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Somehow, every week I think I'm going to get through Xavier's elucidation without breaking down, but not so. After illustrating the incredible artistry and industry in those services, Xavier reads a poem so heartbreaking - on the very essence of war - that I found myself weeping. Made me thankful that our Capitol is not made of porcelain, though I'm not so sure about our political resolve.I'm deeply in gratitude for this standout series.

A wonderful hour with knowledge. Thank you...🕊🇺🇲💕

I feel so lucky to have this site every Friday ! It has been so great !

Thank you, Dr. Salomon for another invaluable episode, a startling reminder of the vulnerability and fragility of all things: porcelaine, beauty, consciousness, democracy. A delicate and poetic meditation on art and its ongoing dialogue with the present.

I look forward to every Friday evening, and xavier wonderful curator

The horrors of war. It is the delicate things in life, of gossamer beauty, that succumb so readily to violence. Those hardy survivors are indeed a troubling distillation of a splendour hatefully destroyed. Ludwig II would have killed for the service. Again, Xavier, you have enchanted me. It did not surprise that you have a cup and saucer from that great factory. It also must be said that your sartorial style is elegant and unique. Thank you for such a splendid sharing.🙏

Another great episode! and just when I was about to read poems from a Polish poet, Mr. Salomon reads a marvelous one from a great Polish poet, leading to an excellent closing. It is really great to have this great quality of knowledge available to the public, in just 20 minutes. Thank you!

The poem is...haunting. Thank you, as always, for the enhancement of my journey

So sad. I have a service of prewar Dresden, hand painted of course and trimmed in gold. Its home has been old buffets and dank trunks. Tomorrow I shall bring it out and use it every day, and display it on the walls. Don’t care about the monetary value, it shall see the light of day and enrich my life. Thank you for the inspiration.

My amazement at the ability of man to create sublime art keeps being surpassed when I watch these videos. Why destroy something so beautiful, why? So grateful to have knowledge of this collection, thank you.

Beautiful objects d’art pulled together with history and poignant poetry, Xavier your artistic intelligence knows no bounds. Another delight this evening. Thank you.

I was breathless with this story about a fine work of art destroyed by whom should appreciate them. We, humans failed many and repeated times.. thank you a lot for the generosity

What an extraordinary story, and that poem was brilliant. Thank you.

Every Friday I am so grateful to be invited into the Frick world. 🇨🇦

I mean, you see the objects and they're beautiful in and of themselves, but then you see that image of the spicebox at the end, after hearing the whole tale and it just strikes you in a completely different way. Ah, to tell a story!

You are the highest cultural moment of my week.

Thank you so much, Xavier F. Salomon. Nowadays, unfortunately so true "Song on Porcelain" - Czeslaw Milosz.

Thanks, great, I love these coctails! ❤️

Thank you so much for your generosity sharing knowledge online. The Soviets devastated European culture indeed but you reciting Milosz in the end made me cry it is what art does, heals the human soul. Dziękuje ❤️

A very interesting episode, thank you. Just a few points: the catalogue does exist, it is Ulrich Pietsch's "Schwanenservice. Meissener Porzellan für Heinrich Graf von Brühl" published in 2000 on the occasion of a great exhibition in Dresden. There is about 250 confirmed pieces in private and public collections, including about 100 in Poland, but Pietsch is mentioning also many pieces that were sold in auctions and never made it to this list, so we can guess that an estimate of 400 or maybe even 500 surviving pieces is possible. It is often said, that the service was made for Brühl's marriage, but he married Franziska in April 1734 while the first plates prepared by Kaendler as the patterns for the new service were made only in 1736 and 1737 and it took some time before he finally designed the swans plate that the count accepted.

Once again a fascinating talk on exquisitely beautiful objects that have around them, such interesting stories and interconnections of time and place. Thank you.

Thankyou Xavier for that very moving insight into love of art and the fragility of precious things.

Great curator! Thank you

Lovely cocktails time with you again! Really enjoy all the history and information! Felt very touching by many things you had mentioned! Wonderful episode! Thank you so much! 🤓😍🤗

Art is political. Thank you for once again providing historical context for the piece under discussion. Terrific program, terrific series.

Just terrific, fascinating stuff, as always. I particularly loved the very moving poem that Xavier quoted at the end. This whole series is superb!

Xavier, you always blow me away! Thank You SO much for this, & A Very Happy New Year!

excellent per usual! The destruction of the Swan Service brings to mind what happened to the Library at Louvain, Belgium, in the Great War--- tragedy followed by yet more.....

Xavier wears interesting outfits. He is a vision in stripes this evening.

Xavier is terrific

Splendid poem !

A beautiful shape and piece.

I have just discovered you, lockdown is going to be more enjoyable, thank you

a lovely gift dr salomon. how i wish i could explore the library in the background.

these are brilliant offerings

Totally fabulous 🌸 Grateful for your exquisite presentation 🌜🌝🌛🥂🍒🎻 Enjoy the sun in your day 😇😉🍾🎠

fabulous

Incredible I so want to know more

There is an interesting reference to the Swan service in “Rococo The Continuing Curve, 1730-2008”, page 122

Beauty is always under Attack; We must be vigilant and protect ...

Beautiful poem full of sadness. Gorgeous porcelain service and interesting stories as usual. As for the distraction of the porcelain by the Red Army, it was an act of paying back to Germany for smashing heads of Soviet 1 or 2 year old children across the walls where their fathers get killed by firing squads and their moms got raped and their bodies got disassembled. The healthy teenagers usually get mercifully spared after witnessing these scenes to work in German factories or in the fields.

'Cocktails with a curator' with very sure and smart Xavier Salomon was one of the my favor program during this terrible pandemic though I loved and visited live The Frick Collection for decades. Recently I even made a small donation for that valuable program. But latest program "Swan Services", with sharp intrusion in politics and trouble history of Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia made me very dissatisfy. Visiting many museums in those country and maybe saw some of missing swans, I also got familiar with poetry of great Polish poet C. Milosz, who has a pretty trouble personal history (aside of communism influence which his father fully supported) and he, as great Einstein, was oblige to spend his Nobel price on his sick wife and child. I also learned how Polish government in 1938 invaded Czechoslovakia together with Nazi Germany, which which has military treaty against Russia from 1935. I also learned who at the end of WWII carpet bombed city like Dresden, which in proximity to mention bombed palace. Visited Poland many times, I know first hand who lost 600,000 brave soldiers just in Poland during liberation Europa from Nazi. So, Mr. Salomon, I expect that your could brush off the knowledge of history around WWII and thanks again for many of your nice lectures which not touch topics of politics.

The will to destroy seems so ingrained in the human nature. What is it about breaking plates that brings people to satisfy the impulse?

Thanks for your.explonation and schowing the wealhness of kings and palaces built by Bruhl I saw same of them.I prefere The porcelan of Hollohazi with japanis Hortensia muster.

that beautiful porcelain is currently being used by the angels in heaven. and the porcelain is heavenly to gaze upon. might it be recreated by Meissen?

Your german pronounce is perfect!

Mark that there were Arab traders in Dresden (10:44), bottom right.

Okay that poem cannot have been coincidental. It is too fitting for the duration.

Hello, sure everything tastes better on this China.

I hope that he doesn’t bring in politics

You say ‘opulent.’ I say, vulgar. Amazing how often wealth does not equate with taste. Especially wealth that has been inherited. The most wonderful art is not in museums but in private collections. The Polish crown for instance. Garish. In any museum you can see many wonderful things but also some of the worst.