Columbus Museum of Art presents European Portraiture of Aristocratic Children

Thursday, 21 February 2008 22:16

COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Museum of Art presents Great Expectations: Aristocratic Children in European Portraiture, the first major exhibition of Old Master works CMA has shown in nearly a decade. On view through June 8, 2008, the selection of 40 paintings in this exhibition is drawn exclusively from the unique and world-renowned collection of the Fundación Yannick y Ben Jakober in Mallorca, Spain. The most fascinating aspect of this collection is the glimpse it provides into the childhood of some of the most noteworthy figures in history.

Richly detailed and beautifully executed, the portraits bring to life: The Sun King Louis XIV of France, whose seventy-two year reign remains the longest of any major European monarch. Czar Paul I of Russia, the only legitimate son of Catherine the Great, who was succeeded by his son Alexander I after his late night assassination in his bedroom in the newly built St. Michael’s Castle.

Edward VI who ascended the throne at the age of nine following the death of his infamous father Henry VIII. Few portraits exist of the young monarch, largely due to his untimely death of tuberculosis at the age of 16.

“This is a rare treat to be able to present this selection of fascinating portraits from the Jakober Foundation,” said Dominique H. Vasseur, CMA curator of European art. “It’s easy to forget that such powerful people as the Kings of France and the Czars of Russia were once innocent children whose mark history had yet to make on them.”

These portraits of children and adolescents open a window onto a fascinating world that has long passed. Infants, tightly swaddled like mummies, lie in ornate cradles. Toddlers, dressed as miniature adults, wear plumed hats and brocade dresses trimmed in fine lace. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate the sexes, as boys wear skirts until the age of seven. Many children are burdened with rich and heavy jewelry, including the amulets that were believed to protect them from harm. While many of these children are burdened with the trappings of their illustrious families and histories, some are accompanied by their favorite pet, a feature that brings warmth and familiarity to these special children.
 
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