Ombra Wine – Beer – Food
Paintings of Mary and Albert Spalding by William Scott Pyle , found at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield .
No Reservations Kitchen till Midnight was a member of the Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington , and both he and Mary were tennis amateurs . Albert mentions in his memoir that on one occasion , he won a club tournament for the sport . His friends began to spread the tale of his tennis prowess , which grew wilder each time he denied it until he was apparently the “ New England champion .” Albert also fought in both World Wars , running an Allied radio broadcast behind enemy lines in Italy during World War II .
In 1953 , Albert died of a stroke at age 64 . Mary continued to maintain and expand the estate until her death in 1970 . Her will left Aston Magna in the hands of the Berkshire Museum , along with a large portion of her oriental art collection and anything inside the estate not already bequeathed . Some of these objects were recently on display in the museum for its 120th anniversary exhibit .
The list of donated pieces fills an entire book in Berkshire Museum ’ s archives . French and English style furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries was found in the house , with Venetian furnishings from the same period in Mary ’ s room and the studio . Much of the home ’ s decor was done “ in Chinese taste ,” according to the museum ’ s detailed book , complementing their collection of oriental porcelain , glazed pottery , and fine china , including exactly 17 rice bowls . Scattered among the rooms were varieties of dishes , vases , figurines , and inkwells in not only porcelain , but French cobalt , blue glass , Russian malachite , jade , gold , and lapis lazuli . Ornate bronze andirons were in every fireplace , often with gargoyles or angels adorning them . There were many antique oriental silk and wool rugs , and in one room , there was an eight-panel Coromandel screen from the K ’ ang-hsi ( Kangxi ) dynasty in the 17th and 18th centuries . Rooms also featured pieces of fine art , several of which were oil paintings of the couple done by Mary ’ s brother , William Scott Pyle . All went to the Berkshire Museum . Other items included lawn rollers , electric irons , and a Magic Chef oven — the Spaldings were modern people , after all .
The donations from the house alone were worth over $ 128,000 in 1953 , and Mary bequeathed $ 400,000 for the care and maintenance of Aston Magna . The Berkshire Museum calculated the cost of maintaining the estate and determined it would not last longer than a few years . Even though she hoped Aston Magna would be used for educational purposes , Mary had prepared for this , saying that the museum could use the donation as it sees fit . So , in 1971 , the museum sold the property to Lee Elman for $ 180,000 .
Lee Elman ( 1971 – 2022 )
Unlike the other owners of the estate , Lee Elman was not a collector of oriental art — but he was passionate about the arts , especially music . Originally from New York , Elman was a generous patron , serving on the New York State Council on the Arts , even though his main businesses were law and commercial real estate .
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Spring 2024 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 49