Rienzi is the house museum and collection of European paintings and decorative arts at the MFAH. Our articles highlight elements of the collection, discuss additions and changes to the house or gardens, and review events held at Rienzi for those of you not able to be here in person. Feel free to e-mail rienziblog@mfah.org with questions, comments, and suggestions. Welcome!
Posts From September 2011, page 2
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26 SepMon / 2011
This is our second week hosting English Taste – the grandest eighteenth-century dinner party in Houston – and now that the rush of opening has subsided, we are ready to celebrate in the appropriate fashion. If you join us at this Thursday’s punch party, you will share in a delightful cup of history, and to that end, here is a bit more on the tale of English punch:
The popularity of alcoholic punch in...
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22 SepThu / 2011
In lieu of our upcoming Punch Party (September 29th, buy your tickets now!), I am reviving some notes on a Gallery Talk I held last October, on a curious item from Rienzi’s collection – a punch pot, from 1765, by the Worcester Porcelain Manufactory[i] :
Alcoholic punch was consumed throughout the eighteenth century, however, the punch pot – a form resembling an overblown teapot – appeared in England only at about 1750, falling out of...
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22 SepThu / 2011
Next Thursday evening Rienzi, in partnership with CultureMap, is celebrating English Taste with a “punch party.” While this may bring visions of childhood favorites like Hi-C and lunchtime juice boxes, we are in fact taking a slightly more sophisticated and adult-like approach for this celebration, using eighteenth-century punch recipes.
What exactly is eighteenth-century punch? Generally, it is described as a blend of spirits, citrus, sugar, and spices. The drink became popular during...
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15 SepThu / 2011
The past few days have been a flurry of activity at Rienzi. MFAH staff members from several different departments – curatorial, preparations, conservation, and mounts – are all busy working alongside English food historian Ivan Day on the installation of English Taste: The Art of Dining in the Eighteenth Century. They are busy arranging Ivan’s delicious and sometimes unusual looking historical faux food on Rienzi’s Dining Room table for this exhibition which...
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14 SepWed / 2011
Dear Readers,
Today we have a special treat - a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration of two terracotta lions made by John Charles Felix Rossi that flank the doors to Rienzi's Foyer by the MFAH's Conservation Department. Guest blogger, Ingrid Seyb, Assistant Conservator of Objects and Sculpture, shares her insights on the process of repairing, restoring, and preserving these handsome pieces.
We hope you enjoy!
- Casey & Caroline
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07 SepWed / 2011
Have you been reading along with The Rienzi and Bayou Bend book club this month? I am in the middle of Bill Bryson’s At Home: A Short History of Private Life and enjoying how many of the fun facts fit right in with Rienzi’s unique environment! This is especially true for Chapter 7, “The Drawing Room.” Not only does Rienzi have a Drawing Room, it is one of our docents’ favorite rooms to...
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