The chapel at Wentworth Woodhouse
The chapel at Wentworth Woodhouse was built by the architect Ralph Tunnicliffe in 1734 for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham. The oak panelled walls behind and to either side of the altar hold a series portraits of Jesus Christ, eleven of the 12 apostles and Saint Paul. Each of the paintings has a visual reference or artefact associated with the life (or death) of the apostle. The painting of Christ is in the style of ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi’ painting.
There are two sets of similar paintings in convents in Mons and Warsaw and these paintings are thought to be the work of the Flemish painter Gerad Seghers (1591 - 1651). Seger was heavily influenced by Caravaggio and Rubens and this comes through in these artworks.
It is possible that the works were acquired by the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam from a religious house in the Netherlands circa 1789. The paintings were grouped together in the gilded baton frames sometime in the 19th century and the ‘missing’ apostle (St James) was omitted because of lack of space, the painting is now in a private collection.
The chapel at Wentworth Woodhouse
The chapel at Wentworth Woodhouse was built by the architect Ralph Tunnicliffe in 1734 for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham. The oak panelled walls behind and to either side of the altar hold a series portraits of Jesus Christ, eleven of the 12 apostles and Saint Paul. Each of the paintings has a visual reference or artefact associated with the life (or death) of the apostle. The painting of Christ is in the style of ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi’ painting.
There are two sets of similar paintings in convents in Mons and Warsaw and these paintings are thought to be the work of the Flemish painter Gerad Seghers (1591 - 1651). Seger was heavily influenced by Caravaggio and Rubens and this comes through in these artworks.
It is possible that the works were acquired by the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam from a religious house in the Netherlands circa 1789. The paintings were grouped together in the gilded baton frames sometime in the 19th century and the ‘missing’ apostle (St James) was omitted because of lack of space, the painting is now in a private collection.