| Accession # |
41.980.72c |
|
Retailer |
Herter Brothers
|
|
Maker |
Unknown
|
| Title |
Lower Portion of Chimney Breast |
| Date |
ca. 1881 |
| Medium |
Mahogany, marble, brass |
| Dimensions |
Overall mantel (41.980.72a-e): 129 x 100 1/4 x 12 1/2 in. (327.7 x 254.6 x 31.8 cm) |
| Credit Line |
Gift of Mrs. William E. S. Griswold in memory of her father, John Sloane |
| Location |
American Identities: Centennial Era
|
| Description |
Lower portion of chimney breast from mantel (41.980.72a-e). Brass frame surrounds fireplace opening has cornice along top edge and stepped molding around sides; surrounding frame is smooth green marble with white and black veining. Marble set within elaborately carved mahogany chimney breast made from separate carved and joined sections of wood: general rectangular shape with small recesses rectangular panels running horizontally at sides and also framing fireplace. In upper corners (below mantelpiece), recessed section with small rounded shelf. Thick mantelpiece with bowed front and rounded corners; front edge carved with decorative border of double dot alternating with inverted teardrop shape. Mantelpiece supported by brackets carved with scrolled ends and acanthus leaves: two large brackets at corners and six smaller brackets. [Photograph shows mantle in its original location, the library of the house of John Sloane, 883 Fifth Avenue, New York City, decorated by Herter Brothers, 1881-82.] |
Curatorial Remarks:
In 1882 John Sloane, a partner in the New York furniture retailer W. & J. Sloane, paid Herter Brothers $16,075 for the decoration of his Fifth Avenue mansion. The library’s woodwork and furniture, and much of its contents—paintings and objects—are preserved in the Museum. This mantel is rendered in the Jacobean Revival style, inspired by the arts of sixteenth-century England. Herter Brothers not only made the woodwork and furniture, but also supplied other decorative elements, including the elaborate curtains, objects, and imported French fireplace accoutrements such as the brass sconces, clock garniture, and fire screen.
