Rex Whistler, Capriccio, Anglesey

Capriccio is a large wall mural by the English painter Rex Whistler (1905-1944). It hangs in Plas Newydd, the historic home of the Marquesses of Anglesey. It is 58 feet long, taking up an entire wall of the dining room. Much of the composition is purely imaginary, but there are numerous architectural and personal references. Of the former, the steeple of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trajan’s Column, the Round Tower at Windsor and the Roman church of S.Nome di Maria can be seen, the Italian buildings perhaps recalled from Whistler’s time at the British School in Rome….

The family appears in many guises: on the triumphal arch on the left is an inscription in 'dog-Latin' commemorating the 'founding of the city' by the Marquess, and his equestrian statue stands in front of it; at the far end in the 'gallery' (reminiscent of the Palladian bridge at Wilton) can be seen two French bulldogs and a pug, which belonged to lady Anglesey's daughters, as well as her book and spectacles. The 'baby' cello belonged to the 7th Marquess as a boy. In the centre of the main wall Lord and Lady Anglesey's arms are shown as if carved in stone on the ends of the parapet wall, and here too are Neptune's trident and crown carelessly propped up against an urn, and wet footprints leading up the steps from the sea – as if to suggest that the sea-god himself had joined the family at the dinner table.

Almost by way of a signature, Whistler added in the arcade at the [left-hand] end the figure of a young man sweeping up rose petals (a reference to his love for Catherine Paget) – this is a self-portrait, the last one before his death in action only a few years later.