Treasures of the Bowes Museum

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The Bowes Museum holds such a cornucopia of treasures that it's hard to pick out just a few. Its most celebrated piece is this life-size silver swan automaton and music box, acquired by John Bowes from a Parisian jeweller in 1872. It is driven by clockwork and swims in a lake of glass rods, surrounded by silver leaves. It preens itself, then bends down to catch a fish in its beak and appears to swallow it. Unfortunately, after being inactive during the Covid lockdown, the mechanism has seized up and requires repair, so I was not able to see it working, although there is a video in the museum (and several on YouTube, if you want to see it moving).  It is really unusual and very beautiful. 

The portrait below is Josephine Benoite Coffin-Chevalier, the wife of John Bowes and co-founder of the museum. A talented actress, businesswoman, hostess, skilled painter, and patron of the arts, I'm not sure this portrait does her justice, looking a little coy.  

The collection has a couple of stunning paintings by Canaletto, one of which is 'The Bucintoro Returning to the Molo on Ascension Day after the Ceremony of Wedding the Adriatic' (1730s). (Not given to short titles, was he?) 

There are wonderful pieces of ornate furniture, like this OTT mirrored piece, in which is reflected an equally ornate bed. 

I loved this pair of tin-glazed earthenware cats, the work of the French ceramicist Emile Gallé c 1900. 

I also liked this decorative work on the front of a harmonium: 

The beautiful lady below adorns a Roman Head Pot, discovered at Piercebridge, not far from the museum. These pots date back roughly to 200-230 AD.  

She reminds me of the actress, Sarah Lancashire (who doesn't date back to 200 AD!):  

The Bowes Museum

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Whilst up in the northern Yorkshire Dales, I took the opportunity to go just little further north into Teesdale to tick another place off my 'bucket list'. That place was the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle (a town made famous during the Covid lockdown as the place the Prime Minister's aide, Dominic Cummings, went to 'test his eyesight'). I didn't need my eyesight testing - the view that greeted me as I turned in the gates was simply astonishing. 

The Bowes Museum was purpose built by its founders John Bowes (1811-1885) and his wife Josephine, to house their extensive collection of European art, ceramics, textiles and other decorative objects. It's a fascinating story: in a nutshell, John was the illegitimate son of the 10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and his mistress Mary Millner. John was acknowledged and brought up by his father, who did eventually marry Mary just a few hours before he died. John didn't inherit his father's title but after a legal battle he did inherit some of his estate. Despite serving as an MP, being a prominent businessman and being a significant figure in the art, theatre and horse racing world, he eventually left for France, feeling he wasn't fully accepted in Victorian society because of his illegitimacy. 

There he met and married an actress, Josephine Benoite Coffin-Chevalier. They were unable to have children and, both being avid and knowledgeable collectors, they decided to commission the Bowes Museum, in John's home area, to house their collection for the benefit of the public. Sadly both died before it was fully completed. The museum, built in the style of the French Second Empire, is now run by a Trust who continue to acquire objects for the collection, as well as hosting significant exhibitions. See HERE for more details. 

It's a stunning building, covering three floors, with a magnificent connecting staircase that reminded me of an Escher drawing. I'll show some items from the collection tomorrow.