Calendar Designs by Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart donated Shambellie House to the nation along with his costume collection. In addition to being an avid collector, he was also a book illustrator, and we recently came across a couple of calendars he designed and illustrated for Mackays of Chatham, who were printers, bookbinders and blockmakers. There are a number of years between them in date and the styles are quite distinct reflecting the periods they were drawn in. The earliest is based on everyday life in Italy under the Roman Empire, and the other explores the mythology of ancient Greece. July’s Italian image was the Island of Capri from Monte Solareo. Allegedly Emperor Tiberius watched his victims from the cliff top being hurled into the sea after being tortured. The Greek inspired calendar has images based on sketches Charles made in 1967 when he visited the country. The July image is of Poseidon, lord of the waters of rivers, lakes and the sea. The horse was sacred to him, and when he was angry and shook his trident the sea boiled and raged and the earth quaked. The Italian calendar was produced in 1958 and the Greek is from 1970.