Callaghan, Angela (2013) The ceiling of Skelmorlie aisle: a narrative articulated in paint. PhD ...

332 Pages·2014·5.05 MB·English

Callaghan, Angela (2013) The ceiling of Skelmorlie aisle: a narrative
articulated in paint. PhD thesis.

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4891/

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Glasgow Theses Service
http://theses.gla.ac.uk/
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THE CEILING OF SKELMORLIE AISLE:
A NARRATIVE ARTICULATED IN PAINT.

Author: Angela Callaghan

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

School of Humanities

College of Arts

University of Glasgow

© Angela Callaghan 2013
CONTENTS

Author’s Declaration
Acknowledgements
Abstract
List of Plates
Buildings Visited
Abbreviations

Introduction 1

Chapter One EARLY MODERN SCOTTISH NOBILITY: EXPERIENCES AND
INFLUENCES 32

1. 1 Early Modern Scottish Nobility 34
1. 2 Contemporary Religion 40
1. 3 Montgomerie, seventh of Skelmorlie: Personal Profile 48
1.4 The Ayrshire Vendetta 57
1.5 Direct Involvement of the Skelmorlie Branch 62

Chapter Two CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 71
2. 1 Burial Aisles 72
2. 2 Skelmorlie Aisle 74
2. 3 Laird's Lofts 76
2.4 Domestic Architecture 78
2.5 Interior Decoration and Design: The Painted Ceiling in Scotland 80
2.6 Ayrshire Examples of the Painted Ceiling 84
2.7 Types of Ceiling Construction 86
2.8 Colours and Materials 89
2.9 The Influence of the Reformation and the Transferral of the Royal Court 90
2.9a The Patron/Artist Relationship 95
2.9b The Montgomerie/ Stalker Relationship 100

Chapter Three SOURCES, ARTISTIC ORIGINALITY AND THE POSITIONING OF
THE PAINTINGS 105
3. 1 A New Approach to Religious Iconography 106
3. 2 Sources: Continental Influence 110
3. 3 Emblem Books 115
3.4 Sources used for Scottish Painted Ceilings 125
3.5 Seton's Pinkie House Decorative Scheme 127
3.6 Stalker's Sources 130
3.7 Skelmorlie Aisle: Artistic Originality 144
3.8 The View from the Church and the Positioning of the Paintings 147

Chapter Four ESTABLISHING GENRE: DEATH AND MEMORY WITHIN THE
CEILING ICONOGRAPHY 158
4. 1 Life and Death 160
4. 2 The Theatre of Death 166
4. 3 The Body Divided 170
4.4 Painting Death 173

Chapter Five PAINTING THE WORD: ANALYSIS OF THE RELIGIOUS
ICONOGRAPHY 185
5. 1 Dutch Influence at Skelmorlie Aisle 186
5. 2 Old Testament Narratives 187
5. 3 The Tribes of Israel 191
5.4 Biblical Quotations 193
5.5 Early Modern Landscape Paintings 195
5.6 Stalker's Seasons 200
Chapter Six A SURVEY OF THE VERNACULAR PAINTINGS, HERALDIC
REPRESENTATIONS AND CARDINAL VIRTUES 221
6. 1 The ‘Achievement’ of Power and Pride 222
6. 2 A Virtuous Nature? 225
6. 3 The Sea 228
6.4 The Land 250

Conclusion 264

Plates
Appendix 1 Montgomerie Family Tree
Appendix II Biblical Quotations from Skelmorlie Aisle

Bibliography
AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I declare that, except where explicit reference is made to the contribution of others,
that this dissertation is the result of my own work and has not been submitted for any
other degree at the University of Glasgow or any other institution.

Signature_________________________________________________

Printed Name _____________________________________________

Date_____________________________________________________
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the many people who have
assisted me in the course of writing this dissertation. Firstly, my grateful thanks and
appreciation to my supervisors, Dr Lizanne Henderson and Professor E.J. Cowan,
for their guidance and advice. To the staff of the University of Glasgow, Dumfries
Campus; in particular Dr David Borthwick, Director of Postgraduate Research, for
his unfaltering support and encouragement for which I am extremely grateful. My
thanks to Dr Bethan Wood and Dr Steven Gillespie for their continued interest and
support. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Crichton Foundation and
GRATA for their financial assistance. My special thanks to the staff of Historic
Scotland Conservation Centre, especially Robert Wilmot, Ailsa Murray and Michael
Pearce. My thanks is also extended to Irene Innes of Largs and District Historical
Society. A very special thank you to my dear friend Carolyn Gordon for
painstakingly reading through every word and for her constant support and
encouragement. I also extend my gratitude to Madeleine Campbell-Jewett for her
friendship and words of wisdom. To my parents, Alex and Nan Mc Hendry, my
most grateful thanks for their financial support and encouragement. A very loving
thank you to my family, Martin, Julia and Jonathan, for always believing in me and
without whose love and constant support I would not have been able to undertake
this project. And finally, to my beloved Basset Hounds Faegan, Wilma, Barney,
Bessie, Benny, Lottie, Winston and Alfie who have been my constant companions,
sharing every joy and frustration with unconditional love and devotion. Their
comforting presence meant so much to me during the writing of this thesis and it is
with the most heartfelt sadness that Wilma, Barney, Faegan, Bessie and Alfie could
not be here at its completion.

Angela Callaghan
November 2013
ABSTRACT

The intention of this thesis was to demonstrate that, with in-depth analysis, a
carefully and deliberately constructed narrative could be revealed within the ceiling
paintings of Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Scotland (c.1638). The ceiling adorned a burial
aisle, which was erected by Sir Robert Montgomerie, seventh of Skelmorlie, in
honour of his wife, Dame Margaret Douglas. The paintings, executed by Edinburgh
apprentice James Stalker, are the only surviving example of the genre signed and
dated by the artist. The ceiling was composed of forty-one individual compartments
each one containing different combinations of emblems, designs, human figures,
animals, birds and heraldic representations. Of the forty-one compartments, four of
these contained landscape paintings, depicting the seasons, and their associated
labours. Two unusual paintings were also executed each containing representations
of a female figure on the land and by the sea. By a study of semiotics, this
dissertation systematically re-constructed the narrative concealed within the
paintings. This revealed the intrinsic meaning of the iconography. The thesis argued
that simple observation revealed very little information relating to the understanding
of the paintings and in-depth study was required to elucidate this.
The narrative began with an exploration of seventeenth-century nobility with
a particular focus on the patron, Sit Robert Montgomerie of Skelmorlie. It then
considered the role of architecture and design in Early Modern Scotland with a
discussion on domestic architecture and burial aisles. An exploration into the painted
ceiling in seventeenth-century Scotland was also included as was a consideration of
the role of the artist and patron. A focus on the sources available to artists in
Scotland during the Early Modern period, followed with a particular investigation
into those used within the ceiling iconography of Skelmorlie Aisle. Whether it was
intended that the ceiling iconography was to be read in a specific order was also
included. These initial stages provided a platform from which an in-depth analysis of
the iconography within the paintings, could be undertaken. The methodology applied
here was that composed by German born art historian Erwin Panofsky. Panofsky
argued that identifying objects, shapes and forms did not convey why certain
components were chosen or what they meant. The first step was to ascertain the
genesis of the sources, as this provided a greater understanding of the narrative and
why they were chosen by Montgomerie. The research revealed that, with the
exception of generic designs of floral patterns and scrollwork, the iconography
within the paintings was not chosen at random; each component was selected for a
very specific reason. When all of the factors were considered and the iconography
analysed in depth, the full narrative became exposed.
PLATES

All images of Skelmorlie Aisle were reproduced by the kind permission of
Historic Scotland.
(CD-ROM. attached)

Plate 1 James Stalker, Painted Ceiling, (c.1638) Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 2 Skelmorlie Aisle (c.1636-39), Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 3 Monument (c.1639) Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 4 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, Ver, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/ 2.

Plate 5 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, Aestas, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/3.

Plate 6 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, Autumnus, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/ 1.

Plate 7 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, Hyems, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/4.

Plate 8 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, The Land, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/6.

Plate 9 HS, Ultra-Violet Light Photography, The Sea, Skelmorlie Aisle HS. UV.
SA/5.

Plate 10 W.H. Ross, Painted Ceiling, Skelmorlie Aisle (c.1819), included in Robert
Dobie Wilson, The Skelmorlie Aisle and Monuments at Largs, (Edinburgh, 1889).

Plate 11 Andrew Lyons, ‘The painted ceiling in the old church at Largs’,
Proceedings of the Antiquar#ies Society of Scotland vol. xxxv,1904.

Plate 12 James Stalker, The Land (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 13 James Stalker, The Sea (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 14 James Stalker, Heraldic Displays (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs,
Ayrshire.

Plate 15 James Stalker, Adam and Eve (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 16 James Stalker, Esau and Jacob (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs,
Ayrshire.
Plate 17 James Stalker, Fortitude, (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 18 James Stalker, Ver (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 19 James Stalker, Aestas (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 20 James Stalker, Autumnus (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 21 James Stalker, Hyems (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 22 Ordinance Survey Map, (1857) Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 23 Former entrance to church building, Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 24 Glencairn Aisle, St. Maur's Church, Kilmaurs, Ayrshire.

Plate 25 Forbes Aisle, Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire.

Plate 26 Location of Renaissance Decorative Painted Ceilings.

Plate 27 Peter Paul Rubens, Banqueting Hall Ceiling (c.1638), Whitehall, London

Plate 28 Skelmorlie Castle, Skelmorlie, Ayrshire.

Plate 29 Skelmorlie Aisle, Barrel Vault (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs,
Ayrshire.

Plate 30 James Stalker, Signature (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 31 Geffrey Whitney, In Utrumque Paratus taken from A Choice of Emblemes
(c1586).

Plate 32 James Stalker, Emblem (c.1638), Skelmorlie Aisle, Largs, Ayrshire.

Plate 33 Maarten de Vos, Winter, Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge,
PDP, 3711 (5584).

Plate 34 Ecclesia and Synagoga (c. 1230), Cathedral Museum, Strasbourg.

Plate 35 John Calvin, Personal Emblem.

Plate 36 John Workman, Penitent Magdalene (17th Century).

Plate 37 John Sawers, Manuscript Armorial, Arms of the Earl of Sterlein.

Plate 38 (Left) Hendrick Goltzius, Equus Liber Et Incompositus, (c.1579),
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. (Right) James Stalker,
Image of Horse, Skelmorlie Aisle (c.1638).