Francesco Sleter
Encyclopedia
Franceso Sleter was an Italian painter, active in England.
He was born in Venice
. He is believed to have studied under Gregorio Lazzarini
. He was in England by 1719 when he designed the stained glass windows for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
in the chapel at Cannons
, these are now in the church at Great Witley
. Other work at Cannons involved painting the staircase ceiling with the Triumph of Victory, the anteroom
ceiling with an allegory of Eternity and Fame and the Best Bedchamber with an allegory
of Love and Marriage. At Grimsthorpe Castle
for Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
in the mid 1720s he is attributed with painting the dining room ceiling with Liberal Arts and the staircase ceiling with Triumph of Cybele. At Mereworth Castle
for John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland
he painted the gallery ceiling with Rococo
ornament and various mythological subjects and also the East Bedroom ceiling with panels of playing cupids. At Moor Park
he worked with Sir James Thornhill and painted the four inset paintings in the gallery of the hall of Sileno and Amazzone, Baccanale and Zingara, Flora and Ercole and Iside and Apollo he also contributed to the mural
paintings in the saloon and staircase hall. At the now demolished Moulsham Hall he painted the dining room. At Stowe House
he worked with the architect William Kent
for Viscount Cobham
and was active in both the house and several of the temples in the gardens during the 1730s & 1740s, including the ceiling and the now destroyed murals of the Grand Staircase the ceiling of the State Dining Room, the Temple of Venus, The Temple of Friendship, the Imperial Closet and The Queen's Temple none of the work in the garden survives apart from The Chinese House. He was also responsible for the mural paintings at St. Lawrence church Whitchurch, London
, for the 1st Duke of Chandos, the ceiling was painted by Louis Laguerre
. He retired to Mereworth
where there is a memorial tablet to him in the church.
He was born in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. He is believed to have studied under Gregorio Lazzarini
Gregorio Lazzarini
Gregorio Lazzarini was an Italian painter, mostly of religious subjects, and those from history and mythology.Born in Venice, he initially trained with the Genovese painter Francesco Rosa, Girolamo Forabosco, and with the studio of Pietro della Vecchia. He joined the painters' guild in Venice in...
. He was in England by 1719 when he designed the stained glass windows for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, MP, PC was the first of fourteen children by Sir James Brydges, 3rd Baronet of Wilton Castle, Sheriff of Herefordshire, 8th Baron Chandos; and Elizabeth Barnard...
in the chapel at Cannons
Cannons (house)
Cannons was a stately home in Little Stanmore, Middlesex built for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos between 1713 and 1724 at a cost of £200,000 but which in 1747 was razed and its contents dispersed....
, these are now in the church at Great Witley
Great Witley
Great Witley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the northwest of the county of Worcestershire, England...
. Other work at Cannons involved painting the staircase ceiling with the Triumph of Victory, the anteroom
Antechamber
An antechamber is a smaller room or vestibule serving as an entryway into a larger one. The word is formed of the Latin ante camera, meaning "room before"....
ceiling with an allegory of Eternity and Fame and the Best Bedchamber with an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of Love and Marriage. At Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle is a country house in Lincolnshire, England four miles north-west of Bourne on the A151. It lies within a 3,000 acre park of rolling pastures, lakes, and woodland landscaped by Capability Brown...
for Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, 2nd Marquess of Lindsey, 5th Earl of Lindsey, 18th Baron Willoughby de Eresby PC , also styled Hon...
in the mid 1720s he is attributed with painting the dining room ceiling with Liberal Arts and the staircase ceiling with Triumph of Cybele. At Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England.Originally the site of a fortified manor licensed in 1332, the present building is not actually a castle, but was built in the 1720s as an almost exact copy of Palladio's Villa Rotunda. It was designed in 1723...
for John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland
John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland was an English nobleman, styled The Honourable John Fane from 1691 to 1736....
he painted the gallery ceiling with Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
ornament and various mythological subjects and also the East Bedroom ceiling with panels of playing cupids. At Moor Park
Moor Park (house)
Moor Park is a Grade I listed Palladian mansion set within several hundred acres of parkland in Hertfordshire, England. It is called Moor Park Mansion because it is in the old park of the Manor of More. The original house was built in 1678–9 for James, Duke of Monmouth, and inherited by his...
he worked with Sir James Thornhill and painted the four inset paintings in the gallery of the hall of Sileno and Amazzone, Baccanale and Zingara, Flora and Ercole and Iside and Apollo he also contributed to the mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
paintings in the saloon and staircase hall. At the now demolished Moulsham Hall he painted the dining room. At Stowe House
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
he worked with the architect William Kent
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
for Viscount Cobham
Viscount Cobham
Viscount Cobham is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 for Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Baron Cobham and 4th Baronet, of Stowe...
and was active in both the house and several of the temples in the gardens during the 1730s & 1740s, including the ceiling and the now destroyed murals of the Grand Staircase the ceiling of the State Dining Room, the Temple of Venus, The Temple of Friendship, the Imperial Closet and The Queen's Temple none of the work in the garden survives apart from The Chinese House. He was also responsible for the mural paintings at St. Lawrence church Whitchurch, London
Whitchurch, London
Little Stanmore is a locality in the London Borough of Harrow in London, England.-Toponymy:Little Stanmore was named to distinguish it from Great Stanmore, which is now known as Stanmore. The parish was also known as Whitchurch. Whitchurch is a common English place-name meaning 'white church', and...
, for the 1st Duke of Chandos, the ceiling was painted by Louis Laguerre
Louis Laguerre
Louis Laguerre , was a French decorative painter mainly working in England.Born in Versailles in 1663 and trained at the Paris Academy under Charles Le Brun, he came to England in 1683, where he first worked with Antonio Verrio, and then on his own...
. He retired to Mereworth
Mereworth
Mereworth is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.-History:...
where there is a memorial tablet to him in the church.