Finished design for the ceiling (second project)
a preliminary design, close to that executed, inscribed lower left 'sir james thornhill', with the circled 'tbl' collector's monogram stamp of thomas lowinsky above this in the margin. Queen anne and prince george are now contained in a roundel portrait and the overall composition is noticeably more restrained than that of a related drawing in the huntington library, california (hl 63-52-257). The royal pair are supported by hercules, concord conjugal, plenty, and victory. Neptune, juno (with her peacock) and aeolus, god of the winds, remain in their places but the tumbling clouds have been rolled back. The corner spandrels an balconies show alternate treatments: the triple lions of england on a shield (top left) oppose a trophy of naval arms including an anchor, bottom right. The lower left and top right corners show two variant floral schemes which may derive from another french source: daniel marot's 'livre d' ornaments'. Three bewigged 'modern-dress' figures - one possibly being wren with a plan and the other an artist, perhaps thornhill - look over the balcony at the bottom, with two other wigged figures in the vantage to the left. The fictive balcony with figures is a motif deriving from 'l'escalier des ambassadeurs' at versailles by charles le brun, and it is worth noting that thornhill's revised designs for the upper hall were made in the year of his three-month journey to france. In the centre, a cartouche of queen anne and her husband, prince george, are supported by hercules and a female figure representing justice (her fasces, also a symbol of unity, are below the cartouche). Fame with a wreath and palm flies above. Plenty with a cornucopia is the figure behind, upper left. At lower right, neptune beckons up attendants with offerings from the sea. At the bottom another male figure casts down others representing vices, with juno, crowned and with her peacock, to the left. The concave corners of the central frame are supported by pairs of mermen and mermaids. The central design, including the fish-tailed supporters, is close to that executed, with only differences of detail. The executed outer corners in fact all incorporate shields (england, scotland, ireland and france), with floral and trophy elements. The main difference is the staffage of the balconies which, as executed, hold personifications of the four continents (europe, africa, america, asia). A label on the back identifies the source as lowinsky. Other designs for the centre of the ceiling are in the british museum collection bm188,0726. 40. 61 (fol. 61v of sketchbook 1884,0726. 40. 1-147); bm 1865. 0610. 1348, the victoria and albert museum v&a e. 5199-1919; v&a d. 70. 1891, and the huntington library hl 63-52-257. Design for the upper hall ceiling, old royal naval college, greenwich. Date: 1717. Dimensions: Primary support: 289 mm x 330 mm; Mount: 483 mm x 365 mm. Collection: Fine art.
Loading...
