The astonishing collection of paintings and drawings left to Christ Church by General Guise forms, once again, the basis of an exhibition in the Picture Gallery until April 13.
The theme, Design into Architecture, shows a careful selection by Caroline Elam of chiefly Italian work from the 14th to the late 17th centuries, supplemented by other Christ Church holdings and important loans from the Ashmolean. At the start of that period, architecture as a profession didn't exist. By the end, Christopher Wren was proud to put his monogram CWA (architect) over his new door in the Divinity School - though his profession was Surveyor-General to the King.
First sight: A detail from Architectural Fantasy, a huge oil from about 1650
In between the 'arts of design', which were practised by most of the greatest masters of the day, included what would now be called 'decorative arts': furnishings for church and stage, clocks and portals, candlesticks and monstrances, goldsmiths' and embroiderers' designs, as well as buildings and constructions as such.
This is summed up by two loans from the library: Vitruvius's great work on Classical Architecture (1629 edition) and a 'Kunstbuchlein' or craftsman's guide of 1538 where column heads and bases are shown as a patternbook for Renaissance workshops.
Interest will focus on the first exhibit, a 14th-century Gothic drawing still groping for perspective, on a villa design by Raphael, and a group of Michelangelo works (nos 14-17 in the show).
Two of these, loaned by the Ashmolean, are designs for portals showing confident mastery even within variations; the Christ Church drawings, carefully lined and squared-up, combine ornament and architectural proportion to epitomise the theme.
There are scholarly discoveries on view. Caroline Elam has been able to re-assign work thought to be by Inigo Jones to half a century earlier (nos 34-37) mounted to reveal both sides of the sheet) showing the 'new' feature of grotto fountains, now most familiar at the Villa d'Este, at Tivoli.
An Architectural Fantasy, never publicly shown before, is a huge oil of about 1650. The foreground is a stage set of Classical columns and fountains. The background by another hand, is a view of Gothic Paris based on the famous work by Callot and showing the Pont-Neuf, Henry IV's statue, Notre-Dame and the Tour de Nesle. A fantasy indeed, and well worth studying while it's in view and in splendid condition.
Finally a group of Roman buildings, centring on the Pantheon and its baffling structure, and also including a view of St Peter's and a large-scale version of Michelangelo's stunning design for the Campidoglio. The right stuff, and still there.
Design into Architecture
Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford
Until April 13
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