Posted 26 September 2017

Sculpture walk with the expert

Waddesdon’s gardens are filled with sculptures which have various mythological tales to tell. You can now explore them online in the company of our senior curator, Dr Juliet Carey.

Since the Renaissance, art collectors brought back copies of Greek and Roman sculptures from their Grand Tour travels, to display their taste and classical knowledge. Baron Ferdinand used 18th-century sculpture to create points of interest in the gardens. Log onto our website and select either a list or map as a starting point to help you navigate through the grounds and enjoy a tour.

Meet Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture; every autumn a spider’s web dramatically covers her face with a delicate veil. You will also find Bacchus, Roman god of wine. Bacchus was originally a fertility god worshipped in the form of a bull or goat. His rites could involve frenzied sacrificial orgies in which the animal was torn to pieces and its raw flesh eaten. At the top of Baron’s Walk, you’ll encounter Apollo who personifies Reason. Apollo was known as the Sun God, and Louis XIV styled himself as the ‘Sun King’, emblems of Apollo were part of his image-making. In fact, another sculpture of Apollo, triumphant over the monster Python by Jean Raon was originally made for the palace of Versailles.

Discover vases which tell stories of Time and Death and the Four Seasons, or learn more about the tale of the goddess Venus who fell hopelessly in love with the mortal Adonis, with tragic consequences for Adonis. These early 18^th-century figures are riddled with holes – during World War Two they were used as target practice by the army who were stationed at Aston Clinton, another Rothschild house nearby.

A detail of holes from target practice. Photo: Chris Lacey © National Trust, Waddesdon Manor.

Today, our 18th-century statues are joined by contemporary sculpture commissioned by the Rothschild Foundation for Waddesdon, including Lafite, two giant candlesticks by Joana Vasconcelos, made from hundreds of Château Lafite Rothschild wine bottles, and Le Carrosse by Xavier Veilhan, which depicts a red charging horse-drawn carriage.

Lafite lit up at night. Photo: Chris Lacey © National Trust, Waddesdon Manor.

So why not stretch your legs and enjoy a walk around our grounds, encountering sculpture old and new? As winter approaches, the covers will start to go on to protect them from the elements, so now is a good time to see them before they vanish for the winter. Or if you are feeling a bit lazy you can even enjoy them from the comfort of your own armchair!