The Arab Hall at Leighton House
Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830- 96) was once of the most influential artist of the late Victorian Period. His work was patronised by Queen Victoria and still has huge influence today, hanging in Tate Britain and the National Gallery as well as a plethora of other important institutions. Such was his fame even in his own time that he was honoured with a burial at St Paul's Cathedral.
Amongst his close friends, he counted enigmatic artists of the day such as G. F. Watts, Millais, De Morgan and Rossetti. Whilst his fame and his privileged position in society undoubtedly helped him get ahead in the arts, he was a genuine man who worked hard for his own artistic merit; something recognised in 1878 when he became the President of the Royal Academy. Just before his death from heart failure in 1896, he was ennobled, becoming Frederic, Lord Leighton, Baron of Stretton. He is the only British artist to have been awarded this honour.
Leighton House, is set just outside the idyllic Holland Park in West London. This set a vogue after its 1866 construction for artists to design and build their own houses in their own, individual styles, around the area. Artists such as Val Prinsep, and G. F. Watts, the book printer Cockerill and architect Philip Webb all built houses in the area, becoming known as the Holland Park Circle.
Walking to the house through Holland Park today is worth a visit in itself, in order to see this wonderful architecture and play a pretty decent game of spot the blue plaque!
Leighton House is a purpose-built studio house, with provision for living, domestic staff and a working art studio. Much of the house is preserved as it was in Leighton's day; original documents strewn across a writing desk and plaster casts of classical figures around the studio. In this sense in reeks of National Trust, who part own the house.
The collection of paintings is fabulous and it's a real treat to see these in their original environ. The real treat of the visit has to be Leighton's Arab Hall. Following his travels to Turkey, Egypt and Syria in the 1870s where he amassed an impressive collection of traditional tiles and ceramics, Leighton transformed part of the house into an Arabian Nights' dream. His friend, the celebrated ceramicist, William De Morgan, was entrusted with the design and construction of this, using Leighton's tiles. It is a unique experience to admire the tiles whilst tredding carefully to avoid falling into the water feature!
