Cabinet from the entrance hall of Worsham-Rockefeller House
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This impressive cabinet originally stood at the base of the stairs in the entrance hall of Arabella Worsham’s townhouse at 4 West Fifty-Fourth Street. Its massive scale, classically inspired ornament, and exquisite craftsmanship established the decorative program that Schastey devised for the entire house. The combination of figural and checkered carvings, full-scale griffins, Renaissance strapwork, and unusual molding profiles is characteristic of Schastey’s oeuvre. Decorative and functional, the cabinet’s mirror glass was ideal for a final self-assessment before departing. The metal heating registers—produced in Brooklyn—are ornamented with oak leaves, a motif repeated throughout the house. The cabinet is one of several massive architectural elements preserved by the Rockefeller family before the house was demolished in 1938.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cabinet from the entrance hall of Worsham-Rockefeller House
- Maker: George A. Schastey & Co. (American, New York, 1873–1897)
- Maker: George A. Schastey (American (born Germany), Merseburg 1839–1894 at sea)
- Date: 1881–82
- Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Mahogany, brass, mirror glass, and marble
- Dimensions: 8 ft. 10 in. × 8 ft. 3 in. × 14 1/2 in. (269.2 × 251.5 × 36.8 cm)
- Credit Line: Private collection
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing