I’d never been to Petworth House before, despite living within easy reach for most of my life, so we put that right at the weekend. Unlike many stately homes, which are filled with the furniture and personal belongings of past inhabitants, Petworth is all about the paintings so the rooms are otherwise remarkably empty. While some of paintings are absolutely beautiful (I particularly enjoyed the Turners) I found myself surprisingly uninspired to take photos. I came away with a few dozen shots and after working through them I selected four, which really appealed to me. These seem to break down into two distinct colour palettes - one cool, with other warmer - a contrasting yet complementary quartet.
I often find myself drawn to small architectural details and this combination of doorknob and textured paint just demanded to be photographed. Click on any image to see it enlarged.
My warmer duo of images both come from the Carved Room, which is decorated with ornate Grinling Gibbons carved wood panelling.
It strikes me as a pity that anyone who chooses to sit in this seat does so with their back to a rather lovely Turner painting!
Photos taken 14 July 2024