Clear Museum Pedestal. Glass sides with brass corner pieces holding the open cube together, and a marble slab on top. Faded tag on bottom of slab contains unclear information. 

Size: 12 x 12 x 20 in. 

#2619 #103 . 

Lighting of art and the manner of displaying items in museums has evolved exponentially in the last two centuries, but before that it was completely stagnant for many millennia. Excavations of Sumerian ruins from the 40th Century BC in modern-day Iran have demonstrated that architectural understanding of natural light, reflection and refraction were already well-known, with sunroofs and strategic windows placed to illuminate rooms as much as possible. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians in particular understood how to use fire and reflective surfaces to cast light deep into dark places, using oil to burn brightly throughout the night. Nevertheless, it was not until the invention of artificial arc lighting by Humphry Davy (1778-1829) in 1809 that the placement and displaying of art underwent a paradigm shift. Now that light could be focused with precision instead of merely dispersed by flame, determining how light interacted with visual mediums became an artform in itself. Pedestals, mostly meant to showcase sculpture, became decorative art objects in their own right, with the most ornate pedestals made in the United States during the Gilded Age following the Civil War. Wealthy Americans and Victorian Britons preferred elaborate furniture and richly ornamented rooms, and museums began to reflect this opulence and “cultured clutter” as well. The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia, which drew approximately ten million visitors, further encouraged eclectic interiors with its myriad of lighted rooms. Directed Fresnel lighting made Japanese displays of masks sparkle, revealed remarkable details of Renaissance paintings, and created haunting shadows on modern Gothic furniture that caught the imagination of the public. Although it is unclear when they first appeared, the illuminated pedestal, now a staple in museums across the globe, was likely created by Jean Perzel (1892-1986), a master glassmaker and lighting pioneer in Paris, France. His work with architects and decorators of Art Deco and modernist architecture on monuments such as the Palace of the League of Nations in Geneva, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg, and the liner Normandie sparked imitations all around the world. For the first time art could be seen even in the darkest corners of exhibits and halls formerly reserved for painters, sculptors, and craftsmen who were considered on the fringe, or who had not sucked up to the curators enough. The shift towards Minimalism post-World War II led to a scaled-down, extremely basic design for pedestals that has remained the style into the 21st Century, as their presence has once again shifted from object of art in-and-of-itself to simply serving art up upon them.