Vanderbilt Mantelpiece date panel
1881–83
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)
Classification
Mantelpiece
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, 1925
Accession Number
25.234b
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the grandeur of the Gilded Age, the *Vanderbilt Mantelpiece Date Panel* (1881–83) by Augustus Saint-Gaudens the opulent decorative arts of America's elite. Crafted for the lavish Fifth Avenue mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II—designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt—this exquisite piece served as a focal point above a fireplace mantel. Saint-Gaudens, preeminent sculptor renowned for his Beaux-Arts monuments like the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, here turned his mastery to intimate, luxurious inlay work, blending sculpture with fine cabinetry. Measuring an impressive 79 inches tall,...
About the Artist
Augustus Saint-Gaudens · 1848–1907
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) was an Irish-born American sculptor widely regarded as the greatest American sculptor of the nineteenth century. Born in Dublin to a French father and Irish mother, he was brought to New York City as an infant. He trained as a cameo cutter, studied at the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design, and then traveled to Paris, where he studied at the École de...