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

Lunette and decorative panel, one of twelve, 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.

Details
Title
Lunette and decorative panel, one of twelve
Artist Life
1856-1924
Role
Designer
Accession Number
77.23.4
Curator Approved

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