June 3 – July 16, 2006
Meridian International Center presents Prints and the Courtly World of Mozart on June 3, 2006. Organized by the University of Richmond Museums in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Austrian, 1756-1791), this exhibition explores the courtly world of the composer through prints of the period, especially in works by French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732 – 1806), selected from the museum’s permanent collection.
On view through July 16, 2006, the exhibition features thirty-five prints from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, including portraits of Mozart as a child prodigy and as an accomplished composer and performer. Scenes of European opera houses and salon concerts reveal the important role of music in society amidst the varying classes. Also included are images of people in the royal court, such as a print by Antonio Martini (Italian, 1739–1799) titled The Queen’s Lady in Waiting (1777), which shows a woman wearing a formal gown with an interior structure of a corset and hoops, making the dress almost as wide as it is tall. A fanciful print from the eighteenth century by Nicolaus Valleta (Austrian, 1717-1780) shows the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa as a patroness of music, surrounded by adoring putti and classical figures.
A lithograph from the early 1800s titled The Mozart Family replicates a painting of the same subject by Johann-Nepomuk de la Croce (Austrian, 1736-1819), commissioned in 1780-1781 by Leopold Mozart (the young musician’s father). Leopold is shown holding a violin and quill to represent his talents as a musician and writer, while his son (Wolfgang) and daughter (Nannerl) play a duet. The children are watched over by a portrait of their mother, who died in 1778, and who, like Leopold, traveled with the family and promoted Wolfgang’s career.
Prints and the Courtly World of Mozart was co-curated by Charles Johnson, Professor of Art History, Emeritus, Department of Art and Art History, University of Richmond, and Richard Waller, Executive Director, University Museums.
The exhibition will open to the public on June 3, 2006 and be on view at Meridian’s White-Meyer Galleries through July 16, 2006. Prints and the Courtly World of Mozart will be the highlighted exhibition on June 3 and 4, when Meridian participates in the annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk Weekend. Seven area museums will be open for free to the public and offer special activities for adults and children. Meridian will offer refreshments, live music, and show a short film biography on the life of Mozart. Also accompanying the exhibition, a lecture on June 22 at 6:30 p.m. by Patrick Warfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, Georgetown University, “The Prodigy as Adult: Mozart at Court”.
