Wardrobe

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Wardrobe

Manufacturer Herter Brothers (American, 1864-1906)

Dateabout 1880

DimensionsH: 8 ft, 5 in. (2.56 m); W: 4 ft, 7 in. (1.4 m); Depth: 21 1/2 in. (55 cm)

MediumRosewood, ebonized cherry,brass, mirrors

ClassificationFurniture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1981.97

Not on View

Label TextThis wardrobe is from a group of bedroom furniture ordered by tobacco magnate Pierre Lorillard, probably as a wedding gift for his daughter. The Lorillard family owned a house in Newport, Rhode Island decorated by the Herter Brothers in the late 1870s and early 1880s. The wardrobe’s inlaid decoration of branches and chrysanthemums is similar to patterns found in Japanese design. Herter Brothers adapted such elements for use in their furniture designs, popularizing a style that combined Western forms and Japanese aesthetics. Gustave Herter (1830–1898) and his half brother Christian (1840–1883) operated one of the most successful decorating firms in New York (see also the table attributed to them in Gallery 29B). Their firm provided not only furniture, but also designed entire room settings, including decorative painting, architectural woodwork, and window and upholstery fabrics. Among their clients were New York’s most prominent families, including the Vanderbilts and the Morgans.Published References"Exhibitions", Decorative Arts Society Newsletter, vol. 8, no. 4, Dec. 1982, p. 8, repr.

Hanks, David A., "Herter Brothers: art in furniture design,", Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, no. 1, Spring 1986, p. 34, 36.