American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts: Featuring Property from Prominent New York and Philadelphia Collectors

Provenance:

Junius Spencer Morgan II (1867-1932),

Thence by descent to Alexander Perry Morgan, Sr. (1900-1968) and Janet (Croll) Morgan (1901-1985),

Thence by descent to Margaret Croll Morgan (1926-2025).

Junius Spencer Morgan II was the son of George Hale Morgan (1840-1932) and Sarah Spencer Morgan (1839-1896), and nephew of American financier and banking magnate John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. (1837-1913). Following in his uncle's footsteps, Junius was a banker by trade, working for Cuyler, Morgan & Co. However, his passion for art and book collecting superseded his business, and by 1906 he became a full time collector. A graduate of Princeton University and a Princeton resident, he bequeathed a large portion of his art to the Princeton Art Museum. Other works, including books and Old Master prints, were given to the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perhaps his greatest achievement was serving as an art advisor and librarian for J.P. Morgan, guiding his purchases and even influencing the development and construction of the Morgan Library.

Junius' son Alexander Perry Morgan, also a Princeton graduate, left Princeton at the age of 24 to study architecture at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. Aside from designing private residences, he is known for his other commercial and institutional works including the Johnson & Johnson research laboratory in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the top of the Empire State Building, and alterations to the Morgan Library.

Note:

This figure is holding a palm and a book, two attributes historically associated with Saint Catherine of Alexandria.