Belmont Mansion
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File Name |
shades_chee_0005.tif |
|
Title |
Belmont Mansion |
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Alternate Title |
Belmont |
|
Date |
circa 1859 |
|
Genre |
Paintings |
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Material/Technique |
Oil on canvas |
|
Dimensions |
39-1/2 in. x 53-1/2 in. |
|
Description |
Landscape showing lush greenery in foreground, with a brick house on a hill in background, and a tall brick tower on left. Three figures, two men on horseback, and a large African American man emerging to meet them, dominate the composition at lower center. A diminutive figure is visible outside the green house and a horse and carriage travels down the path from the house. |
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Historical note |
This painting, by an unknown artist, depicts a distant view of Belmont Mansion, which is featured prominently at top center. The scene in the foreground includes what looks like a vineyard, while greenhouses and a water tower can be seen at left and center, and the curving paths of formal gardens with gazebos and statuary leads up to the house itself. Engineer/Architect Adolphus Heiman remodeled the house for Adelicia and Joseph Acklen just before the Civil War to give the impression of an Italian villa. The oversized figures in the foreground allude to the wealth of the gardens at Belmont as the African American worker extending an out-of-scale bunch of grapes to two men on horseback might be seen as a symbol of hospitality. Produce was an important part of the hostess' reputation but vegetable and fruit gardens tended to be placed on the perimeter of the grounds, so as to not distract from the formal beauty as one approached the home. |
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Subject |
Belmont (Nashville, Tenn.); Acklen, Adelicia, -- 1817-1887 -- Homes and haunts -- Tennessee -- Nashville; Gardens |
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Theme |
Holding Fast to Beauty
Taking Care of Business |
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Story |
Lucy Virginia Smith French
Adelicia Acklen |
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Tags |
Heiman, Adolphus |
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Geographic Location |
United States--Tennessee--Nashville |
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Time period |
1850-1859 |
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Credit line |
Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, gift of Naomi M. Kanaf in memory of her husband Max Tendle, 1978.3.13 |
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Type |
Still image |
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Format |
image/jp2 |
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Contributing Institution |
Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art |
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Digital Publisher |
Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University |
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Reference URL |
http://content.mtsu.edu/u?/shades,204 |
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Archival file |
shades3/shades_chee_0005.tif |
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