Chimney Rock Winery
5350 Silverado Trail
Napa Valley, California
1989
This was our first big job as Michael H. Casey Designs. The winery, at the time was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hack Wilson. The Wilson’s had been the Coca-Cola distributors in South Africa and they wanted to bring the Dutch-Cape style architecture of Mrs. Wilson’s homeland to the Napa Valley.
The design was given to Michael H. Casey. The Wilson’s wanted to replicate the oldest winery in Cape Town, Groot Constantia. The tympanum sculpture was originally done on the Cloete Wine Cellar by Anton Anreth. It is titled the Rape of Ganymede. It depicts the myth of Zeus, in the form of an eagle/swan, abducting the youthful and gorgeous Ganymede to become his cup-bearer. There are putti arranged throughout the front row of wine vats and bunches of grapes tying the entire thing together.
As any good artist does, Michael did not copy exactly. He assured people that you will find several of his friends faces amongst the putti and his wife’s backside in one as well.
Ganymede being abducted by Zeus forms the center of the sculpture.
As you can see, Ganymede is fairly well endowed. When asked how much is enough, Michael always said that he was a benevolent God, but not so much that Ganymede looked silly.
An observant person will also notice that from the clay to the GFRC cast the sculpture is now reversed. This happens in the molding/casting process.
The sculpture was done in three parts out of GFRC, and then set into the existing tympanum.
The sculpture was used for years on the winery’s public relations media.
The Napa Register, November 17, 1989
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