December 2010, Issue 11
Book Review
Page 21
Book Review, A Fabulous Dollhouse
The master bedroom was Italianate, done in rich shades of peach and aqua and a silver silk carpet. Gilding, Limoges vases and oils paintings of Venice add to the room's opulence.
The linen room is covered in black lace with pink rosebuds and a maid who has just scorched a piece of linen with her iron. In the upper room at the back stairs another maid has dropped an entire tray of china, disturbing a kiss between yet another maid and a butler in the area below with the noise.
The cream, gold and white salon is centered by a Venetian Gothic fireplace while caricature dolls of Mrs. Stettheimer and her oldest married daughter Stella Wanger are portrayed taking tea.
The Rose Bedroom shows a creative and elaborate baldachin (arching canopy over two twin beds) that stands out against pink and white striped silk walls and an embroidered chiffon ceiling. Such a baldachin apparently was planned for the master bedroom as well but never created.
Touches of whimsy as well as unique and creative furnishings fill room after room. But the most impressive room is the ballroom and lower terrace on the rear of the house. These two areas are full of paintings by masters of the age and sculptures adorn the lower terrace. Two pages of the book are devoted to a close-up photo spread of the tiny artworks.
The pieces do not appear to be in a specific scale, nor does Noble offer any information on this aspect of the house. But it is a fascinating look at a unique historical period with equally unique glimpses into the life of the woman who created it and a welcome addition to any serious collector's bookshelf.
Custom Dolls, Houses & Miniatures / CDHM