John Fowler's Paint Scheme At Syon House

A detail of John Fowler's paint scheme for the Circular Closet, Syon House.
Photo: THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

One of the great 20th century colorists was legendary decorator John Fowler of Colefax and Fowler.  Especially after World War II, he bought many of England's Stately Houses back to life with fresh decorating schemes.  Often that meant raiding the attics for forgotten furnishings, and dyeing old damask table cloths and blankets to make new curtains.  But perhaps most of all, we should acknowledge Mr. Fowler's use of paint to redefine the English Country House Style.

A view of the entrance front of Syon House.
Photo:  www.syonpark.co.uk/

John Fowler was familiar with the pigments available in the 18th and 19th century and the paint colors that could be produced.  Also, he collected bits of historic fabrics and papers to color-match popular schemes of various periods.  However, from what this writer understands, he was not so interested in recreating original paint colors, but rather to present a scheme that best suited the room while keeping history in mind.  But The Devoted Classicist pays tribute to John Fowler's eye for color despite the disregard for specific historical accuracy considering the museum status of many of these houses.  (For those who missed The Devoted Classicist essay on the restoration of historic paint color for the Dining Room at Monticello, click here).

John Fowler's color samples for exterior paint for The Georgian Group, 1947.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

John Fowler liked to name his colors.  Often they were linked to the house for which they were created, such as Ditchley White or Bowood Pink.  Sometimes the names were descriptive such as Sugar Bag Blue and Cooking Apple Green.  But Fowler got even more interpretive with Elephant's Breath, Shadow Colour, Straw Left Out In The Rain, and Mouse's Back.  And there were also imaginative names such as Caca du Dauphin and Vomitesse de la Reine.

Robert Adam's proposed plan for Syon House.  Several rooms, such as the central rotunda, were never realized.  The Circular Closet is in the upper left hand corner off the Long Hall.  The Great Hall, which serves as the entrance hall, is in the lower center of the plan.

At Syon House, in the London borough of Hounslow, a 1762-1769 renovation by Robert Adam enriched the interior for the 1st Duke of Northumberland although the whole scheme was never realized as proposed.  The property has a long and fascinating history with more information provided here.  The plan of the house is square with a central court and the principle rooms opening one after another as an enfilade.

The Circular Closet at Syon House showing John Fowler's paint scheme.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

Adam rooms were originally often intensely colored, and the Circular Closet, in a turret at the end of the Long Gallery, pays tribute to this in Fowler's paint scheme.  The walls are a strong pink with the columns, freize, and banding in pale blue.  Blocks over the dado and the background of strips on the walls are darker blue.  The flutes of the capitals are pale pink and the egg-and-tongue above the frieze has just a hint of pink.  The mouldings and decorations that are not white are gilded.

Robert Adam's design for the Great Hall at Syon, shown in a 1776 drawing.

A vintage photo of the Great Hall at Syon House.
Photo:  A.F. Kersting, from eb.com

As remarkable as the decoration of this small space is, the Great Hall at Syon, the Entrance Hall of the house, was given even an even more articulated scheme to highlight the architecture.  Adam gave the space a bold black and white marble floor as a base for the strong Roman architectural features and decoration with marble statues and grisailles rondels.  The paint was a single dead white when the Duke of Northumberland asked John Fowler to devise a scheme to paint the room.

The Great Hall at Syon House showing John Fowler's scheme.
Photo:  Country Life.

The Great Hall at Syon showing Fowler's scheme.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

The Great Hall at Syon showing Fowler's scheme.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

Fowler's scheme for the Hall was a great triumph of variations of white and blue that changed as the natural light changed.  As descriptions of color can be so subjective, and photography has so many variables, the presentation here of the scheme will use the John Cornforth analysis from THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

The Great Hall at Syon showing Fowler's Scheme.
Photo:  Christopher Simon Sykes.

The Great Hall at Syon shown Fowler's scheme.
Photo:  Christopher Simon Sykes.

Fowler specified the Great Hall's main story walls to be warm white that changed from pink to lilac, and the upper story walls to be cool white.  The background of the main frieze, the ring band of the columns, the frieze above the upper windows, and the coffers were grey-blue.  The baseboard/skirting was painted blue-grey and the dado grey-white.  The ceiling was painted the same grey-white for the main border, with banding and cross-ribs of warm white same as the walls with a darker tone of warm white for the background to the rosettes in the ribs and the big roses.  The pedestals and the panels below the windows have the same warm white as the walls brought lower for a subtle contrast to the dado.  That is seven colors for those keeping count with the painting executed by the regular workers on the estate.  Thanks to devoted reader Toby Worthington for the photos by Christopher Simon Sykes from GREAT HOUSES OF ENGLAND AND WALES.

A detail of the upper wall and ceiling of the Great Hall showing Fowler's scheme.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

A detail of the pedestal with the dado and skirting beyond showing Fowler's scheme for the Great Hall.
Photo:  THE INSPIRATION OF THE PAST.

A December, 2010, post on the blog of paint analyst/specialist Patrick Baty mentions that he conducted a survey of Fowler's paint scheme for the Hall that would allow the colors to be reproduced.  Mr. Baty says that eight colors were used in the Fowler scheme and that several were identical to the 1950s Range of colors from Papers and Paints.  However, an October, 2011, post on the same blog reports that the Fowler scheme was painted over with no regard to the survey.

One of the color charts of the 1950s Range from Papers and Paints.

The Devoted Classicist has not visited Syon since the repainting.  It is difficult to determine true colors from a computer monitor, but the current scheme is believed to be represented below, utilizing a sunnier scheme, more yellow than the blue-ish haze of the Fowler scheme.

The Great Hall at Syon House.
Photo from Google Images courtesy of devoted reader APB.

The current Duke of Northumberland is the second son of the tenth Duke, inheriting the title in 1995 when his older brother died of an accidental overdose.  The repainting is just one of many projects, of course, with the largest change being the construction of a 137-room hotel/conference center in the park;  part of the terms for planning approval were the completion of several restoration and conservation projects including the Adam oval and carriageway in front of Syon House and the Duchess Gate.  (During construction of the hotel, remains were found of an ancient Roman village that served the crossing of the Thames River).  Although Syon now serves as the Duke and Duchess's London residence, Northumberland House was formerly the city residence;  it was razed in 1874 to enlarge the area around Trafalgar Square.  Changes at their principle residence, Alnwick Castle, will be presented in the next post.

A view of Syon House before the Robert Adam renovation.

Chips Channon's Dining Room

The Dining Room at 5 Belgrave Square, London.
Photo from JANSEN by James Archer Abbott.

Regular readers of The Devoted Classicist are familiar with this writer's admiration for the work of legendary decorator Stephane Boudin who was president of the firm, Maison Jansen, from 1935 to 1961 (although his work for the company spans before and after those dates).  So indulgence is begged for a fourth consecutive post on the work of Boudin.  The commission that brought Boudin and Maison Jansen to international decorating status was the dining room 1935-6 at 5 Belgrave Square, London, for American-born Henry "Chips" Channon and his heiress wife, Lady Honor Guinness of the brewing dynasty.

The Dining Room at 5 Belgrave Square, London.
Photo from JANSEN by James Archer Abbott.

Chips Channon, heir to a shipping fortune, became a British subject and a member of Parliament.  But a large part of his efforts went to befriending English and Continental royalty, and he is now best  known for his diaries published after his death.  "Monsieur Boudin of Jansen came to us this morning with his final drawings and estimates for our dining-room which is to imitate and, I hope, rival the Amalienburg.  It will shimmer in blue and silver, and have an ochre and silver gallery leading to it.  It will shock and stagger London.  And it will cost over [GBP] 6,000...." Channon recorded in 1935.  King Edward VIII came to dinner with Mrs. Simpson on June 11, 1936, with Channon writing "it was the very peak, the summit I suppose."

The Dining Room at 5 Belgrave Square, London.
Photo from JANSEN by James Archer Abbott.

The inspiration for the room was the Hall of Mirrors in the Amalienburg, the hunting lodge in the park of the Nymphenburg Palace near Munich.  It is unclear as to whether it was Channon or Boudin who proposed the concept of the Bavarian fantasy.  But author James Archer Abbott notes in his book JANSEN that Boudin did travel to the Amalienburg to study the room to serve as a model.  The existing Regency detailing was removed and Roccoco decoration was created in plaster and burnished with silver leaf against a background of aquamarine.  A set of silver chairs, at least 24 in number judging from the photos, were made in the Jansen workshops using a period example as the model and upholstered in aquamarine silk damask, the same fabric as used for the curtains.  But it is the dining table, designed by Boudin and also made by Jansen, that is the inspiration for this post.  The table, topped with squares of mirror, and three pairs of mirrored doors from the room were sold at auction, September 20, 2011, at Sotheby's, London, Sale L11302.

Lot 105, a large carved and painted extending dining table, 2ft 6in high, 25ft 4.5in long (extended), 4ft 11in wide.  Sold GBP 75,650 including Buyer's Premium, or about US $117,396.
Photo from Sotheby's.

Lot 106, three pairs of mirrored doors.  10ft 6in high, 2ft 3in wide.  Sold GBP 21,250 including Buyer's Premium, or about US $32,976.
Photo from Sotheby's.

The two spaces preceeding the entrance to the dining room were also decorated by Boudin as a processional transition to the grand room.  The first space was a small dining room with lighted display cases lined with white silk and glass shelves displaying 18th century porcelain to compensate for the lack of windows.  The second space was a passage based on a bedroom at the Amalienburg, lighted by candles in a porcelain and ormolu chandelier and matching sconces plus a lighted cove washing the vaulted ceiling with a glow.

A view from the small dining room, through the passage, to the grand dining room beyond.  Author James Archer Abbott describes the small dining room as having black walls like the background of the Bessarabian carpet, and the passage was apricot with silver leaf ornament.
Photo from JANSEN by James Archer Abbott.

The house was damaged by Nazi bombs in 1944, but later was restored by Channon who was divorced by his wife in 1945.  After Channon's death in 1958, the house was sold and divided into luxurious apartments.  The dining room was disassembled and stored at Channon's country home, Kelvedon Hall near Brentwood, Essex, where it presumably remained until sold by the estate of his only son Paul, Baron Kelvedon of Ongar, who died in 2007.

Henry "Chips" Channon with his son Paul, presumed to be named after his father's close friend Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.  They are in the library of the same house at 5 Belgrave Square decorated in the Neo-Regency style by Lord Gerald Wellesley and Trentwith Ellis.
Photo from CHIPS - THE DIARIES OF SIR HENRY CHANNON published by Phoenix Press.

More on this room and pictures of the inspirational Hall of Mirrors at the Amalienburg can be seen at a March 7, 2007 post of The Peak of Chic blog.  Much of the background information for this essay comes from the highly recommended book JANSEN by James Archer Abbott, published by Acanthus Press, 2006.  Additional information was provided by Sotheby's;  past auction results as well as information on upcoming events can be seen at their website.

Old Battersea House

The garden (river) front of Old Battersea House, London.

As a tie-in to the last post of The Devoted Classicist, here is another essay about yet another historic London house and an auction of its contents.  Fortunately, the mansion is still extant this time, and it is for sale.  (The "guide price" is GBP 12,000,000 or about $19 million).  And the contents will be sold with an upcoming auction in Edinburgh, Scotland, next month.  It is regretful, however, that we missed the opportunity to see the lots in situ last weekend when there was a public viewing at Old Battersea House.

The entrance to Old Battersea House.

When it was built, 1699 or even earlier, the Thames riverside property (now separated from the water by a roadway) was surrounded by fields.  Much of the land belonging to the handsome manor house was sold in the 1920s after being vacated by St. John's College, a Church of England college for priests.  Although the architect is unknown, the possibility of being designed by Sir Christopher Wren has been considered as the house does match his style.  The local authority, the Battersea Council, bought the house from the college and would have demolished it and built what we in the U.S. call a housing project had it not been for the public outcry.  An Act of Parliament saved the house from demolition.

A lithograph of Old Battersea House, signed E.F.G. Joy.
Lot 452.
[Sold:  US $279.]

The leaders of the fight to save Old Battersea House were Col. Charles G. Stirling and his wife Wilhemina.  They lived in the house, leased from the Council, starting in 1931 until her death at almost age 100 in 1965.  (The Stirlings' collection of paintings, ceramics, and furniture was bequeathed to the De Morgan Foundation and is on view at the nearby West Hill Library).  But the house fell into disrepair and languished until Malcolm Forbes acquired a 99 year lease in 1971.  (Freehold ownership was later acquired from the Battersea Council).

The Entrance Stair Hall of Old Battersea House.

Architect Vernon Gibberd and later, son Christopher "Kip" Forbes, restored the house, adding modern amenities, to serve as the Forbes family's London home as well as housing one of the world's most important collections of 19th century British art.  Elizabeth Taylor was a frequent guest, staying in the (queen size canopy bed, see photo below) Red & White Bedroom, and President and Mrs. Regan once stayed in the (twin beds, see the link to The DiCamillo Companion) Black Bedroom.  (Readers will want to see the video, linked below, to view the Black Bedroom, named for the walls, curtains, and beds all upholstered in flowered chintz with a black background).  The State Bedroom had a display of art in tribute to Queen Victoria;  the adjoining bathroom had a display of the Queen's personal garments.

The State Bedroom of Battersea House.

The State Beddroom with a view to the adjoining bathroom beyond.

Many of the works of art from the Forbes collection that had been displayed at Old Battersea House, along with antiques and furnishings of more recent date, will be sold in the November 1, 2011, auction by Lyon & Turnbull, Sale 338.   Unless otherwise noted, all these images come from their site;  the 508 lots can be viewed on their on-line catalog of the sale here.  A few highlights follow:

Fine South German Limewood Model of a Neo-Classical Palace.
Lot 11.
[Sold:  US $16,740]

The model by C. Herman Bruckner dates from the late 19th century and includes 31 figures of horse-mounted guards, standing guards, dogs, and the home owner with his family and servants.  The estimate is GBP 15,000 - 20,000.

REGINA CORDIUM:  A PORTRAIT OF MRS. ALDAM HEATON.
Lot 70.
[Unsold]

The oil on panel portrait was painted by the British artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and is dated 1861.  Remarkably, it still has the original giltwood mat and "thumb print" frame designed by the artist.  The estimate is GBP 80,000 - 120,000.

Arts & Crafts Grand Piano.
Lot 140.
[Unsold]

Designed by Charles Robert Ashbee, and made by John Broadwood & Sons, London, circa 1904, this unique piano features patinated brass pierced strapwork Celtic hinges.  The estimate is GBP 12,000 - 18,000.

The Late Victorian Mahogany Four-Poster Bed favored by Elizabeth Taylor.
Lot 338.
[Sold:  US $13,950]

This bed, circa 1880, in the Red & White (Master) Bedroom has red and ivory silk hangings.  The room was favored by Elizabeth Taylor and she spent her seventh honeymoon here with husband Larry Fortensky.  The estimate is GBP 8,000 -12,000.

Queen Victoria's Silk Bloomers.
Lot 414.
[Sold:  $13,950.]

The personal garments are usually destroyed after the Sovereign's death, so these knickers, embroidered in blue with a crown and 'VR2' on the waistband, are the only known survivors.  The estimate is GBP 2,000 - 3,000.

Oil on canvas view of Old Battersea House by Julian Barrow.
Lot 146.
[Sold:  US $1,116]

An excellent video overview of the house and contents was produced for the auction.  The 14 minute highly recommended film is hosted by Curt DiCamillo, an expert on historic architecture and decorative arts as well as a friend of Kip Forbes (and The Devoted Classicist).  It can be viewed here here.  And there is a second video, almost 7 minutes, that features just the paintings that can be viewed here.

The facts of the house's history came from the most informative site, The DiCamillo Companion, and more can be read here.  More about the features of the Grade II listed house today can be found at the site of the real estate agent, Savills, here.