Recreating a bygone age of Romance and Passion
Decorative artist, Jaci Vianna has been painting wonderful murals at Rowton Castle since it was taken over by Jacques De Sousa in October 1997. Jaci has the ability and flair to sympathetically design in the style of this building. She does this using not only her natural creative flair but also doing a great deal of research into the history of the building and design trends of the period.
Singerie (Art with Monkeys)
Jaci was first inspired by the Singerie style by the Meissen Monkey Orchestra, a wonderful porcelain piece from the 18th Century and she decided that it was intriguing, inspirational, lively and would make a wonderful theme for Rowton Castle. We are also told that in the 17th Century monkeys were brought back from India by sailors who tamed them on the ships and then sold them to landed gentry who dressed them up and used them to entertain their friends. Although we have no evidence that this went on at Rowton Castle it conjures up a feeling of frivolity and romance, entertaining from a bygone age which helps to create the wonderful ambiance that you will find at Rowton Castle.
The Georgian Dining Room
The original oak panelling was erected in 1704 along with the panelling in the Reception area. When the Victorians built the Gothic style addition of the ballroom, now known as the Cardeston Suite, they also painted all the oak panelling with a black treacle-like varnish, which made the room extremely dark. It was felt that it needed to be considerably lightened and was therefore painted duck egg blue, a colour typical of 18th century interiors.
As the room is used primarily as a private Dining room, the monkeys make a great topic of conversation and whether one likes them or not, they are painted in such intricate detail, that one can not fail to be fascinated by them.
Lady on a Swing / Romance
Epitomises the weddings at Rowton Castle, she is poised, elegant and romantic. Jaci found that in order to dress the monkey, she had to alter the monkey's anatomy. She has been successful in making the monkey look elegant and pretty, whilst retaining the monkey features. In fact Jaci did want the monkey to wear shoes but the monkey feet do not lend themselves to wearing shoes, so she painted them dangling by a ribbon from her swing. The gown the monkey is wearing is loosely taken from the famous portrait of Madam Pompadour.
The Monkey with the Tassel / Curiosity
Jaci feels that this monkey has turned out to be bit of a fop and is her favourite of all the paintings. The costumes and stance give her great satisfaction and the tassel is the ultimate in frivolity. When you look further into the painting you will notice that he is actually concentrating on a spider with great curiosity.
The Monkey with the Glass / Welcome
Jaci admits to taking a liberty with the date of this monkey and was inspired by later portraits of Lord Bryon and his contemporaries, who were inclined to affect Middle Eastern costumes. His striped trousers were probably the most difficult piece in the whole room, as they had to look as if he was sitting cross-legged. If you look closely at the glass from a sitting position, you will notice that you are viewing from underneath the glass, as you stand up the monkey's glass appears to tilt as if to say 'Cheers and Welcome'.
The Monkey in the Corner / Pensive
The fine gentleman, who is standing nonchalantly in the corner, is the most serious of the four monkeys. It begs the thought that monkeys have always been kept as pets and Jaci decided that this monkey should have its own pet. If you look very closely you will notice that peeping out over the beautiful lace handkerchief in his pocket there is a delightful little white mouse.
The Gilt Edging
Jaci decided, foolishly in hindsight, to gold leaf all of the mouldings, not realising that if the mouldings had been laid end to end they would have reached China! A slight exaggeration but it was very labour intensive and time consuming. She had to call in the assistance of a traditional gold leafer, Ralf Greenback. It took the two of them 3 weeks to complete the job and Ralf's efforts have been given their just recognition by the mention of his name along side Jaci's in the note the monkey is reading.
The Cedar Restaurant
The painting on the ceiling of the restaurant is almost upstaged by the magnificent 17th Century Jacobean fireplace. The decision was made to upholster the walls in a linen fabric in a sympathetic Jacobean pattern. The ceiling is painted in the same bright patterns, which contrary to popular beliefs, were used extensively on plastered walls and ceilings in the 17th Century. This is quite different from the other paintings in the hotel; modern paints have been used and then cleverly distressed to give an authentic look.
Cardeston 1 Suite / Fantasy
The Cardeston Suite was the last room on the ground floor to be decorated; it was somewhat neglected and the bar, although functional, drew attention away from the magnificent mouldings and panels, which probably date back to the early 19th century. It has two sets of double doors opening into the lounge, which is country house style and the ballroom, which is in Victorian Gothic Style. The problem for the designer was to make a successful marriage between the two styles.
It was decided to take the colours from both rooms and choose a graceful, elegant design which, used in sufficient quantity, would not to be over whelmed by the décor of the ballroom. The walls are full of fascinating detail for anyone who has the time to look, but if one is just passing through it is not too attention seeking. The delightful fantasy created by the artist, conveys a total lack of relative proportion of the various animals and insects. The project has now been completed with the painting of the pillars and archways to make this once neglected room a vision to behold.
Jaci Vianna
Jaci went to Sheffield Art College and then worked as a Commercial Artist in Sheffield, later branching out into Interior design. She enjoys working at Rowton Castle because, as she puts it, "It's is nice to work with a building with a style of its own where my function is to embellish and exaggerate that style, rather than create a style as with a modern building."
