Curtain panels from the Moorish reception room of Worsham-Rockefeller House

George A. Schastey American, born Germany
1881-–82
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The Moorish reception room, currently installed at the Brooklyn Museum, was one of the most richly detailed, textured, and ornamented rooms in the house. Evocative of foreign lands, it combined Islamic motifs and architectural elements. Its walls were covered with patterned fabric, and the curtains, portieres, and seating furniture featured distinctive embroidery on a lush teal velvet. These curtains display appliqués of stylized flowers of varying sizes cut from antique Ottoman textiles. Their orange and gold colors, contrasting with the blue ground, are unified with elegant vine-like embroidery of metallic cording. George A. Schastey & Co. designed the upholstery and curtains throughout the house.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Curtain panels from the Moorish reception room 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: Silk velvet, embroidered appliqués, silk tassles, and metal cord
  • Dimensions: Length (Proper right curtain): 9 ft. 11 in. (302.3 cm)
    Width (Proper right curtain): 44 3/8 in. (112.7 cm)
    Length (Proper left curtain): 9 ft. 10 1/4 in. (300.4 cm)
    Width (Proper left curtain): 45 1/4 in. (114.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, Gift of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing