Washington, DC - part 2

A beautiful sunny day found us making the trip to Hillwood, former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post Cereal dynasty. It's a spectacular home and garden filled with treasures. Post was a Russophile and her collection of Russian Imperial china, furniture, and objets d'art is peerless. Among the many items on display are two Faberge eggs.

Another precious object was this egg-shaped basket by Faberge, made of gold, rose quartz, diamonds, emerald and pearl. I love the snake heads biting the pearl.

Each of the rooms is spectacular and opulent; even the little breakfast nook was a tiny treasure.

One of my favorites was the dining room which was set up for an intimate dinner for 12.

By the window, one of the leaves of the table is on display. Made in Italy, it was made of marble, lapis lazuli, jasper, alabaster, chalcedony, seashell and gabbro.

I can't even imagine how amazing the sight of the whole table would have been but for the white tablecloth. We took issue with the plain white tablecloth, wondering why there wasn't at least one of damask or lace on the table. I can't imagine Marjorie would have approved.

The pavilion, used for entertaining, is filled with largely Russian objects. It's grand on a scale that's better suited for a palace, but I suppose that the Post empire was the American equivalent of the aristocracy.

During the 1930's, Russia, under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, started selling off objects that had belonged to the Romanov family. Many of these items were acquired by Post and her third husband, Joseph E. Davies, US Ambassador to the Soviet Union.

The entry foyer features a grand staircase that leads to the second floor and the bedrooms.

Among the many things on display upstairs is a small sample of her jewels.

One room upstairs is devoted to Post's collection of iconography and items associated with the Russian Orthodox church.

After a while it all becomes a bit much and I found myself suffering from sensory overload.

Hillwood was just one of Post's homes. She had a "rustic retreat" in the Adirondacks, an estate on Long Island, also called Hillwood, and a Palm Beach estate that's been in the news lately, Mar-a-Lago. It had originally been willed to the US federal government to be used as a retreat for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries but congress repealed the acceptance of the estate and the Post Foundation sold it to its current owner. P0st also had a yacht called the Sea Cloud which, when it was built in 1931, was the largest sea-going yacht in the world.

The grounds of Hillwood include a series of greenhouses which house a magnificent collection of orchids and other exotics.

There are cutting gardens, vast swaths of lawn and even a Japanese water garden.

What a treat that the weather cooperated and we were able to enjoy such a lovely day.

The next day we were off to the Phillips Collection. The Phillips is huge and has a vast collection that focuses on impressionistic and modern art. The feature exhibit when we visited was of Alphonse Mucha. Mucha was probably the first artist I remember from my (misspent) youth. His illustration for JOB cigarette papers was ubiquitous. He got his big break, however, when Sarah Bernhardt hired him to design the posters for her theatrical performances. I saw some of these last year in Bath at the Victoria Art Gallery.

Mucha criticized "art for art's sake" choosing, instead, to pursue commercial assignments which allowed him to introduce artistic themes inherent in nature. the harmonious working of the universe is reflected here in the 12 signs of the zodiac, featured in a circular band with decorative motifs. (Apologies for the reflection of the exit sign.)

His art influenced 1960s and 70s design for albums and concert posters

and continues to influence manga.

We visited the Rothko room (no photographs allowed) then spent some time with the Impressionists. Van Gogh:

Renoir:

Next we headed off to another wing that held works that defied easy categorization.

Lunch Counter by Isabel bishop (1940):

The Painter at His Easel by Honore Daumier, 1870:

Clown Making Up by John Sloan 1910:

On the way out I saw this painting, Moonlit Cove, by Albert Pinkham Ryder, an artist from the city where I was born, New Bedford, Massachusetts.

From the Phillips we went to The Diplomate, a French bistro that Google describes as "old fashioned" by which I would rather call "classic".

The food was excellent and the service attentive. It was a delightful bit of Gallic charm in the 14th Street corridor.

On the way home, we stopped at the Old Ebbitt Grill so that Bruce could add this classic pub to his blog. https://www.pubswithbruce.com/post/old-ebbitt-grill

It's always such a pleasure to visit my dear, dear friends and I look forward to going back next year.