The collection invites
A new concept in displaying the collection
The works that are part of ‘The collection invites’ belong to private collectors with whom MCBA has built up a friendship and relationship of trust over the years. The loans that result from that connection are relatively long term, lasting up to eighteen months in some cases. Our aim is to create unexpected juxtapositions and links with the pieces that form the museum’s permanent collection, which is far from frozen in place, as people often think. It is constantly changing in fact. The ‘invited’ artworks may indicate new directions for the collection’s future development, point up gaps in its ranks, and suggest possible associations. They allow visitors to discover for a limited time and in an exceptional way rarely seen artworks that have been generously lent out by their owners.
"The Concert"
late 17th century, after a tapestry from the workshop of John Vanderbank
The Concert, late 17th century. London, supplied by Leonard Chabaneix, December 1700. After a tapestry from the workshop of John Vanderbank. Wool and silk, 278 x 530 cm, 7.5 to 9 warp threads per cm. Fondation Toms Pauli, Lausanne, inv. Toms 79
Collection of the State of Vaud
Bequeathed by Mary Toms to the State of Vaud in 1993 and conserved in the Fondation Toms Pauli collection of ancient tapestries, this example of a so-called ‘Japan’ or ‘Indian manner’ piece draws its inspiration from the lacquerware imported by the East India Company in the 17th century. The small islands floating in the tobacco brown space feature several groups of figures, identifiable as Turks and Indians by their dress and attributes.
The composition offers a story that plays out in increasingly smaller scenes towards the horizon, describing, on the left, the arrival of a dignitary attended by his escort; in the centre, seated before a pavilion, a rajah surrounded by his servants; then on the right, two musicians playing the sitar and the tabla; and further above finally, other men who are harder to identify.
The scene reproduces in reverse figures and elements from the decorative scheme of a tapestry attributed to the English Vanderbank manufactory, from around 1690-1700. The rich ornamentation along the borders is made up of flowers, parrots, incense burners, small trays loaded with various objects, and war trophies. Displaying a sure mastery of the weaver’s art, this superb and precious tapestry clearly attests the period’s taste for the exotic.
Toms Pauli Fondation
Created in 2000 by the State of Vaud, Fondation Toms Pauli moved to the Plateforme 10 Arts District in Lausanne in 2020. Active in both Switzerland and on the international scene, the foundation’s mission is to research, conserve, and showcase its textile-art collections. This heritage comprises a prestigious ensemble of 16th- to 19th-century European tapestries and embroideries as well as a collection of 20th-century textile works.
The Fondation Toms Pauli works can be viewed at temporary exhibitions held at Plateforme 10, or other sites in Switzerland and abroad. Except for special requests, such as that for Le Concert, they are not part of the MCBA’s permanent collection.