Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour, Charleston in Lewes – A few Chinese-Related Notes #1 – View from Gordon Square, 1909

Posted: August 12th, 2025 | No Comments »

The Exhibition Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour is on at Charleston in Lewes, East Sussex until September 21. A few Chinese-related notes….

Included within the exhibition is Vanessa’s painting View from Gordon Square, 1909. It’s the view from the front windows of 46 Gordon Square in Bloomsbury and show three apples in a Nankeen dish/bowl. The dish actually belonged originally to Sir Leslie Stephen and his wife Julia, Vanessa’s parents. Vanessa had moved to Gordon Square with her sister Virginia and brothers Thoby and Adrian in 1904.

The question is (for this blog at least) was the Nankeen bowl from China or a Chinoiserie item made in England. The Staffordshire potters Minton, following Spode, were producing “Nankeen Semi China” from the early 1800s inspired by genuine Chinese Nankeen porcelain.

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