Garland of Fruit and Flowers
Artist: John La Farge (American, 1835-1910)
Date: 1882
Dimensions:
51 × 42 7/8 in. (129.5 × 108.9 cm)
Medium: oil, gouache, wax on paper on canvas
Place of Origin: United States
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1912.1267
Label Text:In 1881, railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843-1899) did a little interior decorating. He had just built a new 153-room townhouse at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York (it was demolished in 1927). He hired an army of artists and designers to decorate it, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Augustus Saint Gaudens (see his Victory nearby) and leading American muralist and stained glass artist John La Farge, who oversaw the decoration of the dining room.
This large painting served as the design (or cartoon) for one of four sets of needlework curtains that hung in the dining room doorways. The metallic silver paint of the background represents the sumptuous silver thread used for the needlework. La Farge took his inspiration for the ribbon-tied swag of fruits from Italian Renaissance designs.
This large painting served as the design (or cartoon) for one of four sets of needlework curtains that hung in the dining room doorways. The metallic silver paint of the background represents the sumptuous silver thread used for the needlework. La Farge took his inspiration for the ribbon-tied swag of fruits from Italian Renaissance designs.
Not on view
In Collection(s)