Room 55

Bullingdon

Back in early May, I posted myself an aide memoire (at reference 1) about wanting to visit a picture of St. Jerome by one Antonello da Messina, operating in Italy at about the time that we were fighting the Wars of the Roses. Checking with the National Gallery, I found that the picture is presently missing, but I thought I would go and take a look at what else Room 55 had to offer anyway. Anticipating, I was pleased to find that the attendant in the room had a list in her pocket which told her where missing pictures were to be found, with this one having been loaned for an exhibition in Milan, probably back on our walls by the beginning of July. Couldn't be too sure about exactly when as the conservation people might want to give it a wash and brush up first.

But to start at the beginning, arrived at the station to use the still free cash point outside the Tesco's there, to be impressed by the neat way that the adjacent litter bin was being given a new bag, an operation involving wedges made of chunks of cardboard. I thought a Tesco's operator rather than a council operator.

Then on the train, to be impressed by the way a mother was instructing her infant in elementary number theory, which seemed to be going down well until she decided that her mobile phone needed some quality time.

Pulled a Bullingdon at Vauxhall and pedalled off down the embankment, to find that the rowing boat noticed at reference 4 was missing so I was not going to be able to find out about that. Westminster Abbey looked busy at 1045, so not a good time to visit them. Pushed onto Cockspur Street and parked up. Known to TFL as Pall Mall East.

Into the National Gallery to find arch security, in the way of an airport, new to me. The security man said that they had been there for well over a year so it must have been a while since I visited, and a check this morning suggested that the last visit was that noticed at reference 5, around 18 months ago. Various visits to the National Portrait Gallery in the meantime.

St. Peter

Up to Room 55, where there was plenty of interesting things to look at. For one example, a Messina crucifixion, more an excuse to try his hand at a landscape than devotional. Presumably from a transition period when paintings had, at least ostensibly, to be about worthy rather than worldly topics. A Messina portrait head, which seemed to be all about depicting the play of light and shadow on the fleshy part of the head. Two versions of the martyrdom of a minor St. Peter, in part vehicles for painting trees. With the Bellini version including a spear flying down to the ground in a rather odd way. Snapped above.

Madonna of the swallow

Wandered on to find Crivelli's Madonna of the swallow. A fascinating picture, more or less opposite the Ascolan cucumber noticed at reference 6.

Detail of mask

Then to Garafalo of the jigsaw, noticed at reference 7; a jigsaw which I did several times. I also came to inspect the picture on several occasions. Apart from being an interesting picture, I was struck on this occasion by the mask like appearance of the face of the left hand lady, something I do not think I had noticed before; perhaps something wrong with the way the face is taken into the hair line. Error, oversight or what?

By mistake into a downstairs gallery, including a room devoted to interesting loans from the Courtauld gallery. Including also a picture by one Melzi, not previously heard of, of one Flora, on loan from the Hermitage.

Flora

I was rather struck by the resemblance to Leonardo, but found out later that this was not terribly surprising as the painter was important in Leonardo's workshop. Unusually for someone who wanted to be a painter, from a respectable family.

Scully

Next door a lot of space devoted to large paintings by one Scully, also not previously heard of. Born in Dublin but now more of a Plastic Paddy. Most of them I found uninteresting and far too big be of much use to anyone, but I liked the three snapped above. Almost small enough to work in our own home.

Tiepolo

Breughal

Mary seems to have got the situation well under control, with the immaculate conception being brought down from on high by a dove, while the bad dragon is held firmly down, underfoot. All these things I did not know about.

Atrium

Out through a rather flashy new atrium, named for one of the donors. Plenty of shopping opportunities. And onto the Chandos for a quick beverage, my first visit for a while, an interior which might be called a monument to 1950's shop fitting. Perhaps it ought to be listed? A place where BH and I once took lunch upstairs, with my mother, in the lunch interval of a performance of Bach's St. Matthew's Passion (for Easter) in the Festival Hall across the river. Not a very good lunch as far as I can remember, but there were not many places open on the day in question.

Chandos

A very thin selection of wine for a central London house, although the white wine I did get was perfectly respectable. Plus the sort of wooden booths around the room, unusual in this country but which are to be found in the famous Crown Bar in Queen Victoria Street in Belfast. I think this one is a listed building. Also busy when I used to know it.

Onto lunch at Terroirs where I took a double ration of their £10 lunch, a fine lamb stew with mash. A mash which was very white and very smooth, apparently the result of adding a large amount of butter. Probably very unhealthy but it tasted good. Drink also good, the same as on the last occasion, about a month previous, noticed at reference 8. That is to say a bottle of Alexandre Bain's Pierre Précieuse Pouilly-Fumé, rounded out with some of Terroirs' fine Calvados. Even the cheapest of their three grades is pretty good.

Wooburn Common

A van outside Terroirs, noticed for coming from Wooburn Common, a place when there is a large house once lived in by one of my cousins. A house with a large garden which included kites (the avian sort) when we were last there.

The sky over Hungerford Bridge impressive with late afternoon light.

Somewhat loquacious on the way home, getting into conversation with various people. Without, I think, making too much of a nuisance of myself.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/05/adie-memoire.html.

Reference 2: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/floorplans/level-2/room-55.

Reference 3: http://herner.co.uk/2019/05/11/exhibition-review-antonello-da-messina-at-the-royal-palace-of-milan/.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/06/lady-chapel.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/12/braces.html.

Reference 6: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2013/05/ascolan-cucumber.html.

Reference 7: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2014/03/jigsaw-5-series-3.html.

Reference 8: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/05/alien-cheese.html.