N.S.W. State LIbrary

 

                                   

                                         STATE LIBRARY OF N.S.W. – NEE MITCHELL

Many are the folk that still call it the Mitchell Library and many are those (me included) who wonder why they changed the name at all.  Still, that wasn’t the only change. Added to half a dozen times over the decades since 1910, in its present form it’s a vehicle for much more than just books, which is the reason I called in on this particular occasion.  It was nice to know that Liz and Phil had travelled from England to open the last incarnation.

David Scott Mitchell, after whom the library was named, was the first noted collector of Australiana and donated his considerable collection to the public. 

                                                      David Scott Mitchell's coat of arms

The designer of the original building was Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon and, to this day, the Greek influence (fired by Palladio no doubt) can be clearly seen by the lovely Ionic columns at the front entrance, behind the statue of Matthew Flinders.  Around the side there’s also a bronze of Flinders’ cat, Trim.  

Trim, Flinders' cat

The Abel Tasman map

Just beyond them, as you enter, is the marvellous floor mosaic of the Tasman Map.  Between 1939 and 1941, the Melocco Brothers used 45 slabs of 22 mm thick marble, with coloured marble granules and inlays of brass, to outline the ships and decorative features echoing the floor of the Burgerzaal (town hall) in Amsterdam.  The map records where Abel Tasman sailed and mapped around 130 years before Cook even thought of leaving home!

                                                        The letter "B" from the first psalm

                                                                   The Book of Kells

Though the overall name was changed, the wing known as Mitchell exists still, where you can view, from above, the legions of book lovers and researchers that still pore over the volumes daily.  At key half way points around the top there are some splendid examples of stained glass and, above the north entry, in 1942, the splendid trio of coloured glass was revealed, featuring the 8^th century Book of Kells on either side of the reproduction of the letter “B” from the first psalm in the Gifford Psalter, an illuminated prayer book from the Clare Priory in Suffolk (England) dating back to 1250.

                                                              The Caxton Window

On the western side of the library is the Caxton window, honouring William Caxton, who was the first English printer. The image shows Caxton presenting his translation of Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye to his patron Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy.

Opposite can be seen windows depicting Chaucer’s Tales and, if all that hasn’t sated you, you could step into the Shakespeare room where the Seven Ages of Man are depicted.  None of which is why I originally came here this time.

                                          

                                               One of the three Seven Ages of Man panels

No, I’m here, amongst other things, to view the splendid art gallery that’s emerged from the large stockpile of fine artworks that the library houses.  For too long they’ve been hidden but now over 300 of them are displayed in a well thought out gallery and it’s a fascinating step back into the 19^th C and the people who lived in that era.

                                        McDonald River, Wisemans Road by Conrad Martens

Von Guerard, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and a host of other well-known painters can be seen here and many of the subjects are even more famous and attired in the couture of the time.  Joseph Banks, Caroline Chisholm, Governor Fitzroy and Hans Heysen just to whet your appetite.  Indeed, if history is one of your interests, the gallery is a must-see!

                                                           Vaucluse by George Peacock

The historic landscapes give an idea of what once was around Sydney Harbour but is now covered in houses while portraits of squatters reflect the times when successful pastoralists deemed it fashionable to have their portraits painted, though the images of squatters might be tainted with history these days.

                                    

                                                              The Convex Mirror

One of my favourites is “The Convex Mirror” by George Washington Lambert, painted at a cottage called “Bellwethers” in Surrey, England.  Although the figure at right rear seems somewhat stilted, I love the scene and the imagination to paint such a piece.

John Clark Hoyte’s recording of the burning of The Garden Palace in 1882 is a dramatic reminder of this significant event, now largely overlooked in Australia’s history.  Built for an International Exhibition, it only lasted 3 years before catching fire and suffering the same fate as ultimately befell Crystal Palace in London.  It was a stunning piece of historical architecture whose like was never to be repeated.

 

Richard Brydges “Landing at Bounty Bay” is a powerful work, recalling the landing of the mutineers on Pitcairn Island where he visited as a captain 35 years later, en route to the Bering Strait, not long before the last survivor, John Adams, passed away.  You can’t help but recoil a little at the pounding the small boats are receiving.

                                                    

                                            Family Group with Canoe by William Pitt Wilshire

The indigenous population is represented in a few works, smoke rising from a fire beside a stream is one that I recall and there’s another of a man hiding behind a tree before he attempts to spear a kangaroo.  The entry doors also have wonderful bronze bas reliefs of natives in a variety of poses.

                                                                      Sophia O'Brien

The most moving painting, when you know the provenance, is that of the lovely 23 year old Sophia O’Brien, painted, post mortem, from her death mask, by ex-naval surgeon Maurice Felton. She was the ‘beloved wife’ of a newspaper proprietor, Francis O’Brien, and third daughter of its founder, Edward Smith Hall.

                                                                         Billy Blue

Of all the portraits, the most memorable is that of Billy Blue, an African American enterprising ex-convict whose dress, with top hat, is striking to say the least.

Another feature I admire is the continuous video of how a painting restoration is done.  It’s extraordinary the lengths that the people who do this work (mostly women) have to go to.  I suspect their number one attribute is patience!

                                          

In other corridors and rooms, freed up after the recent additions, there are displays such as extremely rare books, dating back hundreds of years, the Nikon-Walkley press photography awards and a thought provoking and emotionally moving display of war images, from a touring exhibition of the National War Museum in Canberra.

                                               

Don’t walk in expecting to get out in under an hour, there’s so much to see!