Object of the Month vote – runner up

In June, we asked our visitors to vote for the 100th Object of the Month out of six options – an Ancient Egyptian stela, a portrait of Henry Streatfeild, a tobacco box, a statue of the Buddha, a Japanese porcelain bowl, and a portrait of Denys Eyre Bower. We received 48 votes and there was a clear winner, so whilst we are working on the 100th Object of the Month, this post will explore the runner-up object. We will announce the winning object and will post here about it in a few weeks’ time.

The runner-up was the portrait of Denys Eyre Bower by Dame Laura Knight, which was painted around 1952. It was painted in oil on canvas and depicts Denys seated in front of a yellow curtain, with a statue from his Buddhist collection next to him. It was painted a few years before Denys bought and moved to Chiddingstone Castle. He was living in London at the time and had his own antiques business called Cavendish Hood & Co Ltd.

Portrait of Denys Eyre Bower, Dame Laura Knight, oil on canvas, 1952, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.2999

Denys met Dame Laura Knight in London, and they became friends. He was quoted as saying that ‘we have been good friends for quite a few years’ in a clipping of a newspaper article in the Castle archive about the portrait. Both Denys and Dame Laura Knight were born in Derbyshire, so this may have been something they bonded over. One of Denys’ ledgers records that the artist bought a ‘pin brooch’ from him in 1946. It is possible that Denys first met Dame Laura Knight as a customer of his antiques business. Denys’ business and personal collections gave him the opportunity to network with important and famous people. He even sent an 18th-century fan from his collection to Queen Mary and received a Chinese snuff bottle in return.

Newspaper clipping with article about Dame Laura Knight painting the portrait of Denys Eyre Bower, 14th February 1952, Chiddingstone Castle archive

The article mentions that the portrait was due to be exhibited in the Royal Academy Exhibition, and it is listed in the 1952 catalogue as number 79: ‘Denys Bower, Esq’. The article states that Dame Laura Knight was working on the portrait in her London studio. There are two other paintings by Dame Laura Knight that appear to have the same yellow curtain backdrop – ‘Jane’ painted in 1956 and ‘Unfinished Portrait Vijayalakshmi Pandit’.  

The statue of the Buddha depicted next to Denys is still in the collection. It is currently on display in the Buddhist Room. The statue seems to have been particularly important to Denys at the time. Out of all the objects he owned, he chose to bring this statue with him to the studio so that it could be included in his portrait. The portrait reflects the way in which Denys presented himself. In an oral history interview which we conducted in March 2024, Denys was remembered as always wearing an old-fashioned three piece suit, even in the 1960s. In the portrait, he is wearing an oval ring on his little finger, which has not been identified. It does have a similar shape and colouring, however, to an Ancient Egyptian ring in the collection. Denys may have also selected this object to be included in his portrait.

Statue of the Buddha, gilt bronze, Tibetan 16th century, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.1526

Ancient Egyptian faience ring with gold mount, Chiddingstone Castle collection, object number 01.0602

Dame Laura Knight was a very popular, successful, and celebrated artist in her lifetime. She exhibited all over the world and was the first woman to be elected a Royal Academician in 1936. She was a pioneering artist, who achieved fame and success in a way that was previously only possible for men. She was regarded as a role model for young women and paved the way for further recognition of women artists. She painted a wide variety of subjects and specialised in portraits. Some of her areas of interest were backstage scenes at the ballet, portraits of members of the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community, the circus, and scenes from Cornwall where she lived for a period. She was appointed as an official war artist and around the time Denys met her in  London in the 1940s. She persuaded the Advisory Committee to make her the official artist of the Nuremberg war crimes trials. She had a very long career, and last exhibited in 1970, the year she died at the age of 92. Her portrait of Denys Eyre Bower captures him as a successful antiques dealer and collector, who would soon go on to buy his new home, Chiddingstone Castle.  

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.