Carving over one of the Doors of the Chapel.
The great glory, artistically, however, of the Chapel at Chatsworth, and, indeed, as we have already said, of the state-rooms of this noble pile, are the splendid wood-carvings which adorn its walls and the heads of its upper doors. Between the large panels of the cedar walls are exquisite pendants, ten in number, and others occur on each side of the altar. The pendants consist of flowers, fruit, foliage, and corn, festooned and entwined with drapery in the most free and graceful manner, and so true to nature in every detail as to be deceptive. Over the doors in the gallery are fine figures of Cupids with musical instruments. These, and some of the pendants, we engrave.
Carvings in the Chapel.
And now it becomes necessary to say a word or two as to the authors of these and the other exquisite carvings which adorn the rooms of Chatsworth. Those in the chapel, as well as some others, are generally believed and generally stated to be by Grinling Gibbons; and if marvellous skill in execution, masterly conception, delicate handling, and purity of design, be any special characteristic of the work of that great genius, then, most assuredly, there is sufficient in these examples to lead the most able judges to appropriate them to him; judgment, however, and popular belief must not be allowed to usurp the place of facts, and it is an undoubted fact that in the accounts of the building of Chatsworth, although the names of all the more noted artists and contractors appear, that of Grinling Gibbons does not, it is stated, once occur; still it is possible that work might have been done by him, and it is conjectured that as the sum of £14 15s. was paid to Henry Lobb, the carpenter, for cases in which some carved work, statues, and pictures, were conveyed to Chatsworth from London, this carved work might be by Gibbons.
The principal wood-carvers were Thomas Young, William Davies, Joel Lobb, and Samuel Watson, to the latter of whom is undoubtedly due the credit of much of the work which has of late been ascribed to Gibbons. Those who have admired the exquisite carving of flowers, dead game, fish, nets, festoons, &c., in the State Dining-room, to which we have alluded, and have considered them to be by the master-hand of Gibbons, will perhaps learn, with some little surprise, that they are the creations of the genius of Watson (a Derbyshire worthy), and his co-labourers, Lobb and Davies. The following is the memorandum relating to the agreement as to this work, contained in the original book of work done by Watson from 1690 to 1712. “Sept. 9, 1692. Joel Lobb, William Davies, and Samuel Watson agreed with the Earl of Devonshire to execute in lime-tree, the carving of the great chamber, to be done equal to anything of the kind before executed, for which they were to receive £400; this carving consists of flowers, wreaths, dead game, cherubs,” &c. The original designs by Watson for some of the carving in this room (as well as in others) are preserved.
Samuel Watson was born at Heanor, in Derbyshire, in 1662, and is said to have studied under—indeed to have been an apprentice of—C. Oakley, in London. Soon after completing his apprenticeship he commenced work at Chatsworth, and here he continued to be employed, as the accounts show, until 1712, only three years before his death, which took place in 1715. He was buried at his native village, Heanor, where a tablet remains to his memory, bearing the following verse:—
“Watson is gone, whose skilful Art display’d
To the very life whatever Nature made;
View but his wondrous works in Chatsworth hall,
Which are so gazed at and admired of all
You’ll say ‘tis pity he should hidden lie,
And nothing said to revive his memory.
My mournful friends, forbear your tears,
For I shall rise when Christ appears.