Considered the first great British house of the 18th century and the finest private house in Yorkshire, Castle Howard is an astonishing amalgam of ancient Rome, the British Grand Tour, a cathedral, and a miniature city on a hill. From its chapel, with a ceiling modeled on the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, to its sublime dome, the first on a private residence in Britain, to its stunning art collection to its astonishing gardens, Castle Howard is a dazzling star in the firmament of the great houses of the world. The first Baroque palace built for a commoner, Chatsworth is set in an enormous park backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland from which falls a magical cascade of water. Called “the Palace of the Peak,” the house is bursting with art, the highlight of which is the collection of Old Master drawings, one of the most important in the world. But there’s so much more—painted ceilings by Antonio Verrio and Louis Laguerre that take your breath away, carvings by Grinling Gibbons, sublime furniture and decorative arts, the greatest country house library in Britain, and paintings by Rembrandt, Hals, van Dyck, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Nothing can quite compare to this Derbyshire palace that has repeatedly been voted the public’s favorite historic house. Architectural historian Clive Aslet summed it up perfectly when he said that Chatsworth “occupies its position as the country house that all other country houses aspire to be like…”
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Friday, September 18 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET
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About the Speaker
Curt DiCamillo, who joined American Ancestors in February of 2016 as the organization’s first Curator of Special Collections, is an internationally recognized authority on British historic houses and the decorative arts (his award-winning website on British country houses can be found here: TheDiCamillo.com). Before coming to American Ancestors, Curt was the Executive Director of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, where he successfully raised more than $7 million and initiated many innovative programs. As Curator of Special Collections, he provides strategic direction for organizing and exhibiting our extensive collection of fine art and family history-related artifacts, leads the Society’s Heritage Tours, and provides educational outreach through American Ancestors' extensive webinar series. In recognition of his work, Curt has been presented to the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and The Prince of Wales. He is an alumnus of the Royal Collection Studies program, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of the Council of the American Museum in Britain. Curt’s book, Villa Astor: Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast, was published in 2017 by Flammarion. He is also the brother of the award-winning author Kate DiCamillo, something of which he’s extraordinarily proud.
Other Resources
Curt DiCamillo's Country House Database
Pronunciation Guide
Historic Houses Website