Along with the exhibition of the domestic cultural heritage, the National Museum of Korea has been committed to promoting the world history and culture to the audience. The special exhibition of the Victoria and Albert Museum collection, Princely Treasures, European Masterpieces 1600-1800 from the Victoria and Albert Museum, is made possible with the Museum’s effort to showcase the exquisite fine and decorative art patronized by the European court and aristocracy from the early 17th to mid-18th century.

The Baroque style, which followed the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries, is marked by its sublimity, rich emotions and dynamism. In Italy, the Catholic Church had been a generous patron of the arts, which accordingly reflected religious victory and glory and easily won the admiration of the public, while the absolute monarchs of France, Spain and England preferred a majestic and glamorous style combined with order and formal beauty. This period, now widely referred to as the term “Baroque,” produced celebrated artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Nicolas Poussin. The period was then followed by the Rococo style of the early 18th century, which was marked by a weakening of royal authority throughout Europe, accompanied by the rise of the aristocracy and a wealthy middle class who favored a sensuous rather than an intellectual atmosphere. The interior decoration of the period was characterized by furniture and walls ornamented with pink and yellow-green silks intertwined with the elegance of the arabesque design. The artistic trend that attracted French connoisseurs from 1715 to 1755 was later to be called Rococo, and continued to spread with slight changes to the rest of Europe including Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and England. However, the Rococo style eventually faded away, to be replaced by the Neo-classicist style that emerged after the French Revolution in 1789, conveying elements of seriousness and didacticism.

For this exhibition, we are proud to present some 101 objects, including sculptures, paintings, furnitures, jewellery and fashion, all of which represent this extraordinary and exciting period. These works will help visitors to understand how the European court tried to embody their authority and achievements through the arts, as well as the lifestyle, etiquette and daily interests of the aristocracy, who were immersed in the artistic style of their time. Given that show focused on European court culture of the Baroque and Rococo periods has rarely been held dome in Korea, this exhibition is anticipated to be an opportunity for Korean visitors to appreciate the splendor of Baroque and Rococo art.

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