Tour of the Music Room and Dining Room
Beyond the Parlor
Exit the Parlor Through the Begonia Door
Begonias are generally associated with "caution" or "beware," signifying a need for consideration and careful thought, although interpretations can vary depending on color and context, with some seeing them as symbols of individuality and gratitude as well.
Pass through the door into the Music Room
The Music Room
When not occupied by rehearsing musicians, The Music Room serves as a media room for the house and contains a gallery exhibiting the owners small collection of modern art. The works hanging here range form German expressionist paintings from Die Brücke group and post-cubist paintings attributed to Fernand Henri Léger, Georges Braque, and Fausto Pirandello, the son of the Nobel Prize winning playwright.
In one corner of the world is a nude portrait by Otto Müller probably painted about 1905. A founder of German Expressionism, the Müller portrait displays his signature and monogram along with the elongated anatomy, organic background, and color pallet from this period.
Along the side walls are hung a vellum manuscript page for chanting the mass and a 19th century genre portrait of a itinerant violinist.
Leave the Music Room through the door into the central hallway, cross the hall, into the Dining Room.
The Dining Room
Others are works that explore new forms of representation, such as the Landscape in the style of Nicolas de Staël. Attributed to de Staël, but not in his catalogue raisonné. The compound canvas representing a Study of the Moon by the very under appreciated painter, Ethel Edwards, originally from New Orleans and a teacher at the Art Students League in New York. Under the horizontal slash of clerestory windows, typical of the Arts and Crafts style, there is a mid-century decorative abstract by F. A. Wilkins, who other than a name, seems unknown to contemporary painting.
The Curio Cabinet Details
Victorian curio collecting emerged from several cultural currents: the expansion of empire, growing middle-class prosperity, and the popularization of natural history. Curio cabinets of this period typically contained specimens from nature (shells, minerals, pressed flowers), artifacts from colonial territories, and manufactured curiosities. The Victorian curio cabinet served multiple functions: as entertainment, education, and social distinction.
The transition to the Edwardian era (1901-1919) brought subtle but important changes to collecting practices. While maintaining some aspects of Victorian collecting, Edwardian collectors showed increasing interest in domestic antiquities and objects of artistic merit rather than purely exotic specimens. This shift reflected both the maturation of imperial collecting and growing appreciation for aesthetic qualities over purely scientific categorization.
Edwardian curio cabinets themselves underwent design evolution. While Victorian cabinets often emphasized dense display and categorical organization, Edwardian versions typically featured more spacious arrangements and greater emphasis on individual object presentation. The cabinet itself became more integrated into overall room design, moving away from the specimen-cabinet aesthetic toward more decorative furniture forms.
The social context of curio collecting also evolved. Victorian collecting often emphasized masculine scientific pursuit and imperial achievement, while Edwardian collecting incorporated more feminine domestic spaces and aesthetic considerations. This shift paralleled broader social changes, including women's increasing influence over domestic decoration and cultural pursuits.
This particular cabinet is an English or American display cabinet from approximately 1900-1920, exhibiting characteristics of both late Victorian and Edwardian furniture design. The cabinet demonstrates the transition period between these eras through several distinctive features.
The cabinet's form follows the "china cabinet" or "curio cabinet" type that became popular in middle-class homes during the late Victorian period. Its architectural structure, with geometric fretwork in the glass doors and a carved frieze band below the top surface, reflects the lingering influence of the Aesthetic Movement's interpretation of Anglo-Japanese design elements.
The Portrait of Beatrice Cenci Details
This 19th century copy of Guido Reni's purported portrait of Beatrice Cenci exemplifies the period's academic copying traditions while revealing both the capabilities and limitations of such practice. Likely painted in 1860s or 1870s, the technical execution demonstrates competent skill in several key areas: the white turban shows good understanding of fabric folds and highlights, the flesh tones maintain much of the original's luminous quality, and the three-quarter pose effectively captures the essential composition. However, the copy exhibits characteristics typical of mid-19th century academic reproductions, including slightly heightened contrast, simplified modeling in the facial features, and more pronounced outlines than the original.
The portrait of Beatrice Cenci gained particular resonance in the 19th century as a symbol of tragic innocence and injustice, though its identification as Cenci and attribution to Guido Reni are now questioned by scholars. According to historical accounts, Beatrice Cenci (1577-1599) was a young Roman noblewoman executed for participating in the murder of her father, Francesco Cenci, after enduring years of his abuse. The case became a cause célèbre in Rome, with widespread public sympathy for Beatrice and unsuccessful attempts to secure papal clemency from Clement VIII. Her execution at age twenty-two, along with her stepmother and brother, on the Sant'Angelo Bridge became a powerful symbol of patriarchal oppression and institutional cruelty.
The portrait's popularity surged during the Romantic period, inspiring numerous literary and artistic works, including Percy Bysshe Shelley's verse drama "The Cenci" (1819) and multiple painted copies. The image's power derives from its portrayal of youthful vulnerability combined with dignified resignation - the subject's sideways glance and the white turban suggesting both innocence and martyrdom. These qualities resonated strongly with 19th-century sensibilities regarding feminine virtue and suffering, making the portrait a sought-after subject for reproduction. The image retained its powerful cultural significance throughout the 19th century as an emblem of tragic feminine persecution, influencing both artistic reproduction and social reform movements.
While traditionally assigned to Guido Reni, recent scholarship has suggested Elizabetta Sirani (1638-1665) as a more likely author of the work. Sirani, a successful female artist in Bologna and one of Reni's most accomplished followers, worked in a style that closely aligned with her master's but often demonstrated particular sensitivity in female portraiture.
The technical and stylistic elements that suggest Sirani's authorship include the distinctive handling of the turban's drapery, the characteristic treatment of the subject's facial features, and the overall tonal qualities that align more closely with Sirani's documented works than with Reni's authenticated paintings. Sirani was known to have produced several works that were later attributed to Reni, a common practice in a period when male attributions typically commanded higher prices and greater prestige. The Cenci portrait's emotional resonance and technical sophistication align well with Sirani's documented oeuvre, particularly her ability to convey psychological depth in female subjects.
Renaissance Revival Sculptures Details
The level of detail in the costume elements - particularly the pleating and ornamental details of the garments - suggests these were likely produced by one of the numerous French or Austrian foundries that specialized in decorative bronzes during this period. These types of decorative figures were extremely popular among the Victorian middle and upper classes, who favored historical subjects that reflected both their cultural aspirations and the period's romanticized view of the Renaissance. Such pairs would typically have been displayed on mantels, sideboards, or étagères in fashionable drawing rooms or libraries. They were meant to be decorative rather than significant sculptural works. This places them squarely within the broader context of Victorian mass-produced decorative arts meant to bring an air of cultural sophistication to middle-class homes.
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