Roundels in the Barry Rooms of the National Gallery

Went to a talk today given by Alan Crookham (NG Archivist). He explained that the Barry rooms, opened in 1876, featured lunettes by the Wyern / Wien / Wyan company (need to read his book to get the correct spelling!) and, although he wasn't sure, he thought the 8 roundels of great painters that run above the arches of room 36 were perhaps also designed and made by that firm.

These roundels, whilst not in terracotta, are especially Roman in style, being surrounded by a laurel wreath.

Interestingly of course, Edward Barry, the architect of the rooms, was the younger brother of Charles Barry Jr, of Dulwich College and Park fame. Obviously an interest in the didactic quality of the roundel medium was popular in the family!

Chateau de Gaillon

Re-constructed around 1502 by Cardinal Georges d'Amboise on an Italian Renaissance model.

Gaillon is about half-way from Le Havre to Paris... i.e. here:


http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Gaillon&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

The Chateau's website is here:

http://www.chateaugaillon.com/chateau_de_gaillon_version_angla.htm

Unfortunately it is not currently open to the public due to the ongoing restoration, and visitors are only able to see the exterior. This is a shame as the roundels that I think Foyle refers to are clearly an interior courtyard feature, as this photo shows.

V&A terracotta

Whilst in the library on Tuesday and admiring the resplendent terracotta work out the window, I noticed opposite my desk a bust of Godfrey Sykes, who apparently "contributed to the decoration of the quadrangle". Perhaps this means he was a terracotta sculptor... one to follow up. NB / he died in 1866.

The Vyne, Hampshire - Emperor Probus

Visited this excellent NT property yesterday - mainly to see the terracotta bust of Emperor Probus by Giovanni Maiano. According to the room guide the bust was bought by John Chute following the 1759 demolition of Whitehall's Holbein Gate, and brought to his home at the Vyne, where it was installed in his Orangery / Stone Gallery. The connection was that Probus (276-282) was the emperor who introduced the grape vine (cf. Vyne) to England.

However, the guide mentioned that this traditional provenance has been queried recently by the Trust's curators. To find out more I should contact the NT.

Measuring the bust, we found it to be about 4 sheets of A4 square, i.e. approx. 4 feet x 4 feet.