The Rockefeller Mansion - The Interior

Our guide brought us into the mansion and I asked if we could take pictures.  He said we could as long as we didn't use a flash.  I read on their website later that they don't allow pictures in the mansion so I'm glad we had the guide we did.

The Rockefellers have extensive art collections and they are throughout the house.  When we walked in the door there were two Asian masterpieces right in the hall.  They were both encased in plexiglass for safety.  The ones in the hallway were porcelain from an ancient Chinese Dynasty.  They were so vibrant that it was hard to imagine that they were that ancient.  Of course, I didn't get pictures of them because I had not asked if I could take pictures at that point!

This is the study and is the only room in the house with dark wood paneling. 

This is the Music Room (above).  I wasn't crazy about the modern art on the wall in this room but apparently Nelson Rockefeller liked to shock people with some of his art pieces so this piece would do the trick.  This room was in the center of the house with rooms surrounding it.

We loved the ceiling in the Music Room.  It was apparently an idea that came later and a lot of reconstruction had to be done to accomplish it but it was worth it!

Here are some pieces of Asian Art that is throughout the house.  I can't remember what Dynasty these are from but, believe me, they are old and priceless!

We are in the China Room and, although a small room, it contains many many china collections.  The room has one glass cabinet next to another on all four walls.  

I liked this set the best!

The Mansion also has an elevator

 

Now we are upstairs and looking down on the Music Room in the center of the house.

That's me in front of a piece of Modern Art on the second floor.  I liked this piece with all the colors and textures.  I thought he said Jackson Pollock did it, but it doesn't look like a Pollock to me.

This screen in the Sitting Room to one of the Master Bedroom Suites is a Marc Chagall.

This is the sitting room to the Master Bedroom.

Nice view of the Hudson River from the Sitting Room!

The Stairway to the Third Floor.  We're not sure what
is on the Third Floor as it was not a part of the tour.

This is another Bedroom Suite on the 2nd floor, however, our guide told us that the furnishings in here are not original to this room, especially the twin beds.

The Bathroom associated with this Bedroom Suite

Nice big tub.

And, what every bathroom needs - a fireplace!

The closet in this bedroom suite

The Sitting Room for this Bedroom Suite

Then we headed downstairs again and started in the Dining Room.

Fireplace, very ornate, with a portrait of 

John D. Rockfeller above it.

Lovely Dining Room with a terrific view

JDR, John Rockefeller, the elder's portrait is right across of his son's which is above the fire place.

This is the real Butler's Pantry and it is on the first floor.  The kitchen, however, is in the basement.  The Rockefellers believed that the servants should be separated from the rest of the household.  This is the room where the food came up in an dumb-waiter and was kept warm in this room until served.

I was enthralled with this marble piece of art and finally found some information about it. It is called Bodhisattva.  It is from China, Hebei province and is of the Tang period (618-906).  It was also a favorite of John D. Rockefeller and it is definitely the centerpiece of the first floor of the mansion.  You can see it in the distance as you walk through the front doors.  And the closer you get to it, the more magnificent it seems. 
 

Bodhisattva

I'd call this their Living Room, however, 

I'm not quite sure what they called it.

Bodhisattva

Our Guide told us that this room was built around this bookcase so that the ceiling tiles and trim in the room match the detail on the wood in the bookcase. 

Next we will be heading for the lower level of the house where Nelson Rockefeller installed his Modern Art Galleries.