spandrel, tympanum and decorative panels from the Scoville Building, Chicago

Lunette and decorative panel, one of twelve, 1884-1885

Not on Viewexpand_more

Louis Sullivan designed these terracotta panels for the exterior of the Scoville Building in Chicago, one of the Adler and Sullivan firm's earliest commissions. It required them to remodel an existing Adler structure to accord with a new, much larger addition. The terracotta pieces shown here formed part of the organic decoration of stylized plants with which Sullivan tied the two buildings together. This lunette ornamented the arch above the windows of the top (fifth) story. It has an undulating design of ferns unfurling and would have complemented other organically-inspired terracotta pieces throughout the exterior.

Details
Title
Lunette and decorative panel, one of twelve
Artist Life
1856-1924
Role
Designer
Accession Number
77.23.12
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

spandrel, tympanum and decorative panels from the Scoville Building, Chicago