The Naked Ladies

Frontal view, "topped by an Oceanid and two horses".

Coordinates: 51°26′48.30″N 0°19′26.50″W / 51.4467500°N 0.3240278°W / 51.4467500; -0.3240278

The Naked Ladies are a statue complex on a rockery and water cascade in the gardens of York House, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 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

Colour photograph, zoom shot through trees of two nude female statues on a rockery, one sitting, the other in a strange pose
The statues were installed without benefit of instruction from the designer as he spoke no English.
Colour photograph, rear view of marble statue of lady holding a pearl.
Another suggested name for the statues was the Pearl Fishers, but today only one lady still has a pearl.
Colour photograph of rockery from the side showing three ladies facing forward and up with their right hands raised
Side view of ladies in unusual poses

The statues are of Italian design, and come from Carrara. They are of a monumental scale with several of the individual blocks weighing over 5 long tons (5 t).[1]

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.[1] Though they were able to incorporate all the statues into one tableaux, 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, 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.[2]

Setting

The colour photograph presents a series of lawns leading up to a statue complex. Hedges partially divide these lawns into three sections. The division closest to the camera contains flower beds, while the middle portion holds a circular pond – visible as a stone edge, the far lawn leads up to the statue complex.
The Naked Ladies towering over the riverside lawns.

The complex is in the gardens of York House by the banks of the River Thames. 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, 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, including the Naked Ladies and also some mounted nymphs of a similar style, which went to Beale Park; one of the latter bore the mark "O SPALMACH, STUDIO O ANDREONI, ROMA."[3] 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.[1] Sir Ratan had bought York House from the duc d'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 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.[3]

Hiding the statues in the Blitz

In the Blitz during the Second World War, there was concern that moonlight reflecting on the statues would give a navigation mark to the Luftwaffe. So as part of London's Blackout measures the statues were covered with a "grey sludge".[3]

Modern times

As a result of local government reorganisation in the 1960s Twickenham became part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 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.[2] In 1983 the statues were protected with a Grade II listing by English Heritage.[4]

Society and culture

a grassy lawn in front of a statues complex several people sunbathe or sit in the midground facing in the background a group of white statues that are significantly larger than the people. In the foreground a black bird is walking away from the whole tableaux
The larger than life statues are now in a public park

The Naked Ladies are one of the visitor attractions of Twickenham,[5] have had a beer named after them,[6] and are a popular backdrop for wedding photos.

Colour photograph of an individual female statue with short tousled hair lying on a rock pedestal. Supporting herself on her left arm, her head is up and her right arm raised
Nobody bid for the statues in the 1922 auction 
Profile view of complex showing cascade and dappling effect of reflections from the pool on the horses' wings. 
View of pond, with water lilies 
Colour photograph of two nude female statues, one on top of a rock helping another climb up it
One lady helping another out of the pond (the arm of the upper lady is carved as part of the lower sculpture) 
One of the Ladies reaching out for something, in front of part of the water cascade. 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Statues at York House". Twickenham Museum. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  2. 1 2 Simpson, Donald (1993). Twickenham Past. Historical Publications. p. 139. ISBN 0-948667-22-2. Retrieved 13 August 2009. |first2= missing |last2= in Authors list (help)
  3. 1 2 3 Payan, J (9 September 1995). "The Statues in York House Gardens Twickenham". Twickenham Museum. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  4. ↑ Historic England retrieved 24th Sept 2016
  5. ↑ visit London "Recurring event, A chance to see the statues of naked female figures, some in highly unusual attitudes, which adorn a cascade and pool in the riverside portion of the gardens" retrieved 3 July 2009
  6. ↑ 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
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