Henry Arnhold’s Meissen Palace: Celebrating a Collector

Henry Arnhold’s Meissen Palace: Celebrating a Collector is an exhibition of works from the famed European porcelain manufactory, along with several Asian examples that inspired such wares. The pieces are drawn from the collection of the late Henry H. Arnhold (1921–2018), whose foundation made a promised gift of more than 100 objects to the institution nearly a decade ago and supported the creation of the Portico Gallery, where the exhibition will be shown. 

Organized by Charlotte Vignon, the Frick’s Curator of Decorative Arts, the show will offer a fresh take on this esteemed collection, transforming the gallery into an eighteenth-century “porcelain room” and grouping the works on view by color. This type of installation emulates a historic approach and allows visitors to experience these fragile, luxurious objects in much the same way one would have in eighteenth-century Europe.

Henry Arnhold’s Meissen Palace will also consider the late collector's attraction to these wondrous pieces alongside the fascination they held for the most famous patron of such objects, Augustus II (1670–1733), king of Poland and elector of Saxony. The exhibition will explore the ways both enthusiasts lived with their collections, as well as the idea that Arnhold was creating his own palace of porcelain, acquiring many objects commissioned by Augustus. 

An illustrated booklet featuring installation views and a conversation with members of the Arnhold family will be available in mid-November.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

​