.jpg)
#CulturedPeachy @FrickCollection Painting with Fire: Susanne de Court and the Art of Enamel
In spring and summer 2027, The Frick Collection will present the first exhibition ever dedicated to the French enameler Susanne de Court. Active around 1600, De Court is a significant yet enigmatic figure in the creation of painted enamels—one of the distinctive art forms of the French Renaissance, treasured over the centuries for its durability, lively religious and mythological subjects, and jewel-like colors. With nearly one hundred surviving works, De Court is the only woman known to have made enamels in her era and is widely believed to have been the only woman to lead a workshop in Renaissance Limoges, the center of enamel production in France since the twelfth century.
This exhibition will bring together, for the first time, around forty-five of De Court’s signed works, or nearly half of her surviving oeuvre, inviting visitors to discover some of the finest examples of her extraordinary output. The works will showcase her distinctive techniques—notably her layering of exquisite red, green, and blue translucent enamel over small pieces of foil—and illustrate the range and complexity of De Court’s creations, from luxurious vessels and plates to large ensembles and small objects, such as purses and plaques for watches or mirrors.
Three works from the Frick’s permanent collection will anchor the exhibition: a pair of saltcellars featuring scenes from the myth of Orpheus (acquired by Henry Clay Frick in 1916 from the estate of J. P. Morgan) and an oval medallion depicting Apollo and the Muses (a gift from Alexis Gregory in 2021), all three normally on view in the museum’s Enamels Room. The rest will be on loan from public and private collections in the United States and across Europe. The enamels will be complemented by a selection of prints by major sixteenth-century engravers from which De Court drew inspiration for narratives and compositions, creating a rare opportunity to study her works alongside contemporaneous sources.
Major lenders to the exhibition include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Legion of Honor, the Musée du Louvre, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges, MAK Vienna, the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, Waddesdon Manor, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum. Rare loans will also be presented from private collectors in Belgium, Italy, France, and the United States.
Painting with Fire: Susanne de Court and the Art of Enamel is organized by Marie-Laure Buku Pongo, the Frick’s Associate Curator of Decorative Arts. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue, as well as a slate of public programming including a lecture, seminars, concerts, and studio programs.
Commented Buku Pongo, “It has been deeply rewarding to delve into the work of the only known woman artist to leave behind signed enamels from the Renaissance. In preparing this show, we have gained a fuller representation of her oeuvre and uncovered new insights into her technique thanks to technical examination with our conservation team. Not only is this the first exhibition ever to focus on Susanne de Court, but we are also fortunate to bring together, for the very first time, works from a wide range of collections—some of which have remained in private hands for more than two centuries. Although De Court remains a mysterious figure, I hope that this show and its catalogue will foster greater recognition of her exceptional contributions to the art of enamel in Limoges.”
Exhibition Catalogue
The scholarly catalogue that accompanies the exhibition will provide an important reexamination of De Court’s artistic production, along with the print sources she used for her compositions. The essays cover a number of topics, including the ways in which the period’s religious upheavals were reflected in the subject matter of enamels, an overview of the role of women in the arts of the era, and a detailed exploration of the artist’s working practice and subsequent restorations to her enamels. Catalogue entries on each work in the show are organized into three major sections: objects for daily life, private devotion, and display.
The book is authored by Marie-Laure Buku Pongo with a foreword by Ian Wardropper, the Frick’s Director Emeritus. Additional contributions are written by Greg Bailey, Conservator, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Denis Bertrand Yves Crouzet, former professor, Paris-Sorbonne University; Aubrée David-Chapy, independent scholar; and Julia Day, the Frick’s Chief Conservator.
The hardcover volume of approximately 200 pages is published by The Frick Collection in association with Paul Holberton Publishing ($50; Frick members: $40 in-store, $45 online). The book will be available for purchase in the Museum Shop, online at shop.frick.org, or by contacting shop@frick.org or 212.547.6849.
Exhibition Support
Louis Vuitton
Leadership support is provided by The Selz Foundation Exhibition Fund.
Major support is provided by the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation and the Tavolozza Foundation.
Additional support is provided by The Eric & Jane Nord Family Fund for Exhibition Programming, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Jenna Kefeli, and an anonymous donor.
About The Frick Collection
Housed in one of New York City’s last great Gilded Age homes, The Frick Collection provides intimate encounters with one of the world’s foremost collections of fine and decorative arts. Open since 1935, the institution originated with Henry Clay Frick, who bequeathed his Fifth Avenue residence and collection of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts for the enjoyment of the public. The museum’s holdings, which encompass masterworks from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century, have grown over the decades, more than doubling in number since the opening of the museum. The Frick Art Research Library, founded more than one hundred years ago by Henry Clay Frick’s daughter, Helen Clay Frick, is a leading art history research center that serves students, scholars, and the public.
For more information, please visit frick.org.
Visit: frick.org/visit
Tickets: frick.org/tickets
Mobile Guide: frick.org/app
Programs: frick.org/programs
Explore: frick.org/explore
Library: frick.org/visit/library
Shop: shop.frick.org
