| Photos, from top: Euston Hall, Houghton, Castle Howard, Polesden Lacey, Corsham Court. |
2010 Calendar of Events
Architects in the City: an Evening with Francis Morrone
cocktail reception
Guest of Honor, Francis Morrone
Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 6:00
The Arsenal, Central Park
Fifth Avenue and 64th Street
$45 per person
Please join us for a special cocktail reception for members and guests honoring Francis Morrone. Author, critic, historian, and lecturer, Francis Morrone has written widely on the buildings of New York and the people who built them. His books include An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn, and An Architectural Guidebook to New York City. His work has no doubt done much to encourage a love for classical and classical-revival buildings in the city he loves. Join us on the roof of the Arsenal (weather permitting) to express our appreciation for all he has done for historic preservation.
Please reserve by September 15.
English Paintings at the Metropolitan
exclusive guided tour
Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 3:00
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fifth Avenue at 81st Street
Meet at the tour desk at the southwest corner of the main lobby
$45 per person.
Katharine Baetjer, curator of European paintings, will show us masterpieces from the Metropolitan’s collection of English paintings. We will view the work of artists such as John Constable, Joshua Reynolds, and other eighteenth- and nineteenth-century masters. A highlight will be Reynolds’s recently restored “The Honorable Henry Fane with Inigo Jones and Charles Blair,” ca. 1761–1762. One of the first English pictures given to the Metropolitan, it is also one of the largest “conversation” pieces ever painted.
Please reserve by September 28.
Luxury Tour of English Country Houses Shropshire has a wealth of country houses, many rarely open to visitors. It also offers an opportunity to experience living in an historic country house as we shall be staying in Weston Park, former home of the 7th Earl of Bradford. When the 7th Earl moved from his ancestral home, family treasures were left behind to furnish the house, which was redecorated to provide spacious and comfortable accommodation for special parties. It means that during our exclusive stay, we have the opportunity to be surrounded by Gobelin and Aubusson tapestries, paintings by Van Dyck, Stubbs, Reynolds, Gainsborough as well as Dutch and Italian works of art, superb 18th-century furniture, rare Worcester and other porcelain. The charming library, lined with books and with a warming fire, makes a welcoming place to gather for pre-dinner drinks served by the butler. All these treasures will be ours to enjoy during our stay. Such a valuable collection merits a curator and Gareth Williams fills that role. Formerly with the National Trust, Gareth Williams comes from Shropshire and there cannot be a house or family he does not know. He will be our guide and mentor throughout this privileged tour.
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“Mandarin Only Is the Man of Taste”: Chinoiserie in Britain, 1650–1820
lecture and reception
David Beevers
Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 6:00
The Grolier Club
47 East 60th Street
$30 per person.
“On many a vase and jar, on many a screen and fan,” the images of Oriental life were translated to Western art and objects. Chinoiserie, was hugely popular in Britian in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The story of this fashion is a fascinating example of contact between England and several dissimilar cultures, including those of Japan, India, Persia, as well as China. David Beevers will discuss the English taste for exotic images with examples taken from country houses such as Claydon House and from the Brighton Pavilion. David Beevers, University of Cambridge, is the Keeper of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and curated the exhibition, Chinese Whispers: Chinoiserie in Britain 1650–1930, in 2008. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
Please make your reservations through the Royal Oak Foundation: www.royal-oak.org, or call Robert Dennis at 212/480-2889, ext. 201. Indicate your membership in the AFGG to receive the member discount.
Space is limited; register early.
Antiques Lovers’ Dream
private tour and refreshments
International Fine Art & Antiques Dealers Show
Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 2:00
The Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue and 67th Street
$45 per person.
This show is one of the most prestigious exhibits of fine art and antiques in the country. Furniture, paintings, sculpture, textiles, silver, ceramics, glass, clocks, and many other objects will be on display and we will be given a very exclusive view. Among the distinguished exhibitors are Finch & Co., Ritter Antik, and Koopman Rare Art. Refreshments will be served at the exhibitors’ lounge following the tour.
Please reserve by October 20.
A Continuing Passion: Oriental Objects in Georgian Settings Then and Now
showroom tour and reception
Gracie
Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 5:30
The Decoration & Design Building
979 Third Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets, No. 1411
$45 per person
A fascination with the Orient was prevalent in the eighteenth century both here and in England, where wallpapers, screens, furniture, and porcelain from China and Japan were incorporated into the decoration of many houses. In October we will have heard the lecture on Chinoiserie by David Beevers; now we will have the opportunity to observe some of these objects at first hand when we visit the Gracie studio and showroom. The Gracie family has supplied Chinese hand-painted scenic wallpapers, custom lacquer furniture, antiques, and accessories to leading interior designers since 1898. We have been invited to visit their new showroom, where many treasures will be revealed. Our tour will be followed by a reception
Please reserve by November 10.
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The American Friends of the Georgian Group is a 501-C(3) not-for-profit organization that depends on subscriptions and tax-deductible donations for its support. The American Friends of
the Georgian Group |