A flower arrangement, c.1748, from the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres workshop of Marie-Henriette Gravant, lent by New York dealer Michele Beiny to the Baltimore Museum of Art for the exhibition Making her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800.
Making her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800, runs until January 7 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, comprising more than 200 works by artists such as Élisabeth Vigée le Brun, Artemesia Gentileschi and Mary Beale, many lent by major institutions.
Also supporting the show is dealer Michele Beiny of New York who lent two groups of porcelain flowers produced in the 18th century workshop of Madame Gravant. The workshop was part of the Sèvres porcelain factory and was known as the “floristy”. Twenty young girls worked under Gravant’s direction to paint and burnish the pieces.
Opened in 1748, the floristry continued until women were banned from the factory in 1753. Even so, many of the women continued to work from home, transporting them to and from the factory.
The exhibition also showcases examples of metalwork and cabinetmaking to reflect women’s involvement in major manufactories and workshops. It also includes works by women painters, famous, unknown and anonymous.
