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

Lunette, 1884-1885

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.

[Insert photo of lunette in situ - photo by Orlando Cabanban]

Details
Title
Lunette
Artist Life
1856-1924
Role
Designer
Accession Number
77.23.1
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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