Grinling Gibons, master carver

Why would I have more than a passing interest in this man?

Well there is a wood carving in the old timber framed home known as Rufford Old Hall, the Hesketh family home (james hunt F1 connection) the house is outside Liverpool and past Ormskirk.

Very little is known about his early life. The name Grinling is formed from sections of two family names. He was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and it is sometimes thought that his father may have been the Englishman Samuel Gibbons, who worked under Inigo Jones, but even two of his closest acquaintances, the portrait painter Thomas Murray and the diarist John Evelyn, cannot agree on how he came to be introduced to King Charles II. He moved to Deptford, England around 1667, and by 1693 had accepted commissions from the royal family and had been appointed as a master carver.^[1] By 1680 he was already known as the "King's Carver", and carried out exquisite work for St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Windsor, and the Earl of Essex's house atCassiobury. His carving was so fine that it was said a pot of carved flowers above his house in London would tremble from the motion of passing coaches.

This carving can be seen at Hampton Court, England, the carving at Rufford Old Hall has similar style but is far more delicate, it is a brair bramble and all the leaves are undercut, It is carved from a single piece of wood.

This carving has been at Rufford Old Hall at least 55 years as I remember, a local to the area suggested it was carved by Grinling Gibons?

The old hall, Shakspeare was said to have performed in the old house. Its well worth a view when your in the north west of Lancashire, England

 

Roy