Peacocks:
The Pomp of Power presents
a display of artworks and objects from the Nottingham City Museum and
Art Galleries fine art, decorative art, lace, costume and textiles,
and natural history collection. The selected works are inspired by
the beautifully elegant peacocks that grace the grounds of Newstead
Abbey, the ancestral home of the Romantic Poet Lord Byron. Byron was
both a sartorial peacock and lover and keeper of these extravagant
creatures; hence the title of this exhibition has been taken from Don
Juan: Canto The Seventh,
a poem by the poet and great eccentric.
Peacocks
have taken on important roles and various identities in many
countries and cultures: their vivid feathers or designs resembling
their shape and beauty continue to feature heavily on interior décor,
garments, ceramics and accessories.
The
Henry the Seventh’s Lodging, situated along the East Gallery from
the Charles II Room, is one of the main bedrooms at Newstead and is
also known as the Japanese Room. The upper walls are fitted with
screens and painted panels that were brought back to Newstead by the
Webb sisters, who travelled to the Far East in the 1890s. They depict
the beauties of the natural world and date from the 17th, 18th and
19th centuries. They are hand-painted on gold leaf with
peacocks, cranes, ocean waves, pine trees and cherry blossom.
The
peacock and its colours are synonymous with Indian identity and in
1963 the peacock was declared the National Bird of India because of
its rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions.
The bird is indigenous to India and Sri Lanka, but now features in
countries all over the world and is as much a part of the
country-house tableau as fountains and parterres. Taken from its
homeland by traders thousands of years ago, the Indian peacock
eventually reached England, where it became something of a country
house status symbol. A number of vibrant and detailed Indian textile
items are included in Peacocks: The
Pomp of Power along
with a beautiful wooden plate with a copper inlay and a ceremonial
sword.
In
Russian folklore the peacock carries a lot of meanings, it symbolises
the spring and the sun along with its many attributes such as warmth,
light and power. In the 11th century, the peacock motif appeared in
Russian embroidery, and is thought to have come from Byzantium art to
Russia, along with Christianity. Different regions developed their
own depictions of peacocks and some of these stylized peacock designs
can be seen within this exhibition, used by embroiderers on a number
of 19th century linen bobbin lace borders.
The
exhibition is open alongside a display of Japanese Woodblock prints
from the Nottingham City Museums and Galleries collections in the
Charles II Room.
