http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/arts/design/at-lord-taylor-a-peek-at-bygone-ceramic-splendors.html 2014-12-05 00:55:02 At Lord & Taylor, a Peek at Bygone Ceramic Splendors A historian has uncovered the tantalizing remains of ornate ceramics that graced a balconied boutique and stairway in Lord & Taylor’s glory days. === A ceramics historian has discovered traces of the work of a major terra cotta manufacturer from the 1910s at Lord & Taylor’s flagship store in Manhattan. The remnants had been part of a balconied boutique devoted to plants and cut flowers, said the historian, “Probably under there is all Rookwood,” Mr. Padwee said during a recent tour, gesturing toward a plaster-encased ceramic railing in a stairwell leading to the boutique at the rear end of the ground floor. In a nearby corridor, some thickly painted-over Rookwood panels are molded with owls, quails, eagles, fruit, dragons and cupids. Both the corridor and former boutique space are now used for storage. “Anything could be buried in there,” he said of the area, picking his way past empty racks and stacked cardboard boxes in the hallway. The paint on the panels is chipped in a few places, but only more white paint, and not Rookwood’s signature bright glazes, is visible underneath. Mr. Padwee could find no sign of the space’s spectacular Rookwood fountain, which he had seen in period photos; designed by the Cincinnati sculptor Clement J. Barnhorn, it depicted a satyr and a nymph under a grape arbor. (The Cincinnati Art Museum owns a similar The stone and metal staircase leading up from the ground floor to the onetime flower shop does survive. At the bottom, an original newel post in the form of a satyr wearing a leaf-and-berry crown has been lurking behind some displays of lipstick and nail polish. Lord & Taylor had previously used the balcony space as a hair salon and a fur boutique. A store spokeswoman said there were no plans to renovate it or further investigate the Rookwood trail. When I showed 1910s photographs of the interior to some salespeople and explained where fragments were hidden, one replied, “It’s a shame they don’t use these stairs.” Another said, with a sigh, “I can’t imagine how beautiful it was at the beginning.” When the Lord & Taylor store Early next year, Mr. Padwee plans to post an article about the store’s ceramics at his website, Institutions have been acquiring related material on a grand scale. The Saint Louis Art Museum has recreated a 1910s In 2012 the foundation paid $637,500 at a Mr. Ciccarello wrote in an email that if Lord & Taylor were willing, “We would love to have the opportunity to view the Rookwood pieces for a possible acquisition.” An 1880s terra cotta frieze of ancient Roman warriors, taken from a Chicago townhouse’s dining room, has been installed at an architectural artifacts gallery that opened on Monday at the FEDERALIST DETAIL RESTORED An approximation of the décor that surrounded George Washington on Dec. 23, 1783, when he resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army, is expected to open to the public early next year. (A date has yet to be set.) Teams of experts have restored or recreated wall and ceiling ornaments and furniture for the The chamber, built in the 1770s, became a meeting place for the Continental Congress a decade later and has gone through several overhauls over the years. All of its original details, except for two columns and a niche flanked by pilasters, were destroyed during an 1870s renovation that restoration experts sometimes refer to as “the desecration.” Alexander Lourie, a curator at the Maryland State Archives, said in an interview that early preservationists protested the 1870s demolition and tried to save building parts that were from the 1770s. “There was such an outcry,” he said. The researchers scrutinized images predating the 1870s, as well as nail holes and 1890s photos of salvaged chunks to determine how the room was originally configured. Some new armchairs will be modeled after an 18th-century mahogany antique with undulating back slats that belonged to William Paca, a Maryland governor. His portrait will be displayed alongside paintings, furniture and weapons from various members of Washington’s circle. For the resignation speech, the chamber’s balcony was set aside for female spectators, above a floor crowded with wigged men. Molly Ridout, a wealthy Maryland landowner who attended, Researchers have been “We’re looking to have that ‘wow’ moment at the grand opening,” he said.