Musée d’Orsay and Art Gallery of South Australia Expand Collections with Historic Acquisitions

The Musée d’Orsay in Paris recently received a unique ceramic mask created by French sculptor Jean Carriès around 1890. This enamelled stoneware piece reflects a fusion of French Gothic revival style and Japanese ceramic influences, inspired by Carriès’s exposure to Japanese art at the 1878 Paris Exposition. Carriès, who was deeply interested in the technical challenges of firing glazed stoneware, crafted this mask after relocating in 1888 to Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye, a village renowned for its pottery tradition.

Meanwhile, the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide has added a significant 16th-century portrait of Queen Elizabeth I to its collection. Painted by an unknown artist from the British School around 1565, this oil on panel work measures 37cm by 27cm and features an engaged frame carved from the same wood as the painted surface. This acquisition marks the first Tudor portrait of Elizabeth I to enter an Australian public collection.

The portrait includes a verse beneath the image, traditionally attributed to Queen Elizabeth I herself: “Christ was the word that spake it: He took the bread and brake it: And what his word did make it: That I believe and take it.” The painting will be displayed alongside a portrait of Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, at the gallery.

These acquisitions highlight the ongoing efforts of museums worldwide to diversify and deepen their collections with works that carry both artistic and historical significance. The Musée d’Orsay’s addition of Carriès’s mask commemorates its 40th anniversary and enriches its holdings with a piece that bridges European and Asian artistic traditions. Meanwhile, the Art Gallery of South Australia’s Tudor portrait acquisition enhances its representation of British Renaissance art and royal iconography.

Together, these additions offer museum visitors in Paris and Adelaide new opportunities to engage with distinct periods and styles, from late 19th-century French ceramics to 16th-century English portraiture. They also underscore the global nature of art collecting and the importance of preserving diverse cultural heritages in public institutions.