PAINTED HALL - chatsworth.org · scene is copied in oils, painted onto the plaster. This tricks...

Family Timeline12th Duke Peregrine [Stoker] Devonshire b.1944

Bess of Hardwick1520 –1608

1st Earl of Devonshire1552–1626

2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684

4th Earl & 1st Duke of Devonshire 1641 –1707

2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908

Please leave for others to enjoy

PAINTED HALL

Used to welcome and impress guests,

this was the largest and grandest room

built by the 1st Duke.

First impressions count. When guests are welcomed to

Chatsworth, this is one of the first rooms they see.

The 1st Duke of Devonshire built the Painted Hall between

1689 and 1694, the only original feature is the painted

decoration on the walls and ceiling. Whilst still Earl of

Devonshire he chose to flatter the monarch by decorating

the hall with scenes from the life of Julius Caesar, he was

elevated to Duke in the year the room was completed.

A house has stood here since the 1550s. It was built for

Bess of Hardwick and Sir William Cavendish. Together they

established the Cavendish family line from which the earls

and dukes of Devonshire are descended. Bess persuaded

Cavendish to buy the Chatsworth Estate in 1549.

HOUSE PLAN - Ground Floor

Ask the guide to tell you

more about the painted

stories. Use the mirrors

to help you see.

Something to Share... The inscription

above the fire was placed by the 6th Duke

on completion of his renovation of this room

in 1840. There is a translation underneath.

In 1936 this ceiling nearly collapsed. The restoration replaced the structural wooden timbers with small steel girders, however, the painted plaster was left full of cracks:

“There were more cracks than we thought and some big holes too” recalled Arthur Hicks, master plasterer. In each crack he mixed “fancy spirits, which we were warned not to drink”, to prevent discoloration of the painting, before refilling with plaster.

Jack Bedford, a house painter said to Hicks:

“Well lad, thou’ll always be remembered. I shan’t tell thee where thou art, but I’ve put thy initials and Victor’s and mine. So we be always there on the ceiling.” Victor Fewkes was also a house painter.

“ Restoration has gone on over the years, like the restoration of the Painted Hall ceiling. People look at it and think, that’s how it’s always been, but when I started work it was almost black, opaque, no detail. I think there’s been three restorations during my lifetime and many before that. Every structural timber had been taken out in the 30s because of death-watch beetle and dry rot”John Oliver, Comptroller. John Oliver was born at Chatsworth in 1946 in a flat above the stables. He began his career here as an Apprentice Joiner in 1961 and retired as Comptroller in 2006. Comptroller is the former title for the person managing the house and the household.

All is not what it seems in this room… around the staircase are sculptures carved in stone. Find the two boys up on the archway. Now turn to look at the wall directly opposite, for the entire scene is copied in oils, painted onto the plaster. This tricks your eye, making you think that you are looking at a three-dimensional object rather than a flat, two-dimensional painting. It’s a visual illusion, or a trompe l’oeil, (which is French for deceiving the eye).

As you explore the house, look

carefully for traces of restoration

and repairs. The people who do this

work try hard to make it invisible.

The Chatsworth Renewed exhibition

reveals their skill and artistry.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


GROTTOThis room showcases contemporary art

and cutting edge technology.

The fountain was fitted by the 1st Duke to show off.

Very few houses at the time had running water, he had

both hot and cold. It was considered improper to show

people around your bathroom in those days, so the Duke

decided to build this fountain on the adjacent wall.

The bas-relief sculpture on the fountain - of Roman

goddess Diana, was bought in 1693. For the 1st Duke, it

was contemporary art. The 6th and 12th Duke purchased

the other examples of contemporary art in this room.

The veiled Vestal Virgin in the centre of the room arrived

in 1847 and the 12th Duke bought Sheaf of Light, the

sculpture to the left of the fountain, in 2000.

The main function of the room is to support the

Great Stairs.


Ask the guide about

the star carved into the

ceiling – do you know

what it is?

Something to Share... The water supply

to the fountain, installed by the 1st Duke,

still feeds our fountains and flushes the loos.

A veiled Vestal Virgin, by the Italian Sculptor Raffaele Monti, is one of the

most popular pieces of art at Chatsworth. Although it appears to be one

piece of seamless marble, the Virgin is actually made up of four pieces

fixed together. There are no other tricks here, everything else, including

the magnificent veil, comes from the artist’s skill and technique.

GROTTO continued...




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


OAK ROOM

This room was completely changed by

the 6th Duke with the wood panelling

he bought at an auction.

This room demonstrates the influence of the 6th Duke

on Chatsworth. He bought the oak panelling in 1837.

It came from a monastery in Germany - hence the carved

clergymen.

Inset into the panels are oil paintings of Cullercoats in

Northumberland, and Naples, two places the Duke

enjoyed when on holiday.

The gundogs in the painting near the doors to the garden

belong to the current Duchess of Devonshire. They are

Talsbrook Rhum and Roberto Ranaldini of Bolton Abbey,

both Field Trial Champions with the Kennel Club.


Ask the guide about the

latest painting.

Something to Share... The tusks either

side of the fireplace came from Narwhals

‘the unicorns of the sea’. They were bought

by the 10th Duke.

“ I like working with oak. Sometimes the domain team will tell us they’ve had an oak tree down in the garden and if it’s a good straight one with not a lot of knots we’ll ask them to have it sliced up and then we store it... it can be put away for 10 years. We keep it in store to use for future repairs and sometimes new things as well…”Mark Rhodes, Head of Maintenance. Mark has been at Chatsworth for 38 years. He came straight from school as an apprentice joiner.

Pick up the pieces of wood gathered from trees grown on the estate. They include samples of oak, lime, cedar, ash, pine, elm and alder that you will see used in finely carved decorations around the house. Look for the stonemason’s mallets used during the restoration. They’re made from the wood of fruit trees such as apple, pear and plum which is hard enough to carve stone and ‘boss’ sheets of lead into place.

The carriage wheel in the centre of the room was made at Chatsworth. The hub is made from elm, which is hard and difficult to split. Oak is used for the spokes as it’s strong under compression. The surrounding ‘felloes’ are usually made of ash as it is particularly flexible and can absorb shock.

Look carefully at the ceiling.

Is it wood, or a paint effect?

When Chatsworth had its own building yard and sawmill, carpenters used wood from the estate for joinery across all the estate properties and farms. Some elderly estate workers would help chop kindling in the stickyard, while chatting and drinking endless cups of tea. That area is now our outdoor education centre.




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3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


CHAPELThis is the least changed room at

Chatsworth, the 1st Duke employed

the best artists to realise his designs.

This room helps us to imagine the 1st Duke’s house. His

staff and family would attend daily prayers here, led by a

Chaplain. The 12th Duke describes it as “the least changed

room in the house.” His family still use it for special

occasions such as christenings.

Only the most skilled craftsmen and artists were employed

to decorate the 1st Duke’s house. Antonio Verrio created

the oil painting at the centre of the altarpiece, he had

previously made a portrait of Charles II. Louis Laguerre

painted the ceiling, he also painted at Windsor Castle.

Derbyshire born Samuel Watson, Chatsworth master

carver, carved the altarpiece.

The 12th Duke purposefully placed the golden figure

under the arch. Artist Damien Hirst says his sculpture

of Saint Bartholomew, a first century Christian martyr,

explores ‘the confusion… between science and religion’.

St Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2016



marble figures high above

the arch.

Something to Share... Some of the

Duke and Duchess’s grandchildren were

christened here.

CHAPEL continued...

Compare the matte black bench with the brightly lit quartz one. Both are solid, straight shapes in contrast with the complicated and curved carvings on the walls. Made for an exhibition in 2015, the coal bench references valuable mineral resources found on the Devonshire estates, whilst the quartz bench alludes to the minerals collected for study by Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and her son the 6th Duke.

Counterpart, Tom Price 2015

Look up to the Chapel Gallery, it is a near perfect example of Baroque room decoration. Wall and ceiling painting and wood carving all unite together to create a seamless, rich effect. During services, the gallery was used by the family of the dukes of Devonshire.

The biblical story of Doubting Thomas is depicted twice in the Chapel. Once in the oil painting above the arch and again in the ceiling painting above the gallery. It is believed that it was chosen as the ideal parable to match the family motto, Cavendo Tutus, meaning safety through caution. Saint Thomas is also the patron saint of architects and the 1st Duke saw himself as the architect of Chatsworth.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


GREAT CHAMBER

Labelled as ‘useless’ by the 6th Duke, this is

the first room in the State Apartment.

The Apartment was built to enable King

William III to hold a court at Chatsworth

should he ever visit, which sadly, he did not.

Intended as a gathering room for those seeking an audience

with the monarch, the Great Chamber is lightly furnished.

Any member of the court could wait here, but only a

selected few would progress further along the Apartment.

The painted ceiling was designed to flatter the monarch.

It shows the Return of the Golden Age under the Protestant

joint monarchy of William III and Queen Mary. The 1st

Duke’s housekeeper, Mrs Hackett is immortalised as one

of the Three Fates, Atropos. She cuts the thread of life with

her ‘abhorred shears’. It seems the artist, Antonio Verrio,

didn’t like Mrs Hackett much.

The thrones were given to the 4th Duke from George III and

Queen Charlotte. They are the actual thrones upon which

the King and Queen sat during their coronation. Unusually,

they were carved by a woman, Katherine Naish.

HOUSE PLAN - Second Floor


how long this room waited

for a royal visit.

Something to Share... The mirror is

placed to give the impression that the

house is twice the width.

GREAT CHAMBER

Through the window to the left of the mirror, you can see the Cascade and temple. It was the highlight of the 1st Duke’s garden, it took 17 years and two attempts before it was finished, four years after his death.

The Duke may have been inspired by water features he saw whilst in France, and employed a French engineer, Grillet to design the Cascade. Each step is different so the sound of the water changes as it falls.

Sudden spurts of water could be made to erupt through the temple floor - soaking guests by surprise. They still work.

The water for the Cascade comes from the open moorland behind the top of the hill to the east, along a series of man-made streams and an Aqueduct.

continued...

Ring Pond

Moorland

Aqueduct

Cascade Pond

Cascade

A pipe at the bottom of the Cascade feeds other fountains

around the grounds.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


STATE DRAWING ROOM

The second room of the State Apartment,

a suite of rooms intended to host a king.

Just like the Great Chamber, this room has never been used

for its original purpose. It was intended as a withdrawing,

or ‘drawing’ room for select members of the visiting royal

court and anyone who might be granted an audience.

Underneath the ceiling painting of an Assembly of the

Gods you can see Chinese porcelain, lacquered cabinets and

English Mortlake tapestries from the 1630s. The tapestries

are the most special textiles on display in the house, hung

here first by the 6th Duke in the 1830s. Three of them have

been recently cleaned and conserved.

As well as the gods depicted on the main part of the ceiling,

Mars, Venus and her scorned husband Vulcan feature in the

ceiling coving. Look for the weapons Vulcan forged and the

scene where the lovers are discovered.

Ask the guide about how

this room was used during

the Second World War.

Something to Share... “A tapestry would

take around two years to make and the

weavers were among the most prized

artisans of the day. Tapestries were the

absolute symbol of wealth and status”

Susie Stokoe, Textiles Supervisor


It is now easier to appreciate the immense skill of these tapestry weavers and their families. Working from the back, the Mortlake weavers wove together coloured threads to give the impression of shade and depth. Working on small sections at a time, the tapestry would be rolled through progressively and the finished image wouldn’t be revealed until completion.

Take a look at the loom to see how

the warp and weft is woven together,

sit on a sheepskin, handle the skeins of

wool, and think about what is involved

to turn raw fleece into fine art.

“ The tapestries were extremely dark and dirty when I first arrived in Chatsworth in 2009. I really felt I needed to do something for them and initiated a long-running conservation project to preserve them. I had a duty of care to the extraordinary skill of the people who made them, to make them safe.”Susie Stokoe, Textiles Supervisor, has a background in textile design and conservation.

In the 1600s the very wealthy displayed their status by decorating their walls with works of art depicting colourful stories woven from wool. Henry VIII had 2,000 tapestries in his palaces. Chatsworth’s rare and precious tapestries were made by a small group of 50 Flemish weavers working at Mortlake near London. Flemish weavers were regarded as the finest in Europe at the time.

The largest Mortlake tapestry, Christ’s Charge to St Peter, has just been cleaned and conserved by Shephard Travis, a specialist studio in Surrey.

See the difference yourself.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


STATE MUSIC ROOM

This room celebrates the influence of

the 6th Duke and contains one of our

most famous artworks.

Gilded leather lines the walls in this room. The doorway

opposite the windows and much of the furniture was

placed here in the 19th century, when the 6th Duke

redecorated Chatsworth.

A violin appears to hang from a peg in the doorway. It is a

trompe l’oeil painting. Artist Jan van der Vaardt was famed

for his paintings that trick the eye, this is believed to be his

work. The 6th Duke brought it from his house in London

in 1819.

The painting of a group of musicians hanging near the

fireplace has recently returned from a major exhibition at

the National Gallery. Its dramatic lighting and naturalistic

style imitate that of the pioneer Italian artist Caravaggio.

The exhibition explored Carravaggism, a 17th century

artistic phenomenon that saw paintings like this produced

throughout Europe.

Something to Share... The 6th Duke’s

portrait appears nine times in roundels

along the top of the room.


Au, gold’s chemical symbol, is from the latin ‘aurum’, which can be translated as ‘glow of sunrise’.

“ If you stand outside and look at any room that’s got gold leaf on the windows, it’s 24 carat gold, 23 1/2 if you want to be precise, they are the grand rooms, historically, of the original Chatsworth.”Sean Doxey, Head of Special Projects

The 1st Duke used gold to both embellish and protect the windows in the house and the 12th Duke was keen to restore this feature.

The importance of this State room is emphasised by the original gilded furniture and the gilding on the leather walls around us. This gilding on leather and wood was originally intended to impress the 6th Duke’s visitors. He was inspired by the glittering palace interiors of Louis XIV, King of France (1638 – 1715) who was also known as le Roi Soleil or the Sun King.

The gold leaf pads and tools displayed here were used by skilled decorators in the process of gilding the most significant windowsills, balconies and roof ornaments. Gold not only gleams but is also very resistant to the effects of the weather.

Pure gold is soft and is easily flattened into gold leaf.

“After you have painted the window you apply 23 1/2 carat gold leaf, it comes in squares looking like cheap cheese. It will last longer than paint, probably 50 years, because it is a natural product - it’s gold.”

Liam Doyle, Painter and Decorator




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


STATE BEDCHAMBER

One of the most private rooms in the

State Apartment, this room was more

lavishly decorated than all the others.

The 1st Duke spent more money furnishing this room than

any other in the State Apartment. It still contains many

rare and expensive items. The bed is a great example.

It is not original to the 1st Duke. The 4th Duke, a senior

courtier to George II, claimed it as a ‘perk’ or benefit after

the King died in it.

The room was refurbished in 2006-7 when the bed and

its fabrics were restored. The fluted column ‘feet’ were

revealed and new curtains were made for the windows

based on the fabric of the bed.

At the same time, the current Duchess of Devonshire

decided to rehang the 17th century Brussels tapestries

to cover the gilded leather, which had been a controversial

addition by the 6th Duke. In her opinion, ‘one room of the

leather is quite enough.’


smell in this room, or

about the story in the

ceiling paintings.

Something to Share... The mirror hanging

between the windows is a pier glass –

designed to imitate a window. The effect

was particularly striking at night when

candlelight was reflected back into the room.


STATE BEDCHAMBER

As you might expect this large and impressive mirror features the Cavendish heraldic beast, the stag. A more unusual feature is the etched signature and date of the maker, John Gumley at the bottom.

A mirror like this would have been very expensive as glass of any size was difficult to make. We don’t know why Gumley signed the mirror in such a prominent place.

The State Bedroom and adjacent closet contain lots of Chinese porcelain and Delftware, arranged and grouped on all available surfaces, a fashion popularised by Queen Mary II. Delftware was made to imitate Chinese porcelain as Europeans did not know how to make it. The stepped vases with spouts were made to display cut flowers. This design became popular at least 50 years after the famous ‘tulip mania’. The vases were created to display a variety of blooms.

The 12th Duke of Devonshire is an enthusiastic collector of contemporary ceramics. Pieces from his collection are displayed around the house. The displays are changed often to ensure visitors see the variety of ceramics in the collection. Often brightly coloured and using unexpected shapes the Duke’s collection show the extraordinary possibilities of a difficult and often overlooked art form.

continued...




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


OLD MASTER

This room was redesigned in 2012

to display Chatsworth’s world-class

collection of Old Master Drawings.

We redesigned this room specifically to display our Old

Master Drawings. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dukes collected

3000 drawings by artists such as Raphael, Leonardo da

Vinci and Rubens.

Historically these drawings were displayed in the Sketch

Galleries until the beginning of 20th century when it was

noted that the natural light from the skylights had begun

to damage them. Duchess Evelyn rescued them and put

them into dark storage, where most remain.

This year we are showing 19th century watercolours

relating to the re-building of Chatsworth in the 6th

Duke’s period.


about the most important

work in this room.

Something to Share... An ‘Old Master’

is any skilled artist who worked in Europe

before 1800.


DRAWINGS CABINET

In the 17th century Florence was famous for inlaid stone as seen on this pietra dura or hard stone cabinet. We think this cabinet was made in The Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence, possibly by Giuliano di Piero Pandolfini, a Master Maker.

The cabinet is made of oak with an ebony veneer, it has 18 drawers and a central door opening to reveal 14 more drawers. The front is decorated with birds, flowers, ships, hunting dogs, dolphins and rabbits. To make these scenes, stones of different colours are used including blue lapis lazuli, green jade, mottled agate, white marble, and red and yellow jaspers.

The cabinet is enclosed in a gilt-bronze frame which rests on feet with lionesses at the front.

We think this cabinet may have been bought in Florence by William, 3rd Earl of Devonshire when he was on his Grand Tour of Europe. It appears in the Inventory of the Furniture at Chatsworth in 1764, recorded as ‘A Florance Cabinet’.

Cabinets like these were made to display interesting and precious objects. A cabinet might be placed in a study and used to house items from a connoisseur’s collection.

OLD MASTER DRAWINGS CABINET continued...




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


SOUTH SKETCH GALLERY

Named for the Old Master Drawings that

used to hang here, the Gallery now celebrates

the 5th Duke and his Duchess Georgiana.

This room illustrates the style of the 5th Duke and Duchess

Georgiana. The furniture is from Devonshire House in

London, their principal residence. Duchess Georgiana

collected the minerals, which are now displayed in her

specially made cabinets.

Duchess Georgiana’s portrait by Thomas Gainsborough

hangs to the left of the central cabinet. Another, painted by

Maria Cosway depicts her as the Goddess Diana. Georgiana

was a complex figure. She was one of the first female political

activists, a patron of the visual arts and science, a fashion

icon, socialite, writer and bibliophile. Her private affairs,

however, often overshadow these formidable achievements.

Georgiana built up great gambling debts before her death

and she famously lived in a menage-a-trois with her husband

and her close friend Lady Elizabeth Foster. Lady Elizabeth

became Duchess of Devonshire following Georgiana’s death.

Ask the guide to show you

Georgiana’s extra toe.

Something to Share... The Gainsborough

portrait used to be full length, but a

previous owner cut it down so it would

fit above her fireplace.


“ The biggest time capsule in the early phases, was about 2009 on the South Sketch. Before the material went on the walls, all the Friends of Chatsworth were invited here on a Saturday and they were invited to sign the wall itself. So, behind the South Sketch wall fabric are all the people’s names that were Friends at that time… We’ve also left a beautiful photograph of the Duchess and her grandkids, with some of the workmen and myself on it. We laminated that and now it’s hidden behind a piece of stone on the South Front.”Sean Doxey, Head of Special Projects

Throughout the process of renewing Chatsworth, signatures of the people who had gone before were found under floorboards and hidden away up high or behind surfaces. As part of the recent works, those involved were encouraged by the architects, Inskip and Jenkins, to leave traces for future generations to find.

“When you take floors up you’d find a few signatures every now and again. It is quite interesting to see who’s been here and there’s some that date back to… I think about 1890s. I could quite say I’ve left a few signatures of me own for the next generation to come along and think, ‘Wow, Mr Totty’s been here.”

Edward James Totty, Plumbing and Heating Engineer. Edward Totty has been working at Chatsworth in different capacities for 30 years.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


WEST SKETCH GALLERY

This gallery contains an inherited collection.

Many of the items at Chatsworth once

belonged to other families.

The objects in this room were inherited from Charlotte,

wife of the future 4th Duke. As well as buying and

commissioning art and furniture, the Cavendish family

have, over many years taken on the collections of other

families through marriage.

Charlotte’s father, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington,

was a pioneer architect. The paintings are mostly from his

country home, Chiswick House to the west of London. The

furniture was made by his protégé William Kent, who went

on to design interiors for some of the greatest buildings in

England. The busts depict two of Burlington’s architectural

heroes, Inigo Jones and Andrea Palladio.

The title ‘the Earl of Burlington’ became extinct on the

death of the 3rd Earl of Burlington, but was revived by

the Cavendish family in 1831. Today, it is used by the

Duke’s son, William.

There is another room

off this corridor that is

sometimes closed, ask the

guide to tell you about it.

Something to Share... As well as sitting

on the pedestal, a version of the bust of

architect Inigo Jones also appears in the

background of the portrait of Richard Boyle,

3rd Earl of Burlington.


WEST SKETCH GALLERYcontinued...

The Old Master paintings hung on the wall opposite the windows were all owned by the 3rd Earl of Burlington and give an idea of the tastes of a collector in the early 18th century. Some paintings date from that period, but the majority are from the 17th century.

This suite of chairs were designed by William Kent and likely commissioned by William, 3rd Duke of Devonshire for Devonshire House, the London home of the Cavendish family. Intricately carved and gilded, the chairs incorporate motifs of shells, bell-flowers, acanthus leaves, lions masks, scales and overlapping coins, motifs echoed in other surrounding pieces from the same period, around 1730. The armchairs may have been made by Benjamin Goodison, the Royal Cabinet Maker known to have supplied furniture to other Kent designs.

The portrait of a young child is of the artist’s eldest daughter, Magdalena who was born in 1618. It has been suggested that de Vos, used the portrait in his Antwerp shop window to entice potential clients inside.

Portrait of the artist’s daughter Magdalena de Vos, Cornelis de Vos, c. 1623-4.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


NORTH SKETCH GALLERY LOBBY

The 11th Duke was a good friend of the

artist Lucian Freud and commissioned

him to paint some members of his family.

Freud became one of the foremost 20th

century British artists.

“ ‘Woman in a white shirt’ is probably the most beautiful thing

at Chatsworth, not just because it’s of my mother, but because

it’s a beautiful painting in its own right.” the 12th Duke.

In 1959, the 11th Duke and Duchess moved into Chatsworth,

their first guest was the then unknown artist Lucian Freud.

The Duke commissioned him to paint the family and collected

some of his other works.

The portraits were controversial when they first appeared,

some family guests even asked for the painting of Duchess

Deborah to be covered with a scarf while they were in the

room where it was hung. Over time, however Freud became

one of the most popular artists of the 20th century.

The brave collecting of the 11th Duke inspired his son “it made

me realise that if you like something enough you should collect

it if you can, and disregard other people’s opinions.”

Something to Share... The 11th Duke was

originally painted wearing a hat, the artist

changed his mind and painted it out, leaving

a faint shadow.


NORTH SKETCH GALLERY LOBBY continued...

“ My father commissioned (Woman in a white shirt), this was partly inspiration by my father, partly good luck, and partly because he was fond of the artist.”The 12th Duke of Devonshire

The women in this painting are Lucie Freud, the artist’s widowed mother, and Freud’s girlfriend of the time, Jacquetta Eliot. They are shown in the back room of Freud’s London house. Both relate to Freud, but not to each other. The mortar and pestle by the chair Freud used to crush the charcoal that he mixed into the paint to make the colours in the painting as ‘Londony as possible’.

Large Interior, W.9., Lucian Freud, 1973

Painted in the late 1950s, this painting was seen by Freud and his critics as a breakthrough work in which he moved from a very exact handling of paint to a broader, expressive style, swapping his sable brushes for hogshair ones. Duchess Deborah recalled:

“I went to his studio for three hours every morning when I was in London, over several months. He worked very slowly.” Woman in a white shirt, Lucian Freud, 1958-60

Lucian Freud had a horror of being thought of as a conventional portrait-painter. He was an artist who painted his friends and those who interested him. He was friends with the 11th Duke and his wife Duchess Deborah who supported him early in his career.

It is usual to include eyes in portraits – ‘eyes are the mirror of the soul’. In this painting the eyes are absent.

Portrait of a man, Lucian Freud, 1971-2




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


GUEST BEDROOMS

Presented as they would have appeared in

the late 19th century, the guest bedrooms

provided accommodation for house guests.

The 6th Duke converted rooms in this part of the house to

create a fashionable and necessary suite of guest rooms.

Large country house parties were an integral part of

aristocratic life and entertaining in the 19th century.

This suite of rooms retains original furnishings including

elaborately canopied beds with complicated hangings,

hand painted wallpapers and rich and ornaments from

India, China and Europe.

The beds are bigger than today’s average double.

The only thing these rooms lack is adequate plumbing

facilities; there is only one bathroom to service the entire

suite, guests would have been supplied with hot water

carried by maids and footmen and there were chamber

pots by every bed.


bath in the wardrobe.

Something to Share... The elaborate

fringing, bobbles and braiding on the soft

furnishings is called passementerie.

Chatsworth has a large collection of these

embellishments, mostly dating from the 1800s.


GUEST BEDROOMScontinued...

The guest bedrooms are decorated with wallpapers hand painted in China in the late 1790s. Such papers became very fashionable. The 6th Duke further embellished his with more birds cut from extra paper.

The paper in the Wellington Room has the delightful addition of a banana, the bells for the maid and valet will help you spot it.

Dressing rooms next to bedrooms provided convenient space for couples to dress for the many different activities that were a part of county house life. Outdoor pursuits, theatricals, and dining all required a change of clothes. The addition of a bed in the dressing room meant couples wishing to sleep apart could do so with the added convenience of not disturbing each other should they return separately from the evening’s entertainments.

In 2016, we decided to protect the historic, vulnerable carpets in the guest bedrooms by covering them with Eyemats. Eyemats are photographic reproductions of the actual flooring beneath. Ours are printed on a material which feels like carpet. They are proving more and more popular in Historic Houses and can also be seen in Tyntesfield House, Petworth and Lindisfarne Castle amongst others.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


OAK STAIRS/ LEICESTER LANDING

The stairs were created when the

6th Duke added the North Wing.

They connected the old part of the

house to the new.

Chatsworth House is two buildings joined into one.

These stairs connect the 1st Duke’s house to the

6th Duke’s north wing, the staircase was added in 1824.

Much work has been done over the years to make the

join appear seamless. In 2009 the walls, stairs, dome and

lantern were restored to reflect the 6th Duke’s style,

reversing changes made by Duchess Evelyn in 1928.

She thought the stairs were ‘the worst thing (the 6th Duke)

did inside the house’ which is just another example of how

much and how quickly personal tastes change.

The portraits are of family or family friends and include all

the dukes apart from the 12th, as well as 3 duchesses,

Tsar Nicholas I and Tsarina Alexandra, and King George IV.

HOUSE PLAN - First Floor

Something to Share... Find the painting of three women

opposite the main hang. These sisters were initially going

to be painted wearing their golfing clothes. The idea was

overruled in favour of this representation of elegance.

OAK STAIRS/ LEICESTER LANDING continued...

The three sisters, painted by the American artist Sargent, are intended to remind the viewer of the Three Graces in classical mythology. Quite apart from his exciting brushwork, Sargent’s ability to make his paintings work visually together with older paintings in family collections endeared him to British collectors. The three sisters were the granddaughters of Duchess Louise, wife of the 8th Duke, by her first marriage.

The Acheson Sisters, John Singer Sargent, 1902

This lively portrait of the 4th Duke, briefly Prime Minister in 1756-7, has not been in the collection since painted, as might be expected. It shows him in Garter robes. He probably gave it away and it was acquired by the Chatsworth House Trust in 2004. The 4th Duke commissioned a new stable block and two new bridges over the river Derwent, these buildings remain today.

Portrait of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1758-9

The 5th Duke on his Grand Tour commissioned this portrait of himself from one of the leading portrait painters in Rome, the Austrian Anton von Maron. His son, the 6th Duke, later recorded that the family so disliked the head in this portrait that they had an English artist paint over a preferred head.

Portrait of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, Anton von Maron, 1768

Family group portraits are rare in the Devonshire Collection. This one of 1739 shows a cultured family: the architect earl, Richard Boyle, sitting with architectural books, his wife Dorothy, an amateur artist with a palette, and his daughters with a book and musical score. It was painted by a fashionable French portrait painter then active in London.

Portrait of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington with his family, Jean-Baptiste van Loo, 1739




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


LIBRARY AND ANTE LIBRARY

There are over 17,000 books in these

two rooms. The whole Chatsworth

book collection numbers around

40,000 volumes.

The 17,000 books in these rooms form part of one of

the most significant private book collections in Britain.

The 6th Duke converted the room from a picture gallery

and was responsible for the most active period of growth

for the library. He merged at least four separate book

collections and added his own purchases including

medieval illuminated manuscripts.

The 6th Duke commissioned the carpet from entrepreneur

Thomas Whitty around 1830. Whitty was the first to

produce Axminster Carpets. He wrote to the Duke

about his new style – a British carpet to rival the French

Savonnerie carpet – the best of the time. The design

mirrors the roundels in the ceiling, made for the 1st Duke.

The family still regularly use this room.


about our work to conserve

the curtains.

Something to Share... Before the

6th Duke built the library, this room was

the long gallery – a place where the family

could exercise in bad weather.

HOUSE PLAN - First Floor

LIBRARY AND ANTE LIBRARY continued...

This watercolour shows the library as it was first created by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in 1815. Within 10 years the gallery had been added.

A 1566 edition of Copernicus’ great work “On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres”, which put the sun at the centre of the solar system.

This secret door hides the staircase to the library

gallery. The fake books have comedy titles like

“Sideways Through Derbyshire by Crabbe”.

The gallery holds most of the fiction found in the library and includes first editions of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and William Makepeace Thackeray.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


GREAT DINING ROOM

Built as part of the 6th Duke’s renovation,

this room is still used for formal dinners.

The first dinner given in this room was hosted for the

future Queen Victoria in 1832, she was 13 and it was her

first experience of a formal dinner. We still use the room

today for dinners of up to 40 people.

The 6th Duke created this room and compared it to

‘a great trunk’, the curved ceiling and sloping coving

creating that effect. In the coving are gilded stags and

the 6th Duke’s initials “WC”.

The silver candelabras were commissioned from one

of the best known silversmiths of the 19th century,

Paul Storr. The enormous ten branched ones incorporate

the Cavendish stag. There are often 5 candelabras on the

table so there may be as many as 41 candles to be

trimmed and fitted for every meal.

HOUSE PLAN - North Wing


Blue John Chatsworth

Tazza.

Something to Share... The 6th Duke

commissioned the statues on either side of

the fireplaces to represent gleeful abandon.

Unfortunately, he thought they turned out

‘too composed and sedate’.

“ Hidden in the top ‘nest’ of the chandelier is an envelope from the 1980s, with a photograph of the people who were cleaning it then. Every year we get it out to have a quick peep and then slide it back in place.”Janet Bitton, Head Housekeeper

Once a year, one of the household chores is to wash the chandelier in this room, so that it continues to sparkle. It takes three people three whole days. Each drop of glass used to be washed in gin. These days we just use a mild soap.

“We set up a scaffolding platform and dismantle the chandelier a layer at a time. It’s like a puzzle – each piece fits into one just slightly smaller. There are approximately 2,400 drops of glass, which are unhooked and passed down in a padded bucket. One person then washes, whilst the other dries. Every piece of glass is slightly different because they’re handmade.”

Janet Bitton, Head Housekeeper

The Victorian glassware set out along the table is known as ‘Cranberry glass’. Adding a touch of gold salts to molten glass creates the red tint. This technique was first used in the Roman Empire 1st century BC to 1st century AD. During a meal, fruit or sweets would have filled the two-tier dessert centrepiece.

Look up at the ornamental plasterwork on the barrel vaulted ceiling. The original craftsman would have mixed alcohol into the plaster, to slow the setting process down and gain extra time to create his design. The popular phrase ‘getting plastered’ originated from this historic construction practice.




2nd Earl1590 –1628

3rd Earl1617 –1684


2nd Duke 1673 –1729

3rd Duke 1698 –1755

4th Duke 1720 –1764

5th Duke 1748 –1811

6th Duke 1790 –1858

7th Duke 1808 –1891

9th Duke 1868 –1938

10th Duke 1895 –1950

11th Duke 1920 –2004

8th Duke 1833 –1908


SCULPTURE GALLERY

Built by the 6th Duke, the gallery contains

one of the foremost early 19th century

contemporary collections of sculpture.

This is one of the most important collections of early

19th century sculpture still in its original location.

As part of his extensive renovation of Chatsworth, the 6th

Duke bought and commissioned new sculpture from the

world’s best artists. Never short on ambition, the room was

inspired by a gallery in the Vatican, although the Duke did

concede that it was ‘in a small scale’.

The sculptures include figures of the 6th Duke, Napoleon,

his sister and mother, Achilles, Venus, Cupid and Latona

with her sons, Apollo and Artemis. The original plan was to

have coloured stone walls and floor, but this scheme was

abandoned after advice from several artists who thought

the local gritstone would make a better backdrop for the

white sculpture. It was also a much cheaper option.

Ask the guide to show

you a display of Antonio

Canova’s working tools.

Something to Share... The Duke and

Duchess share the 6th Duke’s passion for

contemporary sculpture. For the last 12 years

they have hosted an exhibition with Sotheby’s

in the garden to showcase modern works.

HOUSE PLAN - North Wing

“ I went deep into the quarry and actually met the quarry people and said ‘can you take the section from that area there’ and they did. It looked good and I’ve got to say, we’ve now got the perfect match. It is Chatsworth stone, but it’s the right stone. I always class stone in different levels from A to F. A-B, which is the real McCoy, is being used on Chatsworth House.”Eric Knight, Masonry Foreman

Chatsworth is home to many exotic and unusual stone and marble columns and plinths. This red porphyry plinth is thought to be Swedish. The 6th Duke exchanged raw materials as well as ideas about sculpture and architecture with Italian and Russian associates. Many of the plinths in the sculpture gallery are igneous rocks; rock formed when molten rock (magma) cools and solidifies.

The colossal pieces of limestone in the door surround of the gallery are from Derbyshire – quarried near Ashford-in-the-Water. There are some tiny crinoid (marine animal) fragments in the stone.

Burntwood Quarry, on the Chatsworth Estate, was where the original building stone for the house came from. It was re-opened by special permission from the Peak District National Park for the renovation works so that the new stone matches the historic stone exactly. The right area had to be located within the quarry – for instance, if quarried too high up, the compaction and colour might not match the outside walls of Chatsworth House. The stone in the main building is known as Ashover Gritt. Sandstone is used elsewhere, including the floor under your feet right now, which has a fine, grey-buff finish.

PAINTED HALL - chatsworth.org · scene is copied in oils, painted onto the plaster. This tricks...

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Transcript of PAINTED HALL - chatsworth.org · scene is copied in oils, painted onto the plaster. This tricks...