A Large Gilt Tôle, Glass and Giltwood Hall Lantern from the Embassy of Italy, Washington, D.C.

19th Century

Height 61 x diameter 32 inches.

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

Note:

The lantern offered in the present lot comes 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]

The large lantern illustrated here illuminated the grand travertine staircase at the far end of the entry hall to the embassy. The original placement of the lantern can be seen in a 1927 National Archives photograph appearing in an article produced by the Commission of Fine Arts. [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] see Kohler and Carson, Sixteenth Street Architecture Volume 1, 446.