Chatsworth is home to a large collection of old master drawings. This year, we are sharing a selection to complement Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth.
Sometimes artists draw for pleasure. Sometimes, it is a critical part of the creative process – developing ideas, solving problems, or preparing for larger painted works. What you see here are drawings that show the thinking required to imagine an object as a different material entirely.
Take a close look at Giulio Romano’s drawings. The natural world is translated into functional design. A tortoise becomes a lidded box; a nest of vine leaves is transformed into a fruit bowl.
Take a close look at William Kent’s drawing. Nature and artifice combine in functional design. A spiral of petals and leaves rests between the angular horizontal plane of his design for a doorframe.



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Ini Archibong (b.1983), USA & Switzerland
Dark Vernus 1, 2021
blued steel and glass
Untitled #7, 2023
sound piece
Vestibule

Michael Anastassiades (b. 1967), UK
Bamboo Lamp Series, 2021
moss bamboo, waxed linen thread, pewter, spring steel, brass, borosilicate glass, components
Library

Wendell Castle (1932 - 2018), USA
Illusion-Reality-Truth (edition 1 of 8), 2015
Temptation (edition 3 of 8) 2014
A New Seeing (edition 1 of 8) 2015
all bronze
The Ring Pond

Andile Dyalvane (b. 1978), South Africa
Rhythms Vase, 2014
white stoneware clay, with stained highlights
Ingxondorha (Volatile Rocky Terrain), 2022
Umthombo (Spring), 2022
Umgodi (A Mine), 2022
Amaza (Waves), 2022
Isiziba (A Pool), 2022
glazed, hand-coiled stoneware
Cornish Waterfall, 2019
stoneware
Chapel Corridor

Ndidi Ekubia (b. 1973), UK
Turbine II Wine Cooler, 2013
Silver Palm Vase, 2020
Midrib Harmony Vase, 2020
Bowl, 2022
Cup, 2018
Cup, 2020
Journey Vase, 2001
all hammer-raised Britannia silver 958
State Closet

Najla El Zein (b. 1983), Iran
Seduction, Pair 06 (edition 4 of 8), 2019
Iranian red travertine
Rose Garden

FormaFantasma (founded 2009), Italy
Water Filter, Stalagmite, 2012
Water Filter, Stalactite, 2012
Water Filter, Funnel, 2012
Water Filter, Funnel 2012
Water Filter, Tongue 2012
all carbonised oak, mouth-blown glass, copper
Water Filter, Spoon, 2012
carbonised oak, mouth-blown glass
Glass bottle, 2012
carbonised oak log, mouth-blown glass
Green Satin Drawing Room

Joris Laarman (b.1979), The Netherlands
Maker Bench (Hexagon) prototype, 2018
oak, walnut
Maker Bench (Hexagon) 2018
oak, walnut
Chatsworth Symbio Bench, 2023
Burntwood Quarry gritstone, bryophytes
Painted Hall and Salisbury Lawns

Max Lamb (b. 1980) UK
6 x 8 chair, 2021
western red cedar
6 x 8 chair, 2021
western red cedar
State Drawing Room

Fernando Laposse (b.1988), Mexico
Black Furry Armchair (Prototype), 2022
dyed agave fibres, upholstered linen polyester blend, plywood
White Agave Cabinet, 2021
birch plywood, sisal, steel mesh, kiln-dried Canadian maple
State Bedchamber

Jay Sae Jung Oh (b. 1982), South Korea & USA
Salvage Series Chatsworth Chair, 2021
various plastics, leather cord, plywood
State Music Room

David Roentgen (1743-1807), Germany
Dressing table
Writing table
North Sketch

Samuel Ross (b. 1991), UK
Amnesia or platelet apparition?(edition 3 of 8), 2021
marble, powder-coated steel
Optimistic uncertainties. solicit integration (Material Articulation), Prototype, 2021
Fior di Pesca marble
Anxiety Birthed Corrosion (edition 1 of 8), 2021
marble, painted steel
Jut, impale, emerge (edition of 8), 2021
marble, powder-coated steel
Sculpture gallery

Chris Schanck (b. 1975), USA
Cryo III, 2022
Steel, wood polystyrene, polyurea, aluminium foil, resin, suede, onyx
Concretion (edition 3/8), 2021
Aluminium
Grotto

Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007), Italy
Vase no. 7, 2006
glass and rope
Vase no. 16, 2006
glass and patinated aluminium wire
Xiangzheng, 1999
glass polished and oxidised aluminium wire
Vase no. 4, 2006
glass and rope
Lingam, 1999
glass
Great Chamber

Faye Toogood (b.1977), UK
Pew Bench/Moon (edition 2 of 8), 2016
Spoon Chair / Moon (edition 1 of 8), 2016
Spoon Chair / Moon (prototype), 2016
all sand-cast bronze, silver nitrate
Lode II (edition 1 of 8), 2021
Trove I, 2022
Trove II, 2022
Plot II (Prototype), 2022
all hand-carved Purbeck marble
The Chapel and The Oak Room

Joseph Walsh (b. 1979), Ireland
Enignum Brackets, 2022
Enignum Bed VIII, 2015
ash
North Sketch and Sabine Room