Dear Chris Neal,
 
  You might look at the paintings of Hubert Robert (late 18th early 19th
century French painter) who represented the 'grand gallerie' of the
Louvre in its different installations between 1793 and c. 1810.  Also,
Gabriel de Saint Aubin made a number of sketches of salon installations
in the late 18th century.  Reproductions of 19th century
installations are found in a variety of books, including TJ Clark's _The
Painting of Modern Life_.  The Terra Museum in Chicago owns a Samuel F.P.
Morse painting that also shows what salon installations looked like.
Finally, some of the 18th century Venetian painters, including Panini,
have installation paintings.  Each will tell you something different
about where objects were placed in the "hierarchy of genres."
 
  Best of luck,
  Sura Levine
  Assistant Professor of Art History
  Hampshire College
  Amherst, MA 01002
  (413) 582-5493 (voice)
  (413) 582-5438 (fax)
  [log in to unmask]
 
On Thu, 12 Jan 1995, chris neal wrote:
 
> The Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia will
> reinstall its permanent collection of old master paintings in a "salon-style"
> arrangement in summer 1995.  I would appreciate the comments of anyony who
> has undertaken such an installation.  My questions are of a dual nature.  From
> a conceptual perspective, how were the paintings, especially religious subject
 s
> arranged?  Were all landscape paintings grouped together or were paintings
> arranged by size, with larger paintings hung lower than smaller paintings?
> How were paintings labeled?  Were there conflicts with ADA guidelines?
>
> On the technical/logistical side, was it helpful to use a scaled model to
> arrange the paintings before hanging them on the wall?  Were paintings
> hung from top to bottom or from bottom to top?  Were lifts or scaffolds
> necessary; how many people were on the installation team?  What kind of
> fasteners were used, and finally, what labeling devices, such as
> plexiglass covers, were used?
>
> I appreciate responses from anyone who has done such an installation.
>
> Please respond to Christine Neal [log in to unmask]
>