Pierre Gouthière

Past Exhibition: Pierre Gouthière

Detail of Gouthiere gilt-bronze pot-pourri vase with head of a swan
Pierre Gouthière: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court
November 16, 2016 to February 19, 2017

The Frick Collection presented the first exhibition on Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813), the great French bronze chaser and gilder who worked for Louis XV and Louis XVI. The exhibition shed new light on the artist’s production, life, and workshop through the presentation of twenty-two objects from public and private collections. Attributed with certainty to Gouthière, these works include clocks, vases, firedogs, wall lights, and mounts for Chinese porcelain and hardstone vases. The exhibition was organized by Charlotte Vignon, Curator of Decorative Arts, The Frick Collection. Based on new art historical and technical research, the exhibition and catalogue promise to transform our understanding of one of the greatest artists of eighteenth-century France.

Benedetta Craveri: "Madame Du Barry’s Enduring Legacy"

Link to video of Benedetta Craveri lecture

Alex Gordon Lecture in the History of Art, Benedetta Craveri, Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples

After Louis XV’s death, in 1774, his last mistress, Madame Du Barry, retired to her chateau in Louveciennes and morphed from a scandalous maîtresse en titre into an unobjectionable society lady. With her companion the Duke of Brissac, she shared liberal ideas, philanthropic causes, a love of nature and the arts, and an atrocious end on the scaffold.

 
 

Pierre Gouthière: ciseleur-doreur du roi

Link to French version of Pierre Gouthiere exhibition video

La vidéo ci-dessus explique les techniques de ciselure et de dorure employées par Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813). Elle a été produite pour accompagner l'exposition « Pierre Gouthière: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court », qui se tient actuellement à la Frick Collection, jusqu'au 19 février 2017. 

Pierre Gouthière, Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court

Link to video for Pierre Gouthiere exhibition

A technical explanation of the process of bronze chasing and gilding used by Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813). This video was produced in conjunction with the exhibition Pierre Gouthière: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court, on view at The Frick Collection from November 16, 2016, through February 19, 2017.