Lunchtime Lecture: Miniature Portrait Masterpieces of the Baroque: Huguenot Sculptors in Ivory

A number of outstanding sculptors in ivory during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were Huguenots. The virtuoso portraits executed by Jean Mancel (active 1681-1717) and Jean Cavalier (1650/60-1698/9) are finely-worked carvings in ivory, often exhibiting extraordinarily fine detail. They depict eminent aristocratic or royal subjects, indicating the prestige of the material. Perhaps the most important sculptor in ivory of Huguneot origins was David Le Marchand (1674-1726) who sensitively portrayed his many British sitters with great finesse. The V&A is lucky enough to possess a fine collection of some of Le Marchand’s most representative works, as well as exceptional pieces by Mancel and Cavalier. Join curator Holly Trusted, who will be looking at the small, monochrome and at the same time exquisite portraits produced by all three of these great sculptors, discussing how their Huguenot origins may have affected their art and lives.

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