Although he was a resident of Exeter, England, merchant Henry Hamlyn admired the fine craftsmanship of French domestic architecture, exemplified by this stairway enclosure made for a courtyard in Picardy, France. When building his new townhouse, Hamlyn employed Breton builders to create a dramatic, French-influenced interior. Gone were the narrow and steep flights of steps typical of earlier English homes. Hamlyn’s grandly decorated stairway, pictured below, included a spiral structure and galleries at each landing—features which slowed the ascent and created new spaces that could be appreciated in their own right. The new staircase also underscored the distinction between public and private areas, confining work and entertainment to the ground level and sleep to the upper floors.
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Title:Doorway and Staircase Enclosure
Date:late 15th or early 16th century
Geography:Made in Picardy, France
Culture:French
Medium:Oak
Dimensions:10 ft. 5 1/2 in. × 14 ft. 9 in. × 72 in. (318.8 × 449.6 × 182.9 cm)
Classification:Woodwork-Architectural
Credit Line:Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1913
Accession Number:13.138.1
From the courtyard at 29 rue de la Tannerie, Abbeville; [ Henri Daguerre, Paris (sold 1913)]
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