The Gilded Stage

The Peacock Room, the renowned interior decoration by American expatriate artist James McNeill Whistler, hashad a dynamic history. Its story began simply enough, when a Victorian shipping magnate decided to use the space to showcase his collection of Chinese ceramics. The narrative took an unexpected turn when an American artist was consulted on suitable room colors, and its legacy was secured when an art collector from Detroit brought the Peacock Room to America.Originally this was the dining room in the London into a palace of art, and he hired architect Thomas Jeckyll (1827-1881) to design the room and its lattice shelves to showcase his blue-and-white Chinese porcelain.

BY LEE GLAZER