Wall Painting on Upper Portion of South Side of King’s Staircase of William III’s Apartments

The grand staircase leads to William III’s State Apartments. On the wall is “Victory of Alexander over the Cæsars”, by Italian artist Verrio. The twelve Cæsars represent the Catholic forces that William has ousted in the Glorious Revolution. William is the hero Alexander.

 

King William wanted to inspire awe in his visitors as they climbed up to the piano nobile—the principal floor. He employed the Italian painter, Antonio Verrio, to create the illusion of a great Roman hall as the setting for the story of a competition between the commanders Alexander the Great and Julius Cæsar, who vied for a seat beneath the gods’ banquet on the ceiling above. No doubt that the warring William identified with the victor, Alexander, but contemporaries would have understood a second message: that the Roman Catholic James II had been defeated by a Protestant leader.

 

 

The treads of the King’s Staircase are all made from several pieces of stone, supported on walls or arches. It is worth mentioning that the balustrade was made by Jean Tijou. The top landing is very remarkable. It is almost three meters wide and is formed out of many pieces of stone cleverly jointed together. There is a wall below about two meters back from the free edge, so the pieces must be jointed to allow the landing to cantilever. The joints on the soffit appear to tally with the ones on the top.

 

Marble Bust

 

A marble classical female bust, swathed in two layers of drapery around the shoulders.

 

•Physical Properties:

oMedium and Techniques:

marble; alabaster; stone

carved

oMeasurements: 41.0 cm (excluding base/stand)

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