Ancient Greek, Roman, and Renaissance art and architecture gloriously unite in the McKim Building that houses the late financier John Pierpont Morgan’s library.
In 1902, Morgan hired Charles F. McKim, of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, to build a library next to Morgan’s brownstone on 36th Street and Madison Avenue, in New York.
McKim’s design was influenced by two 16th-century Roman villas: Villa Giulia and Villa Medici.
John Pierpont Morgan’s library in the winter of 2011. Graham S. Haber/The Morgan Library & Museum
The building façade is made of Tennessee marble. A Palladian arch, supported by four ionic columns, elegantly frames the building entrance. Visitors are welcomed into the building by a grand pair of bronze doors, imported from Florence, Italy, and made in the style of early Renaissance artist Lorenzo Ghiberti’s famous Florence Baptistery doors.
Once inside the building, it’s easy to see why, by 1904, some people called the library “Mr. Morgan’s jewel case.” Lapis lazuli columns, mosaic panels, and marble surfaces beautifully decorate the rotunda at the center of the building. Homer, Dante, and Petrarch are just a few of the ancient figures depicted in the rotunda, hinting at the caliber of the literary greats that visitors will discover inside.
The rotunda facing the East Room. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
Three rooms lead off the rotunda: the West Room (Morgan’s study), the East Room (Morgan’s library), and the North Room (the former office of the Morgan library’s first director).
Deep-red silk damask inspired by Villa Chigi, the Rome home of the Renaissance banker Agostino Chigi, adorn the walls of Morgan’s study. The rich red and the 16th-century coffered wooden ceiling create a luxurious cocoon effect, allowing some of Morgan’s most prized possessions to shine.
Stunning works by Netherlandish and Italian painters hang in the Morgan Study, from Hans Memling to Perugino to Jacopo Tintoretto, to name a few. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
In Morgan’s library, a world of books can be discovered in the 30-foot wall-to-ceiling bookcases, inlaid with Circassian walnut. Socrates, Galileo, Botticelli, and Michelangelo are some of the cultural icons depicted in the ceiling murals by noted muralist Harry Siddons Mowbray.
John Pierpont Morgan's library. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
In the North Room, Morgan’s earliest works are on display from the ancient Near East, Egypt, Rome, and Greece, including a set of ancient Near East cylinder seals, which were pictorial communications, dating from 3,500 B.C.
The North Room. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
The portico's ceiling. Graham S. Haber/The Morgan Library & Museum
A sculptural relief on the portico. Integrated Conservation Resources/The Morgan Library & Museum
A sculptural relief on the portico. Integrated Conservation Resources/The Morgan Library & Museum
The rotunda facing the North Room. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
The rotunda facing the North Room. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
A detail of the rotunda ceiling, inspired by Raphael and created by painter Harry Siddons Mowbray. Graham S. Haber, 2012/The Morgan Library & Museum
John Pierpont Morgan's library. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
Above the fireplace in the Morgan Library, a 16th-century tapestry designed by Netherlandish artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst informs visitors how to triumph over Avarice. The tapestry is one in a series depicting the seven deadly sins. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
John Pierpont Morgan's library. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
The vault in John Pierpont Morgan’s study. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
The North Room. Graham Haber, 2014/The Morgan Library & Museum
