 |
|
Campbell Collection Of Soup Tureens Opens At Winterthur
"The Campbell tureens are superb, and we are thrilled to have a collection of its caliber on permanent display," said Dwight P. Lanmon, director of Winterthur. "Many of these objects were made for European royalty." The Dorrance Gallery, which showcases 125 of the most significant tureens in the collection, is named in honor of the family that has been part of Campbell Soup Company since 1876. Members of the Dorrance family, Campbell Soup Company, MBNA and an anonymous donor have funded the installation of the collection at Winterthur. Among the metal pieces on display is a striking silver tureen with naturalistic allusions to woodlands and countryside, surmounted by a black bear battling a quartet of hunting hounds. The object made for royal or aristocratic use in Copenhagen in 1866, has the mark of Danish court silversmith Anton Michelsen. In whimsical contrast are two charming Chelsea rabbits chewing on colorful leaves with precariously balanced snails. Made in England at the Chelsea Porcelain Factory about 1755, these objects are similar to one in the company's sale catalogue advertised as "Fine tureen in the form of a rabbit as big as life." Visitors can imagine steam rising from a delicious soup as the elegant hard-paste porcelain lid was raised from a tureen with 18 individually hand-painted scenes on gold background. Made at the Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Meissen, Germany between 1735 and 1740, this triumphant vessel depicts harbor and port scenes, which were fashionable on tureens beginning in the 1720s. Extraordinary among the shapes found in this collection is a contemporary sculpted piece titled "The Great Sells -- Four Paws Soup Tureen Menagerie." It was created by artist Bill Stewart for the national exhibition "Soup Tureens: 1976," which was organized by the Campbell Museum. The Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens was begun in 1966 by John T. Dorrance, Jr., then chairman of the board of Campbell Soup Company. Dorrance was a member of Winterthur's board of trustees from 1979-1986, and an honorary member until his death in 1989. The tureens were donated to Winterthur by the Campbell Museum earlier this year. A new catalogue of the collection will be available in 2000. The Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens also includes additional objects that travel to museums and galleries across the country. The traveling exhibition is co-sponsored by Campbell Soup Company and Winterthur. "Of Soup and Love, the first is the best," an old English proverb says. While some may quarrel with the sentiment, many will freely admit to a belief in the almost magical properties of soup. Soothing and healing, nourishing and sustaining, simple and inexpensive, sophisticated and luxurious -- soup is all these things. The exact origin of soup are early and obscure, but by the Sixteenth Century an incredible variety of stews, broths and bouillons were a staple of diets throughout Europe. They were inexpensive meals prepared in communal vessels and eaten directly from cooking pots. By the Eighteenth Century, new and complex lifestyles evolved, as did new dining practices and more sophisticated eating habits. The growing wealthy class desired goods of all kinds made in the latest fashion. grand new houses were designed, and these had to be furnished in the latest styles with new furniture, textiles and, of course, table services. This period also saw the introduction of separate courses at meal time, superseding the custom of placing every dish of the meal on the table at one time. Soup became the imposing first course at fashionable meals, served from fabulous vessels chosen to make an impression on dinner guests. Craftsmen responded to the market demand for such containers by developing the soup tureen. During the Eighteenth Century, particularly fine examples were made from precious materials, with costly decorations and in the most fashionable forms. Bronze, silver, silvergilt, porcelain and earthenware were among the materials manipulated into extraordinary shapes to satisfy the desire for novelty and utility. For individual servings of soup, it was not considered improper to drink from the bowl. Special dishes with covers and stands were designed for this purpose, usually with two handles so they could be lifted to the lips and sipped from politely without the use of a spoon. These covered dishes, known as bouillon bowls or ecuelles, were often small works of art in their own right. In the Nineteenth Century, huge matching services gradually became the vogue. Sets of ceramic tureens and soup plates were only a small part of enormous dinner sets. Silver and other metal tureens continued to be produced for wealthy customers, but the focus shifted from individually crafted ceramic soup tureens to large commissioned services.
 |
|
|
