Remember my visit to Madingley Hall? And my subsequent wanderings about the Gardens? This is the third and final part of my mini-series on Madingley Hall, and it's about:
The Hunting Murals in the Turret
Above, you see the east façade of Madingley Hall. See the turret in the left corner? That's where the murals are, right at the top, up an old winding staircase.
The murals were painted in the late 16th / early 17th century, by a local Cambridge artist. This one shows a Bear Baiting.
Yes, there were bears. In Cambridge.
The owners of Madingley Hall kept bears in their grounds for sport.
This black bear is being attacked by three dogs. The huntsman to the left does not look too happy. You've got to love his nifty hat.
"Help! Bear attack!" (Not words you hear much these days in Cambridgeshire...)
Another mural shows a wild boar. It seems to be mauling some sort of creature (can you tell what that is?). Just look at that fierce expression.
This is a great bit of art to look at with children!
A less violent scene: huntsmen, horses, hounds -- and are those two birds falcons?
This bird reminds me of the bird I saw inside the Hall, on the 17th-century tapestry.
Good-bye, Madingley Hall and Gardens! I'll be back again for sure!
Have you been to Madingley? What did you think? Perhaps some of you have done courses for, with the University of Cambridge's Institute for Continuing Education?
Let me know in comments!
Part 1: Madingley House (and its paintings)
Part 2: Madingley Gardens (and its sculptures)
Permalink: http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/07/madingley-hall-3-turret.html
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