History

Eltham Palace Collection Highlights

As well as filling Eltham Palace with unique, purpose-built furniture, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld adorned their luxurious new home with works of fine and decorative art collected from all over the world.

These included 13 paintings by JMW Turner (hung in the library), a fine collection of Italian Renaissance paintings and an impressive display of maiolica pottery (both housed in the Italian Drawing Room). The Courtaulds were also keen to encourage contemporary artists. Winifred Knights, Tom Monnington and Keith Baynes were all patronised and befriended by them.

Much of the furniture and many of the works of art were taken by the Courtaulds when they left England. A number of these pieces have since found their way back to Eltham Palace, where they are displayed in their original locations. While Stephen Courtauld’s collection of Jacobean furniture remains in Eltham’s Great Hall, much of the rest of the palace’s furniture was lost. However, it has since been carefully reproduced using original materials and specifications.

Leather Map

Leather Map

  • Date: 1930s
  • Type: Map
  • Material: Leather
  • Place Made/Found: Paris
  • Artist: Margarita Classen-Smith

This leather map shows Eltham Palace and the neighbouring area. The Palace is in the centre, with local landmarks such as the Crystal Palace and the Royal Naval College also depicted. It was assembled by sewing together many small square pieces of leather. The colours would have originally been brighter but have since faded. The commission of such a map is a revival of 17th- and 18th-century fashion.



John Crome - The Lime Kiln

The Lime Kiln

  • Date: c.1805-06
  • Type: Painting
  • Material: Oil on canvas
  • Place Made/Found: Norfolk
  • Artist: John Crome
  • Lender: Purchased with a grant from the Art Fund

A founding member of the Norwich School of Painting, John Crome initially drew his influence from 17th-century Dutch masters. As his style matured he became known for his ability to create atmospheric scenes, as demonstrated here. Stephen Courtauld purchased this painting in 1923 and hung it in the dining room at Eltham Palace, where it can be found today.



Leonard Campbell-Taylor - At Forty-Seven Grosvenor Square

At Forty-Seven Grosvenor Square

  • Date: 1934
  • Type: Painting
  • Material: Oil on canvas
  • Place Made/Found: London
  • Artist: Leonard Campbell-Taylor
  • Lender: Courtesy of Mrs MB Peirano

This portrait shows Stephen and Virginia Courtauld with their pet lemur, Mah-Jongg, in the music room of their home in Grosvenor Square. It is likely that the plans held by Stephen are those of Eltham Palace. Leonard Campbell-Taylor served as an official war artist during the First World War and was accepted into the Royal Academy in 1931.



Filippo Lovatelli - Bust of Virginia Courtauld

Bust of Virginia Courtauld

  • Date: 1923
  • Type: Bust
  • Material: Marble
  • Place Made/Found: Rome
  • Artist: Filippo Lovatelli

This portrait bust of Virginia Courtauld was commissioned, probably by her husband, Stephen, in Rome in 1923 - the year of their marriage. Count Filippo Lovatelli was reputedly an eccentric character, having once taken part in a duel. The bust is made of carved marble. The yellowish tone of the Siena marble used for the base makes the pure white bust even more striking.



Charles Sargeant Jagger - The Sentry

The Sentry

  • Date: 1999
  • Type: Statue
  • Material: Copper alloy
  • Place Made/Found: London
  • Lender: Charles Sargeant Jagger

Charles Sargeant Jagger studied at the Royal College of Art. He joined the Artists' Rifles during the First World War and was awarded the Military Cross. Jagger was given a seat on the British War Memorials Committee and produced a number of memorial sculptures. The Sentry stands in the Britannia Hotel (formally Watts Warehouse), Manchester. Stephen Courtauld bought a reduced copy of the statue in 1924, from which this cast was made in 1999.



Chinese Lacquer Screen

Chinese Lacquer Screen

  • Date: Possibly late 17th Century
  • Type: Screen
  • Material: Wood, textile, lacquer
  • Place Made/Found: China

Depicting a range of scenes and characters, including warriors, figures on horseback, palaces and hilly landscapes, this Chinese Coromandel screen is formed of 12 folding sections. These lacquered and colourfully decorated screens were popular throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, when they were shipped from India's Coromandel Coast.



Dining Table and Chairs

Dining Table and Chairs

  • Date: 1935
  • Type: Table and chairs
  • Material: Walnut, bird's-eye maple, leather
  • Place Made/Found: London
  • Artist: Peter Malacrida and J.P. Smith

This original dining table and chairs were made to fit the geometric and stylised design of the dining room at Eltham Palace. The original pink leather upholstery was considered the best colour to compliment women's dresses of the period. Thought lost after the Courtaulds left Eltham, they were rediscovered in the props department of Pinewood film studios in 2001.



Jan Wijck - The Frost Fair on The Thames

The Frost Fair on The Thames

  • Date: c.1684
  • Type: Painting
  • Material: Oil on canvas
  • Place Made/Found: London
  • Artist: Jan Wijck
  • Lender: Courtesy of Mrs MB Peirano

On occasions when the river Thames froze solid a fair was often held on the ice. This painting demonstrates the range of activities which took place during these fairs, including temporary markets and skittle games. The Dutch artist Jan Wijck was famous for military subjects, an example of which can be seen on the river. The painting hangs in its original place above the sofa in Virginia Courtauld's boudoir.



St Cecilia

St Cecilia

  • Date: c.1930
  • Type: Mural
  • Material: Oil on wood
  • Place Made/Found: London
  • Artist: Mary Adshead

Mary Adshead attended the Slade School of Art before establishing herself as a mural artist producing works for the cruise liner Queen Mary and the London Underground. This mural is dedicated to St Cecilia, the patron saint of music (although the central panel depicting her is missing) and was originally created to decorate the music room at the Courtaulds' home in Grosvenor Square. It was transferred to its current position when the Courtaulds moved to Eltham Palace in 1936.



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