Showing posts with label HC Fehr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HC Fehr. Show all posts

Friday, 19 March 2010

Hotel Russell, Russell Square WC1

Elizabeth
Anne (or Mary)
H.C. Fehr modelled four British Queens for the main entrance of the Hotel Russell, and four prime ministers for round the side. As with most of Fehr's work, they are very idealised, in fact, idealised to the extent of being practically unidentifiable, except that we can assume that the Catholic Mary Tudor would not have been included as Catholics were still regarded as suspect to say the least.
The best clue to their identities is inside the hotel, where the best suites are the Elizabeth, Anne, Mary and Victoria.
Mary (or Anne)
Elizabeth is obvious from her ruff, and the 18th century fashions point out Anne and Mary, though which is which I'd rather not say.
Which leaves the girl with the orb as Victoria. This is truly eccentric - in 1898 the image of the Queen as the little old widow was so well established I bet most Victorians would have been amazed that this young thing was actually their Empress.
And Victoria was always, even when young, portrayed with her hair in a bun.
Lord Derby







Gladstone

Lord Salisbury
Identifying the prime ministers is, oddly, rather easier despite the lavish Victorian face fungus. They are (if I have got this right) Lord Derby, Lord Salisbury, a young and rather dynamic looking Gladstone, and the only instantly recognisable one, Disraeli.
Disraeli

Sunday, 27 September 2009

Supreme Court, Parliament Square SW1

Even the back door of the old Middlesex Guildhall was adorned with sculpture. Here, Henry Fehr has created a wonderful trio symbolising the values of the law. Over the door, set in a lavish Gothic-with-Art-Nouveau-touches canopy, is Justice, blindfold to show she is indifferent to wealth, privilege or power. Despite her blindfold, she can obviously see because she is carrying the lamp of truth.
The pair of smaller statues on either side of the doorway seem to represent Reason and Passion. The young lady on the left is calm and thoughtful, firmly grasping the sword of the intellect. The girl on the right is ensnared in vines of passion flowers, her hands held to her throat in a gesture of panic.

Monday, 24 August 2009

Supreme Court, Parliament Square SW1

The ground floor windows of the Supreme Court have keystone figures of great charm, by Henry Fehr. On the south face they represent the arts, specifically sculpture, painting, classical architecture and gothic architecture.
I particularly like the representation of sculpture, which appears to be a neat reversal of the Pygmalian myth - a female sculptress is admiring a male figure.

Friday, 21 August 2009

Supreme Court, Parliament Square SW1

The south facade of the Supreme Court has a balcony stretching almost its full width, supported by angels designed by Henry Fehr. Between are the different kinds of foliage and creatures featured in the previous post.
The angels are Fehr's typically lovely but passionless beauties, holding various legal attributes such as the sword of justice, a balance and various scrolls and books. One has a sceptre and orb denoting royal authority.

Friday, 12 June 2009

Victoria Station SW1

Victoria Station was built in two halves in 1860, the Brighton line on the right and the Dover line on the left. Despite their proximity, the rival companies refused to cooperate on an overall scheme.
And when, nearly half a century later, the termini were rebuilt on a much grander scale, the companies were still at war and brought their own architects in for their halves.
The Dover side was designed by Alfred W. Blomfield and W.J. Ancell, with sculpture by H.C. Fehr.
An arch at the centre is flanked by a pair of pavilions with broken pediments supported by pairs of mermaids to emphasise the railway's links with the ferry port and the naval base at Chatham. Each mermaid leans protectively over a ship.
The mermaids are all ideally beautiful (Fehr didn't do ugly) so they all look the same. Interestingly, the ships are all different. Two are under sail, one with a busty figurehead. Two are steamships, one a warship the other a ferry. Both are puffing steam rather uncomfortably into the poor girl's armpit.