The interior decoration of Villa Alba was completed by the interior decorating firm The Paterson Brothers. All of the interior surfaces of the house were painted, often with figurative murals. The frieze in the Dining Room of Villa Alba was completed by Hugh Paterson in 1883-4, and depicts scenes from Walter Scott's novels 'Rob Roy' and 'The Heart of Midlothian.'

High quality photographic record of the frieze with annotations by Robyn Riddett

9-page annotated photographic catalogue of the Walter Scott frieze in the Dining Room of Villa Alba, Kew, as painted by Hugh Paterson in 1883-1884. The (PDF) file includes the annotated photographs, taken by Trevor Mein for Robyn Riddett's study of the VA interior. The order of the photographs in the document was determined by Robyn Riddett. The scenes, depicted in panels, are taken from two Scott novels: 'Rob Roy' and 'The Heart of Midlothian'.

villa alba museum, domestic interiors -- 1880s, hugh paterson, the paterson brothers, walter scott, the heart of midlothian, rob roy

The internal decorative scheme of Villa Alba is significant as a fine example of the work of the leading Melbourne decorators, the Paterson Brothers. It is one of their first interiors to depart totally from the use of pre-prepared wallpapers of repetitive designs and it is a rare and comprehensive extant example of their domestic work. The decorative schemes in the ground floor hall, the dining room, the drawing, the vestibule, the stair hall, the upper hall, bedroom 1 and the boudoir are also individually of significance as outstanding examples of Victorian decoration. The frieze in the Dining Room of Villa Alba was painted by Hugh Paterson in 1883-1884, and depicts scenes from Walter Scott's novels 'Rob Roy' and 'The Heart of Mid-Lothian.'

High quality photographic record of the Rob Roy section of the frieze with annotations by Robyn Riddett and Andrew Dixon. Photographs were taken by Trevor Mein.

Panels 1 to 10 of scenes from Sir Walter Scott's novel 'Rob Roy'. Positioned below the architrave, each panel or lunette is separated by tromp loeil columns. The Rob Roy section of the frieze begins on the north wall, continues above the fireplace on the west wall, and concludes above the bay window on the south wall. [The panels on the east wall depict scenes from Scott's 'The Heart of Mid-Lothian.]

[The captions on each image were created by Robyn Riddett and Andrew Dixon using the text of each novel as a reference]

villa alba museum, domestic interiors -- 1880s, hugh paterson, the paterson brothers, walter scott, rob roy