Detail of drawing room ceiling. Newbattle Abbey House.

Description Detail of drawing room ceiling. Newbattle Abbey House.

Date 5/1995

Catalogue Number SC 772445

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 54113 CN

Scope and Content Drawing room ceiling, Newbattle Abbey House, Midlothian This shows part of the double-height drawing room built in the 1770s, but decorated in c.1870 by Thomas Bonnar (1810-73). This part of the coving is divided up into arches framed by rich golden moulded plasterwork. The painted decoration in tones of blue, black, red and gold shows putti (small cherubs) executed in grisaille (tones of grey in imitation of sculptured reliefs) supporting a yellow roundel depicting further putti. The decoration of this room was completed 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/772445

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap