HYLAND
Knole is not only a landmark repository of some of Europe's
most precious examples of decorative art, it is also a place
of important Old Master portraits. Of these, there is one,
given Knole's much later connection to a famous female
literary artist, that presides over the collections as a kind of
patron saint and augury, namely, Anthony van Dyck's portrait
of the influential female Renaissance painter Sofanisba
Anguissola, painted at the very end of her life. Born in
Cremona, as a young woman Anguissola traveled to
Rome, where she met Michelangelo who immediately
recognized her talent. Living to the ripe old age of 93,
Anguissola was praised by none other than Vasari, and
her lifelong success paved the way for later women,
notably Artemisia Gentileschi, to pursue serious careers
The Royal 'Stool of Easement' (an early form of 'loo', from the French 'lieux
d'aisance') – thought to have been used by either Charles II or James II.
Emily
Watts
