Photographer Tjasa Sprague And Travel Expert Lani Sternerup at Ventfort Hall01:05PM / Tuesday, January 06, 2009
"Great Country Houses and Gardens of Ireland" is the subject of a visual presentation by photographer Tjasa Sprague and travel expert Lani Sternerup. The lecture will take place at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox on Saturday, January 24, at 3 pm. A Victorian Tea will follow the lecture.
The photographs to be presented were taken by Sprague this past fall, when they both visited some of the finest private country estates in The Republic of Ireland and the newly traveled Northern Ireland. The earliest country houses on the tour date from the early 18th century, having been inspired by Palladian architecture found in England which itself was inspired by the work of the famous Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio. The Irish architecture combined inventiveness, movement and boldness with the somber elegance of the English style.
Sprague will feature such Irish country houses and gardens as Bellamont Forest, circa 1730, which is the first and is considered the purest example of the Palladian villa in Ireland. Grey Abbey, built in 1762, has the features of one of the finest Georgian houses in the country. Dating from 1804, Mount Stewart, filled with magnificent antiques, has spectacular intact gardens covering 80 acres.
Also included will be Castle Ward that has the unique combination of neoclassicism that pleased the original owner and an 18th century gothic style that satisfied his wife. Castle Coole has Regency plasterwork from the 1790s executed by Joseph Rose, a master of his profession who worked for the great English architect, Robert Adam. Florence Court, constructed in 1730 and added to thirty years later, has lavish rococo plaster decoration and magnificent 18th century Irish furniture. Architects worldwide consider Casino Marino, a garden pavilion, an exquisite neoclassical gem.
Sprague will select pictures from the 3500 images she took during the tour and both Sternerup and she will comment on them during the presentation. Sprague, who lives in Lenox, is a longtime photographer who has been known to focus with the use of her camera on selected subjects thereby creating visual themes. For the past twelve years she has spearheaded the restoration of Ventfort Hall and with her camera has recorded every aspect of the work. She also serves as Treasurer of its Board of Directors. She is a member of the Lenox Garden Club and owner of Undermountain Farm.
Sternerup has traveled widely as co-director of Classical Excursions, a specialized travel company based in Stockbridge that focuses on American and European tours of classical architecture, gardens and archeology. She also owns the shop Real Gustavian in Great Barrington that offers late 18th and early19th century Swedish antiques and reproductions of them. A number of years ago, she headed the education program at Ventfort Hall.
Admission to the lecture and Victorian Tea is $12 for members of Ventfort Hall and $15 for nonmembers. For reservations and further information call the mansion at 413-637-3206. Ventfort Hall is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. Information about Ventfort Hall and details of its other programs may be found by accessing the web site at www.GildedAge.org.
An Official Project of Save America's Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion, as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Elizabethan-Revival Berkshire "cottage," listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-around and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of the financier, J. P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues. |
