Gracious

adjective

1.Pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous

2. Characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury

3. Indulgent or beneficent in a pleasant way

4. Merciful or compassionate 

5. Fortunate or happy

Rain bedizened peonies in the Main House courtyard await the arrival of tomorrow’s first official visitors of Ten Chimneys Foundation’s 2012 Tour Season.

This week the rolling grounds of Ten Chimneys are alive with anticipation as master gardener volunteers prepare and plant our gardens. Here volunteers recreate Lynn Fontanne’s cutting garden with a 1950s design based on historic documentation. Featured flowers this year will include sunflowers, osteospermum, marigolds, nierembergia, and zinnias.

This week the rolling grounds of Ten Chimneys are alive with anticipation as master gardener volunteers prepare and plant our gardens. Here volunteers recreate Lynn Fontanne’s cutting garden with a 1950s design based on historic documentation. Featured flowers this year will include sunflowers, osteospermum, marigolds, nierembergia, and zinnias.

Spring Cleaning …  during the past two weeks Ten Chimneys staff and preservation volunteers completed our annual spring cleaning of three historic buildings comprising some forty rooms, thirty-one mirrors, twenty clocks, fifteen glass perfume bottles, nine chandeliers, eight silver shot glasses, seven sofas, three daybeds, two chaise lounges, and one sewing machine. Peices are carefully dusted, gently vacuumed, and thoughtfully polished in preparation of the opening of our 2012 tour season on May 26.

 May in the Garden/May in the Archives We have been in Genesee two weeks now, and it is heaven. When we arrived the fruit trees were in bloom, masses of tulips, and the house looks beautiful. I also have great beds of lily of the valley and there are wild violets all over the place. Daffodils, narcissus — really, it’s a sight to behold. The other day Alfred and I were working in my new garden and we put peat moss on everything. We had it in a big bag, and when we got to the end of it, Alfred emptied the bag in a great cloud of dust and I ran for my life. Alfred said, “What are you running away for? It’s only manure!” Letter from Lynn Fontanne to her sister, Antoinette Keith, May 24 1941. 

 May in the Garden/May in the Archives

We have been in Genesee two weeks now, and it is heaven. When we arrived the fruit trees were in bloom, masses of tulips, and the house looks beautiful. I also have great beds of lily of the valley and there are wild violets all over the place. Daffodils, narcissus — really, it’s a sight to behold.

The other day Alfred and I were working in my new garden and we put peat moss on everything. We had it in a big bag, and when we got to the end of it, Alfred emptied the bag in a great cloud of dust and I ran for my life. Alfred said, “What are you running away for? It’s only manure!”

Letter from Lynn Fontanne to her sister, Antoinette Keith, May 24 1941. 

A corner of my office the day before class … Everyone here is looking forward to welcoming participants in our class A History of Interior Design: The 20th Century tomorrow at Ten Chimneys. The course is a collaborative effort between the University of Wisconsin’s continuing education department and Ten Chimneys Foundation.  The morning will begin with coffee (naturally) and a survey of twenty of the twentieth-century’s greatest taste-makers, from The Decoration of Houses to Color Splash, followed by a decorative arts focused tour of Ten Chimneys.  I enjoyed delving into my library to select the twenty to feature - and the agony of choosing one commission to represent each designer’s influence or significance. 

A corner of my office the day before class …

Everyone here is looking forward to welcoming participants in our class A History of Interior Design: The 20th Century tomorrow at Ten Chimneys. The course is a collaborative effort between the University of Wisconsin’s continuing education department and Ten Chimneys Foundation. 

The morning will begin with coffee (naturally) and a survey of twenty of the twentieth-century’s greatest taste-makers, from The Decoration of Houses to Color Splash, followed by a decorative arts focused tour of Ten Chimneys. 

I enjoyed delving into my library to select the twenty to feature - and the agony of choosing one commission to represent each designer’s influence or significance. 

This spring Ten Chimneys Foundation continues to conduct necessary repairs to some of our chimneys.  Here the chimney for the servant’s quarters, one of the six chimneys on the Main House, is having some work done. This northeast wing of the house includes the kitchen (a favorite of many of our visitors), the Caretaker’s Apartment (another kitchen, small dining room, two bedrooms, and a bath), the laundry, garage and canning room (converted into essential tour support areas during the restoration of the estate). Repairs to this chimney are nessessary to prevent leaks and loss of historic materials. Badly spalling (when the protective “crust” of the brick has deteriorated and fallen away, exposing the fragile “dough” of the brick interior) bricks had bowed and come out of plumb with the structure. These were cut out, cleaned, examined, reused or replaced with matching bricks.  Hairline cracks were present at numerous mortar joints throughout the chimney, indicating movement and decomposed mortar. Such mortar cracks allow moisture to enter the chimney and cause further deterioration to the paint and masonry. The severely cracked, deteriorated, and otherwise unsound mortar was cut out and tuckpointed using matching mortar. Last year we averted the most urgent dangers associated with the condition of the chimneys by repairing the Dining Room and the Drawing Room chimneys on the Main House. All of this important work was made possible by the generosity of Ten Chimneys Foundation donors.

This spring Ten Chimneys Foundation continues to conduct necessary repairs to some of our chimneys.  Here the chimney for the servant’s quarters, one of the six chimneys on the Main House, is having some work done. This northeast wing of the house includes the kitchen (a favorite of many of our visitors), the Caretaker’s Apartment (another kitchen, small dining room, two bedrooms, and a bath), the laundry, garage and canning room (converted into essential tour support areas during the restoration of the estate).

Repairs to this chimney are nessessary to prevent leaks and loss of historic materials. Badly spalling (when the protective “crust” of the brick has deteriorated and fallen away, exposing the fragile “dough” of the brick interior) bricks had bowed and come out of plumb with the structure. These were cut out, cleaned, examined, reused or replaced with matching bricks.  Hairline cracks were present at numerous mortar joints throughout the chimney, indicating movement and decomposed mortar. Such mortar cracks allow moisture to enter the chimney and cause further deterioration to the paint and masonry. The severely cracked, deteriorated, and otherwise unsound mortar was cut out and tuckpointed using matching mortar.

Last year we averted the most urgent dangers associated with the condition of the chimneys by repairing the Dining Room and the Drawing Room chimneys on the Main House.

All of this important work was made possible by the generosity of Ten Chimneys Foundation donors.

Ten Chimneys Foundation’s curatorial intern Amelia Puhr is hard at work updating collection and condition records in the Ten Chimneys Cottage. Interns such as Amelia contribute to the museum’s on-going documentation of the permanent collection while the internship provides hands on collections management experience for the student.  This spring’s internship is focused on the books and decorative arts objects used to furnish the Cottage Study.  Here Amelia examines a nineteen century representation of The Holy Infant. This wood polychrome statue of the infant Jesus survives wearing its original robe of silk velvet. His right hand raised in a blessing while his left holds a crucifx. This work is displayed in the Cottage Study along with a number of icons from the Catholic and Orthodox faiths. Their use one of the many details that recalls the culture of Finland - and the happy summers spent there when Alfred Lunt was a boy.  This room had many incarnations over the years.  Originally a guest bedroom, then the bedroom for Harriet “Hattie” Briggs Lunt Sederholm, Alfred Lunt’s vivacious mother, it was redecorated in the 1960s to serve as the Study for Alfred Lunt’s sister and her husband, George and Karen Bugbee. During the formative years of the Ten Chimneys Foundation it served as Foundation offices.  From here Joe Garton, the Foundation’s first president, coordinated the restoration of the property and its opening as a museum. 

Ten Chimneys Foundation’s curatorial intern Amelia Puhr is hard at work updating collection and condition records in the Ten Chimneys Cottage. Interns such as Amelia contribute to the museum’s on-going documentation of the permanent collection while the internship provides hands on collections management experience for the student.  This spring’s internship is focused on the books and decorative arts objects used to furnish the Cottage Study. 

Here Amelia examines a nineteen century representation of The Holy Infant. This wood polychrome statue of the infant Jesus survives wearing its original robe of silk velvet. His right hand raised in a blessing while his left holds a crucifx. This work is displayed in the Cottage Study along with a number of icons from the Catholic and Orthodox faiths. Their use one of the many details that recalls the culture of Finland - and the happy summers spent there when Alfred Lunt was a boy. 

This room had many incarnations over the years.  Originally a guest bedroom, then the bedroom for Harriet “Hattie” Briggs Lunt Sederholm, Alfred Lunt’s vivacious mother, it was redecorated in the 1960s to serve as the Study for Alfred Lunt’s sister and her husband, George and Karen Bugbee. During the formative years of the Ten Chimneys Foundation it served as Foundation offices.  From here Joe Garton, the Foundation’s first president, coordinated the restoration of the property and its opening as a museum. 

The return of the Master Gardener volunteers is our favorite sign of spring’s return at Ten Chimneys. Early each spring this extraordinary group dedicate their time and determination to remove invasive plants from Ten Chimneys’ extensive grounds – primarily buckthorn, prickly ash, and overgrown raspberry and honeysuckle vines – that strangle the native white oak savanna distinctive of this region, and prevent native plants and wild flowers from growing. This multi-year effort is entering an exciting new chapter as they begin to nurture native and non-invasive growth within the cleared areas. 

The return of the Master Gardener volunteers is our favorite sign of spring’s return at Ten Chimneys. Early each spring this extraordinary group dedicate their time and determination to remove invasive plants from Ten Chimneys’ extensive grounds – primarily buckthorn, prickly ash, and overgrown raspberry and honeysuckle vines – that strangle the native white oak savanna distinctive of this region, and prevent native plants and wild flowers from growing.

This multi-year effort is entering an exciting new chapter as they begin to nurture native and non-invasive growth within the cleared areas. 

Ten Chimneys’ “Cellini”: George Ludwig Ten Chimneys remains a place of discovery. This spring we have been able to attribute the craftsman of the iron gates that grace the entrance courtyard of Ten Chimneys to the Milwaukee metalsmith George Martin Ludwig (1896 – 1965). After years of dedicated sleuthing and thoughtful research George Ludwig’s niece (and Ten Chimneys volunteer) Ann Buck has uncovered many examples of Ludwig’s work both here and throughout the region. A recent donation of an oral history of a niece of the Lunts confirmed our suspicion that George Ludwig created the ironwork gates. Ann’s research into the life of her uncle has allowed us to tell a richer story about the creation of this estate and place a once forgotten Wisconsin craftsman’s work within a larger context.  Born in Austria, the early years of George Ludwig’s life remain only partially known. He served in the American armed forces during the First World War before moving to Milwaukee in 1920, married, and found employment with Moe-Bridges Company manufacturing lamps and lighting fixtures. In 1927 George Ludwig and Emil Kronquist started their own business called International Art Service Studio before branching off to start his own metalworking business called George Ludwig Wrought Iron and Bronze, based on letterhead and drawings from the company that Ann uncovered. Besides his Ten Chimneys commission in 1939 Ludwig executed numerous commissions for churches, civic buildings, cemeteries, and department stores.  Numerous letters survive between Alfred Lunt and George Ludwig detailing, sometimes in frustratingly vague terms, various commissions for work at Ten Chimneys. Over a period of many years Ludwig created metal screens, grilles, and lighting fixtures for the estate. George Ludwig is addressed as “Cellini” by Alfred Lunt throughout the correspondence, Benvenuto Cellini being one of the great artistes of the Late Renaissance, responsible for beautiful examples of bronze sculpture and silver decorative objects, making Alfred’s estimation of Ludwig’s abilities clear.  The iron gate’s distinctive design of a repeating diamond and dogwood is, like so many decorative elements at Ten Chimneys, inspired by Alfred Lunt’s love of eighteenth-century Sweden. The gate’s crosshatch, or diamond, pattern interspersed with a stylized dogwood blossom is a motif frequently found in Swedish decorative arts.  According to Alfred Lunt’s niece, he took a book on Swedish architecture from his library to George Ludwig’s studio in Milwaukee to show him an illustration of a gate and asked him to design the courtyard gate at Ten Chimneys after it.     To date the book with a photograph of a historic gate has not been found. However, a book on Swedish architecture surviving in the Ten Chimneys library has an illustration of this wallpaper from Hammarby, the historic house of eighteenth-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. The illustrated wallpaper is exactly our diamond and dogwood pattern – so it is possible the memory was faulty and Alfred brought in a Swedish book with an illustration of wallpaper to George Ludwig. Either way, whether inspired by wallpaper or metal work, the motif was one that caught the imagination of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and, as any visitor to Ten Chimneys can attest, was a design motif repeated throughout the estate in textiles, painting, furniture, and metalwork. George Ludwig’s handiwork has served as a symbol of the Lunts hospitality - standing graciously open to welcome guests to Ten Chimneys for nearly eighty years - as seen in this photo from last fall. 

Ten Chimneys’ “Cellini”: George Ludwig

Ten Chimneys remains a place of discovery. This spring we have been able to attribute the craftsman of the iron gates that grace the entrance courtyard of Ten Chimneys to the Milwaukee metalsmith George Martin Ludwig (1896 – 1965). After years of dedicated sleuthing and thoughtful research George Ludwig’s niece (and Ten Chimneys volunteer) Ann Buck has uncovered many examples of Ludwig’s work both here and throughout the region. A recent donation of an oral history of a niece of the Lunts confirmed our suspicion that George Ludwig created the ironwork gates. Ann’s research into the life of her uncle has allowed us to tell a richer story about the creation of this estate and place a once forgotten Wisconsin craftsman’s work within a larger context. 

Born in Austria, the early years of George Ludwig’s life remain only partially known. He served in the American armed forces during the First World War before moving to Milwaukee in 1920, married, and found employment with Moe-Bridges Company manufacturing lamps and lighting fixtures. In 1927 George Ludwig and Emil Kronquist started their own business called International Art Service Studio before branching off to start his own metalworking business called George Ludwig Wrought Iron and Bronze, based on letterhead and drawings from the company that Ann uncovered. Besides his Ten Chimneys commission in 1939 Ludwig executed numerous commissions for churches, civic buildings, cemeteries, and department stores. 

Numerous letters survive between Alfred Lunt and George Ludwig detailing, sometimes in frustratingly vague terms, various commissions for work at Ten Chimneys. Over a period of many years Ludwig created metal screens, grilles, and lighting fixtures for the estate. George Ludwig is addressed as “Cellini” by Alfred Lunt throughout the correspondence, Benvenuto Cellini being one of the great artistes of the Late Renaissance, responsible for beautiful examples of bronze sculpture and silver decorative objects, making Alfred’s estimation of Ludwig’s abilities clear. 

The iron gate’s distinctive design of a repeating diamond and dogwood is, like so many decorative elements at Ten Chimneys, inspired by Alfred Lunt’s love of eighteenth-century Sweden. The gate’s crosshatch, or diamond, pattern interspersed with a stylized dogwood blossom is a motif frequently found in Swedish decorative arts.  According to Alfred Lunt’s niece, he took a book on Swedish architecture from his library to George Ludwig’s studio in Milwaukee to show him an illustration of a gate and asked him to design the courtyard gate at Ten Chimneys after it.    

To date the book with a photograph of a historic gate has not been found. However, a book on Swedish architecture surviving in the Ten Chimneys library has an illustration of this wallpaper from Hammarby, the historic house of eighteenth-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. The illustrated wallpaper is exactly our diamond and dogwood pattern – so it is possible the memory was faulty and Alfred brought in a Swedish book with an illustration of wallpaper to George Ludwig. Either way, whether inspired by wallpaper or metal work, the motif was one that caught the imagination of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and, as any visitor to Ten Chimneys can attest, was a design motif repeated throughout the estate in textiles, painting, furniture, and metalwork.

George Ludwig’s handiwork has served as a symbol of the Lunts hospitality - standing graciously open to welcome guests to Ten Chimneys for nearly eighty years - as seen in this photo from last fall. 

House Museum Myth: Orpheus

Orpheus, the greatest musician of Greek myth, is a suitable subject for Claggett Wilson to have painted on the Drawing Room piano at Ten Chimneys. The son of the muse of epic poetry, Calliope, and of the god of music and the sun, Apollo, he came by his musical talents honestly. Orpheus’ song charmed wild beasts and tamed the wilderness – even the rocks swayed to his melodies and the wind danced to his tune. His beautiful music had power over the Sirens’ song and even death - his attempted rescue of his wife Eurydice from the underworld has been a frequent subject for art and opera over the centuries.

Claggett Wilson chose Orpheus Taming the Wilderness, a lesser known scene from the life of Orpheus, for the Ten Chimneys piano. Here the musician has gone into self-imposed exile in the wilderness to mourn Eurydice and spurn sensual pleasure for the higher pursuit of his art (and the company of young men, but that’s another story …). Wilson follows classical tradition by depicting Orpheus wearing a Phrygian cap, symbol of the pursuit of liberty, seated on a rock under a tree with wild beasts placidly assembled around his feet.

The piano’s commission was featured in an article in Town and Country magazine c. 1940 with photos of the piano in Wilson’s studio. As the journalist there points out, the subject matter would hardly have comforted a performer with stage fright “as jealous females plot his destruction in the environs.” Orpheus’ playing unwittingly enraged the wild Ciconian Maenads who, unable to hear his music, resented its power. We see them in the background stealthily stalking Orpheus as they prepare to decapitate the poor lad and toss his head into the rive. Tough crowd.

Steinway Company records indicate that this piano (originally a mahogany grand) was manufactured November 30, 1931, and sold June 4, 1932 to Mrs. Harriet D. Bange. On November 23, 1934 the piano was returned for unspecified repairs. It is not known how the Lunts came to own the piano by 1940, the year of the magazine article. Nevertheless, for the past seventy-two years the piano has enjoyed pride of place in the Ten Chimneys Drawing Room where the music of Coward, Gershwin, Porter and Berlin has delighted generations of guests. This musical tradition continues today with our Music in the Drawing Room program. Once again the piano plays and the music tames the wilderness – though we can guarantee a more appreciative audience than Orpheus enjoyed.

William Saroyan In The Time of Your Life In the time of your life, live—so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed. Place in matter and in flesh the least of the values, for these are the things that hold death and must pass away. Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond corruption. Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been driven into secrecy and sorrow by the shame and terror of the world … Be the inferior of no man, or of any men be superior. Remember that every man is a variation of yourself. No man’s guilt is not yours, nor is any man’s innocence a thing apart. Despise evil and ungodliness, but not men of ungodliness or evil. These, understand … In the time of your life, live—so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.

William Saroyan

In The Time of Your Life

In the time of your life, live—so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed.

Place in matter and in flesh the least of the values, for these are the things that hold death and must pass away. Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond corruption. Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been driven into secrecy and sorrow by the shame and terror of the world …

Be the inferior of no man, or of any men be superior. Remember that every man is a variation of yourself. No man’s guilt is not yours, nor is any man’s innocence a thing apart. Despise evil and ungodliness, but not men of ungodliness or evil. These, understand …

In the time of your life, live—so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.

Ca’ d’Zan’s Ron McCarty: An Interview Ron McCarty has been a member of the Curatorial Department at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art for the last 30 years. He is the Curator and Keeper of Ca’d’Zan, the 36,000 square-foot historic Venetian-Gothic mansion seated on Sarasota Bay. He worked on the $18 million dollar restoration of the Ringling Art Museum in the early 1990’s, before moving on to supervise and coordinate major aspects of the $16 million dollar restoration of Ca’d’Zan, working with construction companies, preservation architects, and skilled artists over the seven years to return the historic 56 room mansion to its original 1926 splendor. As curator, he is charged with all aspects of the historic mansion including the restoration and maintenance of the structure and the research, display, and care of all the Ca’d’Zan furniture and objects. Ron serves on the Advisory Board of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Florida State University, coordinating a summer program for the Department of Interior Design held at the Ca’d’Zan each year. Recent publications include contributions to Gothic Art in the Gilded Age and the introduction to The Work of Dwight James Baum, a monograph on the architect of Ca d’Zan published by Acanthus Press. Knowing these demands on his time and talent I was especially honored that he took time to provide a moving tour of the property for a friend and me and agreed to be featured in this series of house museum stewardship interviews.  What brought John and Mable Ringling to Sarasota?  John and Mable were visiting friends that were developing Sarasota. They came in 1909 and were offered property many times to get them interested in a winter home. Ralph Caples was with the New York Central Railway line and had been friendly with the Ringling’s back in New York City where John and Mable had their full time residence at 636 Fifth Avenue, now Rockefeller Center.  They fell in love with the nature and the undeveloped landscape. Only 840 people lived in Sarasota the year they moved to Sarasota in 1911. John’s other friend in Sarasota was Charles Thompson who had managed a circus so they related to many things. A few years later John became the largest landowner in Sarasota as he developed the Barrier Islands. A striking feature of Ca’ d’Zan is the extensive murals throughout the interior - I especially enjoy the ballroom ceiling – how did these mural commissions come about? Robert Webb Jr. was the principle artist of Ca’d’Zan and managed all the artists the Ringling’s brought over from Europe to do the detailed plaster decorations and marble work on the interior.  Webb painted the Pecky Cypress Court Ceiling, the Foyer ceiling, the Formal Dining Room Ceiling, the Solarium Ceiling along with the walls in Mable Ringling Bedroom and a cloud covered ceiling that Webb later removed after John Ringling passed away.  Willy Pogany is the artist that painted the Dancers of Nations Ceiling in the Ballroom.  It is one of the most fun filled explosions of color and movement in the house. Twenty-two vignettes were painting in Pogany’s New York City studio and installed in 1926 along with the shaped canvas of the third floor that depicts Carnival in Venice.  This room size canvas has an intimate portrait of the Ringlings with all of Mable’s pets. Willy Pogany was introduced to the Ringling’s by Florenz Ziegfeld and Billie Burke, two dear friends that have stayed in Ca’d’Zan.  Willy Pogany worked for Hearst and even in Hollywood as the Art Director for films such as The Mummy. Mable really controlled all aspects of what was chosen for the house and acted as the general contractor. The bedrooms suites are some of the most strikingly furnished and comfortably outfitted rooms in the house –what might this tell us about the Ringling’s intentions for Ca’ d’Zan? The master chambers both have outstanding furnishings that command attention. Anton Kreiger made John Ringling suite in a flame mahogany with solid gilt-bronze mounts. An enormous centerpiece sits atop the cylinder front desk by Thomire and matches the decorative theme perfectly. A massive clock rests atop a large chest that depicts the Sleeping Cleopatra. In Mable Ringling’s private chambers, she picked a fantastic Francoise Linke suite with marquetry of a wonderful botanical theme as she has for most of the rooms throughout the mansion. The kingwood and satinwood ground is detailed in rosewood and tulipwood inlays ornamented with gilt-bronze mounts. Other bedrooms throughout the house feature Italian furniture from Venice and Tuscany. I was startled by the unbridled hostility toward Ca d’Zan in the essay on the house in architectural historian James Maher’s book Twilight of Splendor – what do account for this negativity? The publication “The Twilight of Splendor” was written at a time that no one had done any real research on the Ringling family or their collections. I was very upset reading such a negative chapter from an author that I respected. I am not sure why he would include a section on a house that he clearly dislikes. Why not focus on something positive. Everyone has a right to express themselves, but after all these years of caring and loving for this collection - it made me very sad. The house’s spectacular setting on Sarasota Bay must result in some spectacular maintenance headaches?  Ca’d’Zan is the first and most important Gilded Age mansion on the west coast of Florida. It was created by the Ringlings to show what was possible with an upper-scale estate for his Ringling Isles development. He was also developing a Ritz-Carlton, Mediterranean housing, public parks and golf courses. The maintenance on Ca’d’Zan is extensive, with a program in place for annual tuck-pointing and the painting of the steel window frames. The majority of the exterior is covered with thousands of terra cotta tiles attached to the stucco surface. It is a nightmare to do the pointing because of the five-story levels that require a 90’ boom to access. The museum is closed only for Thanksgivings Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day so I must work around all aspects of a functioning campus and not disturb the daily tours. The heavy storms of summer are another issue with the house having been built on the very edge of Sarasota Bay It is situated much like the Grand Canal in Venice. Plus, I have a total of 180 windows to keep dry and painted before rust forms. The 13,000 feet of exotic European marble used on the terrace of the west facade has yearly replacement as well. The complex has around 360,000 visitors per year plus all the weddings and events around the house and the Ringling Art Museum weekly.  What were the challenges of converting a house museum to a movie set when Ca d’Zan was transformed into Miss Havisham’s house in the 1998 adaptation of Great Expectations?   When 20th Century Fox came in 1995 to film Great Expectations, the mansion was in very poor condition. The terra cotta was broken in hundreds of locations around the exterior. The balustrade was completely destroyed in many areas on the back terrace. The swimming pool was filled in to make a flower bed. The interior’s silk wall coverings mounted in the ballroom had torn sections hanging. The wooden ceiling in the court was much stained from water damages. This was not the movie set; it was the way the museum looked at the time. The film crew painted the exterior with a very dirty colored paint to give a mildewed look. The furniture went to Orlando to an off-site storage - so the house was prepared for beginning the restoration after the filming was completed. Most of the stars were delightful. It was a fun film to feature Ca’d’Zan. I very much enjoyed working with the director and set designers. We have had many other television specials done at this location with the pilot to America’s Castles using Ca’d’Zan along with Biltmore and Marble House. Recently we were on Great Performances on PBS with Jackie Evancho and David Foster’s “Dream With Me”. She was the number one album in the world with this televised special, and has had six million people watch the program featuring all the historic buildings on the museum’s grounds. Jennifer Lopez just finished another film shot at Ca’d’Zan, with Jason Statham called “Parker”. The film is an action adventure about a jewelry heist that takes place in the court of Ca’d’Zan.  This was very difficult film to shot with the mansion restored back to it’s 1926 glory, and displayed with all the period items for tours. We did close for four days for the filming and I do hope it will show the real unique beauty of Ca’d’Zan for all those who may not ever travel to Florida. I will give one tip for those that find themselves in this situation working with film crews. Make sure that every detail is in writing, every detail, do not leave anything undiscussed, and make sure several people are involved to ask all the questions you can. Directors make lots of creative changes in mid-stream and it is very hard to stop if it is not in writing. I am not being negative, just you learn from situations. I must say I love working with film companies. Thirty years is an impressive legacy as steward of this remarkable house – what has been the greatest benefit of this longevity? I must say I have loved working at the Ringling all the years and knowing I have devoted every breath to this wonderful institution. I feel such a connection here. I know that part of that inspiration comes from falling in love with the story of the Ringlings. Their dream of expansion of Sarasota, and the creation of a world class resort, and the quality of the master paintings in the art museum they founded. I also have a real passion for Mable Ringling. She was designing this grand home with architect Dwight James Baum, creating a lasting legacy. Then she and John expanded their vision to the creation of a magnificent art museum. She worked with the architects while John Ringling was building his empire making millions. She was a gardener and helped beautify the community through her Garden Clubs. She loved nature and I very much relate to that and have been a botanical painter myself for forty years. She is a lovely woman and I hope to tell her story with every opportunity I get. What is your next dream project for Ca d’Zan? My goal now is focused always on keeping the structure as perfect as possible. The Aeolian Duo-Art Organ is a fantastic instrument that needs a full restoration. It was commissioned in 1925 at a cost of $25,000.00 The 2,289 pipes are waiting in storage for the day that we can have it back in working-order for live concerts in the Court. I think it can be a wonderful opportunity for the Florida State University to have the school of Music offer recitals. I am planning to have a device that will allow tour guides a way to push a button and play the organ for each tour for one minute. I also want to restore the marble swimming pool into a reflecting pool. All big dreams and I hope I can see them accomplished during my years at the Ringling.

Ca’ d’Zan’s Ron McCarty: An Interview

Ron McCarty has been a member of the Curatorial Department at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art for the last 30 years. He is the Curator and Keeper of Ca’d’Zan, the 36,000 square-foot historic Venetian-Gothic mansion seated on Sarasota Bay. He worked on the $18 million dollar restoration of the Ringling Art Museum in the early 1990’s, before moving on to supervise and coordinate major aspects of the $16 million dollar restoration of Ca’d’Zan, working with construction companies, preservation architects, and skilled artists over the seven years to return the historic 56 room mansion to its original 1926 splendor. As curator, he is charged with all aspects of the historic mansion including the restoration and maintenance of the structure and the research, display, and care of all the Ca’d’Zan furniture and objects. Ron serves on the Advisory Board of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Florida State University, coordinating a summer program for the Department of Interior Design held at the Ca’d’Zan each year. Recent publications include contributions to Gothic Art in the Gilded Age and the introduction to The Work of Dwight James Baum, a monograph on the architect of Ca d’Zan published by Acanthus Press. Knowing these demands on his time and talent I was especially honored that he took time to provide a moving tour of the property for a friend and me and agreed to be featured in this series of house museum stewardship interviews. 

What brought John and Mable Ringling to Sarasota? 

John and Mable were visiting friends that were developing Sarasota. They came in 1909 and were offered property many times to get them interested in a winter home. Ralph Caples was with the New York Central Railway line and had been friendly with the Ringling’s back in New York City where John and Mable had their full time residence at 636 Fifth Avenue, now Rockefeller Center.  They fell in love with the nature and the undeveloped landscape. Only 840 people lived in Sarasota the year they moved to Sarasota in 1911. John’s other friend in Sarasota was Charles Thompson who had managed a circus so they related to many things. A few years later John became the largest landowner in Sarasota as he developed the Barrier Islands.

A striking feature of Ca’ d’Zan is the extensive murals throughout the interior - I especially enjoy the ballroom ceiling – how did these mural commissions come about?

Robert Webb Jr. was the principle artist of Ca’d’Zan and managed all the artists the Ringling’s brought over from Europe to do the detailed plaster decorations and marble work on the interior.  Webb painted the Pecky Cypress Court Ceiling, the Foyer ceiling, the Formal Dining Room Ceiling, the Solarium Ceiling along with the walls in Mable Ringling Bedroom and a cloud covered ceiling that Webb later removed after John Ringling passed away.  Willy Pogany is the artist that painted the Dancers of Nations Ceiling in the Ballroom.  It is one of the most fun filled explosions of color and movement in the house. Twenty-two vignettes were painting in Pogany’s New York City studio and installed in 1926 along with the shaped canvas of the third floor that depicts Carnival in Venice.  This room size canvas has an intimate portrait of the Ringlings with all of Mable’s pets. Willy Pogany was introduced to the Ringling’s by Florenz Ziegfeld and Billie Burke, two dear friends that have stayed in Ca’d’Zan.  Willy Pogany worked for Hearst and even in Hollywood as the Art Director for films such as The Mummy. Mable really controlled all aspects of what was chosen for the house and acted as the general contractor.

The bedrooms suites are some of the most strikingly furnished and comfortably outfitted rooms in the house –what might this tell us about the Ringling’s intentions for Ca’ d’Zan?

The master chambers both have outstanding furnishings that command attention. Anton Kreiger made John Ringling suite in a flame mahogany with solid gilt-bronze mounts. An enormous centerpiece sits atop the cylinder front desk by Thomire and matches the decorative theme perfectly. A massive clock rests atop a large chest that depicts the Sleeping Cleopatra. In Mable Ringling’s private chambers, she picked a fantastic Francoise Linke suite with marquetry of a wonderful botanical theme as she has for most of the rooms throughout the mansion. The kingwood and satinwood ground is detailed in rosewood and tulipwood inlays ornamented with gilt-bronze mounts. Other bedrooms throughout the house feature Italian furniture from Venice and Tuscany.

I was startled by the unbridled hostility toward Ca d’Zan in the essay on the house in architectural historian James Maher’s book Twilight of Splendor – what do account for this negativity?

The publication “The Twilight of Splendor” was written at a time that no one had done any real research on the Ringling family or their collections. I was very upset reading such a negative chapter from an author that I respected. I am not sure why he would include a section on a house that he clearly dislikes. Why not focus on something positive. Everyone has a right to express themselves, but after all these years of caring and loving for this collection - it made me very sad.

The house’s spectacular setting on Sarasota Bay must result in some spectacular maintenance headaches? 

Ca’d’Zan is the first and most important Gilded Age mansion on the west coast of Florida. It was created by the Ringlings to show what was possible with an upper-scale estate for his Ringling Isles development. He was also developing a Ritz-Carlton, Mediterranean housing, public parks and golf courses. The maintenance on Ca’d’Zan is extensive, with a program in place for annual tuck-pointing and the painting of the steel window frames. The majority of the exterior is covered with thousands of terra cotta tiles attached to the stucco surface. It is a nightmare to do the pointing because of the five-story levels that require a 90’ boom to access. The museum is closed only for Thanksgivings Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day so I must work around all aspects of a functioning campus and not disturb the daily tours. The heavy storms of summer are another issue with the house having been built on the very edge of Sarasota Bay It is situated much like the Grand Canal in Venice. Plus, I have a total of 180 windows to keep dry and painted before rust forms. The 13,000 feet of exotic European marble used on the terrace of the west facade has yearly replacement as well. The complex has around 360,000 visitors per year plus all the weddings and events around the house and the Ringling Art Museum weekly. 

What were the challenges of converting a house museum to a movie set when Ca d’Zan was transformed into Miss Havisham’s house in the 1998 adaptation of Great Expectations?  

When 20th Century Fox came in 1995 to film Great Expectations, the mansion was in very poor condition. The terra cotta was broken in hundreds of locations around the exterior. The balustrade was completely destroyed in many areas on the back terrace. The swimming pool was filled in to make a flower bed. The interior’s silk wall coverings mounted in the ballroom had torn sections hanging. The wooden ceiling in the court was much stained from water damages. This was not the movie set; it was the way the museum looked at the time. The film crew painted the exterior with a very dirty colored paint to give a mildewed look. The furniture went to Orlando to an off-site storage - so the house was prepared for beginning the restoration after the filming was completed. Most of the stars were delightful. It was a fun film to feature Ca’d’Zan. I very much enjoyed working with the director and set designers. We have had many other television specials done at this location with the pilot to America’s Castles using Ca’d’Zan along with Biltmore and Marble House. Recently we were on Great Performances on PBS with Jackie Evancho and David Foster’s “Dream With Me”. She was the number one album in the world with this televised special, and has had six million people watch the program featuring all the historic buildings on the museum’s grounds. Jennifer Lopez just finished another film shot at Ca’d’Zan, with Jason Statham called “Parker”. The film is an action adventure about a jewelry heist that takes place in the court of Ca’d’Zan.  This was very difficult film to shot with the mansion restored back to it’s 1926 glory, and displayed with all the period items for tours. We did close for four days for the filming and I do hope it will show the real unique beauty of Ca’d’Zan for all those who may not ever travel to Florida. I will give one tip for those that find themselves in this situation working with film crews. Make sure that every detail is in writing, every detail, do not leave anything undiscussed, and make sure several people are involved to ask all the questions you can. Directors make lots of creative changes in mid-stream and it is very hard to stop if it is not in writing. I am not being negative, just you learn from situations. I must say I love working with film companies.

Thirty years is an impressive legacy as steward of this remarkable house – what has been the greatest benefit of this longevity?

I must say I have loved working at the Ringling all the years and knowing I have devoted every breath to this wonderful institution. I feel such a connection here. I know that part of that inspiration comes from falling in love with the story of the Ringlings. Their dream of expansion of Sarasota, and the creation of a world class resort, and the quality of the master paintings in the art museum they founded. I also have a real passion for Mable Ringling. She was designing this grand home with architect Dwight James Baum, creating a lasting legacy. Then she and John expanded their vision to the creation of a magnificent art museum. She worked with the architects while John Ringling was building his empire making millions. She was a gardener and helped beautify the community through her Garden Clubs. She loved nature and I very much relate to that and have been a botanical painter myself for forty years. She is a lovely woman and I hope to tell her story with every opportunity I get.

What is your next dream project for Ca d’Zan?

My goal now is focused always on keeping the structure as perfect as possible. The Aeolian Duo-Art Organ is a fantastic instrument that needs a full restoration. It was commissioned in 1925 at a cost of $25,000.00 The 2,289 pipes are waiting in storage for the day that we can have it back in working-order for live concerts in the Court. I think it can be a wonderful opportunity for the Florida State University to have the school of Music offer recitals. I am planning to have a device that will allow tour guides a way to push a button and play the organ for each tour for one minute. I also want to restore the marble swimming pool into a reflecting pool. All big dreams and I hope I can see them accomplished during my years at the Ringling.

Terrace Room Refinement: Part two

Brassy Number

It is always a thrill when a house museum is able to return an original object to a historic interior and to be able to shed light on an object once overlooked or neglected.  To make this happen house museum curators often have to convince boards to part with money or a donor to part with a beloved family heirloom. But sometimes this rare occurrence is achieved by looking in that box on that top shelf in that closet …   

The original brass medallion tiebacks for the curtain valances were installed this week in the Terrace Room. The image above shows the “new” original tieback on the left and the “old” replacement tieback on the right. The originals over-sized scale, burnished patina, and fine detailing are remarkable and more in keeping with the general atmosphere of the Main House. 

Where then, you may ask, were they? Two weeks ago the preservation volunteers working on an inventory of the collection discovered them in a box in the cloak closet.  From what has been pieced together it appears the original tiebacks were removed by the curator for accessioning and in preparation for the extensive restoration efforts in the Terrace Room, including the removal and reinstallation of the stone floor, and the rebuilding of the interior walls in order to install heating and air-conditioning systems. The metal work was labeled and gently wrapped in tissue and placed in a box. The box, there being no collection storage at the time, was placed on a high shelf in the cloak closet. From 1999 until February of 2003 (when the reproduction textiles were installed), there had been much movement of collection items during the restoration as HVAC systems were installed, plaster repaired, and carpets replaced, and the original tiebacks were considered lost and replacements were ordered.

 

Well, I guess it is true – everything old, is new again.