Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery is honored to have had our wine served at FAPE’s State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State, John Kerry. The following press release was provided by the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies.

Both the Perigeaux Vineyards & Winery 2012 Pinot Gris and 2011 Cabernet Franc were released at the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies event.

Philanthropist David Rubenstein Donates Limited Edition Reproduction of 1823 Stone Declaration of Independence to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies to Be Installed in Every U.S. Embassy Worldwide.

Presented to Secretary of State John Kerry At FAPE’s State Department Dinner April 29, 2013 in Washington,

April 30, 2013 –

The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) is pleased to announce the gift by David Rubenstein, philanthropist and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the Carlyle Group, of limited edition reproductions of the 1823 Stone Declaration of Independence, to be installed in every U.S. embassy around the world. The gift was presented by Mr. Rubenstein to Secretary of State John Kerry and FAPE Chairman Jo Carole Lauder at FAPE’s State Department Dinner on Monday, April 29, 2013. Mr. Rubenstein was also honored by FAPE with this year’s Leonore and Walter Annenberg Award for Diplomacy through the Arts.

Mr. Rubenstein, a preeminent collector of historical documents related to American history, acquired an original version of the 1823 Stone Declaration of Independence, which he has generously loaned to the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms.“Without doubt, the most symbolic document of our country’s founding principles is the Declaration of Independence,” Mr. Rubenstein said. “I am pleased that – because of FAPE’s great work – our embassies will shortly be displaying this symbol of our nation and its commitment to freedom and equality.”

In his gift to FAPE, Rubenstein’s copy of the 1823 Stone Declaration of Independence will be reproduced and placed in custom handmade frames in an edition large enough so one can be sent to each U.S. embassy. The frame design is modeled after the Colonial style of Charles Willson Peale (American, 1741-1827), renowned painter, Revolutionary soldier and Co-Founder of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. To date, Peale’s frame is the only known surviving original frame associated with the 1823 Stone copy of the Declaration of Independence. The symbolic ornaments and aesthetic choices of the frame’s design, first identified by preeminent frame historian and former Smithsonian conservator William Adair, are remnants of the spirit of the American Revolution.

The 1823 Stone Declaration of Independence is a treasure of American history. In 1820, after growing concern regarding the deteriorating condition of the original Declaration of Independence, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned engraver William J. Stone of Washington, D.C., to reproduce the document in an Act of Congress. To produce the Stone copy, the original document was wetted and pressed against a manuscript until a portion of the ink was transferred, then re-imposed on a copper plate and etched so that copies could be run on
a press.

By June 5, 1823, 47 years after Thomas Jefferson first drafted the Declaration of Independence, the National Intelligencer, a Washington-based newspaper, reported, “Mr. William J. Stone, a respectable and enterprising Engraver of this City, has, after a labor of three years, completed a facsimile of the original of the Declaration of Independence, now in the archives of the government,” and that “it is executed with the greatest exactness and fidelity.” The Stone Declaration of Independence established the clear visual image of the Declaration of Independence for generations of Americans. The 200 official parchment copies struck from the Stone plate carry the identification “Engraved by W. J. Stone for the Department of State, by order” in the upper left corner followed by “of J. Q. Adams, Sec. of State July 4th 1823.” in the upper right corner.

“Mr. Rubenstein’s gift embodies the greatest qualities of the American spirit – its freedom of expression, innovation and creativity – qualities FAPE supports through its work with American artists,” said FAPE Chairman Jo Carole Lauder. “We are honored to receive this gift and thrilled to share it with the broader diplomatic and international communities in U.S. embassies aroundthe world.”

About FAPE

FAPE is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to providing permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide, through site-specific commissions, an original print collection, preservation projects and other arts initiatives. It contributes to the U.S. Department of State’s mission of cultural diplomacy by partnering with American artists whose gifts encourage crosscultural understanding within the diplomatic community and the international public. All artworks commissioned or placed by FAPE are gifts, representing generosity among some of the country’s greatest artists. As of 2012, FAPE’s donations include permanent works by more than 200 preeminent American artists placed in more than 140 countries.

FAPE was founded in 1986 by Leonore Annenberg, Wendy W. Luers, Lee Kimche McGrath and Carol Price. Its current leadership includes Chairman Jo Carole Lauder, President Eden Rafshoon, Vice President Darren Walker, and Director Jennifer A. Duncan. A volunteer advisory committee chaired by Robert Storr, Dean of the Yale School of Art, selects and commissions all FAPE artists. FAPE underwrites the fabrication and installation, and is exclusively funded through individual donations as well as foundations and corporations.

Further information on FAPE may be found at www.fapeglobal.org Follow FAPE’s announcements, events and artists on Facebook.

Sponsor

GOLD CORPORATE SPONSORS:
BANK OF AMERICA

GOLD CORPORATE SPONSORS:
CHRISTIE’S
FORD FOUNDATION

2013 PRINT PUBLISHER:
GEMINI G.E.L.

EVENT SPONSOR:
PERIGEAUX VINEYARDS AND WINERY FOR DONATING FINE

ART SERVICES:
ARTEX FINE ART SERVICES

Media Contacts:
For more information on FAPE, images, or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Elizabeth Reina-Longoria or Rachel Patall-David
Blue Medium Inc.
(212) 675-1800
elizabeth@bluemedium.com or rachel@bluemedium.com