Sand picture
Parminter
Category
Objets de vertu
Date
1770 - 1820
Materials
Paper, Sand, Seaweed, Watercolour paint, Wood
Measurements
355 mm (H)460 mm (Length)
Order this imageCollection
A La Ronde, Devon
NT 1313698.3
Caption
In around 1799 Jane Parminter and Mary Parminter moved into their new Exmouth home, A la Ronde. This extraordinary 16-sided house was built by the cousins after their European grand tour with Jane’s sister Elizabeth (1756–c.1790) and another female friend. In between visits to places of cultural interest, in 1786 the intrepid group climbed Mont Buet in the Alps, making them the first women to scale an Alpine summit of over 3,000 metres. A trip to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, may have been one of the sources of inspiration for the design of their future home. A la Ronde contains remarkable friezes and decorative schemes using materials such as feathers, shells, lichen, cut-paperwork and found objects. We do not know whether they were created by the Parminters themselves or commissioned by them and worked by others (perhaps a combination of both), but it is clear that the cousins had a highly individual creative vision for their home. Some objects can be confidently attributed to the two women – including a series of delicate framed collages made using sand and seaweed, and a number of painted and découpaged chairs. A work table decorated by the Parminters with shells, micro-mosaics, intaglio seals, hardstone specimens and other souvenirs collected during their grand tour has recently been interpreted as a memorial to Elizabeth, who died shortly after their return from Europe. Fan-leaves, prints and other objects collected during their travels are also incorporated into the rooms, many of them displayed in their overflowing cabinet of curiosities. In addition to creative expression, benevolence was central to the Parminters’ life. They built a chapel near to A la Ronde, Point In View, that incorporated almshouses for unmarried women and a school for disadvantaged girls. It was a stipulation of Mary’s will that their home should pass only to unmarried female relatives.
Summary
One of 3 pictures made of sand and seaweed stuck onto watercolour-washed paper. Shows House with avenue of trees. In wooden frame decorated with painted sand. Original Parminter work. Labelled on reverse 'chinmey'
Makers and roles
Parminter
References
Conroy, Rachel, Women Artists and Designers at the National Trust, 2025, pp. 90-93