B.
Decline and fall
Behind the scenes
Here we have Hamilton Palace, one of Scotland's finest houses, as depicted in its final moments by the Australian actor/artist W.S. Percy.
William Stratford Percy Departed Glory, The Last of Hamilton Palace. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2002
And this is how its demolition was described in The Times:
The Times, Wednesday, 16 November 1921, p.5
There are lots of interesting back stories here. The magnificent Hamilton Palace collection of fine art, had been sold back in 1882 in one of Christie's most sensational sales. Again from The Times:
The Times, Friday, 21 July 1882, p.4
Several works were purchased at this sale by James Mackelvie (1824-1884) and now form part of the Auckland Art Gallery collection – for example this magnificent Reni:
W.S. Percy's life story is worth telling too, but we'll save that for another day.
Guido Reni St Sebastian. Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of James Tannock Mackelvie 1882