The Frick Collection announced a year-long installation in the Portico Gallery, Fired by Passion, inspired by the generous gift of fourteen pieces of Du Paquier porcelain made to the Frick in 2016 by Paul Sullivan and Trustee Melinda Martin Sullivan. The Du Paquier Manufactory was established in Vienna in 1718 by Claudius Innocentius du Paquier, an entrepreneur and official at the Viennese Court, and was only the second manufactory in Europe to produce true porcelain, after the Royal Meissen Manufactory, outside Dresden. Although in operation for only twenty-five years, Du Paquier left an impressive body of inventive and often whimsical work, forging a distinct identity in the history of European porcelain production.
Fired by Passion presented about forty tureens, drinking vessels, platters, and other objects produced by Du Paquier between 1720 to 1740, which were coveted by aristocrats in Vienna and throughout Europe. In addition to exploring the rivalry between the Du Paquier and Meissen manufactories, the exhibition highlighted the eclectic mix of references — many of them East Asian — that inspired Du Paquier porcelain. Splendid examples with coats of arms and heraldic symbols from commissions across Europe also illustrated the manufactory’s success and influence beyond Vienna. Fired By Passion: Masterpieces of Du Paquier Porcelain from the Sullivan Collection was organized by Charlotte Vignon, Curator of Decorative Arts, The Frick Collection.
This exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue, a sumptuously illustrated publication, called Fired by Passion, in which scholars of international standing Meredith Chilton and Claudia Lehner-Jobst present the distinctive style and the exciting history of Du Paquier porcelain in the context of Baroque Vienna. The first comprehensive publication on this important porcelain manufactory, this three-volume work was made possible through a five-year research program conducted by the Melinda and Paul Sullivan Foundation for the Decorative Arts. The objects shown, many of them for the first time, were in major public and private collections. Fired by Passion was available in both English and German editions.
Principal funding for the exhibition was provided by Fiduciary Trust Company International. Additional support is generously provided by Alfredo Reyes of Röbbig Munich and Anne K. Groves.
Du Paquier Porcelain Manufactory, Large Round Tureen from the Service for Czarina Anna Ivanovna, ca. 1735. The Frick Collection, gift from the Melinda and Paul Sullivan Collection, 2016; photo Michael Bodycomb
Du Paquier Porcelain Manufactory, Elephant Wine Dispenser, ca. 1740. The Frick Collection, gift from the Melinda and Paul Sullivan Collection, 2016; photo Michael Bodycomb