Built for Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, Marble House (1888-1892) is a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport’s subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent stone palaces. Alva Vanderbilt was a leading hostess in Newport society, and envisioned Marble House as her “temple to the arts” in America. In 1889, Alva Vanderbuilt acquired a 350-piece collection of Medieval and Renaissance paintings from Émile Gavet, an art collector/dealer in Paris. All artwork from this collection is currently housed in the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.