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

19th Century

together with a set of twenty-two gilt tole ornamental hooks forming ceiling chains.
Height of lanterns 43 x diameter 31 inches; height of each chain ornament 10 1/2 inches.

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

Note:

The two lanterns 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]

The lanterns illustrated here hung in the grand entry hall of the embassy and are seen in a 1927 National Archives photograph which appeared an article about the embassy. [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, 444.