Overlap

I have almost finished the biography of Churchill by Roy Jenkins. In a way I wish it were shorter, in a way I find it engrossing and in another way I find it induces post-prandial somnolence.

It has led me to order some memoirs, diaries and biographies by and about some of the key figures in Churchill’s life, including Clemmie and Clarissa. I read two lighter books in tandem with Churchill but they were not well chosen as both march over the same ground. First, Precipice by Robert Harris about the indiscreet letters Venetian Stanley received from Asquith when he was Prime Minister. A friend told me, he got it from the Harris’s mouth, it takes him nine months to research his books and then three months to write them.

My next bit of light reading is a thriller/mystery set in 1938: Midnight in Vienna by Jane Thynne. I’m about halfway through but a key plot point is about the Prof, as he was known by all: Professor Lindemann, Churchill’s close friend and adviser. I’m rather looking forward to getting back to England in the 16th century with Matthew Shardlake. Edward VI will be on the throne.

Edward was the son of Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, and became king at the age of just nine, in 1547, but died of consumption six years later.

“This portrait may have been painted for Michael Stanhope, who was an important member of the King’s household. Commissioning or owning a royal portrait was a way of demonstrating loyalty and the picture is full of messages and symbols that would have been readily understood in Tudor times.

The King is shown with a group of plants which are turning their flowers towards him rather than towards the sun. Among them, the red and white roses, combined in the Tudor Rose, are a reminder that he came from a powerful royal dynasty. An elaborate text beneath, in both Italian and Latin, reiterates the power of the King as an equal power to the sun. Edward is dressed in magnificent clothes, embroidered with gold thread and trimmed with lynx fur.

The profile format evokes the coinage of Imperial Rome and was well suited for depicting rulers. William Scrots (active 1537-53) became court painter for Henry VIII in 1546, following the death of Hans Holbein the Younger, and had previously worked for Mary of Hungary, Regent of the Netherlands. Scrots was very highly regarded and earned twice the salary of his predecessor.” (Compton Verney)

Graham Sutherland’s portrait of Churchill – an 80th birthday present from the House of Commons – was, as you know, not so flattering and there is an absence of Scrots’ iconography.

Churchill thought it was malignant and Clemmie burnt it. Ever the professional, Churchill heaped on ambiguous praise when it was officially presented in Westminster Hall.

“The portrait is a remarkable example of modern art. It certainly combines force and candour. These are qualities which no active Member of either House can do without or should fear to meet.”

The conservatory at Chiswick House featured yesterday and is where The Beatles sang Paperback Writer and Rain. The beach at Saddell Castle is the location for Wings and Mull of Kintyre. The castle belongs to The Landmark Trust. I stayed pre-blog.