FEATURES ARCHIVE

Sutton Square, one of the best addresses in Old New York, looks out over the East River. Some pretty elegant people of means and taste have lived there ever since that sharpest of all taste brokers, Elsie de Wolfe, discovered and developed it at the turn of the last century. But no apartment or house in Sutton Square has been, I think, so wedded to the standard of superlative furnishings elegantly displayed in sensitively architected interiors than that of William F. Reilly.

Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive of Primedia was ably supported by his choice of curator, furnisher and decorator, Timothy Whealon, in his pursuit of classicism in all its decorative manifestations.  This arose out of his love for, and knowledge of, the history of the classical world.

Whealon came on the scene originally as an art advisor with a brief from Mr. Reilly to find furniture primarily from the 18th century, which had a classical look and pedigree. ‘I looked around for pieces which had to be authentic and not overly restored,’ he told me.  ‘One of the first things I found for Mr. Reilly were the matched pair of George II mahogany chests circa 1765, possibly by Wright & Elwick. One thing led to another,’ he explained ‘and eventually I ended up both decorating and furnishing the whole house.’

The interiors Whealon created and filled with English, Irish, French and Italian furniture were inspired by the cumulative effect of the accretions of generations, such as he had seen in England at houses like Houghton and Holkham, visited when he was studying Fine Art in London. For Sutton Square Whealon explained to me that he went for a modern urban take on great English country houses such as these. He was, he said,  inspired by that master William Kent.  ‘I followed his example, and went for very architectural furniture such as the cabinet on chest by William Hallett, which is very pure, and which harmonised with the Kentian interior architecture of Sutton Square,’ he explains. ‘The furnishings also owe something to the Irish houses Mr. Reilly and I visited, and to baroque and Grand Tour taste.’  He cites the Regency brass mounted table with a top formed of squares of specimen marble as being in the taste of that ultimate grand tourist, Thomas Hope, as are the pair of circa 1775 giltwood side tables with porphyry tops in the manner of Giovanni Piranesi which ornamented the Sutton Square drawing room.

Grand Tour taste is also reflected in the many antiquities that made of this house something really special considering that this is a late 20th century interior. I personally have always found Roman portrait busts of great interest as the best are obviously faithful contemporary likenesses, bringing history to vivid life as it were. The Roman marble head of the Emperor Antoninus Pius (A.D. 138-161) is a very fine example indeed of such portraiture, and it was unsurprisingly, one of William Reilly’s favourite possessions.

As for the subtle introduction of French, Irish and Italian furniture of the 18th century and earlier, together with a judicious sprinkling of 20th century pieces, Whealon justifies his eclectic ‘off piste’ choices by explaining that ‘any grand house would have had things added to it over the centuries and what I did not want was to create something that looked like a pale pastiche of the past.’

Of the paintings in this collection, Whealon is most enthusiastic about the mysterious 16th century painting of a classical villa with, in its foreground, acrobats being watched by gentlefolk. This curious arcadian scene was painted by an unknown Flemish artist known to be active in Northern Italy in the 16th century, but identified by experts only as the Monogrammist ‘MO’. Whoever MO was, it is a wonderfully eccentric and brilliantly painted picture.

Whealon was only 30 when he started working with William Reilly; the project took twelve years to complete and it was, he told me, a splendid experience. ‘It is great when someone trusts you and knows you have his interest at heart and the pleasure was, for me, to work with someone in an atmosphere of trust and respect.  'It was,’ he tells me, ‘particularly enjoyable because Mr. Reilly really was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the Ancient World.’ This love of classicism was the foundation of Reilly’s ultimately successful quest to create one of the greatest houses in New York City.