by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator of Collections
Museums are not stuffy places filled with old stuff gathering dust. They are filled with kids’ voices from summer camps, laughter from families visiting their favorite pieces, and sometimes quiet from someone just wanting to get away and view some beauty from timeless paintings to the beauty of nature.
There is constantly a flow of new artwork in the galleries as well. Artwork moves from collections storage onto exhibit and back into storage again. Because we want to inform visitors, there is constant research conducted on the pieces in a museum’s collection.
All of these scenarios are very true for the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art. Even with a very small staff, things are constantly changing and improving.
I was recently conducting research on a painting and found out more than I expected!
The painting I was researching, Mademoiselle de Clermont by Pierre Gobert, has been in the MGMoA collection since 1979 when sisters Gatra and Patricia Miller donated the work in memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Moorer. While conducting research on Mademoiselle de Clermont and Pierre Gobert, I discovered that the woman in our painting is actually Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans Mademoiselle de Valois.
Digging deeper, it also seems that this painting is inspired by a painting by Gobert and not actually painted by him as originally thought. I found a painting of Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans by Gobert in the British Royal Collection. The MGMoA painting is definitely painted to look like the painting in the British Royal Collection. There is a long history of paintings composed after a well-known painting. Artists would copy a painting by another artist in order to perfect their own technique. Another possible explanation is that someone in the studio of Gobert painted the piece. Regardless of who painted it, this painting is still a much-loved part of the MGMoA collection.
So, who was Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans? She was the third daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. Charlotte’s father, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, was a nephew of King Louis XIV of France. She married Prince Francesco d'Este on February 11, 1720. In 1737, with her father-in-law’s death, her husband became Duke of Modena, and she became Duchess of Modena. She had 10 children. In 1759, she died in Paris at the Petit Luxembourg. Her heart was placed in the Church of Val-de-Grâce but unfortunately, it was removed and lost during the French Revolution.
Even if you have been to the MGMoA before, make sure you read the labels because you never know what new information may have been discovered. The more information we find out about art and artifacts in the MGMoA collection, the better we are at providing a better picture of various times and cultures around the world.
Art Project
Supplies: paper and pencil
Since International Portrait Day just passed on June 23, let’s draw a portrait! You can use a mirror to draw a self-portrait (Rembrandt is famous for his self-portraits) or you can draw a friend or family member. Just ask them to sit still for you for a while so you can capture their image.
You don’t have to be exact either. Some portraits are wild and crazy like Picasso’s! Add color to your portrait if you want.
For tips on how to draw a face check out mgmoa.org/art-projects.
