Tile Fireplace Surround (Primary Title)
Edwin Austin Abbey, American, 1852 - 1911 (Artist)
This rare surviving example of a popular late-19th-century applied art form exemplifies the cultural spirit and varied production of American Aestheticism. The work of American painter, illustrator, and muralist Edwin Austin Abbey, this fireplace surround was executed under the auspices of the Tile Club, a fraternal association of multitalented New York art professionals.
Little documented information on the early history of Abbey’s fireplace surround exists, but it may have been installed in the artist’s former New York studio, which served as the Tile Club’s headquarters from 1881 to 1887. The surround later appeared in a Victorian home in Astoria (Queens), New York. It was removed from the house, which was slated for demolition, by a local antiques dealer in the 1990s. It resurfaced on the market a decade later.
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