Grinling Gibbons

The greatest wood carver ever, his works can be found throughout Britain. He also did stone carving, mostly marble, but I prefer his wood carvings. I saw his works at York Minster (marble); the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and Fairfax House, York.

I want to see his other works particularly St. Paul's Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, Petworth House in West Sussex. His work is in two churches in London: Church of St Michael Paternoster Royal, and St James, Piccadilly. His works can also be seen at the Wren Library, Cambridge University, and at the Trinity College Chapel, Oxford University. Gibbons also made the marble monument for Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, located in the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey. There is a nice carved panel at Northbrook House, Kirtlington (near Bicester), Oxfordshire, but it may not be accessible to the public.

Outside of Britain, the Cosimo Panel, an allegory of art triumphing over hatred and turmoil, is housed in the Museo degli Argenti at Pitti Palace in Florence. The Modena Panel is a memorial for Charles II and which also features a medallion self-portrait by Gibbons. The panel is displayed in the Estense Gallery in Modena, Italy.

Petworth House

St. James Church

Trinity College, Cambridge

I purchased a recently published book Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver by Paul Rabbitts.

Other works on Gibbons:
Grinling Gibbons and the Woodwork of his Age by Henry Avray Tipping, 1914
Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving by David Esterly, V&A Publications, 2000
The Work of Grinling Gibbons, Geoffrey Beard, John Murray, 1989

---

David Esterly is exceptional good, and is continuing (or resurrecting) the art of fine wood carving. There is a good article about and interview with Esterly in Harvard Magazine. In fact, he was commissioned to repair works of Grinling Gibbons after a portion was severely damaged in a fire at Hampton Court Palace.