Coade Stone Statue of a Norman Archer.

 

 The Coade and Sealey Norman Archer.

                           Indented on the base Coade and Sealey. Lambeth 1802. Height - 214 cms 84”.

                                       Originally from Clytha Park. Monmouthshire. (Demolished 1820).

Whilst there is no documentary proof, the Norman Archer it is my opinionion that it was probably made from an original sculpted by John Flaxman the younger. There are two further candidates for the sculptor - Thomas Banks R.A. (1735 -1805) and John Charles Felix Rossi R.A. In 1797 Rossi was created sculptor to the Prince of Wales afterwards George IV all of whom worked for messrs Coade.

  

Purchased and removed by me in 2002 from Robin Hanbury Williams at Clytha Park.

Sold Christies, London 10 July 2003.

It was serendipity that I discovered in the basement at Clytha along with the base of the statue of the Saxon and a headless statue of Flora.

It discovered was whilst researching another Coade female figure purchased for an American client and subsequently discovered to have been the fourth statue from Clytha.

This is the tallest at 84”, recorded sculpture made in one piece from the renowned Coade Factory at Lambeth.

There is at least one other version of the Norman Archer originally at Malvern Hall, Solihull, but this is now missing.

According to the Malvern Hall sale catalogue 1896, the statues of the Ancient Briton and the Norman were 7ft 4in tall and stood on plinths carved with flowers and foliage. The Ancient Briton was on a plinth to the left of the hall’s entrance (as viewed from the entrance gates), whilst the Norman was on the right.

John Flaxman sculpted (attributed) Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy which is paired with Thalia, the Muse of Comedy in niches on the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Minerva on the east façade of the National Gallery for Coade.

The surface of all the statues from Clytha is in fine unweathered condition with absolutely no frost damage - the sculpture having been kept under cover for most of their lives.

 The damage probably occurred when American forces were billeted at Clytha during World War II.

The Norman Archer was originally one of four Coade stone figures from inside the two storey porch added to Clytha Park in about 1800 (see accompanying drawing of c.1805). This illustration depicts the two muses placed on the first storey, and the two heroic Ancient Britons were on ground level. One of these muses, (signed Coade and dated 1801) is now in a private collection in the USA. 

The second heroic male figure of a Saxon only exists as a few fragments.

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The origin of the Clytha Park Coade Saxon and Norman.

The design of the two statues is based on an engraving from the frontispiece of The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain by John Speede, first published in 1611 with a frontispiece with Renaissance style framing below, the last edition was published in 1775. 

The Frontispiece to the 1611 Edition. 

The 1676 Edition Frontispiece.

The Frontispiece has a Baroque Classical Framing.

                Engraved by John White.           

                           

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The Clytha Coade Figure of  The Saxon.

Only the legs and part of the shield remained and were sold separately – the rest of the statue had disappeared.

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Clytha Park.

Clytha Park, Llanarth, Fawr Parish, Monmouthshire is a 300 acre estate, 4 Miles South East of Abergavenny.

 

Clytha Park was originally an early Georgian House built for the Berkeley Family of Spetchley, Worcestershire, and later owned by William Jones the Elder (d.1805).

 

The Jones were an ancient Welsh Catholic family descended from the Herberts. William Jones was the fourth and youngest son of John Jones of Llanarth, Monmouthshire, he married Elizabeth Morgan on 6 July 1767. She was the last surviving daughter of Sir Richard Morgan K.B. of Tredegar House one of the richest men in South Wales, from whom she inherited a vast fortune. Her mother was Lady Rachel Cavendish, daughter of the 2nd Duke of Devonshire.

 

William Jones returned to Clytha from his London house in Hanover Square after the death of his wife in January of 1787. He consoled himself during his bereavement by creating his own personal Elysium at Clytha. He had bought the estate which was close to the family home at Llanarth some years earlier.

 

Surveyed in Spring 1789 by John Aram, improvements in the pleasure grounds followed, including an hothouse by the architect and landscape gardener John Davenport (d. 1795). At about this time Davenport was also employed by Sir Walter Blount at Mawley Hall, Shropshire, and Lord Hawke at Scarthingwell Hall, Yorks. Both of these clients came from old Catholic families as did William Jones. Davenport also worked at Adlestrop Park, Batsford Park and the Orangery at Daylesford for Warren Hastings, all in Gloucestershire.

 

The mock gothic folly, Clytha Castle was built in the park in 1790 by John Davenport. It was conceived as an eye catcher and monument to the dear departed wife of William Jones.

 

The landscape is an early example of the “picturesque taste” much influenced by Richard Payne Knight of Downton, Herefordshire and Uvedale Price of Foxley (see notes).

 

There is a very interesting and meticulously kept account book for the period of the building of the castle, which unfortunately ends at the close of 1792. (Cwmbran County Records Office). It includes supply of pictures for the chimney pieces by George Brookshaw - £34.2s.6d. and furniture from Ince and Mayhew. £600. It also records a payment to John Nash of £10 but this probably relates only to the Gothic screen and Gateway to the Park.

 

The castle has now been converted to Landmark Trust accommodation.

The old house seems to have been little altered until its demolition in 1820 except for the two story loggia cum porch put up circa 1800 which contained the four Coade stone figures. 

An anonymous drawing of the castle and house are included in this essay. The drawing shows the four Coade stone figures within the porch. These consisted of two 5’ tall muses and two heroic male figures. Only the archer survives of the two male figures.

 It is tempting to suggest that Nash designed the porch and recommended the supply of the Coade Figures. Nash certainly had a long term relationship with the Coade Manufactory.

 

William Jones died childless and Clytha was inherited by his great nephew another William Jones (1798 - 1885) (who took the name Herbert in 1862, from which family the Herberts of Clytha Park, and Llanarth were descended). 

https://solihulllife.org/2021/12/23/coade-stone/

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https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/globalassets/3.-images-and-documents-to-keep/history-albums/clytha-castle-history-album.pdf

 

For Clytha Park and Coade see -

Caroline Stanford, 'Revisiting the Origins of Coade Stone', The Georgian Group Journal, 24 (2016): 95-116. (Online)

Caroline Stanford, 'The Peculiar Mrs Coade', (2022) YouTube

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Both the engravings here were published in the 1770's which suggests that they were the source for the Coade figureof the Norman Archer.

The Habit of A Norman in 1066.

                                               Engraving by Charles Grignion (1721 – 1810).

I cannot claim to have discovered these engravings myself which were kindly ppointed out to me by Alexander Hoyle.

A collection of the Dresses of Different Nations: Antient [sic] and Modern. Particularly old English dresses; after the designs of Holbein, Vandyke, Hollar and others, with an account of the authorities from which the figures are taken, and some short historical remarks on the subject. To which are added the habits of the principal characters on the English stage. Pub. 1799 - Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for J. and J. Boydell. Plate 181.

     https://artvee.com/dl/habit-of-a-norman-in-1066-ancien-normand/

Ancien Militaire Normand  – Engraving by Gaspart Rhut.

From "Deuxieme Recueil des Portraits des Hommes et des Femmes Illustres, de Toutes les Nations Connues ……

pub. Pierre Duflos le Jeune - Rue St Victor,  Paris 1779.

https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb44552478f

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Raccolta di Staue Antiche e Moderne.

Pub 1704.

Raccolta di statue antiche e moderne : data in luce sotto i gloriosi auspici della Santita di N.S. Papa Clemente XI / da Domenico de Rossi illustrata ; colle sposizioni a ciascheduna immagine di Pavolo Alessandro Maffei.

available on line at - https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark:/13960/t79s54q7s&seq=7&view=1up

Perhaps it is a co incidence but the pose of the archer is very similar to the Statue of Dianna illustrated here.

The Marble is now at Holkham, Norfolk.

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Contacted -

CADW - Lorna Henly 0292 050 2000.

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales 01970 621233.

National Library of Wales 01970 632800.

Richard Haslam 01256 881245.

Sir Richard Hanbury Tenison, of Clytha Park .

Landmark Trust. 01628 825920.

Bibliography.

Coade Etchings 1784. No 15 Ceres.

Coade Handbook. 1799.

Country Life 8 December 1977. An Article on Clytha by Richard Haslam.

Country Life 15 December 1977. Part 2 by Richard Haslam.

Clytha Castle -Typescript Manuscript from the landmark Trust. Julia Abel Smith.

Mrs Coades Stone. Alison Kelly. 1990.

Dictionary of English Sculptors – Rupert Gunnis. 1968.

Biographical Dictionary of British Sculptors pub Yale 2009.

Typescript list of the works of Rossi from the Research Dept. at The Victoria and Albert Museum.

John Flaxman, ed. David Bindman. 1979.