Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Scheibler Palace, Lodz

This neo-Renaissance building was rebuilt in 1886-88 for Lodz's "Cotton King" Karl Wilhelm Scheibler .


The front elevation today.


The rear elevation before 1901.
Salviati decorated the fireplace mantle in Scheibler's office with a mosaic of a gypsy woman (or alternately called a Turkish woman).  A stand-alone, identical mosaic dated 1884 was sold in 2011 by a private collector in Connecticut for $32,500 through Christie's auction house.


The figure in the mosaic bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman in Pre-Raphaelite John William Waterhouse's 1873 painting "The Unwelcome Companion", including the tilt of her head and the shawl across her abdomen.


The building now houses the Lodz Film Museum, but a large part of the residence has also been preserved.


Sources:
Bedford, Neal. Lonely Planet: Poland. 2008. 126.
Wikipedia - Scheibler
Olcsasosna on Wikimedia Commons
Polimerek on Wikimedia Commons
Kinomuzeum
Christie's 
Wikipedia - Waterhouse

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Unirea Lyceum, Focsani

Established in 1866, the Colegiul National Unirea  was initially called the Alexandru Iona Carzu National College. The name was changed in 1880, when architect Constantin Baicoianu began construction on the new school, which was finished in 1900.


A Salviati mosaic decorates the entrance gable, much like on the Roman Voda Lyceum from 1899. 
 

Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Ventian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 138.
Colegiul National Unirea
Bacalaureat 2012

Monday, July 29, 2013

St. Jude's Church, Whitechapel

Reverend Samuel Augustus Barnett and his wife Henrietta specifically asked London's Bishop to take over the empty and neglected St. Jude's Church (build in 1848) in the city's run-down and crime-ridden Whitechapel neighborhood in 1873. Whitechapel became infamous in 1888 when it served as the location of Jack the Ripper's murderous rampage.



The Barnetts were instrumental in their efforts of cleaning up Whitechapel and in 1885, three years after they began their annual art exhibits, they received from their friends a mosaic copy of G.F. Watts' 1866 "Time, Death, and Judgment". The cartoon for the mosaic was by Cecil Schott and it was executed by Salviati.


Schott's 1884 cartoon


Finished mosaic

Watts himself was critical of the potential result because he could not supervise the work's execution. However, it received praises from the International Correspondence Schools, which wrote that "the mosaic has very faithfully reproduced the picture itself . . .." Matthew Arnold revealed the gift to the Barnetts in Toynbee Hall and the mosaic was later placed on the western exterior wall of the church above a fountain.


In 1923, St. Jude's parish was merged with St. Mary's Matfelon. Like many other buildings in the area, both were destroyed in the blitz of World War II.  The adjacent Toynbee Hall (1884) and the nearby Whitechapel Gallery (1901), both also founded by the Barnetts, still exist.

Although he wasn't considered a suspect at the time, Reverend Barnett's name has come up in more recent speculation regarding the identity of Jack the Ripper. However, given the church's location, the infamous murderer - whoever he may have been - more than likely strolled by the mosaic and perhaps even stopped to ponder the meaning of "Time, Death, and Judgment."

Update: The mosaic can now be found in St. Giles-in-the Fields church in London's west end, where it hangs in the staircase of the south lobby.


Sources:
Arnold, Matthew. Essays, Letters and Reviews. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960.  255.
Barnett, Henrietta. Canon Barnett, warden of the first university settlement, Toynbee Hall. 74.
Barnett, Henrietta. Canon Barnett: his life, work and friends. 170.
AIM25
National Gallery of Canada. For the collection of European and American art. 2010. 3.
The Critic. London: Good Literature Publishing Co. 4. 1885. 310.
International Library of Technology. Tile and parquetry designing. Scranton: International Textbook Company, 1916. 21.
Casebook 
St. Giles Online
Andrew Liu for St. Giles Online

Friday, July 26, 2013

St. John the Baptist Church, Aldenham

Tracing its origins to the 13th century, major renovations to the church were made in 1882 by A.W. Blomfield.



Contrary to some conflicting documentation, the altar reredos is not by Salviati. However, Blomfield did design a combination of glass and mosaic to cover an existing window on the north side, in the Sanctuary. The cartoons were made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, the firm known predominantly for making stained glass windows and they were executed by the Venice and Murano Glass Company.


Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Mosaic Glass: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 125.
British Listed Buildings
Aldenham Church History
Clive Butchins on Pictures of England
Ian Wood's flickr Photostream
Aldenham Parish. The Parish Registrers: 1559-1659. Privately printed, 1902. 205.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

St. Wladyslaw Church, Subotniki

While this town is now part of Belarus (and less than 5 miles from Lithuania), it was once known as Sobotniki, Poland. For centuries, the land and everything on it belonged to the Umiastowski family, one of the oldest aristocratic lines in Eastern Europe. The parish's Catholic church was built in 1904-06 under the direction of the Count Wladyslaw and Countess Janina Umiastowski. It was finished shortly after the Count's death.



A mosaic portrait of the Count as a young man in his military uniform was made by Salviati and it hangs inside the church, to the left of the altar. The bronze gilt frame was from the Łopieńskich workshop in Warsaw and it contains the phrase "Frangas non flectas" ("Thou mayst break, but shall not bend me") and the Count's crown.


A Polish mason named Nowak was first tasked with creating a catacomb mausoleum under the main altar; however, a lot of time and money was wasted on the wrong type of marble and methods.


Finally, Swedish masons were brought in to construct the vaulted crypt under the church, which contains the final resting places of several members of the Umiastowski family. The entrance to the crypt also contains the family motto.


Salviati made the original mosaic decorations for the vaulted ceilings, however, artillery shelling damaged the crypt in 1927 and the Countess ordered a new blue ceiling with golden stars, as well as ten family crests. Salviati delivered the 80 square meters of new mosaics in 1928.



Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 138.
Nalecz. Szmat Ziemi I Zycia. Vilnius: The Gebethner Bookshop & Wolff, 1928. 144-146 & 150.
Radzima
Umiastowski
Wikipedia

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

St. Leonard Church, Hythe

This is a 13th century church that was remodeled over the years, including by G.E. Street in 1874-75 and J.L. Pearson in 1886. It is known for its subterranean ossuary, with bones dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.


The pulpit was designed by Street and carved by Armstead in 1876. Salviati and Burke later added the mosaic decoration.


St Leonards' is no longer used for regular worship and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.



Sources:
Newman, John and Niklaus Pevsner. Buildings of England: North East and East Kent. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. 359.
Mackie, Samuel Joseph. A descriptive and historical account of Folkestone and its neighborhood. Folkestone: J. English, 1883. 196.
Peter Moore's flickr Photostream
Pam Fray on Geolocation
St. Leonard's Church History
Lutrus's flickr Photostream

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Kayserzinn Headquarters, Cologne

Located on the corner of 85-87 Hohe Strasse and Bruckenstrasse, this magnificent building contained the Cologne headquarters of metalworkers J.P. Kayser & Sohn. Built 1884-86, it was actually designed by Heinrich Joseph Kayser (of Kayser and Grossheim), the younger brother of tinsmith Engelbert Kayser.


Salviati decorated the facade with mosaics of four periods, infants, and ornaments after cartoons by Otto Lessing.


Much of Cologne was destroyed in World War II, including the Kayser building which was hit in 1943, but the area has since been rebuilt. Containing many shops and leading to Cologne Cathedral, it is now a popular pedestrian area.


Sources:
Baldry, Alfred Lys. Modern Mural Decoration. London: George Newnes, Ltd., 1902. 52.
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collector's Club, 2008. 136.
Bilderbuch Koeln
Wikipedia DE
Wikimedia Commons
Wikipedia

Monday, July 22, 2013

Leighton House, Kensington

This former home of the painter Frederic, Lord Leighton has operated as a museum since 1929. George Aitchison designed the first part of the classical style building in 1864. Construction began two years later and lasted for thirty years.


A major extension in 1877-79 added an Arab Hall, which contains many objects from Leighton's extensive travels, as well as a mosaic frieze designed by Walter Crane. Crane based the designs of the hall on those of the palace at La Zisa in Palermo, Italy.



Salviati executed the mythological-themed gold mosaic work around 1881.







Salviati also made the mosaic portrait of Pisano in the Kensington Valhalla that was based upon an original painting by Leighton sometime after 1866.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Bridgemanart
Leighton House Museum
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Telegraph.co.uk
Guardian.co.uk
Jeanette Johansson's flickr Photostream

Friday, July 12, 2013

Villa Etelinda, Bordighera

Originally known as Villa Bischoffsheim, this residence was designed by Charles Garnier in 1873 for Parisian banker Raphael Bischoffsheim. Construction was carried out by the firm of Mombelli and Bulgheroni. By 1900, the Villa belonged to a British Lord and was known by its new name. Charles Garnier, Louis Pasteur and Claude Monet all lived in Bordighera around this time.


A golden mosaic frieze with writing runs along the facade above the ground floor windows. The inscription is in Latin and it commemorates the recovery of the Queen Margherita of Italy - who Bischoffsheim lent the villa starting in 1879 or 1880 -  from illness sometime around 1882.


The archways are decorated with a leaf motif and include Raphael Bischoffsheim's initials.


The tower contains more mosaics in various geometric designs.



The villa has served as a home for families of fallen soldiers, and it is now - along with Villa Margherita located on the property above it - part of the Queen Margherita Museum, which exhibits the vast art collection of the Terruzzi family. Much of the villa, including the mosaics, was recently restored.

Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 134.
Cook's Handbook to the Health Resorts of the South of France and Northern Coast of the Mediterranean. London: Thomas Cook and Son, Ltd., 1881-82. 65.
The Westminster Review. Vol 154. New York: Leonard Scott Publication Co., 1900.  49.
Hamilton, Frederick Fitzroy. Bordighera and the Western Riviera. London: Edward Stanford, 1883. Advertisements 3.
Fondazione Terruzzi
Comune di Bordighera and Gallery
David Marani 
49luigi's flickr Photostream
- Sigma - flickr Photostream
FO.S.C.A.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

St. John the Baptist, Bathwick

This church was built 1861-62 by C.E. Giles, and it was soon enlarged with the addition of a large, south aisle in 1870 by Arthur Blomfield.



Salviati made the mosaic reredos of the "Nativity" above the high altar.


The mosaic flooring of the High Altar, Lady Chapel and Baptistery from 1879 is also by Salviati.


The designs include the sea, net and fishes, as well as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.


The floor of the high altar.

Sources:
Bathwick Parishes
St. John's Bathwick
History, St. John the Baptist
Tim Barrett's flickr Photostream
Major, S.D. Notabilia of Bath, a handbook to the city and district. Bath: E.R. Blackett, 1879. 72.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Pringsheim Palace, Berlin

Wilhelmstrasse 67 was designed by Gustav Ebe and Julius Benda in 1873 for railway owner Rudolf Pringsheim.


Anton von Werner designed the Lebensalter ("old life") mosaic frieze on the facade that was executed by Salviati.


The house was extensively damaged during World War II and it was demolished in 1950. While the mosaics are most likely lost, von Werner's original oil paintings for the design have survived and at least one of them can be found in the Galerie Neuse in Bremen.


Juventus


Amicita


Amor

Felicitas


Ars


Exitium

Sources:
Baedeker, K. Northern Germany: Handbook for Travellers. Ninth edition. Dulau and Co., London, 1886.
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008.