Neptune
Claude David (fl.1678 - 1721)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1704
Materials
Limestone
Measurements
4800 x 1330 x 1330 mm
Place of origin
United Kingdom
Order this imageCollection
Dyrham, Gloucestershire
NT 454556
Summary
Stone statue of Neptune by Claude David (fl.1678-1721) often known as C'hevalier David', 1704. Neptune, god of the sea, strides forward with his right leg, his right arm raised above his head and his left arm slightly lower (he originally held a trident in his hands, now missing). At his feet are three sea creatures with large eyes, open mouths, fins and scale covered bodies and tails, all held within the bowl of a large shell. Neptune is naked apart from a billowing cloak which is draped over his right arm and shoulder and falls down his back and between his legs. His head is facing forward and his hair and beard are long. The statue was formally the centerpiece of a fountain, each of the sea creatures has a lead spout in its mouth. The statue is mounted on a three stepped square stone pedestal.
Full description
This imposing statue of Neptune was once the focal point of an impressive fountain that stood at the top of a cascade of 224 steps. The cascade formed an important element in the celebrated transformation of the gardens at Dyrham between 1691 and 1704. The remodelling of the gardens happened alongside the substantial alterations made to the house by William Blathwayt. Blathwayt had married the heiress to Dyrham Park, Mary Wynter, in 1686 and immediately planned for extensive improvements. The garden was created in the Dutch style which was popular at the time, and also complemented Blathwayt’s interest in Dutch interiors and works of art; it was comprised of formal parterres, a canal, terraces, walkways, numerous fountains and expensive trees and plants. The famous gardener, George London, was known to have advised on the design of the new garden, and his ideas were put into practice by the head gardener at Dyrham, Thomas Hurnall. The Burgundian sculptor, Claude David (also known as Chavalier David) was responsible for carving the statue of Neptune in 1704. The statue of Neptune can be seen in Johannes Kip’s prospect view of Dyrham Park Dyrham the Seat of William Blathwait Esqr published in Sir Robert Atkyns’ Ancient and Present state of Gloucestershire in 1712 (see NT 455753). It is also mentioned in Stephen Switzer’s detailed description of the garden at Dyrham in his book Ichonographica Rustica published in 1718: ‘…you come to a noble Cataract or extended Cascade of Water; this is on a Line with the Octogon Fountain, and the Canal, and all exactly fronting the Door of the Green-house; it has, as I remember, near two hundred and fifty Steps to the Top, and as many Falls for the Water to descend, and it is so high, that you have several Seats erected for Resting. At the Bottom there is a large Oval Pond with a Fountain in it; at the Top there is likewise the same, and in the Middle a large and lofty Pedestal, supporting a Neptune cut out in Stone of large Dimensions with an exalted Trident in his Hand; a Whale is represented between his Legs, discharging a great Quantity of Water into Basons on the Heads of Tritons, from whence it falls large Sheets to the Pond.’ (Vol. III, p. 119) Switzer mentions other fountains and statues in the garden, but unfortunately none of these exist today. Neptune now stands on a tall stone pedestal, in much the same position as where the fountain would have stood, at the top of a hill looking down at the East face of the house. The Tritons mentioned by Switzer are no longer part of the group, and there are three sea creatures at Neptune's feet rather than the one described by Switzer; however, Switzer may only have been able to see the one creature at the front of the group from his vantage point. The stone statue of Neptune is in the Italian baroque style. An important precedent for the Dyrham statue would have been Bernini’s marble statue of Neptune and Triton (now in the V&A A.18:1-1950), created in 1622-3 for the elaborate fountains and waterfalls in the garden of the Villa Montalto in Rome. Other baroque statuettes of Neptune such as Michel Anguier’s bronze of Neptune, also influenced by Bernini’s version, may also have been important sources for David and his client, Blathwayt. As in the Bernini and Anguier versions, Neptune is shown striding forward with trident in hand. The original trident is now missing, but Switzer’s description of an ‘exalted Trident’, suggests that it was held aloft, rather than pointing down at the sea. Such a representation of Neptune suggests that he is shown as the so-called ‘Quos Ego’ [‘Whom I’] from Virgil’s Aeneid. Neptune was angry with Juno who had summoned forth Aeolos, the god of the winds, in order to bring about a great storm upon Aeneas and the fleeing Trojans. He used his trident to calm the waves, issuing the threat ‘Winds, do you dare, without my intent, to mix earth with sky, and cause such trouble, now? You whom I – ! But it’s better to calm the running waves: you’ll answer to me later for this misfortune, with a different punishment.’ (Virgil, Aeneid, Book 1). The choice of a statue of Neptune in such an elaborate and extensive water feature is evident after reading Switzer’s description of the sound of the water as it falls down the cascade of 240 steps: ‘At regular Distances are plac’d several small Pipes or Fountains to the Top of the Cataract, on the Steps which facilitate the Descent of the Water; these Pipes, when they play, seem a Slope-Walk of Fountains; and when the Cataract plays at the same Time, the Weight of the Water, and the Falls are so great, that the Noise very near equals the Billows of a raging Sea, and may be heard at a very great Distance.’ (Switzer, 1718) Anna Moore (Feb 2018)
Provenance
Commisioned from Claude David (1678-1721) in 1706 by William Blathwayt (?1649-1717) as the centerpiece of a fountain at the top of a cascade of water for the redesigned gardens at Dyrham. Included in the transfer of Dyrham Park to The National Trust by the National Land Fund in 1958.
Credit line
National Trust Collections (Dyrham Park, The Blathwayt Collection. Acquired by the Ministry of Works via the National Land Fund in 1956, and transferred to the National Trust)
Makers and roles
Claude David (fl.1678 - 1721), sculptor
References
National Trust (Great Britain), Dyrham Park., 1981, p. 39 Mitchell, 1977: Anthony Mitchell, The Park and Garden at Dyrham, The National Trust 1977 (reprinted from The National Trust Year Book 1977-78), p. 3, 4, 8 (fig.8) Switzer, Stephen, 1682?-1745. Nobleman, gentleman, and gardener's recreation Ichnographia rustica: 1718., Vol. III, p. 119 Verey and Brooks, 1999: David Verey and Alan Brooks, Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds, New Haven and London, 1999, p. 345