Ella Kostanzer visited the General’s Study around 1900, and described, among other things, a scene on the domed ceiling that contained “implements of war”. Because she is the only one to recount this detail, staff and visitors alike have long hoped she was right but didn’t want to rely on her testimony too heavily. Today, a pair of paint conservators arrived on the scene to attempt to expose some of that original design.
Sure enough, there appear to be shields and laurel leaves in a design that incorporates not only the shades of green found in the paint analysis, but also rust colors and silvery grays as well. This is part of a 3-foot-wide path the conservators plan to expose from the skylight to the tops of the bookcases. What a wonderful discovery!
