UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 12, Page 1
November 21, 1991
Art professor documents rare 'Treasures of State'
By Sue Swyers Moncure

     In 1961, the diplomatic reception rooms of the U.S. Department
of State were decorated and furnished in what the present curator,
Clement E. Conger, described as "late 1950s motel."
     Thirty years later, the rooms are one of the showplaces of
Washington, an expression of 18th- and 19th-century American
culture, exemplified by paintings, sculpture, furnishings, interior
architecture and the decorative arts.
     The recently published Treasures of State documents the rooms
and their priceless works of art and heirlooms. Wayne Craven, H.F.
du Pont Professor of Art History, whose expertise is in the field
of American sculpture and paintings, was invited to write the
section on sculpture, and he also contributed an essay on
paintings.
     According to Craven, the transformation of the diplomatic
reception rooms began when Christian Herter was secretary of state
in 1961. His wife, Mary Caroline, was going through the apartments
with Conger prior to entertaining Queen Frederika of Greece, and
was appalled by the rooms designated for official entertaining.
     Conger agreed to run a public campaign to refurbish the rooms,
seeking donations, contributions of artworks and furnishings and
loans of pieces. Each year, he raised between $1-4 million for
renovation, purchases, restoration costs and insurance.
     According to Craven, "the result is one of the most marvelous
collections of 18th- and 19th-century American paintings, sculpture
and furnishings in the world."
     Craven cataloged the sculptures in the reception rooms and
selected the pieces that were to be included in the book.
     First, he examined each piece physically, sometimes finding
inscriptions or signatures that do not show up during casual
observation. For example, by angling the light when looking at a
bust of William Evarts (secretary of state in the late 19th
century) by American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Craven found
some inscriptions that had been overlooked in head-on lighting.
These provided useful information about when the bust was created
and why it was made.
A bust of Benjamin Franklin is the signature piece of the elegant,
palatial dining room, named in his honor. The bust was the work of
Jean Antoine Houdon, an 18th-century French sculptor, and had been
in the Houdon family until it was given to the State Department.
However, since there was question in scholarly circles as to
whether this was the original bust or a copy, Craven sent the piece
to a conservation laboratory, which ran tests proving its
authenticity.
     The American West was represented by works of Frederic
Remington, the famed 19th-century sculptor.
     After the physical examination, Craven carried out documentary
and record research about each piece, using the State Department
archives, the Library of Congress and the Archives of American Art.
     Based on his research, he wrote brief biographies of the
sculptors and articles about the pieces themselves, why they were
created and how they fit into the overall scene of American art.
There are 70 sculptures in the diplomatic reception rooms, 25 of
which are included in Treasures of State.
     The publication of the book was celebrated at a gala evening
in the diplomatic reception rooms for benefactors. In addition to
Craven and his wife, Lorna, President and Mrs. David Roselle,
Provost and Mrs. Byron Pipes, and Thomas Graves, the director of
Winterthur, and his wife, Zoe, attended the event.
     Craven has been involved in several other projects involving
American sculpture and painting. He was an adviser on an Inventory
of American Sculpture carried out by the Smithsonian Institution.
He recalled that he was approached by the Smithsonian Institution,
which asked for the use of his archive of American sculpture. He
agreed, and one day a large truck pulled up to the Old College
loading dock and carried away all his files.
     When asked by the Smithsonian, how many pieces he had
cataloged, Craven estimated about 20,000 artworks. But the
Smithsonian discovered he had records of almost twice that many.
     The author of many books about painting and sculpture, Craven
has just completed a monumental work about American art, entitled
American Art in Its Cultural Context. Covering the period from 1564
until the present, the book documents American paintings,
sculpture, architecture, decorative arts and photography. The book,
which is in the editorial stage, will have 840 illustrations and
will be published by William C. Brown of Madison, Wisc.