Provenance

J. Pierpont Morgan, Sr.

American, 1837 - 1913

Explore selected works

See all 71 works of art
Kashan 16th Century, Silk Medallion Rug, late 16th century, silk pile on silk warp and weft, Widener Collection, 1942.9.478

Silk Medallion Rug

Kashan 16th Century · late 16th century · silk pile on silk warp and weft ·  Accession ID  1942.9.478

A woman and child are carved in low relief from a white marble, vertically oriented, rectangular panel, which is set within a painted wood frame. The woman’s body is angled to our right, and she looks down in that direction at the child seated on her lap. She has a long, delicate nose, a pointed chin, and her lips are closed. Her wavy hair is pulled back under a cloth that covers her heads and drapes over her shoulders. Her cloak waves in lively but shallow folds across the surface of the marble. She rests the long fingers of one hand on the baby’s shin and braces his side torso with the other. The nude boy has short, curly hair, round cheeks, chubby proportions, and his lips are parted. He holds a cylindrical object in one hand and reaches his right hand, to our left, to touch the woman’s clothing near her neckline. They both have flat, disk-like halos. The background is lightly carved to resemble an arched niche with leafy and geometric patterns and a leafy garland hanging from loops at the top corners. The marble panel is rounded at the top to encompass the woman’s halo and the top of her head. The frame is painted with stylized flowers and patterns in dark red, sky blue, ivory white, and black against a muted white background. Some of the stepped molding in the frame is gilded. A band across the top of the frame has roundels with two haloed women to either side and a nude baby carrying a cross over one shoulder, appearing to float against a blue background. Three roundels in a band below show women with long hair and halos, each holding objects like palm fronds, a plate, wheel, and a book.
Anonymous Artist, Madonna and Child, 1460s or later, marble, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.116

Madonna and Child

Anonymous Artist · 1460s or later · marble ·  Accession ID  1937.1.116

Chinese Qing Dynasty, Vase, early 18th century, porcelain with oxblood glaze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.526

Vase

Chinese Qing Dynasty · early 18th century · porcelain with oxblood glaze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.526

This large ceramic vase has a deep red glaze that fades to white at the top rim. The vase has a smooth, slightly elongated shape with a narrow neck and a round base. Around the middle section of the vase there is a lighter red section, and towards the bottom the red transitions into a dark, almost black shade.
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Vase, called "The Flame", early 18th century, porcelain with oxblood glaze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.528

Vase, called "The Flame"

Chinese Qing Dynasty · early 18th century · porcelain with oxblood glaze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.528

An elegantly dressed young woman, a little boy, girl, and a dog are gathered on a veranda in front of a sun-dappled landscape in this vertical portrait painting. All three people have pale skin with rosy cheeks. To our left, the woman sits facing us in front of a low, pewter-gray balustrade. She loosely embraces both children who lean onto her lap, to our right, as the shaggy, dark gray dog looks on. The woman has a slender, oval face, a long nose, rose-red lips, and hazel eyes that gaze just beyond our right shoulder. She wears a diaphanous, parchment-white gown belted at the waist and cinched at the elbow. Over the gown, a voluminous, dusty rose-pink mantle drapes over one shoulder and wraps around her hips and legs. Her dark gray hair is piled high on her head, and loosely painted strokes of garnet red suggest a scarf wrapped around the top. One long tendril loops over one shoulder. The boy closest to the woman rests his elbow along her lap so his body turns slightly away from her. His round face is framed by chestnut-brown curls and bangs, and he looks off to our right with blue eyes. He wears a cranberry-red jacket and breeches, with a gold and yellow striped vest. The wide collar of his white shirt is spread open, and one frilled cuff extends from the sleeve we can see. The woman holds the hand resting on her lap, and both she and the boy wrap their other arms around the little girl. The boy’s small fingers are tucked in at the back of the girl’s neck, just under the woman’s hand. The girl’s body turns as she leans into the boy, reaching one hand to grip his vest. Honey-blond curls frame her round face. She ducks her head as she looks to our right, a smile on her lips. She wears a cream-white gown belted with a celestial-blue sash. Facing away from us, the small dog sits and looks up at the trio. It has shaggy, charcoal-gray, tawny-brown, and white fur. Beyond the balustrade, tall trees covered in pine-green, gold, and brown leaves spread out on either side and recede toward hazy, lilac-purple mountains in the far distance.
Sir Joshua Reynolds, Lady Elizabeth Delmé and Her Children, 1777-1779, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.95

Lady Elizabeth Delmé and Her Children

Sir Joshua Reynolds · 1777-1779 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1937.1.95

Chinese Qing Dynasty, Vase, Meiping Shape, mid/late 18th century, porcelain with apple-green glaze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.536

Vase, Meiping Shape

Chinese Qing Dynasty · mid/late 18th century · porcelain with apple-green glaze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.536

Chinese Qing Dynasty, Rectangular Vase, Kangxi period, 1662/1722, porcelain with famille jaune enamels on the biscuit, Widener Collection, 1942.9.611

Rectangular Vase

Chinese Qing Dynasty · Kangxi period, 1662/1722 · porcelain with famille jaune enamels on the biscuit ·  Accession ID  1942.9.611

Chinese Qing Dynasty, Bottle Vase, Yongzheng period, 1723/1735, porcelain with pale blue glaze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.485

Bottle Vase

Chinese Qing Dynasty · Yongzheng period, 1723/1735 · porcelain with pale blue glaze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.485

This is a tall ceramic vase against a plain, neutral background. The ceramic has a vivid blue glaze with some slight variations in tone. The vase has a bulbous base and slender neck, with a slightly flared white rim.
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Large Vase, late 18th/19th century, porcelain with turquoise glaze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.547

Large Vase

Chinese Qing Dynasty · late 18th/19th century · porcelain with turquoise glaze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.547

The sculpture is a vase featuring a rounded body with a long, narrow neck. The vase is primarily made of a white material, and it is adorned with intricate designs. These designs include several black oval and leaf-shaped panels on the vase's body and neck, decorated with vibrant colors such as green, blue, yellow, and white. One of these panels on the body of the vase features a depiction of a snarling blue-and-white dragon with a yellow-and-green face set against a black background. The other visible panels have floral designs in white, yellow, blue, and green. Between these panels, the white body of the vase also appears to have been carved with white swirling floral designs. There are some small spots of brown discoloration on these designs at the bottom of the vase.
Chinese Qing Dynasty, Bottle Vase, Kangxi period, 1662/1722, porcelain with famille noire enamels and carved decoration, Widener Collection, 1942.9.609

Bottle Vase

Chinese Qing Dynasty · Kangxi period, 1662/1722 · porcelain with famille noire enamels and carved decoration ·  Accession ID  1942.9.609

Bibliography

1914

  • E.R. "The J. Pierpont Morgan Collection." Metropolitan Museum of Art [New York] Bulletin 9 (February 1914): 34-42.

1939

  • Satterlee, Herbert L. J. Pierpont Morgan, an Intimate Portrait. New York, 1939.

1957

  • Taylor, F.H. Pierpont Morgan as Collector and Patron 1837-1913. New York, 1957.

1958

  • Saarinen, Aline B. The Proud Possessors. New York, 1958: 56-91.