ART AT ROCK-DAVID JONES,BEN NICHOLSON AND THE COLLECTOR HELEN SUTHERLAND

Rock village is a hamlet in Northumberland with a claim to be of some importance in the history of modern British art. Rock Hall was leased  from its owners the Bosanquet family by the wealthy collector and patron Helen Sutherland from 1929-39. She is buried in the graveyard only a short distance from the Hall.

Ben and Winifred Nicholson were vistors in the late 1920s.So too, about the same time was David Jones. Sutherland's small but well chosen collection in particular featured Ben Nicholson and David Jones.At the time of her death she owned 47 works by Ben Nicholson.

For several decades a minor work by Ben Nicholson actually stood in the church. It was a collection box which he had made in 1925 for the building. It was Murray McCheyne who first mentioned it to me about 1970 and I remember going to look  at it at that time.It wouldn't have qualified as one of Nicholson's best works but it was obviously something he had made.The box is no longer at the church.It was sold  at Sotheby's in 2001. it was too valuable to leave there unattended.

Offertory Box by Ben Nicholson. Formerly at Rock Church. Now in a Swiss collection.

About that time David Jones also became a regular guest. The view from his window above the front door of Rock Hall inspired some of his watercolours including The Chapel in the Park, now at Tate Britain. Jones was wrapped up in Welsh and Arthurian history and legend. He seems to have identified the church at Rock with the Chapel Perilous of Arthurian legend.

St Philip and St James Rock, Northumberland.

The Chapel in the Park

This is the painting in the Tate Gallery. It was not a part of the Sutherland collection. Jones made more than one view from the window at Rock. In the catalogue for the Kendal showing of  Sutherland's collection (1964)  is listed  her watercolour ;The Chapel Perilous:from a window at Rock. We can presume that the views were similar .
 In this version the church appears on the left almost three quarters of the way up the picture. The medieval bridge appears  on the right at almost the same height . You should be able to see the pyramidal caps on the corners and the round arch.

Medieval bridge near Rock Church.

Rock hall seen from the churchyard. David Jones always had the room over the front door.

 Helen Sutherland is buried in the churchyard but  her gravestone is not of the quality  which I would have associated with such a fastidious collector. It is certainly a work of the 1960s and the lettering on the back is crude in design . It is ironic that Helen Sutherland was associated with David Jones that remarkable designer of inscriptions. Here the quality is lacking.

The  verse on the back of the stone is unknown to me. I am guessing that Kathleen Raine, another friend might be a possible source.If anyone knows the name of the creator of the verse or the actual carving I would really appreciate it if they can leave a comment.Ms Sutherland did not die at Rock and had indeed removed long before her death to the Lakes but her time there must have been of particular importance to her.

The chi-rho device on the back of the stone and on which the text appears superimposed it will be remembered as standing for the first two letters of the Greek word Christos. Helen Sutherland was a Christian.

The church from the south. The curious plan of the churchyard suggests a building of considerable antiquity.Helen Sutherland's grave is at the far left-with the triangular top.

Finally let me add that on Sunday 21 July 1935 Helen Sutherland had 17 miners from Ashington to tea. David Jones was assigned to explain the modern paintings. He was apprehensive but soon found out that the miners were, "intelligent & sensitive, 20 times more "aware" than most people one meets".

Some of these miners were part of the group who were later to be known as the "Pitmen Painters".

Also in the churchyard are graves of the Bosanquet family. Of particular note are those of  the archaeologist  and also the university administrator who are also commemorated in Leonard Evett's excellent  window inside the church-from which I reproduce a detail.I have written more about this window in an earlier post in this earlier post.

My review of Thomas Dilworth's new biography of David Jones is to be found in this post.