Washington Winter Show 2018

50 the decision to remove the 1940s railings and replace them with green picket railings, to reflect the appearance of the terraces during Jefferson’s retirement. 18 When Jefferson’s friend and successor James Madison expanded Montpelier, between 1809 and 1812, the two added wings featured rooftop terraces with ornamental Chinese railings. In fact, the Chinese-Chippendale railing is one aspect of chinoiserie that made its way into the architectural vocabulary of the Colonial Revival. The popularity of chinoiserie persisted into the 1800s but began to decline near mid-century, and it was eventually replaced by a desire for all things japonesque . By the late 19th and early 20th century, however, chinoiserie saw a resurgence. One only has to look at the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany to see its revival. In 1911, Tiffany Studios introduced their Chinese Pattern desk set, the firm’s attempt to replicate what in the early 20th century was considered to be typically Chinese designs (fig. 6). 19 The influence of chinoiserie is also apparent in the work of mid- 20th-century American designer Dorothy Draper (1889–1969). In 1939, Draper & Company decorated the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, a California resort hotel. In the hotel’s dining room, Draper placed a matching pair of oversized black lacquered cabinets (fig. 7). With large brass hardware and gilt chinoiserie motifs, the pieces were a Hollywood Regency interpretation of an 18th-century Chinese cabinet-on- stand. 20 However, Draper’s best- known project is her 1946–1947 redecoration of The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, where she designed a large pagoda-topped curio cabinet and console to display a variety of Chinese export porcelain in the Main Hallway and placed a large lacquered folding-screen in the North Parlor. More than seventy- five years later, both pieces can still be found in situ . From the 18th century until the present day, chinoiserie has remained a popular and enduring style. Even now, well into the second decade of the 21st century, people continue to draw inspiration from chinoiserie and decorate with pieces in this style. All you have to do is flip through an issue of Architectural Digest or spend time perusing design blogs and Pinterest boards to see the timeless appeal of chinoiserie.  ■ Grant S. Quertermous is the Curator at Tudor Place Historic House and Garden in Washington, D.C. 1. As quoted in Ben Harris McClary, “The Story of the Story: The Willow Pattern Plate in Children’s Literature,” Children’s Literature, vol. 10 (1982), pp. 56–59. Fig. 6: A fifteen-piece Chinese Pattern desk set from Tiffany Studios. Photograph Courtesy of Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2013. Property from the Geyer Family Collection. Fig. 5: The Great Pagoda at Kew as depicted in this 1763 engraving originally published in William Chambers, Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Perspective Views of the Gardens and Buildings at Kew in Surry. Copyright © RBG KEW.