding pieces created by mid-Eighteenth Century artisans working in urban centers such as Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston.

The Chippendale style in which they worked is named after the English craftsman whose design books helped disseminate a taste for extravagant curves and ornamentation. A particular favorite of du Pont, objects in this style conveyed true status and beauty, often rivaling foreign products.

The influence of China on Eighteenth Century American design captivated du Pont. He collected objects that were imported from the East by wealthy colonials as well as those produced by European and English craftsmen who interpreted the Oriental motifs in their own fashion.

Among the earliest collecting interests of du Pont, and one of the great strengths of the Winterthur collection, are the colorful decorative arts of the German settlers of eastern Pennsylvania. This section offers cupboards filled with boldly decorated pottery, chests painted and inlaid with symbolic images of flowers and birds, woven coverlets and quilts, and illuminated manuscripts called fraktur, which served as paper records of births, marriages and house blessings. Such objects, made by and for these rural communities, document various aspects of their daily lives and the wealth of their cultural heritage.

The last section in the exhibition displays the brilliance of the classical revival in the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries, as colonials became Americans and created their own patriotic heroes reinterpreted from French and English versions of Greek and Roman designs.

The exhibition is organized by Winterthur and the National Gallery of Art, Washington. It is curated by Wendy A. Cooper, the Lois F. and Henry S. McNeil senior curator of furniture at Winterthur.

The Worcester Art Museum is at 55 Salisbury Street. For information, 508-799-4406 or www.worcesterart.org.