If you are ever travelling and you visit a palace, castle, or something in that vein, look for the staircase. Always look for a staircase. Nine times out of ten there is an impressive and grand staircase that looks like an Italian master was trying to outdo himself. (Stairs are always a lot more fun when you have something to look at, right?) Hampton Court Palace is a popular historical site, but most people focus on the Tudor palace. However, the Baroque Georgian palace is stunning. And the King’s Staircase at Hampton Court Palace is stunning!
The Baroque Hampton Court Palace
When King William III and Queen Mary II took the throne, Hampton Court Palace was badly out of date and rundown. Instead of fixing up the Tudor palace, they created a new Baroque palace. (Luckily for us, part of the Tudor palace survives- Mary died before they could finish.) It is a shame that more people don’t talk about the Baroque palace, because it is extravagant and impressive. I found the Tudor palace feels almost cosy in comparison.
The King’s Staircase at Hampton Court Palace
When I first walked through the doorway, I lost my breath for a second- I was not expecting a Baroque Italian masterpiece at Hampton Court. The mural creates “the illusion of a great Roman hall as the setting for the story of a competition between the commanders Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, who vied for a seat beneath the gods’ banquet on the ceiling above.” (HRP, 39.) While that doesn’t seem entirely relevant to the Stuart court, it would have sent a strong message to William’s contemporaries. Firstly, that he was Alexander the Great (with the exiled James II Julius Caesar), and secondly, that the Catholic James was defeated by the Protestant William.
Even without knowing that, it is incredible.
Who Created This Staircase?
This incredible staircase was painted by Italian baroque painter Antonio Verrio. Born in the late 1630s, Verrio first started his career on the Continent, but Ralph Montagu brought him to England for a commission. Charles II commissioned him in the late 1670s to complete twenty different ceilings, three staircases, and the impressive St. George’s Hall and King’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Charles was so impressed with his work, that he was appointed Chief First Painter in 1684, and he kept the role under James II. As a Catholic, Verrio had to leave when William and Mary took the throne, but William brought him back to court and commissioned his work at Hampton Court!
King’s Staircase at Kensington Palace
If you haven’t read my post on the King’s Apartments at Kensington Palace, I would pop over to it: https://anhistorianabouttown.com/kings-apartments-at-kensington-palace/. The King’s Staircase at Kensington is no slouch, either. Designed and painted by William Kent, it actually features several members of the court.
Sources
Historic Royal Palaces. Explore Hampton Court Palace. Historic Royal Palaces: Surrey, 2012.
Have you seen the King’s Staircase at Hampton Court Palace?
Cheers,
The Historian
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