From the Catalogue of The Paul Mellon Collection, The Center for British Art, Yale University, U. S.A..'
BIFRONS PARK, KENT, ca. 1705-10
Oil on canvas, 611/2” x 911/2” (86- 8cm x 132- 5cm) B1977.14.83 Attributed to Jan Siberechts
This painting shows the transition from the bird’s-eye view to the man’s-eye view. The artist stands on a hill
above the house and looks down towards it. Bifrons House does not dominate, but is part of the landscape
which includes the tall tower of Canterbury Cathedral on the left.
The house was originally built by John Bargrave who died in 1600. It was called Bifrons because of the ‘bi-
front’ arrangement of two projecting bays in a modified ‘E’ plan. It was acquired by John Taylor in 1694 and
remained in the Taylor family throughout the eighteenth century. The most renowned member of the family
was Dr. Brook Taylor, the author of two important books on perspective which were widely used by artists.
The house was demolished in 1948. 8
The painting was formerly attributed to John Wootton (? 1686-1764) and was thought to have been an early
landscape executed under the influence of his Dutch teacher, Jan Wyck. Wootton’s earliest known works date
around 1718 when he was about twenty-two, and the costume of the figures in the foreground of this painting
cannot be much later than 1705-10. This seems to rule out Wootton as the artist. The treatment of the land-
scape painting is also more precise than Wootton’s style. Jan Siberechts has also been considered as a possible
artist, but there is insufficient evidence for this attribution. . . It has also been suggested that perhaps the
figures are by a different hand. The painting does show an early and fresh view of the English landscape with
effects of light and atmosphere in the Kent countryside. The artist may indeed have been Netherlandish.
The garden is a more intimate and less contrived space than earlier examples in this exhibition (such as
Hampton Court and Denham Place, and appears to represent an early trend towards a less rigidly constructed
landscape mode.
We are grateful to Miss Joan Carpenter of Patrixbourne and Canon John Packer of Bridge for noting the
existence of this painting. A letter was sent to the Curator of the Yale Center for British Art, giving him some
information about the location of the painting by enclosing a current map of Bridge indicating the sight-lines
of the painting, and pointing out St. Mary’s Church, Patrixbourne on the right-hand side. Permission was
asked to reproduce the painting for the benefit of the parish of Patrixbourne w Bridge and Bekesbourne, and
this was readily given. A large transparency of the painting was specially taken, and it is from this that the
prints have been prepared.
You will note that Bell Harry Tower is visible top left in the painting. This is artistic licence since you would
have to go thirty feet vertically in the air from the point near the Bridge By-Pass where the artist stood.
However, St. Mary’s, Patrixbourne—with a large tithe barn(?) at its west end is clearly seen, as are several of
Patrixbourne houses still standing such as The Barton.
We would like to record our thanks to the Yale Center for their help, and their generous gesture in waiving
all reproduction right fees since it is for the benefit of the local churches.