Hanging Lantern, from the Hallway of the Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena, California
- Designer
- Charles Sumner Greene, American, 1868–1957,
Henry Mather Greene, American, 1870–1954 - Maker
- Peter Hall Manufacturing Company, Pasadena, California, 1906–1918,
glass made by Emil Lange, American, 1866–1934 - Date
- c.1908–9
- Material
- Teak, leaded glass, and ebony, with copper and silver inlay, and replacement leather straps
- made in
- Pasadena, California, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Furniture, glassware, lighting
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 129
- Dimensions
- 29 x 18 x 18 in. (73.7 x 45.7 x 45.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund and funds given by the Marjorie Wyman Endowment Fund, the Joseph H. and Elizabeth E. Bascom Trust, the Richard Brumbaugh Trust in memory of Richard Irving Brumbaugh and Grace Lischer Brumbaugh, an anonymous donor, and the Allen P. and Josephine B. Green Foundation
- Rights
- © Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene
- Object Number
- 61:2001
NOTES
This hanging lantern is one of six made for the main hall of the Robert R. Blacker residence in Pasadena, California, one of the "ultimate bungalows" that the brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene designed for affluent clients. The architects worked closely with the craftsmen Emil Lange, a glass artisan, and Peter Hall, who built the lantern's teak housing. The wavy cloudscape and birds in the glass panels provide a contrast with the rectilinear form of the Blacker residence, while the amber iridescent glass would cast a warm glow consistent with the golden palette of the house's interior. The lantern's canopy mimics the building's broad, overhanging roof. The virtuoso craftsmanship of its modeled hood, Asian motifs, leaded glass, ebony plugs, copper and silver inlays, and exotic wood are all decorative elements that distinguish the Greene brothers' designs within the American Arts and Crafts movement.
Provenance
c.1908 - 1946
Robert R. Blacker and family, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, commissioned from Charles and Henry Greene [1]
c.1947 - c.1950
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Bockelmann, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, purchased residence and furnishings [2]
c.1950 - 1985
Max Hill (d.1980) and Margery Hill, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, purchased residence and furnishings
1985 -
Barton English, Stonewall, TX, and Michael Carey, NY (owned jointly), purchased residence and furnishings from Margery Hill [3]
1995
Geoffrey Diner Gallery (Geoffrey Diner), Washington, D.C. [4]
1996 -
Private Collection, San Francisco, CA, purchased from Geoffrey Diner Gallery [5]
- 2001
Barry Friedman, Ltd., New York, NY, purchased from private collector
2001 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Barry Friedman, Ltd. [6]
Notes:
This lantern is one of a pair; the second lantern (62:2001) shares the same provenance.
[1] Robert R. Blacker commissioned the Greenes to design the residence and furnishings, various outbuildings, and the gardens for 1177 Hillcrest in Pasadena, CA. The 5.1 acres, buildings, and furnishings remained intact until the death of Nellie Blacker, the last Blacker family member, in 1946 [Makinson, Randall L. "Greene & Greene: The Blacker House." Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2000].
[2] According to Makinson (see note [1]), in 1947 the property was divided and some of the outbuildings were sold along with the smaller parcels of the property. A series of probably three owners purchased the main residence in the period between 1947 and c.1950, including C. O. Bockelmann.
[3] The original lighting devices remained in the main residence throughout the Hills' ownership [Giovannini, Joseph. "Controversy Over the Stripping of a Historical Pasadena House." "New York Times." (June 6, 1985): 21]. Barton English, a collector, and Michael Carey, an art dealer, formed a partnership to purchase the Blacker House from Margery Hill. They removed the approximately fifty original decorative lighting devices and either sold or donated them to various U.S. museums, before selling the residence in 1988 [Walters, Jonathan. "Stripped of Dignity: Historic Pasadena House to be Sold in Pieces." "The Washington Post." (June 6, 1985): B2; Pastier, John. "Stripping of Greene & Greene House by New Owner Protested." "Architecture." vol. 74 (August 1985): 116].
[4] The invoice from Barry Friedman, Ltd. lists provenance information and includes Washington, D.C. art dealer Geoffrey Diner and the private anonymous collector from whom Barry Friedman purchased the lanterns. Exact dates of the transactions are not noted [Barry Friedman invoice, dated May 25, 2001, SLAM document files]. It is not known from whom or when Geoffrey Diner acquired the lanterns.
[5] See note [4].
[6] Invoice dated May 25, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, December 4, 2001.
Robert R. Blacker and family, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, commissioned from Charles and Henry Greene [1]
c.1947 - c.1950
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Bockelmann, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, purchased residence and furnishings [2]
c.1950 - 1985
Max Hill (d.1980) and Margery Hill, Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest, Pasadena, CA, purchased residence and furnishings
1985 -
Barton English, Stonewall, TX, and Michael Carey, NY (owned jointly), purchased residence and furnishings from Margery Hill [3]
1995
Geoffrey Diner Gallery (Geoffrey Diner), Washington, D.C. [4]
1996 -
Private Collection, San Francisco, CA, purchased from Geoffrey Diner Gallery [5]
- 2001
Barry Friedman, Ltd., New York, NY, purchased from private collector
2001 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Barry Friedman, Ltd. [6]
Notes:
This lantern is one of a pair; the second lantern (62:2001) shares the same provenance.
[1] Robert R. Blacker commissioned the Greenes to design the residence and furnishings, various outbuildings, and the gardens for 1177 Hillcrest in Pasadena, CA. The 5.1 acres, buildings, and furnishings remained intact until the death of Nellie Blacker, the last Blacker family member, in 1946 [Makinson, Randall L. "Greene & Greene: The Blacker House." Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2000].
[2] According to Makinson (see note [1]), in 1947 the property was divided and some of the outbuildings were sold along with the smaller parcels of the property. A series of probably three owners purchased the main residence in the period between 1947 and c.1950, including C. O. Bockelmann.
[3] The original lighting devices remained in the main residence throughout the Hills' ownership [Giovannini, Joseph. "Controversy Over the Stripping of a Historical Pasadena House." "New York Times." (June 6, 1985): 21]. Barton English, a collector, and Michael Carey, an art dealer, formed a partnership to purchase the Blacker House from Margery Hill. They removed the approximately fifty original decorative lighting devices and either sold or donated them to various U.S. museums, before selling the residence in 1988 [Walters, Jonathan. "Stripped of Dignity: Historic Pasadena House to be Sold in Pieces." "The Washington Post." (June 6, 1985): B2; Pastier, John. "Stripping of Greene & Greene House by New Owner Protested." "Architecture." vol. 74 (August 1985): 116].
[4] The invoice from Barry Friedman, Ltd. lists provenance information and includes Washington, D.C. art dealer Geoffrey Diner and the private anonymous collector from whom Barry Friedman purchased the lanterns. Exact dates of the transactions are not noted [Barry Friedman invoice, dated May 25, 2001, SLAM document files]. It is not known from whom or when Geoffrey Diner acquired the lanterns.
[5] See note [4].
[6] Invoice dated May 25, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, December 4, 2001.