Main content
European Decorative Arts before 1700 Department Records
Notifications
Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]Philadelphia Museum of Art, PO Box 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
While the Museum does not officially identify a curator or curatorial office in charge of European decorative arts dating before 1700, the designation allows easy differentiation from the formal curatorial position overseeing "European Decorative Arts after 1700." Each of these categories, along with "Arms and Armor" and "Dutch Ceramics," comprise the four curatorial offices that currently operate under the general division of "European Decorative Arts and Sculpture."
In 1967 the Museum established curatorial offices defined by both time period and object genre. With this change David DuBon, who had previously served as Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, was appointed Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Decorative Arts. This curatorial designation remained until the end of 1989 when Dean Walker joined the Museum staff. Having been a curator and teacher for the previous ten years at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in addition to his earlier curatorial experience at the Frick Collection and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Walker was appointed the Henry P. McIlhenny Senior Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture. While his expertise in European sculpture extended to objects of the 18th century, Walker has been indelibly connected with the Museum's pre-1700 decorative art holdings, having collaborated on some of the Museum's most ambitious gallery reinstallations. With Walker's death in 2005, his curatorial position remains open.
Most of the records consist of photocopies of Dean Walker's 1990-1997 outgoing correspondence, including memoranda. Arranged chronologically, these copies served as Walker's chronological files, with duplicate copies remaining in the curatorial office and filed by subject, object, or exhibition. There are also some folders of gallery descriptions, label text and research that pertain to galleries in Sections 5 through 7, which would be the second-floor galleries of the northern wings in which European art 1500-1850 is installed. Dating from the 1970s to 1990s, most of these files were created by David DuBon.
There is also a set of research materials that Walker compiled over several years (1970s -- 2000s), which were kept at home and transferred to the Museum after his death. A folder-level inventory for these materials is available in the Archives.
Earlier records created by the curatorial offices whose purview included pre-1700 European decorative arts remain in the record groups identified by the Museum's contemporaneous title of the department; namely Medieval Art Department Records and Decorative Arts Department Records. For related records, see Dutch Tiles Records.
Chronologically.
These materials were arranged and described by Bertha Adams, Susan Anderson and Ada Sinacore-Guinn. Funded by a grant from The Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Organization
- Publisher
- Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Bertha Adams, Susan Anderson and Ada Sinacore-Guinn
- Finding Aid Date
- ©2011
- Sponsor
- Funded by a grant from Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Historical Publications and Records Commission
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research. Access to institutional records less than 10 years old is at the discretion of the Archivist.
- Use Restrictions
-
The European Decorative Arts before 1700 Department Records are the physical property of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Archives. The Museum holds literary rights only for material created by Museum personnel or given to the Museum with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from rights holders for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
"Treasures of Early Irish Art" was an exhibition with an assortment of 70 Irish works, dating from 3000 B.C.E. to Medieval times (early 8th century). The goal of the exhibition was to introduce to the public an area of Western art, which was little known in the United States. The exhibition was on tour from October 1977 to May 1979 and was shown at five preeminent art museums in the United States. The Royal Irish Academy, Dublin's Trinity College, and the National Museum of Ireland organized the exhibition in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. David DuBon was the primary curator for the exhibition at the PMA. The files stored at the PMA Archives contain correspondence records, object files, research and notes by Dubon, information from other institutions at which the exhibition was presented, publicity from the show (e.g. articles, press releases), and miscellaneous other documents. The bulk of the files are dated from 1977 to 1979.
Files are arranged in the Department's original order.
These files contain documents pertaining to general information about the exhibition.
The files in this sub-subseries primarily contain lists and photographs of works in the exhibition, along with research by David DuBon.
The files in this sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub- subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub- subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between the museums.
The files in this sub-subseries contain press releases, articles, advertisements, and flyers about the exhibition.
The files in this sub-subseries contain miscellaneous documents pertaining to the exhibition, such as maps of Ireland, exhibition catalogues, magazine clippings, and correspondence.
The Majolica installation was held in honor of the Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and in conjunction with two symposium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: (1) "Contemporary Ceramics from the Permanent Collection," and (2) "18th and Early 19th Century European and American Ceramics." The symposium and the installation were apart of a larger four month city wide event entitled "Celebration of the Ceramic Arts" (held from January to April, 1992), which was sponsored by The Philadelphia Ceramic Consortium. Dean Walker curated the installation. The files stored by the PMA Archives contain research done by Walker on Majolica ceramics, object labels and departmental correspondence.
The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
To celebrate the Philadelphia Museum of Art's recent acquisition of Jean-Antoine Houdon's marble bust of Benjamin Franklin, Dean Walker put together a small installation entitled "Portraits of Benjamin Franklin." The works were primarily drawn from the Museum's private collection. The files stored in the PMA Archives contain information about labeling the artworks, the works owned by the PMA, loans, and the installation of the exhibit.
The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
"From the Sculptor's Studio: Italian Baroque Terracottas from the Hermitage," was an exhibition, honoring fourteen master sculptors from the 17th and early 18th centuries, particularly, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Algardi. The 35 exhibition pieces were an assortment of sculptures from the Farsetti collection in Russia's State Hermitage museum. The exhibition debuted at The Art Institute of Chicago following which it was displayed at the PMA, and the National Art Gallery in Washington D.C. Ian B. Wardropper (Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago), and Eloise W. Martin (Curator of Ancient Art also at the Art Institute) were the primary curators of the exposition. The few files owned by the PMA Archives about this exposition contain information about the Chicago installation, the installation of the show at the PMA, photographs, labels, and some research done by Walker. The Art Institute of Chicago published an exhibition catalogue when the show was presented to the public, which contained contributions by Walker, Wardropper, Martin and other international scholars.
The files are arranged alphabetically.
In 2000, "The Splendor of 18th-Century Rome" exhibition was finally put on display after 10 years of planning by curators Joseph J. Rishel (Senior Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1900), Ann Percy (Curator of Drawings), and Dean Walker (Senior Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture before 1700) along with an international team of scholars. The exhibition was designed to highlight art made in the independent papal state of Rome in the early 18th century before the city became the capital of a united Italy in 1871. The exhibition combined approximately 380 works (e.g. drawings, paintings, and sculptures) created by over 160 artists. An exhibition catalogue was also published at the same time the exhibition was presented to the public with contributions from the curators along with other authors. The exposition was also shown in Houston. The files stored by the PMA archives from the European Decorative Arts Department contain object information, correspondence between various museums, curatorial research, and other miscellaneous notes and documents. The bulk of the files are dated from 1997 and 2000.
The files are arranged into eight subseries.
The files in the 'Sculpture' sub-subseries contain notes and research by Dean Walker about the exhibition along with images and lists of objects to be shown.
The files in the 'Rome Exh. At the PMA' sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between various individuals and institutions.
The files in the 'Rome Exh. On Tour' sub-subseries contain registrar's records, exhibition information, legal documents (e.g. loan and budget agreements), and correspondence between various individuals and institutions.
The files in the 'Press Realeases, Articles, Previews, Reviews, etc.' sub-subseries contain publicity about the exhibition.
The files in the 'Notes' sub-subseries contain curatorial notes about the exhibition.
The files in the 'Misc.' sub-subseries contain miscellaneous documents pertaining to the exhibition, such as newspaper and magazine articles, personal correspondence and notes by various individuals.
In 2001, the Philadelphia Museum of Art was gifted the Howard I. and Janet H. Stein Majolica Ceramics Collection, the largest private collection of its kind in the United-States. In honor of this gift, Dean Walker, the senior curator of the European Decorative Arts before 1700, put together an exhibition of the Stein's Collection complimented by works of the same nature owned by the museum. A book related to the exhibit was written and published by Wendy M. Watson (with the assistance of Walker) at the same time the exhibit was presented to the public. The collection of files stored by the PMA archives consists mainly of Walker's research files used to put together the exhibit and write the catalogue. There are also a few public relations files with articles (e.g. reviews, previews) pertaining to the exhibit; some files about events, which took place during the exhibition, and a few miscellaneous files. The bulk of the files are dated from 2001 to 2002.
The files are sectioned into four general categories, and then, arranged in alphabetical order by subject.
"Gifts in Honor of the Museum's 125th Anniversary" was an installation of works honoring the 125th anniversary of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, organized by Dean Walker, the senior curator of the European Decorative Arts before 1700. The installation highlighted families from the Philadelphia area who had made strong contributions to and/or influenced the PMA over the course of its existence. The files stored by the PMA archives from this exhibit consist of miscellaneous documents such as memos and emails from the European Decorative Arts Staff; loan agreements and correspondence between Mrs. Irene Walter Wolf (one of the major lenders for the exhibit), Dean Walker and Ann d'Harnoncourt, and basic research done by Walker for the exhibit.
The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject.