The Tyler Museum of Art will present a lecture by Deborah P. Gage on Tuesday, April 8 at 10:00 in the Museum's Carmichael Gallery.

Miss Gage has over thirty years experience as a dealer and consultant in the global art market. She began her career in 1971 in New York under the guidance of Dr. Hanns Weinberg, then one of the foremost figures in the art dealing world. During her 8 years in New York, Deborah established working relationships with many of America's best-known private collectors and museums. Since 1980, Miss Gage has been based in London, acting as an independent agent and consultant for private collectors and museums. In 1987, she opened a gallery at 38 Old Bond Street specializing in 17th through early 20th century European paintings and works of art. In 1991, she established an office in Tokyo and has subsequently sold European paintings to virtually every major museum in Japan. In addition, she has prepared catalogues for collectors around the world and worked with a number of American museums curating and mounting exhibitions.

Deborah Gage's lecture is entitled Sévres: Not So Much a Phenomenon as a Royal Passion. Porcelain is the finest and most highly prized form of ceramic, valued for its hard, white, translucent qualities, its shiny surface, and its mysterious resonance which causes it to ring when struck. Porcelain has been made in China since the 7th century, and was occasionally imported to the West, where it was considered a rarity and luxury. For centuries Europeans sought the formula for making porcelain, but it was not until the early 18th century that the secrets of its production were discovered in Germany. During the second half of the 18th century, France became the leading porcelain manufacturer in Europe. The center of the French porcelain industry was located at the national porcelain manufactory at Sévres, a suburb of Paris. Setting the fashion in ceramics from around 1760 to 1815, the Sévres factory was recognized for its rich colors, the quality of its individual painters, and the opulence of its gilt decoration. Though it began in private hands, Sévres soon came under the royal patronage of King Louis XV. Sévres became paramount in Europe in establishing eighteenth century taste from the point of view of technical and aesthetic excellence. Miss Gage's lecture will consider the history and development of Sévres set against the character of its three major patrons - the Marquise Pompadour, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The involvement of these patrons would ensure that its prestige would endure the changing political regimes, fashion, and taste. Sévres is celebrated for its quality and unequalled ground colors, and its technical excellence and particular flamboyance are still very much prized today.

The lecture is free for Tyler Museum of Art members. Non-member tickets are available for $10. Please call 903.595.1001 for reservations. Seating is limited. Coffee and refreshments will provided during a brief intermission.