Site MainPage Search
Page About this Site Great
Links Send E-mail About
me Back a Page
Petworth House
The Grand Staircase
The immensely grand Grand Staircase was conceived by the 6th Duke as a palatial
transition from the state apartments on the ground floor to the bedrooms upstairs.
The murals, rich in ducal heraldry and incorporating a Triumph of the Duchess
of Somerset, were painted by Louis Laguerre (1663-1721), one of the Louis
XIV style of decorative painting.
By 1720, when they were completed, Laguerre's style would have seemed old-fashioned
to advanced taste, but the 6th Duke was already in his late fifties and was
rebuilding after a serious fire in 1714. The fire gutted the Duke's original
staircase, the foundations for which had been laid in 1691.
The sculpture niche in the centre of the north wall was created in 1799 by blocking up an
original doorway. Concurrently, a replacement door was made to the left, leading into the 3rd Earl's new Square
Dining Room.
The Grand Staircase at Petworth House
The balustrade of the staircase is by Charles Barry, who replaced the Duke's
original arrangement around 1827. In 1814 a section of marble flooring was
installed as the plinth for a stove, perhaps for the visit of the Allied sovereigns
that year; the staircase must have been extremely cold beforehand. This stood
in the centre of the wall under the stairs and was still in place in 1869,
when it was protected by a 'High wire guard'.
Wall Paintings
This is one of Laguerre's last painted schemes (1718-20), for which he received
£200 in 1720. It was painted at the same time as his masterpiece, the Saloon
at Blenheim. The principal theme is the story of Prometheus and Pandora.
In Classical mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the gods, and was punished
by Jupiter who chained him to a rock. He was released by Hercules. Jupiter
punished mankind for Prometheus's theft of fire by making Pandora open her
box (depicted on the ceiling), which unleashed all the world's evils.
Only hope remained inside. The story is depicted in general terms, but the
choice of subject must be an allusion to the disastrous fire of 1714, which
prompted the commission.
Porcelain
Blue-and-white porcelain jars
Here and elsewhere, are Chinese, Kangxi period (1662-1722) and were purchased by the 6th Duke and Duchess.
Sculpture
Marble bust of William III
By Honoré Pelle, a Huguenot émigré from France, who was inspired by Bernini's
bust of Louis XIV (1665; Versailles) in creating this truly Baroque image
of kingship. The 6th Duke employed numerous French Huguenots, and Pelle may
well have worked for the English crown - the Royal Wardrobe was a source of
several craftsmen mentioned in the ducal accounts.
This bust is probably the 'marble head representing the late King William'
for which the Duke paid £6 in 1724. Its surface is weathered because it was
placed for many years in a niche on the exterior of the Leconfield Memorial
Hall in the main square of Petworth. A copy was recently substituted.
Silenus nursing the Infant Bacchus
An early 19th century bronze copy of the Imperial Roman marble statue (Louvre, Paris), discovered in Rome 'c.1569',
and purchased in 1807 by Napoleon from the Villa Borghese, Rome. This copy, bought by the 3rd Earl, stood in
1835 at the centre of the South Corridor of the North Gallery.
Furniture
Black and gold table
Probably florentine, c.1690, and is one of five mentioned in the 1749/50 inventory belonging to the Proud Duke,
and is probably in the most original condition retaining its marble top.
Pair of carved giltwood candlesticks
English, c.1760, and was probably supplied by Samuel Norman.
Black and gold sgabello hall-chairs
English or Italian, c.1615-35. There are two sets of nine, one set bearing the Percy crescent beneath
an Earl's coronet in the centre of the splat. They could have been made for either 9th or 10th Earl
of Northumberland, both of whom visited Italy.
Such chairs are extremely rare; that two sets exist at Petworth is without parallel.
Lacquer chests on stands
Late 17th century Chinese or Japanese on Anglo-Dutch late 17th century ebonised supports.
Carved walnut stands
English, c.1690, for porcelain jars and are extremely rare survivals of
stands specifically designed to support weighty pieces of porcelain of the
type displayed here.
The stands were made for the Duchess of Somerset who, like her friend Queen
Mary, was bitten by the china-mania that swept through the northern courts
in the second half of the 17th century. Such stands only survive at Petworth
and at Hampton Court, where they are much plainer in design.
Six-fold black lacquer screen
Chinese, late 17th century, and is probably the 'Six leav'd Japan Screen' listed in the
Beauty Room in 1749/50.
Top of Page main page:
www.yeoldesussexpages.com
