Etui

The exquisite collection of furniture and fine art acquired for the Hammond-Harwood House has benefited from the expertise of trained museum professionals.

Marvin Ross (1904-1977), an early trustee, is a prime example. Ross, an expert on the Byzantine era, led an extraordinary life as Curator of Medieval and Subsequent Arts at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore and later as the first curator of Hillwood, heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post’s private estate in northwest Washington, D.C. During World War II, Ross was a member of the “Monuments Men” — the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section of the Allied Forces. This group of curators, architects, and historians identified and recovered art stolen by Nazi forces.

As a member of the Hammond-Harwood House furnishings committee in the 1950s and 1960s, Marvin Ross helped to acquire a world-class collection of paintings by the Peale family, furniture made by 18th century Annapolis cabinetmaker John Shaw, and this etui, the first enameled item to be added to the collection.

Elegant and functional, this etui was created for the sophisticated 18th century lady so that she could hone her illustration skills. Delicate items like this were imported for the American market and popular among girls like sixteen-year-old Mary Steele, who painted the landscape in the North East Bedchamber. Mary attended Miss Keets’ Academy for young ladies in Annapolis in 1805. Secondary schools began to form in the 1800s and were called “academies.”

The case caught the eye of renowned European Decorative arts collector Irwin Untermyer (1886-1973), a successful lawyer, businessman, and trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hammond-Harwood House trustee Marvin Ross had a close friendship with this collector and they shared a love for the Hammond-Harwood House. After donating the enamel case in 1949, Untermyer wrote to Ross that the house “stands out in my recollection as the finest example of colonial architecture. I am delighted to have been able to make this trivial contribution.” This was the first of several important donations Untermyer made to the collection.