Galleries

The original Telfair mansion was completed around 1820. On the exterior, architect William Jay’s (1792–1837) inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman architecture for design is reflected by the symmetrical façade and columns with cast stone capitals. On the interior, what were formerly living spaces including a reception room, dining room, drawing room, and bedrooms, as well as the annex addition that includes the spacious Rotunda and Sculpture Galleries, have been transformed to art galleries that feature exhibitions drawn from Telfair’s permanent collection. These galleries feature 18th and 19th century American and European fine and decorative art including paintings, sculpture, silver, and works on paper.

Rotunda Gallery

Photo by Adam Kuehl

The Rotunda Gallery reflects the vision and taste of three important figures in the museum’s early history: Telfair’s first director, Carl Brandt (1831–1905); the architect of the space, German-born Detlef Lienau (1818–1887); and Gari Melchers (1860–1932), the museum’s fine arts advisor from 1906–1916. The Rotunda Gallery and the Sculpture Gallery are the result of an 1883–86 renovation that transformed the Telfair mansion into an art museum. Brandt worked with Lienau to design the Rotunda, which evokes the grandeur of a 19th-century European salon. Brandt also created the four murals on view in the upper register of the gallery. These depict the great practitioners of the four primary art forms according to Brandt: Apelles, painting (west); Iktinus, architecture (north); Praxiteles, sculpture (east); and Albrecht Dürer, printmaking (south). The fact that three of these artists are ancient Greeks reflects the late 19th-century reverence for classical art and culture.

Sculpture Gallery

Photo by Adam Kuehl

Part of the 1883–86 addition to the Telfair mansion, the Sculpture Gallery features classical architectural elements including four Ionic columns and clerestory windows punctuated by pilasters. Originally, a skylight placed in the center of the gallery’s ceiling transmitted light from the Rotunda above. The initial decoration of the Sculpture Gallery featured murals created by Carl Brandt of important archaeological sites that were installed in the panels between the windows.

The museum’s collection of plaster casts, which lend the Sculpture Gallery its name, are copies of famous Greco-Roman sculptures. Brandt originally ordered over 70 of these casts from major museums in Europe. Presented on the same scale as the original works, the casts were important to early Telfair Academy art students who sketched them as a critical step toward mastering life drawing. More importantly, the casts allowed the people of 19th century Savannah to appreciate the great works of Greco-Roman civilization without ever leaving home.

Today, the Sculpture Gallery primarily displays works from Telfair’s permanent collection, many of which were purchased by Gari Melchers. Highlights typically on view in this gallery include Childe Hassam’s Brooklyn Bridge in Winter, Frederick Carl Frieseke’s The Hammock, George Bellows’ Snow-Capped River, and Robert Henri’s La Madrileñita. These works illustrate the primary strengths of Telfair’s permanent collection in American impressionism and Ashcan School works.

Upper Level Galleries

Originally, the upstairs served as private rooms for the Telfair family, likely bedrooms. In the 1880s, these spaces were modified into art galleries. The original windows and fireplaces were covered by walls suitable for hanging paintings. Today, these galleries display work from Telfair’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.

Entrance Hall

Photo by Calvin Parker

The museum’s entrance hall bears little resemblance to the hall of the original Telfair house. A guest visiting the Telfairs would have entered through a small vestibule with an illusory domed ceiling and doors leading to the Octagon Room on the left and the double parlor on the right. Continuing into the hall, the visitor would have seen a double staircase, a landing, and a single stair leading to the upper level.

In the 1880s, the entrance hall was opened up to allow public groups to more easily enter what was once a private home. The original staircase was removed, as was the original octagonal skylight. Pine floors were covered in marble, and a marble staircase was installed at the end of the entrance hall leading to the upstairs bedrooms (also altered) and the new addition. The upper part of the entrance hall was originally open in the center with walkways on either side leading into the Telfairs’ bedrooms.

One Museum, Many Façades

Photo by David Kaminsky

One Museum, Many Façades presents the history of Telfair Museums in correlation with the development of its buildings, to offer visitors an entry point to the institution. “A Substantial Mansion” tells the story of the Telfair family and the construction of their home on St. James Square. “A Public Edifice” narrates the establishment of the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences in Mary Telfair’s will and key figures in the years that followed. “A Memorial” explains Margaret Gray Thomas’s connection to Telfair, her bequest of her family home to Telfair Museums, and the changes prompted by the rediscovery of the slave quarters in the 1990s. “A Dynamic Building” brings this history into the 21st century and asks visitors to consider the museum’s path forward.