As soon as I could walk, I began moving to music. Once these are completely mastered, the physical expression of an idea comes naturally, unconsciously.įor me, dancing was instinctive. This ability stems from the fundamental kata, the basic forms. The skill to communicate this just as smoothly as if one were speaking. This recently returned to the house after an absence of over 50 years to serve once again as the central feature in the richest of all the interiors, the Saloon.Įxhibition curator, Alice Strickland, added: “In assembling her superb collections, Mrs Greville was following the transatlantic fashion of the super-rich, but she was also creating an intimate and inviting atmosphere for her many guests.Performance is having sufficient skill to convey the very heart and soul of a character. In the Dining Room, artist Alastair Morrison, whose great-great-grandfather is depicted in The Masters Pattisson, has created a contemporary photograph in response to the painting, exploring the themes of brotherly love and loss.Īs part of the exhibition, other treasures of Mrs Greville’s will be highlighted in the lavishly furnished principal rooms, including a magnificent painting by Melchior de Hondecoeter, showing peacocks and other birds in a landscape.

Other portraits include a striking Johann Zoffany portrait of the Viennese dancer Eva Maria Veigel (Mrs David Garrick) in a masquerade costume of shimmering silk, a beautiful portrayal by Henry Bone of the young Mary Queen of Scots – on display for the first time – and The Masters Pattisson by Sir Thomas Lawrence. She collected superb French and Italian paintings, rare medieval works, the finest miniatures, and masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age including a self-portrait by Frans van Mieris. The breadth of her picture collection, assembled with advice from Tancred Borenius, appointed the first professor of art history at University College London in 1922, will also be revealed. Many such objects have since proved to be fakes but Mrs Greville’s chinoiserie footed salver is a rare and important exception. New research has enabled the Trust to attribute makers to most of the silver pieces for the first time. She was known to be very proud of the rare silver in her collection, which included English silver objects chased (decorated with linear patterns made with a punch and hammer) in an imitation Asian style. Her collection of art and objects is a reflection of her prestige and prominence and we’re excited to be able to tell that story in this major exhibition.” French bulldog, frosted quartz with ruby and sapphire eyes and dog tags, c.1925. Jonathan Marsh, Collections and House Manager at Polesden Lacey, said: “Margaret Greville’s guests here included royalty, politicians, international heads of state and celebrities.

Among the objets d’art on display will be exquisite jeweled animals by Fabergé and Cartier, including Mrs Greville’s crowning glory, her Fabergé egg, complete with a diamond clasp fashioned in the shape of a snowflake. In the high society circles in which she moved, the giving of small, precious objets d’art was an important social ritual. Between 19 Polesden Lacey was her weekend retreat and the setting for lavish parties attended by guests including King Edward VII, Winston Churchill and bestselling author and ‘Bright Young Thing’ Beverley Nichols. The exhibition, Treasured Possessions: Riches of Polesden Lacey, marks 80 years since society hostess Dame Margaret Greville left her extraordinary country home to the National Trust.

Treasured arts