Highlights from the Collection

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Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Enamels: Old and New, May 5–June 4, 1945.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Art and Fashion of the Renaissance, October 4–November 30, 1946.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Taft Enamels and the French Renaissance, March 1–27, 1966.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. A Fortune in Fantasy: A Treasury of Rare Decorative Arts, November 21, 1985–January 19, 1986, no. 43.
Ohio. Cincinnati Art Museum. Museum within a Museum: Treasures from the Taft at the Cincinnati Art Museum, January 12, 2002–February 2003 (during TMA renovation).
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. In a New Light: Treasures from the Taft, July 3, 2021–May 1, 2022.

For thousands of years, people have exchanged gifts for special occasions. Likely commissioned as a bride’s wedding present, this box once held items like jewelry, cosmetics, or sewing tools. Pierre Reymond’s design celebrates the theme of love, featuring three Roman goddesses: Juno symbolizes marriage and youthfulness, Venus represents beauty and desire, and Diana signifies chastity and childbirth. Reymond’s work exhibits superb precision, as seen in the shadows and the delicate modeling of the figures and animals.

More to the Story
In addition to polychrome, or multicolor, painted enamels, artists also made grisaille (mostly black and white) enamels. Onto prepared copper forms, enamelers applied a layer of nearly black enamel paste, followed by a thin layer of white enamel paste. Next, they carefully removed areas of white paste, creating designs in subtle shades of gray. To produce flesh tones, artists mixed a small amount of red enamel with a binder. During the last stage of the firing process, gold highlights were added for a finishing touch.

Acquired by Charles Phelps Taft [1843-1929] and Anna Sinton Taft [1850-1931], Cincinnati, OH; donated to the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, OH, May 21, 1927 [1]; transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH, September 1, 2006 [2].

Notes:

[1]. The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA) was formed by Charles Phelps and Anna Sinton Taft on March 22, 1927 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate the development of art and music in the City of Cincinnati and run the Taft Museum of Art, which opened in 1932. The Tafts offered $1 million for a permanent endowment fund, on the condition that the community raise $2.5 million in matching funds, which was achieved by December 3, 1928. [2]. Until August 31, 2006, the Museum was owned by CIFA, administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.

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