#hardwick hall

[periodinteriors]

W. Nicholson, The Library at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, 1891, watercolor.

[thesixthduke]

This shows the great scale of the windows at Hardwick Hall.

[etherealyearning]

Hardwick Hall

[niclace]

[fionamccall]

Hardwick Hall - more glass than wall

I lasted visited Hardwick Hall several decades ago, when I was stunned by the bright light on the interiors from Hardwick's famous glass windows. These days the interiors are kept curtained to protect the interiors plasterwork and textiles, which are equally astounding.

Wonderful bust of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes.

It was not such a surprise to find the formidable Bess celebrating the power of women in a series of embroideries on the theme of noble women. Here are Penelope and Zenobia.

The embroideries repurposed old ecclesiastical textiles presumably salvaged from the dissolution of the monasteries.

Here is a small scrap of an original image of the Trinity - definitely a no-no to a good Protestant like Bess.

I love the way these tapestries capture the effect of water:

And I love this impossibly tall state canopy:

[fancynecr0mancy]

[canberramaidan]

July in the herb garden at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, UK. X

[harrietvane]

Doorways at Hardwick Hall and garden, Derbyshire (October 2022)