Meditations on Gallery 556
European Decorative Arts and Sculpture from 1850-1900. This wonderful French Art Deco fireplace surround caught my eye immediately when I entered the gallery. It's made of glazed stoneware ceramic that is supposed to be very durable and fire proof. The swirls cast you into a dream like state and the colors are vivid. The face of the mask in the central medallion are mesmerizing. I began to imagine the kind of dwelling in which such a fireplace would have been housed. Surely a castle like structure, not an ordinary house. It would take a huge room to display it adequately. It would have to have been placed at one end of room that you entered from the other end so its magnificence could be seen at first glance. It would have dominated any room. Although the stately rooms of this period did not contain a lot comfy furniture I can still imagine sitting before a blazing fire on a cold night and sipping a cup of China tea or a glass of re...