HUGIJENOT ARTISTS DESIGNERS AND CRAYPSNEN IN GREAT ...

ROUBILIAC AS AN ARCHITECT? THE BILL FOR THE WARKTON MONUME?
materials were obtained locally.
Obviously the chancel had to be rebuilt before the
Duke's monument could be installed, but the building
was evidently constructed with the monuments in mind.
The so called 'Venetian' window is not what is generally
understood by that term. It is possible that originally a
true 'Venetian' window was planned, but the idea was
later abandoned, when for practical reasons, perhaps a
lack of sufficiently competent local builders, or severe
weather, the execution of the cupola was prevented.20
The necessary light required could then only be obtained
by opening out the whole area formerly assigned to a
'Venetian' window, and forgoing the central divisions
normally evoked by that term. Certainly the extraordinary
stresses brought about by such a huge area of glass
at the east end of the chancel could only have been dealt
with satisfactorily by a professional It seems
likely that Roubiliac may have called on the assistance of
an architect friend in these circumstances. The architect
Isaac Ware, is a most likely candidate. Like Roubiliac,
Isaac Ware was connected with the St Martin's Lane
Academy. 22 Ware sat to Roubiliac before 1741 and probably
again in 1755,23 although only the earlier marble
bust is known today. 24 (It is now in the National Portrait
Gallery collection at Beningbrough Hall, near York).
Both Ware and Roubiliac were members of the committee
set up in 1755, to discuss the founding of a Royal
Academy.25
Most of the items listed in the document are still to be
seen. The paving, the black marble 'dotts', square sections
inserted in the 'freestone paving' at regular intervals,
the black marble border and steps; (one at the entrance
to the chancel supports the 'communion rails' the
other two at the altar support the 'altar rails') and the
'Vitruvian Scrowl' round the facia, still survive. Even the
plain black marble slab commemoratingTW Lamotte,
Vicar of Warkton for twenty-seven years, and in
residence at Boughton House, 2' is in evidence on the east
wall of the south aisle. Other items give further clues as to
the nature of the original design. The '38 feet of Dentels
carv'd on the three Pediments over the Windows' of
which the amended price was considerably reduced,
would be explained by the suggestion that a true 'Venetian'
window was originally intended. With reference to
Roubiliac's charge for the 'Vitruvian Scowl', the amendments
show the 'Scrowl on the facia at the Entrance being
overcharg'd in ye Dimensions'. This suggests that the
'Scrowl' work was carried across the entrance wall, which
21 The cupola was probably abandoned after the monuments had been cxc
cuted in fi$ll size; for their compositions might imply a central light.
2 am indebted to John Newman for this suggestion
22 MARK GIROUAKD "'Coffee at Slaughters". English Art and the Rococo'.!
Country Life, Vol 159 s. [1966 , p.81, and 'Hogarth and his Friends'.
English Art and the Rococo II, Country Life, Vol.1391 1966], pp 188 190.
K. A. ESDAILE, op Cit, pp.47, 108.
JOHN KERSLAKE Early Georgian Portraits, London [1977 Vol.1 pp 293 295.
Volume II, pls.848 849, and 850. The bust is inscribed on the front of the socle
in gold capitals, 'ISAAC WARE'
25 JOHN PYE: Patronage of British Art [1845], p.77.
Dr Lamotte, who died on 11th January 1741 appears in the accounts at
Boughton House (Unpaid bills at the death of Ralph. 1st Duke of Montagu.
1709. Vol.1, p 159).
42
probably contained an archway of identical prop
to those surrounding the monuments. Between 1
1874 the 'energetic' vicar, the Reverend Henry S
was responsible for removing the eighteenth-cent
trance to the chancel and replacing it i
reconstruction of the thirteenth-century archway.
recently, the monuments to the second Duke and I
of Montagu were obstructed by nineteenth-centui
which have now been removed from the chancel.21
Surprisingly, perhaps, the document does not n
any preparatory models for the monuments then
Yet three models by Roubiliac for this commissi
vive and are now on exhibition in the Victoria and
Museum. Two of these are for the Duke's monume
(Fig.63), executed in terracotta, was descril
Margaret Whinney as 'a first sketch', 29 the oth
cuted in wood and plaster shows 'an additional r
work added to the Dukes monument' mentioned
document. The third model, also executed in wo
plaster, represents the monument to the duchess.3
absence from the bill is perhaps explained by i
plication that they were kept in the sculptor's stud
not submitted to either the 2nd Duchess of Moni
the Countess of Cardigan for approval. The lett
Dr Thomas Birch of 8th September 1750 to Lord
wicke explains that the Duchess of Montagu,
neither give him (Mr Folkes) Instructions hers
allow him to consult any other person about it,
any of the models which he had prepared'. 3' It
seem then, that of the surviving models for the
monument, at least one (Fig.63), the earlier ter
model, was made at the request of Martin Folkes.
letter from Dr Birch also helps to explain why
later wood and plaster models were found in Lon
the triforium of Westminster Abbey (by Mrs Esd
September 1923)ind not at Boughton House, or
Park, Northamptonshire, as might be expected. 32
Although the document itself is not date
evidence it provides assists in a reconstruction
chronology of the commission as executed by Roi
It is already known that from December 1749 to
1751, Roubiliac was working on the design for the
monument. The Dublin Courant for 19th Dei
1749 announced that Roubiliac was 'preparing
monument to his Grace the Duke of Montagu
Birch's letter (above) shows that by 8th Septembe
Roubiliac had produced more than one model
Duke's monument, and Andrea Soldi's port]
Roubiliac at Dulwich dated August 1751, shc
27 Guide to St Edmund's Church Warkton.
The work was executed between May and July 1978 I am gratc
Dalziel for this information.
29 MARGARET WH1NNEY English Sculpture, 1720 1830, London [197!
The two wood and plaster models belong to the Dean and C
Westminster Abbey and are on loan to the Victoria and Albert Muses
' British Museum, Add. Ms.35397, op cit
92 K A. ESDAiLE: 'A Find in the Abbey, Three models by Roubiliac',
[29th December 1923 , pp.9 10 12. Mrs Esdaile thought that the e
the Montagu monuments had been produced by Roubiliac in supp
design for the Nightingale monument as the third model found in t
was for the Nightingale monument and is now also on loan to the Vii
Albert Museum.
K A. ESDAILE: The Life and Works of Louis Franço&s Roubslsac [19
67