Radio Havana Cuba | Decorative Arts in Cuba, a priceless treasure kept in a museum

National Museum of Decorative Arts

Havana, Jul 24 (RHC) The National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD), in this capital, is celebrating its 60th anniversary today with the exhibition “Ming Art in Cuba” and a cultural gala saluting its foundation.

 The institution’s collections include porcelain, wood and marble pieces, all with a refined finish and belonging to different artistic styles.

It keeps in its warehouses and exhibition halls more than 33 thousand works of high artistic and historical value, which come from the reigns of Louis XV, Louis XVI and Napoleon III, as well as oriental jewelry from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.

The National Museum of Decorative Arts also exhibits creations from the important French manufactures Sèvres, Paris, Chantilly and Limoges, and from the English manufactures Derby, Chelsea, Wedgwood, Worcester and Staffordshire.

It is worth mentioning among its collections the first pieces of furniture treasured here, where a 19th century Venetian guéridon table and Transition style chest of drawers, made in France and Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries, stand out, which are located in the foyer.

Meanwhile, in the Main Hall, with walls covered with boisseries, there is furniture that shows the evolution of the Rococo and Transition styles.

The Hall of Oriental Lacquerware exhibits a collection of Chinese parabanes from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, originating from the province of Chiansi, with a large 17th century Coromandel screen standing out.

Another luxurious space in the well-preserved gallery is the Dining Room with a Regency-inspired décor, with Italian marble lining the walls, on which mercurial bronze trophies are placed in every corner of the room. A poster clock with bronzes attributed to Cafieri (son) and machinery made by Martinot, King Louis XV’s watchmaker, can be seen.

On the table in this room are displayed the various collections of German, Chinese, French and English tableware that the museum treasures.

The Neoclassical Salon, on the other hand, has furniture from the Louis XVI period; the most important piece is a secretaire, made by Henri Riesener, an ornament that was part of the personal household of Queen Marie Antoinette at the Palace of Versailles.

Decorated with lacquered panels and Chinese scenes, the Oriental Room displays pieces from various parts of the Asian continent.

On a Persian carpet from the 18th century, two glazed stoneware fish tanks with floral motifs from the Ming period (which will be inaugurated on this day to celebrate the anniversary) stand out.

In a room decorated in the Art Deco style is the Main Bathroom with pieces worked in silver, crystal and porcelain, but the elegant art gallery, located in the heart of Havana’s Vedado, boasts other treasures in its many halls, such as the Eclectic or the Art Nouveau Art Deco Hall.

The mansion, designed by French architects P. Virad and M. Destugue, was the residence of María Luisa Gómez-Mena, widow of Cagiga, Countess of Revilla de Camargo, sister of José Gómez-Mena Vila, owner of the Manzana de Gómez shopping mall. (Source: Prensa Latina)