#casement window

The deteriorated condition of old surfaces has been emphasized, rather than any attempt made at disguise.

Forget Me Not

Artist: Arthur Hughes (English, 1832–1915)

Date: Exhibited 1866

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Private Collection

Description

In the bedroom of an ancient country house, a beautiful young woman kneels in a prayerful attitude beside a large brass-studded leather trunk, her arms resting on it as, lost in thoughts of her absent love, she gazes towards the light that filters through the casement window. Only two small panes are visible but these are sufficient to suggest that it is a frosty moonlit night. Inside, all is dark and shrouded. Her narrow bed stands against the wall, its frame adorned with Gothic finials. The padded headboard is embroidered with a pair of angels and the words Deus Magnificat, pointing to the pious nature of the household of which she is a member. The lute and bow traditionally signify the pleasures and happiness of love-making. Lying silent on the bed, they echo her lonely state and an emotional life as yet unfulfilled.

Throughout his long career, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright argued for the importance of “organic” architecture and the close relationship between a building and its landscape. In this window, Wright distilled the shape and structure of plant forms into a striking geometric composition that conjures the vitality of the natural world. Discover more at "Channeling Nature by Design."

Cloisonne-like designs painted on a window eclipse the view. Hovering above the window is a frieze of coral, yellow, and taupe discs; on either side are trompe l'oeil niches with bloom-filled vases.

Outside the casement window are fronds of banana trees while inside, the designer lined the walls of the bath with banana-leaf wallpaper, originally made for the Beverly Hills Hotel in the 1930s.

Designer: Lynn von Kersting for Indigo Seas

Photograph: John Vaughan