Wood carver Grinling Gibbons' time Yorkshire inspires celebrations at Blenheim Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster and Royal Armouries Leeds

AS A teenage apprentice learning his craft, it was his time in Yorkshire that was to shape the talents of Grinling Gibbons.
The Dutch-born artist was to become what many perceive as the greatest wood carver in British history,The Dutch-born artist was to become what many perceive as the greatest wood carver in British history,
The Dutch-born artist was to become what many perceive as the greatest wood carver in British history,

Arriving in York from the Netherlands, the Dutch-born artist was to become what many perceive as the greatest wood carver in British history, with his work adorning some of the nation’s grandest stately homes and cathedrals.

And to mark the 300th anniversary of his death this summer, a year-long celebration of Gibbons’ life will be staged in venues and institutions including Blenheim Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

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The Prince of Wales has been named as the patron of the national festival, Grinling Gibbons 300: Carving a Place in History, which will begin on August 3, exactly 300 years since the death of the legendary artist.

The festival’s programme director, Hannah Phillip, who is the former director of Fairfax House in York, told The Yorkshire Post that the celebration of Gibbons’ work will still resonate in the 21st century.

She said: “Gibbons’ legacy still persists to this day, as his work continues to inspire carvers 300 years after his death. He really is iconic, that word is used far too much, but in the instance of Gibbons, it cannot be more apt.

“His carvings are so exuberant and have an unsurpassed realism to them, it really is amazing to see just what he was able to create from a piece of wood.

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“Not a great deal is known about his early life, but his time in York undoubtedly shaped him into the artist that he was to become.

“He remains an inspiration, and his name is synonymous with the very best in wood carving - he really is a hero figure in this field.”

Gibbons, who was born in 1648 in Rotterdam, emigrated to England during the 1660s and spent a three-year period in York learning his craft.

He then travelled to London where he quickly attracted attention for his work.

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He was given his first Royal commission in 1675, when he was hired by Charles II to produce decorative carvings for Windsor Castle.

During the next 25 years, he completed commissions for Whitehall Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace and Blenheim Palace. In 1693, he was appointed as master sculptor and carver in wood by King William III.

His work can be seen in York Minster, after he was commissioned to create stone memorials for three Archbishops, Thomas Lamplugh, Richard Sterne and John Dolben.

Works are being assembled from national museums, regional collections, historic houses and international lenders for the year-long festival.

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Organisers hope that through sculpture and carvings in wood and stone, drawings and sketches, portraits and documents, the event will bring a new perspective to Gibbons’ legacy. A national exhibition will launch at the Bonhams auction house in London on August 3.

Dr Tristram Hunt, the president of the Grinling Gibbons Society and the director of the V&A which is involved in the festival, said: ‘Grinling Gibbons is rightly revered as one of the greatest woodcarvers in the history of European sculpture. He helped to shape the aesthetic of the British Baroque and set the benchmark for craftsmanship, naturalism and technical proficiency.”

Described as the “Michelangelo of Wood”, Grinling Gibbons pioneered a highly distinctive style, carving in very high relief with exceptional naturalistic detail.

He was able to transform unyielding and solid materials, working with both wood and stone, into “loose and airy lightness” which saw him recognised as “the greatest master both for invention and rareness of work, that the world ever had in any age”, according to the 17th century diarist John Evelyn.

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Gibbons’ trademark was cascades of fruit, leaves, flowers, foliage, fish, and birds.

He worked primarily in limewood – a material whose uniform but soft structure makes it well suited to high-relief carving.