128 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY > NATURALIST. 



It is matter of congratulation when such an interest- 

 ing heirloom of the past comes into the hands of an 

 enlightened owner, who will do his best to preserve 

 it for posterity. The feeling was more than once ex- 

 pressed in passing round the portions of the ancient 

 walls that something more might be done by the 

 municipality in opening them out and rendering them 

 a more attractive feature to visitors to the town. At 

 present portions of the wall are in private occupation, 

 and covered out of sight by buildings of a more or 

 less modern character. It is one of the objects of the 

 Club to increase the interest of people in such build- 

 ings, and if the Hampshire Field Club could influence 

 a great public improvement in this direction it would 

 add very considerably to the attractions which South- 

 ampton possesses to students of the past. 



HAMPSHIRE EXTRACTS FROM WALPOLE'S 

 "ANECDOTES OF PAINTING." 



The following extracts from Horace Walpole's 

 " Anecdotes of Painting in England," 1762, are of 

 local interest. 



One of the earliest records of art in this country 

 occurs in the following entry : 



" MCCXXXIII Liberate Ao. 17 Hen. Ill, m. 6. 

 Mandatum est Vicecomiti Southton, quod cameram 

 regis lambruscatam de Castro Winton, depingi facial 

 eisdem historiis et picturis quibus fuerat prius 

 depicta. Et custum &c. computabitur. Teste rege 

 a'pud Kideministr, iii die Junii." 



There are more remarkable circumstances than one 

 in this venerable scrap ; as the simplicity of the times ; 

 the king sending a precept to the Sheriff of Hamp- 

 shire to have a chamber in the royal castle painted ; 

 and his Majesty, like the Roman general who 

 threatened his soldiers if they broke any of the antique 

 Corinthian statues that they should pay for having 

 others made, giving orders to the same sheriff to have 

 the chamber repainted with the same pictures and 

 histories with which it had been adorned before ; and 

 which, by the way, implies, that history painting had 

 been in use still longer than this date, which was the 

 earliest Mr. Vertue could discover. 



The next contains the first mention we have of a 

 Star-Chamber : " Liberat, Ao. 22 Hen, III, m. 3. 

 Mandatum est vie., Southampt., quod cameram apud 

 Winton colorari facial vividi colore, et stellari auro, 

 in quibus depingantur historiae veteris et novi testa- 

 menti." 



The next is in the year 1248. "Rex vicecomiti 

 Southamptoniae salutem. Precipimus tibi quod de 

 exitibus comitatus tui depingi facias in capella reginae 

 nostrae apud IVintoniam super gabulam versus occi- 

 dentem ymagiuem sancti Christoferi, sicut alibi de- 

 pingitur ; in ulnis suis deferat Christum ; et ymagi- 

 nem beati Edwardi regis, qualiter tradidit annulum 



suum cuidam peregrino, cujus ymago similiter depin- 

 galur. Teste rege apud Windesore vii die Mali." 



Another record refers to the Royal wine cellars, 

 and to the composing of wine for his Majesty at Win- 

 chester : " Claus. Ao. 34 Hen. Ill, m. 19. De poti- 

 bus delicatis ad opus regis faciendis. Mandatum est 

 custodibus vinorum regis Winton, quod de vinis regis 

 quod habent in custodia sua, liberent Roberto de Monte 

 Pessulano tanta ettalia.qualiaetquantacaperevoluerit, 

 ad potus regis pretiosos delicatos inde taciendos. 

 Teste rege apud Lutegareshall, xxvi die Novembr." 



There are several other references of local interest 

 of which I extract the following (p. 23, vol i). 

 " There is a portrait (at Windsor) taken from a bust 

 of the same age (Edward III), the face of which is far 

 from being executed in a contemptible manner. It 

 represents that artist and patron of arts, William of 

 Wickham, Bishop of Winchester and Prime Minister 

 to Edward III, a prelate whose magnificent charities 

 yet exist, both in the benefits he calculated for 

 posterity and in the edifices erected on his own 

 designs for perpetrating those pious bounties. The 

 portrait has been engraved by Houbraken among the 

 heads of illustrious men." Again (on page 112) " The 

 brightest name on this list is William of Wykeham, 

 who from being clerk of the works rose to be Bishop 

 of Winchester and Lord Chancellor a height 

 which few men have reached by mere merit in any 

 mechanic science. Wykeham had the sole direction 

 of the buildings at Windsor and Queenborough 

 Castle ; not to mention his own foundations. He rose 

 by pleasing one of the greatest princes, and deserved 

 his fortune b}' bestowing it on noble charities." 



In a description of acuriousoldpaintingrepresenting 

 the marriage of Henry VI (of which painting this book 

 contains an engraving) is a reference to anether 

 Bishop of Winchester, " Near the Archbishop is a 

 Cardinal, who is certainly Winchester the King's great 

 uncle. The face is very like the image on his tomb at 

 Winchester ; nor can one account for his not perform- 

 ing the ceremony, but by his dignity of Prince of the 

 blood which did not suffer by the ministration of an 

 inferior prelate. Behind the Queen of Naples is an 

 abbess, and at a distance a view of a town, that must 

 be Tichfield from whence the Queen was led to be 

 married at Southwick." On page 12, vol. II, occurs 

 a slight reference to the siege of Basing House in an 

 account of " Robert Peake, a picture-seller by Hoi- 

 bourn Bridge," who was knighted by Chas. I in 1645. 

 The author writes " The disorders of the times con- 

 founding all professions, and no profession being more 

 bound in gratitude to take up arms in the defence of 

 King Charles, Sir Robert Peake entered into the ser- 

 vice, and was made a Lieutenant-Colonel and had a 

 command in Basing-honse when it was besieged, 

 where he persuaded his disciple Faithorn to inlist 

 under him, as the latter in his dedication of the art of 

 graving to Sir Robert expressly tells him." 



J.H.K. 



