The Magazine Antiques - April 1965 - Vincennes Sevres Porcelain And Audubon Issue

Overview

The April 1965 issue of Antiques (today known as The Magazine Antiques) represents an earlier generation of decorative arts scholarship and collecting literature. Published during a period when many foundational museum collections and decorative arts studies were still being actively documented, this issue contains substantial articles on French porcelain, American painting, Portuguese ceramics, Audubon material, German lacquerwork, and museum acquisitions.

The cover features a Vincennes-Sevres figure group dating to 1763, introducing one of the issue's principal studies: Wilfred J. Sainsbury's examination of large groups and figures in soft-paste biscuit Vincennes-Sevres porcelain. Such material remains highly relevant to collectors and scholars of eighteenth-century French decorative arts and porcelain manufacture.

Dating / Background

Issued in April 1965, this volume reflects the collecting interests and museum scholarship of the mid-twentieth century. Particularly notable is Albert Ten Eyck Gardner's article on American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accompanied by Stuart P. Feld's discussion of recently acquired American paintings. Together these articles document important institutional collecting activity at one of America's premier museums during a period of significant growth and scholarship.

Robert C. Smith contributes an article on nineteenth-century Portuguese porcelain from Vista Alegre, one of Portugal's most important ceramic manufactories. Edward H. Dwight examines unpublished Audubon originals, a subject that continues to attract collectors of natural history prints, Americana, ornithology, and nineteenth-century illustration.

Additional articles explore German lacquer and decorative arts interiors, while regular departments document contemporary museum exhibitions, acquisitions, and collecting developments from the period.

What makes this issue particularly interesting today is its status as an artifact of decorative arts scholarship itself. Many of the authors represented here helped shape collecting and museum interpretation during the decades when the American antiques market was expanding rapidly and institutions were actively building their collections.

Why Collect

Despite its condition issues, this issue remains useful as a reference copy because of the strength of its contents. Collectors of French porcelain, Sevres, Vincennes, Portuguese ceramics, Audubon material, American art, museum history, and decorative arts scholarship will find substantial research value within its pages.

The issue also offers insight into the antiques trade of the mid-1960s. Advertisements from leading dealers of the era, including Shreve, Crump & Low and other prominent firms, provide a fascinating snapshot of the marketplace, pricing, and collecting tastes of the period. For researchers studying the history of collecting, these advertisements are often nearly as interesting as the articles themselves.

While this copy should not be considered a collector-grade example, it remains an affordable research copy of a publication now approaching sixty years of age.

Dimensions (inches)

• Height: 11 7/8
• Width: 9 1/8
• Depth: 3/8
• Weight: 1.4 lbs

Condition

Poor condition. The front and back covers exhibit significant wear and damage, including edge losses and handling wear. Damp staining is present throughout the volume and is visible on numerous pages. Weakness is present in the binding, although the issue remains intact and readable. Interior moisture staining and discoloration persist throughout. Offered primarily for its age, research value, and period content rather than condition. Please review photographs carefully as they form part of the description.