Dangerous Liaisons : Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century

by Koda, Harold; Bolton, Andrew; Hellman, Mimi

• ISBN13: 9780300107142
• ISBN10: 0300107145
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-05-15
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Summary

During the reigns of Louis XV (1723-74) and Louis XVI (1774-92), fashion and furniture were not simply meant to be beautiful but were also intended to arouse, attract, and seduce. Published in response to the critically acclaimed and hugely popular exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum in the fall of 2004,Dangerous Liaisonsfocuses on fashion and its interplay with the paintings, furniture, and decorative arts of eighteenth-century France. Featuring beautiful color photographs of the exhibition's installation, details of the garments, and supplementary historical material, the book demonstrates how the extravagant clothing of the period reiterated the splendor of Rococo and Neoclassical interiors.

Author Biography

Harold Koda is Curator in Charge and Andrew Bolton is Associate Curator of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide is Associate Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Table of Contents

Sponsor's Statement	7	(2)
Foreword	9	(2)
Philippe de Montebello
Preface	11	(4)
Interior Motives: Seduction by Decoration in Eighteenth-Century France	15	(10)
Mimi Hellman
The Portrait: An Unexpected Entanglement	25	(10)
The Levee: The Assiduous Admirer	35	(10)
The Music Lesson: A Window of Opportunity	45	(14)
The Withdrawing Room: A Helpful Valet	59	(18)
The Masked Beauty	77	(6)
The Favorite	83	(6)
The Broken Vase: A Consoling Merchant	89	(10)
The Card Game: Cheating at Cavagnole	99	(10)
The Late Supper: The Memento	109	(8)
Catalogue	117	(6)
Illustrations	123	(2)
Select Bibliography	125	(2)
Acknowledgments	127