Sir John Lavery, R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Rosen, thence by descent to Mrs. Anne Bigelow Stern 

London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1927, no. 26

Royal Academy Pictures, 1927, Walter Judd and Co., 1927, p. 40

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting seems to have been recently restored. The canvas appears to be unlined and the inscription on the reverse is clearly visible. The artist painted some areas very thinly, for instance the doorway beyond the window on the left and the fireplace and the top of the arched doorway on the right. There are a few tiny retouches within these thinly painted areas. The work is in good condition and should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In the fall of 1925, The Art News informed its readers that Sir John Lavery’s highly successful London exhibition of "Portrait Interiors," would shortly arrive at the Duveen Galleries on Fifth Avenue. Although he had painted the rich and famous of Europe in situ for many years, the concept of the "interior portrait" was now suddenly fashionable with their American counterparts, and during his stay in the United States the painter executed a small number of such commissions – one of which was to paint Mrs Rosen’s Bedroom.

This extraordinary High Renaissance boudoir, was to be found in the home of Walter T. and Lucie Bigelow Rosen, a wealthy couple with a passion for art and music who lived just a few blocks away from the Duveen Galleries. Lavery’s social cachet must have been confirmed for Rosen because one of his London interiors was that of Lord Wimborne, a British peer whose younger brother was married to Lucie’s mother. No one better than Lavery could take on the impressive carved marble over-mantle, ornate chairs, Venetian mirror and bed draped in red of Mrs. Rosen’s bedroom, with more aplomb. And into this powerful ensemble the artist placed the wife of his patron, adjusting her hair in preparation for one of the music recitals for which she was renowned.

Lucie Bigelow Dodge (1890-1968) was the third child of Charles Stuart Dodge and Flora Bigelow, and a gifted pianist. After the cessation of hostilities in 1918, she and her husband always concluded their annual European tours in the Grand Hotel in Venice, the sourcebook for many of her New York decor ideas. During these years the resplendent house at 35 West 54^th Street became a fashionable salon attracting artists, actors, writers and musicians, but the bedroom, normally an intimate space, was not neglected. Here, in Venetian splendor, Mrs. Rosen could indulge the private dreams that were only fully realized when she and her husband founded the Caramoor Estate at Katonah, and established the distinguished music foundation under the aegis of which it continues to operate.