A Pair of Italian Rococo Painted Doors from the Embassy of Italy, Washington, D.C.

18th Century

Height 105 3/4 x overall width 59 1/4 x depth 4 inches.

Donated by Sharon and Bruce Bradley for sale to benefit the Muscarelle Museum of Art

Note:

The pair of doors offered in the present lot come from the former Italian Embassy in Washington D.C. Famed architectural firm, Warren and Wetmore (designers of New York’s Grand Central Terminal) were hired as the architects and in 1924 the building was constructed. Incorporating elements of traditional Italian palazzo architecture, the embassy was largely decorated in the Italian Renaissance and Baroque taste. [1]

Incorporated into the décor were at least three pairs of 18th century doors. While it in unclear where in the embassy this particular pair of doors were installed, it is apparent that doors similar in description stood dividing the drawing room and library, the entrance hall and salon, and the entrance hall and drawing room.

At nearly nine feet tall, the grandiose scale and elegant chinoiserie paint decoration are impactful, reflecting the eighteenth century taste for the exotic. In 1977 the embassy moved away from residential use and became primarily a chancery. Some of the fine and decorative arts that adorned the embassy were removed at that time. [2]

The proceeds from the sale of this lot benefit the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The collection encompasses a wide array of artistic styles and mediums, with a particular focus on early American and British portraiture. The museum is presently working to expand its gallery space providing for further display of its permanent collection.

[1] Sue A. Kohler and Jeffrey R Carson, Sixteenth Street Architecture Volume 1 (United States Commission of Fine Arts, 1978), 435.

[2] Kohler and Carson, Sixteenth Street Architecture Volume 1, 436.