John Singer Sargent at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian

While much of the city is on self-imposed quarantine as we figure out Covid-19, most of our museums are still open (for now) and there is one show you can't miss if you are in Washington, John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal.

As most of you are not here in Washington and won't be traveling in the near future, I thought I would share some of my favorite pieces.

One of my favorite things about the exhibit, other than the art of course which is naturally in B&W, is the galleries are painted in a wide range of colors to keep things from being sterile.  Much of the paper varies in tone and white walls would have made the drawings appear dirty. We need more color in our museums!

While we may all know Sargent for his portraiture, he quit oil portraits in 1907 to concentrate on other things. However, he continued to do charcoal sketches for his friends and those who interested him in the worlds of art.

 I'll start with Sargent's 1912 sketch of art collector Sir Philip Sassoon, lent from the collection of Houghton Hall. Sassoon collected Sargent's works which were displayed at his London house where he would organize exhibitions. He was the youngest member of parliament at age 24 in 1912, the year he inherited a vast fortune, and remained a member until his early death.

Nearby hangs a portrait of Philip's sister, Sybil Sassoon, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, also painted by Sargent in 1912 at the age of 18. See how the colored wall help the portrait?  Sybil became a Marchioness through marriage and spent her life restoring Houghton Hall.

Next we have this 1923 portrait of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, better known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lent by her daughter, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This was sketched shortly before her marriage to the Duke of York who later became king.

Above is a 1914 sketch of Lady Diana Manners, better known as Diana Cooper. Cooper would lead one of the 20th centuries most interesting lives crossing from her aristocratic background into intellectual and even acting worlds.  I love that she refused later in life to be known by her grand title, 'Viscountess Norwich', because she thought it sounded like "porridge".

The author Henry James was one of Sargent's close friends and was painted by him numerous times but this sketch from 1912 was commissioned by their mutual friend Edith Wharton.  Dissatisfied with the likeness, Sargent gave the work to George V for his collection of recipients of the Order of Merit (as one does....giving a cast-off to a king!).  This portrait is also lent to the exhibition by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Possibly the most interesting to me personally is this portrait of William Adams Delano from 1922.  The architect is known for his collaboration with Chester Holmes Aldrich (Delano & Aldrich) but also taught at Columbia. Delano became friendly with Sargent during his work on the Grand Central Art Galleries which Sargent had a hand in founding.

Arguably the most famous portrait in the exhibition is of William Butler Yeats from 1908 commissioned for his first volume of collected poetry. Oddly enough Yeats appears younger than his 43 years in the portrait; drawing being the original Instagram filter, haha! 

The last portrait I'll share is a rare self-portrait of Sargent dating to 1902.  The artist is only known to have completed 6 self-portraits in his lifetime because he found it boring and was never satisfied with the results. I don't know why, it looks pretty great to me (though I'm also loath to take selfies)!

Portraits in Charcoal is open now through May 31, 2020 at the National Portrait Gallery here in Washington.  Don't miss it!

A visit to Winterthur

As I mentioned in my previous post, Costuming the Crown, a few weeks ago I went to visit Winterthur, the renowned museum founded by Henry Francis duPont.  The house had been his family home which over decades he slowly transformed into an enormous museum housing his world class collection of early American furniture and decorative arts.

Now as one can imagine this method of enlarging any building can result in a building that is at best cacophonous and some might say a hot mess. I know calling beloved Winterthur a hot mess may not be the most popular opinion to hold, but architecturally speaking can anyone suggest otherwise?  The collection is world class, the interiors are superb with the best quality of lighting I have ever seen, but the building itself is not so good.

Two photos above you see the original front entry which had been abandoned from that use and now acts as the conservatory door.

This isn't a pretty house museum and no one is visiting for the architecture; See the elevations above which I found on Winterthur's blog to prove my point. This house is all about the interior.  As Frank Lloyd Wright suggested "A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines" and that seems to be the approach taken here: one cannot fully see the house due to the lush trees and planting.

However the interiors are strikingly lovely and really that is why one visits. Above is the Chinese Parlor, obviously named after the 19th century wallpaper, which is one of the favorite rooms in the house. My favorite part of any tour are the stories about how the family lived. I love that they keep fresh flowers in the rooms and show faux martinis and hors d'oeurvres (period appropriate to the early 20th century of course!) which make the house feel alive.

Watch a great tour of the room with Bob Villa on youtube HERE.  As I visited in summer the famous green damask upholstery was seasonably covered in yellow slipcovers. The duPonts had cocktails before meals in this room.

The family moved out of the house in the 50s so it could be totally converted to museum use, and many of the other spaces don't show their original purpose as they have become more institutional. The small anteroom below is seen on the plan above just north of the 'empire parlor'. Another example is all of the guest baths have been gutted to show more of the collections as well.

The Baltimore drinking room, named after the suite of furniture, features another 19th century scenic wallpaper, 'Paysages Italien' by Desfosse & Karth.

The China Hall features beautiful built-ins showcasing the porcelain collection. The china in the cupboards below belonged to Martha Washington and is a larger collection than the one at Mt Vernon. 

The immense scale of the building creates some strikingly lovely enfilades.  Notice the subtle lighting creating warm pools of light - #goals.

The stairhall features another beautiful scenic wallpaper.

This lovely green space is the candlestick room but would make an excellent butler's pantry!

As I mentioned previously Winterthur takes great pains to recreate life as it was in the early 20th century for the duPonts.

The number of rooms and fireplaces are staggering. Although very different, this collection of period paneling and architectural pieces does bring to mind another early 20th century collector, William Randolph Hearst (of Hearst Castle fame).  Winterthur does not like that comparison -haha. I however love Hearst Castle (see my myriad posts on that house in the search box in my sidebar).

The 'Empire Parlor' (seen on the plan above) is charmingly set for the duPont daughter's childhood birthday party.

The rather stiff Marlboro Room is set for afternoon tea with an impressive display of silver.

One of the masterpieces at Winterthur is the Montmorenci staircase which was taken from an early 19th century North Carolina mansion and rebuilt at Winterthur, described as the largest freestanding spiral staircase in the United States.

The stair is really quite the thing!

As you can see from the swimming pool in the photo below, the house is kept well hidden behind lush trees.

I do love this figural pool filler!

My favorite part of the grounds however would have to be the teahouse in the backyard (note the classroom and library space beyond).

The view of the teahouse from the lower garden feels like part of a fortress.

Inspiration is everywhere - the floors to the changing room in the poolhouse were the most lovely combination of brick and slate.

Winterthur is open most days of the week and I highly recommend a visit!

an Ogden Codman Jr watercolor

While at the Met to see the Versailles exhibit, this framed watercolor caught my eye. The presentation drawing by architect Ogden Codman Jr. was for the bedroom of Louise Vanderbuilt's bedroom at Hyde Park in 1898.  I wish we made such evocative drawings for our clients still today; sketch up models cannot compete with the artistry of watercolor. 

Codman, of course, was the friend and co-author to Edith Wharton's 'The Decoration of Houses'. I think a monograph on this decorator's Architect is long overdue!
as always - click on the image to see in greater detail

Museum of the 18th century - Musee Cognacq-Jay, Paris

One of the many small charming museums of Paris is the Musee Cognacq-Jay, covering the influential design of the 18th century. The collection was formed by the founders of La Samaritaine department store and opened to the public in 1929 although in a different location.

The city of Paris, which manages the collection, moved the museum into the Hotel Donon in 1990. This 16th century hotel particulier was renovated heavily over the centuries before the city rescued the structure in 1974 and restored it to its supposed 18th century appearance.

What an excellent place for the collection then, and a great location in the heart of the Marais. The move into the structure though was heavily debated and frowned upon by the founder's family.

I loved the wallpaper in this room, which feels so modern, and especially the little bookcase above.

While the collection is comprised of furniture, art, and decorative objects of the 18th century there are some noted exceptions.

 One of the highlights of the furniture collection is this lit a la Polonaise (Polish style bed).

This carved and gilded wood bed was made by Georges Jacob around 1785 and features period appropriate blue damask upholstery.

 The paintings of the period set the scene and tone of the period.

 One can see why the 18th century has been so influential to designers!

The stairs of the hotel are particularly lovely. We really liked the coved plaster ceiling of the main stair.

 The lower level stairs are formal limestone and iron with lovely age and wear to them.

 The upper levels have more cost effective wood stairs with the same iron rail.

The building is a great example of this type of structure found throughout Paris and is noted for its attic with beams much like a ship's structure. 

Add a trip to the Cognacq-Jay on your Parisian vacation; Best part is admission to the main collection is free!