Statues Return to Newport Mansions

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Thursday, December 09, 2010

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Editor Andrea E. McHugh

A pair of exquisite patinated bronze torcheres created by French sculptor Emile Guillemin, and cast in the foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne in the late 19th century, have been rightfully returned to their position at Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport, one of the City-by-the-Sea’s famed Newport Mansions. The kimono-clad ladies were absent for three years as the Preservation Society on Newport County (PSNC), which owns and operates the grand estate and surrounding grounds, had the unique pieces cleaned, restored and re-wired. The grand Italianate-style villa on tony Bellevue Avenue, once considered the most palatial residence in Newport from its completion in 1852, was home to three generations of the Wetmore family, who made their fortune in the China trade. Arguably the most famous of the distinguished family was George Peabody Wetmore, who served as Governor of Rhode Island (1885-1887) and as a United States Senator (1894-1912).

"Striking and Vivid”

Today, the torcheres, each distinct in its own design (their costumes and accessories differ; one holds a cherry blossom, the other a fan) flank the grand staircase at the manse. “The torcheres are fine examples of grand scale bronzes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said John Tschirch, Director of Museum Affairs for the PSNC, “…and they reflected the great popularity of Japanese-inspired design at the time. They have a prominent place on the grand staircase at Chateau-sur-Mer. Their restoration resulted in making the gilded elements much more striking and vivid.”

According to the PSNC curatorial department, Guillemin was greatly inspired by the Middle and Far East and its exoticism, establishing his reputation as an Orientalist artist in Paris during the 1870s.