9:50 a.m., May 30, 2003--Wayne Craven, H.F. du Pont Professor Emeritus of Art History, who has contributed his expertise and connoisseurship on American sculpture and paintings to the refurbishing of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State for many years, received special recognition this spring.

Wayne Craven, H.F. du Pont Professor Emeritus of Art History. Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson.

He and his wife, Lorna, were invited to a reception at the State Department by Secretary of State Colin Powell and his wife, Alma, for donors and benefactors who contributed historic furnishings and art to the rooms.

It was a memorable evening, Craven recalled. All the guests had to go through incredibly tight security measures, but once they went upstairs it was a wonderful party, he said.

Gail Serfaty, director of the collection and curator of Blair House, introduced Powell and during her remarks cited Craven’s contributions as a consultant for the collection and as one of the authors of “Treasures of State,” a 1991 book that documents the rooms and their works of art and furnishings of the Colonial period.

Powell then spoke and said how he enjoyed using the rooms not only for formal events, but informally—strolling through them while talking to visiting dignitaries—and commented that it was a pleasure to show off the rooms as beautiful examples of Colonial American culture.

The Diplomatic Reception Rooms are used by others in the government for entertaining, Craven said, such as cabinet members and the first lady.

Later, Powell talked with the Cravens about the rooms and “Treasures of State.”

In the 1960s, the rooms were decorated and furnished in what then curator, Clement E. Conger, described as “late 1950s motel.” Under Conger’s leadership, the rooms were transformed into “the most beautiful period rooms in Washington,” Craven said. As Conger sought donations and contributions of paintings, sculptures and furnishings, Craven worked as a consultant, helping to determine the authenticity and history of sculptures and some paintings.

For “Treasures of State,” Craven cataloged 25 of the approximately 70 sculptures in the reception rooms, researched each piece and wrote brief biographies of the sculptors and articles about the pieces themselves. He also contributed an essay on paintings.

Wayne Craven and his wife, Lorna, attended a reception this spring hosted by Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms.

When the book was published, there was a gala reception in the rooms attended by the Cravens and President and Mrs. David P. Roselle.

Delaware, as one of the early states of the Union, has special connections with the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, Craven said. The late Bruce Bredin, who served on UD’s Board of Trustees, chaired the Commission of Fine Arts, which has oversight over the rooms. A set of Rococo 18th-century chairs belonged to the Lockermann family in Dover, and Allan Greenberg, the architect for Gore Hall and the renovation of P.S. du Pont Hall, was one of the architects working on the rooms’ interior architecture.

Many of the furnishings and artwork from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms are going on tour at museums across the country for the next two years in an exhibition entitled “Becoming A Nation.” Craven was a contributing author to the catalogue, most of which was written by two former Winterthur Fellows, Jonathan Fairbanks and Wendy Cooper.

Public tours of the rooms are given three times a day, Monday through Friday. For information and reservations, call 202-647-3241 or fax 202-736-4232.

Craven still is called upon as a consultant and recently traveled to Maine to see a marble bust of Lafayette that had surfaced. He determined that the bust was genuine and was done circa 1790 by the French sculptor Houdon.

Since retirement, Craven continues to work in his field. He has completed a book, which is awaiting publication, on architect Stanford White, emphasizing his role as an interior decorator, collector and dealer.

Craven’s current project is another book, “Gilded Mansions,” studying the socioeconomic background and the New York City and Newport homes of the very wealthy families at the turn of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as the Astors, Rockefellers and Carnegies.

Article by Sue Moncure