Art Collections
Main Inn
The lobbies, public rooms and hallways of the Main Inn are graced with an abundance of wildlife created of wood, steel, bronze and paper.
The major theme in this building is birds, wildfowl and waterfowl. John James Audubon, the Haitian - born naturalist who catalogued the birds of North America so brilliantly, is represented by eighteen original prints, as well as a complete baby elephant folio. Four volumes of the National Audubon Society's Birds of America are presented in the Grand Gallery for public view.
The prints displayed in the Main Inn are:
| Great American Hen & Young (Turkey) Mallard Duck White Heron Brown Pelican Long-Billed Curlew Barred Owl Snowy Owl Great American Cock Golden-Eye Duck |
Canvas-Backed Duck Eared Grebe Common American Swan Snowy Heron Mottled Owl Great Horned Own Red-Throated Diver Great Blue Heron Long-Tailed Duck Lnew or White Nun |
A display case on the entry level holds nine exquisitely carved porcelain birds by Gunter Granget. Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, Mr. Granget apprenticed with Lorenz Hutshenreuther Porcelain Works where he quickly became a staff member. In addition to birds, he has created lifelike fish sculptures but only after learning to scuba dive - to swim with the fishes.
The bird collection includes:
| Woodcocks Screech Owl & Black-Capped Chickadeesq Hairy Woodpecker and Red-Breasted Nuthatches Ring-Necked Pheasants |
Bobwhite Quail White-Headed Eagle Mallards Canada Geese Pintails |
The life-size Carolina Sanderlings is a pair of sanderlings in winter plumage running down a wet beach. Carved from basswood and painted with oil colors by Van Keuren Marshall.
Covey Rise is a new addition to the Grand Gallery. When disturbed, a quail covey flushes, creating a spontaneous burst of flight. This composition of thirteen birds is launched by a network of flattened steel, grooved to simulate feathers and connected by hidden tenon and socket joints. Wood Duck Pair is also located in the Grand Gallery.
The Sanderling owns three large porcelain sculptures from the famed Boehm Studio. Trumpeter Swan and Mourning Doves are in display cases in the front lobby.
Sanderlings in Flight is the focal point of the Main Inn's upper level. This magnificent sculpture, depicting fifteen birds barely bushing wingtips as they skim across a foamy wave, was carved by Grainger McKoy in 1986. The birds are carved of basswood, the wave is black walnut, and nearly-invisible thin steel ribbons tie all the parts together - creating a work which seems to defy gravity.
Departing from the bird theme, a display case of porcelain sculptures on the main floor contains a variety of fish by Ronald Van Ruykevett. These limited editions are produced by Royal Worchester.
| Bluefin Tuna Sailfish Blue Marlin Tarpon Dolphin |
North Inn
The waterfall lobby area of the North Inn features Grainger McKoy's Mallard Pair with Acorns.
The glass-encased credenza in the waterfall lobby area houses a colony of beautiful and delicate porcelain birds. Seven of these lovely specimens are limited editions from the English firm Royal Worchester.
James Alden sculpted six of them:
| Dickcissel Carolina Wren Ruby-Crowned Kinglet Chestnut-Collared Long Spur Red-Breasted Nuthatch Rufous Hummingbird |
The seventh work is a pair of birds, Chaffinches, by Dorothy Doughty. The remaining pair, Blue-Winged Warbler and Indigo Bunting are from Great Franklin and were created by Ronald Van Ruykevett.
Keeping watch from its perch on the upper level is a delightful porcelain sculpture of a sea bird seemingly about ready to soar, Fairy Tern, by the Boehm Studio.
Wilson's Snipe, by Grainger McKoy, is located in the lobby area on the North Inn's second floor.
South Inn
Delightful wildflower sculptures by Trailer McQuilken of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, occupy a first-floor alcove of the South Inn. Smooth Astor, Marsh Pink and Blue-Eyed Grass are extremely lifelike bouquets fashioned from copper wire, sheet copper, nylon thread and oil paint. Additional McQuilken works are featured in The Spat at The Sanderling.
Mr. McQuilken's works have been exhibited in the Hunter Museum of Art, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Tiffany and Company, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He is also represented in numerous private collections.
The framed silk scarves by both Hermes and Gucci displayed throughout the inns are from our owner's private collection.
One of the most breathtaking sculptures in our Grainger McKoy collection takes flight above the South Inn's second floor lobby. Brown Pelicans, carved from black walnut, features hollow bodies and an invisible tempered steel skeleton which provides the structural strength that allows the sculpture to create the illusion of flight. This awesome piece was commissioned specifically for its location before the building was built in 1994.
The latest additions to The Sanderling's McKoy collection are proudly displayed in the South Inn third floor lobby. McKoy has recently begun producing sculptures in bronze from specially designed wood originals - evidenced in the display, Barn Swallows. Another wood and bronze work, Mourning Doves, is located in the main lobby and incorporates two sculpted bronze corn stalks.
The delicate Clapper Rails, located beside the stairwell in the main lobby of the South Inn, is an earlier McKoy work. Completed in 1975, the piece depicts rails engaged in a struggle over a tiny crab. These birds are carved from basswood, with feathers inserted separately and veined with a burning knife. The entire sculpture is painted with oils in an exact duplication of nature.
Ring-Necked Ducks, a McKoy sculpture completed in 1988, shows ducks skimming inches above the water, suspended by their wing tips, and is located in the main lobby.
