Tag: Team 8

Lady at Kew

So in our discussions about the female figure that we want to depict in our exhibition, I discovered a possible candidate in the form of Lady Elizabeth Yorke, also known as Lady Anson (1725–1760).

Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Yorke, Lady Anson (1725–1760), by studio of Thomas Hudson (1701–1779). Inv. no. NT1271067. ©National Trust Collections, supplied by the Public Catalogue Foundation

According to Philip Wilkinson, author of several architectural books like The English Buildings Book, and Stephen Dowell’s Shughborough: Seat of the Earl of Lichfield, Lady Elizabeth Yorke was purportedly responsible for establishing the Chinoiserie style at Shughborough, Staffordshire. She was married to Admiral Lord George Anson, “the most famous naval officer of his day” who became extremely wealthy after capturing the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga that was filled with American silver. Admiral Lord Anson had spent some time in Canton in 1743, though his opinion of the Chinese was coloured by a poor working relationship with them.

“They suggest the possibility that George’s wife, Elizabeth, was the family member most closely involved with the Chinese House. Chinoiserie, apparently, was an area of decorative design that found many female enthusiasts in the 18th century: perhaps Shugborough’s Chinese House is an example of this feminine influence.”(1)

Thus, using what we know of Lady Elizabeth’s background would add further historical accuracy to our project and communicate our idea that the Chinoiserie lifestyle was an imported idea that gained traction despite contact with those that had actually been to China and knew the Cathay was nothing but a European fantasy.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Object Label

I’ve had a really busy week, sorry for the lack of updates. Guess this is what happens when you get overwhelmed with paid work on top of 1 submission and a major midterm…

Anyway, time to talk about my object label. In my research on Chinoiserie gardens, I found out that there were very few that remained intact or in its original state. This was because Chinoiserie was a fad followed by the upper classes and as with any other fad, soon went out of style; gardens were remodelled to keep up with the times. What did remain were usually the garden’s architectural structures, like pavilions or Chinese-style bridges, or architectural plans of the structure or proposed garden.

Initially, our team wanted to show the European Chinoiserie lifestyle in general, but it was pointed out to us that it would be too broad and not a good representative of a particular lifestyle, since there would be various factors to account for like time period, the socio-political environment and the state of Chinese imports at the time.

Thus, I had to narrow down my potential objects from three to one when we decided to centralise our findings around the English 18th-century Chinoiserie lifestyle. The three possibilities were originally Woburn Abbey’s Hornbeam Maze (a 19th-century pagoda based on Sir William Chambers’ design), Versailles’ Trianon de Porcelaine (a 17th-century French pavilion made in the Chinoiserie style, surrounded by lush gardens) and the Kew Gardens’ Great Pagoda.

After refining our scope of exploration, the Kew Gardens’ pagoda was the only possible contender.

Sir William Chambers
A View of the Wilderness with the Alhambra, the Pagoda and the Mosque
Plate 43 of William Chambers’ s ‘Plans, Elevations, Sections and Perspective Views of the Gardens and Buildings at Kew ….’ 1763
Etching on paper
1763
315 x 473mm

Object label
This etching depicts the Great Pagoda at Kew Gardens, designed by Sir William Chambers (1722–96). It was featured in Chambers’ book ‘Plans, Elevations, Sections and Perspective Views of the Gardens and Buildings at Kew in Surrey (London)’ in 1763, following the completion of the gardens in 1762. The ten-storey octagonal pagoda was the tallest Chinese-style building in England at the time, towering over much of Kew Gardens at a height of 50m (164ft). It was also the most accurate of all Chinese-style buildings in Europe for its time, despite the minor error of it having an even number of storeys, where true Chinese pagodas had an odd number of storeys. The design of the pagoda was based on Chambers’ travels to Canton, and the pagoda’s vibrancy was the talk of the town; its roofs were covered with varnished iron plates and each corner had a gilt golden dragon made of wood perched on it. A total of 80 dragons were made for the roofs but by the 1780s, were removed due to rot. This short lifespan was characteristic of many of Chambers’ work at Kew Gardens such as the House of Confucius, Alhambra and Exotic Garden, which have all subsequently been demolished. It was therefore a surprise for the public that it remained standing and even served as a site for bomb-testing during the Second World War.

Exhibition Object Idea

Armchair by John and William LinnellArmchair
John and William Linnell
About 1754 (made)
About 1840 (japanned)
Beechwood frame, gilt and japanned, with traces of red paint below; modern upholstery
Museum no. W.33-1990
Credit: V & A

I’m thinking of using this object for our exhibition guys! What caught my eye about it is the Chinese latticework on the back and sides of the chair which are even inscribed with Chinese characters and floral motifs. It seems very elegant amidst other kinds of chinoiserie furniture that can look fairly tacky due to being too ‘busy’.