Little Deceptions

When is a lie not a lie? Perhaps it is a “white lie” when we just mean it for the best? We are taught as children that we should not lie, but as adults, many of these ‘protocols’ seem to become smudged. Little deceptions too easily become part of everyday conversation with ourselves as well as with other people, a little flourish to make something more palatable.   

 Little lies are not just part of everyday life but have been painted into our lives in art as well. It was Flemish and Dutch artists in the 16th and 17th centuries who revived the ancient Greek art of Trompe-l'œil, particularly in the imitation of nature. They called this “bedriegertje” meaning "little deception" - paintings which trick the viewer into perceiving painted objects or spaces as real.

An ancient Greek story relates a contest between two famous painters, Zeuxis and Parrhasius during the 5th Century BC. Whilst none of their paintings remain today, these artists are known because of references to them by writers such as Pliny the Elder, Aristotle and Xenophon. A millennia later during the Renaissance, artists and their patrons were utterly obsessed with Pliny's Natural History which contained detailed descriptions of various great works of art from antiquity. The fact that most no longer existed merely added to their imagined perfection. 

Among the most intriguing was a picture of grapes by the famous Zeuxis (fifth century B.C.) which was apparently so realistic that birds tried to eat them. In the story of the competition, Parrhasius and Zeuxis were trying to assess who was the greatest painter. Apparently, Parrhasius asked Zeuxis to judge his painting behind some tattered curtains in his study. However, when Zeuxis tried to pull back the curtains, they were revealed to be part of Parrhasius’ painting thus making Parrhasius the winner, Zeuxis declaiming, "I have deceived the birds, but Parrhasius has deceived Zeuxis”. 

In the 16th and 17th centuries, this sort of art was mostly used in huge scale decorated ceilings which conjured up the illusion of infinite space, creating ever greater height in a room. In others, the heavens seem to open up and an Italian phrase di sotto in sù ("from below" in Italian) is used to sum up this soaring effect. There was often a depiction of Jesus' or Mary, or a saint's ascension or assumption. 

 Illusion art reached new heights in the 17th century, particularly among Dutch artists, who achieved extraordinary levels of realism. Often such murals might depict a window, door, or hallway, intended to suggest a larger room. One of these artists, Evert Collier produced many paintings for the English market. His illusionistic letter racks were and are so convincing, we try to reach out for the well-thumbed piles of papers carefully tucked behind either straps – but if we try, we would find we had been fooled.

Only in the early 19th century was the phrase trompe-l'œil coined to describe this illusionistic technique. It is still popular as it is about a magical experience, a sense of being in on the joke, though today it is possibly most commonly seen in pavement art.

At Highclere, the Music room has a beautiful painted ceiling by the artist Francis Hayman which depicts Athene Rising. Although he was an English artist working in the 18th century, the centrepiece is an approximate example of this kind of ceiling heightening effect. It is hard to say though as it is likely that the painting was originally made for a smaller room before being removed and replaced, firstly in the Georgian and, later, in the Victorian rebuilding of Highclere.  

A better but entirely modern example of such "illusion painting" can be found on the door between the Saloon and the Smoking Room. Painted by a girlfriend, the door is disguised as a bookshelf with books, a vase and some photographs. It is particularly mischievous, because whilst at first sight the books appear to be entirely conventional, each title has been tweaked to reflect either my husband and myself, our family or various members of staff. As a private joke between those of us at the castle, it is entirely in keeping with the ideals of those 16th century Dutch artists.