Gothic Room Marble House

The Gothic Room, in the Gothic Revival -style, was designed to display Alva Vanderbilt's collection of Medieval and Renaissance decorative objects. The stone fireplace in the room was copied by Allard and Sons from one in the Jacques Cœur House in Bourges. Step inside Marble House and the roar of Newport's oceanfront society fades to a quiet hum of history.

Beyond its marble salons and gilded ballroom lies the Gothic Room, a hushed, chapel-like gallery created for Alva Vanderbilt's personal trove of medieval art. Understanding this singular space begins with the story of Marble House itself-an $11 million birthday gift completed in 1892. Alva had a collection of Medieval and Renaissance objects and artwork, for which the Gothic Room was built.

In contrast to the rest of the house's Louis XIV and Louis XV décor, this Gothic-revival sitting room is modeled after the interior of a house in Bourges, France (built between 1443 and 1451 for Jacques Coer, a prosperous merchant). Marble House is a Gilded Age mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Designed as a summer cottage for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt by the society architect Richard Morris Hunt, it was unparalleled in opulence for an American house when it was completed in 1892.

Its temple-front portico resembles that of the White House. Located at 596 Bellevue Avenue, it is now open to the public as a museum. The room was designed around the painting of Louis XVI and during the French Revolution the painting was cut out of the frame and sold.

The morning room/library. The Marble Hallway that was only used eight weeks a year. The Gothic Room was essentially a private museum and Alva purchased the whole collection at once from Emile Gavet.

In the summer of 2015, a rare, 15th century Sienese gold ground cassone (chest) original to the Vanderbilt collection at Marble House was returned to the Gothic Room after a lengthy restoration that combined the scholarly curiosity and technical expertise of now. The Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island: the Gilded Age mansion that started it all With its stunning marble exterior and intricate French-inspired interiors, the Marble House is a testament to the wealth of the Vanderbilt family -- and harks back to a time when America's richest family made Newport, Rhode Island their summer playground. From the Gothic Room, showcasing Alva Vanderbilt's collection of Medieval and Renaissance treasures, to the Rococo.

Figure 2: Richard Morris Hunt and Jules Allard et Fils, bronze figures by Karl Bitter, draperies by Prelle & Co. Marble House. Source: Unknown, Newport.

The gothic room is very different than the rest of the house. The French Gothic décor has characteristic Gothic arches, figurative carving, and a large collection of Gothic sculpture.