John Dibblee Crace
Encyclopedia
John Dibblee Crace was a distinguished British interior designer who provided decorative schemes for the British Museum
, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy
, Tyntesfield and Longleat
among many other notable buildings.
Crace was the eldest of eleven surviving children of John Gregory Crace
(1809–1889), interior decorator and author, and his wife, Sarah Jane Hine Langley (1815–1894), the daughter of John Inwood Langley (1790–1874) of Greenwich
, a civil servant at the Royal Naval Hospital. His father was renowned as a decorator who was in partnership for eight years with A.W.N. Pugin, the eminent Gothic revival architect, and was head of a decorating firm founded in 1768 by his great-great-grandfather Edward Crace, a coach-decorator and keeper of the king's pictures. Edward and his son Frederick were responsible for the decoration of Brighton Pavilion and other Royal palaces.
Considered the acme of High Victorianism, his work fell out of fashion in the 20th century and much of it was painted over. Only recently has his public work returned to the fore, after a string of restorations (of the British Museum in 2000, the RA in 2004 and the National Gallery in 2005) that revealed his original designs.
Crace's decoration for the Royal Academy's Fine Rooms is under threat, as a painting by William Kent
in good condition is known to be underneath it.
He is buried with most of the dynasty at West Norwood Cemetery
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, Tyntesfield and Longleat
Longleat
Longleat is an English stately home, currently the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, adjacent to the village of Horningsham and near the towns of Warminster in Wiltshire and Frome in Somerset. It is noted for its Elizabethan country house, maze, landscaped parkland and safari park. The house is set...
among many other notable buildings.
Crace was the eldest of eleven surviving children of John Gregory Crace
John Gregory Crace (designer)
John Gregory Crace was an English interior decorator and author.-Early life and education:The Crace family had been prominent London interior decorators since Edward Crace , later keeper of the royal pictures to George III, established a business in 1768...
(1809–1889), interior decorator and author, and his wife, Sarah Jane Hine Langley (1815–1894), the daughter of John Inwood Langley (1790–1874) of Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, a civil servant at the Royal Naval Hospital. His father was renowned as a decorator who was in partnership for eight years with A.W.N. Pugin, the eminent Gothic revival architect, and was head of a decorating firm founded in 1768 by his great-great-grandfather Edward Crace, a coach-decorator and keeper of the king's pictures. Edward and his son Frederick were responsible for the decoration of Brighton Pavilion and other Royal palaces.
Considered the acme of High Victorianism, his work fell out of fashion in the 20th century and much of it was painted over. Only recently has his public work returned to the fore, after a string of restorations (of the British Museum in 2000, the RA in 2004 and the National Gallery in 2005) that revealed his original designs.
Crace's decoration for the Royal Academy's Fine Rooms is under threat, as a painting by William Kent
William Kent
William Kent , born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, was an eminent English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.He was baptised as William Cant.-Education:...
in good condition is known to be underneath it.
He is buried with most of the dynasty at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...