Newbattle Abbey, first floor, drawing room, view of ceiling.

Description Newbattle Abbey, first floor, drawing room, view of ceiling.

Date 5/1995

Catalogue Number SC 570989

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 54054 CN

Scope and Content Drawing room ceiling, Newbattle Abbey House, Midlothian This shows the coved ceiling of the drawing room with its hand-painted decorative paintings depicting putti (small cherubs) at play amongst flowers, garlands and fantastic beasts. Some of the roundels and surrounding panels are executed in 'grisaille' (tones of grey in imitation of sculptured reliefs). Gilded mouldings and lead stars add to the richness of the scheme. The decoration of this room was completed by the painter Thomas Bonnar (1810-73) shortly before the death of the 8th Marquess in 1870. This large room with its fine proportions and complex colour scheme was designed to show off the marquess's art collection, upon walls painted 'citron olive', thought by Bonnar to be the perfect colour against which art should be displayed. Newbattle Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1140, and its church dedicated to St Mary in 1233-4. It became a private residence in 1587 when the last abbot, Mark Kerr, converted to Protestantism and was able to retain his lands. His son became Lord Newbattle in 1596. The remains of the abbey are built into the surviving house, which was modified and rebuilt by the architects John Mylne (1650), William Burn (1836) and David Bryce (1858). The house was gifted to the nation in 1937 to be used as a further education college. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/570989

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap