Artistic Environs
Expectation can tax the creative. Consider
the chef who wants to have friends over for a potluck supper, the novelist who
wants to dash-off a quick note or the artist who wants to create a comfortable
home. All must cope with the busman's holiday syndrome that never
permits them to be off duty.
It's nice to report that Belmont, the home
of American artist Gari Melchers, does not disappoint. Belmont combines the
beauty of nature with the beauty of the artist's creations. A long
promenade of boxwoods and century-old trees leads down to the banks of the
Rappahannock River from a lovely old white frame house, with colonnaded
porches on the first and second floors. Built sometime between 1790 and
1800, the house was enlarged in 1843. Gari Melchers lived here from 1916
to 1932, the last 16 years of his life. Melchers filled his home with
his own work and art that he and his wife collected while in Europe. His
one structural addition was a cheerful sun porch.
Gari Melchers's father was a sculptor who came to
America from Germany. He is remembered today primarily for his wooden
cigar-store Indians. Young Gari studied in his father's drawing classes,
then traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany and Paris, France to continue his art
education. Before moving to Belmont Melchers and his wife, Corinne,
spent a great deal of time in Europe. He had studios in Paris, France;
Egmond, Holland and Weimar, Germany.
At Belmont, old family pieces mix with European
antiques to form a stylish but comfortable home. An 18th-century desk
from Holland has four secret compartments so well hidden that the guides have
trouble remembering their locations. Oriental carpets, English Regency
slipper chairs and Victorian bedroom furniture vie for attention with American
antiques acquired in Fredericksburg.
Both Gari and his wife painted. There are
many family portraits. Gari painted his mother when he was 24 and his
father ten years later. Melchers also did a self-portrait. In the
dining room there is a portrait of Mrs. Melchers and her brother. The
work of both Melcherses and European artists like
Frans Synders and Berthe Morizot mix
harmoniously at Belmont.
After a guided tour of the house you're invited to
walk down the path to Melcher's stone studio. More than 50 of his
paintings fill the studio walls. The brush, paint and palettes create
the illusion that the artist is only momentarily missing. Belmont has
the largest repository of Melcher's paintings in the world. The
collection includes 1,600 items.
Belmont is open March through November from 10:00
A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday.
From December through February hours are 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday
through Saturday and 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. on Sunday.
Art lovers will want to include a stop at The
Silversmith House located on the banks of the Rappahannock River at the
foot of George Street in Fredericksburg. The house, built around 1785 by
silversmith and jeweler James Brown, is architecturally little-altered.
It is now used as exhibition and studio space by the Fredericksburg Center for
the Creative Arts. There is free admission Tuesday through Sunday from
NOON to 4:00 P.M. For information on exhibits call (540) 373-5646.
Directions: From I-95 near Fredericksburg,
take the Falmouth-Warrenton exit. Follow Route 17 east toward Falmouth
for 1 1/4 mile to Washington Street and turn right to Belmont.