Art

Chaire (tea jar), Shigaraki stoneware, probably late 16th century

'...something unique'

When Bernard Leach first went to Japan he was a young artist just discovering Japanese pottery. However he was soon to become the pre-eminent British potter of the 20th century.

He did not doubt the value of the collection, describing it as 'something unique.' Taking advice from Japanese tea masters, he brought together objects of the type most valued in the Japanese chanoyu tradition, following principles established back in the 16th century. These dictate that the objects used should be simple and unpretentious, and contribute to the quiet sense of contemplation that a tea ceremony inspires.

The chaire (tea jar) sent by Leach displays these qualities perfectly. It is an example of the roughly made stoneware of Shigaraki, prized by tea connoisseurs since the 15th century. Guests would traditionally take pleasure in examining and praising such an object after the host had finished serving tea.

Recreating chanoyu

Chanoyu is an art of life, a highly ritualised act of hospitality. Objects are chosen, arranged and handled with meticulous care, so that the combination of objects and people, time and place, makes each ceremony a unique and unrepeatable occasion. Leach was insistent that this same regard was observed when the collection was displayed at the Museum in 1924.

Japanese traditions

Chanoyu objects collected by Bernard Leach

When Leach was in Japan, the preservation of Japanese heritage was under considerable threat from rapid industrialisation and westernisation. Some saw the tea ceremony as a metaphor for traditional Japan, and Leach hoped that this acquisition could allow a better understanding between East and West.

In later life, Leach used his experience to act as a mediator between the cultural worlds of Western Europe and East Asia. However, we now know that the Japanese circles he moved in were themselves influenced by Western thinking and that his claims to have understood an authentic Japanese tradition should be treated with scepticism.

Nevertheless, Leach stands out as one of the key figures in the ongoing history of interaction between Europe and East Asia. It seems fitting that, just as these items are valued for their beauty and their antiquity, they are now also valued for their association with Leach himself.

Background Reading

Edmund de Waal, Bernard Leach (London: Tate, 1999);

Emmanuel Cooper, Bernard Leach: Life and Work (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2003);

Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea (New York: Dover, 1964);

Paul Varley and Kumakura Isao (eds), Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu, (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1989)

Two different medieval myths are represented in two works by the 19th century artist Sir Edward Burne Jones. The Wheel of Fortune (1882) and Arthur at Avalon (1890) are both in the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru.

This unfinished painting of about 1882 depicts the medieval theme of the wheel of fortune, which lifts or abases man as it is turned by the goddess Fortuna. The drawing of the nudes and the drapery of the goddess reveal the artist's careful study of Michelangelo.
Burne Jones.
Oil on Canvas.

The Wheel of Fortune is based on Roman mythology. For the Romans, the goddess Fortuna represented luck. However during the Middle Ages the idea of the wheel of fortune evolved from the writings of Boethius, a 6th century Christian martyr. In The Consolation of Philosophy, he wrote that the random turns life could take were all part of God's divine will and that man must accept the twists and turns of fortune.

It has long been a tradition in art to show gods as being larger than humans, and here Burne Jones represents Fortune as larger than the humans, who she turns on her wheel. He does show her blindfolded, as was usual, but with her eyes closed. Traditionally, the wheel has four figures on it. They represent four stages of life: "I shall reign", "I reign", "I have reigned" and "I have no kingdom". Burne Jones only depicted three figures on the wheel, but he maintained the idea of a reign by placing a crown on the head of the central figure.

The feminist author Camille Paglia has described this work as a sadomasochistic tableau, with "Fortuna turning her torture wheel of beautiful young men, languid with limbs stretched in sensual suffering". Although the men are accepting of their fate, how much choice do they have? The limbs are not so much stretched in sensuality but as an indication that you ascend by climbing over someone else and this in turn will happen to you. This is something Burne Jones felt personally. In 1893 he wrote "My Fortunes wheel is a true image, and we take our turn upon it, and be broken upon it."

But to wider Victorian society, where industrial fortunes meant one could rise in wealth and class and the British Empire was the most powerful in the world, this notion of rise and fall would have touched a nerve. If you are on top of the wheel, the next turn might place you at the bottom.

Burne Jones painted another myth with Arthur at Avalon. This myth is taken from Thomas Malory's famous poem of 1470 Morte d'Arthur ('The Death of Arthur'). Arthurian legends were popular with artists for many reasons. They were well known to the public and they contained brave knights, thwarted lovers and femmes fatales. Unlike the classical world, these heroes were Christians and, most appealingly, they were rooted in British history. Greece and Rome were all very well but a local hero was more likey to inspire future empire builders.

In Arthur at Avalon Burne Jones shows the scene of Arthur's death. After being mortally wounded in battle by Mordred (his son by his half sister), Arthur is taken to the Isle of Avalon in an attempt to heal his wounds. The name Avalon ("Afallon" in Welsh, meaning the isle of apples) perhaps related to the tree of knowledge, and it was believed to be a magical place. In the background of the painting we can see trees with blossom that could be apple trees. Authur ordered Sir Bedivere to give his sword Excalibur to the Lady in the Lake, but when Bedivere returned Arthur was gone. This has been taken to mean that Arthur might not be dead, only sleeping until he is needed again. The Arthurian legend not only continued to be a source of interest to artists throughout the 19th century, but continues to inspire artists, writers and film-makers today.

Arthur At Avalon, Burne Jones, 1890

In 2000, Amgueddfa Cymru learned that hundreds of pieces of rare silver, which had been on loan to the Museum since it first opened its doors, were to be sold.

The items, some of which date back to the 16th century, are from the collection of Sir Charles Jackson (1849-1923), a Welsh lawyer and businessman. Luckily, after much negotiation and fundraising, they were finally secured for the Museum with considerable help from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the National Art Collections Fund and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

So why is this collection so important?

Sir Charles Jackson (1849-1923)

Sir Charles Jackson

Sir Charles Jackson was born in Monmouth. He became part of a group of collectors and antiquarians that included Robert Drane, T. H. Thomas and Wilfred de Winton. Together they influenced the development of the Cardiff Museum. They also played a role in making sure the National Museum of Wales would be located in Cardiff.

Remarkable treasures

Some of the objects collected by Jackson are of outstanding aesthetic quality. Rare items include an early 14th century acorn-top spoon, which is one of the very first hallmarked pieces of English silver, and a complete set of 'apostle' spoons (twelve apostles and the 'Master') from 1638.

The most important item is probably a two-handled cup in the 'auricular' style (a 17th century ornamental style based on parts of the human anatomy, particularly the human ear, after which the style is named) associated with the Dutch silversmith Christian van Vianen, who worked for the court of Charles I. Hallmarked 1668, this cup is one of a handful of London-made pieces in this distinctive style. The maker's mark remains unread, but could be either George Bowers or Jean-Gerard Cooques, both goldsmiths to the court of Charles II.

Inspirational rarities

Two-handled cup and cover, London 1668

Unusual, inspirational pieces in the collection include one of the earliest known silver wine tasters, a 17th century Catholic chalice made in Cork that can be taken apart for concealment, and an inkstand in the form of a library globe. The collection's range of more common objects, such as salt cellars and cream jugs, shows the evolution of shapes over time, and tells us a lot about social customs, particularly relating to dining. The astonishing sequence of spoons contains almost every type made over a period of 400 years.

Unique academic value

Although the collection contains many rare and beautiful objects, the principal reason for keeping it intact is its unique academic value.

Jackson's two principal publications, English Goldsmiths and their Marks (1905) and The Illustrated History of English Plate (1911), are the foundation of modern silver scholarship. In them Jackson relied heavily on his own collection to illustrate marks and the development of styles over time. He corresponded with all the major collectors of his day, and his collection sums up knowledge of historic silver in Britain in the early 1900s. It is therefore a unique reference source and remains the subject of regular enquiries from silver specialists all over the world.

The Jackson collection also complements and enriches the Museum's own outstanding collection of historic silver, much of which is associated with the historic governing families of Wales. The acquisition, after eighty years of display, of half the Jackson collection, and the likelihood that the rest will one day follow, helped the Museum develop its role as the home of one of Britain's principal study collections of historic silver.

Background Reading

Andrew Renton, 'Sir Charles Jackson (1849-1923)' in Silver Studies - the Journal of the Silver Society, vol 19 (2005), 144-6

Welsh Gold

The solid gold cup made from a design on a drawing in the British Museum of a cup given by King Henry VIII to Queen Jane Seymour in 1536. Cup and cover, 22 carat gold, R & S Garrard & Co, London 1867-68. Height: 39.8 cm (15 ''/16 in).

Welsh gold is very rare. The wedding rings of today's British Royal family are made from it. The largest object made of Welsh gold is a copy of a cup Henry VIII gave to one of his wives.

The richest family in Wales

The cup was made in 1867 for the Williams-Wynn family of Ruabon in Denbighshire, using gold from their own mine. At the time, they were the richest family in Wales. They were well known for their wealth, which they spent on grand houses, expensive paintings and silver, much of which is now at the Museum.

The Welsh Gold Rush

While many people know of the California gold rush of 1848, few know that, a few years later, there was a Welsh gold rush. In 1862 gold was discovered in Merioneth and, soon after, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn (1820-1885) opened the Castell Carn Dochan mine on his land. The mine produced most of its gold between 1865 and 1873.

Payment in Gold

Sir Watkin was paid a large royalty for the gold mined, and he was paid with his own gold ingots. However, he was rich enough not to need this income, and could treat this gold as a novelty.

A Cup of Solid Gold

Some of this gold was used to make a magnificent cup. The cup is nearly 40cm high and made of 22-carat gold. It is inscribed "MADE OF GOLD THE ROYALTY FROM CASTELL CARNDOCHAN MINE 1867" and hallmarked by R & S Garrard and Co., Haymarket, London. It is ornate, in the style popular in the early Renaissance period. It stands on a circular foot, and the stem is flanked by flower heads, dolphins and bells. The cup is inscribed with several family mottoes: eryr eryrod eryri ('the eagle of the eagles of Snowdonia'), y cadarn ar cyfrwys ('the strong and the sly'), bwch yn uchaf ('the ram is on top') and cwrw da yw allwedd calon ('good beer is the key to the heart'). The tall lid has the Williams-Wynn arms, including a young ram on top, supported by a pair of cherubs.

A Royal Design for Henry VIII

The original design for the cup given to Queen Jayne Seymour in 1536-37 in the British Museum. Hans Holbein the Younger, pen and ink on paper. Copyright British Museum, London

The makers of the cup based the design on a drawing in the British Museum of a cup King Henry VIII gave Queen Jane Seymour in 1536. This cup was set with diamonds and pearls. Jane Seymour's cup was melted down on the orders of King Charles I in 1629, when he was desperate for cash.

Artists have viewed love and adultery very differently at various times in history. Here we look at two very different approaches to "Fair Rosamund", Henry II's mistress, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1861) and John William Waterhouse (1916).

The Legend

Fair Rosamund (Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1861) appears here behind a balustrade in the royal manor of Woodstock. The sitter, Fanny Cornforth, was a frequent model of Rossetti's. She became his housekeeper after the death of his wife Elizabeth Siddall in 1862. 1861. Oil on canvas.

King Henry II (1154-1189) was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine. He also had a mistress, called Rosamund. According to legend, Henry built Rosamund a palace that could only be reached through a maze. He used a red cord to find his way through the maze and alert Rosamund to his arrival. Eleanor discovered the maze and followed the cord to find her husband's mistress, and murdered her. She offered her the choice of drinking poison or being stabbed.

In reality, Rosamund was not murdered by Eleanor; she retired to a convent where she died in 1176. Eleanor had an excellent alibi for the time of Rosamund's death - she was in prison for treason. Henry had her locked up for supporting their sons in an uprising against him, as seen in the film The Lion in Winter.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

In Rossetti's version only Rosamund is represented, and the only reference to the story is the red cord. The balustrade on which Rosamund leans is decorated with hearts topped with a crown, in reference to her position as the King's mistress. The rose in her hair refers to her name. The model for this work was Fanny Cornforth, a prostitute who Rossetti met in 1858, and who became his mistress. Rossetti depicts Rosamund as unoccupied; she has no purpose other than to wait for her lover's arrival. Her dress is impractical and revealing, as it slips from her shoulders. She wears decadent jewellery, her face is flushed and her hair is loose. Here we see the stereotypical Victorian concept of the mistress as a non-productive, sexual woman.

John William Waterhouse

Fair Rosamund - John William Waterhouse (1916). The sympathetic treatment that Waterhouse gives to Rosamund is an example of how medieval adultery was often viewed as essentially thwarted love.
1916.
Oil on canvas.

Waterhouse provides an almost opposite depiction of Rosamund in his work, painted 50 years later. In this image we see a fully covered Rosamund kneeling, hands as if in prayer, gazing out of the window awaiting her lover's approach, having abandoned work on her tapestry. The work has the feel of sanctified, married love and not adultery. Waterhouse depicted Rosamund wearing a crown, maybe as an indication that it is not Rosamund's position in the King's affection that Eleanor found threatening but her challenge as a rival queen. If we look away from Rosamund we can see the curtain being parted by Eleanor, the wronged wife, about to enter with murderous intent. Depicting the build up to an event, usually a fatal encounter, was common practice in Victorian art. Here, Waterhouse sets the scene, allowing the audience to imagine the consequences.

The sympathetic treatment Waterhouse gave Rosamund is an example of how medieval adultery was sometimes viewed as essentially thwarted love, for example in the stories of Guinevere and Lancelot or Tristam and Isolde. Marriages in medieval times were made as political alliances rather than love matches. So, when love occurred it inspired sympathy. However, this certainly was not the view taken by Victorian society or by the government. The Irish politician Charles Parnell, for example, was forced out of his position as leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party in 1890 when it became known he had an affair with a married woman.