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A Greek Revival-style
medallion in a parlor in
the 1832 Merchant’s House
Museum in Manhattan.
Photo by Susan De Vries.
round or square. Stylized and flattened leaf, flower, and
vine patterns not unlike William Morris wallpapers
were popular. A medallion for a smaller middle parlor
might have a simpler all-over geometric pattern such as
basketweave.
A return to neoclassical style toward the end of the century
brought back Adams-style medallions in round and
oval shapes with dentils, swags, stripes, and scrolls.
Whatever the era, typically medallions are centered in a
room. They do not necessarily align with other elements,
such as fireplaces, windows, doors, or the placement of
medallions in other rooms. The meandering of medallions
from room to room can be obscured by fretwork
screens and pocket doors.
It is worth noting that parlors in grand Italianate
brownstones of the 1860s and 1870s frequently feature
elaborate plasterwork ceilings of which the medallion
is an integral part. A pronounced cornice with heavy
brackets typically anchors the ceiling. The ceiling is
divided by panels surrounding an elaborate medallion,
much like a fountain among planting beds in a formal
parterre garden.
Medallions could be painted white or cream or polychromed.
Similar to painted crown moldings, medallion
colors were pale and soft, so as not to compete with the
darker and weightier walls. Examples with original paint
include survivors at the Linley Sambourne house in London
and the Frank G. Edwards house in San Francisco.
A round medallion in the parlor of the latter, designed
in 1883 for a wallpaper and carpet importer, is painted
primarily in shades of cream and deep cream, with delicate
washes of melon and dots of terra-cotta that pick up
stronger hues elsewhere in the room.
Broken, damaged, or missing plaster medallions can be
repaired or replicated by a master plasterer. Stock medallions
are available off the shelf in a variety of materials,
although style options are limited. Before beginning any
construction whose vibrations could damage existing
plaster, such as cutting into walls for electrical rewiring,
secure medallions and other ornamental plasterwork in
place, ideally in consultation with a master plasterer. Later
nineteenth century medallions often have openings
big enough to admit a new electrical box without cracking
or breaking, but earlier or delicate medallions may
need expert handling to be successfully rewired to code.