As Antiques Roadshow visits: we look at Burghley's undiscovered gems
On Thursday, the Antiques Roadshow comes to Burghley House, a stately home that may contain some of the finest antiques in the country.
On Thursday, the Antiques Roadshow comes to Burghley House, a stately home that may contain some of the finest antiques in the country.But it still has a few items in its collection that are so mysterious that they'll be taken to the roadshow themselves, as Joanna Borrett found out.
Anyone arriving at Burghley House in Stamford tomorrow in search of valuations from the Antiques Roadshow experts will be stepping into a venue with the ability to take them on an imaginative voyage into the past.
Of course the architecture of the house is unique and magical, but the stories connected to Burghley's collection of antiques also have a special way of bringing history to life, as I found out when I met the house's enthusiastic curator, Jon Culverhouse.
I had asked Jon to show me some of Burghley's more unusual antiques, and we went first to the Treasury Gallery, which currently has an exhibition of the smaller works of art brought home by the fifth and ninth Earls on their grand tours of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Antiques Roadshow information
The Antiques Roadshow will take place at Burghley House on Thursday, 21 May.
Doors will be open from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
People waiting in queues will be offered two tickets for the price of one to view the house.
The Treasury Gallery exhibition continues until 29th October 2009 and is free with entry to the house.
For more information, call 01780 752451, or visit Burghley House website - www.burghley.co.uk/html/event-details.asp?ID=19.
bbc.co.uk/programmes - Antiques Roadshow.
More on Burghley House - peterboroughtoday.co.uk /burghleyhouse
Jon pointed out a peacock feather, beautifully inlaid in a marble panel, which looked perfect, but has, in fact, only recently been restored, having been lying broken and discarded in a cellar for many years.
This exquisite work of art, with subtle colours, made me ask Jon what his definition of beauty is.
"I suppose objects that give pleasure to you or others," he said, "but it's hard to describe and there's an ethereal aspect to it."
I wondered if he felt being brought up surrounded by fine antiques makes it easier to develop good taste.
"Some of it brushes off without any doubt, but there is more to it than that, and I think we're very lucky here, because the Earls seem to have inherited great artistic sensitivity, as well a remarkable eye for culture," he said.
As we moved on Jon pointed out a marble sculpted head of Medusa.
He said: "This is rather a super deluxe copy of a bust the ninth Earl saw and admired. He wasn't able to buy the original, so he had this made.
"Of course, it's one of the more glamorous versions of Medusa, with just the odd snake around her head and a delicious expression on her face.
"Italy was the home of the Renaissance, and in bringing back works the Earls felt they were capturing some of that heritage. These men had very deep pockets and were consciously buying beauty."
Jon then told me about two more exhibition items, a statuette of Charles II of Spain and a drawing of the Madonna.
The statuette was probably made by a German silversmith, and Jon is darkly amused by its subject's character and numerous problems.
"Charles was one of the last Hapsburg kings, and all that royal interbreeding meant that he had mandible disease, couldn't chew, drooled, had difficulty speaking, was partly insane and also impotent. When he married, he drove his wife to suicide," he said.
Luckily, the serene Madonna drawing has no such horror tales attached to it.
The ninth Earl saw the original painting in an Italian palace and subsequently had Mosman draw it for him.
Jon said the hands are observed far better in the painting than the drawing, and it's possible to compare the two as the Earl was able to buy the painting eventually, and it now hangs in the main house.
We returned to Jon's room, where he has assembled two less aristocratic, but more puzzling, items that he's taking to the roadshow himself.
The first is three small flower weights which pose a riddle because no one knows what they would have been used for.
"The decoration implies that they were created to weigh something to do with flowers, but what?" he said. "At first I thought of tulip bulbs, which became ridiculously valuable when tulipmania took off in the late 17th century, but these weights date from 1800, so they're much later than that."
Finally, Jon brought out a teddy bear, very worn and cuddly, and explains that teddies were named after US President Edward Roosevelt, who led a campaign to conserve bears.
"This one is called Peter," he said with affection, " and there's a possibility that he's an early Steiff prototype. If so, he could be worth thousands."
Jon's job does not require him to get involved in valuations because Burghley's collection is in trust and can never be sold. But, in common with many roadshow experts and viewers, it is tracing the provenance of things that he loves that interests him, and there's masses at Burghley still to be discovered.
"There are an incredible number of records here, and piecing the stories of these works of art together is a bit like being a detective," he said.
"For me this is the best job in the world. The house hasn't given up all its mysteries yet."Expert will not have far to travel
Burghley has many links with the Antiques Roadshow. Both Lady Victoria Leatham, the previous occupant, and Orlando Rock, Lady Victoria's son-in-law, are antiques experts who have given valuations and advice on the programme for years.
The Roadshow was first filmed at Burghley in 1997, just a few days after Lady Victoria's daughter, Miranda, married Orlando, and the show was filmed in their wedding marquee.
Miranda, Orlando and their four children live in the house today, and Orlando will be one of the experts deciphering antiques on Thursday.
I asked him what sort of items people should bring along.
"It's often the things you think are valuable that are worth very little, and those you think are worthless that prove to be a surprise," he said. "Quirky mugs, posters, unusual bits of jewellery and anything with an interesting family story are usually fascinating.
"It isn't just about money, the romance of the history of items makes them intriguing; and although there are likely to be large numbers of people on the day, everyone who arrives before 4.30pm will definitely be seen."
Antiques Roadshow information
The Antiques Roadshow will take place at Burghley House on Thursday, 21 May.
Doors will be open from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
People waiting in queues will be offered two tickets for the price of one to view the house.
The Treasury Gallery exhibition continues until 29th October 2009 and is free with entry to the house.
For more information, call 01780 752451, or visit Burghley House website - www.burghley.co.uk/html/event-details.asp?ID=19.
bbc.co.uk/programmes - Antiques Roadshow.
More on Burghley House - peterboroughtoday.co.uk /burghleyhouse.
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