Originally posted by annefran
Much of the stuff there looks like Art Deco design which frequently used the motifs of sunbursts and ships - style was prevalent from 1925-39, but many of the motifs have stayed in fashion. When was your house built. This may give some idea as to the intent of the motifs?
The name "Art Deco" comes from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris. This movement began much earlier than the time of this Paris exposition, but this was the first time it gained public attention. Although it began in Europe, America quickly took over control of the movement.
Art Deco was essentially a style of design, and decoration, and was applied to furniture, jewelry, and clothing, in addition to buildings. Ironically, it was inspired by both the 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb, and the fascination it generated with ancient cultures, and their designs and symbols; as well as the attempt to capture the sleek look of the machine age!
Art Deco ornamentation consists largely of geometrical designs, often expressed with zigzags, parallel straight lines, floral patterns, and chevrons. Vivid color, strong lines, bold geometric blocks, and undulating, repeating patterns are a trademark of this design. Many designers used these design elements to decorate cars, trains, appliances, and other products of the industrial age.
In architectural design, many taller buildings began to use the "setback", where upper stories were pulled back from the lower stories, which also mimics the Egyptian pyramid. This terraced pyramid is known as a Ziggurat.
Art Deco buildings usually have many of these features:
Vertical emphasis
Flat roofs
Geometrical designs and symbols
Vivid colors
Strong lines
Repeating patterns
Ziggurats (setbacks)
In 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, thrilled the world with their discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Reporters and tourists thronged the site for a glimpse at treasures which had laid nearly undisturbed for over 3,000 years. Soon a fascination for Ancient Egypt found expression in clothing, jewelry, furniture, graphic design and -- of course -- architecture.
The term Art Deco was coined from the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925. Robert Mallet-Stevens (1886-1945) helped promote Art Deco architecture in Europe. In the United States, Art Deco was embraced by Raymond Hood, who designed three of the most distinctive buildings in New York City: the Radio City Music Hall auditorium and foyer, the RCA building at Rockefeller Center, and the New York Daily News building.
Art Deco architects often lavished their buildings with symbolic images. Perhaps the most famous example is New York's Chrysler Building, designed by William Van Alen. Briefly the world's tallest building, the skyscraper is adorned with eagle hood ornaments, hubcaps and abstract images of cars. Other Art Deco architects used stylized flowers, sunbursts, birds and machine gears.
