''The Naked Ladies'' are a
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
statue complex on a
rockery and water cascade in the gardens of
York House, Twickenham
York House is a historic stately home in Twickenham, England, and currently serves as the Town Hall of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is situated in Richmond Road, near the centre of Twickenham, close to St Mary's Church. It is ...
, in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
, England. The larger than human size statues depict eight
Oceanids and a pair of aquatic horses. They were carved in the ''
fin de siècle'' style from white
Carrara marble and probably came from Italy in the late nineteenth century or very early twentieth century. Originally they were part of a larger set of statues that was subdivided after the suicide of the initial purchaser.
After a somewhat unpromising start, they were installed in their current location without the benefit of the original design for their display. The statues spent several years as the backdrop for some of London's grandest garden parties. They subsequently passed by default into public ownership, and suffered some vandalism, but have been restored and remain to this day on view in the corner of a municipal garden.
Design
![York House statues 4 ladies detail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/York_House_statues_4_ladies_detail.jpg)
The statues are of Italian design, and come from
Carrara. They are of a monumental scale with several of the individual blocks weighing over .
The sculptures were acquired during the disposal of the property of the original owner after his death. Due to the unusual circumstances of their acquisition they had become separated from any instructions as to their intended layout, and also from at least one other group of statues in what was originally intended to be a larger statue complex or complexes.
The rockery was designed and the whole complex installed by the British company of
J Cheal & Sons who had to make their own interpretation as to the intended layout of the statues.
Though they were able to incorporate all the statues into one tableau, their interpretation of the sculptor's intended design has led to comments about the unusual poses of some of the statues, especially when viewed from the side.
Originally some of the ladies were holding pearls, but much of this detail has now been lost. There have been various theories as to the intended subject matter, with Pearl Fishers,
Pegasus
Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...
,
Naiads and
the birth of Venus all having been suggested in addition to the usual attribution as
Oceanides. For want of anything more official, they have become known as ''The Naked Ladies''.
Setting
![Vista York House gardens](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Vista_York_House_gardens.jpg)
The complex is in the gardens of York House by the banks of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
. The gardens have been laid out in an Italian style to give unrestricted frontal views of the statue complex from the entire width of the gardens. The statues are set in a rockery behind a pond, with trees and security fencing restricting side and rear views.
History
Whitaker Wright
The statues were amongst the property of the celebrated fraudster
Whitaker Wright
James Whitaker Wright (9 February 1846 – 26 January 1904) was a company promoter and swindler, who committed suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice in London immediately following his conviction for fraud.
Early life
The eldest of five childr ...
, who committed suicide by ingestion of a
cyanide capsule upon being convicted of fraud. It is not certain where he acquired the statues, or who carved them. After his death much of his collection was sold from
Witley Park
Witley Park, formerly known as Lea Park, is an estate dating from the 19th-century between Godalming and Haslemere, Surrey, England. Its landscaped grounds include three artificial lakes, one of which conceals an underwater conservatory and smo ...
, including ''the Naked Ladies'' and also some mounted nymphs of a similar style, which went to
Beale Park
Beale Wildlife Park is situated by the River Thames, between the villages of Pangbourne and Lower Basildon in Berkshire, England. It has three main areas of attraction: collections of small exotic animals, farm animals and birds; landscaped garde ...
. One of the latter bore the mark "O SPALMACH, STUDIO O ANDREONI, ROMA.",
identifying the studio of the Roman sculptor
Orazio Andreoni, so it is possible that they were all sculpted there by
Oscar Spalmach.
Sir Ratan Tata
The statues were acquired from Witley Park and brought to their current location by Sir
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (R.D. Tata, 1856–1926) was an Indian businessman who played a pivotal role in the growth of the Tata Group in India. He was the first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, a pioneering industrialist and the founder of Tata Sons. He w ...
.
Sir Ratan had bought York House from the
Prince Philippe, Duke of Orléans in 1906, and by the end of 1909 he had had the Riverside gardens redesigned in the Italian style and the statues installed.
Sir Ratan was for several years a noted host for London High Society, with
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
among the guests at his garden parties.
Twickenham Council
The statues came into the ''de facto'' possession of
Twickenham Council in 1924 when they purchased York House for their new town hall. The statues had been left behind by the previous owners, as they had been unable to find a buyer despite putting them up for auction.
Hiding the statues in the Blitz
In
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
during the Second World War, there was concern that moonlight reflecting on the statues would give a navigation mark to the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
. So as part of London's
Blackout measures the statues were covered with a "grey sludge".
Modern times
As a result of local government reorganisation in the 1960s Twickenham became part of the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
, but the town hall remains at York House and the gardens continue to be open to the public. The statues have gone through at least one major restoration to remove graffiti and the wartime grey cement, and reverse the effects of vandalism by replacing lost fingers, pearls and even a hoof.
The statues are now protected with a Grade II listing by
Historic England.
Society and culture
![Statues on public view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Statues_on_public_view.JPG)
''The Naked Ladies'' are one of the visitor attractions of Twickenham, have a beer named after them,
Twickenham Brewery – Naked Ladies
"Good body and luscious aroma. Inspired by the statues of water nymphs in York House gardens in Twickenham, known locally as the Naked Ladies." Retrieved 3 July 2009 and are a popular backdrop for wedding photos.
Gallery
See also
* List of public art in Richmond upon Thames
This is a list of public art in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
__TOC__
Barnes
Bushy Park
Ham and Petersham
Hampton and Hampton Hill
Hampton Court Palace
...
* Twickenham Fine Ales
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naked Ladies
Fin de siècle
Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Horses in art
Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom
Oceanids
Outdoor sculptures in London
Public art in London