博客帖子 - Victoria's Regencies

Palladian Bridges

3/2/2024

The Palladian Bridge, in the midst of the Stowe Landscape Garden, is an iconic symbol of the 18th C. English countryside. For many years, I yearned to visit, and at last, in May 2023, I achieved my wish, my fourth Palladian Bridge. Someplace, probably Wikipedia, I read that four Palladian Bridges existed in the world.
Below, left, the first was built in 1736-37 at Wilton House in Wiltshire on the edge of Salisbury. Below, right, second was built the next year, 1738, at Stowe in Buckinghamshire. Please be sure to click on the small photos for complete versions.

Above left, Prior Park, Bath, a copy of the bridge at Wilton house, was built in 1742 for Ralph Allen. Above right, the bridge at Stourhead in Wiltshire was designed by Henry Hoare II, finished in 1762, without a colonnade or pedimented arch. Now I have seen and/or walked across each of them.
Below, left, a Marble bridge from Russia. When we visited St. Petersburg years ago, we toured the Catherine Palace in the countryside, but when I asked the guide if we could see the Palladian Bridge in the gardens, she laughed, explaining that it was far away and inaccessible to us. So I have to content myself by knowing I was in the neighborhood and looking at pictures from the web such as the one below, the Russian Marble Bridge as it appears on Wikipedia. One might, I suspect, say there are five Palladian Bridges in the world.

Referring to the the image above, Wikipedia writes, "The Siberian Marble Gallery is a decorative pedestrian roofed Palladian bridge (gallery walkway) in Empress Catherine Park in the former royal residence Tsarskoye Selo (now town of Pushkin). ...It connects the Swan Islands — an artificial archipelago of seven islets in the landscape park of Tsarskoe Selo — spanning a rivulet flowing between several ponds. The bridge was modelled after the Palladian Bridge (1736) in the park of Wilton House, in England, and served as a showcase for Ural marble ... assembled in the workshop of Vincenzo Tortori in 1774...called Siberian due to its construction with marble from the Urals."
Below left, the river at Wilton House, Wiltshire; right, looking through the columns at the park.

Above left, approaching the bridge at Wilton; right, Rex Whistler's 1935 painting of Wilton House with the bridge at the left.
Below, left, the Palladian Bridge at Stowe Gardens from a distance. The Stowe version is wider and without step stairs to allow carriages touring the grounds to pass through the bridge.

Above, two views of the South Facade of the Palladian House at Stowe, built beginning in the late 17th century and continuing for the next. Some of Britain most famous architects, such as William Kent and Robert Adam, contributed to the final product. 'Palladian' is an architectural term for the style most popular in the new classical era of the 18th century based on the designs of Andrea Palladio (1508-80) in Venice and the Veneto region.
Below, left, Palladio's Church of Giorgio San Maggiore in Venice; right, Villa Barbaro, in Treviso, Veneto, both by Palladio.

The Royal Institute of Architecture (RIBA) website writes, "This is a Classical style, named after the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) whose work and ideas had a profound influence on European architecture from the early 17th century to the present day. Palladio re-interpreted Roman architecture for contemporary use ... In the United States, Palladianism remained the prevailing style for public buildings until the 1930s and has never quite gone out of fashion for domestic architecture. Even today, some contemporary architects are influenced by Palladio’s ideas on planning and proportion, without the use of elements of classical architecture."
Below two examples of Palladian style in England. Left, the Mansion House, London, official residence of the Mayor of London, built by George Dance in the 1740's. Right, South facade of Stowe House, Buckinghamshire, designed and re-designed by numerous architects, but now appearing primarily as created by Robert Adam (1728-92).

Above left, the White House, north and south facades; right, the Supreme Court, both in Washington D.C. My photo of Stowe House, others from Wikipedia Commons.
Based on ancient Greek and Roman sources, the principle features of Palladian architecture are symmetry, proportion, balance, and grandeur-- with columns, colonnades, arches, pediments, porticos, and other classical elements. All reflected the sober values of republicanism epitomized in ancient Rome.
Below left, La Rotonda, Vincenza, begun by Andrea Palladio in 1567; right, Chiswick House, 1729, designed by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694-1753), near London, built after Burlington's study of Italian architecture with his mentor William Kent (1685-1748).

Above left, Thomas Jefferson began remodeling Monticello, Charlottesville, VA, in the late 17th C and continued work on the house and grounds until his death; right, Jefferson National Memorial, Washington, DC, designed by John Russell Pope, built in 1939-43.
Below, Canaletto's painting Capriccio with Design for Palladio's Rialto Bridge is dated 1742. Text in the Royal Collection Trust says, "Palladio published his design for the Rialto Bridge in 1570 with the words: 'Most beautiful in my judgement is the design of the bridge which follows, and very well suited to the site … in the middle of a city, … one of the greatest and most noble in Italy … there is an enormous amount of trade … and the bridge came to be exactly … where the merchants gathered to do business.'" This design was not chosen but lives on in the Palladian Bridges now existing.

Finally, below, my photographs of the Pulteney Bridge in Bath, not precisely a Palladian Bridge, but a commercial one in the style of the Rialto plan. It was designed by Robert Adam in the neoclassical style and constructed 1769-1775. Wikipedia says it cost £11,000. Like the Rialto and Firenze's Ponte Vecchio, 'Good shopping!'

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The Apollo Belvedere

2/18/2024

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The Apollo Belvedere is an iconic sculpture, this copy in the garden at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England.
Wikipedia writes, "a celebrated marble sculpture from classical antiquity...The work has been dated to mid-way through the 2nd century A.D. and is considered to be a Roman copy of an original bronze statue created between 330 and 320 B.C. by the Greek sculptor Leochares...rediscovered in central Italy in the late 15th century...placed on semi-public display in the Vatican Palace in 1511, where it remains...The lower part of the right arm and the left hand were missing when discovered and were restored by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507–1563), a sculptor and pupil of Michelangelo...From the mid-18th century it was considered the greatest ancient sculpture by ardent neoclassicists, and for centuries it epitomized the ideals of aesthetic perfection for Europeans and westernized parts of the world.

In the words of the Vatican Museum's website: "This statue was part of the collection which Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere held in his palace in Rome. When he was elected Pope as Julius II (1503-1513) the statue was transferred to the Vatican...The god, Apollo, moves forward majestically and seems to have just released an arrow from the bow which he originally carried in his left hand."

In 2022, London's Victoria & Albert Museum mounted an exhibit on men's fashions, above. It began, suitably, with "Undressed" using the Apollo Belvedere's unclothed body as its starting point.
Below, copies of the famous statue as seen in numerous museums, country houses, and gardens. In the Neoclassical Age, no forms of art were more revered than those of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Below, Apollo in the Marble Hall of Kedleston Manor, as designed by the famed architect Robert Adam (1728-92).

Above left and right, at Kedleston in Derbyshire.
Below, at the opposite end of the Great Hall from The Dying Gaul at Syon House in Greater London.

Below left, in bronze, at Huntington Museum and Gardens, in California.
Right, the Apollo on the insgnia of NASA's Apollo 17, the sixth moon landing, in 1972 .

Below, as originally discovered in the late 15th Century at Porto Anzio in Italy.

Below, an etching of Sir Thomas Lawrence's Private Sitting Room in December, 1830, after the painter's death, published by Archibald Keightley, executor of the estate. In the back row of reproductions, we find our Apollo on the far left, National Portrait Gallery.

One cannot imagine how many of versions of the Apollo Belvedere exist in marble, bronze, and plaster. I suspect it can be be made by 3D printers too. As a model for artists, it probably cannot be surpassed.

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Lawrence Ladies

2/10/2024

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I recently reserved accommodations for the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America to be held next October in Cleveland, Ohio. I am looking forward especially to viewing a painting I have long yearned to see: the portrait of Lady Manners by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), above, on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
But on the museum's website, we learn that Lady Manners rejected her portrait by Lawrence. Here is the museum's description:
"The Irish poet Lady Manners rejected as 'unflattering' this portrait representing her as the goddess Juno, symbolized here by the peacock. Thomas Lawrence exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1794 with the label 'to be disposed of [sold],' but it was still in the artist’s collection when he died. Though it offended Lady Manners, the painting displays all the hallmarks of Lawrence’s flamboyant style:dazzling, fluid brushwork and an innovative use of unconventional colors that helped secure his role as the most fashionable portrait painter in turn-of-the-century Britain."

Above, the British Gallery in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Below, self-portraits by Thomas Lawrence, left, under age 20, from c.1787; right, at age 55, in 1825, in the collection of the Royal Academy. Known as a child prodigy, once he went to London, he painted important persons to wide acclaim, and eventually became the second president of the RA and was knighted by the Prince Regent. Please click on the small pictures for full versions.

Above, left, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, 1782; right, Queen Charlotte, 1789., National Gallery.
Below, the portrait known as Pinkie, Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton, c.1794, Huntington Library; Mary Margaret Stanley Egerton, Countess of Wilton, (1801-58), c.1829, Heaton Park.

Above, left, Emily Anderson as Little Red Riding Hood, c. 1821, Huntington Library; right, Elizabeth Farren, later Countess of Derby, 1791, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Looking at these portraits we can see that Lawrence usually portrayed his ladies in flattering poses, often in glamorous array and/or in well-known costumes. But Lady Manners did not care for Lawrence's portrait, saying she found it unflattering. Was it her rather moon-faced straight-on stare? Or perhaps her posture, leaning forward on the plinth?
Below left, by Lawrence, Mrs. Sarah Kemble Siddons (1751-1831) Tate Britain C. 1804; right, Sally Siddons, Sarah's daughter, with whom Lawrence was rumored to have had an affair.

In addition to fame for portraying beautiful women in flattering portraits, Sir Thomas was celebrated for his portraits of the leading men of his era. He was assigned by the Prince Regent to paint all the participants in the coalitions to defeat Napoleon, including heads of state, leading politicians, and generals. These portraits hang in the Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle, below.

Above, the victorious Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) painted in 1819, left; and right, Pope Pius VII (1742-1823), also painted in 1819, perhaps the most celebrated characterization of the collection. The Royal Collection Trust writes, "With dazzling surface effects Lawrence portrays the Pope, a symbol in his time for the victory of peace over war, as a spiritual ruler with temporal power and all the trappings of authority."

Looking once more at the portrait of Lady Manners (far right above), perhaps we should concentrate not on her face or strange position, but on the excellence of the hands, gloves, and rose, or the magnificence of the Peacock, the latter indicating the pose portrays the goddess Juno.

Is that a little better, Lady Manners? Regardless of your opinions, I truly look forward to standing before you and enjoying your image.

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Portraits from Waddesdon and More

12/22/2023

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Among the varied collections at Waddesdon is a fine survey of English portraiture from the grand period of the 18th century. The works of Gainsborough, Romney, and Reynolds are especially significant.
Below, a 1781 portrait of Mrs. Robinson by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), RA.

Below, another portrait of Mrs. Robinson by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92), painted in 1782. Mary Darby Robinson (1757-1800) was an actress and poet, an early mistress of Prince George, later Prince Regent and George IV. Their affair lasted about a year, and it made her a sort of celebrity. She carried on with several other prominent men, including Banastre Tarleton for fifteen tempestuous years. Tarleton married an heiress in 1797, leaving Mary in ill health and semi-paralyzed. She continued to write poetry and novels until her death at the close of 1800.

Below, left: George Romney (1734-1803) also painted Mrs. Robinson about 1781-82, now hanging in the Wallace Collection, London. Right, Mrs. Robinson by John Hoppner (1758-1810), in the collection of Chawton House, Hampshire.
Please click on the small pictures for complete versions.

Another woman whose beauty and fame, perhaps notoriety, led to many artist portraying her was Emma Hart, Lady Hamilton. Below left, Romney portrayed her as Circe; right, Romney paints Emma as Calypso, 1791-92. Both hang at Waddesdon Manor. According to the National Portrait Gallery website, Romney was "so obsessed by Emma that it became increasingly hard for him to engage creatively...(Between 1782 and 1786 alone) was sequence of ... over sixty paintings."

Above left, Romney here portrays Emma as The Spinstress, which hangs in Kenwood House, The Iveagh Bequest, Hampstead, c. 1784-85. Right, a very different Emma Hamilton as Bacchante, by French artist Elisabeth Vigee le Brun (1755-1842), painted in Naples, c. 1792, now in the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Among the hundreds of paintings at Waddesdon, a few portraits are by non-British artists. Below, left, by Vigée Le Brun's portrait of Martine-Gabrielle-Yoland de Polastron (1745–1793), duchesse de Polignac in 1783.
Below right, Englishman Richard Cosway (1742-1821) portrayed the Daughters of Lady Boynton as Children (Maria Ann Georgiana Parkhurst, d.1821, Later Mrs Blachley, and Louisa Elizabeth Parkhurst, b.c.1796, Later Mrs Baxter). Cosway is best known for his many miniatures; he was married to artist Maria Hadfield (1760-1838). Some experts attribute the Boynton Children portrait to Robert Home (1752-1834).

I did not notice many pictures of children at Waddesdon, but here is another, of Louis-Philippe-Joseph duc de Montpensier, later duc d'Orleans (1747-1793) painted in 1749 by Francois Boucher (1703-1770). The pampered child, a cousin of Louis XVI, later supported liberal French politics but was himself guillotined in 1793.
Above right, a 1755 preparatory sketch by Boucher for his portrait of Madame de Pompadour (1721-64), influential mistress of Louis XV. The completed portrait hangs in Munich.

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Waddesdon: An Embarrassment of Riches

12/3/2023

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Unlike so many of the English Country Houses I like to visit, Waddesdon Manor is not many centuries old, evolving with alterations and additions to ancient medieval structures. Waddesdon was built in the 1870's by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, great-grandson of the original founder of the family fortune. In the style of a French Renaissance chateau, the house has electric lighting, central heating, and even a lift. Please click on the pictures for full views.

Choosing a site previously "a bare hill," Baron Rothschild (1839-98) selected architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur of France to create a Renaissance chateau in the style of those in the Loire Valley. An eclectic assortment of architectural features: towers, turrets, classical pillars, dormers, and chimneys adorn the manor, as evidenced in the pictures above.

The mansion is set in exquisite gardens, just ending the tulip bonanza when we visited in May 2023. Below, left, a floral coronation display. Right, the fountain. In the center, a representation of Pluto abducting Proserpina to live in the Underworld, originally sculpted by Guiliano Mozani c.1720 for the Reggio di Colorno in Parma, Italy. Please click on the photos for full size versions.

Above left, a reproduction of the Apollo Belvedere. Right an image from the website shows the South Parterre in summer.
We entered the house anticipating the famous collections.
As could be expected in a structure created for entertainment and display, the visual treasures in each room almost overwhelm the viewer. Should I concentrate on the furnishings, the paintings, the textiles? Oh, it is a delightful dilemma. nless otherwise noted, the photos were taken by me or Kristine Hughes.
Below, left, inside the East Gallery is the large case for the Elephant Automaton. Alas, he was undergoing his occasional conservation, so the case was empty.

Above, left is a picture from the Waddesdon Manor website where you will also find the elephant's social media presence showing his performances and his Twitter (X) account. The automaton was made in London about 1770 by French clockmaker Hubert Martinet. Above right, one of the two large paintings of Venice by Francesco Guardi (1712-93) which hang on either side of the white fireplace in the East Gallery picture. Below, from Wikipedia, left, View of the Piazzetta of San Marco; right, the Bacino di San Marco with the Churches of San Giorgio Maggiori and Santa Maria della Salute, both painted between 1755 and 1770.

Above, left and right, the Breakfast Room, clearly showing the paneling from two Parisian houses of 1720-30. Like most of the rooms in the Manor, 18th C. French paneling was adapted and installed. On the left, the console tables both sides of the window show Meissen animals once exhibited in Dresden's Japanese Palace. The chandelier is the largest in the house.
Below, the conservatory, in which musicians often played for the guests in the next room.

Above, views of the dining room, as set for one of Baron Ferdinand's dinners in the late 19th century. The magnificent tapestries were woven between 1755 and 1778 at the Beauvais manufactory in France, to the rococo designs of Francois Boucher (1703-70).
Below, the Red Drawing Room, where arriving guests were welcomed in numbers up to forty at a time. As the central room of the house, it links the front entrance with access to the south front and the parterre. Left, the ceiling portrays Hercules received into Olympus, 1725, by Dutch artist Jacob de Wit (1695-1754). Right, among Waddesdon's excellent collection of 18th c. English portraits are Captain St. Leger, by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92), 1778-9, and Thomas Gainsborough's (1727-88) Sophia Charlotte Digby, Lady Sheffield, 1785.

Above left, Gainsborough's 1781 portrait of George Prince of Wales, later George IV; in front of the painting is a large pot-pourri vase of Sèvres porcelain, the Copenhagen Vase, from 1763, part of the extensive collection of French 18th C. porcelain. Right, also by Gainsborough is Frances Browne, Mrs. John Douglas, 1784.
Below, top row, left, the Grey Drawing Room where the ladies withdrew after dinner to be joined later by the men who had finished their port. Right is a drop front desk, c. 1770, with Sèvres Porcelain plaques.
Middle row left, Reynolds portrait of the Duchess of Cumberland, 1772-3, nee Anne Luttrell (1743-1808), widow of Christopher Horton. Her somewhat scandalous marriage to Prince Henry, youngest brother of King George III, prompted enactment of the Royal Marriage Act of 1772 requiring the permission of the monarch for any descendent of George II to wed. Middle row, right, Mrs. Abington as the Comic Muse , 1764-9, by Reynolds.

Above, left, Lady Jane Tollemache, later Lady Jane Halliday, 1778-9, also by Reynolds; right, Sèvres vases; in the center, one of Waddesdon's three ship pot-pourri vases (of the ten known to exist in the world); below a painting of Pierrot, Harlequin and Scarpin by Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
Below, left, a desk with superposed filing drawers (cartonniere), created by cabinet-maker Jean-Henri Reisener (1734-1806). Right, the monumental Roll-top Desk made for Pierre-Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) depicting in marquetry scenes from his works such as The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Attributed to Jean-Francois Leleu (1729-1807), a Parisian cabinet-maker.

Above left, in the Baron's Room, once Ferdinand Rothschild's private area, many more 18th C. English portraits include Lady Hamilton as Calypso, 1791-92, by George Romney, and Anne Louisa Bertie, Lady Stuart, 1739-40, also by Romney (1734-1802). Right, Miss Theophila Gwatkin as Simplicity, 1785, by Reynolds; Mrs. Emma Scott of Danesfield, 1786, by Reynolds.
Below, left, views of the Morning Room.

Above in the Morning Room, left, the 1782 portrait of Francis Nicholls by Gainsborough often known as The Pink Boy, freshly returned from cleaning and conservation. Right, Ferdinand de Rothschild, (1839-98), artist identified only as British School, created in 1880. Baron Rothschild married a cousin, Evelina, who died in childbirth in 1866. After his tragedy, he devoted himself to collecting and to building Waddesdon Manor in which to exhibit his treasures and to entertain friends and associates. As many accounts make clear, the house was never intended as a family home. Upon his death, it was inherited by his sister Alice de Rothschild (1847-1922) who added her collections. Although Waddesdon is now owned by the National Trust, a Rothschild Family Panel oversees the operation of the collection.
Below left, an exhibition of the George III silver service, presided over, right, amazingly, by a portrait of Louis XVI, painted in 1783 by Antoine-Francois Callet. (1741-1823).

Above, left, the Blue Dining Room and its stunning chandelier, commissioned for this space in 2003 and created by German lighting designer Ingo Maurer, titled Porca Miseria, or roughly 'Oh my goodness!' Right, Staffordshire ceramic The Death of Munro, figure modeled after automaton found in India, now in the collection of the V&A Museum, London.
Several more rooms display additional collections, but honestly, I had exceeded my capacity to absorb more, as fascinating as the exhibits were. I did revive enough, however, to enjoy the Bachelor's Wing, and its billiards room, below, though I had transcended my ability to take many more pictures. Next time I visit, I will have to reverse my pathway to give more attention to the far end of the house.
Would you believe that this is just a taste of the temptations you will see at Waddesdon? Actually, I suppose you would believe it, if you have stayed with me this long!!!

Above from the 2023 website, Waddesdon lit for Christmas, wishing all of you a festive holiday season.

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Visiting Stowe House

10/30/2023

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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Stowe House in 1845, here portrayed in watercolours by Joseph Nash (1809-1878),
© Royal Collection Trust

Stowe House was built in 17th C. and enlarged in several phases throughout the 18th C, all under the ownership of the Temple family. It was sold in 1922 and became the Stowe School. In 1989. the Park and Gardens were endowed by donors and gifted to the National Trust, which continues to restore and maintain the Gardens for the public. The Stowe House Preservation Trust was established in 1997 to restore the house in collaboration with the school and the NT. Below, Stowe House South Front.

Many of the former State Rooms have been restored and you can visit their progress on the Stowe House YouTube channel. The public is welcome to visit the state rooms of the house when they are not in use for school activities. Thus, when we toured the gardens in May 2023, we were able to see several of the amazing interiors. Please click on the small pictures for the full image. Below left, the Corinthian-pillared portico of the south facade; right, across the lake are the two lake pavilions, and in the far distant center, the Corinthian Arch, once the formal entrance to the estate. The Arch was designed in 1765 by architect Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford (1737-1793), a well-known amateur architect, a friend of the Temple family and nephew of PM Lord Chatham.

In the words of the Wikipedia article on Stowe House, "The propensity to marry heiresses is shown by the family name being changed to Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville by the late 18th century." Once the rooms and corridors were home to a magnificent collection of painted and sculptural masterpieces, many of which were sold long ago and now can be found in major world museums. Today, we can enjoy a few originals, family portraits, and reproductions. Below, mother and son: left, Anna Eliza, Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos, painted by Sir Willliam Beechey, 1802; right, her son, the 2nd Duke, Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (1797-1861) painted in 1830 by John Jackson (1778-1831).

Above and below, views of the Music Room, designed and painted in the Pompeian style by Vincenzo Valdrè (1740-1814), who spent a substantial part of his career on projects at Stowe House. It is beautifully ornamented and one could spend hours studying the charming images.

Above, the North Hall. Left, the elaborately restored ceiling, and right, gilded double doors flanked by portraits.
Below, the Marble Saloon, rebuilt in 1774 and based on the Pantheon in Rome with a coffered 17-meter dome topped by a skylight.
The middle row shows classical statues acquired on his Grand Tour by the George Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham (1753-1812): left, Meleager, hunter prince, and right, Venus, goddess of love. These are plaster casts of the originals collected for the Marble Saloon. In the Neoclassical Era, copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues were more esteemed than works by contemporary sculptors.

Above, Marble Saloon statues in their niches, and a reproduction of a gilded torchiere, one of several standing in between the statues. All of the photos above were taken by me or by Kristine Hughes in May 2023. Those below are from Wikipedia.
Below, left, a closeup of one of the Medici lions on the South Front; right, the ceiling of the library, one of the rooms we were unable to see due to its use by students.

Above, two views of the Blue Drawing Room, another spot in use by students when we visited, so we got only a brief glimpse. Recently restored, it would be a perfect setting for a wedding.

Above: Stowe House, North Front: the school, with the gardens beyond.

Coming soon, the ultimate in British Country Houses: Waddesdon Manor.

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Stowe Landscape Gardens, Buckinghamshire

10/17/2023

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In June we visited a spot I can now retire from my bucket list, the National Trust's on-going restoration of Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire, supported by the Royal Oak Foundation. Long considered the ultimate in 18th C. English gardens, it met every one of my expectations, as well as offering yours truly the opportunity to "drive" a golf cart over the paths.

The shifting designs of Stowe in the development of the English Landscape Garden are probably as significant as any in the realm. Not only was it designed by the leading gardeners of the 18th Century, it was built to honor and reflect the great philosophical movements and thinkers of the era, a metaphor for Britain itself.
Below left, The Temple of British Worthies, honoring such luminaries as Elizabeth I, John Milton, and William Shakespeare; right, two intrepid explorers on their magical steed (in the rain). Please click on the photos for complete versions.

Above left, three of the British Worthies, l to r, Shakespeare, John Locke, Sir Isaac Newton; right, Temple of Ancient Virtue, honoring four ancient Greeks: Socrates, Homer, Lycurgus, and Epaminondas. Both structures were designed by Charles Bridgeman, one of the original developers of Stowe Gardens for Richard Temple, 1st Viscount, later Baron Cobham (1675-1749). Members of the extended Temple Family, which owned and developed Stowe Park, included many recipients of distinguished aristocratic titles and major government offices in Britain for centuries.
Below, left, Temple of Friendship, a gathering place for political discussion and debate; right, the Shell Bridge by William Kent (1685-1748). In addition to Bridgeman and Kent, others such as John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), James Gibbs (1682-1754), and Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (1716-1783) all contributed, among many, to the landscape and architectural creations at Stowe. We will visit the house, now a school, in a future post.

Above left, the Doric Arch and statues of the Muses; right, the Chinese House, the earliest surviving Chinese style garden pavilion in Britain designed by Kent in 1738 and moved to Wotton House nearby about 1751 until restored and returned to Stowe in the 1990's.
Below left and right, restoring the Bell Gate Lodge. The large sign apologies for the 'mess' and shows original sketches of 1805, which will be the new appearance when the project is completed. This was the main entrance from the parking and other facilities. The original entrance was through the Grand Arch, no longer allowing car and truck traffic.

Above left, the Corinthian Arch, originally designed to be the stately entrance to Stowe, framing in the distance, Stowe House; right, the Gothic Temple; both photos from Wikipedia Commons; all other photos, except where noted, by Victoria Hinshaw or Kristine Hughes.
Below, the Palladian Bridge. similar to the one built at Wilton House, but wide enough for carriages to cross. The architect was James Gibbs who is also credited with the design of the Temple of Friendship and the Queen's Temple.

Above, left, view from inside the bridge; right, a local family admiring the landscape.
The National Trust writes, "The scale and beauty of Stowe have attracted visitors for over 300 years. Picture-perfect views, winding paths, lakeside walks and temples create a timeless landscape, reflecting the changing seasons. Full of hidden meaning, the gardens were created as an earthly paradise and still cast their spell today."
Below left, the Gothic Temple from a distance, and right, the Temple of Concord and Victory, both pictures from the NT.

Above left, Rotondo with gilded statue of Venus; right, the Memorial to Captain Cook, both photos from Wikipedia.
Again, I see how insufficient my photographic talents are in portraying the scope and magnificence of Stowe Gardens. Luckily I can close my eyes and see so much more in my memory.

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Staying at Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Bucks

9/12/2023

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Despite those threatening skies, can you think of anywhere else you'd rather spend a week in May? Below, photos of the grounds. Please click on each for full images.

Above, some of the local livestock across the ha-ha. The calves were most inquisitive.
Below, left, equestrian statue of Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), son of George II and father of George III; the artist of the bronze of 1751 was John Cheere. Right, St. Mary's Church of 1753-5, Henry Keene, architect, in early Gothic Revival style.

Above left and right, our spacious room overlooking the lawns.
Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the property's present house grew out of an early 17th C. building constructed for the Hampden family, prominent in Buckinghamshire political circles, designed in Jacobean style. Various Hampden heirs held Hartwell until the death of Sir Alexander Hampden in 1618. Having no children, the estate went to his sister, Eleanor, Lady Lee, and her husband Sir Thomas Lee of nearby Moreton. The house history booklet tells us this couple produced 24 children.
Below, our room and our desk. What could I write here?

Above, The Great Hall, now a sitting room for hotel guests, stands almost exactly as designed by architect James Gibbs in 1739-40. The mantelpiece was probably carved by Italian stucco artists Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti.

Above, more views of the Great Hall; left, the ceiling medallion designed by Gibbs portrays Genius Rewriting History among the ruins of Antiquity.
Several generations of the Lee family lived mostly at their family seat at Moreton, raised to the baronetage. It was Sir William Lee, 4th baronet (1726-99), who completed the refurbishment of Hartwell begun by his father, including extensive gardens and outbuildings.
Below, left, the Morning Room, where we were served tea, right. Yum.

Above, left, the ceiling medallion in the Morning Room and right, another view of the comfortable furnishings.
Below, views of the Library. The portrait over the fireplace of Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, Lady Lee (1737-1811), is by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1823-1792). She and her husband Sir William Lee (see above) are largely responsible for the 18th C. decor of the reception rooms. Gilt brass wirework protects the volumes in library bookcases. Middle row, right, the television provided for us to watch the coronation from London.

Above, left, King Charles III; right, the view from above of Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. Below, the Drawing Room, another sumptuous yet comfortable reception room for hotel guests. The many books and magazines available almost made us yearn for a rainy day.

Above left, King George III (1738-1820) by Gainsborough Dupont (1754-1797, after Thomas Gainsborough (artist's uncle). At the right, a bust of French King Louis XVIII (1755-1824), who lived in exile at Hartwell House during Napoleon's reign in France. After Napoleon abdicated following his loss in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Louis XVIII returned to rule his native land until his death.
Below, the amazing staircase, left, with portraits reproduced below of the French King and his wife, and right, the chandelier crowning the staircase.

Above left, portrait of Louis Stanislas-Xavier, comte de Provence, later Louis XVIII, King of France (1755-1824) by artist Joseph Boze (1746-1826); right, Marie-Josephine Louise de Savoie, comtesse de Provence (1753-1810), also by Boze, 1786.
Below, additional photos of the staircase.

Above left, carved statues on the Hartwell Hour grand staircase, which included, right, Winston Churchill (1874-1965).
Below, views of the stables and Spa pool, delightful!

Above, the dining room, designed to resemble the work of architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) after Hartwell House became a hotel.
Below, a house on a nearby lane, recently re-thatched with decorative hares on the roof.

Above, left, the Egyptian Well and Spring about which there are several explanations of its name and origin on the web, but nothing I could find about the odd structure which looks neither ancient, holy, nor mystical. But one of the stories, oft repeated, says the name "Hartwell" comes from the deer which were seen to drink from the spring. However, on the right is the Bugle Horn, a nearby pub at which the food is delicious and the ambience exactly what one desires in a country establishment.
You can stay at Hartwell House and dine at the Bugle Horn on Number One London's Town and Country House Tour, May 29-June 3, 2024. Website at
http://numberonelondontours.com

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Travel Pause to Visit Old Friends at Home

9/5/2023

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Pat, my sister-in-law, and I recently visited the Milwaukee Art Museum and renewed our admiration for both the building and some of our favorites in the collection.

Above, the Milwaukee Art Museum Calatrava Wing, known as the Quadracci Pavilion, in August, 2023.

Above left, a Shrank (wardrobe, cabinet), 1700/20, Frankfurt, Germany; right, Portrait of Friedrich IV, Duke of Altenburg, 1815, by German artist Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein (1788-1868).
Below, left Jocko with a Hedgehog, 1888, by Edwin Landseer (1802-1873); Portrait of a Woman, possibly Mrs. Anastasia Robinson, 18th C, by English artist Daniel Gardner (1750-1805).

Above, two portraits by George Romney, English (1734-1802); left, Miss Grace Ashburner, 1792; right, John Parker, 1778-81.
Below, Portrait of Jane Emma Orde, c.1806, by John Hoppner (1758-1810); right, portrait of Charlotte-Francoise DeBure, 1776. by French artist Catherine Lusurier (1753-81).

Above left, The Shepherdess, 1750-52, by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806), typical of 18th C. French Rococo art; right, Pat admires Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran's (1598-1664) Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb,1630/34.
Below, two interior images of the Museum addition by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava (b. 1951), completed in 2001 on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Above, left, La Pere Jacques (The Wood Gatherer)1887, by Jules Bastien-Lepage(1848-1884); right, The Two Majesties (Les Deux Majestes), 1883

Below, the Portrait of Miss Frances Lee, 1769, by English artist Francis Cotes (1726-1770), is the subject of a special exhibition until October 22 and two gallery talks on Thursdays, September 21 and October 19, 2023. both at 12-1 pm; European Art Galleries, Level 2, Gallery S202, Milwaukee Art Museum.

From the description: "Focusing on a singular work from the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection, A Very Strong Likeness of Her explores the challenging and sometimes conflicting histories that an artwork can represent. On its surface, the portrait is a charming image of a young girl and her napkin-turned-rabbit companion. The exhibition’s close study of the painting, however, reveals a complex story of identity, family dynamics, and British colonialism in Jamaica... (and) employs a range of materials to bring to life the underlying narratives in this deceptively simple painting." Further explanation tells us Miss Lee "was the eldest daughter of Englishman Robert Cooper Lee who traveled to Jamaica in 1749 to make his fortune on a British sugar plantation. There he met her mother Priscilla Kelly, the daughter of an African slave. Robert and Priscilla could not legally marry in Jamaica. They were married only after returning to England in 1771...Nicknamed Fanny, she was sent back to England at ten years old, to board at a girl's school, due to her delicate health. An uncle commissioned the portrait for Fanny's parents so that they would have an image of their daughter...." Photo credit: Larry Sanders.
Anne M. Powers edited and published in 2012 A Parcel of Ribbons, the story of the 18th C. Lee family told through their letters, available though Amazon. Frances Lee was born in Jamaica in 1758, never married, and died a wealthy woman in Devonshire Street, Portland Place, London, in December 1839.

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Going to the Dogs...Wallace Collection

8/13/2023

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Rounding out our London visit last May, two events remain.
Below, in the Atrium at the Wallace Collection, where we lunched before visiting the exhibition, a delightful dining experience, by the way. The image on the poster is Dog of the Havannah Breed, 1768, by Jean-Jacques Bachelier (1724-1806).
Don't forget to click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures.

Above left, The Townley Greyhounds, Roman, 1st-2nd C. CE, purchased for the British Museum in 1805; right, Pilau, a Performing Dog, by artist John Charlton (1849-1917), 1910
Dog.
Below, left, Ah Cum, a Pekingese Dog, unknown maker, taxidermy, c.1896; right, Kylin, also a Pekinese, 1917, by artist Arthur Joh Elsley (1860-1952).

Many prominent artists painted pets, both others' animals, and their own. Above, left, Lady Archer's Maltese Terrier, 1787, by George Stubbs (1724-1806); right, Tristam and Fox, artist Thomas Gainsborough's (1727-88) spaniel and collie.
Authors too wanted mementos of their canine pals. Below left, Lord Byron's Lyon, the Wolf Dog, 1808, by Clifton Tomson (1775-1828); A Scene at Abbotsford, 1827, by Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), dogs belonging to Sir Walter Scott.

Edwin Landseer was especially known for his many portraits of dogs. Above. left, A Saluki Hound, 1840-4; right, Laying Down the Law or Trial by Jury, c. 1840, usually hangs in Chatsworth House; after purchasing the canvas, the 6th Duke of Devonshire asked Landseer to add his Blenheim spaniel Bony to the scene at left, behind the greyhound.
Below, British artist David Hockney (born 1937) is represented by paintings of his dachshunds. Right, Dog Painting #41, 1995.

One of our favorite things in the UK is the traditional Sunday Roast. To enjoy a day with our pal, writer Beth Elliott, we took the train to Reading and met her to drive to the Packhorse (above left) where we dined on rare roast beef. Yum! And Beth, being all things historical, took us to see the Maharajah's Well, an added bonus. Above right, Kristine and Beth in front of the Well at Stoke Row, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Thank you, Beth, for a perfect Sunday! The Well was a gift from the Maharajah of Benares to the people of Oxfordshire in the 1860's.
Next. off to Buckinghamshire.

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Palladian Bridges

The Apollo Belvedere

Lawrence Ladies

Portraits from Waddesdon and More

Waddesdon: An Embarrassment of Riches

Visiting Stowe House

Stowe Landscape Gardens, Buckinghamshire

Staying at Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Bucks

Travel Pause to Visit Old Friends at Home

Going to the Dogs...Wallace Collection

Victoria Hinshaw, Author

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