Van Dycks return to Wentworth Woodhouse for family-friendly exhibition

House of Fun: Parties, Play and Portraits exhibition, August 5 – November 16

Rotherham stately home Wentworth Woodhouse is preparing to welcome back yet more priceless paintings by some of history’s most important artists –  but this exhibition is not only for serious art-lovers.

Families are being urged to bring children and have fun exploring the intriguing stories hidden in them.

Last year, thousands of art-lovers flocked to the Grade I listed mansion to see works by 18th century artist George Stubbs, which were on loan for a three-month exhibition. 

Now, portraits by Reynolds, van Dyck and Mytens are returning for Wentworth Preservation Trust’s House of Fun: Parties, Play and Portraits exhibition, which runs from August 5 to November 16 in the State Rooms.

Six of the works are by van Dyck and date from the 1600s. They were owned by Thomas Wentworth, the 1st Earl of Strafford, and include portraits of the Earl himself, his children, his close friend the Countess of Carlisle and a portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I. It was gifted to the Earl by the King, to whom Strafford’s loyalty eventually lost him his head in 1641.

A further painting in the exhibition is by Sir Joshua Reynolds, one of the major European artists of the 18th century, and features Charles, the 2nd Marquess Rockingham, resplendent in robes of the Order of the Garter.

They were part of a magnificent, centuries-old art collection which remained at Wentworth Woodhouse until the 1940s, and are back on loan from a private English collection.

All are seriously significant pieces, but Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s culture team is going all-out to make this a family-friendly exhibition where learning about history and art is fun.

Funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, House of Fun: Parties, Play and Portraits is part of the Trust’s involvement in Rotherham’s Children’s Capital of Culture programme.

“This is a unique opportunity to see these works, by the most celebrated portrait artists, in their original home.  The van Dycks will hang in the room that was named after them, bringing that space back to life,” commented Victoria Ryves, the Trust’s Head of Culture and Engagement.

“The people captured in oils had extraordinary life stories which strongly align with our House of Fun themes of fun, the unexpected and discovery. We have also made sure that children are able to join grown-ups in learning about these famous artists and finding out about the people in the frame,” explained Victoria.

“Queen Henrietta Maria, for example – you could base a soap opera on that painting. She posed with her pet monkey, Pug, and her ‘court fool’ Sir Jeffrey Hudson, a person of short stature. He was employed in the court to make people laugh.

“He became her close friend, and went with her when she was exiled to France after the King’s execution in1649. 

“Jeffrey’s life is fascinating. He killed a man in a duel, because the other man had thought it was a joke and didn’t take a functioning pistol. He had to go on the run, was kidnapped by Barbary pirates and ended up back in England and penniless.”

There is intrigue and romance behind the portrait of Lucy Percy, The Countess of Carlisle. A trusted friend to the Queen and a renowned beauty, she and the Earl of Strafford both commissioned portraits by Sir Anthony van Dyck and gifted them to each other, fuelling gossip that they were lovers.

Adds Victoria: “Also, our house historians have delved into the lives of the Earl of Strafford’s children William, Ann and Arabella, and the Earl himself. 

“His story is seldom told at Wentworth Woodhouse, because although elements of his 1600s home still exist here, it made way for the huge and extraordinary mansion we see today. Developed in the 1700s by the influential Marquesses of Rockingham, it became the  home of the fabulously wealthy and dedicated party-throwers, the Earls Fitzwilliam.

“Our volunteers will be leading special tours focussing on the Earl of Strafford’s life during the exhibition’s run.”

The historic artworks will be displayed with child-friendly interpretations in addition to interpretation panels for adults.

“We held a series of Look, See, Wonder workshops with local schools and students drew out ideas we hadn’t thought of. We’ve used the information they came up with,” said Victoria.

As part of Rotherham’s Children’s Capital of Culture Festival Year, the exhibition will transform Wentworth Woodhouse into a ‘stately House of Fun’, with a play-focussed, interactive theme throughout and activities co-designed by Rotherham’s young people.

Contemporary sculptures feature, including a huge hang-out den in the Whistlejacket Room called Friendship Follies, a scaffold reinterpretation of the Rockingham Monument which Leeds play artist Pippa Hale created with the help of looked-after Rotherham children.

Final Boss, a showpiece inflatable art installation created by Nottingham artist Bruce Asbestos, who recently exhibited at the Tate Modern in London, occupies the Marble Saloon.

A trail of artwork he created with pupils from Rockingham Junior School and Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School can be found throughout the State Rooms.

House of Fun workshops and events will include an adults’ silent disco in the cellars, a drumming workshop in the Marble Saloon and craft sessions in the gardens.

Added Victoria Ryves: “The exhibition has something for everyone and we are very grateful to the people and organisations who have made it possible. We received public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and our deepest thanks go to the owner of the private collection the historic artworks have been loaned from.

“We are also extremely grateful to the Government for providing Government Indemnity and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England for arranging this. The trust could not have afforded to house these important artworks without it.”

More details about Wentworth Woodhouse are available at www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk or by calling 01226 351161.