This, as far as can be ascertained is a
true story. (like everything I have written on my favourite subject –
blindfolds!)
Louis La Guerre (1663-1721) was a
French Decorative painter who painted -No! Not blindfolded maidens,
to Chris's disappointment, but mainly battle scenes as murals.
Especially with that name of his! Whole walls in large houses
depicting battles, so large that they turned out to be virtually
life-sized, battles in which the owner might have taken a prominent
part.
Such was commissioned by an important
English Duke who had taken part in the wars between England and
France at that time and had built himself a large house in the centre
of London. In particular he required the painter to decorate the
walls of the main grand staircase with battle scenes featuring the
Duke in full dress sitting on his charger (horse, stupid, sorry!).
Why a French painter should agree to paint French losses at battle is
curious.
A hundred years or so later, the Duke's
descendants moved back to their original estate in the country-side
and the London house, with its murals still intact, was passed to the
Government and eventually used as a main residence for important
families.
Many years ago, the upper floor was in
use by an elderly widowed Lady, a Dowager of some importance, who had
two grand-daughters who often visited her as they lived only a
quarter of a mile away in an even bigger grander house. When they
first visited at an early age they were probably accompanied by a
parent but when they became old enough to visit by themselves, or be
driven by their chauffeur, then they suddenly became aware of the
battle scenes and particularly some of the more gruesome details.
Half way up the first flight of stairs
there was a dead soldier – in the painting, I mean! In the
foreground, his half-severed arm appeared almost to be drooping out
of the mural and there was blood drying over his battered head.
On the first unaccompanied visit, the
younger sister refused to go up the staircase at all. Her sister
suggested that she simply closed her eyes, held onto the handrail and
run quickly up. This she did and that was okay for the next visit or
two. But then she got a bit braver and stopped on the way up and
peeped through half-closed eyes, giving then a little scream and
running the rest of the way up as before. Next time, her sister,
being the usual sort of 'bossy' sibling (like Chris!) instructed that
she should tie a scarf over her eyes to prevent what she now saw as
cheating on the younger sister's part. A scarf was to hand downstairs
and so up she went, now securely blindfolded, holding firmly onto the
handrail as before.
However, once the elder sister's
attention was freed from this particular matter, she herself suddenly
spotted another gruesome detail on the next flight up. This time,
again in the foreground another gruesome detail. Lying on its back,
legs kicking apparently in the air, and with staring eyes, obviously
just shot from under its rider, was a horse. (Someone's 'charger', no
doubt.) This elder sister had, what turned out to be, a life-long
passion for riding and for horses. She couldn't bear to look at it
more than once. It took no time for her to decide that she, too,
would have to climb the staircase blindfolded.
We are told that for some time then,
for visits by the two girls, they started blindfolded at the entrance
to the staircase and were met at the top, both still blindfolded, by
their grandmother.
Maybe the front door was
opened by a maid, who was designated to have two suitable scarves to
hand and who enjoyed blindfolding the two girls in the hall-way
before taking them to the bottom of the staircase. Maybe they
were met at the top by the grandmother and led, yet still
blindfolded, into her apartment and who herself enjoyed organising
some childish games for the blindfolded girls before releasing them
for their tea and cakes?
How am I reasonably sure this (apart
from the 'maybe's!) is true?
Chris was involved in some
refurbishment work at the house recently and was told about it by the
current house-keeper, who said it was general knowledge within the
current family and their predecessors. He even arranged for me to get
into the house early one morning and see the murals and even talk to
the house-keepr (I was introduced as Chris's 'Business Support
Co-ordinator' for the purposes of a security pass?!) It was all quite
something, I can tell you!
The house is not open to the Public for
visiting, nor is it likely to be, so I feel quite honoured.
Jane
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