Washington Winter Show 2023

46 Fernand Renard (1912–1990), Trompe l’Oeil in the Formal Greenhouse at Oak Spring, north wall, 1959–60. Diluted oils on canvas mounted to wood, 102 x 152 inches. Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, Virginia. Photo by Jim Morris. the home is beautifully positioned with fine views, but cannot be seen from beyond the estate. Inside the main Mellon residence, as in the library, there are strong connections to the outside with plentiful windows opening on to carefully controlled views. The ‘Gothic Room,’ once Paul Mellon’s office, overlooks the garden with its three stepped terraces. It takes its name from the slender Gothic arches that frame the windows and bookshelves. And the Regency theme continues in the columns that flank the fireplace and supporting the mantle. Carved from limestone they are modeled on columns from William IV’s exotic Brighton Pavilion. The ‘Gothic Room’ is the most ornate in the house. Bunny Mellon’s more measured approach to her interiors is exemplified by the living room at Oak Spring. Spacious, but not overly so, it feels cozy with no intruding hint of hubris. Yet Van Gogh’s, Wheat Fields, Auvers hovers over the fireplace unframed, casually flanked by a variety of other fine pieces and family photographs. Works by Degas, Seurat, Prevost and other artists once graced this room, along with a small bronze by John Skeaping of Mill Reef, Paul Mellon’s most successful and celebrated thoroughbred. Again, there are generous bookshelves, some hidden inside cupboards. One, when opened, reveals a trompe l’oeil painting by the British artist and decorator of theatrical sets, Martin Battersby.