Vive la fête! French goldsmithing in the Gulbenkian collection
Tour and conversation with the curator
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Date
- 12:00 / Cancelled 12:00 / Sold out 12:00 – 13:00
Location
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum Meeting point: Hall
Calouste Gulbenkian brought together a remarkable collection of French goldsmithery from the 18th and early 19th centuries, which can still be considered as the most important private collection in this field.
Table centrepieces, tureens, chandeliers, salt shakers… Originally, all these pieces had very specific utilitarian and ostentatious functions, within the context of the sumptuous French meals and banquets that marked the 18th century.
During this tour, curator André Afonso will address several aspects of these objects: What role did each item play at these meals? Who were the monarchs and noblemen who commissioned them, and who were the master goldsmiths who created them? We will also learn the reasons that led Calouste Gulbenkian to acquire them and, in some cases, to fall in love with them!
Gulbenkian Museum Weekend
This activity is part of the Gulbenkian Museum Weekend, a weekend to celebrate our Collection that returns in 2026 to a renovated Museum. Learn more
Credits
Concept and direction
André Afonso
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation reserves the right to collect and keep records of images, sounds and voice for the diffusion and preservation of the memory of its cultural and artistic activity. For further information, please contact us through the Information Request form.