Washington Winter Show 2024

42 Kate Markert, Executive Director    Wilfried Zeisler, Chief Curator W hen the socially prominent art collector, philanthropist, and business executive Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887– 1973) left her estate in northwest Washington, D.C., to the public, she endowed the United States with the most comprehensive collection of Russian imperial art outside Russia, exquisite eighteenth-century French decorative art, a large collection of apparel and jewelry, and 25 acres of serene, landscaped gardens and natural woodlands. Open to the public since 1977, Hillwood Estate, Museum&Gardens is today home to some 20,000 works of art (fig 1). The selection of pieces from Hillwood’s collection on display at the 2024Washington Antiques Show embodies Post’s taste in porcelain, tableware, silver, gemstones, fashion, and flower-themed designs. It also highlights some of Post’s lesser-known interests. That most of the objects chosen are held in storage is indicative of the collection’s depth and diversity, which are further mirrored in Hillwood’s wide-ranging cultural programs, special exhibitions, and changing displays. The items also speak to the generosity of Post family members and other donors who have supported the ongoing expansion of the collection. SPLENDOR & SURPRISE HILLWOOD ESTATE, MUSEUM& GARDENS Fig. 1: This hand-colored photograph from 1923 shows Marjorie Post ready to attend a fancy dress costume ball dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette. She is on the steps at Hogarcito, her first home in Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph by Frank E. Geisler, 1923. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Archives and Special Collections.