English: The Music Room from Norfolk House, St James's Square, London, 1748-1756 V&A Museum no. W.70:1-1938

Artist/designer -
(Panelled room) Brettingham, Matthew, born 1699 - died 1769 (architects)
(Panelled room) Borra, Giovanni Battista, born 27/12/1713 - died 11/1770 (designers)
(Panelled room) Cuenot, Jean Antoine / John Anthony (carvers)
(Panelled room) Cuenot, Jean Antoine / John Anthony (gilders)
(Panelled room) Lovell, James, born active 1746-1777 (chimneypiece, possibly carvers)

Dimensions - (Panelled room) Height 536 cm
(Panelled room) Width 620 cm
(Panelled room) Depth 998.5 cm

This panelling and ceiling came from the Music Room of Norfolk House, the London town house of the Dukes of Norfolk (demolished in 1938). The Music Room formed part of a circuit of state rooms on the first floor, which included three drawing rooms and a state bedchamber. The ceiling panels are decorated with trophies representing the Arts, and the larger wall panels with musical trophies, surmounted by heads of Apollo, the ancient Greek god of music.

Subjects Depicted - The smaller panels on the ceiling represent the Arts: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture (represented holding a plan of Norfolk House), Music, Literature, Surveying and geometry. The large central panel represents a trophy of weapons, including the helmet and shield of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom.

People - Norfolk House was built between 1748 and 1752 by Matthew Brettingham (1699-1769), a Palladian architect, for Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk (1686-1777). Giovanni Battista Borra (1713-1770) designed the musical trophies: James Lovell (active 1752-1778) is thought to have executed those on the ceiling, as well as the chimney-piece, and Jean Antoine Cuenot (died 1763) is known to have carved those on the walls. The exuberant style of the Music Room would have catered for the francophile tastes of Duchess Mary.

Design & Designing - Brettingham modelled the ceiling on that of the Banqueting Hall, Whitehall Palace, by Inigo Jones (1573-1652). Borra's designs for the trophies in the celing are similar to published engravings by Thomas Lightholer, whereas the masks on the walls are similar to engravings by Jean B‚rain (1639-1711), and the trophies to ones by Jean Fran‡ois Blondel (1705-1774).

Credit line -

Given by the Duke of Norfolk, in conjunction with The Norfolk House (St. James's Square) Syndicate Ltd.