Vanderbilt Mantelpiece

Augustus Saint-Gaudens American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 700

This mantelpiece originally dominated the entrance hall of the residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II on Fifth Avenue at 57th Street (demolished 1925-27). Working for the architect George B. Post, the artist John La Farge (1835-1910) created a lavish decorative program, to which Saint-Gaudens contributed many of the sculptural elements. Two classical caryatids, Amor (Love) and Pax (Peace), support the expansive entablature with bowed heads and upraised arms. The overmantel mosaic depicts a classically dressed woman holding a garland. The Latin phrase of hospitality flanking her head may be translated as “the house at its threshold gives evidence of the master’s good will. Welcome to the guest who arrives; farewell and helpfulness to him who departs.”

#3835. Vanderbilt Mantelpiece

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Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire), Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American

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Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire), Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire), Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire), Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American
Vanderbilt Mantelpiece, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire), Marble, mosaic, oak, and cast iron, American

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