Miniature rooms big attraction at Chicago museum

9 May 2010
Mrs.  James Ward Thorne (American, 1882-1966) commissioned the Tennessee Entrance Hall, 1835.

click to enlarge

Mrs. James Ward Thorne (American, 1882-1966) commissioned the Tennessee Entrance Hall, 1835.
(Art Institute of Chicago)

"It's something about being dominant over something that is so charming and diminutive," said Lindsay Mican Morgan, curator of an appealing exhibit of miniature room displays at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The 68 rooms showcase European, American and Asian interiors and furnishings from the 17th century through the 1930s. They were largely created by master craftsmen commissioned between 1933 and 1937 by Chicago socialite Narcissa Ward Thorne who gifted the collection to the museum in 1966.



Categories: American antiques

More News Feed Headlines
  • Julien Hudson, 1811-1844 American.  Creole Boy With A Moth, 1835, oil on canvas, courtesy of a private collection; photo courtesy of Fodera Fine Art Conservation, Ltd.
    A groundbreaking exhibition opened Dec. 9 at the Worcester Art Museum entitled “In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans.” Julien Hudson (1811-1844) is the second-earliest documented portrait painter of African descent to work in the United States. Little-known today, Hudson died an untimely, somewhat mysterious death, and only fragments of his oeuvre survive to tell his story.
  • 'May,' by Alexander Motyl, $25/month to rent ($550 to buy), artsicle.com.
    A bevy of new online ventures are helping to streamline the process of buying art for both beginners and established collectors, facilitating keyboard-click access to information and galleries.
  • An installation view of the new Tuscaloosa Museum of Art: Home of the Westervelt Collection.
    Last week, the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art opened its doors, finally giving a home to the art collection assembled by Jack Warner. Earlier this year, the Jack Warner Foundation and Westervelt Company separated, leaving the fate undetermined as to where their respective collections would be housed. Several key works were sold by the Westervelt Co. at auction and privately. Now, more than 800 pieces...
  • Portrait of a Man and Woman in an Interior, painted about 1666, by Eglon van der Neer (Dutch, 1634–1703).  Oil on panel.  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Seth K.  Sweetser Fund.
    At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Victoria Reed is the first and only endowed curator of provenance at an American museum. Since 2010, her role has been to research objects in the museum's collections, and new acquisitions, in order to determine the right of ownership. At times, Reed's findings have led to restitution...

Enter e-mail address to receive art news daily.
Subscribe

ArtfixDaily Blogs