Robert Wellford
Mantel

MakerAmerican, born England, 1775–1844
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Mantel
Datec. 1800
Made inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
MediumWood, paint, and composition
Dimensions57 1/4 × 76 1/8 × 7 1/8 in. (145.4 × 193.4 × 18.1 cm)
At opening: 39 1/4 × 3 × 48 1/2 in. (99.7 × 7.6 × 123.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.67.43
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Federal Parlor
Exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Description

The mantelpiece in this room features floral swags, baskets of flowers, and dancing figures, all crisply modeled in the neoclassical taste popularized by English architect and designer Robert Adam. These decorations are made of composition, a putty-like substance that was easily molded and that hardened as it dried, providing a less expensive alternative to carved wood. Robert Wellford learned the trade of composition ornament making in London before immigrating to Philadelphia in the 1790s. His successful manufactory supplied fashionable architectural elements to builders as far away as Charleston, South Carolina.


ProvenanceOriginally in a house at Second Street and Callowhill, Philadelphia; [Wm. H. Jackson Company, New York]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1967; given to MFAH, 1967.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Stamped lower left of central panel: R. Wellford Philad.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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