Hampton Court ... Illustrated with forty-three drawings by Herbert ...

10
HAMPTON COURT
his "Anecdotes of Painting," has only recently been
rediscovered, and it has been restored under the direction
of Sir J. C. Robinson, and opened to the public.
Of its extremely interesting paintings this is not the
place to speak, but we may here notice the excellent
" linen-scroll " patternpanels whichhave been collected
from other parts of the Palace to cover the walls, and
the splendid decorated ceiling. A private oratory for
the Cardinal himself it may well have been. The
fireplace would not conflict with this idea. It would
be the room where he retired alone to pray or to make
confession. His public devotion demanded and received,
according to the idea of the time, a more stately
setting.
A curious and happy variety has been formed by
the restoration of this charming little Tudor room,
which is now called " Cardinal Wolsey's Closet," close
to the communication gallery and the Queen's great
staircase. The ceiling, with its beautiful panels highly
decorated, and a cornice of rich design, is in effective
contrast to the sprawling goddesses of La Guerre, a
few feet away. It is a delightful reminder of the
sixteenth century amid the surroundings of the eighteenth.
Here Wolsey and George II. touch each
other. We find ourselves again, when we seem to be
yet in Wren's buildings, after all among the original
work of the second court.