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Hardwick Hall, Part Two

3/28/2020

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Hardwick Hall on a rainy day in Derbyshire, September, 2017. Last time, I wrote  about the magnificent Bess of Hardwick, who built this house beginning when she was four times widowed, at age seventy. And lived in it for 18 years until she died in 1608. It is often admired as one of the finest of the Elizabethan prodigy houses, alongside houses such as Longleat and Burghley House, below.
About Prodigy Houses, Wikipedia writes, "...there was an Elizabethan building boom, with large houses built in the most modern styles by courtiers, wealthy from acquired monastic estates, who wished to display their wealth and status. A characteristic was the large area of glass – a new feature that superseded the need for easily defended external walls and announced the owners' wealth. Hardwick Hall, for example was proverbially described as "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall."
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Among the other 'firsts' for Hardwick Hall was the knowledge of its architect, Robert Smythson, (1535 – 1614) who may have also worked on Longleat. Up to this time, houses were built by master masons and their workers, whose names were not recorded. The house was built of stone from a quarry owned by Bess, and the glass was made in her glass factory, thanks to the fortunes she acquired throughout her life and marriages.
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By the time her fourth husband died, Bess had arranged the marriages of many of her children, grandchildren, stepchildren and other relatives. She was an immensely rich woman and the guardian of her granddaughter Arabella Stuart, a potential heir to the throne. She was known as a capable manager and businesswoman, a worthy companion of both the Queens she knew so well: Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.
 Above, left: The Hardwick Coat of Arms above the fireplace in the Hall, which is where the young attendants would wait to be called. On the right, decorative weapons in the Hall. Below, views of the kitchen.
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Wide, tapestry-lined stairways led to the upper two floors where Bess received her guests and entertained. The booklet about the house, acquired on the site, describes Bess as formidable: “managing, acquisitive, an indefatigable collector, tough, emotional, fond of intrigue and (of) amazing vitality.”
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The house is filled with portraits and precious objects including furniture such as the cabinet below.
​    The portrait of Arbella, left, shows her at 13 years old. Her long hair left untied means she is unmarried. The books indicate her good education and her pearls denote purity.

    The cabinet, right, is a French 'du Cerceau', probably once a possession of Mary Queen of Scots, also known as the 'spice cabinet' a.k.a. a private altar for Mary. 
 Below, the Great High Chamber. The magnificent friezes and tapestries have faded to near monochromatic tans. The frieze represents the forest and court of the goddess Diana. This room would used to entertain guests and for dining. 
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After the meal, guests would go up to the roof where dessert was served in one or more of the six banqueting pavilions and  the guests could stroll the roofs to "survey the Prospect." The pavilions were crowned with fretwork bearing the initias E.S. for Elizabeth Shrewsbury.
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The Long Gallery is decorted with tapestries, portraits, and dcorative artwork for strollers to enjoy.  One formal occasions, Bess, the Dowager Countess, would receive while sitting beneath the great canopy, impressively throne-like.

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Below, two more views of the Long Gallery:
Two rooms below,  are furnished as bedchambers. In the Green Velvet Room, Bess would sometimes receive her most intimate friends and family,surrounded by her magnificent and priceless tapestries.
        According to the website, "
This blue bed originally belonged to the wife of the 2nd earl of Devonshire, Christian Cavendish. Made of oak and hung with embroidered blue damask the back of the bed bears the coats of arms of Christian Cavendish herself plus the original year of the bed, 1629. However, it also bears a second coat of arms and the date 1852. These arms are that of the 6th Duke. Under the Duke’s instruction a matching roll of blue damask was commissioned, the original embroidery removed, re-applied to the new silk and the entire bed was rehung."
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​The damp weather kept us from exploring the gardens as fully as we would have wished. 

Bess of Hardwick died in 1608. Her son William Cavendish,  1st Earl of Devonshire, and his family lived nearby at Chatsworth built by Bess and his father. Their descendants remain at Chatsworth today. Remarkably, as a secondary residence for the family, Hardwick retained most of its original character, much to the advantage of visitors and scholars, well maintained by the National Trust. 

Next time, the Hardwick Tapestries and a modern apartment for the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in the 1950's.
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Visiting Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, Part One

3/21/2020

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I have been to Hardwick Hall several times and find it endlessly fascinating. Below, an aerial view. Note in the lower right, the remnants of Hardwick Old Hall, which was replaced and left  as a quarry for the new house; it is now protected and can be explored. This is the first of several posts to be devoted to Hardwick, its creator Bess of Hardwick, and its treasures.
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Since the NT has far better photographers than I am, below is their official website picture which shows the incredible glass-adorned exterior.
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One cannot write or even think about Hardwick Hall without considering the unique story of the remarkable woman who inspired its creation. Bess of Hardwick (c.1527-1608), didn’t begin Hardwick Hall until she was a fourth-time widow and had reached age 70 in 1591.  But she lived until 1608 so enjoyed many years living in her spectacular new house. ​
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Miss Elizabeth Hardwick, born in approximately 1527, was the daughter of a minor gentry family in Scarsdale, Derbyshire. Details of her early life, including her first marriage and widowhood, are scant. Her second husband was Sir William Cavendish, (c. 1505 – 1557). She became his third wife in 1547 when she was about twenty. Cavendish had a considerable fortune and served as the Treasurer of the King's Chamber in the court of the young King Edward VI. Cavendish died in 1557, during a period of unrest following the death of Edward VI. Below, Sir William about 1547.
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Only three daughters of William's first wife survived infancy and none of his second wife's children lived beyond a few months. Bess and Willliam had six surviving children. The education and marriage settlements for these children occupied much of Bess's life. She and William bought the Chatsworth estate and began building the present much-remodeled house in 1553. Below, a view of a view of that house in a tapestry on view at Chatsworth House.
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Below, a painting of the old Chatsworth's west front in the 17th century.
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Bess and William's three sons and three daughters in turn became part of several of the great English aristocratic families. The Cavendishes became the Dukes of Devonshire, as well as being related to the Dukes of Rutland, Newcastle, Portland, Welbeck, and Bolsover.
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Above, George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, Bess's fourth husband.
     After Sir William’s death (1557), Bess was a rich woman, close to many courtiers. Her third marriage was to Sir William St. Loe, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, who had several children from a former marriage.  But he died only five years later, in 1565.
       Bess married George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (1528-1590), in 1567. At age 40, he was one of the richest men in the realm, owner of vast lands, coalmines, glassworks, owner of ships and many other business interests. Actually, the marriage was a triple ceremony. As the Earl married Bess, his second son married her daughter Mary, and his daughter married Bess’s eldest son Henry. Try sorting out that one a couple of generations later.
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 Above, Mary Queen of Scots (1642-1687). Shrewsbury had been assigned by Queen Elizabeth I to hold Mary under a sort of house arrest. He and Bess carried out this task for more thn fifteen years before Mary was removed from their care. The hosted Mary and her contingent of servants and attendents at various of his houses, including Chatsworth. Bess and Mary spent time together, both engaging in their considerable skills at  needlework.
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 Above, Bess of Hardwick, near the time she married Shrewsbury. She was a very rich widow, much sought after by gentlemen of the court. Shrewsbury won her and added his seven children to hers. Eventually, perhaps from the pressures of the imprisonment of Mary and other political complications, Bess and George separated. He died in 1590, and Bess set about building her mansion at Hardwick Hall, below in my photo from 2017.
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Next time, more about Hardwick Hall.
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Another London Yearning

3/14/2020

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As the days lengthen, my thoughts turn to travel, but I'm afraid I won't get across the pond in time to catch this wonderful exhibition George IV: Art and Spectacle in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, which closes on May 3, 2020.
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Above, George IV, When Prince of Wales, 1791 by artist George Stubbs.
​     The description of the exhibition says, "
George IV is arguably the most magnificent British monarch ever recorded and he formed an unrivalled collection of art, much of which remains in the Royal Collection. Bringing together Dutch and Flemish masterpieces, portraits by Sir Thomas Lawrence and Sir Joshua Reynolds, delicate French porcelain, intricate goldsmiths’ work and elegant books and drawings, this exhibition will present George’s life through the art that enriched his world."
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Among George's many projects was a series of paintings of representatives of the Allies in the 1815 victory at Waterloo executed by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), the finest portraitist of his day. Above, l-r: John, Count Capo d'Istria (1776-1831); Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi (1757-1824); Charles, Archduke of Austria (1771-1847); Pope PiusVII (1742-1831);  Clemens Lothar Wenzel, Prince Metternich (1773-1859).  When not on exhibition elsewhere, these hang in the Waterloo Gallery in Windsor Castle.
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George IV was self-indulgent and a spendthrift, disliked by the people for the treatment of his family and for his excessive spending on architectural projects and his vast art collection, including paintings and sculpture, furniture, silver and ceramics, weapons and heraldic regalia, jewelry and clothing, even books. Below, a first edition of Jane Austen's Emma. By the Prince Regent's request, Miss Austen dedicated the book to him when it was published in 1816 in three volumes. 
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Below, the Shield of Achilles, part of a large collection of tableware and serving pieces designed by John Flaxman and created by Philip Rundle of the London goldsmith firm of Rundle, Bridge and Rundle in 1821.
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In addition to the huge number of works he commissioned and/or purchased, George IV will be found in the often biting caricatures so popular in his time. Below, a typical example by Robert Seymour, The Great Joss and his Playthings, c. 1829. As in all the images above, From the Royal Collection Trust, 
 (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.
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Oh, to be in London...

3/7/2020

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Until April 19, 2020, the Wallace Collection is presenting an Exhibition of works rarely seen in museums.
     From their website: "Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company [is] guest curated by renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple. This is the first UK exhibition of works by Indian master painters commissioned by East India Company officials in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is an unprecedented opportunity to see these vivid and highly original paintings together for the first time, recognising them as among the greatest masterpieces of Indian painting."
This is an exhibit I yearn to see, but I do not expect to be in London before the show closes. Above left, English Gig c. 1840, by Sheikh Mohammah Amir, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; right, Indian Roller on Sandalwood Branch, by Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Calcutta, 1780, Minneapolis Institute of Art
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Above, English Child in a Bonnet on Horseback, by Shaikh Muhammed Amir of Karriah, c.1830-1850.
Above left: Manu Lall, Coffee, 1810; right, Brahminy Starling with Two Anterea Moths, Caterpillars and Cocoon in Indian Jujube Tree by Shaikh Zain ud-Din, 1780, Minneapolis Institute of Art; ​Below, Family of Ghulam Ali Khan, Six Recruits, Freer Gallery
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The Wallace exhibition website states: "The exhibition honours historically overlooked artists including Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Bhawani Das, Shaikh Mohammad Amir of Karriah, Sita Ram and Ghulam Ali Khan and sheds light on a forgotten moment in Anglo-Indian history. Reflecting both the beauty of the natural world and the social reality of the time, these dazzling and often surprising artworks offer a rare glimpse of the cultural fusion between British and Indian artistic styles during this period."
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 A little exploration on Google will bring you several previews of the exhibition. Try 
https://www.wallacecollection.org/forgotten-masters-indian-painting-east-india-company/
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    Victoria Hinshaw, Author


    Here I will share some of my articles on favorite topics, such as English Country Houses, the Regency Royals, Jane Austen, and the like. Some of these articles have been published elsewhere, probably on the blog I share with Kristine Hughes and Louisa
    ​Cornell:  numberonelondon.net

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