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Gunston Hall (1755-1759) is the architectural gem built for George Mason IV by William Buckland and William Bernard Sears. The mansion stands as a testament to a single architectural moment in colonial Virginia. After its completion in 1759, few changes were made. As a result, Gunston Hall remains as a vital example of the Georgian style washed upon Virginia’s shores. The two English craftsmen, Buckland and Sears, brought with them the styles popularized in London with Sears’s skill in carving and Buckland’s designs derived in part from source books. They produced eclectic interiors that illustrated the full spectrum of the English Rococo including a Central Passage with “French Modern” and Neoclassical elements, a porch in the “Gothik” style, and two public rooms—one in the “Chinese Taste” and the other containing elements of Palladianism. These two men also produced the furniture for the “Chinese” Room—a rare feature for the period. In addition to importing talent from England, Mason also purchased English furnishings for use in the mansion. The sheer number of Mason pieces provides a vivid picture of what Gunston Hall looked like when the family lived there from 1759 to 1792.
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