Madame Brion, Seated, Taking Tea

Date1750

Maker Jacques-André-Joseph Aved French, 1702 - 1766

Label TextThough we know only the name of the sitter, we can learn quite a bit about Madame Brion from this portrait. The fine fabrics and imported porcelain suggest she is a bourgeois woman of modern tastes and the means to collect. She welcomes us in the comfortable disarray of her home, calmly stirring a cup of coffee, which still steams in the pot. The artist displayed this painting at the Salon of 1750 in Paris under the title shown here, but the shape of the pot, known as a marabout, was used exclusively for coffee.

In this painting by Flemish artist Jacques-André-Joseph Aved, a comfortable bourgeoise greets us from the comfort of her home, surrounded by decorative objects that the painter-collector loves as much as she does.

Object number87.99

ProvenanceCollection of Désiré-Paul-André Marie (also Paul André, 1897-1974), Paris and Barentin, France, by 1935-until 1974-75 (his death); Me. Philippe Fournier, sale of "Collection André Marie et a divers amateurs: Sculptures; Objects d'Art; Meubles et Sieges; Tapisseries; Tapis," lot 154, Rouen, France, November 4, 1975; Private collection, New York, by 1983 until 1986; [Gerard Stora, Wildenstein and Company, Inc., New York, 1987]; purchased by the Seattle Art Museum (funds from the Frederick Pipes Estate Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Mary Arrington Small Estate, and Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, by exchange), September 14, 1987

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistoryParis, France, Salon, 1750 (as "Le Portrait de Madame Brion, assise, prenant du Thé"). Cat. no. 79. Atlanta, Georgia, High Museum of Art, The Rococo Age: French Masterpieces of the Eighteenth Century, Oct. 15-Dec. 31, 1959. London, U.K., Wildenstein, French Portraits: XVII-XX Century, June 16-July 30, 1982. New York, Rosenberg and Stiebel, Chez Elle, Chez Lui: At Home in 18th Century France, Apr. 23-June 13, 1987. Reproduced p. 31, fig. 13, pp. 30-32. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe, Feb. 17 - May 7, 2000.Published ReferencesWildenstein, Georges. Le Peintre Aved: sa vie et son oeuvre, 1702-1766. Paris: Les Beaux-Arts, Edition d'Études et de Documents, 1922, p. 31. Not illustrated. Wildenstein, Georges. "Le Peintre Aved, premier supplement à la biographie et au catalogue (1922-1935)." Gazette des Beaux-Arts. Sixieme per. XIII, March 1935, p. 162, no. 17, reproduced p. 260, fig. 1. (As Collection of Paul André) Rouen, Palais des Consuls. Collection André Marie et à divers amateurs. November 5, 1975, ill. lot 154. Verdi, Richard. "Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions: London, Summer Exhibitions." Burlington Magazine CXXIV, No. 953 (August 1982): p. 518, fig. 35, illus. p. 520 Zafran, Eric M. The Rococo Age: French Masterpieces of the Eighteenth Century. Exhibition catalogue, High Museum of Art. Atlanta, Georgia, 1983, p. 86, plate 30. (As Private Collection, New York) Baillio, J. "French Rococo Painting: a Notable Exhibition in Atlanta." Apollo CXIX, No. 253 (January 1984): 18, ill. p. 23, fig. 14. Morton, Marcia and Frederic. Chocolate: An Illustrated History. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1986, pp. 42-43, ill. p. 42. (As Private Collection) Rosenberg and Steibel. Chez Elle, Chez Lui: At Home in 18th Century France. Exhibition catalogue, Rosenberg and Steibel, New York, 1987, pp. 30-32. Ill. p. 31, fig. 13. Seattle Art Museum (October 28, 1987). "Seattle Art Museum Unveils Old Master Painting." Press Release. Not illustrated. Seattle Art Museum. (November 2, 1987). "Background Sheet." Press Release. Not illustrated. Ament, Deloris Tarzan. "Seattle Art Museum hangs up a 'master.'" Seattle Times, November 2, 1987, ill. F2. Gates, Jay. Seattle Art Museum. Members' News, November 1987-January 1988. Illustrated. Emerson, Julie. "Coffee, Tea and Chocolate Wares in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, no. 1, p. 13 "Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 98 O'Donnell, Susannah Cassedy. "Ecocity's Caffeine Charm." Museum News 73, No. 1 (January/February 1994): 34. Not illustrated. Ishikawa, Chiyo. "The Samuel H. Kress Collection at the Seattle Art Museum" Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, 1997, fig. 7, pp. 20-21 Emerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates. "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", Exhibition catalogue, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2000, pp. 192-193, ill. p. 192 Harding, Beverly. The Secret of Porcelain: A Family Guide. Seattle, Wash.: Seattle Art Museum, 2000; pp. 14, 28. Collins, Jeffrey, review. "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe," in Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 34, No. 1, Poetry and Poetics (Fall 2000), Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 116-120. 119 Sánchez, Pierre. Dictionnaire des Artistes Exposant dans les Salons des XVII et XVIIIeme Siècles à Paris et en Province: 1673-1800 1 A-Dul. Dijon: L'Échelle de Jacob, 2004, p. 105-107. Not illustrated. "Chinese Porcelain an Export to the World", Joint Publishing Company, (H.K.) Co. Ltd., 2008, pg 106 Conseil des Musées Nationaux. La Revue des Musées de France: Revue du Louvre (June 3, 2008): no. 6, p. 64. Ganse, Shirley. Chinese Porcelain: an Export to the World. Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Company, (H.K.) Co. Ltd., 2008, ill. p. 106.

Credit LineFrederick Pipes Estate Fund, General Acquisition Fund, Mary Arrington Small Estate, and Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, by exchange

Dimensions50 5/8 x 38 1/8 in. (128.6 x 96.8 cm)

MediumOil on canvas