Fireplace with painted tile border and mantle

Edgar Miller
c. 1946
Painted and glazed tile, mosaic tile, common brick, reclaimed granite, wrought iron

The fireplace and mantle for the top floor were added to the Glasner Studio around 1946, almost 20 years after the home’s initial construction, and after the residence changed hands and became the domicile of inventor and scientist Frank Furedy. Edgar Miller was commissioned by Furedy to make extensive additions and changes to the Studio, completely reimagining this particular space as an intimate, cozy refuge. In Rudolph Glasner’s earlier version, the space was originally a simpler lounge area furnished with a couch, chairs and a billiards table.

In this second iteration, Miller puts all of his tile work and painting skills to use, and draws upon his love for paleolithic art forms, which he had lovingly studied since he was a child. The animal figurations, abstract symbols, and dark-hued colors were very much directly influenced by the recent discovery of the prehistoric Lascaux Cave paintings in France, in 1940.

Edgar was fascinated by the idea that art was invented at the same time as verbal language. He believed that art was a uniquely human trait, which allows human beings to communicate to one another in profoundly impactful but non-verbal ways. Choosing to decorate a fireplace with prehistoric designs was also a nod towards the fact that paleolithic art— as seen in the caves of southwest and central Europe— was made explicitly around a hearth. With the taming of fire, humans soon also produced art, language, and home.