My 4 day trip to Dorset - Day 1 (late morning cont) - Bournemouth - The Russel-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery - The Upper Hall; the Green Room, the Red Room ; the Moorish Alcove; the Boudoir; the Study and the Irving room - The 21st of April 2016

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It was virtually impossible to photograph everything I would have liked to because the the upper hall around the staircase was like an Art gallery with magnificent paintings and sculptures, whose projected light from a glazed like dome gave the whole area a special touch of added artistry.

 

I just walked around admiring each painting individually and especially those that caught my attention not only  because of the subject themes but also the blended colours which seemed to fit perfectly into the overall atmosphere.

The new model - 1883 by D. Skutetzki (left).

The tempting bait by Arthur John Elsley.

Rotterdam by P.C. Dommersen (left).

How the Danes came to the channel thousand years ago by Herbert A. Bone.





















Good news and bad news by John Bagnold Burgess.

I then moved into the various rooms around the upper hall, having started with the green one believed to have been a guest room located on one of its sides. It has been adapted to display collections from around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then into the Red room said to have been Merton's room, with a magnificent view over the pier.

 

One of the smallest yet most interesting house divisions was the Moorish Alcove enclosed by three doors and leading to the Study, Boudoir and Yellow room. Much of its influence contains deseigns from the Alhambra in Granada, with the fretwork being the design form the mosaic floor in the Hall of the two sisters also in Granada with the addition of  swallows to be found throughout the house.

From the fully glazed  dome one could see a Moorish lantern hanging and highlighting the amazingly beautiful and expressive 1881 marble and bronze sculpture - Il Moro di Venezia (Othelo) by Pietro Calvi.

The Boudoir where Annie Russel-Cotes is believed to have sewn, read and written letters is said to have retained its  original scheme until 1966, though it later had to be redecorated.

Vignettes - an 1890 oil on a large wooden panel painting shaped into an artist's palette by J. Bernard (left). 

 

 

A girl's head - an 1875 oil oncanvas painting by Charles Sillem Lidderdalle.

The Sudy was used as Morning room and show room where the European decorative arts and Fine Art was displayed with great effect. The study's rich metallic finish was thought of as the perfect backdrop for paintings.

 

 

The Butterflu by L. Falero (right).

To end the visit I walked into the "in memory" Irving room, which is said to have originally been a bedroom, later changed into a library and finally into a Museum room dedicated to the famous Vicotrian actor, the Russel-Coteses were fond of  and great admirers. A large proportion of the collection exhibited in the room was obtained from Christi's sale of "theatrical relics" in 1905.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I finished visiting the whole House Museum and Art Gallery I decided I couldn't leave without seeing the temporary exhibition on masks, despite having to later get into Wareham, so I headed down to the ground floor again.

(To be continued)