Back to Belmont

I read in the paper recently that Belmont was having an open house.  We had been enjoying beautiful spring weather the last few days (today it's raining).  What a great opportunity it was to visit Belmont again. Belmont was the home of Gari Melchers and his wife Corrine.  We visited Belmont  in February and if you wish to see that post go Here.  The weather was pretty cold that day ---all of 17 degrees! The weather was much better when we visited this time---In the 70 degree range---I just loved it!  I thought you might enjoy the gardens at Belmont today!

As beautiful as the gardens were, we then went into the home of Gari and Corrine Melchers.  The home was left as it was in 1955 when Corrine Melchers passed away.  The home was given to the state of Virginia and it is a treasure filled home.  The furnishings of priceless antiques, rugs, and china are beautiful. There are even magazines from that time--left just like Corrine had been reading them.  We learned an interesting fact about Belmont that I had never heard before.  When the Melchers were looking for a home they considered buying Kenmore!  They felt it was too fancy for their taste!  They felt that Belmont was very similar to the home they had in Holland.  Corrine Melchers was an acclaimed artist herself and we were treated to some of her work in the home.  No photography is allowed in the home.

We then strolled to the studio of Gari Melchers where we were allowed to photograph his original work--I was thrilled!  I'm happy to share his beautiful artwork with you!

The Nativity

The Crimson Rambler was on loan from a private collection:

The Crimson Rambler was painted by Melchers at his residence in Holland in 1915.  It is his only pure garden piece.

Belmont is a wonderful place to enjoy a beautiful Sunday afternoon!

  

Sunday Afternoon

Grayden and I went to a lecture and movie about the Rappahannock River that winds through our city.  The program was held on the banks of the river at Belmont the former home of Gari Melchers.  A National Historic Landmark, Gari Melchers' Home and Studio is one of just 30 of America's most significant artists' spaces included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios consortium.

It was a freezing windy afternoon. Don't let the sunny skies fool you. When we left home it was 17 degrees.  Thank goodness the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful azure blue.  The lecture was held in a warm pavilion behind Mr. Melchers' studio.

Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne lived at Belmont.  They wanted to have a home in a rural area that would allow Gari Melchers to pursue his art in his later years.  He was not a starving artist and did quite well for himself.  They bought 27 acres on the banks of the Rappahannock River.  If you want to know more about Gari Melchers  check out http://garimelchers.umw.edu/gari-melchers/  He was a proponent of naturalism and his art work is beautiful.

Mr Melchers was born in Detroit.  He was the son of a wood carver and Paris trained sculptor.  His father sent him abroad at seventeen, but he actually did not reach Paris for three years.  He pursued academic German painting in Dusseldorf, where he was especially fond of the Impressionists, especially Monet.  In Paris he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts un Lefebvre and Boulanger.


Belmont is a beautiful property and is quite lovely all seasons of the year.

Rappahannock River  

     

Estate Map