NATIONAL GALLERY. 



NATIONAL GALLERY. 



890 



of the most accomplished of living English art-critics and archaeologists, 

 being appointed secretary and keeper the real working officer of the 

 institution. By the end of the year, not only had the whole been got 

 into good working order, but 23 portraits had been hung on the walls 

 of the temporary apartments assigned by the government to the 

 collection in 29 Great George Street, Westminster. Of these portraits, 

 15 were purchased, 8 were donations. Up to the present time (August, 

 18tiO) 7-1 more portraits have been added. Of the 97 portraits now in 

 the gallery, 62 have been purchased and 35 donations. 



In the commencement of their work the trustees were singularly 

 successful : the foundation-stone being laid by the Earl of Ellesinere. 

 in the presentation of the famous Chandos Shakspere which the 

 Earl had purchased at the Stowe sale in 1848 for 355 guineas ; 

 and the purchase by the trustees of a characteristic portrait of ' Sir 

 Walter Raleigh ' the picture mentioned by Aubrey, who saw it at 

 Downton, where it remained till its removal to the National Portrait 

 Gallery. 



As little is generally known of the state of the gallery, we will 

 enumerate its contents, noting separately the presents and the pur- 

 chases, and commencing with the former. Following Shakspere in 

 order of time was a portrait of William Wilberforce, by Sir Thomas 

 Lawrence a picture left unfinished by the painter, the head, a very 

 forcible one, being alone completed; Viscount Sidmouth, a water- 

 colour drawing by G. R.chmond ; Spencer Perceval, painted by 

 Joseph, from a mask taken after his assassination, and wearing a some- 

 what death-like but kindly expression : these three portraits were all 

 bequests by Sir R. luglis. James, first Earl Stanhope, the distin- 

 guished statesman , by Sir Godfrey Kneller, presented by the present 

 earl. Thomas Stothard, R.A., by James Green, presented by Mr. 

 J. H. Anderdon a good likeness, as may be supposed from its having 

 belonged to his friend the poet Rogers, at whose sale it was pur- 

 chased by Mr. Anderdon. The poet Thomson, by Paton, " more fat 

 than bard beseems," and heavy-eyed withal. George, first Viscount 

 Torringtou, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and presented by the 

 present viscount. John Foxe, the martyrologist, painter unknown, 

 presented by the Society of Antiquaries. Wright of Derby, painted 

 by himself -a second-rate painter, but a cheerful, intelligent-looking 

 man presented by Mr. W. M. Rossetti. The sculptor Nollekens, 

 painted by F Abbott, leaning on his favourite bust of Fox, and holding 

 his sculptor's tools in his hand, presented by Mr. Labouchere. Sir 

 Francis Burdett, by Phillips, a good likeness, presented by his daughter. 

 Lord Chancellor Talbi t. by Richardson, presented by the Hon. Mrs. 

 J. Talbot. The well-kuown portrait of Sir James Mackintosh, in 

 hU robes as Recorder of Bombay, painted by Sir T. Lawrence in 

 1S()3, presented by the son of Sir James. Robert Burns, also well 

 known by the engraving, here ascribed to Nasmyth and Raeburn : it 

 formerly belonged to Burns's friend and publisher, George Thomson, 

 and was presented by Mr. J. D. Dillon. John Philip Kemble, by 

 Gilbert Stuart ; and his sister, Mrs. Siddons, painted by Sir William 

 Beechey, in 17i>8 : both these were presented by Mr. J. T. Delaine. 

 An excellent head, by Reynolds, of the celebrated Earl of Shelburne, 

 and first Marquis of Lausdowne, presented by the present marquis. 

 An intelligent and characteristic, though somewhat faded portrait, by 

 Reynolds, of old Admiral Boscawen, presented by Viscount Falmouth. 

 A profile portrait (artist unknown) of General Wolfe, formerly the 

 t.y of the Princess Charlotte, presented by the King of the 

 Belyuiiis A miniature of Athenian Stuart, presented by his son. 

 Keats the poet, painted by his friend Severn, and presented by Mr. 

 Travers. President Forbes, of L'ulloden, presented by Sir John 

 Forbes. Dr. Edward Jenner, by Northcote, presented by Mr. J. C. 

 M "re. Dr. Nathaniel Hooke. presented by Lord Boston. Sir Charles 

 Bell, presented by his widow. John Knox, the gift of the Duko of 

 Buccleuch. James Gillray, the caricaturist, painted by himself, the 

 gift of Col. Bagot. Sir Stamford Raffles, given by his nephew. The 

 Ht. Hon. Thomas Winnington, presented by Sir Thomas Winnington. 

 Sir Francis Chantrey, painted by Phillips, presented by Lady Chantrey. 

 The Seventh Earl of Derby, presented by the present Earl Matthew 

 Pr.or, painted by Richardson, presented by the Earl of Derby. Sir 

 Leoline Jenkins, presented by the Rev. J. M. Treherne. And lastly, a 

 med.ii)iou by Chantrey, of Henry Kirke White, presented by Dr. Boot 



As will be seen, though with two or three exceptions not of our 

 greatest men, nor of the highest order of pictures, the donations are 

 of an exceedingly interesting kind. But it is manifest that it is upon 

 the purchases that reliance must be placed for keeping the collection 

 up to the mark. All that the trustees can do as regards donations, is 

 to decide whether the person represented has a title to a place among 

 British worthies, and whether the portrait is authentic ; and to accept 

 or decline it accordingly. To guard against improper admissions 

 " three-fourths at least of the trustees present at a meeting must 

 approve " of any donation. The purchases, on the other hand, test 

 at onr.e the fitness and the diligence of the trustees. Had the gentle- 

 men selected as trustees been merely " distinguished patrons of art," 

 habitu<'.-t f the picture Cilleries, the spirit of dilettantism would have 

 led them tar astray before they could have been checked by public 

 opinion. But among them were included politicians of all parties, 

 historians, antiquaries, artists, and connoisseurs. The 01 iginal trustees 

 were- The Lord President of the Council for the time be.ng; the 

 Marquis of Lansdowne; Earl Stanhope; Earl of Elleamere; Lord 



Elcho; Right Hon. Sidney Herbert; Right Hon. B. Disraeli; Lord 

 Robert Cecil; Lord Macaulay; Sir Francis Palgrave ; Sir Charles 

 Eastlake, P.R.A. ; William Smith, and W. H. Carpenter, Esqrs. On the 

 death of the Earl of Kllesmere, in 1857, Mr. Thomas Carlyle was 

 appointed to supply the vacancy ; and on the death of Lord Macaulay 

 the vacancy was filled by the election of Mr. Gladstone. As might be 

 expected, therefore, there has been no partisan or sectarian exclusive- 

 ness in their selections. The first regulation which the trustees laid 

 down for their guidance was " in either making purchases or receiving 

 presents, to look to the celebrity of the person represented rather 

 than to the merit of the artist. They will attempt to estimate that 

 celebrity without any bias to any political or religious party. Nor 

 will they consider great faults and errors, even though admitted on all 

 sides, as any sufficient ground for excluding any portrait which may 

 be valuable as illustrating the civil, ecclesiastical, or literary history 

 of the country." The second that " No portrait of any person still 

 living, or deceased less than ten years, shall be admitted by purchase, 

 donation, or bequest, except only in the case of the reigning sovereign, 

 and of his or her consort, unless all the trustees in the United 

 Kingdom, and not incapacitated by illness, shall either at a meeting or 

 by letter, signify their approbation. 1 ! 



These were their rules, the following are their purchases. The 

 Raleigh we have mentioned. The next purchase was Handel, by 

 Hudson (the master of Reynolds), the great composer being repre- 

 sented in full dress, with gold lace and ruffles the dress he used to 

 put on when he sat down to compose a work of more than usual 

 grandeur. Dr. Parr, by Dawe, a rough, course head, bought of 

 Parr's nephew. Arthur Murphy, by Dance. The Speaker Lenthall, 

 from Burford Priory, the seat of the Lenthall family. Home Tooke, 

 by Hardy. Mead, the physician, by Allan Ramsay, 1740. Robert 

 Harley, first Earl of Oxford, by Sir Godfrey Kneller. Sir William 

 Wyudham, by Highmore. The first Earl Cadogan, by Laguerre. 

 Richard Cumberland, by Romney. La Belle Hamilton, a copy by 

 Eckardt from Lely, which might very well have been left unpurchased. 

 William Huskisson, by Rothwell (1831). Archbishop Wake, probably 

 by Gibson. Bishop Warburton, by C. Phillips : by the way there are 

 at Hampton Court two portraits of a brother prelate, Hurd, whose 

 name is indissolubly associated with Warburton's, one of which might 

 well be sent to renew the companionship here. William Sharp, our best 

 portrait engraver, by Lonsdale. Our great circumnavigator, Captain 

 Cook, painted by John Webber, R.A., who accompanied him as drafts- 

 man Sir William Chambers, the architect, by Reynolds. Elizabeth 

 Carter, the Greek scholar, a crayon drawing by Lawrence. Bishop 

 Hoadley, by Mrs. Hoadley, but, as is believed, touched on by Hogarth. 

 Cardinal Wolsey, a profile formerly at Weston, Warwickshire. Gene- 

 ral Ireton, by Walker, a stern, grave face admirably painted from 

 the Lenthall collection. William Pulteney, Earl of Bath, by Reynolds, 

 but sadly faded. Sir William Windham, a fine manly head, by 

 Lawrence, an early work, and more solidly painted than his later 

 pictures. Theodore Hook, by Eddis. Sir Ralph Winwood. a very 

 characteristic head, by Mirevelt engraved by Vertue. Nell Gwynne, 

 by Lely. The Princess Charlotte, by Dawe, the first of the many 

 portraits which he painted of the princess, and retained by him 

 till his death. Lord Clive, by Dance : the calm decision of the 

 great commander well marked. Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted by 

 himself before his visit to Italy, and consequently before the injury to 

 his lip, which gives so peculiar an expression to his face in subsequent 

 portraits : in all respects an admirable painting, as a work of art one 

 of the very finest in the collection. Sir David Wilkie, a small but 

 characteristic head, painted by himself at the age of twenty-nine. 

 John Opie, R.A., painted by himself at the age of twenty-four of no 

 great value as a painting, but with the others serving as a good founda- 

 tion for a series of portraits of British painters. Henry Wriothesly, 

 Earl of Southampton, the friend and patron of Shakspere, by Mireveit 

 (or, as we fancy, by Mytens). Judge Jeffreys (as Recorder of London), 

 by Kneller. John Dryden. William Harvey, the discoverer of the 

 circulation of the blood. George Colman, by Gainsborough. James I., 

 when a child. Sidney's Sister Pembroke's mother, so at least it 

 is described in the catalogue, on what authority it is not stated, 

 and the ascription is very far from satisfactory. William Powlett, 

 first Marquis of Winchester. Antony Ashley, first Earl of Shaftes- 

 bury. Cougreve, by Kneller. Sir Robert Walpole, by Vanloo. Eliza- 

 beth of Bohemia, by Janssens. Lord Nelson, painted at Vienna in 1800, 

 by H. Fiiger. Abraham Cowley. by Mr. Beale Earl Howe, by Single- 

 ton. John Selden. John Hunter, a capital copy, by Jackson, of the 

 celebrated portrait by Reynolds now a ruin. James, second duke 

 of Ormond. The Seven Bishops, painted immediately after their 

 acquittal. John Smeaton, with the Eddystone lighthouse in the 

 distance. Warren Hastings. David Garrick. James Watt, by De 

 Breda. Dr. Darwin, by Wright of, Derby. Sir M. I. Brunei, by 

 Drummond. Archbishop Tillotson, by Mrs. Beale. William Hunting- 

 ton Sinner Saved. Sir William Herschel, by Abbot. Mary Queen 

 of Scots. And nnally. John Howard. 



We have gone through the entire list of portraits in the gallery up 

 to August of the present year To them is however to be added, 

 Hayter's large picture of the ' First Reformed House of Commons," 

 which was purchased by the government on the recommendation of a 

 Committee of the House of Commons, in order to add to the National 



