A Visit to "Villa Fontana" in Palm Beach, Florida
A brief trip south to escape the cold winter can be so invigorating.
Over the weekend, I traveled to sunny Palm Beach, Florida to spend time with friends, and to enjoy the warmer weather. I always try to include as much as I can during my trips, so they are productive, informational and fun. My friend, entertainment banker and entrepreneur, Lisbeth Barron, made sure we had lots to do - we visited gardens, museums, and shops. We also toured the remarkable “Villa Fontana” - the home of Bill Eberhardt, and the late artist and collector, John Eberhardt. John’s passion and talent for painting are featured in every room. It includes trompe l'oeil finishes, and architectural details hand-crafted by John himself, plus European antiques purchased during his many travels. You may recognize his name - John worked as a set designer, and was a pioneer developer of Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York, where he built another famous residence, “The Belvedere”.
Enjoy these photos - this is the first of several blogs from my recent trip to Palm Beach.
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- This fountain is located in the home’s porte cochere, the covered entrance, where vehicles could pass and drop off occupants. John brought back the fountain from Venice. The trompe l’oeil wall was a work done by John. All the shells were collected during John and Bill’s travels.
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- The home’s driveway under a canopy of foliage – John and Bill Eberhardt did all the gardening themselves.
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- The front door is original to the Spanish Mediterranean home. It was designed by Addison Mizner, an American resort architect whose style interpretations inspired many other architects and developers in South Florida.
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- Here is the back of the exterior wall showing the green color of the algae growing on it.
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- Inside the entrance hall is a 19th century Blackamoor console. Blackamoor figures are sculptures depicting African American men and women, usually symbolic servants holding trays or other containers.
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- Also located in the foyer is this grotto settee, which John purchased. It is part of a set that also includes a chair. The settee was featured in a book by well-known English furniture maker, David Linley.
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- Here is another example of John’s fine trompe l’oeil painting. John’s passion for painting is evident on all the ceilings of this home – done by hand, using stencils and paper mache to give the three dimensional illusion.
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- In the same room, this marbleized finished ceiling was first done on canvas on the floor, and then painted and hung on the ceiling. The medallion surrounding the light fixture was also designed and installed by John.
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- This is the ceiling in John and Bill’s loggia, a gallery or room with one or more open sides to the garden. Each of the beams is supported by gargoyles. John brought one back from one of his travels and reproduced castings of it for this room. The wood is cypress painted with a faux finish. The lantern is an old piece from the 18th century.
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- This is the courtyard – decorated with a terra-cotta fountain which John found and purchased.
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- Here’s another view of the spectacular courtyard with its lovely palm trees and fountain.
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- The library ceiling is one of the most beautiful sights in this house. It is another example of John’s passionate work. John would sketch what he wanted, then create a stencil, and finish with the painting. Strips of trim were painted gold and used for the borders.
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- A portrait of John Eberhardt by famous portrait painter, Ralph Wolfe Cowan, who painted more reigning monarchs than any other painter in history and is considered the best in the world for portrait painting.
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- John designed and built this fountain. It is located in what used to be the driveway. John closed it off to make the space more private.
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- John’s love for the sea inspired him to buy this 17th century crystal ship chandelier in Venice, Italy in the 1940s. I also admired the ceiling in this cypress room. The painting was done with stencils on top of real pecky cypress.
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- This used to be a section of the old driveway – now a beautiful courtyard with a water feature.
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- John and Bill’s cloister, or covered walk, added by well-known Swiss-born architect, Maurice Fatio in 1928. The ceiling is pecky cypress, and the floor is poured cement, marbleized by John himself, and painted in trompe l’oeil.
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- John was gifted with an amazing talent for painting. Looking all the way to the back, it appears as if the cloister continues forever.
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- This is the back garden with another fountain. The original fountain was just the round pool – John added the tiers to make it taller.
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- The cloister also includes several busts on pedestals, all brought back from John’s various trips to Europe. This bust is made of terra-cotta.
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- Here’s another terra-cotta bust.
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- This fountain was designed by Fatio and embellished by John, who added the lanterns and other design elements.
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- This terra-cotta bust sits near the pool. It is a bust of the zodiac figure, Libra, which John and Bill found at an estate sale in New Jersey. There were only two zodiac busts available – this one and one of Aquarius.
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- This grotto fountain is not original to the house. John added the fountain made with coquina, soft limestone made from jagged shells, the urns and other figures. The wall itself was done by Fatio.
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- John also added this urn to the outdoor pool area.
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- Bougainvillea and urns were added to this wall.
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- Bill purchased this charming stone chair from a thrift shop in Water Mill, New York.
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- in another small loggia, John did the trompe l’oeil painting behind this statue from Italy.
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- Here is another loggia with the original pecky cypress ceiling. The dining table was a purchase from a thrift store in Delray Beach, Florida.
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- I couldn’t help but notice this painting – it strongly resembles the work of acclaimed painter, Canaletto. In fact, John not only painted it himself, but he also made the frame.
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- This lantern is original to the house, but what caught my eye was the cherub holding it – John bought it at an antiques shop.
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- This beautiful fireplace is made from coquina, and is a 1928 original. The chairs are also original to the house.
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- Two Chinese guardian lions, also known as “Foo dogs”, sit on the mantle. John and Bill bought the pair in a local Florida shop.
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- In the same room, beautiful linen fold paneling by Addison Mizner. The furniture is also original to the home.
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- These were originally chairs, but the backs were in disrepair, so John removed the backs and repurposed them as stools.
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- This is another Venetian scene painting by John, likely done in the 1980s.
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- A closeup of the details in the linen fold paneling. Linen fold is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood paneling or wainscoting.
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- More gorgeous pecky cypress ceiling, and an interesting metal chandelier.
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- This is another painting by John. The bench is an 18th century piece from Venice. They sit in the home’s powder room.
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- This mirror and lamp are also in the powder room.
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- A popular conversation piece, this drinks table was purchased at the Doyle auction house in New York City. It was once owned by actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
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- John had a name for every room, and of course, this was the dome room. This dome features an amazing use of light and shadow. John painted it to look like a Venetian palace with its gold and balustrade.
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- Here, I am joined by Cameron Neth and Bill Eberhardt. We are standing behind a Blackamoor mermaid purchased in Miami Beach.
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- Bill bought this chair on eBay, and silver leafed it himself.
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- This is the other side of the Blackamoor mermaid in our photo. It is one of a pair in the home.
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- Here is a portrait of Bill when he was 28. It was also done by Ralph Wolfe Cowan.
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- In what they call their morning room, Bill and John hung up these Blackamore nautilus shells.
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- This is the back of the house. John added the fountain and the walkway next to it in the 1970s.
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- This is the kitchen. The faux beams in this room are actually fabricated from sheet rock, made to resemble real wood.
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- The floor, the hutch, and all the other painted surfaces were done by John. The antique table was a favorite find.
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- This is the butler’s pantry, filled with all the china John and Bill collected over the years.
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- A whimsical Majolica monkey Bill and his boyfriend, Cameron, found at a Miami Beach antiques show. Cameron is a designer who also shares Bill’s love for European antiques.
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- Underneath the cabinets, a lovely vintage tole tray with barware.
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- The ceramic Moroccan Cockatoo looks so happy perched in the kitchen.
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- This is the dining room, and a collection of antique blue and white urns.
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- And an authentic Venetian gondola, which was made into a settee.
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- John’s clock from Europe – another valuable find from his travels abroad.
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- These are the gondola chairs – original to the gondola when it was one piece.
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- Here I am next to the gondola. It is truly a remarkable home.
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- This is the living room. Again John painted the ceiling – first on canvas on the floor, then flipped it and mounted it on the ceiling.
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- Here is another look of the living room, and the walls John also painted.
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- The stone stairwell leads up to the second floor of the 14,500 square foot home.
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- This is the front of the home, Villa Fontana, built in 1922. The home sits on an acre of land – three lots – quite large for any property in Palm Beach, Florida.
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- Here is a wider view of the driveway and the portico gates at the home’s entrance.
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- At the entrance to the home is a fountain built by John – one of 14-fountains on the property. John also put up the wall behind the fountain in 1970.
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- Here is another view of the gorgeous fountain and wall. John put a lot of love and care into decorating this home, as you will see in the following interior photos.
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- Here is the wall in front of the house, which John built. Most of the walls surrounding the property were already built when John purchased the home. He was the fourth owner.
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