The Portland daily press., 1891-06-27
MRS. MAoKAY's NEW HOUSE.
The Most Gorgeous In London.
From the Tablet

The London mansion. of which Mrs. John
A. Mackay, the American millionaress has
Just taken possession, Is one of the most re-
ma1kable In every way of those that cover
the site of the historical Carlton House. 1t
was built originally by the Duke of Leins-
ter. and the present owner of the title sold
1t, shortly after his succession. to Mr.. c. II.
Sanford. millionaire, whose ambition 1t was
to possess the finest house in all London.
Mr.. Sanford gave carte blanche alike to ar
chitects and decorators. For over two years
the work went slowly Oh. and just when
their completion seemed at last to be in view
the Barring complications intervened, and
Mr.. Sanford found himself compelled to sur
render the toy for which he had paid so
dearly. The negotiations did not take
twenty four hours, and Mr.. and Mrs John
Mackay, instead of Mr.. Sanford, became the
neighbors OF Mr.. Panmure Gordon and Lord
Pembroke.
The entrance halls contain some Of the
finest decorative work ever seen in England
The first has a ceiling of blue and gold,
while the walls are panelled with slabs of
pink Soudanese marble, divided by station
airy pilasters, and broken only by fifteenth
century Italian chimneypiece. The baus-
trated staircase of white marble In the in
ner hall alone cost small fortune. All the
details OF the Italian fifteenth century carv-
ing are perfect, and the walls are covered
with green and gold brocade and fine old
tapestry. The doors are inlaid with rich
Intarsia work, and the doorways Of white
statuary marble display the most delicate
more effective then the eoffered ceiling, each
Golfer being filed with a star-shaped
flower. the petals Of which are composed Of
pearl shells.
The Henry III. dining room Is deeply pam
elled with mahogany, the margins of the
lower panels being inlaid with satinwood
The coffered ceiling Is decorated with finely
modelled figures In ivory c0lol on a gold
ground. The elaborately carved fireplace
reaches to the ceiling. The ball room and
ceiling OF the former has its panels filed
with paintings, while those Of the walls are
occupied by enormous pieces Of Gobelins
tapestry, signed CoZette, and representing
episodes In the career Of Don Quixote after
Cuyp.
A great use has been made OF cloisonne
enamel, especially for the production Of two
ideal bathrooms-the one Pompeian, the 9TH
er Japanese-with appropriate fruits and
flowers on the walls. Electric light only is
used. The house contains some of the choic-
est works OF art In Europe. The Gobelins
Don Quixote tapestries are continued In the
drawing room. In addition to several
statues in the hall there is a large strip of
ture," and four more Gobelins panels de-
voted to the Seasons" The Beauvais
hangings on the staircase have for their
subject the life of Christopher Columbus, a
very appropriate subject for an American
household. All the chairs and sofas In the
dining room are covered with genuine Louis
XVI, needlework The cabinets contain a
priceless collection of bibelots, Sevres, min
latuIe', snuff boxes, &C., and the pictures
(many Of them masterpieces) are by Rubens,
WouvermanD, Teniers, Gerard Dow, Jan
Steen, .Cabanel, Meissonier, and Bonnat.
The ballroom measures fifty feet by twenty
five, and both 1t and the adjoining saloons
are tseated in the Paladin style of the Italian
sixteenth century.