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Ralph Seymour, Miniature Diorama of John Gellatly Collection, ca. 1924-1929, wood, fabric, glass, and other materials, open: 11 7⁄8 in. × 12 1⁄4 in. × 6 in. (30.2 × 31.1 × 15.2 cm); closed: 11 7⁄8 in. × 6 1⁄4 in. × 6 1⁄4 in. (30.2 × 15.9 × 15.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.530
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Miniature Diorama of John Gellatly Collection
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1924-1929
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- open: 11 7⁄8 in. × 12 1⁄4 in. × 6 in. (30.2 × 31.1 × 15.2 cm); closed: 11 7⁄8 in. × 6 1⁄4 in. × 6 1⁄4 in. (30.2 × 15.9 × 15.9 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of John Gellatly
- Mediums Description
- wood, fabric, glass, and other materials
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Object — art object — painting
- Object Number
- 1929.8.530
Artwork Description
This diorama re-creates in miniature a few elements from the diverse art collection of John Gellatly, an early benefactor to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1929 Gellatly donated more than 1,600 works to support the growing national art collections in Washington, D.C., including paintings, antiquities, and Venetian glass. This velvet-covered case with folding doors was made by his personal curator and butler, Ralph Seymour, and it depicts the collector's "favorite corner" with tiny replicas of a painting by Abbott Thayer and a large wooden desk covered in specimens of glass.
Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.
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