Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, taken from original sources, Volume II
Ashton, John
1882
CHAPTER XXVII: Painters and Architects
PAINTERS AND ARCHITECTS.
CHAPTER XXVII: Painters and Architects
PAINTERS AND ARCHITECTS.
THE sister art of painting was not well represented in this reign-by native talent, at all events, except by Thornhill. There was Wollaston, a portrait painter, who could only command five guineas for a three-quarters canvas: he was one of Britton's amateurs, and played both violin and flute. He died at an old age in the Charter House. Thomas Murray was another portrait painter. | |
There was Hugh Howard, to whom Prior indited an ode commencing, He was lucky, for through his acquaintances of high rank he obtained the situation of Keeper of the State Papers, and Paymaster of His Majesty's Palaces, when he still followed the pursuit of art, by collecting prints and medals. | |
Lewis Crosse was a painter in water colours, and executed miniatures. He also collected them, and his very valuable collection was sold in , two years before his death. Luke Cradock, who was but a house painter, rose by his own exertions to be an excellent painter of birds, and, like H. S. Marks, Esq., R.A., his works were highly prized for | |
43 | house decorations. According to Vertue, his pictures, soon after his death, fetched three or four times the prices paid for them. |
Charles Jervas, who lived in this reign, and had been a pupil of Kneller, was a very good painter. He taught Pope to draw and paint, and Pope wrote an 'Epistle to Mr. Jervas,' in which he belauded him, as did also Steele [1] when he called him the last great painter Italy has sent us, Mr. Jervas'alluding to his return from studying in Italy. He married a widow worth 20,000£., and the praise he received with the affluence of his circumstances rendered him inordinately vain, as the two following anecdotes will show. He made a good copy of a Titian, and he thought he had actually outdone that master; for, looking from one to the other, he complacently observed, 'Poor little Tit! how he would stare !' The Duchess of Bridgewater sat to him for her portrait, that picture of which Pope says- | |
-and he remarked that she had not a handsome ear. Her ladyship asked him his opinion of what was a handsome ear, to which his answer was - showing her one of his own. | |
Jonathan Richardson was, perhaps, the best English portrait painter of his time; and, after the deaths of Kneller and Dahl, stood prominent in that branch of his profession. Aikman and Alexander were also contemporary artists. | |
But perhaps the English artist of that time best known to us is Sir James Thornhill; not only by his painting in the dome of St. Paul's, but by his masterpiece in the Hall of Greenwich Hospital. Indeed he was a worthy rival both of Verrio and Laguerre. Forty shillings per square yard was all he got for painting St. Paul's, and probably no more for Greenwich. For his decorations at Blenheim he only received twenty-five shillings per square yard; and the Directors of the South Sea Company would pay him no more for the work he did on their staircase and hall. There are a few other English painters, but they were of no note. Of foreign artists in England, doubtless the greatest was | |
44 | Kneller, who was born at Lubeck in . He came over here in , without the least intention of stopping; but, having painted Charles II. and established a reputation, he made this country his home. Knighted by William, petted by Anne, baroneted by George I., he could scarcely expect greater honours. His principal works in Anne's reign were a bad portrait of the King of Spain, who paid a visit to the Queen, and was kept some time longer than he expected, by stress of weather; seven portraits of admirals at Hampton Court, and the portraits of the Kit Cat Club, which have already been noticed. He was as vain as Jervas, if not more so. Pope tried to see to what extent his vanity would go. 'Sir Godfrey, I believe if God Almighty had had your assistance, the world would have been formed more perfect.' ''Fore Gad, Sir, I believe so too,' was the self-satisfied reply. He, however, was not devoid of wit, as his little encounter with Dr. Ratcliffe proves. They lived next to each other, and there was a door between the two gardens. Through this door Ratcliffe's servants used to come and pick Kneller's flowers; so the painter sent word that he would have the door shut. A message came from the doctor that 'he might do anything with it but paint it,' to which the artist replied that 'he would take anything from him but his physic.' Kneller was painting the portrait of James II., which was to be a present to Pepys, when the King received the news of the landing of the Prince of Orange. He ordered the painter to proceed with his work, so that 'his good friend Pepys should not be disappointed.' |
When Sir Godfrey moved from his house in Covent Garden, he had a sale of pictures, probably of little artistic value, or only copies.1 'At the late Dwelling House of Sir Godfrey Kneller, in the Piazza's, Covent Garden, will be sold a Collection of Original Paintings, fit for Stair Cases, Chimneys, Doors or Closets. Some of the Masters they were done by are as follows: viz. Holben, Ruben, Van Dyke, Sr. Peter Lely, Antonio de Cortona, Solveta, Rosa, Snider, Vander Velde, Rostraten, Bombodes, Verelst and several [2] | |
45 | other great Masters.' This auction was a failure: 'This is to give notice, That the Collection, &c., will be Sold out of hand at very reasonable Rates at the above mentioned place, beginning this present Monday being the 27th of March, the badness and uncertainty of the Weather having put a stop to the Auction.' [3] |
John Closterman was the artist who painted the wholelength portrait of Queen Anne, now in the Guildhall. We get several notices of him from the newspapers: 'Mr. Closterman being obliged at Christmas next to go to Hannover, and afterwards to several Courts of Germany; so that it is uncertain whether he will ever return to England. Such Persons of Quality and others, as have lately sate to him, are desired to take notice, that their Pictures will be finished out of hand, and deliver'd as they shall best please to order them.' [2] | |
In April of the next year he advertised that 'being oblig'd to leave England very suddenly, will sell all his pictures by Auction.' He had another sale of pictures on Feb. 28, , which was probably after his death, the date of which is somewhat uncertain. He had married a worthless girl, who robbed him of all he possessed, and then ran away: this sent him mad, and he soon afterwards died. | |
Antonio Pelegrini made several designs for painting the dome of St. Paul's, and was paid for them. He painted staircases, etc., for the Dukes of Manchester and Portland, and for other noblemen. He died abroad. | |
His master, Sebastian Ricci, came over here, and painted the altarpiece in the chapel of Chelsea College; but he, too, did not stop. Not so James Bogdani, a native of Hungary, who lived here between forty and fifty years. He painted fruit, flowers, and birds, and our royal palaces still possess examples of this master, which were purchased by Queen Anne. | |
John Vander Vaart,[3] of Haarlem, lived for over fifty years in Covent Garden, and died there. His forte was game. He | |
46 | painted a piece of still life-a violin- on a door at Devonshire House, Piccadilly, that deceived everybody. This is now at Chatsworth. |
Pope's line, 'Where sprawl the Saints of Verrio and Laguerre,' naturally makes us think of these two masters, and many were the ceilings which the latter painted in England. He enjoyed royal patronage under both William and Anne, designing for the latter some tapestry, illustrative of the union between England and Scotland, in which were portraits of the Queen and her ministers. He did the drawings, but the tapestry was not made. His end was sudden: he died of apoplexy in Theatre, whither he had gone to attend the benefit of his son, who sang there in ' The Island Princess.' [4] | |
Michael Dahl was a Swede, and a mighty portrait painter. He was Kneller's rival, and yet they must have been friends, for Sir Godfrey painted his portrait. He was a great pet of Prince George of Denmark, and was also patronised by the Queen. | |
Any account of the artists of this reign would be sadly incomplete without mention of Boit, the enameller, who was certainly the best, up to that time, after Petitot or Zincke. He got large sums for his miniatures. Several now exist, and one, especially good, of Queen Anne sitting, and Prince George standing beside her, is at Kensington Palace. The most important work on which he was engaged during his stay in England was a large plate, about 24 in. by 18, for which Laguerre painted the design in oil. It represented the Queen, Prince George, and the principal members of the Court, with Victory introducing the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene; France and Bavaria were prostrate, and there were the usual military accompaniment of standards and trophies of arms. He got an advance of 1,000£, and spent £ 700 or £ 800 of it in erecting furnaces able to fire so large a plate; and, when he began to lay on colour, he got another advance of £ 700. Then came the memorable disgrace of Marlborough, and he was ordered to change Marlborough into Ormonde, and Victory into Peace. Prince Eugene would not sit, and | |
47 | no further progress was ever made with the picture. Boit ran away, on the Queen's death, much in debt, and got to France, where they were only too glad to receive him. There he died in . |
Those were not, as now, golden days for artists, who never dreamed of living in luxuriously furnished mansions of their own building. There were no exhibitions of art, nor did the middle class indulge much in oil paintings, which were principally confined to originals, or copies, of the Italian or Dutch and Flemish schools. Of course every gentleman who made the 'grand tour' brought some home with him, if only to show his taste in such matters; and, through the fluctuations of fortune, there was generally a good supply of them in the market. The following extract from Swift's Journal to Stella will give some idea of the price of a copy, for it is scarcely likely to have been an original. '6 Mar. . I was to day at an auction of pictures with Pratt, and laid out two pounds five Shillings for a picture of Titian, and if it were a Titian it would be worth twice as many pounds. If I am cheated, I'll part with it to Lord Masham; if it be a bargain, I'll keep it to myself. That's my conscience.' | |
To give an idea of the range of art which these pictures occupied, let us take the names of the masters, with their spellings, as they appear in the advertisements. Italian. Giorgione da Castle Franco, Titian, Palma, Tintoret, Bassan, Cavalieri Gioseppi d'Arpino, Paulo Faranati, Camillo Procacino, Spaniolette, Bartolemeo, Pordenone, Andrea del Sarto, Leonardo da Vinci, Paulo Veronese, Gaspar Poussin, Julio Romano, Pollydore, Parmigiano, Baptista Franca, Corregio, Primaticcio, Schiavone, Claud Lorain, Fran, Bolognese, Mola, the Borgognon, Luca Jordano, Bourdon, Perosini, Scacciati, Daudini, Tempesto, and Guido Guavini. | |
Among the Dutch and Flemish Masters were: Van Dyke, Quentin Messias, Ostervelt, Vander Werff, Van de Velde, Cornelius Johnson, Vander Meer, Brayuinx, Griffiere Backhuysen, De Wit, Brawer, Wyck, Ostade, Hondecoeter, Saftleven, Boc, Percellus, Ryzeberg, Bloemoert, Youngfranc, Bramer, Verelst, Palamedus, Levintz, Ruysdail, Hemskirk, Breughel, Holben, Rubens, Berchem, and Teniers. | |
48 | |
And we have one advertisement where 'Among them are Portraicts a half length of the Queen of England [5] by Ryly; Sir Tho More; Lord Cicil in Queen Elizabeth's time, and the Lord Francis Bacon.' | |
People who could not afford oil paintings might buy water colours, and the following gives us the names of two famous artists: 'A choice collection of Limnings, by Mr. Cooper and old Mr. Hoskins now in the possession of his Son John Hoskins of Chelsea, will be sold by Auction. Likewise several Boxes of Limning Colours,' etc. These were, in all probability, miniatures. | |
Drawings, both in crayon and black lead, line engravings, and etchings were within the compass of most people's purses, and here is an advertisement which would create some interest even now at Christie's. 'At the Eagle and Child in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, &c. will be continued the Sale by Auction of a collection of Paintings, Drawings, and Prints, by the most famous Italian, and other great Masters. The Drawings are of the most celebrated Masters of the several Schools of Italy. A great number of them in Frames and Glasses. The Prints are in great perfection, a great many Etcht by the Masters themselves, others graved by the most eminent Gravers. There are a great many extraordinary rare Wood Cuts, they have been collecting these 30 Years with great industry and expense, most out of the chiefest Auctions in England, and others bought in Holland and France, by Mr. William Gibson, [2] Limner.' | |
We know the engravings of that time were very good: they were also very cheap, and of good subjects. ' You may have the Right Originals after the greatest Masters, as Raphael, Michael Angelo, Ruben, Julij Romana, all well graven, and 30 sorts of Altarpieces and Prints ready framed;' or one might buy 'A compleat Sett of the Prints of the Royal Palaces and Noblemen's Seats in England, neatly bound up together, or sold Singly for 1s. apiece; and likewise a curious Collection of Italian and French prints, particularly the Original Battles | |
49 | of Alexander; the Galleries of Luxemburgh; Poussin's Landskips, and many others.' Good English Engravers were then very scarce: nearly all the illustrations to books were engraved by foreigners, and very frequently in Holland. |
Take the following for example-engraved in England, but by a foreigner: ' The Seven Cartons of Raphael d'Urbin drawn and engrav'd from the Originals in the Gallery at Hampton Court by S. Gribelin, are sold by C. Mather near Temple Bar in Fleet Street &c.-price 15s.' There was another set of these engraved in and , by Michael Dorigny, who offered eight plates 19 in. by 25 to 30 for four guineas. Steele gives this venture a kindly puff in Spectator 226. | |
Sculpture was not at a premium, there being but one sculptor at all worthy of the name (of course except Gibbons), and he was Francis Bud, to whom, among other works, we owe the statue of Queen Anne in St. Paul's Churchyard, and the Conversion of St. Paul in the pediment of the cathedral. | |
The virtuosi got their statuary from Italy, and of course these classical gentlemen would be satisfied with nothing less than 'right Antiques.' ' Four Marble Figures lately come from Italy, with 2 half bodies. The Figures are Jupiter and Venus, Bacchus and his Mistress.' | |
There was a demand for plaster and leaden casts for garden ornamentation, and this was met by one Van Nost, who lived in ' Hide Park Road, near the Queen's Mead House,' who had a fine collection, which was sold after his death, in . His widow also sold, at a great reduction in price,' the fine Marble Figures and Bustos, curious inlaid Marble Tables, Brass and Leaden Figures and very rich Vauses.' | |
Grinling Gibbons, of course, bears the palm in the matter of carving in this age, and we must not forget that he carved in stone and marble as well as in wood. The statue of Charles II. in the old Royal Exchange, the base of Charles the First's statue at Charing Cross, and the marble pedestal of the equestrian statue of Charles II. at Windsor, together with the magnificent tomb of Baptist Noel, Viscount Camden, in the church of Exton, Rutlandshire, all testify to his ability when dealing with the more obdurate materials. As to his wood carvings, they are most numerous and widely spread. | |
50 | In the choir of St. Paul's, at Chatsworth, at Burleigh, at Petworth, etc., are triumphs of his skill. |
From sculpture to architecture is but a step; and a reign that can boast of two such architects as Wren and Vanbrugh must of necessity rank high as favouring this art. If Wren had built nothing else but St. Paul's, his fame would have been immortal, and the other buildings with which he beautified London, thanks to the great fire, cannot add lustre to his name. In the architecture of his churches he was very uneven; but it must not be forgotten that he had at that time so much work on hand, that thorough originality could not be expected in every case, and also, in very many instances he was hampered as to the expense. Not that he was an extravagant architect. The man who could build (even taking money at its different value then and now) St. Mary Aldermary for a little over 5,000£., or St. Mary-le-Bow for 8,000£.-exclusive of the steeple, which cost nearly 1,400£. more-could not be accused of extravagance. We owe to him the Monument, Greenwich and Chelsea Hospitals, the Theatre and Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, and the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, besides a large number of churches, all still existing, and the Royal Exchange and Temple Bar, destroyed. In this reign he was thoroughly appreciated and honoured; was knighted by Anne, was President of the Royal Society, and sat twice in Parliament; and it was reserved to the Whigs in George the First's reign to deprive him of his places, and leave him uncared for in his old age. | |
The versatile Vanbrugh, who could be playwright or architect, poet, theatrical manager, or king-at-arms, adds much to the lustre of Anne's reign. | |
We have seen how Swift lampooned him on the building of his own house at Whitehall (vol. i. p. 61), and we all know Dr. Evans' epitaph upon him:- That he was as great an architect as Wren, cannot be for a moment entertained; but that he was not without good taste and scientific knowledge, his two best works, Blenheim and Castle Howard, testify. | |
Footnotes: [1] Tatler, No. 4. [2] Postman, March 11/14, 1704. [3] Daily Courant, March 27, 1704. [2] Ibid. Aug. 6, 1705 [3] In the Postman, Feb. 3/6, 1711, is an Advertisement of his, saying he intended retiring from business, and will sell his collection of pictures. [4] By P. A. Motteux. [5] Either Mary of Modena, Consort of James II., or Queen Mary. [2] A miniature painter, pupil of Sir Peter Lely, and nephew of Gibson, the dwarf painter. |