Positive reflections: 5 highlights from Mirror Mirror at Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House has long embraced creativity; ever since the Devonshire property came under ownership of the Cavendish family back in 1549, art and design pieces have been commissioned to adorn its 126 rooms. The exhibition Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth (curated by writer, historian and Crafts editor-at-large Glenn Adamson) continues this time-honoured tradition, inviting 16 artists and designers from across the globe to create works for the home and its sprawling gardens. Including ceramics, glassware, metalwork and more, the works in the show are unequivocally contemporary yet still reference Chatsworth’s historic architecture – below we share five highlights.

Jay Sae Jung Oh

A trompe l’oeil painting of a violin in Chatsworth's grandiose State Music Room inspired designer Jay Sae Jung Oh to create this unusual throne, which sees a broken guitar, snare drum, french horn and more tightly bound in leather cord. Much like the painting, Oh’s furnishing is meant to be a ‘mere impression’ of musical instruments, without any aural presence.

Above: throne by Jay Sae Jung Oh, in Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth. Photo: © Chatsworth House Trust

Andile Dyalvane

The craggy, drippy surfaces of Andile Dyalvane’s ceramic vessels – which here line Chatsworth’s Chapel Corridor – allude to the tumult of the natural elements. Their design draws on scenes that the South African artist observed during a residency in St Ives, Cornwall, where he took to creating pieces that mimicked the form of coastal cliffs. (As a member, you can return to our January/February 2021 feature on Dyalvane in Crafts' digital archive, hosted by Exact Editions).

Ettore Sottsass

Set amongst Chatworth’s Great Chamber, these glass vessels by Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass represent a remix of traditional glassware. Eschewing typical blowing techniques, Sottsass instead relied on adhesives and wire to put his colourful works together, ultimately resulting in a delightfully discordant aesthetic.

Ndidi Ekubia

British silversmith Ndidi Ekubia has produced a collection of vessels for Chatsworth’s intimate State Closet, complementing the monumental silver chandelier that hangs at the heart of the room. As Ekubia is fascinated by the flow of metals, she has given each piece a hammered finish – creating a rippled effect that looks almost as if they’re still molten.

Max Lamb

British designer Max Lamb used just one piece of cedar to craft a pair of angular chairs for Chatsworth’s State Drawing Room. The seats nod respectfully to other wooden works in the room, such as the coronation thrones by the 18th-century master carver Catherine Naish and trophies by 17th-century sculptor Samuel Watson.

Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth runs until 1 October 2023 at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire.