Altounian-Lorbet Study Photographs of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, 1906-1954

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Summary

Title:
Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts
Dates:
1906-1954
Creators:
Altounian-Lorbet Antiquaires (firm)
Abstract:
The Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts document the works of art sold by or offered to the dealership and reflect the firm's specialization in medieval sculpture and minor arts, decorative arts of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, and Egyptian and Greek antiquities. The photographs constitute a primary record of works available on the European art market before World War II, particularly in the area of monumental sculpture, and include documentation of pre- and post-restoration states of some works.
Extent:
7.2 Linear Feet (25 boxes)
Language:
Collection material is in French.
Preferred citation:

Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts, 1906 - 1954, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 88.P.1

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa88p1

Background

Scope and content:

The Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts document the works of art sold by or offered to the dealership and reflect the firm's specialization in medieval sculpture and minor arts, decorative arts of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, and Egyptian and Greek antiquities. The photographs constitute a primary record of works available on the European art market before World War II, particularly in the area of monumental sculpture, and include documentation of the pre- and post-restoration states of some works.

Approximately forty percent of the collection consists of images of sculpture (including architectural ensembles), primarily Romanesque and Gothic, with some Renaissance works, in stone, wood, and ivory, and with an emphasis on French works. A further thirty percent of the images are devoted to works of decorative arts from the medieval period through the eighteenth century, including furniture, tapestries and other textiles, boiseries, clocks, enamels and metalwork. Fifteen percent of the photographs are of works of ancient art, primarily Egyptian and Classical sculpture and Greek vases. The collection also includes approximately 250 photographs of European paintings (primarily medieval and Renaissance periods) and 100 photographs of non-Western art (African, Chinese, southeast Asian, and pre-Columbian objects).

Biographical / historical:

Altounian-Lorbet Antiquaires was a dealership originally established in Paris about 1906 by Joseph Altounian. Altounian was joined in the business by his wife, Henriette Lorbet, in 1924, and the shop subsequently relocated to Mâcon. From the early teens through the 1940s, Altounian-Lorbet was a major source of Egyptian and Greek antiquities, medieval sculpture, and decorative arts of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries for museums and private collectors. Altounian-Lorbet was notable for the high quality and importance of the works it handled. This held especially true for medieval sculpture, for which it was one of the main suppliers to French and American collections. Many pieces now in the United States trace their source to Altounian-Lorbet, through its close relations with the New York dealer, Joseph Brummer. In 1954, the business was passed on to their daughter, Jacqueline Altounian-Lorbet, and her husband, Bernard Rousset, who shifted the firm's emphasis from ancient and medieval art to period furniture.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 1988.
Processing information:

Jan Bender created the collection inventory in 2014, and Ann Harrison completed the finding aid.

Arrangement:

The collection is primarily arranged by medium, and then by culture.

Physical location:
Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Jan Bender
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-05-14 14:06:21 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Terms of access:

Photographs and permissions must be obtained from copyright holder(s). For further information, contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

Preferred citation:

Altounian-Lorbet study photographs of sculpture and decorative arts, 1906 - 1954, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 88.P.1

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa88p1

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
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