Tuesday, November 19, 2013

St. Stephen's Lewisham

G.G. Scott designed this church and it was built between 1863-65.


The reredos were designed by Scott's pupil Charles Buckeridge and carved by James Redfern. Salviati provided the mosaic tessarae that were installed to decorate the reredos by the firm of Clayton and Bell in 1873.


Sources:
Salviati, Antonio. On Mosaics. Leeds: 1865. 52.
A Church Near You
Des Blenkinsopp on Geograph
Diocese of Southwark

Monday, November 18, 2013

Queen's Robing Room, Houses of Parliament

Located between the Victoria Tower and the Royal Gallery in Westminster Palace, the Queen's Robing Room is used by the Queen of England to don her royal attire (including her royal crown) before the opening of the Houses of Parliament.


Salviati decorated the room's fireplace - designed by E.M. Barry and installed between 1864-66 - with enamel mosaics.



Sources:
Hansard, Thomas C. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report Session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol 198. July 26, 1869. 714.
BBC History Trails 
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 28.
Unsere Reisen in England
Explore Parliament
Wikipedia

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Boitzenburg Castle Chapel and Vaults

A fortress stood on this site as early as in the 13th century, however the beginnings of the present castle date to the 16th century when the von Armin family took it over.


The castle was remodeled many times, including in the neo-Renaissance style by Count Adolf von Armin between 1881-84 with architect Carl Doflein.


After Doflein's renovations

Doflein also led the construction of the family burial vaults between 1887-89 in the park northeast of the castle in an area called Caroline Grove (Carolinenhein). The stone mausoleum is guarded on each side by life-sized lion statues. Salviati is documented as having made mosaic decorations for both the castle's chapel, as well as the burial vaults.



The von Armin family burial vaults

The von Armin family lost the castle and the grounds to German nationalization during World War II, and the property fell into disrepair. The main building was extensively renovated in the 1990s and today is open as a hotel.


The interior of the vault is extremely deteriorated. 

The Waldkapelle Mellenau (Mellenau Forest Chapel) was built in 1906 by Anna von Armin Mellenau not far from the castle. It was extensively renovated in the 1990s and there are no signs of any mosaics.




Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 127.
Schloss Boitzenburg
Boitzenburg
Gasthof zum Grunen Baum
fzurell's flickr Photostream
Wikimedia Commons
AnjaundHenrik
Steffi Rose Fotografie
Hochzeitshotel

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Rhydd Court Chapel

Charles Francis Hansom designed the chapel for the Rhydd Court estate in 1864. Norman Shaw completed work on it between 1865-66 due to Hansom's illness. It was built on the wishes of Sir Edmund A. H. Lechmere in memory of his first son who had died.


Print circa 1870 with the Chapel on the far left

The Lechmeres moved back to their ancestral home of Severns End and the estate was used as a Red Cross Hospital beginning in 1915. After the war, it was sold and housed a boys' school until 1991. It was sold again in 2004 and operates as a home for children and adults with special needs.

While much of the chapel's interior was said to have been gutted by 2007, Shaw's mosaic reredos with the Salviati mosaics still remained. The current status of the reredos, however, is unknown.

Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008.
Museo del vetro di Murano. Vetri artistici del primo Ottocento. Regione Del Veneto, 2006. 35.
Wikipedia
Pevsner, Niklaus and Alan Brooks. Worcestershire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. 332.
British Towns and Villages Network
The Hanleys

Monday, November 11, 2013

In Detail: Christ Church, Southgate

Following-up on the initial post about the history of this church from January 11, 2013, I wanted to add these wonderful up-close pictures that were kindly provided by the Churchwarden of Christ Church, Southgate Mr. Phillip Dawson.









Friday, November 8, 2013

Villa Montebello

A Madame Tardiveau commissioned Salviati to make mosaics representing maritime emblems for the exterior decoration of the villa. Located just a block from the English Channel in Normandy, the former summer residence of the Marquise of Montebello was built in 1865-66 in the Second Empire style by architect Jean-Louis Celinski.


Now housing the Musee de Trouville, the organization's collection coincidentally also contains a Salviati mosaic portrait representing Titian. Salviati's records show that a mosaic of Titian was ordered by a Mr. Apetzeguia of Paris. Julio Jose, the Marquis de Apezteguia of Cuba studied in Paris before 1879 and he may have commissioned the mosaic.


Salviati exhibited a mosaic portrait of Titian - perhaps this one - at the fall 1884 meeting of the Architectural Association in London.


Titian's 16th century self-portrait in Berlin's Gemaldegalerie

Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1916.  London: Antique Collector's Club, 2008. 130.
Canecrabe's flickr Photostream
L'Express
Musees Basse-Normandie
Amis du Musee de Trouville
Wikimedia Commons
"Marquis de Apezteguia Dead." New York Times. April 16, 1902.
"Architectural Association." The Building News and Engineering Journal. October 17, 1884. 612.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

All Saints Church, Benhilton

Opened in 1863, this church was designed by S.S. Teulon.


Salviati decorated the pulpit with mosaics.


Sources:
Salviati, Antonio. On Mosaics (generally). 1865. 52.
Sutton
Geocaching
Stephen Craven on Geograph