Page 29 - cn-The Art of Style Status STUDIO pres April 2024

Through the mirrored reflection of the Carved Room the composition captures the room and curated collection as
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the 3 Earl of Egremont {1751-1837} had arranged. Collections are by their assembly and curation a creative act
and reflect, as well as define, the collector.
The Great House of Petworth was built in the French Baroque style. It was the creation of Charles Seymour the
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6 Earl of Somerset {1662-1748}, known as the ‘Proud Duke’. The scheme for the new house was to remodel the
existing manor house of the Earls of Northumberland, on his marriage to Lady Elizabeth Percy ( the heiress to the
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estate) and the daughter of the 11 and last Earl. The Duke added to the existing ‘Art Collection’ started by the
Earls of Northumberland. In addition, the Duke of Somerset had commissioned Grinling Gibbons to produce the
limewood carvings of flowers, foliage, birds and classical vases for the Carved Room around 1690. On the death
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of the Duke, the estate passed by marriage to the Wyndham family. It was Charles Wyndham, 2 Earl of
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Egremont who employed Capability Brown to landscape the park. The 2 Earl from his Grand Tour and time in
the diplomatic service, had created a collection of Italian, French and Dutch old masters. In addition, he acquired
ancient sculpture from Greece and Rome. The collection is of importance due to it being intact for the period.
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The 2 Earls son, George O’Brien Wyndham, on becoming the 3 Earl of Egremont and over the 74 years at
Petworth, further evolved the ‘Petworth Collection’ and became the patron of Turner. Originally the Carved
Room was half its size, the room was lengthened and further elaborated in the 1780’s by incorporating the
adjacent room in order to accommodate large parties of guests.

The reflected space of the Carved Room takes in the high quality copy of Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII, the
small pastiche portrait of Anne Boleyn, the full length portrait of the 6th Duke of Somerset and one of a series of
four paintings by Turner {the painting within the view is of the parkland created by Brown} and commissioned
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by the 3 Earl. In the outer forefront space is the Greek bust of ‘Athena with an Aegis’, the Greek Goddess of
wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. She was the favourite of Zeus.

Petworth, Sussex. NT