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Picture framing: frames for the genre paintings of Pietro Rotari
324
Professional
Picture Framing: Frames for the Genre Paintings of Pietro Rotari
(1725-27). He worked in Rome in the studio of the Venetian-born Francesco Trevisani (1727-31) and then with Francesco Solimena in Naples, before returning to Verona in 1734. His studio in Verona was not unsuccessful, but in 1750 he left for the Imperial Court in Vienna, and that of Augustus III in Dresden, before settling in St. Petersburg in 1756 as court painter to the Empress Elizabeth II. In Russia, during the last six years of his life, Rotari made bust length figures of young women and boys something of a speciality and the Empress Catherine the Great subsequently owned 240 examples. In summer 1993 at least four pairs of these paintings were on the London Picture market, but only one pair Uohn Mitchell and Son) boasted contemporary frames made to the same design as those enclosing comparable works by Rotari still in Russia. This particular style of frame, with its scalloped sight edge, is always associated with Pietro Rotari, and although the model probably origmated from the Veneto much earlier in the century, most examples enclosing genre paintings of this type by Rotari must have
A number of specific types of picture frame are linked with the names of individual artists and although on occasion there is documentary evidence to associate an artist with an individual frame as its designer this is rare. An artist’s name could be adopted by a picture framer more or less as a brand name for a particular line being produced by his workshop or being marketed by him, but the works of certain painters and pastellists, when found in contemporaneous frames which have reason to be considered to be original to the works enclosed, can reveal an association with a particular frame design which is specific rather than generic. These associations are to be discerned from the 18th century and Venice would appear to have played a significant role in the process. Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762) was a native of Verona and studied there under Antonio Balestra before moving on to Venice
Pair
of genre
Rotari
and Son, nlways trained Son,
paintings
(1707-l
of a youn, c’ \voman
762), 45 s 35 cm., prob.tbly
London.
This
style
with
Rotnri
craftsmcn
ft-om
A model
London.
and ‘I ho\. painted
of C.II-VC~ and
associated
and
these
provided
Notes
in peasant
in.Russia
gilt frnmc
with
wcrc‘ pt-obably b!. Rotal-i.
costumes,
by Pietro
(1756-62),
John
Mitchell
scalloped
sight
edges
made
in Russia
Photo Cwdit: John
is
by ItaiianMitchell
8r
325
Professional Notes
been made in Russia by Italian-trained craftsmen after 1756. There can be little doubt that Rotari approved of the design as particularly appropriate to his work, and he may well
have brought the original St. Petersburg.
Security: ‘Choose Wet or Burned Objects’
but the human element is crucial: ‘Little fires are made into big ones by negligence or stupidity’. It is necessary to implement effective passive measures-such as the prohibition or strict control of smoking, candles, office coffee machines, etc.-before putting in hand active measures. Arson is all too often difficult to prove, but the destruction of wooden churches in Norway by unexplained fires has reached alarming proportions-13 in 1992, when there is on average only one built per year. Different types of sprinkler systems were discussed in the light of the phasing out of environmentally-damaging Halon and similar gas systems, and these can be classified under:
Organized by the Ostergotlands Lansmuseum and held in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 4 June 1993, the day conference Choose Wet or Burned Objects brought together a wide range of expertise, including many members of the International Committee for Museum Security (ICMS) whose Annual Meeting began in Stockholm the following day. Thomas Capaul, head of the Cerberus Fire Laboratory for over ten years, set the scene with his address ‘Goal Oriented Approach to Museum Firesafety’ and reminded the conference that fire protection is now a fully established specialist engineering discipline. There is, however, a need for all those involved in fire protection to understand the concepts behind the new Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) since there are no standard solutions, only the application of principles and practical experience. Gunther Dembski, Security Officer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, provided a detailed account of the Hofburg fire (27-28 October 1992) illustrated with colour transparencies taken by the Vienna fire brigade during the emergency and Austrian television coverage. The source of the fire remained unknown then and the lessons to be learned are consequently mixed, but the serious water damage sustained by the adjacent Schatzkammer security control room will no doubt encourage more careful planning of such facilities in the future. Serren Svare, in ‘Basic Issues before Choosing Sprinklers’, emphasized the need to address the basic issues, avoiding the temptation to jump to a conclusion and then apply it regardless. Electrical faults are reported to account for 37 percent of fires in Denmark,
model with him to
PETER CANNON-BROOKES
1. Wet Pipe Systems,
2.
3.
4. 5. 6.
with individual sprinklers activated by heat; Regular Dry Pipe Systems, with air or nitrogen under pressure holding back the water supply; Preaction Systems, with water control valves activated by a supplementary detecting device; Deluge Systems, with sprinklers open at all times; Combined Dry Pipe and Preaction Systems; and Special Types;
of which types 1, 2 and 6 are currently recommended for use in museum environments. Dr. Gunter Hilbert, from Berlin, discussed the need for effective smoke detectors to activate such systems and the demand for equipment which does not have visible heads, for use in historic buildings and other architecturally sensitive environments. Smoke sampling by suction and optical systems have been developed successfully and installed at Schloss Moosbroich, Leverkusen, and Sanssouci, at Potsdam, is to be so protected.
Professional
Picture Framing: Frames for the Genre Paintings of Pietro Rotari
(1725-27). He worked in Rome in the studio of the Venetian-born Francesco Trevisani (1727-31) and then with Francesco Solimena in Naples, before returning to Verona in 1734. His studio in Verona was not unsuccessful, but in 1750 he left for the Imperial Court in Vienna, and that of Augustus III in Dresden, before settling in St. Petersburg in 1756 as court painter to the Empress Elizabeth II. In Russia, during the last six years of his life, Rotari made bust length figures of young women and boys something of a speciality and the Empress Catherine the Great subsequently owned 240 examples. In summer 1993 at least four pairs of these paintings were on the London Picture market, but only one pair Uohn Mitchell and Son) boasted contemporary frames made to the same design as those enclosing comparable works by Rotari still in Russia. This particular style of frame, with its scalloped sight edge, is always associated with Pietro Rotari, and although the model probably origmated from the Veneto much earlier in the century, most examples enclosing genre paintings of this type by Rotari must have
A number of specific types of picture frame are linked with the names of individual artists and although on occasion there is documentary evidence to associate an artist with an individual frame as its designer this is rare. An artist’s name could be adopted by a picture framer more or less as a brand name for a particular line being produced by his workshop or being marketed by him, but the works of certain painters and pastellists, when found in contemporaneous frames which have reason to be considered to be original to the works enclosed, can reveal an association with a particular frame design which is specific rather than generic. These associations are to be discerned from the 18th century and Venice would appear to have played a significant role in the process. Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762) was a native of Verona and studied there under Antonio Balestra before moving on to Venice
Pair
of genre
Rotari
and Son, nlways trained Son,
paintings
(1707-l
of a youn, c’ \voman
762), 45 s 35 cm., prob.tbly
London.
This
style
with
Rotnri
craftsmcn
ft-om
A model
London.
and ‘I ho\. painted
of C.II-VC~ and
associated
and
these
provided
Notes
in peasant
in.Russia
gilt frnmc
with
wcrc‘ pt-obably b!. Rotal-i.
costumes,
by Pietro
(1756-62),
John
Mitchell
scalloped
sight
edges
made
in Russia
Photo Cwdit: John
is
by ItaiianMitchell
8r
325
Professional Notes
been made in Russia by Italian-trained craftsmen after 1756. There can be little doubt that Rotari approved of the design as particularly appropriate to his work, and he may well
have brought the original St. Petersburg.
Security: ‘Choose Wet or Burned Objects’
but the human element is crucial: ‘Little fires are made into big ones by negligence or stupidity’. It is necessary to implement effective passive measures-such as the prohibition or strict control of smoking, candles, office coffee machines, etc.-before putting in hand active measures. Arson is all too often difficult to prove, but the destruction of wooden churches in Norway by unexplained fires has reached alarming proportions-13 in 1992, when there is on average only one built per year. Different types of sprinkler systems were discussed in the light of the phasing out of environmentally-damaging Halon and similar gas systems, and these can be classified under:
Organized by the Ostergotlands Lansmuseum and held in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 4 June 1993, the day conference Choose Wet or Burned Objects brought together a wide range of expertise, including many members of the International Committee for Museum Security (ICMS) whose Annual Meeting began in Stockholm the following day. Thomas Capaul, head of the Cerberus Fire Laboratory for over ten years, set the scene with his address ‘Goal Oriented Approach to Museum Firesafety’ and reminded the conference that fire protection is now a fully established specialist engineering discipline. There is, however, a need for all those involved in fire protection to understand the concepts behind the new Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) since there are no standard solutions, only the application of principles and practical experience. Gunther Dembski, Security Officer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, provided a detailed account of the Hofburg fire (27-28 October 1992) illustrated with colour transparencies taken by the Vienna fire brigade during the emergency and Austrian television coverage. The source of the fire remained unknown then and the lessons to be learned are consequently mixed, but the serious water damage sustained by the adjacent Schatzkammer security control room will no doubt encourage more careful planning of such facilities in the future. Serren Svare, in ‘Basic Issues before Choosing Sprinklers’, emphasized the need to address the basic issues, avoiding the temptation to jump to a conclusion and then apply it regardless. Electrical faults are reported to account for 37 percent of fires in Denmark,
model with him to
PETER CANNON-BROOKES
1. Wet Pipe Systems,
2.
3.
4. 5. 6.
with individual sprinklers activated by heat; Regular Dry Pipe Systems, with air or nitrogen under pressure holding back the water supply; Preaction Systems, with water control valves activated by a supplementary detecting device; Deluge Systems, with sprinklers open at all times; Combined Dry Pipe and Preaction Systems; and Special Types;
of which types 1, 2 and 6 are currently recommended for use in museum environments. Dr. Gunter Hilbert, from Berlin, discussed the need for effective smoke detectors to activate such systems and the demand for equipment which does not have visible heads, for use in historic buildings and other architecturally sensitive environments. Smoke sampling by suction and optical systems have been developed successfully and installed at Schloss Moosbroich, Leverkusen, and Sanssouci, at Potsdam, is to be so protected.