MORRISON HECKSCHER: With their arms uplifted, two monumental sculptures support this imposing marble mantelpiece. These figures wear richly textured classical garb, and have a timeless heroic quality. They are caryatids, the name given to female figures used as columns in classical Greek architecture.

The figure on the left, her waist encircled by ivy leaves, represents Love. The one on the right, with a girdle of laurel, personifies Peace. The mosaic above the caryatids depicts a seated figure with legends and emblems. The inscriptions include a welcome wish and an expression of farewell.

This mantelpiece was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of the most well-known American sculptors of the late nineteenth century. It was made for the sumptuous entrance hall of the mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, which was located on Fifth Avenue and Fifty-seventh Street in Manhattan. John La Farge was in charge of the embellishment of the house, including mosaics, stained glass, mural painting, sculpture, and textiles. Saint-Gaudens was among the artists and craftsmen whom he gathered to work with him.

The Vanderbilt house was one of the great achievements of the Aesthetic Movement, which was at its height during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The term refers to the artistically unified interior, in which a variety of media are integrated to form a harmonious whole.