Rare Set of Nine 'Jewel' Stained Glass Roundels, six originally designed for the Bachelor's Bedroom of Cardiff Castle, Wales, circa 1870

Details

WILLIAM BURGES (1827-1881)
Rare Set of Nine 'Jewel' Stained Glass Roundels, six originally designed for the Bachelor's Bedroom of Cardiff Castle, Wales, circa 1870
likely produced by Saunders & Co., London
leaded stained glass
each inset within a modern leaded clear glass panel
29 1/8 in. (74 cm.) high, 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm.) wide (six panels)
37 1/2 in. (95.3 cm.) high, 20 1/4 in. (51.5 cm.) wide (three panels)
each roundel with a crowned armorial motif

Provenance

Haslam & Whiteway Ltd., London.
Acquired by Ann and Gordon Getty from the above, 2003.

Literature

M. Williams, Cardiff Castle, guidebook, n.d., p. 12.
William Burges: Exhibition of Stained Glass Cartoons from the Cardiff Castle Collection, exh. cat., Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, 1977, p. 4, no. 4 (for a reference to the 'Jewel' windows at Cardiff Castle).
J. Mordaunt Crook, ed., The Strange Genius of William Burges 'Art-Architect', 1827-1881: A catalogue to a Centenary Exhibition, organised jointly by the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Cardiff, 1981, pp. 29-51 (for a discussion of this commission), 34 (for mention of the ‘Jewel’ windows).
J. Mordaunt Crook, ed., William Burges and the High Victorian Dream, London, 2013, pp. 243 and 386 (for a discussion of this commission).
M. Williams, Cardiff Castle and the Marquesses of Bute, London, 2019, pp. 89-91.

Special Notice

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Elizabeth Seigel Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections

eseigel@christies.com +1 212 484 4812

Lot Essay

From 1865-1881, William Burges was responsible for the restoring and redecorating of Cardiff Castle for the Third Marquess of Bute. He designed the interior of the Bachelor Bedroom in the Clock Tower with the theme of mineral wealth, an appropriate subject as Lord Bute's source of income was largely from his coal industries in the South of Wales in the Taff valley. Six stained glass windows in the room depicted faceted gems as leaded roundels featuring personified precious stones including 'Ruby', 'Sapphire,' 'Emerald,' 'Topaz,' 'Diamond,' and 'Pearl.' The 'Diamond' and 'Pearl' windows were displayed in the adjoining bathroom. The full-size drawing cartoons for these six roundels still exist in the Collection of Cardiff Castle (exh. cat., 1977, no. 4 and 5). It is possible these panels were made by Saunders & Co. as Mordaunt Cook notes later examples of these 'jewels' were made by Saunders & Co. for export to Hartford, Connecticut and Cleveland, Ohio.
The present lot includes these six roundels as well as three additions - 'Amethyst,' 'Peridot,' and 'Garnet.' Apart from the set still in-situ at Cardiff Castle, another at Burges' own home, Tower House in London, and a set of eight (including two extra figures 'Garnet' and 'Amethyst') discovered in 2009 in Bath, England, it is believed the present group is the only other known complete set.

More from The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Temple of Wings

View All