American Decorative Arts Forum of Northern California presents:
Classical Excellence in Boston: the Work of Isaac Vose
Tuesday, July 9, 7:15pm-9:00pm, San Francisco
MORE INFO: http://www.adafca.org
The Forum's July 9 lecture is by Clark Pearce and Robert Mussey who exhaustively researched the work of Isaac Vose, from the beginning of the 19th century until 1823, in order to reestablish his important role in American decorative arts. Both Isaac Vose and Thomas Seymour were among the first proponents of the Grecian style in Boston. They drew on literal adaptations of designs that had been unearthed in the 18th century from Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy (which nevertheless was called the "Grecian" style).
The years from 1819 to 1823 were the golden age of classical furniture in Boston, when Vose unquestionably made the finest furniture that town had ever seen. With Thomas Seymour's help, the firm excelled at using the best woods available, all-mahogany construction and unrivaled craftsmanship. Isaac Vose had the connections, partly through his membership at the Hollis Street Church, and social skills to establish his firm as the "go to" furniture firm for Boston's mercantile and academic elites.
A love of historic furniture for Clark Pearce and Robert Mussey began as visceral, hands-on learning experiences making custom reproductions of period antiques. Since 1987, Clark Pearce has evaluated American decorative arts for private, corporate and museum collections. Robert Mussey founded and became head conservator of the furniture conservation laboratory for Historic New England. He started his own furniture conservation service, Robert Mussey Associates, and, after 20 years, retired four years ago.
7:15pm mini-exhibit - View items belonging to Forum members that "speak" the classical vocabulary including objects sporting columns, urns, anthemia, paterae, bucrania and neoclassical fret.
8:00pm - Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Enter from Level B1 of the parking garage; pedestrians enter from the concourse side of Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive and down the steps across the street from the museum's main entrance.
DATE/TIME:
Tuesday, July 9
7:15pm-9:00pm
LOCATION:
Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA, 94118
415-750-3600
http://deyoung.famsf.org
COST/REGISTRATION:
$15 for non-members; free for Forum members.
MORE INFO:
Website: http://www.adafca.org
Email: info@adafca.org
Phone: 415-249-9234
Contact: Gordon Fine, President
About American Decorative Arts Forum of Northern California:
The American Decorative Arts Forum is a support group of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and is dedicated to the study, understanding, enjoyment and preservation of American fine and decorative arts from their earliest beginnings to the present. The Forum has earned a national reputation for excellence through its monthly lectures by leading scholars and intensive study opportunities.
