Watts Magazine Issue 2 by Watts Gallery

WATTS Magazine Issue 2 Spring 2008 ÂŁ1

A Journey of Hope The Good Samaritan Saved A. N. Wilson on Watts & Death Friends, Events & Booking Form

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Cornelis Visscher (1629-1658): The large Cat. Engraving, c.1657

Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968): The white Cat. Colour woodcut, 1929

Two fully illustrated new stock catalogues issued each year by subsciption (£16) Next catalogue, to be published in May, is CATS & OTHER CREATURES and presents a collection of prints of animals by a wide range of artists including Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Géricault, Manet, Steinlen, Foujita, Matisse, Agnes Miller Parker, Robert Colquhoun, Elizabeth Blackadder and others Regular exhibitor at the London Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy, 6 Burlington Gardens (This year Wed.23 - Sun.27 April 2008) 2

GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS, O.M., R.A. (1817-1904) Helen Rose Huth oil on canvas 26 x 21 in. (66 x 53.3 cm.)

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Spring Reveals Good Progress, But More Leaks Perdita Hunt, Director In this spring issue of Watts Magazine, we can report good progress on the Watts Gallery Hope Project to save the Gallery and its collection for future generations. We are permanently reminded of the importance of this project when, for example, during the recent heavy rains, we sprung a new leak in the Long Gallery and the marketing manager had rain pouring through the roof beside his desk. The Friends of Watts Gallery are evermore important at this critical stage in the Gallery’s history, providing vital funds for running costs and giving evidence of the support that exists among our audience. We are immensely grateful to an anonymous donor who as our ‘angel’ is matching every Friend’s subscription over the next three years. Another gesture of support that the Gallery has received is from Christopher and Teresa Satterthwaite who live locally and are keen supporters of the Gallery. Together they have pledged to try to double the membership and then re double it!.

G. F. Watts, Time Death and Judgement 1884

with an exhibition, from December. The Guildhall will be showing the jewels of the Watts Gallery collection from November and it is hoped that the collection will then tour to the United States and Italy.

We have submitted our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for stage 2 funding, we will hopefully have good news on planning permission, and conservation of the collection has commenced with over 25 major works being taken by the Hamish Dewar studio following their very generous offer to provide support. However, we still have a funding gap to unlock the full Heritage Lottery Fund grant which amounts to £350,000. While the Gallery is still open and while rain is still coming through the roof, we would be so relieved and grateful to secure this final amount from generous and philanthropic supporters.

We could not have come this far without the generosity of so many. Our stewards who have seen us through another winter at the Gallery putting up with extremes of cold, our volunteers who have provided so much support from giving strategic financial advice to organising events, our donors who recently include The Linbury Trust, the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, the J. Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust and another immensely generous grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation have all made possible the progress on our journey. All of your labours and support can be constantly refreshed by the knowledge that Watts’s vision of Art for All is genuinely becoming a reality through securing a more accessible building, placing more of the collection on show, more of the time, and creating in Compton a national centre for exploring Victorian art, social history and craft.

The plight of Watts Gallery has presented a real opportunity to reassess the importance of G. F. Watts, his studio collection and the role of the Arts & Crafts building which he created. It is heartening to hear such warm words on Watts and Mary Watts’s importance from eminent contemporary artists such as Alexander Stoddart and Grayson Perry. We have exciting plans for the restoration period which will again bring Watts to new audiences and invite renewed consideration of his role as an artist. St. Paul’s Cathedral will be showing two of the commissioned works by Watts, together 5

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Gallery News

Sale of Two Paintings by Watts Gallery to fund Conservation

and interpretation plans. As the result of a gradually weakened endowment the care and conservation of the collection has suffered over many years.

Watts Gallery is to offer for sale two paintings from its non-core collection at auction to ensure the long-term care of its collection of works by and about George Frederic and Mary Watts. The paintings to be sold are The Triumph of Love by Edward Burne-Jones and Jasmine by Albert Moore. In the light of the Museums Association’s October decision to change the ethical code, to reflect exceptional circumstances where disposal with financial gain is acceptable, the Trustees of Watts Gallery have proceeded with the decision to sell these two paintings.

Perdita Hunt, Director comments: “I hope this difficult decision will give some comfort to all those who support the Gallery that for the foreseeable future its internationally important core collection will be cherished, conserved and enjoyed by more people.” Above left - Jasmine, Albert Moore. Above right The Triumph of Love, Edward Burne-Jones. Left - A plaster by Watts in need of restoration.

The Gallery has offered the works for sale to 19th-century public art collections in Britain over the last two months but did not receive any letters of interest. It has been a difficult decision for Watts Gallery but it is one which fits both its collections management policy and acquisitions and disposals policy, while securing the future of the collection.

Since the proposal was first made in 2005, Watts Gallery has been very open and transparent about its intentions to consider selling works from the collection. There have been consultations with everyone involved in the Gallery including the general public, key volunteers, staff, donors, Trustees, Directors of major institutions including Tate, National Gallery, V&A and National Portrait Gallery as well as The Art Fund, Museums Association and MLA. The paintings are to be sold by Christie’s on 5 June.

Watts Gallery has the core aim of collecting, conserving and promoting the works of G. F. Watts and Mary Watts and to develop a centre for exploring Victorian art, social history and craft. The two works to be sold came to the Gallery long after its original foundation, and form no part of current display 7

Gallery News

Adopt a Watts Update

Filming at Watts Gallery

We are delighted to announce further support for the Adopt a Watts scheme, which raises funds to support the care and conservation of the whole gallery collection. The NADFAS societies of East Surrey have joined together to adopt A Parasite, a scene of woodland in a Surrey landscape, an appropriate choice of work for their members. Julian Spencer-Smith, a professional art conservator, has generously adopted Violet and Rugby School has adopted the portrait of Thomas Hughes, the author of Tom Brown’s Schooldays. The colour chalk study of Virginia Dalrymple, a particularly charming drawing, has been adopted by Jane Turner. In total, 19 works have now been adopted, which include drawings and sculpture as well as oil paintings. We are very grateful for this support. If you have a favourite work of art in the collection which you would like to support, please contact the Appeal Coordinator on 01483 810235.

The Gallery has recently been visited by the BBC for Bargain Hunt, presented by Tim Wonnacott (below). They filmed short pieces to be transmitted over four separate programmes in the Summer. Covering Watts the painter and sculptor, Compton Pottery and the Watts Chapel, the programmes will bring the Gallery to a new and large audience. The artist Grayson Perry also visited the Gallery and Chapel for research into a programme he is making about secular chapels. It looks likely that he will be back to film over the Summer.

Patrons to Visit Gormley Studio The members of the Patron’s scheme are looking forward to a special evening on 13th June, when they will be the guests of Antony Gormley at his London studio. When he spoke at our centennial celebration of Physical Energy in Kensington Gardens last September, Gormley said of Watts:

First Sunday of the Month Gallery Talks Starting in March, on the first Sunday of the month, there will be a Gallery Talk suitable for adults at 3pm. Each talk will be on a different theme and will last for approximately 20 minutes. The talk in March is free and there is no need to book, just turn up! From April, talks will be included in the Gallery Admission Price.

“…his great insistence in art’s ability to originate is the precursor of modernity and a precursor of the new confidence in the relevance and power of visual arts in Britain. He is still a great inspiration.” The Patron’s scheme is for those individuals who wish to support the Gallery in a significant way to protect this important collection for future generations. They enjoy a close association with Watts Gallery and the opportunity to attend a range of special events. If you would like to find out more please contact the Appeal Co-ordinator on 01483 810235.

Admissions and Opening Times From 1 April the Gallery will be open Tuesday to Saturday 11-5pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays 1-5pm. We will be closed on Mondays. Adult entry will be £3 (£1 on ‘Art for All’ Tuesdays).Children up to 16 and Friends of Watts Gallery will have free admission. 8

Sandy Nairne Opens Exhibition

Watts in the City

Sandy Nairne, the Director of the National Portrait Gallery in London, was the guest of honour at the private view of the work of Peter Monkman, a highly respected contemporary portrait painter and Director of Art at Charterhouse. Mr Nairne spoke warmly of Monkman’s work drawing parallels with the work of Watts.

This winter G. F. Watts will dominate London’s square mile. The City of London is hosting three separate exhibitions of the artist. At the Guildhall Art Gallery, a major exhibition on Watts will exhibit the masterpieces from the Watts Gallery collection, the first time they have toured together since 1905. The artist had a long association with St Paul’s Cathedral so two exhibitions there is an important landmark. One exhibition will reunite Time, Death and Judgement and Peace and Goodwill together in the nave of the cathedral, where they were first positioned one hundred years earlier. The other exhibition will explore Watts and Spirituality, his parables in paint, and will take place in the recently restored crypt. With Postman’s Park in walking distance of both venues this will be a celebration and acknowledgement of the national importance of G. F. Watts.

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, Peter Monkman and Perdita Hunt, Director of Watts Gallery.

Farringford, the former home of Lord Tennyson, is now a country house hotel. George Frederic Watts was a regular visitor there, and a close friend and neighbour of the Poet Laureate. The hotel grounds lead directly to approximately 500 acres of National Trust downland and breathtakingly beautiful coastline. There are 18 ensuite rooms in the main house, or alternatively, there is self-catering accommodation in the cottages within the grounds.

Farringford, Bedbury Lane, Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight, PO40 9PE Reservations: 01983 752500 Email: enquiries@farringford.co.uk w w w. f a r r i n g f o rd . c o . u k Farringford_half.indd 1

28/2/08 16:27:22

Gallery News

New Head of Learning Watts Gallery is pleased to welcome Helen HienkensLewis as the new Head of Learning. Helen started at the Gallery in November 2007 and has been working full time since January 2008. She previously worked at the National Portrait Gallery, in the Learning and Access Department, as the Art Learning Manager and then went on to lead family, schools and special educational needs sessions as a freelancer. Helen trained as an artist, musician and teacher and over the past 10 years has worked in education in a variety of settings, ranging from teaching in schools, providing adult learning as well as working in galleries and heritage venues.

Schools Programme - Update

Community Projects Big Issue Workshops This is a new project for the Gallery, which started in January 2008 as part of the Gallery Without Walls programme. The Big Issue Workshops will underpin Watts Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community programme, providing excluded groups with an opportunity to work with an artist using the ideas and themes of Watts as a source of generating further ideas and discussions. The workshops will help self esteem, awareness, prospective employment skills as well as an opportunity for participants to develop social skills and to meet and work with people they may not have met in day to day life. The Big Issue Workshops will consist of three projects; the first has already commenced in partnership with Surrey Youth Justice Service. The second project will be taking place in April and will be held at Send Prison, a closed female prison located just over 10 miles away from Watts Gallery. Finally there will be a third project with a local community arts group. The Big Issue Workshops have been funded by the KPMG Foundation, The Fenton Arts Trust and the Man Group Charitable Trust.

Over the past few months, the Gallery has been busy with workshops and visits by schools both to the Gallery and the Chapel. Broadwater School, a nearby Secondary School, has been on six visits over the autumn and spring terms with its Year 10 Art and Design GCSE group. Broadwater for the first time is using Watts Gallery as its research point for this age group (pictured above). In January there was an evening for teachers with Peter Monkman, attended by 15 teachers from local schools and colleges. Peter Monkman gave a very interesting talk on his exhibition at Watts Gallery, Changing Face, his working practice and how this is combined with his role as Director of Art at Charterhouse. Over the coming months we will be developing sessions suitable for schools during the restoration of the Gallery. This will include sessions led by artists for schools wishing to visit the Gallery site, Chapel and Compton as well as outreach workshops. More details will be put on the website over the coming months. If you are a teacher and would like to visit the Gallery or join the Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mailing list, please contact Helen Hienkens-Lewis, Head of Learning on 01483 813591 or email learning@wattsgallery.org.uk.

Friends News

Drinks Reception - 21 April

Family Learning Anna Readman, The Fenton Arts Trust Artist in Residence 2007–08, ran her first workshop for families in December 2007. The group commented on how much they enjoyed it and were given “praise and encouragement to try something different”. Anna will be leading more workshops for families in April and May. See the events on page 30 for more information. On the day of the Compton Village Fete (10th May 2008), there will be drop-in family drawing activities at the Gallery between 11.30am – 1pm and 2.30 – 4pm. For adults there will be a gallery talk at 11.30am and 2.30pm and a drop in drawing class with Anna Readman at 2pm and 3pm. Events are free but numbers will be limited.

New York Trip With the Victorian Artists in Photographs exhibition destined for New York later this year a group of Friends are considering taking a small party across the pond to support the show and take in everything New York has to offer. The private view is the 6th November at Forbes Gallery, Fifth Avenue. Please contact Perdita Hunt, Director of Watts Gallery if you are interested in visiting the exhibition.

The Friends are invited to a drinks reception on Monday 21st April from 6-8pm to take part in a discussion about the development of the Friends, their involvement in the Gallery during restoration and the future! There is an invitation for this event on the front of your Magazine (if you are a Friend). Including spouses and partners, there are now just over 400 Friends and the number is growing all the time. The future of the Friends is every bit as exciting as that of the Gallery and we hope you will be a part of it. If you are not yet a Friend but would like to attend the evening, please contact Andrew Churchill at marketing@wattsgallery.org.uk or call 01483 810235.

Introducing ‘The Upmost Friends’ Watts Gallery Friends now have a new group, the ‘Utmost Friends’. Taking their name from G. F. Watts’ motto “The Utmost for the Highest” they will receive some extra priviledges in return for their £100 a year contribution. If you would like to know more about this group please contact Andrew Churchill.

New Membership Cards Watts Gallery Friends will shortly be recieving their membership cards. These will be needed from 1 April to gain free entry to the Gallery (as we begin charging for admission from this date). New members are encouaged to join to take advantage of the offer.

Anonymous Angel makes a £20 Friends Subscription worth £50 Watts Gallery is extremely grateful to an anonymous donor who has offered to match, pound for pound, each new Friends membership. This means that if you join as a Friend for just £20, with Gift Aid, the Gallery will receive around £50. 11

Watts Gallery: A History Mark Bills, Curator “Since his death [G. F. Watts] I have come to regard the Gallery as in a great part built and endowed to his memory, thinking that in all probability it is the only form of memorial he would have been pleased to know of… I find that visitors experience an added pleasure in passing from a collection of art into the beauty and peace of nature.” So Mary Watts summarized the essence of Watts Gallery, as a living memorial to the visionary work of her late husband George Frederic Watts (1817-1904) and a rural idyll where visitors could experience art of the highest quality. In this it is unique and to those who have visited Watts Gallery there is little doubt of its exceptional nature. It was designed, according to Watts’s wishes, as “a simple and rural type of building,” although the hanging of its paintings was overseen by Sir Charles Holroyd, then the Director of the Tate and later the National Gallery, indicating its grand ambition. It is in fact, a national gallery in the heart of a village, endowed with over two hundred paintings and seven hundred drawings by G. F. Watts.

Watts famously painted for the Nation and it was his greatest wish that his works would always find access to the general public. The philosophy of ‘art for all,’ is enshrined in all the artist’s projects. The idea of having a public gallery devoted to the work of G. F. Watts, was by no means new in 1903, when building work began on Watts Gallery. Indeed Little Holland House, Watts’s studio-house in Kensington, London, had a gallery attached, which was designed by George Aitchinson in 1881. “To the picture gallery at Little Holland House,” the Windsor Magazine advertised in 1901, “the public are admitted on Saturdays and Sundays, from two till six – a privilege largely taken advantage of by all sorts and conditions of people.”

The initial move to Compton had been elicited by the need to have a winter retreat from London and trips staying with friends, led to the building of Limnerslease, a grand house and studio designed by Ernest George in 1890. Compton became a cause, particularly for Mary, Watts’s second wife whose involvement with the Home Arts and Industries To understand why such a gallery exists and why Association led to the development of a pottery in it takes the form it does, it is important to know the village, the building of a cemetery chapel and something of the artist, G. F. Watts. Widely considered village hall. Mary recalled how winter visits became a to be the greatest painter of the Victorian age, Watts permanent move: “Now that he [Watts] required summer enjoyed an unparalleled reputation. His ceaseless weather for the work on the Tennyson statue at Limnerslease, experimentation embodied the most pressing themes we went less and less to London. He therefore decided to build a and ideas of the time. A complex figure, he was the small picture gallery there. For this purpose he bought some three finest and most penetrating portraitist of his age, a acres of ground, that the building might not be attached to the sculptor, landscape painter and symbolist. house, though easily reached by five minutes walk through our garden. Mr Christopher Turnor, who had become a neighbour His fame and renown was not limited to Britain and of ours, with whom Signor liked very much to exchange in 1884 he was the first living artist to have a solo thoughts upon the many and wide subjects they had in common exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New undertook to design a picture gallery, as well as a hostel for York, a show so enormously successful that it led to the young fellows who came to work at the gallery.” As Mary a longer run and a gift of his great work, Love and Life indicated, Christopher Hatton Turnor (1873-1940) was to the American people. His works also found great the architect selected by Watts to design the Gallery at favour in Europe winning gold medals at the Paris Compton and she further records in her diaries that Universal Exhibitions in 1878 and 1889. His influence Turnor’s visits to Limnerslease were frequent, in 1902 among symbolists was profound and can be seen in the recalling that “A great pleasure to Signor now, the visits of works of Gustave Moreau and Fernand Knopff. Mr. C Turner” and in 1903 of Watts that “contact with a young fellow like that does me good.” Left - The Green Gallery circa 1920s

The foundation stone was laid on Watts’s 86th birthday, on 23rd February 1903 and the building was probably completed soon afterwards as on 30th September, Mary recalls in her diaries that “Our pictures come from Little Holland House Gallery.” It was at this time, less than a year from his death and suffering bouts of ill health, that Watts wrote to Mrs Barrington showing his frustration when the works were moved from the London to the Compton gallery: “everything must be crowded here,” he wrote adding that “I am sick of the whole thing!” It must be understood that Signor’s dissatisfaction was not with how the gallery looked when it opened in the following Spring, but rather at the arrival of the paintings to the gallery, clearly too many for the new gallery to accommodate. The Watts Picture Gallery opened its doors on the afternoon of Good Friday April 1st 1904, and as the Times Court Circular recorded “the privilege of inspecting the artist’s work at first hand was taken advantage of by hundreds of visitors.” The core gallery was essentially a C-shaped design with lighting provided by a series of semi-circular windows placed above the hanging rail. This provided the optimum wall space of three corridors of paintings hung from picture rail to the skirting decorated with a rich red Tynecastle wallcovering. The first gallery catalogue from 1904 lists 105 paintings, the bust of Clytie (presumably the bronze) and two casts in plaster from the “Elgin Marbles”. Watts died on 1 July 1904 and shortly afterwards Mary employed Turnor once more to extend the gallery and double the space for hanging pictures. The newly extended gallery re-opened in 1906 to universal praise, the Tribune loudly praised the new design: “The gallery is a plain building, admirably designed for its purpose. The walls of one part of it are coloured red and of the other green, with an effect of quiet richness which enhances the rich colour of the pictures. The ceiling, where it slopes towards the top lights, is covered with soft gilding, so that the light is reflected from it on to the pictures below is not harsh or glaring as it would be if reflected off a whitewashed ceiling, but warm and rich like sunlight, even on the most sunless days. This is a point that deserves notice of the directors of other picture galleries.” Due to the dwindling reputation of Victorian artists in general and Watts in particular in the mid twentieth century, the modern world had for the most part, left Watts Gallery alone. After Mary’s death in 1938, the most radical changes to the gallery took place, as the trustees agreed to redecorate and re-hang. The whole

Above Entrance to Watts Gallery, 1906 Above right Watts Gallery, 1906

period was in favour of the changes and the Times saw the Watts Gallery as a paradigm, sadly this time, as how to improve and modernise the gallery on a small budget. It was simply forgotten how originally the design and hang had been so widely admired. Stud walls, redecoration in neutral colours and lower picture rails replaced the original rich décor. The article, “Improvements in Compton” published in The Times in April 1938 noted: “What is being done resolves itself into the internal reorganization… the primary object of enabling the pictures to be better seen. This involves two principle factors: improved lighting and more suitable decorations for the walls… For the colouring of the walls, which, as originally applied, is rather “fierce”, a neutral tint has been adopted of a tone corresponding to the average middle-tone of the pictures, giving value to their light and darks.” A new ethos had reached the gallery, a new kind of professionalism to which the gallery seemed ill-suited. It reduced its entry price on the three days it charged from one shilling to sixpence, Mary Watts died and with this the permanent display of Watts paintings at the Tate Gallery ended. Wilfred Blunt, a drawing master from Eton and brother of Anthony Blunt, became curator after Roland Alston’s death in 1958 and up until his death in 1986, quietly maintained the gallery whilst writing a proliferation of books on a variety of subjects including England’s Michelangelo about the life and works of G. F. Watts. Despite his often wicked humour about Watts and the prevailing opinion about the artist, Blunt was a supporter of Watts and defended him against

his critics including debates at the Oxford Union. In 1984, after suffering terminal ill health, his assistant Richard Jefferies became curator, railing against the modernization instigated by Alston and heroically keeping the gallery going as curator for over two decades. This meant preserving it and amending it on a shoestring. It is rather daunting to note that, in its century of existence, I am only the fifth curator in its history. Each has lived at the Watts Gallery, a tradition, that happily continues today, for this not only allows the curator to be fully immersed in the life and art of G. F. Watts, but as Mary emphasized, to see it change from season to season and to be at the heart of the community. It is, in one sense, less of a job than a way of life. The future of Watts Gallery has been secured in part by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The challenge now is to find that match funding to allow the restoration project to continue and to ensure that the original ethos and atmosphere is not lost. As visitors enter and leave the gallery they can see the motto of G. F. Watts, emblazoned in Arts and Crafts style on the door, that give a clue to its future and our ambitions of preserving the gallery: ‘The Utmost for the Highest’. Mark will give a talk on the history of Watts Gallery on 16 April. See page 31 for more details. 15

A Journey of Hope Perdita Hunt, Director

l-r: A leaking gallery; an architect’s view of the new lower gallery; Watts Gallery in the sun; an architect’s view of the restored sculpture gallery.

The watershed in Watts Gallery’s history became clear in 2004. This year marked the centenary of Watts’s birth and the centenary of the Gallery founded by Watts. The building was listed ‘at risk’ by English Heritage, the annual costs were outstripping the income from the endowment left by the founders and the income from the buildings on the Estate, and the Curator who had served 37 years was preparing for retirement. At a time when the star for Watts should have been in the ascendant, it was at its lowest. The Trustees chose this moment to face the option of closing and dispersing the collection, or saving the building and the collection for another hundred years. Fortunately, they chose the latter and chose to revive and strengthen the original vision of the Gallery’s founders G F Watts and Mary Watts.

known architect to create a state of the art building, to show the collection at its best and to house 14 apprentice potters. This founding purpose underpins everything we do in saving the Gallery for another hundred years.

A key aspect of the Hope Project has been the extraordinary support we have received from people near and far. This has come in so many ways: time, talents, advice, money, gifts in kind and support of every kind. We could not have anticipated, when we set out on this journey, that over 150 people would provide their time on a regular basis to steward the Gallery, support our marketing efforts, provide technical expertise or manage our accounts; the list is endless. The result of such a force of support is far more than the sum of its parts and we are forever grateful for this For a Gallery which had only four curators in one overwhelming encouragement provided by so many. hundred years, change needed to be handled sensitively, It is a tribute to the draw and character of this unique and the history of the development of the chapel, place, Watts Gallery. pottery and Gallery has been one of evolution not revolution. It has been important to remind ourselves Balance is one of the hardest elements of a project of the original purpose for founding the Gallery and such as this. How do you reconcile the old with the wishes of Watts and Mary Watts. Their’s was a the new? How does one balance restoration with vision of offering art for all, commissioning a little innovation? How do we maintain the ecosystem which 16

is Watts Gallery and the oasis of peace which so many people seek, while sharing the experience with more visitors? In our discussions with the architect and all involved with the project, we have constantly kept in the forefront of our minds this need to balance progress with conservation. I hope that visitors when entering the restored Watts Gallery will find that the ‘old galleries’ are as they were; but now loved, water proof, well lit and warm. The ‘new galleries’ – the sunken Gallery, the lower Gallery and the Showcase Gallery – will have a different feel. The floor will be of stone, the lighting will be more flexible, and we will be able to have different kinds of exhibitions. This complementary approach, I hope will work and ensure that we are bringing Watts’s vision into the 21st century in order to reach new publics to discover his work and ideas. A sense of place is a defining ingredient of Watts Gallery. So many of our visitors comment on the dream-like quality of turning the corner at the top of the lane and discovering the peaceful Arts & Crafts building, covered in wisteria, welcoming people through its arched loggia. Moreover, in their journey of discovery, visitors always wish to explore the Compton

Chapel, visit the tea shop where the Compton Pots were sold, or go into the old pottery building, now housing a picture framers and gift shop. In the area of Watts Gallery Estate, the Chapel, Limnerslease crowning the scene on the leafy mound opposite, and even the Village hall, founded by Mary Watts, we have a ‘Watts village’, but also we have an extraordinary insight into the fundamental ideas of the Arts & Crafts movement: aestheticism combined with practical purpose and the common good. In the Watts Gallery Hope Project we are trying to safeguard this rich ‘discovery’ and experience, while revealing to every visitor the full story of Watts’s immense contribution to the local community and England’s heritage. The vision we are cultivating is not new, it is from one of a hundred years ago. It is still as powerful today as it was at the time of the founding of the Gallery – art for all and “the utmost for the highest”! The exhibition ‘Watts Gallery: A Jouney of Hope’ will explore the history of the Gallery and the plans for its restoration as well as highlighting key and rarely seen works by G. F. and Mary Watts. It runs from 1 April to 31 August. 17

Watts & Death

The 2008 Watts Lecture at Charterhouse A. N. Wilson

In February A. N. Wilson, the celebrated author, delivered the third annual Watts Lecture at Charterhouse. Taking the subject of Watts’s relationship with death, his fascinating talk investigated an area of Watts’s work that remained a constant presence. An extract from the lecture is presented here. Sponsored by the Art Department, Charterhouse

We know, and Watts knows, that death carries all before it. And we never feel this so strongly, perhaps, as in the superb Paolo and Francesca. It is a great subject for a painter. In Dante’s Inferno, Francesca is, as it were, alive enough to speak to Dante and to tell her story - how she and Paolo sat reading one day from the story of Lancelot, and how ,when they reached the point of the guilty pair kissing, Paolo kissed her mouth tremblingly and - “we read no more that day - quel giorno piu non vi legemmo avante”. Watts’s Paolo is naked to the torso, but he appears to be wearing a shroud. He is not just sleeping. He is deathpale. Death-pale too, is Francesca her eyes also closed in death. The model was Virginia Somers. Charles Eastnor had fallen in love with Virginia not when he saw her in the flesh, but when he saw a portrait of her in Watts’s studio. Watts himself had worshipped her, - her marriage was said by gossips to have been a “tremendous blow” to him. She was worshipped and adored by many - among them Thackeray. Undoubtedly for Watts the key line in the story of Paolo and Francesca is that which describes the vengeful husband having killed both lovers. Amor condusse noi ad una morte Love led us to a single death. Caina attende chi vita ci spense Caina (the region of hell reserved for the murderers of kinsfolk) awaits the one who quenched our life.

G. F. Watts, Paolo and Francesca 1872-1875

Watts conveys the intense mysteriousness of the fact that they are both dead, and enabled to tell us their tale. The most famous line from the fifth Canto is that which Tennyson quotes in Locksley Hall Comfort? Comfort scorned of devils! This is truth the poet sings, That a sorrow’s crown of sorrow is remembering happier things. Paolo and Francesca could be seen as a companion piece to his grandly Italianate Orpheus and Eurydice, one of his finest paintings. It is richly Venetian in conception, toning, design. If Paolo and Francesca recalls Tintoretto, this is a Titian. In this picture, Orpheus is full of colour and life, whereas Eurydice, with her red hair falling back from her waxy white face, is unmistakably dead. The pallor of death is something which Watts paints with particular mercilessness and brilliance. With his left hand, Orpheus clutches his lyre. With his tender right hand he reaches to his wife’s dead breast.

If, in the words of Oscar Wilde, “each man kills the thing he loves”, then Orpheus has done something even more tragic, he has been given the chance to bring his beloved back from the dead. And he has blown it. Is it an emblem, for the Victorians, this tragic story, of the difficulties of believing in life after death? Is that partly what the story is about? Watts’s own wife, Mary, is said to have been troubled by his lack of orthodoxy, what one rather unsympathetic writer, Wilfrid Blunt, in 1975 called Watts’s “muzzy theism”. “The older I grow,” Watts told Mary, “I am aware that the only real existence is the spiritual”. He also said that the “only Christian people I have ever heard of are the Burmese Buddhists”- quite a thought today, as the Burmese Buddhist monks bravely stand up to the horrible tyrants in that wonderful country.

It is interesting in these two stories - Watts makes the women as dead as they can be. In Dante, the spectral Francesca is dead, but it is she who exclaims that no sorrow matches the pain of recalling happier days, which she has just done. In the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, of course, the mere act of looking at her, kills her. He can only rescue his wife from the underworld if he has sufficient faith to lead her out from it without turning back. It is this fatal backward glance and its aftermath which is Watts’s theme, and not the heady moments earlier,when Eurydice could have been portrayed as scampering along in her husband’s wake.

Left G. F. Watts Orpheus and Eurydice 1868-1872 Right G. F. Watts Medusa 1846-1873

He would surely have echoed his old friend Alfred Tennyson. It is worth considering Watts’s tragic, mysterious painting, Love and Death in conjunction with this passage from Tennyson’s In Memoriam (XXXV). Yet if some voice that man could trust Should murmur from the narrow house, ‘The cheeks drop in; the body bows; Man dies: nor is there any hope in dust:’ Might I not say: ‘Yet even here, But for one hour, O love, I strive To keep so sweet a thing alive’? But I should turn mine eyes and hear The moanings of the homeless sea, The sound of streams that swift or slow Draw down Aeonian hills, and sow The dust of continents to be; And Love would answer with a sigh, ‘The sound of that forgetful shore Will change my sweetness more and more, Half-dead to know that I shall die”. O me, what profits it to put An idle case? If Death were seen At first as Death, Love had not been, Or been in narrowest working shut, Mere fellowship of sluggish moods, Or in his coarsest Satyr-shape Had bruised the herb and crush’d the grape, And bask’d and batten’d in the woods. In Watts’s painting Love is a child who can not resist the calm, overbearing outstretched arm of Death. Neither Watts nor Tennyson, were much at home with the coarse Satyrs of lust. Neither in Tennyson’s poetry, nor in Watts’s painting is the passion of the flesh pulsating. Here is a low-level melancholy in both. Both men were laureates, the one in verse the other in stone and marble and bronze and paint, of a period when the images of life beyond the grave were hard to hold on to.

Above G. F. Watts Love and Death circa 1885-1887 © Tate, London 2008 Right G. F. Watts Model for his bronze of Tennyson 1898-1903

Watts was a good monumental sculptor. I believe that one of his earliest essays in this field were the monuments respectively to Dr John Lonsdale in Lichfield Cathedral, and to the Marquess of Lothian in Blickling Church in Norfolk. The young Marquess, whose family today possess some of the finest Wattses, and whose fate suggested the painting-masterpiece Love and Death, is surrounded by winged angels, not unlike the figure of death himself in the Court of Death. Nor is the Bishop of Lichfield’s tomb effigy much more suggestive of a life beyond the grave. They sleep. Watts, like Medusa, has turned them to stone. With what tragic distaste for her cruel and supernatural art does Medusa close her eyes in his Medusa in the Gallery at Compton! Is it contempt for us, or pity? Wilde, you will recall, linked the figure of Death in Watts’s art with Medusa, hence, in the mythologies, the inescapability of her gaze.

Walter Pater said that all art aspires to the condition of music. Are Watts’s symbolist paintings trying to be music? Watts was a great painter. A scandalously underrated painter. He was also a majestic sculptor, never more so in his prodigious old age when he produced the gigantic Tennyson statue for Lincoln Cathedral. Tennyson and Watts, two of the great Victorians, both confront the metaphysical crisis of their age with a comparable deflective, intuitive intelligence. Neither poet nor artist leave the old metaphysic intact. Neither was what we should call orthodox Christian; neither, however, would embrace nihilism and materialism, - not because they were afraid of looking truth in the face, but because Truth, in these areas, is best echoed in experiences which can not be reduced to formulae. The experience of preparing for our own death, or of watching others die, is one of the deepest, if not the deepest, we human beings can undergo. When we look at Watts’s many treatments of death in his sculpture and in his paintings, we are invited, by their open-endedness, by their vagueness, if you will, to supply our own interpretations. We are also asked to give ourselves up to the sheer visual beauty which he creates and recreates. Come; let us go: your cheeks are pale; But half my life I leave behind: Methinks my friend is richly shrined; But I shall pass; my work will fail. Yet in these ears, till hearing dies, One set slow bell will seem to toll The passing of the sweetest soul That ever looked with human eyes. I hear it now, and o’er and o’er, Eternal greetings to the dead; And ‘Ave, Ave, Ave,’ said, ‘Adieu, adieu,’ for evermore. Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam (LVI)

G. F. Watts, The Good Samaritan 1849-1904

The Good Samaritan by G. F. Watts Mark Bills, Curator ‘The Good Samaritan’ by G. F. Watts has been chosen for adoption by a Friend of Watts Gallery. Mark Bills explores its history and significance and ‘a good Samaritan’ tells us why he chose it. “He that shewed mercy on him” When Watts returned from Italy to London in 1847 he must have felt that he had moved from an Arcadian world to a Babylonian metropolis; poverty replaced wealth, ugliness beauty and criticism took the place of fashionable success. His immediate response was to paint four paintings, known well to visitors to Watts Gallery, The Irish Famine, Under a Dry Arch, Found Drowned and The Song of the Shirt. If these were helpful to Watts in salving his conscience and the guilt he felt in seeing such poverty, they did not satisfy his artistic ambition and in retrospect the artist felt that paintings such as Under a Dry Arch “…has no beauty but it has purpose. It, I hope, arouses pity for human refuse.” The problem for Watts was how he was able to express social ills, which concerned him greatly, without compromising his artistic belief in the power of beautiful and significant forms. In The Good Samaritan Watts attempts just this, which represents an approach he was to develop much further throughout his career in his symbolic work. Instead of dealing with the subject through ‘realism’ he took instead a parable of Christ from St Luke, the story of a man who overcame prejudice to help a fellow human being, where the pious passed by, he alone helped. Its contemporary relevance was made immediately apparent through the full title he gave it for its exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1850 “Painted as an expression of the artist’s admiration and respect for the noble philanthropy of Thomas Wright of Manchester”. Watts had read of Wright in Chamber’s Magazine and his fight for prison reform and against prejudice for ex-convicts. The artist painted Wright (now in the National Portrait Gallery) and gave the first version of The Good Samaritan to the Town Hall of Manchester. Its contemporary relevance continues today with Watts Gallery’s current outreach programme including work

with prisoners and young offenders. It is an interesting foot note that Wright helped young offenders in institutions in Surrey. Watts would have approved. When the painting was first exhibited in 1850, it was overshadowed by Sir Charles Eastlake’s painting of the same subject which was bought by Prince Albert. The parable was a popular one for artists. Yet Watts’s approach is typically original, the physicality of the two figures in this painting, one acting as support for the other, makes a powerful impression. There are three versions by the artist of this subject, this version, according to Mary, was not completed until 1904 when “the canvas was framed and hung in the then newly built gallery by his direction”. When you stand in front of this painting, look both to the innovation and beauty of the paint as well as the significance of the form in the telling of his message: this is a parable in paint.

Why I Chose to Adopt The Good Samaritan Henry Jones Why The Good Samaritan for restoration? As the saying goes: “Because it seemed like a good idea at the time.” The time was a Friends’ open evening at the Gallery and my mood, the occasion and the need came together. The need became apparent on viewing this magnificent painting. But why this one? I was brought up to live my life along Christian principles and I still endeavour to do so. The parable of the good samaritan depicts one of the basic tenets of such a lifestyle. The quality of the painting and enormity of the original task had been overtaken by neglect; it brought to mind the need for “a good Samaritan”. To find out more about the Adopt a Watts scheme please call the Appeal Co-ordinator on 01483 810235 or email appeal@wattsgallery.org.uk 25

The Watts Gallery Archive Project Helen Pugh, Archivist The Watts Gallery archive cataloguing project, supported by The George John and Sheilah Livanos Trust, is nearing completion. Historic archive material has now been arranged and recorded according to nationally agreed standards required by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. This project has brought together and built upon the excellent preliminary work of NADFAS volunteers, who have in recent years listed the contents of many of the older files of the Watts Gallery. “What is in the archive?” This is the question most frequently asked and the brief answer is “A wide range of material relating to the personal and artistic life of George Frederic Watts, his wife Mary, and a substantial documentary record of the Watts Gallery itself from 1904”. A sequence of more than forty letters from Watts to Mary is a recent acquisition. The earliest letter dates from 1882. Other letters cover the period shortly before their marriage in 1886 and later periods of separation when she was staying with her family in Scotland.

Mary Watts is well represented in the archive by many letters, her personal diaries ranging from 1870-1908 and a number of notebooks containing material collected for her published biography of her husband. Her work on the Chapel and with the Pottery is also recorded. The archive of the Watts Gallery itself contains some fascinating material. A particularly moving item is a copy of a letter from Canadian soldier George Owens to his mother describing his visit to Watts Gallery and Chapel, Pilgrims’ Way and Compton Church on 14 July 1917. His group were entertained to tea and a tour of the Gallery by Mary Watts. He describes in particular the painting ‘Progress’. Owens’ daughter sent these items from Canada together with an illustrated account of her own visit to Watts Gallery in June 2002. “How can I find out more about the archive?” may be the next question asked by volunteers and visitors. More than six hundred brief descriptions of documents and files are entered onto the Adlib collections catalogue and these descriptions can now be searched without disturbing the original material unnecessarily. We hope that this catalogue will eventually become available to all through the Watts Gallery website.

Papers collected by the art critic and historian M H Spielmann for a biography of Watts (which was never completed) were donated to the Gallery in 1962. Volumes of collected press cuttings on Watts and his www.wattsgallery.org.uk work range in date from 1843 to 1960. Legal papers relating to Watts’s separation and eventual divorce from Ellen Terry are also held. Notable items of memorabilia include Watts’s appointment as a founding member of the Order of Merit and his appointment to the Legion d’Honneur. On Watts’s 80th birthday he was presented with a volume containing a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne and greetings signed by Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Halsbury and the Duke of Devonshire. Ten further pages of signatures of well-wishers from many walks of life illustrate the great esteem in which Watts was held during his lifetime.

Right Poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne for G. F. Watts on his 80th birthday 1897

Community - Let’s Face It! Lois Warden

Sandy Curry, The Fenton Arts Trust Artist In Residence 2006-07 at Watts Gallery, worked on a community project for people in Farncombe. One of the project’s aims was to bring together groups and individuals from different backgrounds, ages and areas to create a work of art. Over 300 people took part. At the end of the project many of the pieces were used to create a large scale work which hangs in the Narthex of St. John’s Church in Farncombe and will also tour to several local venues in 2008. Lois Warden took part in the project and tells its story. 28

‘Let’s Face It!’ What a strange title for an art project! What an odd name for a community activity! What does it mean? What we are facing up to is the reality of modern life, as it is today, in 2007, here in Farncombe. There is a community here, based around those who have lived here for many years, but it can be difficult for some - for newcomers, and for the younger generation - to find their place in this community. ‘Let’s Face It!’ has tried to address this problem by bringing together different groups and individuals with the common aim of creating a work of art which will belong equally to all those who have taken part in the project and to the whole community. How did it start? It began as it would continue - with cooperation. Watts Gallery and the Church of St John the Evangelist, Farncombe worked in partnership from the beginning to set up the project. Ideas put forward by the Reverend Margaret Blake, Rector of St John’s, and by Watts Gallery outreach volunteer, Miranda Ash, came together to form ‘Let’s Face It!’. They, with Watts Gallery Director, Perdita Hunt, have seen the initial plans bear fruit since the project’s official launch in May 2007. The work, under the guidance of Sandy Curry, The Fenton Arts Trust Artist in Residence at Watts Gallery in 2007, was completed on time, ready for the unveiling in the presence of the Bishop of Guildford, on 16th December 2007. ‘Please come and join in!’ said the invitations and posters which advertised the workshops. And people did just that. The project has grown through the ideas and talents of the participants rather than according to a pre-arranged plan; the end product - our mosaic - has come about because people, young and not so young, responded to those invitations and came to St John’s Church Room on Saturday afternoons, shyly or confidently, to find out what they could contribute. And the organisers also reached out to existing groups within the community - the Northbourne Action Group, The WOZA After School Club, Broadwater School, Farncombe & Binscombe Forum, Loseley Fields School, Farncombe Infants School, the residents of Allingham Court, and Skillways Workshop all played their part.

What has it achieved? The mosaic is all about Farncombe - what people found when they looked around; what they remembered; what they enjoy; what they don’t much like. Some of it is concerned with memories, but it’s not so much a history of Farncombe or the story of one individual or group, as an expression of what it feels like to live here now, a snapshot of this moment, by people from different backgrounds who live close to one another, but don’t often meet. In this project they have come together, learnt more about each other and learnt to work together. The sense of ownership of the mosaic has given the artists - that’s all the participants - a feeling of belonging, of having made a contribution to the community. New friends have been made, new skills learnt. What’s it made of ? It’s a ‘snapshot’ - but certainly not a collection of photographs! There is drawing, painting, graphic art, appliqué, leatherwork, ceramics, glass, mosaic and photography. All these media make up the finished mosaic, but it’s also made from the involvement, energy and creativity of the people who live here. Some people unearthed long-forgotten creative skills, others tackled new ones; in both cases, their confidence grew as they worked. Enthusiasm is catching, mutual support builds confidence; meeting and chatting to new people makes time pass quickly. These have been the building blocks of the project, as they are the building blocks of community. The mosaic will be displayed in the narthex of St John’s Church to be seen and enjoyed by all, and where it will stand to remind those who took part in its creation of the fellowship which went into its making. “Art cuts across all social and age barriers, and brings communities together in a very positive way. The pleasure this initiative has brought to the local community is a real delight to see.” Farncombe Resident Lois Warden is a member of the congregation of St. John the Evangelist, Farncombe.

Friends Visit

Family Art Workshops

Watts Past, Present & Future Monday 12th May 2008

Straight From Nature: 3D Collage Workshop Monday 7th April 2008, Watts Gallery 10.30 – 12.00 or 1.30 – 3.00

Join us for a visit to see Watts Gallery before it enters its period of restoration. This an opportunity to view items of memorabilia not normally displayed, tour parts of the Gallery not open to the public and then walk to Watts’s home, Limnerslease. We are extremely grateful to Mr & Mrs Gordon Rautenbach for opening their home and garden to us. Mr Rautenbach will talk about G. F. Watts’s home and, weather permitting, take us to the Mary Watts memorial bench. We will then view, by kind permission of Mr & Mrs John Waterfall, the original Mary Watts kiln and return to Watts Gallery for a cream tea and an update on the restoration process. Please be aware that the whole visit will be on foot.

Discover the natural forms and shapes in the paintings of G.F. Watts and see which colours he used. Make some sketches and then create a 3D collage using textured card and paper. £5 per child, accompanying adults free. Children need to be accompanied at all times when at the Gallery. For ages 5-11.

£15 Left The model for Physical Energy by G. F. Watts in the Sculpture Gallery. Far Left Limnerslease, the home of G. F. and Mary Watts in Compton. Below Left A view of the dining room restored to the colour scheme chosen by Watts.

Make a Sculpture Thursday 29th May 2008, Watts Gallery 10.30 – 12.00 or 1.30 – 3.00 Be inspired by Physical Energy, the large scale model by G. F. Watts and make your own figure in an energetic pose using air drying clay. £5 per child, accompanying adults free. Children need to be accompanied at all times when at the Gallery. For ages 5-11. 30

Talks

Booking Form

Curator’s Talk: Watts Gallery - A History Wednesday 16th April 2008, 7.30pm £5

Mark Bills, Curator of Watts Gallery, explores the history of the Gallery. Looking first at how it came to be built and its subsequent radical changes over the last 100 years. It will explore the architect Christopher Hatton Turnor’s involvement in the project, working with G. F. Watts and Mary Watts, the extensions and how its original aims were interpreted at key points in its history through its display and curation. It will show how the history of Watts Gallery is intimately connected with the fluctuating reputation of G. F. Watts.

Watts Past, Present & Future Mon 12 May

Christie’s Collector’s Evening Tuesday 27th May, 6-8pm Lecture at 7pm. Free In support of the sale by Christie’s of two non-core collection works from Watts Gallery in June (see page 7) there will be a Collector’s Evening for people to view the works and the other Victorian & Traditionalist pictures included in the sale. The evening, hosted by Christie’s in London at their King Street salerooms, is open to all. At 7pm there will a lecture by two specialists in the field of Victorian painting. John Christian will be talking on the Edward Burne-Jones painting The Triumph of Love and Liz Prettejohn will be talking on the Albert Moore painting Jasmine. If you intend to go to the lecture you are advised to reserve your seat by contacting Flora Hesketh 020 7389 2515.

Price

No. Tickets

Cost

£15

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Straight From £5 Nature: 3D Collage Workshop Mon 7 Apr 10.30-12pm Mon 7 Apr 1.30-3pm

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Make a Sculpture £5 Thu 29 May 10.30-12pm Thu 29 May 1.30-3pm

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Drawing with Pencil £95 and Sketchbook 19 - 23 May

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A Landscape £95 in Oils 23 - 27 Jun

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A Still Life in £95 Dry Pastel 19 - 20 Jul

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Creative Techniques £95 with Oils 9 - 10 Aug

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Watts Gallery £5 A History Wed 16 Apr

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Art Courses

This is the sixth series of our popular art courses, delivered by excellent teachers in the wonderful setting of Watts Gallery. Places are limited to 12 per course. The minimum age is 16. Participants should bring their own materials, more information will be provided with the tickets. ÂŁ95 per course. Drawing with a Pencil and Sketchbook Monday 19th to Friday 23rd May 2008 5-day course 10am to 12.30pm Teacher: Roger Pearce Level: Beginners

A Still Life in Dry Pastel Saturday 19th to Sunday 20th July 2008 Week-end Course 2-days, 10am to 4.30 pm Teacher: Sheila Corby Level: All levels and beginners welcome Have fun with pastels creating a still life. Working from a tabletop arrangement of fabric, pottery, flowers and fruit, explore colour theory and pastel techniques.

So you think you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t draw? Come along to this drawing class for beginners in the inspiring surroundings of Watts Gallery. Learn to draw what you actually see, not what you think you see.

Far Left The Misses Dene, W. & D. Downey. The Rob Dickins Collection at Watts Gallery. Left A drawing by G. F. Watts Right G. F. Watts Sower of the Systems 1902

A Landscape in Oils Monday 23rd to Friday 27th June 2008 5-day course 10am to 12.30pm Teacher: Christopher Sercombe Level: All levels and beginners welcome Sketch and paint outdoors in the beautiful Compton landscape, as G. F. Watts did, and then return to the gallery to finish a landscape in oil paints. Learn traditional skills and adapt them to your own style. (Outdoor work weather permitting)

Creative Techniques with Oils Saturday 9th to Sunday 10th August 2008 Week-end Course 2-days, 10am to 4.30 pm Teacher: Anna Readman, The Fenton Arts Trust Artist in Residence at Watts Gallery 2007-08 Level: All levels. Experiment with mark making and different ways of applying oil paint to canvas or board. Anna Readman will introduce her innovative approaches to using oil paint and will make links with the late works of G. F. Watts. Inspiration will be taken from unexpected localities and the surroundings of Watts Gallery. 33

Collection In Focus: St. George and the Dragon Julia Dudkiewicz, Assistant Curator Watts Gallery is the only museum in the world with a public display of Compton Pottery. Our newly catalogued collection of over 200 pieces is a testimony to the Arts & Crafts Movement legacy in the village of Compton, Surrey. It showcases the stylistic development of the designs ranging from well-known terracotta garden pots to more quirky pieces. With St. George’s Day approaching (23rd April), an opportunity presents itself to have a closer look at the Compton Pottery statuette of England’s patron saint. The statuette is hard to date but bears the simple wheel mark with the initials ‘PAG’ for Potters’ Arts Guild used for early coloured ware produced before 1936. It represents a standing figure of St. George with the slain dragon at his feet. He is shown in a suit of armour evoking medieval times holding a long broad sword and a graphic white shield with a red cross. The monochomatic palette of the statuette gives it an aged look with a sense of mystery. This figure of St. George is part of a group of works from Compton Pottery depicting saints. Notably, the figures of St. Michael and St. Joan of Arc are also depicted in medieval armour.

St. George and the Dragon, Compton Pottery, Samantha Browne Bequest

The Victorian interest in saints and medieval chivalry, reflected in the work of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Gothic Revival artists, undoubtedly had an influence on Mary Watts’s choice of the motif of the knight in armour. Such romanticised visions of the medieval past offered an alluring subject for the Victorians. 34

A selection of Compton Pottery is on display in the Gallery. ‘St. George and the Dragon’ forms part of the Samantha Browne Bequest. Watts Gallery is grateful to Adlib Software for Archives, Libraries and Museums for sponsorship in kind of our cataloguing project.

Thank You

Dates For Your Diary

Watts Gallery is deeply grateful to all its donors and in particular would like to thank its very generous benefactors:

Victorian Artists in Photographs: G. F. Watts and his World Selections from The Rob Dickins Collection Victorian Artists in Photographs brings us a step closer to a distant age and offers us the opportunity to see the faces, homes and families of artists whose work is so popular. This is a chance to stand face to face with the eminent painters, poets and authors of the day and of course George Frederic Watts and his circle.

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation The Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation John Ellerman Foundation Wolfson Foundation Guildford Borough Council The George John and Sheilah Livanos Charitable Trust Richard Ormond CBE Professor Rob Dickins CBE Christopher Forbes Peter Harrison Foundation The Robert Gavron Charitable Trust An Anonymous Donor David Pike The Pilgrim Trust The Isabel Goldsmith Patino Foundation The Art Fund Foundation for Sport and the Arts J. Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust Rothschild Foundation The Linbury Trust Finnis Scott Foundation

A touring exhibition by Watts Gallery Guildhall Art Gallery, London 7 January – 13 April 2008 The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate 26 April – 13 July 2008 Forbes Gallery, Fifth Avenue, New York, USA 7 November 2008 - 3 January 2009 Watts Gallery: A Journey of Hope 1 April – 31 August 2008 Opening 104 years to the day since Watts Gallery first opened to the public, the exhibition will explore the history of Watts Gallery and how the Hope Appeal seeks to restore the building, conserve the collection and make them accesible to all for the next 100 years. There will be rarely seen drawings, paintings and other works alongside a model of the Watts Gallery building and architects drawings.

Watts Magazine

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