Routine repairs revealed the “discovery” of a life-changing discovery: wall-to-wall Tudor paintings based on Nero’s Golden Villa.
Calverley Old Hall, in North Yorkshire, is undergoing a major renovation programme funded by The Landmark Trust, which has owned the building and runs part of it as a holiday let since 1981.
It was found in the bedroom in an unremarkable parlour block. The walls were painted in 1970s peach.
The original chamber contained three walls that were covered with plaster from 19th-century. It was home to a full scheme of 16th-century paintings.
Anna Keay (Director of Landmark Trust) said, “There was something on every wall before me that was an amazing revelation.”
“Floor to ceiling and wall to wall: A Tudor-style chamber that is decorated with black, red, white, and ochre. Twining vines, classic columns, and roaring Griffins are some of the mythical creatures.
A specialist from Lincoln Conservation opens up a section of wall after a routine repair job uncovered the ‘discovery of a lifetime’
After its walls were painted in peach in 1970s, the discovery was made in the bedroom in the parlour block’s ‘unremarkable” bedroom.
Three walls in the original chamber were covered with a complete set of paintings from mid-16th-century.
Anna Keay, Director of Landmark Trust described the discovery of mid-16th-century paintings as an “revelation”
The ‘floor-to-ceiling, wall-to wall’ murals that were discovered in an old house are shown close up
Caroline Stanford, Landmark Historian, described the finding as “a time machine that takes you back to the Reformation age and the Virgin queen’s age.”
Tudor paintings have been’very well planned’. They are vertically designed and use the framework of timber studwork.
Nero’s Golden Villa inspired the wall-to-wall and ceiling-high Tudor paintings.
The Calverley scheme, also known as Grotesque work is an addition to the thrill. It’s far more complex than any domestic wall painting in existence.
Landmark Historian Caroline Stanford described the discovery as ‘a time machine to the age of the Reformation and the Virgin Queen’.
“Suddenly we’re transported from a decaying building to the rich, cultured world at the Elizabethan Calverleys. This well-educated family is eager to show their wealth and learning by showing their appreciation for Renaissance culture.
Calverley’s paintings are meticulously planned. They use the framework of timber studwork.
The ‘Teethed bird’ laughs in profile. Little men wearing triangular hats and torsos rest on balustrades or vases.
Grotesque is an Italian word that refers “from the grotto” and means the Grotesque Style.
One young man, while exploring Rome’s hillsides in the 1480s fell into a crevice and was thrown down. He believed it to be a cave.
He and his companions explored further with torchlight. They discovered not a cave but the interiors of Emperor Nero’s Golden Villa, which was built in the first century CE.
This emperor was so infamous that his descendants buried the summer palace as part of an effort to erase all traces of him.
It is possible to see the marvel in Rome today – although hard hats may be necessary.
Calverley’s scheme, also known as Grotesque art, is more complex than any of the surviving domestic wall paintings.
These historic paintings extend from the ceiling of the bedroom to the floor and are spread over three walls.
It is painted in Grotesque style. This refers to an Italian word for ‘grotteschi’ which means ‘from the grtto’.
Landmark has launched an appeal to raise £94,000 to preserve and hopefully display the paintings
It was soon discovered that the extraordinary designs found in the villa were very popular among the elite of Italy’s education.
By the 16th-century, the Renaissance design had found its way to Britain courtesy of printed books from the Low Countries and Germany.
The trust speculated that it is possible that Calverley’s unknown artist was inspired by these print books.
Ms Stanford stated that Sir William Calverley is the most likely to have been the one to commission the painting. He was knighted on 1548 and made Sheriff of York on 1549. This is a high-ranking man who has important and valuable affairs.
We believe the painter’s chamber was not accessible from any of the private rooms in the house.
“Perhaps this was Sir William’s private chamber. He entertained his close friends and associates only. It could have been Elizabeth Sneyd his second wife’s private parlour. This was a place to hide from Sir William’s 17 offspring.
Landmark has launched an appeal to raise £94,000 to preserve and hopefully display the miraculous Tudor paintings.