The Peacock Room at Freer Gallery.

Though it looks like brought from China, this Peacock Room came actually from London. It was originally the dining room of Frederick Richards Leyland, a rich shipowner from Liverpool. It was designed by architect Thomas Jeckyll, and a painting by James Abbott McNeil Whistler (The Princess from the Land of Porcelain) was chosen to dominate the room.



The architect got ill and so he was not able to finish his work any more. Whistler took over and his decoration was considered remarkable by all accounts.

As Whistler started to feel like he was the master of the games there, his patron got angry and a bitter quarrel followed between them.

This led Whistler to paint on the wall opposite to the Princess two peacocks: the angry bird on the right is in reference to Leyland, the docile peacock is in reference to Whistler.

Now the Peacock Room is on permanent display at the Freer Gallery, near the Smithsonian Castle.

(Smithsonian Castle)