Also this issue:

Spontaneous Combustion
Dance, drums and tabla combine to light up the Painted Bride.
-Deni Kasrel

Out of this World
-Susan Hagen

Lee Blessing
-Interview by David Anthony Fox

He Talks Pretty
-David Anthony Fox

Family Affair
-Debra Auspitz

Quilting Bucks
-Helen i-lin Hwang

Moving to the Desert
-Deni Kasrel

Stage Flight
-Debra Auspitz

October 17-23, 2002

artpicks

From Chippendale to Talavera

Queen Anne and Reina Ana chairs will duke it out for attention as Winterthur switches cultural gears this fall from classic early-American decorative arts to that of colonial Mexico under Spanish rule. For "The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico," Mexico City's Museo Franz Mayer has loaned over 150 objects to the Delaware house museum dedicated to the collections of Henry Francis du Pont. The museum likes to point out the similarities between German banker Franz Mayer and his obsession with the arts of Mexico under the rule of Spanish viceroys (1521-1821) and the manic collecting practices of du Pont, who favored the refined tastes of our forefathers' sitting rooms and dining halls. Both men began collecting in the early 1920s and wanted to preserve their cultural traditions with the highest quality pieces. Mayer's finds, of course, reflect the vivid colors and timeless craftsmanship typical of Mexican art for centuries. Illustrious religious icons, paintings, lacquered furniture, silver ecclesiastical services and brilliant textiles are some of the highlights. Part of the exhibit is devoted to Talavera earthenware pottery, a flashy and highly decorative form. Afterward, stroll the stunning grounds of Winterthur: countless winding paths and immaculately kept gardens and groves will remind visitors of the grandeur of the Delaware Valley.

“The Grandeur of Viceregal Mexico: Treasures from the Museo Franz Mayer,” Oct.19-Jan.12, two-day Estate Pass $4-$10, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Route 52, Winterthur, Del., 1-800-448-3883.

—Lori Hill