Exceptionally rare gilt leather hangings on display at Dunster Castle in Somerset, are revealing new secrets, following a major research project.
“We’re thrilled to offer visitors the chance to see these artworks in a new light,” says Carol Hunt, General Manager at Dunster Castle. “There’s no complete series of the same story anywhere else in the world.
The hangings have been reinterpreted and are the subject of a new film playing at the Castle, depicting a ‘virtual gallery’ which allows visitors to see them as never before.”
Crafted during the second half of the 17th Century in the Southern Netherlands, the panels depict scenes from the story of Antony and Cleopatra, which have been painstakingly hand-painted onto treated leather, and finished with intricate gilt and stamped embellishments.
The internationally significant artworks have recently been re-interpreted, having undergone in-depth historical analysis as part of a research partnership between the National Trust and The Open University.
“This is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore these beautiful works of art up close and in detail,” continues Carol. “We’re inviting people to admire the craftsmanship and to delve into some of the fascinating history that research led by Professor Clare Taylor from The Open University has uncovered.”
Answering centuries-old questions
The gilt leather hangings have been reinterpreted following a research project with the Open University, which set out to answer long-standing questions about unusual artworks that have been star items in the Dunster collection for centuries.
Staff, volunteer, and visitor questions have been central to the research from the very beginning. “By putting visitors’ and volunteers’ curiosity at the heart of the research, we’ve explored the questions and subjects that matter most to them.
Working with the OU’s innovative XR Studios has enabled us to bring these previously untold stories to life, giving visitors an exciting new way to encounter the collections, via a video journey around a virtual gallery.” says Claire Reed, Curator for Dunster Castle.
“There were some rumours and more colourful stories associated with the hangings, which we wanted to myth bust or confirm. For example, the depiction of Antony (and in particular his knees) made some people ask whether this was suffering from gout. It now seems more likely to have been an artistic styling designed to single him out and give him a more military bearing.”
“The research has also allowed us to bring elements of the artworks’ history into clearer view, such as their age, their origin of creation, their role within the castle collection and the changes they have undergone over the centuries – giving the gilt leather hangings their own biography.”
Clare Taylor, Professor of Art History & Material Cultures at The Open University said, “It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with the National Trust and show how academic research can be made accessible, engaging and relevant to visitors.
Our research has uncovered new insights into these remarkable gilt leathers and their international significance. Working with our XR Studios has enabled us to bring those findings to life in an exciting new way, responding directly to visitors’ questions and helping people see what’s on the walls at Dunster from a completely fresh perspective.”
Even so, mystery continues to surround elements of these artworks. How or why the Luttrell family obtained them remains unknown, though the story of Antony and Cleopatra was fashionable at the time these were made.
A one-of-a-kind survival
The leather hangings at Dunster are part of the original collection. The recent research partnership with The Open University, has confirmed just how rare these surviving 300-year-old works of art are.
“We might be more familiar with gilt leather used to cover walls in decorative, repeating patterns – you find this at Dyrham Park for example,” explains Claire Reed, curator for Dunster. “The hangings at Dunster are considered particularly striking because, as a set, they narrate a continuous story, in the manner of a series of tapestries. From our research, there is no other complete set depicting this story in the world, – so this is truly a unique chance for visitors to see a one-of-a-kind artwork.”
The craftsmanship behind them is considered to be equally remarkable. The leather was treated before being painted like a traditional canvas. Black outlining picks out details of the story, while the “gilt” effect is in fact silver leaf, painted over with a yellow varnish to imitate gold. Stamps were used to imprint delicate patterns across each scene, adding subtle relief and a three-dimensional quality.
Rewriting the collection’s story
The research has also reshaped how the team think about the wider collection at Dunster. “Alongside these exquisite leather hangings, Clare Taylor’s research uncovered records of other leather items the family owned,” Claire Reed Curator for Dunster Castle. “Key leather objects in the collection date from the 1690s to the 1880s, and include screens, seats, and wallpaper made to look like embossed leather.
There were once even more hangings and even – unusually – leather carpets. This suggests the Luttrell family had a particular interest in this material, and it’s changing our perception of the family as collectors of objects and works of art in this period.”
The hangings are also remarkable simply for having survived, at a time when comparable leather items elsewhere have been lost entirely.
“Leather artworks can be difficult to preserve, due to light levels and fluctuations in humidity,” explains Dan Cull, Regional Conservator for the National Trust. “These hangings were clearly treasured – there is evidence of previous repair work, including the addition of borders. While those techniques might differ from the conservation methods we use today, they will almost certainly have helped preserve this set, so it can still be enjoyed 300 years later.”
Visiting information
The gilt leather hangings can be viewed at National Trust Dunster Castle as part of the Gilded Treasures Exhibition, every day from 21 September, 9am – 4pm. For more information please visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/dunster-castle-and-watermill/events/2268f37b-09f2-4588-80dd-188792f6e2dd
