Spirit of Blickling Hall Painting

The Spirit of Blickling Hall Oil on canvas, 100cmx100cm The original painting was exhibited and sold through the Red Dot Gallery in Norfolk, however prints are available. The painting depicts an encounter with a bovine spirit entity as the embodiment of Blickling Hall (a beautiful, Jacobean manor in Norfolk, managed by the National Trust). The estate’s rich history and visitor’s points of interest mapped out on the bull’s embroidered cloak. The encounter happens at night, as you are walking through a wooded part of the grounds, reeds and rose bushes underfoot. You hear the croaking of a small frog and you notice the hall, in the distance, take on a ghostly glow. Suddenly, leaves rustle just ahead of you and you find yourself face to face with a gentle beast with kind, dark eyes. An unusually large ermine moth lands on his neck and he snorts a breath as you take in his magical beauty. You want to reach out and ruffle his fur. But as you go to do so, he fades away, and you are left alone to continue along your path. Notes on symbolic content (from top left, clockwise): Oak leaves and golden acorn:​ representing the National Trust, who manage the estate; decorative/stylised - a nod to William Morris patterns often found in NT gift shops Blickling Hall:​ having a ghostly appearance, crown-like in placement above the bull’s head, lake suggested in the shape behind. Yew branches:​ reference to the ancient yew hedges at the hall Cloak with embroidered imagery:​ representation of stories weaving through time: Taurus constellation​ (bull), ​Sun in Splendour​ (fire dogs in library, Tudors), ​squirrel​ (from carved bench on the estate), ​dog​ (past hunting dogs, present dog walkers), ​orange​ (for the orangery), ​waterlily​ (in the garden), ​topiary​ (parterre), ​urn​ (garden’s planters), ​white falcon and ​‘B’ necklace​ (Anne Boleyn), ​Tudor rose,​ ​the clock tower,​ ​the Mausoleum​, Harold Harefoot (as a ​hare with crown​, he originally owned the site), ​pike fish​ (I saw one in the lake when visiting), ​bluebells​ (as a tourist attraction), ​daffodil​, ​Albrecht Duerer book​ (from the important collection at the hall), ​partridge​ (an episode of ​I’m Alan Partridge​ was set at Blickling) Rose:​ tudor rose and rose garden Reeds:​ found all around the lake Frog:​ nature, lake, wildlife Moth:​ ermine moth, a reference to the ermine worn on the cloaks of royalty Bull:​ Boleyn, Hobart, bull imagery around the estate, White Park (old English breed) For the visual language of the painting, I gained particular inspiration from ​Painting of the Dodo​ by Roelandt Savery, and the Elizabethan/Jacobean portrait artist Robert Peake the Elder. The symbol of the bull cropped up repeatedly during my research, and I realised it could be a strong unifying factor; something tangible and emotive.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:39.4 W x 39.4 H x 2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.