Marmotinto
Encyclopedia
Marmotinto is the art of creating pictures using coloured sand
or marble
dust and otherwise known as sand painting.
Originating in Europe, and probably based on the Japanese craft of bonseki
(aka 'tray-painting'), marmotinto was fleetingly popular in England following a 1783 dinner party given by George III at Windsor Castle who was taken with a display of unfixed coloured sands, sugars and marble dust arranged under glass upon the surface of the dinner table in decorative patterns and including fruit and flowers, and exotic birds which was executed by a Bavarian table-decker named Benjamin Zobel, a friend of George Morland
, a painter prominent in the "Isle of Wight School". The King and his courtiers was so impressed with the resulting picture, it was suggested that Zobel find a way to make his compositions permanent and hence the craft of 'marmotinto' or sandpainting was born and proved most successful under the patronage of various members of the royal household including the then Duke of York.
Woburn Abbey
in Bedford, England possesses a fine example of the table deckers' craft in the form of an ornate folding room screen with three panels, decorated with sand pictures protected by glass. The centre one has five spaces for sweetmeat pyramid dishes while the two side leaves of the screen have three spaces for fruit trays. There are four sand pictures in each corner of the side panels of the screen, featuring 18th-century pastoral scenes, while the remaining areas of the screen are decorated with butterflies, doves, fruit, flowers, etc. The screen would be laid upon the surface of a side table where it doubled as a serving base for elaborate porcelain dishes and glass trays containing fruits, bonbons and sweetmeats, from which the hosts and their guests could help themselves while socializing or stretching their legs between the multiple courses being served on the main table in the dining hall. This screen is believed to be the work of F. Schweikhardt, Zobel's predecesor at Windsor who specialised in still-life studies in the style of the Dutch painter Jan van Huysum.
Later the craft became popular in the early 19th century as the tourist industry began to develop on the Isle of Wight
particularly at Alum Bay
where coloured sands were readily available to the visitors should they wish to try their hand at creating their own souvenirs when they disembarked directly onto the beach from the decks of mainland steamers. The locals soon realised an opportunity to develop and market small framed sand pictures and also compressed sand patterns inside glass jars to supplement their meagre income. There are some fine examples of Alum Bay sand pictures at Osborne House
and Carisbrook Castle while at the Victoria and Albert Museum
the late Queen Mary's impressive collection of Georgian sandpaintings may be viewed by request.
Although marmotinto using coloured sands and marble dust was popular across England and on the continent for awhile, beyond its initial fashionable period marmotinto as a fine art is rare indeed. But because of the modern-day enthusiasm for creating environmental friendly craftworks such as sand pictures using only natural coloured sands, supplemented by discarded, recycled and found materials fixed in place with a suitable none toxic adhesive, many of these crafts are now making a well-deserved comeback, encouraged by 'How to Do' instructions in craft magazines and on the web.
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
or marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
dust and otherwise known as sand painting.
Originating in Europe, and probably based on the Japanese craft of bonseki
Bonseki
Bonseki is the ancient Japanese art of creating miniature landscapes on black lacquer trays using white sand, pebbles, and small rocks. Small delicate tools are used in Bonseki such as feathers, small flax brooms, sifters, spoons and wood wedges. The trays are either oval or rectangular, measuring...
(aka 'tray-painting'), marmotinto was fleetingly popular in England following a 1783 dinner party given by George III at Windsor Castle who was taken with a display of unfixed coloured sands, sugars and marble dust arranged under glass upon the surface of the dinner table in decorative patterns and including fruit and flowers, and exotic birds which was executed by a Bavarian table-decker named Benjamin Zobel, a friend of George Morland
George Morland
George Morland was an English painter of animals and rustic scenes.-Life:Morland was born in London, the 3rd son of Henry Robert Morland , artist, engraver and picture restorer...
, a painter prominent in the "Isle of Wight School". The King and his courtiers was so impressed with the resulting picture, it was suggested that Zobel find a way to make his compositions permanent and hence the craft of 'marmotinto' or sandpainting was born and proved most successful under the patronage of various members of the royal household including the then Duke of York.
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
in Bedford, England possesses a fine example of the table deckers' craft in the form of an ornate folding room screen with three panels, decorated with sand pictures protected by glass. The centre one has five spaces for sweetmeat pyramid dishes while the two side leaves of the screen have three spaces for fruit trays. There are four sand pictures in each corner of the side panels of the screen, featuring 18th-century pastoral scenes, while the remaining areas of the screen are decorated with butterflies, doves, fruit, flowers, etc. The screen would be laid upon the surface of a side table where it doubled as a serving base for elaborate porcelain dishes and glass trays containing fruits, bonbons and sweetmeats, from which the hosts and their guests could help themselves while socializing or stretching their legs between the multiple courses being served on the main table in the dining hall. This screen is believed to be the work of F. Schweikhardt, Zobel's predecesor at Windsor who specialised in still-life studies in the style of the Dutch painter Jan van Huysum.
Later the craft became popular in the early 19th century as the tourist industry began to develop on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
particularly at Alum Bay
Alum Bay
Alum Bay is a bay near the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England, within sight of the Needles. Of geological interest and a tourist attraction, the bay is noted for its multi-coloured sand cliffs.-Geology:...
where coloured sands were readily available to the visitors should they wish to try their hand at creating their own souvenirs when they disembarked directly onto the beach from the decks of mainland steamers. The locals soon realised an opportunity to develop and market small framed sand pictures and also compressed sand patterns inside glass jars to supplement their meagre income. There are some fine examples of Alum Bay sand pictures at Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
and Carisbrook Castle while at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
the late Queen Mary's impressive collection of Georgian sandpaintings may be viewed by request.
Although marmotinto using coloured sands and marble dust was popular across England and on the continent for awhile, beyond its initial fashionable period marmotinto as a fine art is rare indeed. But because of the modern-day enthusiasm for creating environmental friendly craftworks such as sand pictures using only natural coloured sands, supplemented by discarded, recycled and found materials fixed in place with a suitable none toxic adhesive, many of these crafts are now making a well-deserved comeback, encouraged by 'How to Do' instructions in craft magazines and on the web.