“The Ringling” is the State Art Museum of Florida. The property includes a historic mansion, art museum, circus museum, and historic theater on sixty-six acres of bay front property in Sarasota. The mansion and the art museum were constructed by the circus king John and his wife Mable Ringling.
Of course, my greatest interest was in the mansion, Ca’ d’Zan or “House of John.” It is one of the grand Gilded Age mansions that I so love to visit, and one of only three in Florida. Marjory and I have visited all three Florida mansions this winter including Vizcaya (Miami) in late January, Whitehall (Palm Beach) in February, and Ca’ d’Zan (Sarasota) on March 4, 2014. Ca’ d’Zan is the youngest of the three, completed in 1925. At 36,000 square feet, it is larger than Vizcaya. But comparing the two houses without their courtyards, Ca’ d’Zan is smaller and far more intimate.
The mansion, shown from the Sarasota Bay above, was inspired by and designed in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzos (palaces) on Venice canals. The Ringlings loved Italy, and traveled there nearly every year while looking for new circus acts during the winter hiatus. They also indulged their love for art, amassing a collection so large that they needed their own museum to hold it.
While there, we visited every square inch of the mansion that could be visited including the Guided Tour (first floor and part of the second floor) and the Private Places Tour. We were very fortunate to be the only takers for our Private Places Tour, giving us our own docent. In addition to seeing the balance of the second floor and the third floor game room, we also ascended to the fourth floor tower bedroom and then to the Belvedere on top. The views from the Belvedere were magnificent.
As with the other Florida mansions, Ca’ d’Zan has a central courtyard. Differently, this courtyard was always enclosed having a central skylight with five soft colors of English glass. This was the Ringling’s primary space for entertaining. It has seven arched doorways that can open to the 1,300 square foot marble terrace adjacent to the bay.
I was the most impressed with Mr. Ringling’s suite. (As was typical for the wealthy, Mrs. Ringling had her own suite.) Mr. Ringling had balconies opening to the east, south, and west, a 35-piece gilt mahogany bedroom set made in Paris, a marble bath with a tub made from a solid slab of marble, a private office, and an exercise room. If I have ever seen a nicer suite of rooms, I do not recall it.
Ca’ d’Zan is clearly an architectural masterpiece. But is also warm and inviting, the kind of house where we could feel comfortable and at home.
After so much time and effort viewing Ca’ d’Zan, we decided to upgrade our tickets to a multi-day pass and return for the art museum the next day. While art museums aren’t usually my thing, I’m glad we did. And Marjory loved the old masters, sometimes finding it difficult to speak.
The museum begins with two galleries of enormous works by Rubens (1577-1640). The smallest, The Departure of Lot and His Family from Sodom, is 7 by 8 feet. The largest, at more than 12 by 17, is The Triumph of Divine Love. It is difficult not to be awe struck.
However, my personal favorite is a much smaller work by Francesco del Cairo (1607-1665) at only 3 by 4 feet. I was attracted by the contrast – the whiteness of the subject’s skin against the blackness of her gown and the background along with the yellow and blue turban. It was only later that I understood the scene being depicted by del Cairo, which has also been painted by scores other artists including Roselli, Cesari, Baglione, and even Rubens in hundreds of paintings.
This work titled Judith with the Head of Holofernes tells the heroic biblical tale of the Jewish widow who seduces and then beheads an Assyrian General to prevent him from ravaging the city of Bethulia. While I didn’t notice it at first, General Holofernes’ severed head can be seen at the lower left.
Without even considering the circus museum or the theatre, we would gauge The Ringling as the best attraction for art and architecture buffs anywhere in Florida.
Of course, my greatest interest was in the mansion, Ca’ d’Zan or “House of John.” It is one of the grand Gilded Age mansions that I so love to visit, and one of only three in Florida. Marjory and I have visited all three Florida mansions this winter including Vizcaya (Miami) in late January, Whitehall (Palm Beach) in February, and Ca’ d’Zan (Sarasota) on March 4, 2014. Ca’ d’Zan is the youngest of the three, completed in 1925. At 36,000 square feet, it is larger than Vizcaya. But comparing the two houses without their courtyards, Ca’ d’Zan is smaller and far more intimate.
The mansion, shown from the Sarasota Bay above, was inspired by and designed in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzos (palaces) on Venice canals. The Ringlings loved Italy, and traveled there nearly every year while looking for new circus acts during the winter hiatus. They also indulged their love for art, amassing a collection so large that they needed their own museum to hold it.
While there, we visited every square inch of the mansion that could be visited including the Guided Tour (first floor and part of the second floor) and the Private Places Tour. We were very fortunate to be the only takers for our Private Places Tour, giving us our own docent. In addition to seeing the balance of the second floor and the third floor game room, we also ascended to the fourth floor tower bedroom and then to the Belvedere on top. The views from the Belvedere were magnificent.
As with the other Florida mansions, Ca’ d’Zan has a central courtyard. Differently, this courtyard was always enclosed having a central skylight with five soft colors of English glass. This was the Ringling’s primary space for entertaining. It has seven arched doorways that can open to the 1,300 square foot marble terrace adjacent to the bay.
I was the most impressed with Mr. Ringling’s suite. (As was typical for the wealthy, Mrs. Ringling had her own suite.) Mr. Ringling had balconies opening to the east, south, and west, a 35-piece gilt mahogany bedroom set made in Paris, a marble bath with a tub made from a solid slab of marble, a private office, and an exercise room. If I have ever seen a nicer suite of rooms, I do not recall it.
Ca’ d’Zan is clearly an architectural masterpiece. But is also warm and inviting, the kind of house where we could feel comfortable and at home.
After so much time and effort viewing Ca’ d’Zan, we decided to upgrade our tickets to a multi-day pass and return for the art museum the next day. While art museums aren’t usually my thing, I’m glad we did. And Marjory loved the old masters, sometimes finding it difficult to speak.
The museum begins with two galleries of enormous works by Rubens (1577-1640). The smallest, The Departure of Lot and His Family from Sodom, is 7 by 8 feet. The largest, at more than 12 by 17, is The Triumph of Divine Love. It is difficult not to be awe struck.
This work titled Judith with the Head of Holofernes tells the heroic biblical tale of the Jewish widow who seduces and then beheads an Assyrian General to prevent him from ravaging the city of Bethulia. While I didn’t notice it at first, General Holofernes’ severed head can be seen at the lower left.
Without even considering the circus museum or the theatre, we would gauge The Ringling as the best attraction for art and architecture buffs anywhere in Florida.
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