Who made these 19th-century slate carvings? The great British art quiz

This quiz is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, the online home for the UK’s public art collections, showing art from more than 3,000 venues and by 45,000 artists. Each day, a different collection on Art UK will set the questions.

Bangor Collections also includes Storiel, an art collection relating mainly to the cultural life of north-west Wales. The works in the collection have been gifted by local people and organisations, or have been acquired with grants.

You can see art from Bangor University on Art UK here and Storiel. Find out more on the Bangor Collections website here and here

1. 

   What technique did Frederick William Hayes use in his paintings?

   1. Scumbling

   2. Thin oil

   3. Blending

   4. Alla prima

2. 

   Which following National Trust property has a mural by Rex Whistler?

   1. Penrhyn Castle

   2. Erddig

   3. Plas Newydd

   4. Chirk Castle

3. 

   George Harrison was part of the first artists’ colony in Britain. Where was this colony located?

   1. Caernarfon

   2. Betws-y-Coed

   3. Dolgellau

   4. Conwy

4. 

   The Welsh artist Brenda Chamberlain was also a poet and writer. On which Greek island did she live in the 1960s?

   1. Hydra

   2. Rhodes

   3. Parcos

   4. Santorini

5. 

   Made in the first half of the 19th century, these slate carvings are recognised as a form of what type of art?

   1. Fine art

   2. Naive art

   3. Folk art

   4. Popular art

6. 

   A portrait of Ebenezer Thomas, acclaimed Welsh poet and school master. What did he write to win a high accolade at the Liverpool Eisteddfod in 1840?

   1. Novel

   2. Play

   3. Ode

   4. Hymn

7. 

   This boldly painted British warship in full sail appears on both sides of a tavern sign c.1800. Although unknown if this Ship Inn is from Bangor there was a thriving port there, largely serving the slate industry from the late 18th century. This port is known by what name?

   1. Port Dinorwig

   2. Port Penmaen

   3. Port Cegin

   4. Port Penrhyn

8. 

   Mary Davies was married to the first registrar of the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University). She would become first president of which Welsh Society?

   1. Welsh Operatic Society

   2. Welsh Folk Song Society

   3. Welsh Choral Society

   4. Welsh Harpists Society

Solutions

1:B - Frederick William Hayes used the 'thin oil' method, a technique in which he specialised using turpentine mixed with oil colour. He worked from nature (en plein air) and was able to produce complete paintings in one sitting by using this technique. Hayes painted a series of landscapes of north Wales and a collection was bequeathed to Bangor University by his family in 1943. Image: Moel Hebog from the Glaslyn, 1881–83, Frederick William Hayes (1848–1918). Credit: Bangor University , 2:C - Whistler was commissioned by the 6th Marquess of Anglesey to undertake a decorative scheme at Plas Newydd, Anglesey. Whilst here he became close to Lady Caroline Paget, daughter of the marquess, and painted numerous portraits of her. One of his most famous works is the 56ft-long mural in the dining room at Plas Newydd. Image: The Most Honourable Charles Henry Alexander Paget, Sixth Marquis of Anglesey, President (1945–47), Rex Whistler (1905–44); Bangor University , 3:B - In 1844, landscape painter David Cox spent the summer at Betws-y-Coed. After this it became a destination for several artists including Henry Clarence Whaite, Thomas Collier, Lawrence Coppard and George Harrison. The construction of the railway in the 1860s brought more artists and tourists to the area and as Betws-y-Coed became busier, artists began to migrate along the Conwy Valley. Image: Meirioneth Moors, 1890, George Harrison (1840–1910); Bangor University , 4:A - Chamberlain lived on the remote Greek island of Hydra for seven years in the early 1960s, a creative hub for many artists, writers and musicians including Leonard Cohen. During this time, she wrote her only novel, The Water Castle (1964), and A Rope of Vines (1965), a journal of her time spent on the island. Image: Children on a Hopscotch Pavement, 1951, Brenda Chamberlain (1912–71) © the artist's estate; Bangor University, 5:C - After a slate hearth surround was donated to the museum in 1977, research began into discovering more carved slates locally in Dyffryn Ogwen. Some can still be found in the home or used in the garden, others have simply been discarded. Designed and carved by quarrymen, they range greatly in style, from the use of concentric circles, freehand elaborate patterns, images of birds, flowers, buildings or even scores of music. Image: Carved Slate, 1823, unknown artist; Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, 6:C - Ebenezer Thomas, better known by his bardic name Eben Fardd, was regarded in his day as one of Wales's foremost poets. He won many Eisteddfod chairs, wrote several epic poems, occasional verse, a collection of hymns and contributed extensively to periodicals of the time. This portrait painted by Welsh artist Evan Williams is from the time Thomas was master of the school he himself set up in Clynnog Fawr. Image: Ebenezer Thomas 'Eben Fardd' (1802–65), Evan Williams (1816–78); Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery , 7:D - This Ship Inn signboard c.1800, painted in oil on wood panels, shows a 74-gun British warship in full sail. Judging by the number and type of sails and by the flags at its mastheads – the Union Jack, the Royal Standard and Admiralty flag – this first-rate ship is thought to date to the Napoleonic wars. Given such specific details, the unknown artist may well have been a serving sailor. Image: Ship Tavern Sign (verso), 1823, unknown artist; Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery , 8:B - A portrait of Mary Davies. A leading soprano, teacher of music, examiner and adjudicator, she would later become the first president of the Welsh Folk Song Society (established 1906), which actively promoted and preserved the rich tradition of folk music in Wales. Her personal collection of papers housed at the Archives and Special Collections at Bangor University reveal much about the life and work of this inspirational figure. Image: Mair Mynorydd (Mary Davies), 1885, James Cadenhead (1858–1927); Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery

Scores

1. 6 and above.

   Tsiampion! (Champion!)

2. 0 and above.

   Not enough Mynadd!

3. 3 and above.

   Gweddol! (Not bad!)