ART JOURNEY: Holburne Museum - Bath, England

ART JOURNEY: Holburne Museum – Bath, England 

By JorgeJefferds June 26, 2015 

With free admission and open daily from 10am to 5pm (Sunday and Bank Holidays from 11am to 5pm), the HolburneMuseum embraces visitors with an inspiring collection of neoclassicism created by Sir Thomas William Holburne (1793-1874). Even though, detail of the circumstances and pattern of Sir William’s collecting are unclear, to some inherited family treasures (Chinese armorial porcelain, silver and portraits) he added seventeenth- and eighteenth-century silver and porcelain, Italian maiolica and bronzes, old master paintings, portrait miniatures, books and furniture and a variety of other smaller items including Roman glass, coins, enamels, seals, gems and snuff boxes. All of these give the Collection its unique character.

Some of the highlighted items displayed in the permanent collection include

- A beadwork basket, English, glass beads and lampwork on wire frame, made in about 1665. Like silk embroidery, beadwork was a fashionable pastime for amateur girls and women in wealthy households. They were taught the art in much the same way that they were taught other forms of needlework and embroidery. However, whereas most silk embroideries are now much faded, here the glass beads retain their astonishingly vibrant colors. The composition is made from thousands of beads of varying sizes and colors that have been skillfully threaded onto fine wires and attached to the mesh-like basket frame. The use of lamp worked glass heads and hands on the Royal figures is exceptionally rare and important.

-The Witcombe Cabinet, English, japanned and silvered wood, made in about 1697.The cabinet is in remarkable condition and is unusual in retaining its original silvered stand and cresting (above). Imported Chinese and Japanese porcelain would have been displayed on the brackets on the cresting. Lacquer cabinets were a great status symbol in the late seventeenth century. The secret of genuine Japanese lacquer was unknown but English craftsmen imitated it using varnish and shellac, known as japanning. A fine imported Japanese lacquer cabinet would cost up to £50, an English japanned cabinet sold for less than half that amount.

-Diana and Actaeon, Siena, tin-glazed earthenware, made in about 1495. The inscription translates as: ‘By the water which thou hast cast upon me with thy hands I am made a stag and killed by my hounds.’ This magnificent dish is one of the world’s earliest and most remarkable maiolica dishes depicting a story. In the centre the hunter Actaeon is killed by his own hounds after being turned into a stag by the goddess Diana. Around the rim is the battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs.

 -An embroidered panel featuring the Restoration of Charles II, English, silk and metal thread raised work, made in about 1665. This fine example of raised work shows the small figures of the young Charles II and his companion William Carliss hiding in the Boscobel Oak following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Above to the right, he is seen disguised as a servant escaping on horseback with Jane Lane. In the foreground the mature Charles II is shown wearing his crown, following his restoration to the throne in 1660, flanked by Queen Catherine of Braganza and courtiers. The Holburne Museum has a remarkable collection of embroidered pictures. Most were made by young, highly skilled amateur needlewomen in wealthy households although a few may be the work of professional embroiderers, who were usually men. Many of the embroideries incorporate raised work (or stump work), the technique of embroidering over padding in high relief. Their enduring appeal comes from the combination of exceptional craftsmanship with the naive charm of designs which often include outsized animals, birds and insects.

Certainly, the museum offers several other events all year round. For example, between June 27 and October 4, there will be a display of famous painter GiovanniAntonio Canal’s work. When the Venetian artist arrived in London in 1746, Britain was booming. During his nine-year stay, he captured the latest achievements of British architecture and engineering. Included are loans from Compton Verney, The National Trust, The British Museum, Royal Collection Trust and Tate. The exhibition, called ‘Canaletto Celebrating Britain,’ also features Canaletto’s British contemporaries and a review of John Wood’s reinvention of architecture in Bath.  

The Holburne is happy to recommend two Partner Hotels and one recommended Guest House as a place to stay when visiting Bath: the Abbey Hotel, the Tasburgh House, and the Apple Tree Guest House. Not only are they great places with a warm welcome but supportive as well. They have given to the Museum accommodation for their many visiting artists, curators, art handlers, speakers and musicians.

A couple of things to consider are related the transportation to get there. For cyclists, the museum offers some bike racks and the cycle along the canal is a wonderful way. For vehicles, there is a very small pay and display car park for Museum visitors and a number of free disabled parking spaces for blue badge holders. A charge is, however, applied and the parking garage is regularly checked by traffic wardens. Don’t forget to bring change, which is always useful. The parking service is open from 8am to 6pm; actually, they lock the doors at six o’clock.