Beasts and Angels: American “Japanned” Furniture
Alyce Perry Englund of the Metropolitan Museum of Art discusses furniture that features japanned finishes.
Alyce Englund, associate curator of decorative arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
American, High Chest of Drawers, c. 1730–60, paint, gesso, gold leaf, eastern white pine, soft maple, and brass, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg.
American, High Chest of Drawers (detail), c. 1730–60, paint, gesso, gold leaf, eastern white pine, soft maple, and brass, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg.
Beasts and Angels: American “Japanned” Furniture
Speaker: Alyce Perry Englund, associate curator of American decorative arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
This presentation investigates Boston furniture from 1700 to 1765 that features japanned finishes—an ornamental phenomenon distantly inspired by the lustrous plasticity and narrative imagery of Asian lacquer. The flashy, gilt figural scenes over faux-tortoiseshell grounds of japanned furniture reflected the impact of global networks, the brilliant fusion of artistic traditions, and inventive technical methods employed by local craftspeople.
Attend online or on-site to learn about research on important examples of American japanned furniture from the collections of Bayou Bend and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Online | 1 p.m.
To watch the lecture via Zoom, register here.
On-site | 1 p.m. or 3 p.m.
Admission is free, but space is limited. Please choose your time slot and reserve your spot by contacting bayoubend@mfah.org or 713.639.7762. A same-day viewing of the japanned high chest in the house at Bayou Bend is included with your reservation. The lecture takes place in Bayou Bend’s Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center.
This lecture series is generously endowed by Carol and Les Ballard.