This object is currently on display in room 105 as part of Collection Selects: Wyss Institute. There are 2 other images of this object. This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions), and as such we offer a high-resolution image of it. See our image rights statement.
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Model for Spiral Staircase, 19th century
It is dated 19th century and we acquired it in 2007. Its medium is pearwood. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.
This scaled staircase model consists of an elegant spiral with two revolutions. A celebrated art form that was closely linked to the height of craft-specific guilds in France—woodworking in particular—staircase models were used to demonstrate technical mastery and virtuosity of the craft. The spiral staircase balances aesthetics with structural needs, taking its form from one of the most familiar motifs found in the natural world.
This object was
donated by
Eugene V. Thaw and Clare E. Thaw.
It is credited Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw.
- Photograph, Spiral Staircase, 1927
- photograph.
- Courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries.
- 32.2019.1
- Staircase Model (France), late 19th century
- cherry (wood), walnut.
- Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw.
- 2007-45-8
- Drawing, Perspective and Plan View of a Spiral Staircase
- graphite, pen and black ink, brush and yellow, pink, and grey watercolor on....
- 2007-53-2
Its dimensions are
H x W x D: 44 x 16.5 x 16.2 cm (17 5/16 x 6 1/2 x 6 3/8 in.)
Cite this object as
Model for Spiral Staircase, 19th century; pearwood; H x W x D: 44 x 16.5 x 16.2 cm (17 5/16 x 6 1/2 x 6 3/8 in.); Gift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw; 2007-45-4
In addition to Collection Selects: Wyss Institute, this object was previously on display as part of the exhibition Made to Scale: Staircase Masterpieces—The Eugene & Clare Thaw Gift.
