Hi-ho, silver! Speed exhibit shows Boulton work
Experience the beauty of late 18th and early 19th century craftsmanship as the J.B. Speed Art Museum displays the exhibition English Silver from the Age of Matthew Boulton:The James C. Codell, Jr. Collection. The collection will be on display through December.
English industrialist and engineer Matthew Boulton is best known for the early steam engines he manufactured in partnership with James Watt — the steam engines that made the British Industrial Revolution possible. However, Boulton later established the Soho Mint in Birmingham, England, which, in addition to making coins, also produced exquisitely beautiful pieces in silver, silver plate and other metals from the 1760s to the 1820s.
The timely exhibition coincides with a bicentennial celebration in England commemorating Boulton's death in 1809.
From exquisitely made candelabra and épergne to sparkling tureens and jugs, English Silver from the Age of Matthew Boulton:The James C. Codell, Jr. Collection reveals the elegance of the tables of the English gentry as the Industrial Revolution began. The pieces are displayed surrounding an elegant dessert table, with the scene circa 1815. Even the surrounding paintings and prints reflect Boulton's era.
The pieces were collected over 30 years by the late James C. Codell Jr., a Winchester, Ky., philanthropist and collector.
While some of the Speed Art Museum's exhibitions charge admission, English Silver from the Age of Matthew Boulton:The James C. Codell, Jr. Collection is free; viewing the Speed's permanent collections is always free. Athough admission to the Boulton exhibition and the permanent collections is free, the Speed suggests a $4 donation.
Posted by Ivonne Rovira
