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Augustus Saint-Gaudens and John La Farge
Apollo with Cupids
1880–82
banded African mahogany, repoussé bronze, colored marbles, mother-of-pearl, abalone shell, and ivory relief
27 3/4 x 63 1/2 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of James Maroney and museum purchase
This intricate panel incorporates the style of the classical past and that of the Italian Renaissance, both of which were touchstones of taste for the Gilded Age. Originally, it was one of several panels for the lavish dining room ceiling in the New York mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. John La Farge designed the interior of the house, including this panel. Augustus Saint-Gaudens carved the figures and made the central head of Apollo, which was cast in La Farge's New York studio.