Baluster, from the Schlesinger and Mayer Store (Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company from 1904), Southeast corner of State and Madison Streets, Chicago, Illinois

1982, sold by the Kelmscott Gallery (Chicago, IL) to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

This ornate architectural decoration is comprised of brown-colored cast iron and features an openwork design of symmetrical patterns of intersecting geometric and curvilinear shapes. The baluster is a vertically oriented rectangle embellished with a quatrefoil (four-lobed design) shape at its center. Above and below the quatrefoil are solid oval-shaped elements encircled by delicate scrollwork, radiating outward to form an intricate network of lines and curves. Slender vertical bars intersect the overall rectangular shape of the baluster. The top and bottom ends of the baluster are adorned with more complex flourishes.

• North America
• Architectural Decoration

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