PLATE CXXX.
We have now the gratification of presenting to our readers one of the most pleasing revivals of theCinque-cento style of wood-carving which has yet been executed in England. This beautiful work has beenproduced by Mr. William Gibbs Rogers, from the design of his son, Mr. William Harry Rogers. The nameof the former gentleman must be familiar to all admirers of the art he practises, and it is to be hoped thathe may long continue to maintain his hard-earned reputation. From his youth, when studying in the atelierof D. M £ Lauchlin, of Printing House Square, and under the influence of Richard Birbeck, of Stamford, thelast descendant of the workmen who were formed in the school, and under the eye, of Gibbons, Mr. Rogerslaboured hard to emulate the glories of the last-named artist; and how admirably he has succeeded, hisnumerous works, executed in all parts of the country, unmistakeably show. Among the principal decorationsupon which his elegant taste and perfect manipulation have been lavished, may be enumerated the fittings upof the Church of St. Mary-at-hill, in the City; the enrichments of the dining-room of the Prince de Moskowa,at Paris ; those of the Pavilion, at Brighton; Chats worth, Wentworth, and Stafford Houses; the suite ofapartments at Kensington Palace , in the occupation of the late Duke of Sussex ; and those of many of themansions of the nobility and gentry throughout the country. Among all his elaborate productions there are,however, none to the execution of which he may justly look back with a more honest pride than to that ofthe elegant object we engrave.
In our notice of Plate LXII., we adverted to the carved decorations of ancient ecclesiastical b uil dings ; andwe may now observe that the domestic edifices of old England afford equally interesting examples of theart. To the latter class of buildings, indeed, belong the magnificent roofs of the halls of Westminster,Hampton Court , Eltham, Croydon, Lambeth, and many other palaces, mansions, and collegiate edifices. Thesemagnificent apartments also present much beautiful carving in their screens and galleries. Figures of angelswere introduced in the roofs of domestic buildings in the same manner as in churches. Mr. Shaw hasengraved some interesting specimens of ancient carved furniture, including a chest in oak, of the period ofHenry III. The cradle of Henry V. , engraved by the same gentleman, furnishes a curious contrast with ourpresent subject. Several carved reading-desks, and chests of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, arepreserved in different English churches; and some beautiful chairs of equal antiquity may be seen in St.Mary’s Hall, Coventry, at Evesham, and elsewhere. It was not, however, until the sixteenth century thatcarving was extensively applied to the decoration of furniture. The cabinets, cupboards, buffets, tables,bedsteads, &c., of that era, have been ably illustrated by Mr. Shaw; whilst Mr. Joseph Nash and Mr. C. J.Richardson have displayed equal taste and ability in their delineations of the staircases, chimney-pieces, ceilings,panelling, and other carved details of Tudor and Elizabethan mansions. A passing word is also due to thefine timber-framed houses which add so picturesque a charm to the cities of Chester, York, Canterbury,Gloucester, Shrewsbury, &c., presenting much elaborate and beautiful carving, especially in the barge-boardswhich decorate their gables. Many of these have been engraved from the careful drawings of Mr. B. Ferrey.
It would be an endless task to refer to the varied characteristics of the carvings of the time of Elizabeth