Conserve

Windows into our Past

BY REBECCA PINCHIN, COLLECTIONS MANAGER

The National Trust is on a mission to 'rescue, revive and repair'. We are undertaking a major art conservation project this year, which will bring dozens of distinctive oil paintings, watercolours, etchings, engravings and drawings back to their former glory. Many of these historically significant items have adorned the walls of our heritage properties for generations. This is their story.

The National Trust (NSW) collection contains more than 60,000 objects including thousands of paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and objet d'art. Many pieces depict the early days of colonial New South Wales and helps us connect visually and conceptually with our pioneering past. Works in the collection can be appreciated for both their artistic excellence and for providing a cultural context for our heritage properties. They are windows through which we can experience the colony’s formative years, learn about the sensibilities of past generations and hear the stories of our early settlers.

Most of the artwork continues to inhabit the rooms of their original homes, now National Trust heritage properties, where they delight visitors and help bring our past to life. The collection includes many works depicting flora, fauna and the customs of Aboriginal people, and also features some marvellous portraits. One such piece is a wonderful portrait of Mary King, the youngest daughter of the third Governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King.

Mary was born in 1805 and her portrait, dated 1815, is part of the Old Government House collection. Mary went on to marry Robert Lethbridge and live on land granted to her near Penrith. The oil on canvas was one of a number of significant objects generously donated by businesswoman and philanthropist, the late Gladys Penfold Hyland (née Lethbridge). Fittingly, Gladys was Mary’s granddaughter. Many Australian artists with established reputations feature in our collection. Among them is Neville Henry Cayley (1853 –1903), a British-born painter best known for his meticulous and attractive watercolours of Australian birds. Cayley’s watercolour of the dying woodcock bird in flight, c. 1897, is a version of his highly successful and popular image. The sudden movement of the bird, feathers flying above the long grass below, is one of the artist’s most iconic images.

One artist influenced by Cayley was G.F. Gregory. His beautiful 1895 watercolour, Seven Kookaburras, is after Neville Cayley’s 1888 watercolour of the same name. Gregory’s work is housed in Saumarez, a 30-room Edwardian mansion in Armidale, home to the White family for more than a century. As well as being a masterful study of native birdlife, the painting is indicative of the White family’s passion for Australiana, which is further reflected in the homestead’s furnishings and memorabilia.

At the Sydney waterfront manor, Lindesay, lives an 18th century portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, the French princess who married Charles I of England. The work was donated by Ken Bernard-Smith, who was a leading figure in the development of our collection, especially the early colonial furniture on display at Old Government House.

The National Trust’s art collection also stands as witness to colonial landowners in unfamiliar landscapes and provides an insight into their cultural and social aspirations. A fine example

of this is a series of watercolours of the upper Hawkesbury region from 1835. The paintings, by an unknown artist or artists, feature the villa and agricultural land of Solomon Wiseman, a convict who was granted a 200-acre lease on the Hawkesbury River in the area now known as Wiseman’s Ferry. One of the watercolours appears to be an architectural rendering of Wiseman's villa, and the others are naive images either of the competed villa or interpretations of it, suggesting there were possibly three artists.

Wiseman was an ancestor of well-known author Kate Grenville and his story, as well as these watercolours, served as inspiration for her critically acclaimed novel, The Secret River.

At the National Trust, we take great joy in researching, educating and inspiring the community with our collection. We see it as an integral part of our commitment to conserving, interpreting and engaging with the cultural history of New South Wales. As the custodians of the artworks, we wish to recognise the generosity of our donors, the work of our volunteers caring for the collection and the support of our members who enjoy our exhibitions and programs. Many of our artworks were cherished possessions of early colonial governors, squatters, grocers, innkeepers and explorers. Many continue to hold sentimental value given their pathway into our collection. Our Rescue. Revive. Reveal. project will ensure that these artworks will continue to delight and entertain our audiences for many years to come.

From top Artist unknown, East View of Mr Wiseman's Villa c1835 watercolour, S.H. Ervin Gallery collection. Gift of the Garden Committee 1981 (photo by Paul Green); Conservation in action (photo by International Conservation Service Pty Ltd).