When delivering a talk, my preparation varies depending on the topic. In this instance, I had made a last minute decision to switch the theme from the Elizabethan Prodigy House to the Victorian Country House as I'd been struggling to condense so sprawling a topic as the prodigy house and cult of sovereignty. It's always … Continue reading She Noted: Tabletop Talks – The Victorian Country House
The remit of the architect is inseparable from the character of the collector, which they sought to accommodate. Indeed, the architecture of the country house was used to house great works of art and the purpose of the setting was to complement this accordingly. West Wycombe’s entrance hall is particularly theatrical in this case, taking … Continue reading West Wycombe Park – Architects & Collectors
Celebrated the world over for dexterous works across the arts, Benvenuto Cellini struck a virtuoso performance through the skill of his hand and the intricate workings of his mind. That ‘the devil is in the detail’ duly applies to this polymath. For example, consider Perseus with the head of Medusa, a feat in bronze with … Continue reading Pass the Salt: Cellini’s Famed Salt Cellar
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of West Wycombe as an architectural study is the fact that the classical theme of its exterior is greatly extended by the design of its lavish interiors. What becomes apparent from this activity is that, constructing a country house in the 18th century was a complex operation – determined not … Continue reading West Wycombe Park – The Interiors
