Sofa Table
designer
Elsie de Wolfe
(New York, 1865 - 1950, Versailles)
manufacturer
Unknown
Dateearly 20th century
Place MadeUnited States, North America
MediumBeech
Dimensions67.5 x 99 x 30 cm (26 9/16 x 39 x 11 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF15n5
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryTime and time again Gardner juxtaposed modern design with old masters. A good example of this practice is a beech sofa table by the legendary New York designer Elsie de Wolfe that Gardner transformed into a silk-covered altar for her sparkling tabernacle by the fourteenth-century Sienese painter Bartolomeo Bulgarini. Unlike other society grand dames, Gardner was not de Wolfe's client, but she did support female professionals, and the two New Yorkers forged a friendship based on their shared love of beauty. De Wolfe declared in a newspaper article that Gardner had no equal in America. She made a final visit to the museum near the time of Isabella's death, comparing her host's pallid appearance to "primitve pictures of saints."
Id730969
Last Updated10/4/24
EmbARK ObjectID11701
Source ID888
