When looking at reproductions of paintings it is not always easy to gauge the scale of the work. This four hundred year old oil painting on copper is tiny, measuring just 28cm high.
Grosvenor Gallery
Chester Castle by moonlight by Henry Pether (1828-1865)
Visitors walking towards the bustling shopping streets of Chester city centre in the run up to Christmas would be hard-pressed to identify the serene scene captured by Henry Pether just two generations previously.
Sheep by a Mountain Stream, North Wales by William Huggins (1820-1884)
At this time of year, as summer all too easily gives way to autumn, the view of our landscape changes in colour from greens to browns. This colour scheme has long provided a source of inspiration for artists and this month’s painting by Liverpool born artist William Huggins is no exception.
Beeston Castle by George Barret Senior (c.1730-1784)
The first stone of Beeston Castle was laid in 1220 by Ranulf Blundeville, Earl of Chester.
The castle has been derelict since its capture by the Roundheads during the English Civil War but its ruins still cast an imposing sight from its location on an isolated sandstone crag. On a clear day the low-lying land of the Cheshire plain which surrounds it affords a view over eight counties. The majesty of the castle and its surrounding landscape as they would have appeared in the mid eighteenth century are captured perfectly in this oil painting by George Barrett. It depicts the best preserved part of the castle, the inner gatehouse and its two projecting semi-circular towers. (more…)
In Search of the Grosvenor Gallery
Whilst in London yesterday I hunted down the site of the original Grosvenor Gallery on New Bond Street. It wasn’t that easy to spot given the changes that have made been to the frontage in the 130+ years since it closed.
Michael Escolme 