Peacock Room

Peacock Room
James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903)
Freer Gallery of Art
interior decorative mural art

Most notably known for his paintings, though he was a prolific in prints as well, Whistler also took his hand at interior decoration. Originally asked to recommend colors for the dining room of Frederick R. Leyland, Whistler took the room as his own painting peacock feathers on the wall and adding golden peacocks to the shutters. The room was originally design to hold Leyland's collection of blue and white porcelain. Purchased by Charles Lang Freer, the room was reassembled in his mansion later to be moved to the Freer Gallery of Art. (Description via the Freer Gallery of Art http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/peacock.htm#) A painting by Whistler adorns the mantlepiece. (La Princesse du pays de la porcelaine, 1863-64, by James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903). Oil on canvas, 199.9 x 116.1 cm. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1903.91)

Ivory wine

Griessmann, Balthasar (ca 1620-1706)
Ivory Goblet, ca 1680
ivory
20 5/8 in.
Getty Museum 2006.26

A small little book (Fruits of Desire) I came across today at work was dedicated to a single ivory goblet. Oh what a goblet it is! Held by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, this goblet "celebrates wine and explores the benefits and risks of its consumption. Culminating with an allegory of youth, it challenges the viewer to think about the degree to which pleasure and duty play their parts in our making life choices". (Getty bookstore)

I've always been a sucker for ivory carvings, never able to pass one by in a museum, the intricate carving are mesmerizing and this goblet is no exception. There is not a single inch that doesn't deserve focused attention. I'm excited to have discovered Griessmann, a bit of searching has unearthed more amazing carvings by the 17th century artist.

The Fall of Man , The Sacrifice of Isaac

Nouveau Railing

Balcony Railing, 1907-1912
Hector Guimard
patinated cast-iron
35.5 x 64 x 7 in.

I'm currently working through the Toledo Treasures catalog of art for my museum to become more familiar with the collection. While I won't be sharing specific works from the TMA's collection I am using it for inspiration and plan on sharing many artists new to me.

TMA has an amazing fireplace mantel that I can't help but fawn over whenever I walk through the gallery it lives in. I hadn't until now made a point in noting the artist. Hector Guimard is most well known for his Paris Metro cast-iron subway entrances (image: parisbuscards.com )

Guimard was part of the Art Nouveau movement whose aesthetic revolved around undulating lines and flower motifs. The decorative style was popular at the turn of the century. Guimard brought more of an element of abstraction to his art nouveau works.

Glassy Napoleon

Bottle, Figure of Napoleon Bonaparte (Late 19th c.)
American
7 1/4 x 2 x 2 in.
colorless, pressed glass
Brooklyn Museum of Art

Fantastic little caricature of Napoleon. This reminds me of a quirky little museum that I went to in Munich called ZAM (I must mention the awesomeness of the internet here, as I would never have remembered the name of the museum or where it was without it). It was a museum of little museums. There was a chamber pot museum, an Easter bunny museum and some others. I particularly remember the chamber pots. Many had illustrations in the bottom of them, often of unsavory people such as Hitler. Definitely elicited some giggles.

A unique way to create a novelty item, in pressed glass. The technique of pressed glass allowed a faster, lower cost way of creating glass objects (as opposed to glass blowing).

Penelope

Penelope Unraveling her Work at Night, 1886
Dora Wheeler (American, 1856–1940) for Associated Artists (New York City, 1883–1907)
Silk embroidered with silk thread
45 x 68 in.
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Daughter of Candace Wheeler, who founded, among many other accomplishments, Associated Artists, a women-run decorating/design firm. Candace Wheeler also patented the technique of embroidery seen in this work. Dora created this design and others, but this is one of the few which has not completely disintegrated.

Dora studied with the painter, William Merritt Chase (painter of the portrait of Dora Wheeler to the right). You can see the brilliance of Wheeler's experience with painting as she applies it to the painterliness of the silk embroidery.


Dora Wheeler, 1882-83
William Merritt Chase
Cleveland Museum of Art

Furniture

Charles Rohlfs (1853–1936) American designer and craftsman
Chair n.d.

I'm always trying to broaden the reach of this blog to include work beyond what falls typically into "Fine Art". I am going to try to include more decorative arts. One of my favorite areas of decorative art is furniture design. Beautiful and functional pieces. We recently got a catalog of the work of an American furniture designer, The Artistic Furniture of Charles Rohlfs. It doesn't hurt that much of my favorite design is from the 19th, early 20th c. when much was booming in my hometown of Buffalo. Rohlfs spent his design career there. Rohlfs work stems from Arts & Crafts as well as Art Nouveau but his unique artistic attentions make it stand alone. This chair was apparently salvaged from the garbage and recently sold for almost $200K.

Rohlfs career was overshadowed by his wife's Anna Katharine Green, a best selling author of detective fiction.

NY Times article about Rohlfs and the travelling exhibition of his furniture.