While the murals by French artist Louis Laguerre (1663-1721) in the Painted Hall depict the life and downfall of Julius Caesar, those on the Great Stairs, which lead visitors upwards towards the State Apartments, shift the mood from warnings of tyranny to the promise of a prosperous new order following the accession of William III and Mary II to the throne of England.
On the ceiling, Italian artist Antonio Verrio (c.1636-1707) painted The Triumph of Cybele, where the earth goddess rides a lion-drawn chariot, over a vision of global abundance. She is attended by allegories of the four continents offering their riches, a panorama of worldwide prosperity brought under her care.
Below, in grisaille on the staircase walls, scenes of Hercules’ labours (The Slaying of the Hydra and The Capture of the Erymanthian Boar) echo William III’s personal emblem of the hero overcoming monstrous threats. Yet the ceiling elevates Mary II, presented as Cybele, mistress of the earth and symbol of abundance.
As the eldest daughter of James II, Mary II's role was essential in legitimising their monarchy. Some unfinished figures appear just below the ceiling, another aspect of the decoration still to be fully understood.
The staircase thus bridges the themes of the Painted Hall and the State Apartments beyond: from Caesar’s fall, perhaps a warning against tyranny, to a new regime of prosperity under William and Mary.
The staircase itself has had a complex architectural history, yet its decorative programme has always echoed the Roman triumphal themes of the Hall itself.
The original 1692 staircase was a double-curved flight richly adorned with alabaster, marble, and Blue John, celebrated for its splendour. This was replaced in 1833 by Sir Jeffry Wyatville for the 6th Duke, who installed a single-flight stair with two galleries. Wyatville’s changes came at the cost of parts of Samuel Watson’s marble pavement, which were rearranged elsewhere.
In 1912, the 9th Duke and Duchess Evelyn commissioned the present staircase, inspired by 17th-century forms. Its gilt-iron balustrades are faithful Arts and Crafts reproductions by the Bromsgrove Guild of Jean Tijou’s original ironwork of 1689. Tijou, a French Huguenot master ironsmith and father-in-law of Laguerre, also worked at Hampton Court and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Great Stairs thus encapsulates the evolving tastes of generations over three centuries while retaining echoes of the Roman triumphal imagery of its original design.
Images taken by Sarah Rawlinson at HeritagePhotographs.com
