Reflections on Design

Surrounded by the pristine hills and valleys of the United Kingdom’s Derbyshire Dales, with the River Derwent its faithful companion, Chatsworth House is an exquisite mesh of English Baroque and Italian architecture. Amidst its rose garden’s geometric landscape rests an abstract sculptural bench, hand-carved from Iranian red travertine, which recalls two forms reclining in a sensuous embrace. Beirut-based designer Najla El Zein’s Seduction, Pair 06, 2019, is part of an ongoing contemporary design exhibition, installed at the historic venue in 2023 and co-curated by American author and historian Glenn Adamson and Dr. Alexandra Hodby. Now its relationship with the property—as well as that of the other works in the show—unfolds across pages of Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design At Chatsworth, which came out last week.

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Edited by Adamson, Mirror Mirror weaves in-situ photography of the 16 pieces on display at Chatsworth with essays on the legendary estate’s architecture and design, past and present. The book powerfully engages in a spirited dialogue and asks: How does history shape the artists of today? And how does a work’s environment determine its resonance and reception?

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“The greatest surprise for us when working on the exhibition was how gracefully the contemporary works fit into the existing arrangements at Chatsworth,” says Adamson—a throughline underscored in the book. He and Hodby had expected the modern works “to be a vivid contrast, with the feeling of an intervention,” he shares, adding “But in fact, these newly made designs seemed right at home, perhaps because of kindred materiality (ceramic, stone, oak, silver), and a similarly shared intensity of craftsmanship.”

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Infused with a compelling identity of its own, Chatsworth House has fostered art and design for nearly five centuries. Nurtured by 17 generations of the Devonshire family, the great English house has a long-standing tradition of commissioning and showcasing new artistic perspectives. The three-story residence is furnished with Mortlake Tapestries that date back to the 17th century, spacious stables, a gorgeous 105-acre garden, and a 1,822-acre park. There are ancient Roman and Egyptian sculptures, masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Leda and the Swan, Rembrandt’s Portrait of an Old Man, and a portrait of Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire by Lucian Freud titled Woman in a White Shirt.

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Sifting through Mirror Mirror’s 208 pages, an intimate tour of Chatsworth unfolds. Situated in the green-hued drawing room, paintings that date back to 1703 depict the estate’s evolution. Nearby the Milanese design studio Formafantasma’s 2012 “Charcoal” series showcases the transformative power of charcoal. The blown-glass jars–some paired with wooden filters—store fragments of the carbon-rich substance that accentuate Chatsworth’s history with it: as fuel for iron-smelting, as well as a means of purifying water.

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In images of the opulent dressing room, delicate abstract silver vessels by British artist Ndidi Ekubia are placed beneath a 17th-century chandelier by Daniel Marot. Ekubia’s creations both seamlessly blend with and vitalize Chatsworth’s permanent, decorative art collection that includes large looking glasses supplied by John Gumley. At the physical Chatsworth, each work of art extends an invitation for a slow dance—a journey between eras, characterized by rebellious talent. Gathered in Mirror Mirror’s chapters, these cross-generational objects appear as one: the ever-evolving story of Chatsworth.

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Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth is now available to order.