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HERALDRY AND THE ARCHITECTURAL IMAGINATION: JOHN CARTER’S VISUALISATION OF THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

Peter Lindfield
Peter Lindfield*
Affiliation:
10 Old Harbour Square, Stirling FK8 1RB, Scotland. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Horace Walpole (1717–97) is well known for two important Gothic projects: his villa, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham (1747/8–80), and his novel, The Castle of Otranto (1764). These two manifestations of Walpole’s ‘Gothic imagination’ are frequently linked in critical literature on the Gothic Revival and medievalism more broadly; the relationship between Strawberry Hill, Otranto and manuscript illustrations visualising Otranto’s narrative has, on the other hand, received far less attention. This paper brings together a number of important and hitherto overlooked sources that help address this imbalance. In particular, it examines two large-scale watercolours by John Carter (1748–1817) that narrate some of Otranto’s pivotal scenes, allowing critically overlooked subtleties in their iconographies to emerge. The work establishes how Carter’s pre-existing interests – in particular, in Gothic architectural forms and heraldry – are harnessed to govern his representations of Otranto. These paintings, together with Carter’s other illustrations, demonstrate Walpole’s authorship of Otranto, expressed through codes hidden in plain sight. Unlike the frequently touted link between Strawberry Hill and Otranto in secondary criticism, Carter’s illustrations, the argument reveals, do not explicitly make this connection.

Type
Papers
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 96 , September 2016 , pp. 291 - 313
Copyright
© The Society of Antiquaries of London 2016 

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References

Manuscript sources

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BL, Add ms 70987Google Scholar
BM, 1868,0822.3480Google Scholar
BM, 1886,1012.534Google Scholar
KCL, Leathes 7/4Google Scholar
LWL, 24 17 791P copy 4Google Scholar
LWL, 33.3Google Scholar
LWL, 33 30 copy 6 FolioGoogle Scholar
LWL, 33 30 copy 11 FolioGoogle Scholar
LWL, 33 30 copy 20 FolioGoogle Scholar
LWL, 49 2522Google Scholar
LWL, 49 2615Google Scholar
LWL, 49 3499Google Scholar
LWL, 49 3582Google Scholar
LWL, 49 3729Google Scholar
LWL, 790.00.00.138dr+Google Scholar
LWL, Folio 46 780CGoogle Scholar
LWL, Morshead, Sir Owen and Lady – File 2, Evening 9 May 1762Google Scholar
LWL, Morshead, Sir Owen and Lady – File 2, Evening 19 May 1762Google Scholar
LWL, SH Views Ed25Google Scholar
LWL, SH Views W218Google Scholar
NPG, 3631Google Scholar
NPG, D12778Google Scholar
RIBA, SB52Google Scholar
YCBA, B1977.14.20007Google Scholar

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