Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-08-30
rHE yANpERBILT BAIL.

Vanderbilt has for many years been
collecting furniture and works of art OF
the Louis XIV. period with which TO
complete the architects work. Some
ofthe rooms end 81 great deal of the
bronze and ornamental work are exact
duplicates of Versailles, especial per-
mission having been obtained from the
French government to reproduce them.
In giving the ball Tuesday evening
Mrs. Vanderbilt faithfully carried out,
SO far as modern times and require
ments permitted, the period which her
beautiful house represents.
It was the first time since it was fin
ished that the house has been thrown
open to general society, and to many
| Of the guests that evening the treasures
of art which were be seen on all sides
quite transcended the fact that they
were being entertained as lavishly as
lavish King Louis XIV. himself could
have done.
Once inside the towering gates OF
Marble House, themselves work OF
art, a scene of loyeliness was presented.
The grounds were Illuminated by thou
sands of tiny globes of different colors,
lust as they used to be in Versailles
when Louis strolled across the broad
terrace of Versailles with his court.
Upon reaching the portico, entrance
Was Immediately between rows of pow
dered footmen into the superb hall fin
ished in yellow, with Egyptian marbles
at the broad staircase winding to the
left, on the first landing of which stands
q marble bust Of the late Richard M.
Hunt.
The ceiling of the hall is series of
charming frescoes framed in heavy gilt
mouldings. Two Gobelin tapestries
representing the massacre of st. Bar.
tholomew and the assassination of
Coligny, hang on either side Of the
great door to the grand salon. This
splendid apartment is almost an exact
COPY of room in the palace of Yer
sailles, with long French windows, be-
tween which are panels of dark wood
carved and gilded. The frescoes on
the ceiling represent Night and Morn
ing.
The mantel is of marble and bronze.
A striking portrait of Miss Vanderbilt,
by Carolus Duran, hangs there. Lead
ing from the salon toward the sea and
completing the right wing of the house
is the Gothic room, another magnifi
cent apartment, finished in old oak and
filed with fine collection of Louis
XIV. furniture and fifteenth century
treasures.
The widows here are all of stained
glass, which were lighted from with
out to show their exquisite workman
ship. To the left of the hall is the din
ming room, done in red Numidian mar
BILE and dark pink, the bronze and pink
ornamentation having been cast in ex
act reproduction of famous room in
Versailles.
Alarge portrait of Louis XIV in state
robes is set in the wall over the mar
BILE and gilt mantel, and portraits of
| later kings of France adorn the apart
| ment. The crimson carpet is embroid-
cred in feurs de lis, and the silver dis
played, the great table, the high-back-
ed, carved, gilt and pink brocaded
chairs, are all in perfect keeping with
the period.
Passing through the square marble
hall one enters a pretty gallery done in
white and pale green, which is IN itself
an apartment of imposing dimensions
and serves to connect the Gothic room
with smaller morning room or library,
which is decidedly modern in all its
comforts and conveniences for writing,
lounging and reading, as it is full of
great chairs of all periods and writing
tables, while the walls are covered with
bookcases reaching to the ceiling.
Such, in brief, was the house thrown
open last night, and it was not until a
decidedly Hungarian band struck up a
lively polka that one's thoughts were
| called back to Newport in the height
of the season and to the fact that there
were no longer any kings of France,
but only huge, dreary, deserted Yer.
sailles, through which groups OF un'
couth peasants and few stray sight
seers lounge at will.
The main floral decorations inside
| the house were in the hall, where there
| is a bronze fountain surrounded with
large mirror. That-spot was made tc
look especially cool and inviting by
water plants in full bloom, and tail
lotus flowers which stood up about q
score of pink and white nymphae bios
SONS, lilacs aud mass of water hya,
cinths, through which shone the small
little globes of light with which the
grounds were illuminated, while above
swarmed flock of humming birds.
On the terrace where supper was
served, Hodgson had improvised some
elaborate decorations, consisting ol
strands of green garlands radiating
from the three central points on the
| ceiling which were defined by three
large prisms of bright, yellow flowers
Eight large windows which led from
the terrace into the house were also