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A Legacy Assembled : A Preview of the Villa Finale Collection On exhibit October 2009 through May 2010 in the Villa Finale Visitor Center 122 Madison Street, San Antonio Texas 78204. Villa Finale’s A Legacy Assembled.
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A Legacy Assembled: A Preview of the Villa Finale Collection On exhibit October 2009 through May 2010 in the Villa Finale Visitor Center 122 Madison Street, San Antonio Texas 78204
Villa Finale’s A Legacy Assembled When Walter Mathis set eyes on the 1876 Italianate home at 401 King William, he knew it would be the perfect showcase for his growing collection of fine and decorative arts. Renamed Villa Finale to recognize it as his last home, the building still houses Mr. Mathis’s incredible 12,000-piece collection – one that delighted visitors for over forty years. Mr. Mathis donated the property and its contents to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2004 to share it with the public for generations to come. After undergoing a modern restoration, Villa Finale will open its doors, and visitors will once again be treated to the extraordinary collection within its walls. The exhibition, “A Legacy Assembled,” explores Villa Finale room by room and displays a representation of the collections you will find there when the museum opens to the public.
Villa Finale Visitor Center: Some views of the changing exhibition gallery
Villa Finale Visitor Center: Views of the changing exhibition gallery
Villa Finale Visitor Center: Objects in the exhibition A Legacy Assembled
Villa Finale Visitor Center: Objects in the exhibition A Legacy Assembled
Child’s Deer Antler Chair, 1885 This diminutive chair was created using thirteen single antlers and one deer hide, all from animals hunted by Walter Mathis’s grandfather, Thomas Henry Mathis. Mathis made the chair in Rockport, Texas for use by his four grandsons. The chair is located in the Basement, with other early Texas furniture.
Meyer Pottery 5-Gallon Butter Churn, 1888 The Meyer Pottery was founded by Franz Schultz and his son-in-law, William Meyer, in 1887 in Atascosa, a community about twenty-three miles southwest of San Antonio. Clay from the area was used to make this churn. Villa Finale’s collection of over sixty pieces of Meyer Pottery is located in the Basement.
Branding Iron, 1875 Walter Mathis’s grandfather, Thomas Henry Mathis, co-founded the Coleman, Mathis, Fulton Cattle Company and also owned the Henry Bend Ranch, now Mathis, Texas. The iron’s unusual shape represents a tadpole, which was the Mathis family cattle brand. The branding iron is located in the Basement with other Mathis Ranch relics.
Bronze, Charles VII Victorious, on Horseback, 1833 by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) Villa Finale has twenty-six bronzes by French sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye (pronounced bar-ay). Although Barye was most famous for his depiction of wild animals, either alone or in grisly animal interactions, he did sculpt a few equestrian statues. This is one of four that are located in Villa Finale’s First Floor Hall. They were purchased for Mathis as a surprise by his sister, Agnes Bain, while both were in London.
Bronze, Charles VII Victorious, on Horseback, 1833 by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875)
Emerald Snuff Bottle, c. 1910 This tiny snuff bottle, characterized by a Persian-inspired relief in the Indian Mughal style(1526-1707), is actually made from a solid emerald. It is located in a cabinet at the rear of the First Floor Hall that is filled with other small glass and stone objects.
Black Curled Horn Patch Box; Bakelite Domino Vesta Case; Papier-Mâché Snuff Box One of the most widespread collections at Villa Finale is the snuff box collection, most of which are located in the Library, where these boxes sit with fifty-six others. They are made out of every possible material, from a donkey hoof and papier-mâché to gold and silver. Technically, not all of the boxes are snuff boxes, some being vestas, or match cases, and others, patch boxes. A patch box had a most unusual use: it held small pieces of cotton which were stuffed into a musket barrel with the musket ball and acted as a sort of gasket to maximize the pressure behind the ball.
Black Curled Horn Patch Box; Bakelite Domino Vesta Case; Papier-Mâché Snuff Box
Russian Icon, c. 1830 One of twenty-two Russian and Greek icons in Villa Finale’s Library, this one is true to its original function as a story without words, using “icon-graphics” to illustrate a religious event. The middle frame illustrates the “anastasis,” or resurrection of Christ, surrounded by the twelve feasts of the Catholic Church. Because icons were venerated and often touched by church-goers, many of the museum’s icons have an “oklad,” a protective cover made of silver or other metals, with openings only for the faces of those depicted. Icons are typically painted on wood panels using egg-tempera paint with gold leaf detail.
Death Mask of Napoleon Bonaparte, c.1840 Walter Mathis was once asked if a fire occurred within Villa Finale, which object would he save first? The answer was this bronze death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte. This bronze is a cast of the death mask taken of Napoleon on his death bed in 1821 by his Corsican physician, Francesco Antommarchi. The mask is located in the Front Napoleon Parlor in its original box.
Miniature Bronze Casket, c. 1840 This bronze four-part model of Napoleon Bonaparte’s sarcophagus is one of the hundreds of Napoleonic souvenirs that fill Villa Finale’s Napoleon Parlors. Many of the pieces Walter Mathis purchased were manufactured to commemorate Napoleon’s exhumation from his grave in Mt. Elba and second funeral in Paris in 1840. This piece is an accurate representation of the French leader’s tomb in Paris, and shows him in his signature bi-corn hat and riding boots
Carved Ivory Figures, c.1840 These two heavily-carved ivory figures, one of Napoleon Bonaparte and one of his second wife, Austrian royal Marie-Louise, sit on the mantle in the Rear Napoleon Parlor. Their torsos open to reveal what Walter Mathis described as “their lives carved in ivory”. While Napoleon’s depicts battles and victories, the unfortunate Marie-Louise reveals only her marriage to Napoleon.
Military Helmet and Court Sword, c.1815 Because of Walter Mathis’s fascination with Napoleon’s military valor and skill, Villa Finale’s collection holds many helmets and swords of varying countries of origin, but mainly French. This helmet was worn by a high ranking cavalry soldier in the French Guarde National à Cheval, or Cavalry, and its decoration is made almost entirely of horse hair. The sword is a French Court Sword, a type that one would never see combat, only ceremony. These two pieces are located in the Rear Napoleon Parlor.
“Hillside of Bluebonnets, North of San Antonio” Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922) The Onderdonk family is well represented in the collection at Villa Finale. Between patriarch Robert Jenkins Onderdonk, son Julian and his sister Eleanor, there are almost thirty of their works at the site. Julian was and remains most famous for his depictions of the fields of bluebonnets that surround San Antonio. Bluebonnets, a prolific brilliant-blue Texan wildflower, still literally cover country landscapes in south Texas in the springtime. This painting, which also includes the artist’s second favorite subject, the Prickly Pear Cactus, hangs in the Dining Room.
Cow Creamer, c. 1915 Villa Finale has eighteen of these whimsical cow creamers. This one is the most beautiful in the collection and is made of sterling silver which has been gilded. It was made by Thomas and Company in London, England and retailed by the famous Tiffany & Company. Cow creamers were novelty items, first produced in the 1750's and 1760's by Dutch silversmith John Schuppe, who was based in London. Many copies such as this one were made in the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly in England and the Netherlands. This creamer is located in a special cupboard in the Dining Room, separated from its sterling silver counterparts.
Compotier, 1869 Walter Mathis purchased this compotier, or dish for a compote dessert, in 1968 while in London with his sister, Agnes Bain. It is part of a silver gilt and crystal table service that was made to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. It includes two compotes, candelabra and a towering epergne that decorates the Dining Room table. Mathis acquired these during the same trip on which he received four Barye equestrian bronzes, one of which is representing the First Floor Hall in this exhibition.
Goblet, c.1910 This heavily ornamented gilt silver, enamel and faux-jeweled goblet stands with another larger example on a Scottish sideboard in the Dining Room. There are thirty-one goblets in the room, mostly sterling, all highly decorated, and all used at some point by revelers at parties thrown by Walter Mathis.
Crystal Decanter, c. 1880 Between Villa Finale’s Kitchen and Dining Room is a beguiling little room called the Bar. Walter Mathis was a great and accommodating host, and this room holds the majority of his glassware, barware and other equipment for entertaining. Mathis was very pleased to be able to use all of his crystal decanters according to their original purpose. Most of them have sterling tags identifying their contents. This lovely piece resembles a thistle and most likely held Scotch whiskey.
Wedgwood Bowl, c.1915 Villa Finale owns ninety-eight works by Wedgwood, the venerable 250 year-old English porcelain company, best known for its iconic neo-classical blue jasperware. This incredible pattern is like no other by Wedgwood. It was created by Daisy Makeig-Jones, one of history’s few recognized female potters, and a character in her own right. In 1909, with little experience, she demanded a job from Wedgwood pottery, and succeeded in obtaining a position as a ceramic painter. By 1915, she had launched her own line, Fairyland Lustre, whose fantastical designs became enormously popular after World War I with a clientele weary of war. Over the years, Fairyland Lustre has become Wedgwood’s most valuable product. The bowl is located in the Bar.
Wedgwood Vase, c.1830 In 1786, Josiah Wedgwood borrowed the celebrated Portland Vase, a stunning 1st century B.C. Roman glass amphora owned the 3rd Duke of Portland, for the purpose of reproducing it in porcelain. He painstakingly copied the figures, all classical and quite nude, and marketed his reproductions at steep prices to collectors and aristocrats he knew were accustomed to classical nudity. In the 1830’s, however, the firm became obliged to carefully drape the figures, as in this example, due to a shift in patronage to the middle class who were much more modest in their tastes. Walter Mathis collected four of these vases, which are displayed in the Kitchen.
Majolica Plate, c. 1920 This Portuguese plate was inspired by figurines rustiques made by French potter Bernard Palissy (pronounced palace-ay)(1510-1590), who was formally trained as a stained glass artist. After receiving a Chinese porcelain cup as a gift, however, he became obsessed with the idea of making one himself. He succeeded, but did not continue to produce fine china. Instead, he created his own style of pottery, casting real fish, reptiles, insects and amphibians in clay, and composing them all together on a plate. People admired the wares, purchased them and promptly placed them on their sideboards as decoration, for no one could possibly eat off of them. Villa Finale has five of these 20th century reproduction plates, which are hung on the Kitchen wall.
Cranberry Glass Apothecary Bottle, c.1890 Walter Mathis knew that the ground glass stoppers and lids on antique apothecary jars and bottles rivaled the seals on modern plastic storage containers in their ability to keep food fresh. Mathis, ever the aesthete, liked the way they looked in his kitchen and he filled them with cereals, pastas, spices and dried fruits. This giant French apothecary bottle sits on the refrigerator in Villa Finale’s Kitchen and was undoubtedly a 19th century equivalent to the oversized perfume bottles seen in department stores; an eye-catching advertisement.
Pewter Porringer c. 1800 Walter Mathis loved the idea that this double porringer was made to hold soup and food for French soldiers on the battlefield. The two-handled design allowed the diner to eat soup or gruel without a utensil. This set has the former owner’s initials, J.C.R., carved on the bottom of the bowl. It is found in the Pewter Room on a Welsh dresser covered with other pewter ware. There are 135 pewter plates, vessels and decorative statuary in Villa Finale’s collection.
Stein, c.1850 • When one thinks of “beer”, it’s likely that the word “stein” comes to mind. However, “stein” in German means stone, hence steinzeug or German stoneware, which is the material from which this fat friar is made. The first German beer vessels were round-bellied with cylindrical necks, many modeled as chubby, bearded men. This stein, one of 104 in Villa Finale’s collection, and one of thirty in the Pewter Room, is a perfect example of the success of this first shape.
Oil Painting, Still Life c. 1870 The Pewter Room is one of the most European rooms in Villa Finale, with forty-four paintings of Italian and Spanish origin covering all four walls and English pewter ware and German steins in the cupboards. This beautiful example of a Continental painting depicts a subject typical of those found in European country houses and castles.
Triptych “Les Cowboys” Mary Bonner (1887-1934) San Antonio artist Mary Bonner, painter and printmaker, died in 1934, leaving her sister Emma with an example of almost every work of art she had created. When Emma died in 1956, her estate, including her sister’s works, was put up for sale. Rumor has it that Walter Mathis arrived early to the sale and was able to purchase the entire collection. Villa Finale currently has sixty-five Bonners hanging along the First Floor Rear Stairs. There were many more however: Mathis gave a great number of the French scenes to Trinity University, the rest were gifts to friends or family members. Bonner created cowboy and rodeo scenes in the 1920s while working in Paris, where they were wildly popular with the French.
