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Learn about three Corinthian Hall artifacts in need
of conservation in our Adopt-an-Artifact program
Three artifacts in thecollection of Corinthian Hall grand salon furnishings have been selected by Museum staff as candidates for conservation, supported by the Friends organization. This pair of console tables are significant pieces in the collection and needs substantial work to preserve its integrity.
We appreciate your interest in this valuable work, and invite you to make a tax-deductible gift to support the conservation of this piece in the Corinthian Hall furnishings collection of the Kansas City Museum.
Made of wood with gilded accents
(1963.244.1.a,b)
The two elegant console tables (one is pictured) are actual 18th century antiques. They date from 1765-1780 and are of either French or German origin. These twin pieces, which feature elaborate carved designs with gilded bases and legs, are very similar to the two tables which were in the salon of Corinthian Hall originally.
The console tables which have been used in that room in recent years were purchased and donated by the American Institute of Decorators when they "renovated" the salon into the "Gold Room" in the early 1960s. The console tables need repair on both legs and tabletop, in gilding details and refinishing.
Physical description:
The Louis XVI style giltwood console tables are elaborately carved with powerful cabriole legs. The aprons feature detailed flower and leaf carvings. This pair of twin European classics boasts beautiful marble tabletops.
Condition:
These tables need conservation work including cleaning, repairs and gilding. Some structural repair work is also needed on the legs of the console tables.
Recommended treatment:
Marble repair
Structural repair
Restoration of gilded finishes
Wood repair
Cleaning
About the Corinthian Hall Furniture Collection
The Robert A. Long family home at Corinthian Hall was completed in 1910, and in its day, was the grandest mansion in Kansas City. Long, a lumber entrepreneur, civic leader and philanthropist, took his family on an extensive European excursion in search of furnishings and accessories for their Kansas City home, while it was under construction. Architect Henry Hoit designed the 70-room stone mansion in Beaux-Arts style with a classic Greco-Roman influence.
At Hoit’s suggestion, Long awarded the contract for all interior finishing of Corinthian Hall – including furnishings for the period-style rooms – to Baumgarten and Company of New York, which counted the Breakers and Shadow Lawn among its clients. The artisans at Baumgarten designed and built most of the period-style furniture for Corinthian Hall, because Long disliked real antiques. Martha Ellis Leland said that her grandfather thought it was ridiculous to buy something old and “full of worm holes” and what he considered “second hand,” when finely crafted copies of antiques in good, solid wood served the same purpose
Corinthian Hall Collection courtesy of the Kansas City Museum and Union Station Kansas City.
