The Master’s choice of object representing the College

Daisy D (L6)

On the sunny Friday of half-term, I met the Master in the Masters’ Lodge for her to tell me about, and show me, the artefact which she believes to be representative of Marlborough. She showed me into her sitting room, and gestured to her left. And there on the wall is a really rather lovely painting.

It has no title, and the painter in unknown. It depicts Court, but before the addition of B1, A House, and, of course, Norwood Hall, and so the painting can be roughly dated to before Chapel architect George Frederick Bodley carried out his plans. This dates the work at roughly 1845 (an estimate by Dr Hamilton, the previous head of History of Art).

The Master’s enthusiasm and enjoyment in talking to me about this painting was tangible. What I really took away from our interview was the passion she has for this place that many of us call home for five years. A passion for its spirit and ethos, traditions and customs, and for what lies ahead.

Upon asking the Master why she had chosen this object, she said to me that in 1992, when she was just 21 years old, she sat in the Masters’ Lodge, where I was then sitting, and interviewed for a job as a beak. She cannot remember what was asked, or how she answered, but she can remember this painting. When I asked her why this painting, one that had stood out so many years before, was still her artefact of the College, she said it gave her a huge amount of pride to be able to see this great school on her wall, of which she is now at the helm. And proud she certainly seems. She told me that she believed this painting captures a certain indefinable quality that sums up the school. One of respect, enjoyment, and of seizing opportunities.

It seems to show pupils walking about, with some beaks who at first sight appear straight-backed and austere. However, allow your eye to linger, and the scene is one of a bit more frivolity.

The beaks seem to be conversing, as they sashay across Court, and pupils play with hoop and ball, or play chase, or, as the Master noticed for the first time, a group of eight or so boys playing leap-frog. There is the craquelure that comes with age, with varnish flaked off, but the greens are vibrant and cut through the terracotta reds and oranges that still imbue Court with the charm that is created when old meets new. An initially strict and austere atmosphere prevails, but there is much joy in being able to spot boys talking, playing, and laughing. There is something distinctly ‘Marlborough-esque’ about this painting. Court could have been seen as an imposing place under Victorian schoolmasters, but it also seems to be a place of recreation and fun.

There is another interesting detail to note, regarding the Mound. A tradition has been created whereby the Shell ascend the Neolithic structure at the beginning of their time at the College, with a view to recreating that once they reach Upper Sixth. And this painting has inspired a resurrection of this rite of passage. On the right-hand side of the painting, we see the Mound, and, on closer inspection, little white dots curling around the path. It is believed that these are scholars, who would have had the privilege of using the structure for recreation, and so the idea has been revived to bring the Mound once more into use, bookending our experience at Marlborough.

I agree with the Master. This painting really is, in her own words, ‘charming’, and seems to encapsulate all that Marlborough stands for. It is rather nice to think of people our own age, over 150 years ago, treading the same steps, playing the same games, and making the same jokes as we do now. And beaks still strolling through Court.