Authors: Alexandra Letvin and Elena Torok
In preparation for the opening of the Princeton University Art Museum’s new building in 2025, one of the major works in its collection, a Mallorcan stairway and gallery dated to the 15th and 16th centuries, underwent a multiyear conservation treatment.
During this period, art historian Alexandra Letvin and conservator Elena Torok began to investigate its origins and history.
The surprising story that emerged crisscrosses the Atlantic and features the architect Julia Morgan; the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; among others.
