Somerset’s A History of the World
Jan 2010
Three of Bath and North East Somerset
Council’s museums have contributed objects for a major new project
for the BBC - A History of the World in 100
Objects – which was launched on Monday 18 January. The
three items from Bath that are featured are The Temple Pediment at
the Roman Baths, a Bath Chair from the Assembly Rooms and The Bust
of William Harbutt at the Victoria Art Gallery, all in the public
collections cared for by Bath & North East Somerset
Council.
At the heart of the project is the BBC Radio
4 series A History of the World in 100 objects.
100 programmes, written and narrated by Neil MacGregor, Director of
the British Museum, and focusing on 100 objects from the British
Museum’s collection. The programmes travel through two
million years from the earliest object in the collection to retell
the history of humanity through the objects we have made. They will
broadcast in three blocks, in January, May and August.
History of the World is a
partnership between the BBC and the British Museum that extends
across the UK. Inspired by the Radio 4 series, museums around the
country have teamed up with the BBC in their area and chosen over
600 objects from their own collections. All the chosen objects can
been seen on the website http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld.
Stephen Minnett, who's in charge of Somerset
County Museum, helped to choose the ten objects for the county.
"The idea is to use objects, initially museum objects that have
both local resonance and a much wider one, worldwide or other parts
of the world.
"It's just a way of getting away from the
usual history book or perhaps just looking at artefacts in a museum
from a local perspective and put things in a wider way and gain a
different insight into world history."
Although
Somerset's A History of the
World list has been initially created by people
directly involved in the BBC and British Museum campaign, it is
hoped that people will join in too.
"This is really just the start of it.
There's 100 objects with the British Museum, objects from Somerset
and the BBC regions, so that brings in another 600, but the idea is
that it's then added to, to become this huge virtual museum.”
"I'm hoping very much that the people of
Somerset have got the chance to add things that have a local and
wider significance."
ENDS
William Harbutt bronze
bust
William Harbutt was appointed Head of Bath
Art School in 1874 and later ran his own art studio in the city. He
wanted to devise a modelling medium that would not set, so that his
students could experiment and alter their creations during his
classes. In 1897 he succeeded in producing the substance he wanted,
which quickly became known as ‘plasticine’.
The popularity of plasticine soon led to
manufacture on an industrial scale. Harbutt’s factory in Bathampton
that produced plasticine for much of the 20th century.
Plasticine became a popular children’s toy and a worldwide
household name. It also had many industrial applications and was
used for making topographical models during both world wars.
The bust was made in 1911, appropriately
modelled in plasticine and then cast in bronze by one of Harbutt’s
own pupils, C. Whitney Smith. Harbutt’s widow Elizabeth bequeathed
it to the Victoria Art Gallery in 1930.
Victoria
Art Gallery, Bath &
North East Somerset
Council
Bath
Temple Pediment
The pediment from the Temple of Sulis
Minerva at Bath is one of the best-known objects from Roman
Britain. It originally looked down on people entering the temple
precinct from a height of 12 metres. Colourfully painted, it would
have been full of meaning to worshippers gathering before it.
The pediment consists of a central roundel
surrounded by oak leaves, held aloft by Victories on a shield and
containing the conflated heads of Neptune and a Gorgon. Other
emblems are associated with the theme of water and with the goddess
Minerva through her symbol of an owl. It is likely to have been
carved by Gaulish sculptors in the 1st century AD.
The creation of the temple and bathing
complex around Britain’s only hot springs reflected a new more
conciliatory approach to the governance of Britannia in which the
local population was gradually introduced to the benefits of Roman
culture.
Roman
Baths Museum, Bath &
North East Somerset
Council
A Bath chair
This Bath Chair of the early 19th
century is now rare, although chairs like this were once a common
sight on city streets across Europe. The invention of the 3-wheeled
Bath Chair has been attributed to John Dawson of Bath (born 1750),
although its earliest antecedents were on the streets by 1760 when
Dawson was still a boy. It was used to carry the sick from their
lodgings to and from the spa and to carry the rich and famous about
their business in the city. For a time Bath was the leading
watering hole in Europe and the concept quickly spread to
continental spas; Bath chairs can still be seen at Lourdes and
other healing centres in Europe. Its popularity rivalled and
eventually superseded the two-man Sedan Chair.
Despite modifications and improvements, the
Bath chair lost its popularity due to competition from motorised
taxis and lightweight wheelchairs affordable enough to be privately
owned.
Assembly Rooms, Bath &
North East Somerset
Council
For more information
contact:
Stephen Clews, Manager of The Roman Baths,
on 01225 477774, or email: Stephen_clews@bathnes.gov.uk