![]() Some of Lafayette’s greatest achievements are depicted on the base of the vase, surrounded by swags of fruit and oversized figures of Liberty, Equality, Strength, and Freedom. It was designed by Jacques-Henri Fauconnier, made by Jean-Étienne Chaponnière, and is assembled from elements that were cast, hammered, chased and gilded. The Lafayette vase was commissioned in 1830 by the president of the Council of Ministers in France and was presented to Lafayette’s son Georges in 1835, following Lafayette’s death. Museum no. LOAN:GILBERT.230-2008. © Victoria and Albert Museum Miniature of George Washington made by Henry Bone, England, 1825. The bond between these influential men is recognised in the Gilbert Collection by Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert who acquired an enamel portrait miniature of Washington in the same year as the Lafayette vase in 1980. As a testament to their friendship, Lafayette even named his son Georges Washington Lafayette. ![]() Lafayette’s relationship with America was not just political he had a lifelong friendship with the General George Washington, who later became the first President of the United States. Imprisoned for five years, Lafayette was finally released under Napoleon’s orders and hailed by France and America as “the hero of the two worlds”. ![]() Lafayette was then conversely deemed a traitor to the French monarchy by the emperor of Austria, who held Lafayette personally responsible for the execution of Louis XVI. Once the absolute monarchy in France had been ‘suspended’, he was deemed a traitor by radicals. ![]() However, Lafayette’s support of constitutional monarchy made him neither fully radical nor royalist, which eventually resulted in his arrest in Austria in 1792. Lafayette also worked alongside Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Lafayette resolutely believed in freedom for all men and was instrumental in the abolition of slavery in France and ultimately in America.Īgainst the wishes of Louis XVI of France, Lafayette sailed to America in 1777, where he established a close friendship with Alexander Hamilton. He was an important figure in both the French and American Revolutionary Wars, sympathising with the Americans and their fight for independence. © Victoria and Albert MuseumĪt the young age of 19, the aristocrat Lafayette was made a Senior General and quickly became a renowned military leader in France. So why was Lafayette commemorated in such an extraordinary way, both in gold and on Broadway? The Lafayette Vase made by Jacques-Henri Fauconnier, Paris, 1830-1835. Hamilton was one of America’s Founding Fathers and first secretary of the treasury, and is played by Lin-Manuel Miranda who also wrote the musical. Played by Daveed Diggs in Act 1 of Hamilton, Lafayette was an ardent supporter of Alexander Hamilton, whose compelling life story is retold in the musical. Standing at 1.05 metres tall and gleaming with golden heroic imagery, the Lafayette vase championed the achievements of the French General, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette. Portrait of Gilbert Motier the Marquis De Lafayette as a Lieutenant by General Joseph-Désiré Court, 1834 ( source) Photograph of Daveed Diggs playing Lafayette at 2016 Tony Awards by Theo Wargo ( source)Īfter listening avidly to the soundtrack of the multi-award winning musical Hamilton: An American Musical, one of my colleagues discovered a surprising link between the much anticipated show (soon to be opening at the West End!) and one of the most extravagant and monumental treasures in the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the V&A.
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