Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver
    Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver
    Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver
    Ebook96 pages44 minutes

    Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver

    By Paul Rabbitts

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Master Carver Grinling Gibbons (1648–1721) is famous for his breathtakingly delicate, intricate and realistic carvings, both in wood and stone. Tantalising cascades of fruit and flowers, puffy-cheeked cherubs, crowds of figures and flourishes of architecture are all trademark features of his energetic, animated carvings that grace stately homes, palaces, churches and colleges across the country. His work can be found in some of Britain's most beloved buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral and Hampton Court Palace. From his early work in the Low Countries to his 'discovery' by the diarist John Evelyn in London, and his appointment as the king's Master Carver, this book celebrates Grinling Gibbons' unequalled talent, his visionary genius, and his ability to transform humble pieces of wood into some of the most exquisite artworks of his day.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateMay 28, 2020
    ISBN9781784424053
    Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver
    Author

    Paul Rabbitts

    ?Paul Rabbitts is a landscape architect and parks manager who has designed, managed and restored urban parks for over twenty-five years. He is the author of the only history of Regent's Park and Richmond Park and wrote Bandstands and London's Royal Parks for Shire.

    Read more from Paul Rabbitts

    Related to Grinling Gibbons

    Titles in the series (100)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Crafts & Hobbies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Laser-engraved Box

      May 4, 2020

      Laser-engraved Box
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Al Gould

      Dec 1, 2020

      Al Gould
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Attack Line Leather

      Nov 1, 2021

      Attack Line Leather
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Craft a Better Leather Apron

      Nov 9, 2018

      Craft a Better Leather Apron
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Absolutely Marble-ous

      May 13, 2020

      Absolutely Marble-ous
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Lucky Escape For My Lathe

      Apr 11, 2022

      Lucky Escape For My Lathe
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Succulent Plant Stands

      Mar 12, 2019

      Succulent Plant Stands
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Carving Board

      Mar 10, 2020

      Carving Board
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Jatoba Jewelry Box

      Mar 14, 2022

      I’m drooling over the cylindrical chest of drawers shown in last issue’s Wood-Sense (pg. 55, Feb/Mar 22). I can usually figure projects out on my own, but this chest has me going in circles. Are there plans for it? Or plans for plans? Senior Editor K

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Adjustable Mobile Desk

      Jul 7, 2020

      Adjustable Mobile Desk
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Heirlooms For The Ages

      Jun 29, 2021

      Heirlooms For The Ages
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Traditional Spoon Carving

      Dec 29, 2020

      Traditional Spoon Carving
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Viking Armor For A Viking

      Aug 1, 2019

      Viking Armor For A Viking
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Riding the Shave Horse

      May 19, 2022

      Riding the Shave Horse
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Miter Plane

      Sep 1, 2020

      Miter Plane
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Chippendale’s Marquetry Team

      May 19, 2022

      Chippendale’s Marquetry Team
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Three Easy Gifts to Make

      Aug 16, 2023

      Three Easy Gifts to Make
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Carved Dough Bowls

      Jul 7, 2020

      Carved Dough Bowls
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The RESTORERS

      Dec 31, 2019

      The RESTORERS
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Close-up and Critical

      Aug 17, 2022

      Close-up and Critical
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Doing More With Less

      Apr 10, 2019

      Doing More With Less
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Scrollsaw SLEIGH

      Nov 14, 2022

      Scrollsaw SLEIGH
      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Nova Neptune Lathes

      May 24, 2024

      Nova Neptune Lathes
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Grinling Gibbons

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Grinling Gibbons - Paul Rabbitts

      Title Page../img/SLI874_014.jpg

      CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      THE ORIGINS AND GENIUS OF GRINLING GIBBONS

      BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT

      OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE

      CHAPELS, CHURCHES AND A CATHEDRAL

      COUNTRY HOUSES AND STATELY HOMES

      LATTER DAYS

      FURTHER READING

      PLACES TO VISIT

      INTRODUCTION

      WRITING IN ONE of the earliest biographies of Grinling Gibbons in 1914, Grinling Gibbons and the Woodwork of his Age, Henry Avray Tipping states that Gibbons requires no introduction and is already a household name, being known ‘in the sphere of the Decorative Arts in England’. Tipping also refers to him as a designer and sculptor. Yet there has been considerable debate throughout our finest periods of architecture on the role of these craftsmen, whether they were joiners, carpenters, stonemasons or other similarly skilled workmen.

      In Saxon times, the carpenter was the principal lead in all matters related to building and furnishing. This continued through the Middle Ages where the carpenter maintained a dominant position, until the beginning of the fifteenth century when joiners and carvers began to be mentioned, and a broad distinction arose between those who used wood simply and constructively and those who used it for more elaborate details. The London carpenters led the way, establishing themselves as a guild with a coat of arms in 1466 and eventually receiving a Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1477. However, a hundred years later, Queen Elizabeth I gave the same privileges to joiners and ceilers. Their charter called them the mystery of Junctorum et Celutorum and the ‘junctor’ elaborately joined pieces of wood with glue or nails and by means of grooves, dovetails and framing. He became the maker of a vast array of furniture including the dresser, the court cupboard, the light chair and the joined table, all of which proliferated under Elizabeth I. A fashion also emerged for the replacement of plain boarded walls with framed wainscoting, which was beginning to be introduced in many of the smaller manor houses and included mantelpieces and door frames and cases. However, if further ornamentation was required, the joiner would call in the other branch of his craft – the ceiler – who was also a woodworker. Tipping explains that ‘to ceil was to cover bare walls and ceiling rafters with ornamental woodwork, and must be derived from the Latin verb, celare, to hide or cover up’. However, the charter of incorporation from the Elizabethan era also described him as a caelator, or carver in bas-relief, of classical Rome. The work of the time was often described by many as clumsy and not especially refined and, in most cases, the same person was both the joiner and ceiler.

      The work of Inigo Jones had an immense influence on seventeenth-century architecture and he laid the foundations for the glorious joinery that distinguished the Stuart period. This became the age of the joiner rather than the carpenter. Friction remained between the two crafts of joinery and carpentry, and their respective livery companies were frequently at loggerheads in the early part of the seventeenth century. In 1632, a committee of aldermen attempted to define the sphere of each craft but failed to satisfy the carpenters, and the rivalry continued well into the seventeenth century. This came to a head in 1672 when the Company of Joiners and Ceilers petitioned the Lord Mayor and aldermen to attempt to enforce the rules laid down in 1632, which were ‘daily broken by the carpenters’. Over time, and especially during the period of the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, the carpenters were limited to plain constructional work. The abundance and excellence of joiners’ work increased considerably over the time with the joiners’ craft assuming larger and more sumptuous proportions while the forms of furniture multiplied and became more

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1