Window from the James A. Patton House

Designer Designed by George Washington Maher American

ca. 1901

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 707

James A. Patten, a prominent figure of the commodities markets, commissioned Maher, a leading Chicago architect, to design a twenty-two-room house and every element of its interior program. This window is one of a set of three from the monumental entrance hall. Maher’s “motif rhythm” theory entailed the repeated use of certain design elements in varying degrees and proportions. In this case, he chose the indigenous thistle as the principal decorative motif, perhaps as a reference to the owner’s Scottish heritage. Stylized variations of the thistle, juxtaposed with geometric shapes, were generously employed throughout the house in a range of media. Maher also used the thistle motif in the Patrick J. King House, built the same year in Chicago.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Window from the James A. Patton House
Designer: Designed by George Washington Maher (1864–1926)
Designer: Designed by Louis J. Millet (1856–1923)
Date: ca. 1901
Culture: American
Medium: Leaded glass
Dimensions: 50 1/4 x 21 3/8 in. (127.6 x 54.3 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of American Decorative Art 1900 Foundation, in honor of Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, 2008
Object Number: 2008.535
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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4532. Window from the James A. Patton House

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