Chatsworth, Creme de la Creme (with a few reservations)

Where better to begin than in the library? Many of us wouldn't go any farther if we had temporary access to the contents!

    The quintessential English Stately Home without a doubt, seat of the Cavendish Family, Dukes of Devonshire, Chatsworth has evolved over many centuries. On my most recent visits, I have struggled with the frequent changes in the adornment of the house, for reasons I will attempt to explain. Below left, a few of us from The Beau Monde attending the New York City display of Treasures from Chatsworth in July, 2019; the exhibition, sponsored by Sotheby's, showed artworks from five centuries of collecting by the Cavendish family.. Right, a gigantic reproduction of a bureau leg displaying a tiara, against projected views of Chatsworth lawns. Please remember to click on the photos for complete versions.

Above left, a Canaletto view of Venice, c. 1730's; right, a sculpture c. 2017 by Tom Price, of resin, tar, steel and acrylic, purchased by Chatsworth. The more recent acquisitions represent Chatsworth's continuing tradition of supporting contemporary art. Like the examples above, the vast differences seem jarring to me, far from enhancing one's appreciation of either.
    After World War II, Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920-2004), and his Duchess, the former Deborah Mitford (1920-2014) worked for many years to renovate and enhance the estate as a national treasure house, family home, artistic legacy, and as a tourist attraction. In addition to balancing all these competing needs and resources, they were devoted to the continuation of the Cavendish family's tradition of collecting contemporary art. Their eldest son, Peregrine Cavendish, aka Stoker, b. 1944, inherited the title in 2004 as 12th Duke of Devonshire. He and his wife also collect art.
​      Below, also from the NYC exhibition, left, portrait of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Gainsborough, 1785-87; right, Lucien Freud, Woman in White Shirt (Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire), 1957.  Which do you prefer?

    Above, left and right, from the 2019 NYC Exhibition, a computer  portrait Laura, 2010, which changes colors constantly. Laura Cavendish is the Countess of Burlington, wife of the present heir,​ b. 1969. He chose to retain the courtesy title Earl of Burlington rather than becoming known as Marquess of Hartington when his father became duke. As Bill Burlington,  he is a professional photographer.
    Are you with me so far? We should have been well prepared for a wild mixture of art when we approached Chatsworth in September 2022. Their summer collaboration with the event in Nevada known as Burning Man festival had been well publicized, however odd a partnership it seemed.
    Below, from the car park, one could see the sculpture Wings of Glory by Adrian Landon (See it in motion on youtube: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhr3snYMRzY
At right, part of a collection of 100 metal crow sculptures Murder Inc. by Charles Gadeken.  

Above, left, the crows also gathered around the permanent sculpture of the boar, a copy of Il Porcellino (remember the one we saw at Castle Howard?).  Right, an amusing Victorian acquisition, by British painter Edwin Landseer (1802-1873, Laying Down the Law. Many of the artworks have a tongue-in-cheek quality.
      The 2022 exhibition was titled Radical Horizons, and though some of it was appealing in my opinion, other installations spoiled their surroundings instead of enhancing the rooms. For example, the gilded statue Exquisite Pain, St. Bartholomew by Damian Hirst (b. 1965), 2006, stands in a two-story alabaster altar by Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630-1700), once in a 17th C. court chapel. Before it, the oblong object by Tom Price. To me it just looks like a bench.

Above, left and right, various contemporary objects placed in Chatsworth's State Rooms. Do they help or hurt?
     After spending a considerable amount of my visit trying to  appreciate the juxtaposition of the new and old works, I decided to concentrate on some old favorites remembered from former visits to Chatsworth. Though I approve in principle of the Cavendish interest in more modern art, I have to admit most of the newer items do not appeal to my taste. Here are a few of my favorite Chatsworth snaps.
    Below, left, a colossal foot, a marble fragment from ancient Greece. Right, the figure of the goddess Sekhmet from ancient Egypt.​

Above, left, a Renaissance-era portrait, c. 1500, possibly of Girolamo Casio by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, d. 1516. It also has been attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and others. Right, in marble, A Veiled Vestal Virgin, 1846-47, by Raffaello Monti (1818-1881).
    Below, my absolute favorite: a trompe d'oeil violin on a peg in the State Music Room. You would swear it was a three-dimensional violin not a flat painting, the work of Dutch artist Jan van der Vaardt, c. 1723. It was moved  from its original position in Devonshire House, London, before the house on Piccadilly was demolished in 1924.

    Above left, a triple portrait by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), oil on canvas, 1902. The subjects are the Acheson Sisters, granddaughters of Louise, Duchess of Devonshire, by her first marriage to the 7th Duke of Manchester. Louise Cavendish, (1832-1911) wife of Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833-1908), was thus known as  the double duchess; she served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria.  
      Right, from the sculpture gallery, Ganymede and the Eagle, 1823, by Adamo Tadolini (1788-1863). In poetry, Ganymede was the ideally beautiful youth captured by Zeus.
      Below, left, The Cascade dates from 1696, named as England's best water feature in 2004, a mere 300+ years later.  Right, The Emperor Fountain, 1843, built for a visit in 1844 from the Russian Tsar which never occurred. Nevertheless it is  beautiful sight.

      Above left, a bounteous display of white Autumn blooms under the birch tree. I suspect they are a form of violas, but I am not sure. Right, Flora’s Temple was built between 1693 and 1695 in a different position on the estate. The graceful statue of Flora is by Danish sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630-1700).

RIP, Elizabeth II, 1926-2022
Great Britain's longest reigning monarch, 1952-2022
September 22, 2022, Chatsworth

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