Sir Robert Staples, 12th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, 12th Baronet (1853-1943) was the third son of Sir Nathaniel Staples, 11th Baronet of Lissan House
near Cookstown
in Co. Tyrone. He was one of the great characters of the early twentieth century and one of Ulster
's best known artists. Known as the "barefoot baronet", he refused to wear shoes as he believed that leather soles would block out the natural electricity exuded by the earth and thus impair the health. Rubber soles he considered “absolute suicide”. He would travel to Belfast
solely to walk on the tramlines as he believed this extra boost of electricity would be especially beneficial.
Aside from his eccentricity
he was, however, a talented artist. He was born in Dundee
in 1853 and he began the study of architecture at the Catholic University of Leuven
at the age of 12 followed by spells in Dresden
, Paris
and London
where he trained as an artist. His first picture was accepted by the Royal Academy
when he was only 22 years old and he exhibited there throughout his life. His most famous painting is The Ideal Cricket Match which now hangs in the Pavilion at Lords Cricket Ground and shows an imaginary match founding the Ashes
tournament between Australia
and England
. Other famous works include Cardinal Manning’s Last Reception (at the Archiepiscopal Palace of the Archbishop of Westminster
), The Last Shot at Queen's Club
(now in the AELTCC) and Gladstone
Introducing the Home Rule Bill (now hanging in the House of Lords
).
He finally settled at Lissan
in 1912 after the death of his elder brother James Head Staples who had been looking after the estate whilst Sir John Staples, their eldest brother, was in an asylum. He came for an extended visit but fell in love with “this golden place” as he called it and remained there for the rest of his life, sketching and painting his children, grandchildren and local people. He never left home without a sketchbook and the house was once stuffed with sketch books filled with all manner of watercolours and sketches of everything and everyone of interest he met on his travels.
During the early 1900’s he had lived in London
and was at the very centre of the Café Royal
set who met on Piccadilly
in London
and included such artists and patrons of the Arts as Sir William Orpen, Lily Langtry, Sophie Guilbert and King Edward VII. He was also involved in the establishment of the Grosvenor Gallery
. This gallery was founded by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche Fitzroy as an alternative exhibition space to the Royal Academy
and it soon became one of the most important galleries in England, launching the works of Whistler and Burne-Jones. It was at the very centre of the Aesthetic Movement and was again patronised by Edward VII.
All of this meant that Sir Robert was at the very heart of fashionable fin de siecle London
just prior to the Great War and he was friendly with the most important people in London Society during this period. This is reflected in his paintings which include portraits of virtually every important politician, actor, churchman, artist and monarch in England.
All of Sir Robert’s diaries survive and were, until last year, stored at Lissan House
. They present a fascinating picture of Edwardian England from the very heart of high society and will no doubt found a great transcription project in the future and many of the gossipy stories about the upper echelons of Edwardian society therein are unique.
Lissan once contained a huge collection of Sir Robert’s paintings. Many of these were sold in a studio auction at Phillips
in London in 1991 which was organised by his granddaughter and last of the Staples family to reside at Lissan, Hazel Radclyffe Dolling to fund restoration work and today the Lissan collection is composed mainly of family portraits. His paintings are now highly regarded, but when Sir Robert was alive, they were underappreciated as a result of which, by the time of his death in 1943, his family were financially very strained.
Lissan House
Lissan House is a historic house and tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Lissan lies nestled at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains amid ancient woodland near the historic market town of Cookstown.-The Staples family:...
near Cookstown
Cookstown
Cookstown may refer to either of the following:*Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland*Cookstown, Ontario, Canada*Cookstown, New Jersey, United States...
in Co. Tyrone. He was one of the great characters of the early twentieth century and one of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
's best known artists. Known as the "barefoot baronet", he refused to wear shoes as he believed that leather soles would block out the natural electricity exuded by the earth and thus impair the health. Rubber soles he considered “absolute suicide”. He would travel to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
solely to walk on the tramlines as he believed this extra boost of electricity would be especially beneficial.
Aside from his eccentricity
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
he was, however, a talented artist. He was born in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in 1853 and he began the study of architecture at the Catholic University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
at the age of 12 followed by spells in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he trained as an artist. His first picture was accepted by the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
when he was only 22 years old and he exhibited there throughout his life. His most famous painting is The Ideal Cricket Match which now hangs in the Pavilion at Lords Cricket Ground and shows an imaginary match founding the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
tournament between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Other famous works include Cardinal Manning’s Last Reception (at the Archiepiscopal Palace of the Archbishop of Westminster
Archbishop of Westminster
The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman...
), The Last Shot at Queen's Club
Queen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. Founded in 1886, the Queen's Club was the world's first multipurpose sports complex and named after Queen Victoria, its first patron...
(now in the AELTCC) and Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
Introducing the Home Rule Bill (now hanging in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
).
He finally settled at Lissan
Lissan
Lissan is a civil and ecclesiastical parish that spans into County Londonderry and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The local Roman Catholic church was built in 1908....
in 1912 after the death of his elder brother James Head Staples who had been looking after the estate whilst Sir John Staples, their eldest brother, was in an asylum. He came for an extended visit but fell in love with “this golden place” as he called it and remained there for the rest of his life, sketching and painting his children, grandchildren and local people. He never left home without a sketchbook and the house was once stuffed with sketch books filled with all manner of watercolours and sketches of everything and everyone of interest he met on his travels.
During the early 1900’s he had lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was at the very centre of the Café Royal
Café Royal
The Café Royal was a restaurant and meeting place on 68 Regent Street in London's Piccadilly.-History:The establishment was originally conceived and set up in 1865 by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, who was a French wine merchant. He had to flee France due to bankruptcy, arriving in Britain in 1863 with...
set who met on Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and included such artists and patrons of the Arts as Sir William Orpen, Lily Langtry, Sophie Guilbert and King Edward VII. He was also involved in the establishment of the Grosvenor Gallery
Grosvenor Gallery
The Grosvenor Gallery was an art gallery in London founded in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche. Its first directors were J. Comyns Carr and Charles Hallé...
. This gallery was founded by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche Fitzroy as an alternative exhibition space to the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
and it soon became one of the most important galleries in England, launching the works of Whistler and Burne-Jones. It was at the very centre of the Aesthetic Movement and was again patronised by Edward VII.
All of this meant that Sir Robert was at the very heart of fashionable fin de siecle London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
just prior to the Great War and he was friendly with the most important people in London Society during this period. This is reflected in his paintings which include portraits of virtually every important politician, actor, churchman, artist and monarch in England.
All of Sir Robert’s diaries survive and were, until last year, stored at Lissan House
Lissan House
Lissan House is a historic house and tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Lissan lies nestled at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains amid ancient woodland near the historic market town of Cookstown.-The Staples family:...
. They present a fascinating picture of Edwardian England from the very heart of high society and will no doubt found a great transcription project in the future and many of the gossipy stories about the upper echelons of Edwardian society therein are unique.
Lissan once contained a huge collection of Sir Robert’s paintings. Many of these were sold in a studio auction at Phillips
Phillips de Pury & Company
Phillips de Pury & Company is an auction house and art dealership, with offices in London, New York, Geneva, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, Milan, Munich and Paris. Phillips conducts auctions in New York, London and Geneva in the areas of Contemporary Art, Photography, 20-21st Century Design, Art...
in London in 1991 which was organised by his granddaughter and last of the Staples family to reside at Lissan, Hazel Radclyffe Dolling to fund restoration work and today the Lissan collection is composed mainly of family portraits. His paintings are now highly regarded, but when Sir Robert was alive, they were underappreciated as a result of which, by the time of his death in 1943, his family were financially very strained.