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Vanderbilt Mantelpiece date panel

1881–83
Not on view
This carved and inlaid panel was created for the residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II on Fifth Avenue at 57th Street (demolished 1925-27). Working for the architect George B. Post, the artist John La Farge created a lavish decorative program, to which Saint-Gaudens contributed many of the sculptural elements. The panel features the date of the Vanderbilt house’s completion, 1882, in Roman numerals and flanked by beribboned wreaths. It was originally set in the ceiling of the dining room. Following extensive renovations between 1892 and 1894, the panel was moved to the second-floor billiard room where it was installed above the colossal mantelpiece of Saint-Gaudens’s design (25.234) that was moved from the entrance hall.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Vanderbilt Mantelpiece date panel
  • Date: 1881–83
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Mahogany, ivory, mother-of-pearl, and coral
  • Dimensions: 79 1/8 x 24 1/2 x 5 1/8 in. (201 x 62.2 x 13 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.234b
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
ca. 1881–83
Library Table, Herter Brothers American, Rosewood, brass, mother-of-pearl, and abalone, American
Library Table
Herter Brothers
1879–82
William Henry II and Cornelius Vanderbilt III, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Bronze, American
William Henry II and Cornelius Vanderbilt III
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1882
Cornelius Vanderbilt I, Augustus Saint-Gaudens American, Bronze, American
Cornelius Vanderbilt I
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
1882
Stained Glass Lunette from the Cornelius Vanderbilt II House, New York, John La Farge American, Leaded opalescent glass, American
Stained Glass Lunette from the Cornelius Vanderbilt II House, New York
John La Farge
ca. 1880–82

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