Newsletter 135
Issue Summer 2022
Table of Contents Letter from the Chair ........................................................................................................ 3 Membership Renewals ...................................................................................................... 4 New Members .................................................................................................................... 4 Annual General Meeting 2022 ......................................................................................... 5 Events .................................................................................................................................. 5 Edward Adrian Wilson (Nick Nelson) ................................................................. 6 Utopias in the Cotswolds (Kirsty Hartsiotis) ...................................................... 7 Kelmscott Manor and Fairford (St Mary’s Church) ........................................... 7 Edward Wilson Birthday Picnic ............................................................................ 8 Speculation in Regency Cheltenham (Steven Blake) .......................................... 8 Berkeley Castle and Dr Jenner’s House ............................................................ 10 Events and Exhibitions .................................................................................................. 11 Dr E.T. Wilson ................................................................................................................ 12 Meeting Caravaggio ....................................................................................................... 14 Where to Visit: Frome Museum ................................................................................... 15 Problems of Attribution ................................................................................................. 17 Reviews ............................................................................................................................ 18 Compton Verney ................................................................................................. 18 Pissarro: Father of Impressionism (Nick Nelson) ........................................... 19 Art and Architecture in Oxford ......................................................................... 20 Morris, Burne-Jones and the Business of Stained Glass (Adrian Barlow) ... 21 Quiz Night ........................................................................................................... 22 Photo credits ................................................................................................................... 22 Contacts ........................................................................................................................... 23
Taken during the Friends’ outing to Compton Verney in January. Read more from page 18. (Images taken by Adrian Barlow)
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Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
Dear Friends, This is the last time that my letter will appear in the Friends’ Newsletter; I step down as chair after the AGM on 6 June. I don’t want to anticipate here the things I shall say in my report at that meeting, but when I followed Hilary Simpson as chair in 2018 I had no idea – no one had – that The Wilson would have to close its doors in March 2020, nor could we have imagined that the doors would still be closed more than two years later. Inevitably, the pandemic meant that much of the work and activity of the Friends had to move online, so it was a joy when outings were able to start again and when live talks resumed. Even so, I hope that during the past two years many of you have found new ways of keeping in touch with The Wilson, not only through our website and the monthly News Updates we launched in 2020, but also by exploring the resources both of The Wilson’s own website and (in particular) of the collection of 547 paintings owned by Cheltenham Borough Council and displayed on ArtUK. Chairs of the Friends serve only a limited term, but curators are a different matter. It is a shock to learn that Sophia Wilson retires this month after a career with the art gallery and museum spanning nearly 30 years. Her departure is a major loss to The
Wilson. Curators – as the very word suggests – care for the objects and works of art under their charge; equally important, however, they care about the collections. Their knowledge of what these collections contain and their understanding of their significance grows over time. When they leave, much of that knowledge and understanding leaves with them; at least, that is always the danger. Curators work mostly out of sight: their work of accessioning, cataloguing, conserving, displaying and interpreting and answering enquiries is a cycle that does not stop – or should not, under normal circumstances. When I first became a Friend of The Wilson, it was often Sophia who would appear at the lunchtime lectures in St Matthew’s to bring us up to date with the latest news of forthcoming exhibitions (visiting and in-house) and of events hosted by the curators themselves. We have seen much less of them in the past two years, of course, but since last summer Kirsty Hartsiotis, Ann-Rachael Harwood and Sophia have given occasional talks at Pittville Pump Room as part of the Cheltenham Trust’s programme of events, The Wilson on Tour. Sophia’s last lecture (‘Celebrating Beautiful Bling’) was a virtuoso introduction to The Wilson’s collection of the tiaras and the costumes with which they would have been worn. The museum’s Costume Collection was close to her heart; its disappearance from view after the Pump Room galleries were closed in 1998 caused her (and continued to cause) the sort of distress that perhaps only collectors and curators can fully understand.
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It is right that the Friends should acknowledge the significance of the role Sophia has played in sustaining The Wilson’s collections and in promoting its exhibitions for so long. In doing so we should also acknowledge our gratitude for that cycle of work I mentioned above and which has engaged the whole Collections Team since their return from furlough: catching up on routine and emergency conservation; addressing the backlog of administrative tasks that range from keeping track of items out on loan to dealing with copyright and insurance issues; responding to enquiries from scholars and the public; above all, of
course, refreshing and renewing the displays in readiness for The Wilson’s re-opening, now scheduled for the summer. With all good wishes; my sincere thanks to you for your continued support of The Wilson and its staff through your membership of the Friends. Adrian Barlow Chair, 2018–2022
Membership Renewals Membership subscriptions were due on 1 April 2022 and we have had payments from most of you, including those who pay by standing order. Many thanks to all. I look forward to hearing from the rest of you. Rates are £20 for Individual and £35 for Joint memberships. If you joined on or after 1 October 2021, your membership runs to 31 March 2023 so no additional payment is required this year. There are several payment options, though our preference is always a standing order. You can also renew online on our website (www. friendsofthewilson.org.uk): here you can pay by credit or debit card, or even PayPal if you have an account. So this is a quick and easy option. Here, if you
are a tax-payer and have not already done so, you can also Gift Aid your subscription. As a registered charity we can claim from HMRC 25p for every £1 contributed by a Friend, be it from subscriptions or donations. This can add several thousand pounds a year to our income. Want to pay by cheque? Cheques should be made payable to the ‘FOTW’ and sent to the Membership Secretary, 2 Moorend Grove, Cheltenham GL53 0EZ. Please enclose a stamped and addressed envelope for the return of your card/s. Thank you for your support. Vanessa Graham Membership Secretary
New Members We welcome the following members who have recently joined the Friends: • Sebastian Bullock and Katherine MacInnes • Elizabeth Coghlan 4
• Avril Davies • Richard and Annette Farrimond • Mr and Mrs Kaye
Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
Annual General Meeting 2022 This year’s AGM will be held on Monday 6 June at 6.15pm in the clubhouse of Cheltenham Spa Bowling Club, 5 St George’s Square, GL50 3LJ. All members of the Friends in good standing (membership for 2022–23 renewed before 31 May) are invited to attend. The Agenda for the meeting will be published in the May News Update and will be available on the Friends’ website under Latest News.
This will be the first time in three years we have been able to hold a ‘live’ AGM, so please make every effort to attend. Our guest speaker will be Lisa Edgar, head of culture for the Cheltenham Trust, who will be speaking on ‘Art in Times of Emergency’, and the evening will conclude with an informal reception.
We have many interesting events to bring to your attention in this Newsletter. Firstly, we have our first residential study trip for some time happening later this month. We travel to Historic Coventry, this year’s City of Culture, on 19 May for two nights. We will also stop off at Boughton House and Upton House on our tour. This trip has been especially curated and organised on our behalf, at a very reasonable rate, by Harry Shaw Group Travel. Although bookings will have closed by the time you read this, please contact Martha as there is a good chance we will have late availability (events@friendsofthewilson.org.uk).
it was an opportune time to visit the Jenner Museum and the adjacent Berkeley Castle in September. As a small museum, the Jenner struggled, especially in the lockdowns, but has happily emerged to welcome visitors again.
Events
In June we travel to the newly reopened Kelmscott Manor. The house has been closed for some time for refurbishment so it will be very interesting to see how it has changed. We have the site for our exclusive use in the morning, with small group guided tours arranged. After time for lunch, we stop at St. Marys, Fairford, on our way home. Given all we have been through in the past two years and the importance of vaccinations in our lives, we thought
To our delight, Nick Nelson will be returning in May to help us celebrate the anniversary of Edward Wilson. Although we had hoped to host the event in The Wilson itself, the museum is not re-opening until the summer so the talk will now be in the large nave of Pip and Jim’s church on Grafton Road. We are also delighted to welcome back Kirsty Hartsiotis in June to talk about Cotswold Utopias, also to be hosted in Pip and Jim’s. Finally, we are delighted that Steven Blake also returns to talk to us in September. It feels very good to have in-person talks again, with the added bonus of having such good ‘friends of the Friends’ to address us. Finally, we invite you to join our first guided walk on Saturday 23 July, Edward Wilson’s birthday. It should provide spectacular views as we walk from Crickley Hill to Crippetts Lane.
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Please note this event is only suitable for walkers used to the uneven ground and exertions of our hills. We are a small group bringing together a range of events to offer you. We are always pleased to have more suggestions for possible suitable events for the Friends or other offers of help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with ideas!
Please visit our website for information about our forthcoming trip to Coventry (www. friendsofthewilson.org.uk/events/ historic-coventry-boughton-houseand-upton-house-and-gardens/)
The Events Team Edward Adrian Wilson (1872–1912) (Talk by Nick Nelson) Monday 30 May, 1.30 p.m. Venue: Church of St Phillip and St James (Pip and Jim’s), 60 Grafton Road, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, GL50 2DL Cost per person: £10, to include tea/ coffee Although known chiefly as a polar explorer, Edward Adrian Wilson was something of a polymath: ornithologist, natural historian, physician and artist. This illustrated talk is designed to commemorate the 150 years since Wilson’s birth in 1872. As a long-standing member of staff at Cheltenham College, Nick Nelson is acutely aware of Wilson’s contributions in the fields of science, natural history and polar exploration. In fact, Westal Boarding House at the college is named after his former family home (now the site of Eagle Star Tower). His room at both school and Cambridge was allegedly like a museum, adorned as it was with bones and skulls. As a naturalist, Wilson was the first to study the breeding biology of the Emperor penguin, which laid its eggs in the middle of the Antarctic winter. He had a great eye, coupled with a 6
wealth of knowledge: traits which are best illustrated through an anecdote. He had 20 bats in his collection and when working one time from a live model, a flea crawled out of its fur and hopped onto the end of his pencil. Wilson knew immediately it was a rare genus of flea, put it into a tube and it entered the collection of Charles Rothschild. Thus, this talk partly circumnavigates the fateful Antarctic journey of 1912, and turns to his artistic endeavours instead, achieved in the face of huge adversity. At a temperature of -50°C, during which the pus in his frostbite froze and the enamel on his teeth cracked, Wilson continued to paint. He could only work with one eye at a time through the narrow slit in his snow goggles, and only for a few minutes at a time too. Talk about suffering for your art!
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Utopias in the Cotswolds (Talk by Kirsty Hartsiotis) Monday 20 June, 1.30 p.m. Venue: Church of St Phillip and St James (Pip and Jim’s), 60 Grafton Road, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, GL50 2DL Cost per person: £10, to include tea/ coffee
Prinknash Abbey guide, 1960s.
The Cotswolds has drawn dreamers and practitioners in attempts to create utopias for well over a century. This talk explores some of the communities who took up the challenge of living well and creating craft in our local area, such as C.R. Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft in Chipping Campden; the Whiteway community near Stroud; Prinknash Abbey; the Taena Community in the Forest of Dean; and more unexpected experiments, such as Rodmarton Manor near Cirencester. Craft and art were at the heart of these new communities, and Kirsty will explore the personalities, histories and art of our radical area. Kirsty Hartsiotis is a freelance writer, speaker and curator at The Wilson. Before moving to The Wilson, she was the curator and manager of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. She has been an oral storyteller for over twenty years, and has published several story collections. She is the newsletter
editor for the Society of Decorative Art Collections, a regular columnist for Cotswold Life, and writes for other publications on art history and folklore. Exclusive visit to Kelmscott Manor, followed by St Mary’s Church, Fairford Wednesday 29 June Tour by coach Cost per person: £38 Pick up points: Evesham Road Pittville Pump Room bus stop (townbound) 8.50 a.m.; Royal Well Coach Station 9 a.m.; Six Ways (by St Edwards School) 9.10 a.m. Group leaders: Sue Pearce and Sue Reeves The inspirational Cotswold retreat of William Morris, the father of the Arts and Crafts movement, Kelmscott Manor is always a delight to visit. The house has been closed for nearly two years for important conservation and improvements, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund; reopening is scheduled for April 2022 and we have arranged exclusive access for Friends. Today, visitors can experience the beauty and seclusion that inspired many of William Morris’ most important designs and writings. Described as ‘Heaven on Earth’ by Morris, he appreciated the manor house and its adjoining farm buildings as works of true craftsmanship, unspoilt and in harmony with the surrounding countryside. The recent conservation and improvement works have protected the site for years to come. On display is an outstanding collection of possessions and works of Morris, as well as those of his family and associates, plus the roses should
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be in bloom in the garden for our tour. Friends will join our coach in Cheltenham in time to arrive at Kelmscott just after 10.00 a.m. The coach is required to park a ten-minute walk from the house. If notified in advance, transport from the coach park to the manor can be provided for those who may have mobility issues.
Late-Medieval glass in a parish church in the country. There has been a church on this site for 1,000 years, the present one dating from about 1497. We anticipate returning to Cheltenham by 5 p.m. Guided walk and picnic to celebrate the anniversary of Edward Wilson Saturday 23 July, 1.30 p.m. Meeting point: Coach Park at Crickley Hill Country Park Cost per person: £5
On arrival we will be welcomed in the Stables Tea Room with included tea/ coffee and homemade biscuits at 10.30 a.m., before a private guided tour in small groups of no more than 10. This arrangement offers an in-depth experience with an expert tour guide. There are stairs up to the upper floors of the house; please let us know if you will be unable to access the upper rooms due to mobility issues. A fully illustrated folder will be made available. Friends can then enjoy the grounds and garden at their leisure. The gift shop offers a wide range of unique gifts and the excellent tearoom will be open after the tour for hot and cold lunches, beverages, cakes and snacks. Please note picnics are not permitted. We join the coach again at 2 p.m. to move on to Fairford and St. Mary’s Church. Our chairman, Adrian Barlow, will be our guide as we explore the church and its beautiful stained-glass windows – the only complete set of 8
For those of you who are intrepid walkers please join us for a walk from Crickley Hill across to the top of Crippetts Lane. The Wilson family home, Hillcrest, is just opposite where the footpath emerges onto the lane. The walk will begin and end at the Coach Park at Crickley Hill Country Park, where designated parking has been arranged. Please wear appropriate walking boots and clothing as the footpaths are uneven. This walk is only suitable for people who are used to, and comfortable with, walking on paths like the Cotswold Way. There is one significant climb. The walk will be led by Cotswold Wardens. Please bring your own picnic and a drink. Our suggestion is that picnics will take place when we are back at the coach park so that anything heavy can be left in vehicles. The Perils of Speculation in Regency Cheltenham: The Rise and Fall of the Honourable Miss Monson (Talk by Steven Blake) Monday 5 September, 2 p.m. Venue: TBC Cost per person: TBC
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During the early nineteenth century, Cheltenham’s housing stock increased dramatically from 710 in 1801, to an estimated 4,027, with 774 more being built in June 1826. Large numbers of individuals were involved in the town’s building industry as developers, speculators and builders. One of the most unusual, in terms of age, gender and social background, was the Honourable Katherine Monson (1754–1843), who built at least twenty houses on the north side of the town – including St Margaret’s Terrace – between 1804 and the late 1820s before going bankrupt in 1828. This talk considers what is known of her remarkable life and work and highlights a hitherto little-known aspect of the town’s building history, namely the role of women.
Come to the Fair
ART FAIR
Dr Steven Blake worked for thirty years at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, eventually filling the post of museum and collections manager, before taking early retirement in 2006. He is a former trustee, chair and now a vice-president of the Holst Birthplace Trust. He is a founder member and former chair of Cheltenham Local History Society and has a particular interest in the building history of early nineteenthcentury Cheltenham.
Melanie Cormack-Hicks: Paragon Gallery
10-12 JUNE 2022
50 leading galleries showing 6,000 original prints and paintings 500 artists from exciting new talent to Hockney, Banksy, Matisse, Miro and more... Britain’s biggest choice of art
Visit: freshartfair.net
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08/03/2022 15:51
Berkeley: Historic Castle and Dr Jenner’s House Wednesday 14 September Tour by coach Cost per person: £38 Pick up points: Six Ways (by the Co-op) 9 a.m.; Evesham Road Pittville Pump Room bus stop (townbound) 9.10 a.m.; Royal Well Coach Station 9.20 a.m.; Westall Green (Lansdown Road) bus stop 9.30 a.m. Group Leaders: Sue Pearce and Martha Alleguen Berkeley Castle, which dominates the Vale of Berkeley, is steeped in over 860 years of British history. It is best known as the scene of the brutal murder of Edward II in 1327 and for being besieged by Parliamentary troops in 1645. Our visit will include a private guided tour (before the castle opens to the public) and access to the eight acres of beautiful gardens and grounds.
In the afternoon, with your timed ticket and easy access from the castle garden, we will visit Dr Jenner’s House, Museum & Garden. From Gloucestershire in the 1790s to Somalia in the 1970s, Dr Jenner’s House traces the impact of one of the pivotal events in world history in the place where it happened. This is where Edward Jenner, the pioneer of vaccination against smallpox, lived and worked. Jenner is also remembered for his wide-ranging interests, from poetry and music to ballooning and fossil hunting. Today you can see his study, explore the garden, including the historic vinery and the modern physic garden, and stand in the Temple of Vaccinia, where Jenner vaccinated the people of Berkeley free of charge. We will arrive back in Cheltenham at about 5 p.m.
The state apartments contain magnificent collections of furniture, rare paintings and English and continental tapestries. Some of the world-famous Berkeley silver is on display in the Dining Room and many other rooms, including the Great Hall, the Morning Room (the former medieval chapel, with its unique painted ceiling) and the kitchens, are available to view. Other treasures include Francis Drake’s cabin chest, Queen Elizabeth I’s bedspread, and the banner that the 4th Earl of Berkeley took with him to the Battle of Culloden. Over twenty-four generations of Berkeley’s have gradually transformed a Norman fortress into the family home it is today. Refreshments are available in the Walled Garden Café. 10
Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
Events and Exhibitions The Wilson • Jussara Nazaré: Photography Walk 2022. The Garden Bar, Imperial Gardens, Saturday 21 May, 6.00 p.m. (£12.50 + £1.50 booking fee) Holst Victorian House • Taking the Waters: Talk and Afternoon Tea with Lesley Sainty, Sunday 8 May, 2–3.30 p.m. • To Be a Light, Concert by St Cecilia Singers. Church of St Phillip and St James, Saturday 14 May, 7.30 p.m. • Victorian Book Group, first Wednesday of each month, 10– 11.30 a.m. • Knit Your Bit, second Tuesday of each month, 2–3.30 p.m. • Hidden in a Drawer: Gustav Holst’s Lost ‘New Zealand’ Manuscripts (9 July – 21 December) • Music in a Victorian House With Holst: A Narration with Gary Branch and Laura Kinnear, Friday 15 July (TBC)
The Holburne Museum, Bath • Mick Peter: Old Ghosts (online until 15 May) • Thomas Lawrence Coming of Age (online until 31 May) Victoria Art Gallery, Bath • Bath Society of Arts 117th Annual Exhibition (14 May – 2 July) Bristol Museums • Netsuka: Miniature Masterpieces from Japan (until 5 June) • Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 (until 5 June) • Grayson’s Art Club (until 4 September) • Lebohang Kganye: ‘Dipina tsa Kganya’ – Leave the light when you leave for good (4 April – 31 December) • Disability Activism in Bristol: pioneers, protests and progress from the 1980s to now (28 April – 1 October 2023) Swindon Museum & Art Gallery Closed; see their ‘Art on Tour’ initiative Please check websites.
CHELTENHAM SPA BOWLING CLUB OPEN DAY Are you interested in playing bowls? Come along to our Open Day on Saturday 7th May 2022, 12–3pm. All ages welcome. No experience or equipment needed*, just turn up and our bowlers will help you to get started. St George’s Square Lower High Street Cheltenham GL50 3LJ E-mail lizgiles333@gmail.com if you have any queries. *Please wear / bring flat shoes. Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
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Dr E.T. Wilson, founder of Cheltenham Museum Cheltenham has been greatly enriched by the Wilson family, a fact recognised by the renaming of its museum and art gallery in 2013, yet the family member who did most for the town, including through founding the town’s museum, is hardly known. Overshadowed both by his son Ted, the Antarctic explorer who perished with Captain Scott at the South Pole, and his brother Charles, renowned for his heroic attempt to rescue General Gordon at Khartoum, the story of Dr Edward Thomas Wilson (1832–1918), fondly known as ETW, is intriguingly complex. His life’s work included instigating modern medical practices, such as isolation fever hospitals, district nursing and clean drinking water, whilst also vigorously promoting science and art. While the full story of this remarkable man is told in a recently published biography (‘He Went About Doing Good’ by David Elder – Hobnob Press, £15.95), this article examines his pivotal role in leading the campaign to establish the town’s museum.
Cheltenham College Big Modern as Museum (Cheltenham College Archives)
Throughout his life, ETW showed himself to be a great advocate for 12
Portrait of ETW by Alfred Soord (© Cheltenham Borough Council and the Cheltenham Trust/The Wilson Family Collection)
museums: in particular, he provided voluntary support to the Cheltenham College Museum which, prior to the existence of the Clarence Road museum, served as an unofficial town museum. He also supported museums in other ways. As a young student at Oxford, he raised funds for statues of Aristotle and the French naturalist Georges Cuvier for the New Museum (now the Oxford University Museum of Natural History) while, in later life, he donated material to appropriate institutions. This included objects from the Naga Hills region of northeast India, which he donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum, and a specimen of a fowl prepared by Dr Jenner that he deposited in the Hunterian Museum. It was perhaps inevitable, therefore, that ETW would be front and centre stage in
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any initiative to establish a proper town museum for Cheltenham. From 1890 he started to develop his vision. He saw the museum as primarily comprising ‘local collections, local observations, local lore, and local facts’, and he envisaged organisations such as the Cheltenham Natural Science Society, of which he was president, donating material of interest. Steering away from the idea of a museum as an old curiosity shop full of dusty specimens, he stressed the importance of employing a young, energetic curator (not caretaker): someone, either male or female, who had achieved a course of scientific study with distinction and could shape the museum’s development from the beginning, ensuring that a coherent collections policy was rigidly followed. He commented: It is [the curator] who must make the dry bones live, as it were, and tell their story; it is [the curator] who must infuse [his/her] own energy into others if [his/her] collection is to grow, and grow it must or it will inevitably die. While recognising the necessary constraints, above all his vision emphasised the educational and research value of the institution. He said: We shall not go far wrong, then, in insisting that a museum should in a town like Cheltenham, of limited size and limited resources, be primarily and essentially a collection of the local fauna and flora – with specimens illustrating the geological and archaeological features of the neighbourhood. With a view to rendering the educational value of the local collections more complete a limited – strictly limited and well-
chosen – series of type specimens may be added from beyond the local boundaries, but no foreign beast or bird or butterfly which has not a definite educational value should be tolerated. Instruction and research should be the keynote of the collection, the test by which everything should be tried that comes to the curator’s hand.
Although ETW’s ideas gained some initial support, they also prompted further debate. There was concern, for instance, that the town museum could simply become ‘a Natural History mixen’ (i.e. dunghill). ETW also feared that it would prove to be too unpopular with ratepayers, although, at that time, the town council had the power to provide a museum without consulting ratepayers if expenditure did not exceed a halfpenny rate (then £500). While ETW insisted that a central location was absolutely essential, there were others who felt that alternative (but less convenient) locations such as the Pittville Pump Room, which was then underutilised, should be considered. If natural history was to be its main
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focus, it was suggested, then perhaps a living garden, ideally located in Pittville Gardens, could provide ‘infinitely greater educational value than a score of herbariums, howsoever complete or well arranged’. It was even proposed that a diminutive duplicate of Leckhampton Hill, made up of actual rock, could be constructed there as part of a strategy to enliven the geological section rather than merely providing a coloured diagram to hang on the museum’s walls. Nevertheless, ETW remained resolute in his views: ‘No!’ he said, ‘The museum should be close to its curator, close to books, close to its students, and not a Sabbath day’s journey from all of these and the public if it is to be of any use whatever.’ Despite these discussions,
Meeting Caravaggio
The coach rumbled through the Maltese countryside and I was looking at the profusion of wildflowers scattered across the rocky fields when the guide announced, ‘And in the Co-Cathedral we will see two of Malta’s Michelangelo’s paintings.’ I immediately paid attention: Michelangelo in Malta, I had not expected that! She then explained that she was referring to the dark Michelangelo, Michelangelo Merisi (1571–1610), known as Caravaggio (because he was born in a village of that name outside Milan). He was a genius but also a violent man and only came to Malta because he had had a fight in Rome and killed a man. He received the death sentence, but he managed to leave Rome before they could catch him. He arrived in Malta in 1607 but only stayed less than two years because he got into trouble again and had to escape from 14
little subsequent progress was made for some time, even after the town council adopted the Museums Act in 1899. It was not until 1906, seven years later, that ETW announced that he had pledged ‘the good offices of the [Natural Science Society] in furthering the development of a Museum’. This paved the way for positive practical steps to be taken. Then, just over eight months later, on 20 June 1907, in the absence of Alderman Winterbotham, the chair of the Art Gallery and Museum Committee, ETW was given the honour of opening the town’s public museum to an invited audience of local leaders from the scientific, literary, artistic and municipal communities.
David Elder prison. He fled to Sicily and died in mysterious circumstances in 1610. We were lucky to have the cathedral to ourselves (thank you, Covid), and we could admire The Beheading of St John (1608), Caravaggio’s largest painting and the only one he ever signed. This was our first port of call, and I was immediately struck but his skilful use of shadow and light. The shaft of light illuminating the central part is what you first focus on, and the figures portray an emotional as well as a physical
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presence. This technique, chiaroscuro, later influenced Rubens and Rembrandt as well as other artists part of the movement known as tenebrism. Caravaggio used ordinary people as models for his paintings and people were shocked that he used prostitutes as models for Mary in some paintings. (He had been partly brought up in a brothel, after his mother had died.) My favourite painting was that of Saint Jerome Writing. The attention to detail was superb. St Jerome wore a habit and lived in a monastery in Bethlehem when he was translating the Bible (382–405). Notice that Caravaggio
has given him sunburnt hands and a sunburnt face but the rest of his body is paler because it was not exposed to the sun. What an amazing talent! Ro Kaye
Where to Visit: Frome Museum In May 2011, a minor coup took place in the Somerset town of Frome. Disenchanted with what they saw as the inertia of local politicians representing the main political parties, a group of residents banded together as the Independents for Frome and took control of the town council. Their model of ‘flatpack democracy’ has since been adopted in other places around the UK. Frome is a town that breathes community while embracing diversity, as can be seen in the wide range of quirky independent shops centred around Catherine Hill. This sense of civic pride is manifest in the Frome Heritage Museum which, despite consisting of just two large rooms, manages to convey a strong insight into the town’s long and varied history. In the first room, a series of wall panels explains how important the manufacture of woollen cloth was to the town’s development. The fast-
flowing River Frome provided the power for a set of mills along its length which were devoted to all aspects of the manufacturing process. These were some of the first factory-type buildings in the country, predating the Industrial Revolution. Children as young as seven were employed. By the mid-1720s, Frome was reckoned to have the same sized population as Bath and Salisbury. But water-powered mills simply could not compete with the scale of the steam-powered weaving mills which had become the norm in the north of England by the
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mid nineteenth century. Frome had to reinvent itself. Remarkably for such a small town, it did so through four local firms which each built a national reputation. Fussells became known for its agricultural tools and Cockeys for its gas-fired streetlamps. Butler & Tanner became one of the leading printers for publishers such as Chatto & Windus, Ward Lock and Frederick Warne (controllers of the Beatrix Potter franchise). Perhaps most famous of all was the art metal work foundry of J.W. Singer & Sons. Originally a manufacturer of church ornaments, the firm developed the facilities and expertise to make large statues. The figure of Lady Justice on the dome above London’s Old Bailey was cast by Singers from a sculpture by F.W. Pomeroy. Fittingly, a wall sign from the original Singer works looks out over the other exhibits in this first room. These include a scale model of the modern town, a reproduction of the parish church of St John the Baptist and photographs of the Frome Hoard, a collection of 52,503 Roman coins discovered by metal detectorist Dave Crisp in a field outside Frome in April 2010. After the Second World War, many small English towns were proud possessors of a local grammar school. The second room contains memorabilia from Frome Grammar School which, judging from a separate display, morphed into an equally treasured community college. On the fringes of the room are a reconstructed forge, a recreation of an early twentieth century chemist shop and the fascia from a 1970s veterinary surgeon. 16
And tucked away in a corner is a real curiosity: a long case regulator clock (pictured). In the days when timekeeping outside the metropolis could be a rather lax affair, precision timepieces such as this were used by local watchmakers to set all the other clocks and watches on show in their shops.
Finally, on the day I visited I was fortunate that one of the friendly volunteers took me through a side-door to show me one of the glories of this delightful community museum: its spiral staircase (pictured), dating from 1865.
frome-heritage-museum.org North Parade, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1AT Philip Machin
Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
Problems of Attribution When we look around at the paintings in an art gallery we assume, without question, that the label carrying the name of a painter on an individual work is accurate and definitive. However, that attribution, hopefully, reflects current research and may change over time as further information comes to light. Behind those little labels lies considerable research – an on-going and essential activity. A good curator or researcher should have an open and enquiring mind and should pursue clues with a hint of scepticism, although such an approach is difficult in a world that regularly cuts academic staff and insists on ‘relevant’ eye-catching public performance. One of the first things a curator or researcher does is to look at the back of the work, which will hopefully reveal interesting information about the work and its provenance (history). The things that need to be checked are many and various, including: •
•
Is the work painted on a stretched canvas or a panel (wood or metal, and sometimes stone or glass)? Is that support of any age? In the case of a wooden stretcher (for a canvas), you can try to assess the age using its construction. Modern stretchers are quite sophisticated with expandable corner joints. Has the support been cut down or otherwise altered? Is there any evidence of damage, either past or present? Are there any inscriptions, labels or seals on the back of the work or on the rear of the frame? These can be of considerable interest but require a significant
amount of research in hard-toaccess sources. As an example, I take an ex-Northwick work which was hanging on the walls of Thirlestaine House, the 2nd Lord Northwick’s mansion, in Cheltenham.
The back of the work is a good example of the information that can be discovered when a painting is taken down for close study. In this case, there is still a lot of work to do to chase up the information indicated or suggested by the labels and markings. Below is a photo of a section of the back of the painting.
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It is very rare for the history of a work to go much beyond the donation to the gallery or a recorded sale. As titles and attributions change over time, a severe dose of scepticism is an advantage for a curator. There is, often now because of the constraints of lack of trained staff, time, and external pressures, an uncritical reliance on received ‘wisdom’, including the acceptance of an attribution as ascribed in the past, even when not backed up by any real evidence or provenance. One example springs to mind from my first days at Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum. One painting that was part of the original bequest by Baron de Ferrières in 1898 was a small portrait attributed to a seventeenth-century Dutch painter named Slingeland. I felt that somehow something was wrong when examining the portrait as it reminded me of a work by Gerrit Dou, another Dutch artist, hanging in the Scottish National Gallery. It appeared our 1898 attribution was derived from a scrawled name on the back of the work: ‘Slingeland’. This had been the attribution used when
Baron de Ferrières lent the work to a major exhibition at Leeds in 1868. My niggling doubts continued until I realised that the name ‘Slingeland’ could refer to a well-known family of dealers. The best we could do at Cheltenham was to re-attribute the work to a (later) copy of the Gerrit Dou work at Edinburgh.
David Addison was director of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum in the 1970s. www.addisonart.co.uk
Reviews Two Exhibitions at Compton Verney – Grinling Gibbons: Centuries in the Making and John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace (19/01/22) Our visit started with a private introduction for the Friends to the temporary exhibitions from one of the curators. Grinling Gibbons’ (1648–1721) amazing craftmanship is familiar from royal palaces, such as Windsor and Hampton Court; churches, including St Paul’s 18
Cathedral and York Minster; and country houses. His ability to fool the eye was best evidenced at Compton Verney by a cravat once owned by Sir Horace Walpole. Exquisitely carved to imitate Venetian needlepoint lace in Gibbons’ favoured limewood, it was so realistic that when Walpole wore it to greet visitors at his home at Strawberry Hill House, they believed it was the real thing. Walpole later wrote about Gibbons: ‘There is no instance of a man before Gibbons who gave wood the loose and airy lightness of flowers’.
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John Nash (1893–1977) was primarily a landscape painter and his range is best exemplified by perhaps his two most famous paintings: Over The Top and The Cornfield, both painted in 1918. He and his brother Paul were war artists during the First World War and painted for their own pleasure in the evenings. The long shadows cast by the evening sun are evident in the latter painting.
imagined the scene from the perspective of the black servant girl (you have to look very closely to see her). There were several other alternative labels – including Queen Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen – that shed a new light on the collection. Many thanks to Martha Alleguen and Sue Pearce for organising such an enjoyable and stimulating day. Martin Renshaw Pissarro: Father of Impressionism (Talk by Nick Nelson, 14/02/22)
There was also an interesting initiative in the permanent collection’s galleries in collaboration with Maokwo, an art and community organisation that supports marginalised and minority groups. The Music Lesson by Giuseppe Bonito (1707–1789) had an alternative label, entitled The Invisible Servant Girl, which
Was Pissarro the Father of Impressionism? In his absorbing talk Nick suggested some other contenders for that claim, but Camille Pissarro was undoubtedly a father figure among the group of late-nineteenth-century artists that included Monet, Cezanne and Gauguin. Although Pissarro was the only artist to exhibit at all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions between 1874 and 1886, Nick showed how he spanned art from Corot, and our own Constable, to Seurat and the Post-Impressionists. The son of a Jewish merchant, Pissarro was born in the West Indies in 1831. He was already a committed artist when he arrived in Paris at the age of 24 and his radical socialist views informed his paintings. He was influenced by the Barbizon School, whose members believed in realism in art – several of his works echo the work of JeanFrançois Millet, noted for his paintings of peasants working in the fields. And he was an admirer of the British Impressionist Alfred Sisley, calling him the ‘greatest of them all’. He was always committed to portraying nature in his art. When writing to his
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Worth a journey
son Lucien, one of his seven children and a fellow artist, he wrote, ‘Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing!’ The advent of tubes for oil paint and the folding field easel contributed to his fascination with painting light and landscape en plein air. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 resulted in Pissarro leaving for London, explaining his scenes of leafy south London. On his return to Paris, he became a pivotal figure among his fellow painters.
ART FAIR 10-12 JUNE 2022
Some have judged Pissarro as dull, or his style as chocolate-box, but among his prolific output are many paintings that stimulate the imagination and enchant the eye. Diana Pollock
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On a beautiful sunny spring day, thirty-four members of the Friends of The Wilson went on a trip to Oxford. The morning was spent at the Ashmolean Museum visiting the Pissarro exhibition. I loved Pissarro’s affectionate portraits of his family and fellow artists, as well his later, more experimental, works. I found some of his earlier work duller than I expected and the colours rather dim, but the real discovery was his collection of exquisite etchings which were so delicate and precise, especially when compared to the clumsier work of some of his contemporaries. In the afternoon we had a tour of the historic parts of the Bodleian Library with a guide who was just as keen to tell us about the use of the Divinity School
Friends of The Wilson Newsletter 08/03/2022 15:52
and adjacent rooms as a film location for the Harry Potter series and other films as she was to tell us about the books. As a retired librarian who spent some years working with early printed books at another historic library, I was thrilled to see Duke Humphrey’s library. It was restored to its fifteenth century glory after some ‘difficulties’ during the Reformation and the civil war and subsequent years of neglect. We also heard about the problem of being one of the designated deposit libraries and having to find room for copies of every book published in the UK. Having expanded into several additional buildings in Oxford, the Bodleian now has vast warehouse space at Swindon and will need more soon. I found it a fascinating day and I’m sure many of the other Friends felt the same. Thanks to Martha Alleguen, who organised the trip, and Sue Pearce for looking after us on the day. Janet Thornton Morris, Burne-Jones and the Business of Stained Glass (Talk by Adrian Barlow, 31/03/22) In another of his outstanding and beautifully illustrated talks to the Friends, Adrian deftly (and very entertainingly) examined the topic through issues of friendship, collaboration, technical and commercial pressures, design influences and interpretation. He thoughtfully drew on many local locations: All Saints, Pittville; the Council Room, Cheltenham Ladies College; All Saints, Selsley; All Saints, Brockhampton-by-Ross; the Lady Chapel, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford; and St Martin’s in the Bullring;
and St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham. Other more distant sites included St Martin on the Hill, Scarborough; Holy Trinity Meole Brace; St Eustachius, Tavistock; and Holy Trinity, Frome.
The Annunciation by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris (1862–63) at St Martin-on-the- Hill, Scarborough (Alastair Carew-Cox).
We saw work both from Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. and its successor firm Morris and Co., tracking how artistic collaboration translated into commercial production through ‘a sort of firm’ (Morris’ description) between the 1860s and the 1890s. Adrian’s wide-ranging design analysis took in Morris’ radical ‘flat’ early style, with its innovative palette, his later luxuriant foliage backgrounds, influences behind the peacock feather motif (referencing immortality and the sleepless eyes of biblical seraphim), and various design links to fifteenth-century work. He explained some of the technical and artistic decisions facing glass makers working from Burne-Jones’ painted designs (which were often not fully delineated), including how particular
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sites made design changes to lead lines, saddle bars and mosaic. He even explained the problem of lost definition in white glass (where use of borax, intended to improve the firing process, delivered an unwelcome legacy). It was exhilarating finally to be able to meet together again in person for such a rewarding afternoon, which was rounded off by delicious refreshments. Huge thanks to all concerned! Angela Applegate Friends of The Wilson Quiz Night (05/04/22) The only land mammals native to New Zealand, the year that Harold Wilson formally applied to join the EEC, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, and the ‘Sailor King’. These were just some of the questions I got wrong (see correct answers to the right) at the very well organised
and entertaining quiz night at the Cheltenham Spa Bowling Club. With rounds on kings and queens, UK places, science and nature, general knowledge, Cheltenham pubs and churches, current affairs, voices, numbers and years, not to mention jokers, spot prizes and a raffle, this was not an event for slackers! Emerging supreme – in joint first place out of eight teams – were Judie Hodsdon’s team (Amelia and Alice Hodsdon and Jon Pepperman) and Richard Seymour’s team (Rachel and Steve Tedd and Mike and Claire Cardew). The event raised over £300 (or the equivalent of 15 cafetieres) for the Friends. Thanks to Liz Giles as question master, Rachel Tedd and Trevor Ritchie for manning the bar and everyone who donated raffle prizes. Martin Renshaw Answers: Bats, 1967, Lewis, William IV
Photo credits Page 6: Edward Wilson (© SPRI/ Herbert Ponting) Page 14: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Caravaggio (1608) (Public Domain) Page 15: Saint Jerome Writing by Caravaggio (c. 1605–06) (Public Domain) Page 17: Virgin and Child Before a Green Curtain by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta (Astely Cheetham Art Gallery)
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Page 18: Interior with a Young Violin Player by Gerrit Dou (© The Cheltenham Trust / Cheltenham Borough Council) Page 19: Cravat made of limewood with raised and openwork carving, by Grinling Gibbons (c. 1690) (© Victoria and Albert Museum, London); The Music Lesson by Giuseppe Bonito (c. 1742) (© Compton Verney)
Friends of The Wilson Newsletter
Contacts President PJ Crook
Newsletter Editor Alex Boulton editor@friendsofthewilson.org.uk
Chair Adrian Barlow (01242 515192) chair@friendsofthewilson.org.uk
Trustees Connie Price and Judie Hodsdon
Secretary John Beard (01242 514059) secretary@friendsofthewilson.org.uk
Cover photo: The lake at Compton Verney, taken on the Friends’ trip of Wednesday 19 January 2022 by Adrian Barlow
Treasurer Liz Giles (01242 224773) treasurer@friendsofthewilson.org.uk Membership Secretary Martin Renshaw (07748 901194) membership@friendsofthewilson.org.uk
Deadline for the next issue: 25 July 2022 Please send everything to editor@ friendsofthewilson.org.uk
Cheltenham Trust Liaison Jaki Davis (07747 795709) jaki.meekingsdavis@hotmail.com Talks Organiser Sue Pearce (01242 522467) sp68len@gmail.com Collections David Addison (01242 238905) davidaddison10@btinternet.com Volunteer Liaison Robert Rimell (07858 007852) rimell@me.com Events Bookings Alison Pascoe (01242 519413) Martha Alleguen (01242 526601) events@friendsofthewilson.org.uk Newsletter Mailing Sue Reeves (01242 675497) sue.reeves39@gmail.com Marketing Vanessa Graham vanessacgraham@gmail.com
The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum Clarence Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3JT 01242 237431 artgallery@cheltenhamtrust.org.uk www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk Friends of The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum Registered charity number 289514 www.friendsofthewilson.org.uk queries@friendsofthewilson.org.uk editor@friendsofthewilson.org.uk
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