Interior, 1st. floor, drawing-room, detail of carved wooden panel above door to main staircase.

Description Interior, 1st. floor, drawing-room, detail of carved wooden panel above door to main staircase.

Date 16/11/1998

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number D 41670 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 767322

Scope and Content Detail of Carved Panels above East Door in Drawing Room, Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway This segmental pediment above the east door in the drawing room is richly carved with foliage and the heads of two winged cherubs who break through the pediment at the top. The panel above is carved with flowers, leaves and autumn fruits, superbly executed and symbolic of the abundance and wealth of the countryside. The oak wall-panelling dates from the late 17th century, and the carving is attributed to the celebrated English wood-carver, Grinling Gibbons. Grinling Gibbons (1648-1720) had an extraordinary talent in woodcarving, which was recognised and promoted by a succession of wealthy patrons. He evolved a distinct style of his own, and his trademarks were cascades of fruit, foliage, fish and birds which could be applied to panelling, furniture, walls or even chimneys. Much of his work was filled with symbolism which would have been apparent to an educated observer of the day, and very often objects in the carving would have a particular meaning or reference to a Classical Greek or Roman ideal or legend. The cherub, for example, represented the messenger of the gods, the agent of divine will and its execution on earth. Drumlanrig Castle, one of the great Renaissance courtyard houses of Scottish domestic architecture, was built between 1679 and 1690 for William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, on the site of a late 14th-century Douglas stronghold. The castle passed to the Dukes of Buccleuch in 1810, and is now the home of the 9th Duke (11th Duke of Queensberry). It houses many great family treasures and important works of art, including magnificent carvings and a fine collection of paintings. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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