WOOD-CARVING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4562, 20 April 1942, Page 6

WOOD-CARVING

ENGLAND’S GREAT ARTIST

GIBBONS’ BEAUTIFUL WORK

(By

R.M.Y.)

Not till the smoke of war has cleared will the world be able to see clearly the tragic and irreplaceable losses of artistic achievement that it has suffered in the past two and a half years, as a result of the bombing of Britain.

And while human life must rightly be regarded always as of infinitely more concern than any artistic or architectural treasures, it is one of the most surprising facts of the aerial bombardment that the seemingly frail bodies of men and women have been able to withstand the effects of bombs far better than the builders’ more massive work.

Many beautiful works of English artists and craftsmen of long ago have suffered grievously in the Nazi bombings of London and provincial centres. In the gutting of many Wren churches the exquisite ornamentations of Grinling Gibbons, greatest and most famous of all English carvers, has been largely destroyed, and other of his work is in danger should further bombing attacks be made.

Gibbons brought the art of woodcarving to a pitch of perfection. He was the supreme exponent of richlydecorative compositions for panel surrounds, mantel-pieces, and ceilings, mingling fruit, flowers, foliage, birds, and cherubs in exquisite groups, garlands, and swags. Countless craftsmen have since attempted to imitate the style he created, but its beauty has never been approached by them, much less equalled. Grinling Gibbons, who went to England as a lad in 1663, had been born in 1648 in Rotterdam, of English parents, it is said. He settled three or four miles from London—at Deptford, where he took one of the little thatched cottages that made the town a “ retreat ” for the artistic in the gay days when the King on the throne was called “ The Merrie Monarch ” and the Queen was a Portuguese princess. A POWERFUL PATRON It is a debatable point whether Gibbons went to Deptford merely to be within sight of London though out of its bustle, or whether he actually hoped to make the acquaintance there of John Evelyn, courtier and friend of Charles 11. and a distinguished man of science/ 1 and letters, who resided quite near—at Sayes Court. In any case, Gibbons did not press for Evelyn’s patronage. It is related how one day in 1671 Evelyn came upon Gibbons’ cottage, and, looking through the window, saw him carving a picture of Tintoretto’s famous painting, “ The Crucifixion.” Wondering who this young man was who worked so assiduously in such solitude, Evelyn called to him through the open casement. Gibbons invited him to enter, and on close inspection of the wood-carving Evelyn -was astounded at its beauty and the exactness of its execution. Especially did he marvel at the frame, which represented a completely new departure in ornamentation. It was a mass of flowers and festoons, “tender and delicate,” yet very strong. In the carving of the picture itself there were over one hundred figures of men. E7velyn took an immediate liking to the young man, and realised that he was no ordinary carver. The carved flowers were so' beautiful in their execution that they might have been real flowers turned to wood by magic; they even nodded their heads on their slender stalks when touched. When Evelyn suggested to Gibbons that it might , profit him to be made known to some “ great man,” and asked if he would be willing to do so, Gibbons modestly replied that he' was only a beginner (he was in his early twenties), but told Evelyn that he would like to sell his carving for £.lOO. THE QUEEN’S LOSS Some days later Evelyn told. King Charles about his discovery of Grinling Gibbons and the amazing carved picture, and he arranged for Gibbons to take his picture to the Palace. In his famous diary Evelyn records that when he saw it the King was so astounded that he immediately ordered that the carving should be taken to the Queen’s apartment for Her Majesty to see. But on arriving at the Queen’s room the King was called away, and a French peddling woman who sold French petticoats to the ladies of the Court began to find stupid and ridiculous fault with the work. Seeing that the Queen was paying much attention to the ignorant French woman’s remarks, Evelyn had the carving taken away. But he was keenly disappointed, because he had hoped that the Queen would purchase it.

Gibbons later sold his wonderful carving of the Crucifixion picture to a rich banker for £BO- It is now in the world of lost things, probably having perished by fire, like so many of Gibbons’ carvings. In the meantime Evelyn got Sir Christopher Wren, the famous architect, to see Gibbons’ work. IjVren realised its brilliance, and promised •that he would employ him. The King

and his architect also agreed to his employment on the alterations which were to be carried out At Windsor Castle.

Fortunately for Gibbons, England was at that time (1671) in the process of being renovated. Charles IL had found his kingdom in a sad state of disrepair when he returned in 1660, due to the strict economy of Cromwell and his followers. The Great Fire of 1666 also caused much activity; Wren was re-building the city churches and St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as undertaking many civic and domestic buildings. The King was busy altering and re-decorating ,his palaces, and after the Great Fire fear of a repetition of such a disaster caused the nobility and gentry to move from the city out to the fashionable new district growing up in the west—called Westminster. THE MASTERPIECE Thus Gibbons’ elegant carvings of flowers, fruit, birds, and cherubs became the vogue. They were popular in the King’s palaces and the new homes of the rich and the noble. These carvings, executed in natural limewood, were of an ivory tint when new. They contrasted with rich effect against the brown oak moulded panelling upon which they were applied. Undoubtedly the great craftsman’s masteriece was the carving of the wood-work of the choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which Sir Christopher Wlren commissioned him to do. He also decorated other Wren churchesHis beautiful panelling of the vestry of St. Lawrence Jewry was destroyed in a Nazi fire-blitz on London last year.

At Hampton Court Gibbons executed the magnificent ornamental carving of the rooms. Some of his other fine works were done at Chatsworth, at Petworth, at Belton House (Grantham), and at Blenheim Palace (which was built by Queen Anne for the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough). There is a throne carved by Gibbons at Canterbury.

The beautiful but fragile carvings which Gibbons did have been carefully guarded for more than 200 years. Only the slow decay of wood and an occasional loss by fire took toll of their number. Since the air war began all have been in danger, and many have been lost. Unfortunately, it is impossible for any modern copy of Gibbons’ carving, no matter how skilfully executed, to possess the beauty or the unique character of the original. Grinling Gibbons, who lived and worked in England during the reigns of six monarchs, died in 1721, at the age of 73 years.