Portraiture and the Country House

A striking feature of a country house is often its vast portrait collection.  What are the reasons for this?

A portrait is an image where the artist is engaged with the personality of the sitter and aims to characterise them as an individual.  People of consequence have commissioned portraits of themselves in order to commemorate their achievements and to showcase their status.  Portraits serve to distinguish individuals from the masses and as such are products of a conscious intent to portray.[1]  Consequently, they embody the beliefs and notions of both the sitter and the artist, and can tell us much about society at the period in which they were painted.

Dalquharran Castle

Dalquharran as it is today 

Dalquharran Castle was designed by Robert Adam, but not many people have heard of it.  Situated in the village of Dailly in Ayrshire, it is now a dramatic ruin, towering over the village and landscape.

A Fairytale Castle

The first country house I grew to love was Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast. Its silhouette had long been a focal point of my childhood. I remember various school trips where the guides dressed up as maids and told us about the toilet facilities of the eighteenth century! In 2009 I spotted an advert in the local newspaper which stated that the Castle was looking for volunteer room stewards. I was 18, and studying history at university. Having no idea of what I wanted to do with my life I decided that 6 weeks at Culzean would be an interesting way to spend my summer. I was immediately catapulted into what has become an enduring passion.

Christmas at Chatsworth

The chapel at Chastworth

I have something quite terrible to admit:  I only visited Chatsworth for the first time two days ago.  Yes, me, a student of the country house, did not see one of the most grand and famous houses in the country until Thursday.  I don’t really know why it has taken me so long to visit but I’m really glad that I finally have.

Claydon House

 

Exterior shot of Claydon, Buckinghamshire with trees and grass in the foreground.

I’ve recently started volunteering at Claydon House in Buckinghamshire.  I help out every Sunday and it is such a positive experience.  I’m getting to do a whole variety of things – helping out with Conservation in Action week and writing interpretation, and last week I learned how to move a grandfather clock (girl power only)!

Blenheim Palace

I visited Blenheim Palace for the first time recently and was of course immediately overwhelmed with the immense scale of the building.  However, what I love about country houses are the details.  When visiting a country house you should always look up; it is definitely worth a sore neck!  This beautiful ceiling in the Long Library was designed by Christopher Wren.

Mistress of the House

So often the history of the country house is told from the male perspective for obvious reasons. However I’ve long thought that is unfair and diminishes the contributions made by women on architectural projects and art collections, and their vital role as wife. I was delighted to discover this work by Rosemary Baird in my local Oxfam shop, entitled Mistress of the House. Baird reveals the challenges faced by these women and the achievements that they accomplished. It is a lovely book to read; very accessible and well-researched, but it is Baird’s passion for the subject which really makes the words flow. So if you are looking for something new to read I definitely recommend it!

Lyveden New Bield

Lyveden New Bield in Northamptonshire makes for some very striking photographs.  Unlike many houses which fell into ruin, Lyveden looks like an empty shell because it was never finished.  It was constructed for Sir Thomas Tresham of nearby Rushton Hall.  He was a staunch Roman Catholic and the building is rampant with Catholic symbolism.

Palladianism and Robert Adam

From the 1720s, Palladianism thrived in Britain.  Palladian architecture was based on the work of Andrea Palladio, a Venetian architect from the sixteenth century.   Palladio himself was inspired by Roman Classicism, encompassing rigid rules for scale and form, in the belief of creating elegance.^[1]  There were various reasons for why this new form of architecture flourished when it did.  The eighteenth century was a more peaceful period than the seventeenth century and the economy prospered.  Yarwood suggests that the eighteenth century upper classes were superb patrons, as unlike their nineteenth century successors, they were ‘not haunted by the passion to make more money.’^[2]

What is a country house?

Architecture was used by the landed classes to display a mythological sense of history, status and lineage.  Country houses were power houses.  They were lived in by those who possessed power, or by building one, were attempting to possess it.^[1]  Essentially, a country house was an image maker.