Pietro and Ferdinando Tacca, ‘Hercules with the Bull’.

The powerful composition in bronze, by the seventeenth-century Florentine sculptors Pietro and Ferdinando Tacca, shows the classical hero Hercules grappling with the river god Acheloüs, transformed into the form of a bull. It is one of a series of large bronzes depicting stories from the legend of Hercules: two of which, Hercules with the Centaur and Hercules with the Bull, are in the permanent collection of works of art at the Wallace Collection. Ferdinando Tacca (1619-1686) was a multi-talented figure who as well as being a successful sculptor was also an architect, engineer and a stage designer for the theatre.  His extraordinary sense of Baroque theatricality can be felt too in his bronze sculpture, which is full of drama and exciting and complex interplay between figures.

The Classical myth inspiring this sculpture is one of love, violence and metamorphosis. One of Hercules’ rivals for the hand of his beloved Deianeira was the river god Acheloüs. During a tremendous wrestling match with Hercules, Acheloüs was able to transform himself into the forms of other monstrous creatures, a bull-headed man, a serpent and a bull. Hercules defeated the bull by pulling off one of its horns, which then became transformed into the well-known symbol of the cornucopia, or horn of plenty. A magnificent cornucopia can be seen in the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens’ newly conserved Allegory of Fruitfulness in the Wallace Collection.

This model originated as one of a set of large bronzes depicting scenes from the life of Hercules, originally part of an abortive commission for King James I of England. Pietro Tacca’s original models seem only to have been cast after his death, by his son Ferdinando.

The Wallace Collection also possesses two fine bronze candlesticks from a Calvary Group, made by Ferdinando Tacca for the Chapel of the Ducal palace in Massa, near Carrara in Tuscany, and inventoried in 1662. The group included a second pair of angels as well as a large Cross with the Crucified Christ. It was broken up in 1796, when the palace was pillaged by French troops, following Napoleon’s invasion of Italy and on the Emperor’s orders. Both figures are, exceptionally, signed by Ferdinando Tacca in monogram on the drapery around their waist. As well as visiting Hercules with the Bull in the Large Drawing Room, visitors can venture to the Sixteenth-Century Gallery where they will find these two Tacca works of art.

Not only can visitors enjoy seeing this special loan in the context of other works by Pietro and Ferdinando Tacca, but they can also see this unique bronze alongside many other works of art that were once part of the French Royal Collection. The cast of Hercules with the Bull was first recorded in 1689 in the collection of the Grand Dauphin, son of  King Louis XIV of France, and carries on the rump of the bull the royal collection inventory number ’302′. All objects in the collection were numbered, and visitors can find numbers 297 and 298 in the Billiard Room, inscribed on two bronze fire-dogs on marble pedestals, cast c. 1655-1680 from models by the Italian bronze sculptor Alessandro Algardi. Algardi, like Pietro and Ferdinando Tacca, takes inspiration from Classical mythology, and the two, impressive fire-dogs represent Jupiter victorious over the Titans: ‘Fire’ and Juno Controlling the Winds: ‘Air’.

Tacca’s Hercules with the Bull left the Royal Collection during the French Revolution and has now been generously lent by a private collector, to allow it to be appreciated and studied in the fascinating new contexts afforded by the Wallace Collection. Eagle-eyed visitors might also recognize the sculpture from last year’s acclaimed exhibition at the Royal Academy, Bronze, where it was on show until December.

Hercules with the Bull is on display in the Large Drawing Room until June. A Display Talk, given by Collections and Academic Director Jeremy Warren, will take place on 10 April at 1pm in the Large Drawing Room. Talks are free, and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis (limited to 25 people). Come and discover more about this fascinating object and its history…

I’d like to share the story of our latest project, a rarely seen peek into our conservation studio to investigate the conservation of one of our most famous pieces of furniture, Queen Marie-Antoinette’s Riesener commode.

All films produced so far aim to share something with our existing or potential virtual visitor, allowing them an insight into an area not normally viewed by the public. Our first film took the viewer behind the scenes of the refurbishment of the Dutch galleries, talking to the Director, Curator and Project Manager about the curatorial and logistical vision behind the eighteen month process and examining the role of the various craftsmen involved, from specialist silk hangers to gilders. We released the film in segments providing an update on the refurbishment process; a complement to the closed door to the space that visitors encountered in the gallery, and were hopefully intrigued by.

Our second film followed a typical family day, A Day in the Eighteenth Century and featured talks, costumed characters, games, craft activities and treasure hunts. The Wallace Collection offers a rich vein for young imaginations to mine, but not all know about these activities. This film was a means of sharing the sense of fun, excitement and exploration.

This sense of exploration has been expanded in our newest conservation film.  The Wallace Collection has a remarkable collection of ten pieces made by or attributed to Jean-Henri Riesener. Riesener started out as a poor German immigrant but an opportune marriage to the widow of his former master, Jean-François Oeben, allowed him control of his workshop, side-lining  strict French guild regulations set up to prevent foreign competition.  By 1774 he had received the official title of ébéniste du roi (Cabinetmaker to the King,) a title fitting for his artistically skilled and technically accomplished production.

Conservation work is ongoing at the Collection and all furniture and metalwork is conserved on site, yet this remains an unknown world for many visitors. Our conservators identify pieces and produce a thorough conservation proposal, working in tandem with the Curator to ensure the works of art remain in the best possible condition for the future. Work is characterised by minimum intervention wherever possible and only well proven, tested methods are used.

Prior to the actual filming process, I prepare a raft of documents from the original object file on the history of the piece and the conservation plan. The object file contains all research and correspondence on the work of art whilst it has been in the Wallace Collection.  It’s important that Rachel and Mark from Chocolate Films know as much as possible about what they will be filming. It’s a complicated procedure and they need to have a clear idea of the story before they embark, to help in the edit suite. We speak in detail with all the interviewees before any filming begins and devise a set of questions and prompts and a loose narrative.

The conservation process is time consuming, focusing on minute detail. Filming takes place in the conservation studio over several months, allowing us to capture the different stages of the process – interviewing Head of Conservation, David Edge, about the first pieces to be removed, the gilt bronze mounts, which are showing some signs of corrosion, and, at subsequent stages, Senior Furniture Conservator, Jürgen Huber, as he removes the varnish which has darkened in the sixty years since it was applied, rehydrates the marquetry and parquetry and finally re-polishes the commode.

The crew are intrigued to see the piece deconstructed in the tiny upstairs studio. With the base plinth, drawers and mounts removed a stately piece appears much more humble, and importantly, offers fascinating insights into the process of creation. We know that the base plinth was enlarged and re-veneered sometime before the commode’s purchase by the 4th Marquess of Hertford in 1865. We discover pencil marks left (in very unobtrusive places) by conservators from the 1940s. When originally completed the commode was much brighter, the natural and stained woods including yellow, green, pink and blue to match the silk on the walls of Marie-Antoinette’s intimate and private cabinet intérieur. The removal of the gilt bronze mounts, which had protected the wood from the effects of light, makes the change in colour, a gradual process over hundreds of years, instantly visible before our eyes.

We learn from Jürgen that the initial examination has resulted in a fascinating discovery. The gilt bronze royal insignia of Marie-Antoinette’s initials had been carefully cut so that part of it could be removed, therefore potentially making the piece unconnected to Marie Antoinette. It’s well known that Riesener was employed after the French Revolution to remove royal insignia from his furniture; many of the pieces he re-purchased himself in the hope of selling them on. Analysis of the metal using an  XRF portable scanner showed that the removeable section of the mount has the same composition as the rest of it, so perhaps it was taken off at the time of the Revolution, and then re-inserted (perhaps by Riesener himself) at a later date when it was no longer politically unwise to acknowledge Royal connections. Unfortunately it wasn’t a successful tactic for Riesener, who died in comparative poverty in 1806.

To capture the story, directors Rachel and Mark choose to use a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This camera, whilst fairly small, records very rich, detailed images: exactly what is required when filming detailed processes on intricate and beautiful objects.

Once the conservation process itself is complete, Chocolate Films return to film the ‘reveal’ of the commode in situ, back in the Study, surrounded by other key objects commissioned and owned by Marie-Antoinette. As with all gallery filming, this takes place early in the morning before the arrival of our visitors. Curator of French Decorative Arts, Helen Jacobsen, is interviewed to provide more context on the historical importance of the piece.

The film is now in the hands of Chocolate Films who take away detailed footage of the entire process, with the brief of condensing this into a six minute film! No mean feat! In the edit suite they choose appropriate music and intersperse older images of the piece, including photographs from 1903 from our detailed object files.  The first draft of the film is then presented and no dramatic changes are made: we hope an indication of good preparation, a clear sense of purpose and an effective working brief. Slight chronological issues are quickly resolved and a quick visit for extra sound provides the additional voiceover to complete the picture.

Once signed off internally, the film is made available for visitors on the Interact section of our website, on our You Tube page and promoted through our social media channels. There are also plans for further usage for this particular film. In April, a display will open in the Conservation Gallery on the Riesener commode. This film will play on a terminal in the gallery, aiding understanding.

The discoveries made on the Riesener commode aren’t isolated. This is just one example of the many fascinating stories that emerge over time, in the process of the focused curatorial and conservation work which happens every day at the Wallace Collection; bringing to life the beautiful pieces which were commissioned by intriguing patrons, created by master craftsmen and privy to fascinating historical events.

We hope that this film and this insight into its creation goes some way in revealing a hidden world to many of our visitors, both virtual and actual; to both ignite and quench your interest. Do let us know if you enjoy it, and also any ideas you have for further films.

Danielle Cunningham, Marketing & Press Manager

]]> http://wallacecollection.org/blog/2013/03/filming-the-conservation-of-marie-antoinettes-commode/feed/ 2 http://wallacecollection.org/blog/2009/02/sneak-preview-of-treasures-of-the-black-death/ http://wallacecollection.org/blog/2009/02/sneak-preview-of-treasures-of-the-black-death/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://wallacecollection.org/blog/?p=20 Read More]]> Maev Kennedy, Archaeology Correspondent for The Guardian, was given an exclusive sneak preview of The Wallace Collection’s forthcoming exhibition, during the process of installation. 

Take your own preview tour, where highlights include a 650-year-old perfume bottle from a medieval cosmetic set with the faintest trace of scent, as well as ornate Jewish wedding rings. 

To view the video on The Guardian Website click here