Gondola Returns to Mariners’ Museum Following Stay at National Gallery of Art

For Immediate Release

Gondola Returns to Mariners’ Museum Following Stay at National Gallery of Art

Newport News, Va. - (June 2011) - After several months as the centerpiece of an exhibition at The National Gallery of Art, a Venetian gondola returns Friday, June 17, to its home at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News. 

Jan 4, the gondola was moved by tractor-trailer to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., for its exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals, which ran from Feb. 20– May 20. The gondola—one of the oldest in existence—dates from the mid-19th century and was once owned by American painter Thomas Moran (1837–1926). It is 37 feet long and 5 feet wide. Moran brought it to his summer residence in East Hampton, N.Y., in 1890 as a souvenir.

The gondola is equipped with a cabin-like detachable structure in the center—a “felze”—complete with a glass door, windows, and luxurious upholstery. The felze walls are richly carved and the roof is covered with heavy black cloth and black silk tassels. In front of the felze are two chairs upholstered in leather. Brass fittings are installed throughout the gondola as well as a gilt coat of arms and a lamp at the bow.

After Moran’s death, the gondola was donated to the East Hampton Library. In 1950, it was offered it to The Mariners’ Museum, where it is housed in the International Small Craft Center. In 1999, The Mariner’s Museum had the gondola restored.

The gondola is coming back the way it was delivered, in an enclosed tractor-trailer. It will arrive sometime after noon, and will be immediately placed back on display inside The Mariners’ Museum’s Small Craft Center.  

For more information:
Contact: John Warren
(757) 591-7746
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org 

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.