The east and west parlours are both about 24 feet wide and (east parlour) nearly 17 feet and (west parlour) about 19 feet in their lesser dimensions. The west parlour has the same size and type of window as the south windows to the drawing and dining rooms (drawings 23-24). The east parlour window is taller and narrower than the those of the three other reception rooms and is finished by a segmental pediment that repeats the form of the ceiling; the west parlour has a coved ceiling. Decoration is largely confined to the cornices: the east parlour soffit has a pretty leaf and flower rosette alternating with flutes; the west parlour cornice has an egg and dart with acanthus moulding, triglyphs with guttae replaced by ball mouldings, and guilloche with ball mouldings.

No contemporary ground floor plan for Piercefield has survived, but presumably the east and west parlours were located on the north side of the house. Probably one parlour (east parlour?) was for Mrs Smith and the other parlour with its more masculine decoration for Mr Smith.

Drawings 19-29 are copies of working drawings probably related to the 17 drawings of 'finishings to the Rooms' that were sent to George Smith on 18 February 1793 (Ledger B, p.211). They are on thin laid paper with red sealing wax on some of the corners and in the same unidentified office hand.

Group

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

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