A Portrait in Decorated Gothic

Mark Cottle’s lecture, “A Portrait in Decorated Gothic”, reminded us of the warm magnificence of our local cathedral at Exeter. Its Anglo-Saxon foundations remain but Bishop Grandisson and Master Mason Thomas Witney saw the work on the present building through to its conclusion in the 1370s. Features include the Norman towers, flying buttresses, pointed arches, high windows, geometric tracery and the longest continuous roof vaulting in the world, like an avenue of palm fronds covering a mass of light. The medieval East window represented the gateway to another life. Five hundred roof bosses depict various religious symbols and scenes, including the martyrdom of Becket, but also a miscellany of contemporary characters. A collection of fabric rolls details the progress of the building between the 1290s and 1370s, confirming the use of local stone and timber. The decoration on the bishop’s chair rises to an imposing sixty feet, alongside the oldest complete set of misericords. Exeter cathedral lacks its own saint, hence no pilgrimages or associated pecuniary extras, but its peaceful green has only suffered from the odd Victorian revellers and their bonfires and a bomb which destroyed two buttresses during the Blitz. The walls just held. As well as a stone carving of a complete minstrels’ gallery, there is the very well preserved assembly of figures at the front of the cathedral, their impact rivalling Wells : imagine the newly consecrated cathedral when these would have been a riot of colour.

Victoriana

Matthew Williams, Curator of Cardiff Castle, described the prejudices against Victoriana and the changing tastes which have helped come to its rescue. Think oversize furniture, excessive decoration, mahogany, rosewood, walnut, veneers, gilding, showy craftsmanship and clutter ; features which became objects of derision by the 1920s. Nancy Mitford’s first book was a send up of Victoriana and the pre-Raphaelites. Collecting was seen as amusing in the 1930s but national museums were not interested and few bothered to write scholarly articles. The British often like to furnish their homes with echoes of the past but Victoriana was passed by. During this period Victorian art, furniture and textiles were of little value as collectors’ items. After the War people began to look again at the artefacts of the nineteenth century empire. In part this interest was utilitarian. There was a furniture famine. Victorian wardrobes and cupboards were relatively cheap: if they were too big they could be cut down to size by the forefathers of the DIY age. Improvements in paint technology made it possible to re-vitalise dull Victorian browns. Respectability emerged alongside. The first exhibition of Victorian and Edwardian decorative arts was held in 1952 at the V & A, reviving now familiar names of the period. A nineteenth century gallery was opened in 1960. American interest gave strength to the market. In1958 the Victorian Society emerged to help prevent the demolition of municipal and domestic buildings of the era. By the early 1970s Victorian art and design had become a serious subject for study. Television played its part. Series such as The Forsyte Saga had an impact on people’s perceptions of the period as a social history time capsule, both above and below stairs. William Morris wallpapers and textiles became a backcloth to suburban bliss. At a local level, Matthew Williams reminded us that we have National Trust properties such as Knightshayes and Tyntesfield in the south west, the former having been restored to its Victorian roots, the latter an unusual survivor in its original tapestry.

Sculpture in the Landscape

Dr Laura de Beden, landscape architect and garden designer, gave her audience new insights into ‘Sculpture in the Landscape’, ranging from ancient menhirs on the moor to angels of the north, from classical rural scenery to humble domestic gardens. She defined a sculpture as an object in space, created by the artist as a filter for human interpretation and meaning. It should add energy and narrative to its surroundings. Positioning is of the essence. The Greeks and Romans used statues and temples to honour their gods, capturing the spirit of the place, especially in relation to natural beauty. During the Renaissance the classical theme was dominant but statues in gardens were seen as art which paid homage to their owners rather than religion, with references to cultural life and secular success. Classical figures continued to represent civilisation in the natural world until the twentieth century blitz when Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and others produced and placed sculptures to challenge the viewer : interpretation and touch gave power to the individual but you were not expected to feel at ease with what you saw. Sculptures in the landscape might create intellectual, emotional and spiritual responses. They can be affected by the changing effects of light. Different materials can react in different ways to their environment. Movement might be conveyed through crafted fountains and waterfalls, given an added resonance in hot countries where water is a precious gift. Sculptures might lead our eyes to a view, provide a subtle guided path through a garden, interact with plants in terms of colour, contrasting shapes or surfaces – and sometimes bring us to a sudden halt with an unexpected surprise. Dr de Beden’s lively and enthusiastic lecture conveyed her love of sculpture in a way that will certainly help her audience to a better appreciation of the ‘objects in space’.

Contemporary Silver

Giving a glittering start to our 2010 - 2011 lecture season Rosemary Ransome Wallis led us through the world of fine silver from medieval times to the present day. In this world Rosemary is clearly the expert’s expert. Curator as well as a (Lady) Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in the City of London – which received its first Royal Charter in 1327 to ensure that “all those who were of the Goldsmith’s craft were to sit in their shops in the high street of Cheap. No silver plate – or vessels in gold or silver - to be sold in the City except in the said street or the King’s Exchange” – she is responsible for some 8,000 gold and silver objects in the Company’s magnificent collection. We were told how and why control was exercised over the craft and how the production of silver items evolved and developed over the centuries, seeing slides of some amazing pieces of antique silver and learning about the difference between designer craftsmen and artist craftsmen, hearing how the world of silver was influenced by many wider architectural and design movements, before concentrating on just a selection of modern designers and artists who have given Britain a leading position globally in the second half of the 20th century: among them were Malcolm Appleby who uses techniques such as engraving, mixing metals, texturing and hammering to combine surface quality with form so that the decorative process becomes complementary to the final form; Simon Benney, who gives an illusion of depth to his work by adding texture and uses colour by means of enamelling to highlight the detail; Toby Russell who develops his ideas three dimensionally using card models rather than drawing, and then folds silver sheet along scored lines to create the most amazing shapes and reflections. And it is by no means just a man’s field: among the many female designers is Lexy Dick who models figurative pieces in wax for casting, usually involving animals, real, heraldic or mythical,and whose bowl supported on seahorse tails produced for the Emperor Hirohito was among the delightful slides illustrating this fascinating talk.