Fireplace Mantels & Surrounds · Victorian (Queen Anne, Eastlake)
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece by Augustus Saint-Gaudens (c. 1881–83)
A monumental marble, mosaic and oak mantelpiece designed for Cornelius Vanderbilt II's New York mansion, with sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and mosaic work associated with John La Farge.
Design characteristics
This is one of the grandest fireplaces of the Gilded Age: more than 15 feet tall, with two carved figures supporting the overmantel and a mosaic panel set into the frieze. It was created for the entrance hall of the Vanderbilt mansion on Fifth Avenue, which was demolished in the 1920s. Few houses can host anything like it, but it is a valuable study in proportion. The figures frame the opening, the overmantel carries a single dominant panel, and the materials step from stone at the hearth to wood and mosaic above.
Classification
- Category
- Fireplace Mantels & Surrounds
- Motifs
- Carved panel, Mosaic inlay
- Date
- ca. 1881–83
- Maker or designer
- Augustus Saint-Gaudens
- Recorded medium
- Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron
- Dimensions
- 184 3/8 x 154 7/8 x 37 1/4 in. (468.3 x 393.4 x 94.6 cm)
- Evidence
- Documented historical object
Architectural context
Carved mantels, layered trim and dark, decorative hardwoods. Britain and the United States · c. 1837–1901.
