Tuesday, 5 March 2013

The Painted hall

The Painted Hall in the Old Naval College in Greenwich was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1698 as a dining hall for Naval veterans. They were known as the Greenwich Pensioners and lived here at the Royal Hospital for Seamen. It took the artist Sir James Thornhill 19 years to complete. He had been instructed to include naval victories and members of the Royal family. The West wall shown below has George1 surrounded by his family














The ceiling is also a masterpiece to be viewed with the aid of a mirrored table otherwise neck ache prevails.







 




On the floor of the hall is a memorial to men from the USA who joined the Royal Navy during WW2 and consequently lost their lives.

 
 






13 comments:

  1. Hard to believe that there are places like that in this country, the place looks stunning.

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  2. A mirrored table is a great idea. One of our galleries has a stained glass ceiling and people lie on the floor to gaze up at the masterpiece. The labelling of the characters in a copy is also very helpful.

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  3. What a wonderful work of art! The mirrored table is quite clever.

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  4. Hi Marie, Would love to visit the Painted Hall at the Old Naval College someday... Gorgeous!!!! I can understand taking THAT long to paint that. It's SO detailed. WOW...

    We have a series of small Catholic Churches in Texas that are painted inside like that (but not as detailed). They are called the Painted Churches. I need to find those pictures. It's been years since I have been there.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. wow these ceilings and walls are magnificent! I fell in love with frescos like this in France - so much oppulance - but what a gift for us to see and admire today.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog today. have a wonderful week.

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  6. Hi, i thought these ceiling paintings are mostly only in churches. Thanks for dropping by my site.

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  7. Thats a great place. Love the mirrored table so you can see the ceiling. I have seen the college from outside didn't know that you could go inside. It's very grand for a naval college.

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  8. What an art work ! Beautiful !

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  9. I was just wondering about that neck ache, when you mentioned it.
    Really great work (and that too on the ceiling)

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  10. Wonderful art work. The concept of using a table to mirror the ceiling is interesting.

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  11. To see this in person must be awesome! For sure it's amazing in photos.

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