Washington Winter Show 2022

46 or metal base to create a motif. Russians began mining malachite in the Ural Mountains in the 1800s, and the intensity of the stone’s color and the beauty of its patterns, often accentuated by gilt bronze mounts, eventually brought it worldwide recognition. The bell on a malachite stand was a gift to Hillwood by Frances Rosso and part of her collection of Russian artifacts now at Hillwood (fig. 8). Frances’ husband Augusto Rosso served as Italian Ambassador to the Soviet Union between 1936 and 1941 where they assembled the collection. In 1969, Marjorie Post built a dacha on the estate to house this collection. Today, the Rosso collection is integrated with Hillwood’s permanent collection in the mansion, while the dacha houses special exhibitions. Russian porcelain figurines were one of Marjorie Post’s lesser-known interests. First becoming popular in the late 1700s, these figurines would ultimately document the ethnic groups and costumes of the peoples of the vast Russian Empire. The tall figurine featuring a woman from the Don region belongs to a series commissioned in 1907 by Emperor Nicholas II, and the other pieces represent expressions of early 1900s ceramic experiments highlighting Western and Russian folk costume traditions (fig. 9–11). FASHION Hillwood’s collection of over 300 costumes and accessories from Marjorie Post and her family represents early-mid twentieth century American fashion. Among the pieces in the collection are the custom silk satin wedding shoes commissioned for Post’s eldest daughter Adelaide Fig. 13: Hat. Esther Kirwan Steck (American, 1896–1977). Washington, D.C., about 1960. Plastic flowers, flocked flowers, nylon net, silk organza. Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973 (2012.9.43). Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, photographed by Renee Comet. Fig. 12: Wedding shoes. Shoe Cra (American, active 1920s). New York, 1927. Silk satin, leather, wood, wax flowers. Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973 (49.94.1–2). Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, photographed by Ariel Caruso.