Greene & Greene

In 1911 Cordelia, Kate and Margaret Culbertson, the three unmarried sisters of the Greenes' former client James A. Culbertson, commissioned Charles and Henry to design a large residence in the fashionable Oak Knoll district across from the Robert R. Blacker House.  Cordelia Culbertson was the eldest sister and the offical client on record.  Although relatively modest in appearance from the street, this project was one of the Greenes largest and most extensive commissions, ultimately costing $200,000--three times the cost of the Gamble House and two times the amount of the Blacker House.  

The table presently offered displays many of the Greenes' signature motifs at the pinnacle of their career.  The table top and legs are exquisitely articulated with ebony pegs and pins.  The gate rails are subtly carved with cloud-lift contours, providing a graceful balance to the dramatic linearity of the design.  Period photographs show this versatile table in the garden room, positioned both in the center of the room as well as against the wall opposite the window gallery.  

Image caption:
Table in the garden room of the Cordelia A. Culbertson House
Courtesy The Cleveland Museum of Art