The District and Circle lines being out of commission for weekend repairs, I went via the Picadilly and Northern Lines to Charing Cross, then walked along the Strand to Somerset House. If you're not familiar, Somerset House is an 18th century palace that is not only beautiful in its own right, with a courtyard and fountains and a river terrace, but contains some stunning art and lovely places to eat, drink, and sit.
It hosts, for instance, the Courtauld Institute of Art, which had been on my List. The
Courtauld possesses a number of important paintings, especially impressionists. There is also the Gilbert Collection (more about that later). I've been interested in a visit here for a long time, just never made it for one reason or another. This trip, however, I learned of a temporary exhibit of drawings by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666)( Guercino). This exhibit was enthusiastically reviewed in Time Out and elsewhere and was about to close. So I thought I'd better hop along and see Guercino: Mind to Paper.The drawings were beautiful -- sometimes simple, sometimes complex, always adept, full of live and movement and in some cases really touching. "Guercino" means "the squinter" and it appears that the artist was in fact cross-eyed. I wonder if it added to his talent? It certainly did not detract. He was active primarily from the 1620's to 1640's (I'm writing from memory here, so feel free to correct any mistakes via comments) and his subjects ranged from violent executions and battles, to religious scenes, to tender domestic tableaux to witty caricature. So glad I did not miss this, and I've already ordered the exhibit catalogue for delilvery at home. I don't want to appropriate a picture to post here, but follow the links and you should be able to see a few of these drawings.
Next door, there was a small group of Rembrandt drawings (and some associated with Rembrandt), part of the permanent collection I believe. They are from a similar time period and yes, of course they are accomplished (it's Rembrandt!), but having just seen the Guercinos, I did not find myself as engaged as I might have expected to be.
There are a few 18th century portraits, always favorites of mine. And did I mention that the galleries are all spectacular in their own right? Lovely proportions, with intricate plasterwork, windows that look out on the Thames in some cases, painted ceilings in others.
The impressionists here include Van Gogh (the bandaged ear one), Gaugin (tropical, enigmatic), Manet, and Suerat. There is a whole room full of Degas and a lovely Picasso still life I was totally unfamiliar with. I could have spent much, much more time. An entire day here (with cafes and bars, it could be done easily) would not be out of line, but since I had other plans for the afternoon, I had to press on.
The Gilbert Collection consists of decorative arts, primarily. Again, I did not have time to take it all in (nor, in this case, really the interest). But I did want to see two things in particular, the snuff boxes and the portrait miniatures. Gives you a fine idea of what the upper classes spent their loot on in the 17th and 18th centuries.
I ate my lunch (which was cobbled together from shops in Earls Court Road and stuff I'd cadged from the hotel breakfast room) on the River Terrace overlooking the Thames. It was brisk, but not unbearable, and definitely within my price range. Then it was back to the Tube and up to Bond Street for another walking tour.
The walk through Old Marylebone focuses mostly on Regency London and includes a visit to the Wallace Collection and the church where Robert Browning married Elizabeth Barrett. There are stunning pictures at the Wallace (been there before and hope to go back). They show you just a few on the tour -- the Laughing Cavalier and the various portraits of one of the Prince Regent's mistresses, the actress Mrs. Robinson (aka Perdita). Since it was quite damp we hung around inside for an extra length of time and got quite an interesting little dissertation on armor. (Did you know that it's not really all that heavy? Or that the designers of the first NASA space suits studied how armor was constructed?)
Pausing at St. Marylebone Parish Church, we're told of its associations with Francis Bacon and Hogarth and then very briefly hear the story of how Robert Browning fell in love first with the ailing Elizabeth Barrett's poetry and then with her, how they married in secret, eloped to Italy and then lived a short and very happy married life until her death. I've read that story many times and the guide, though informative was no great orator. Nevertheless, standing there I was literally moved to tears.
I doubt anyone noticed, damp as it was, and we were soon learning of the cattle that had filled Marylebone High Street as they were driven down to Smithfield Market. From there, on to Regents Park to learn about the Nash terraces and see some of the abundant bird life before being pointed toward Baker Street station.At the end of one of these walks, the guide always point you toward the nearest Underground station and often recommends pubs and restaurants in the area as well. So you're never left floundering for what do do next, which is nice.
I was interested in visiting a bookshop called Daunt in Marylebone High Street, so being a contrarian, I made my own way back in the direction we came. It's a lovely Edwardian era bookshop with a wood front and oak galleries inside, specializing in travel guides and literature, plus it does this very sensible thing of shelving fiction and general nonfiction by region along with the guides so you can, say, pick up a guide to Rome and a novel or mystery set there to read on your trip. Isn't that a neat idea? I am having to travel really light and cannot be buying a stack of books to take home, so for better or worse, I left empty handed.
Damp and tired out, I decided to spend the evening in front of the telly. There's a Daphne du Maurier retrospective of sorts at the moment and the BBC was showing a film based on her life (with Geraldine Somerville). So I fell asleep to that.
My next post will cover my Sunday doings, including the most thrilling walk of all!
