Buildings and Interiors
The Grand Staircase at Powderham Castle, the family home of the Earl of Devon
This staircase dating from about 1755 is one of the finest surviving examples of Rococo plasterwork. The decoration is full of swirling S and C scrolls, birds, animals, flowers, fruit and foliage, in the original white on blue-green colour scheme. The staircase was built as part of a scheme to update the Castle's original medieval Great Hall.
www.powderham.co.uk
The Norfolk House Music Room
The Music Room dates from 1756 and was part of a series of entertaining rooms in the London home of the Duke of Norfolk in St James's Square. The trophies on the ceiling are Rococo and there is a frieze of scrolling acanthus leaves around the top of the wall. The panelling features S and C scrolls and natural motifs. Other elements, like the overall proportions and the compartmentalised ceiling are Palladian in style. The slightly 'squashed' appearance of some of the Rococo decoration suggests that this may have been a later addition to the plans for the room's decoration. The room is on display in the British Galleries.