British Portraits in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

80 Pages·1999·25.694 MB·English

by  Katharine Baetjer

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DIRECTOR'S NOTE
From about I900 until 1930 eighteenth-century others. A few majorp ortraitistsa re also absent,
Britishp ortraitsw ere in vogue among American notably the Scottisha rtistA llan Ramsaya nd the
collectors. The marketf or the picturesw as fos- German-bornJ ohannZ offany,w ho was patron-
teredb y the art-dealingf irms of Duveen Brothers ized by King George III and Queen Charlotte.
and M. Knoedlera nd Company.T he elegance of Of the twenty-eight paintingsi llustrated,
the sitters,r elativelyl arge scale of the canvases, only two were purchased:H enryF rederick,
and undemandingi conographys uited the houses Princeo f Wales,b y Robert Peaket he Elder, in
of the new moneyed classes. The Frick Collection 1944,a nd RichardH umphreysb, y John Hoppner,
embodiest he style of the era. Perhapsf or this rea- in 1953.T he first to enter the collection was The
son it has long been general museump racticet o HonorableH enryF ane withH is Guardiansb, y
hang Britishp ortraitsi n period rooms-the pub- JoshuaR eynolds, the gift of JuniusS . Morgani n
lic equivalento f privated ining or drawingr ooms. 1887. The balance( of twenty-five pictures)w as
Such installationsa lso suggest the habitso f the given or bequeathedb y eighteen differentd onors,
original owners, who lived surroundedb y images including several trusteesa s well as major
of their spouses, offspring,a nd ancestors.A t the benefactorso f the Museum:J ules Bache, Mrs.
MetropolitanM useumB ritishp ortraitsa re dis- Harry Payne Bingham,M r.a nd Mrs. EdwardS .
played not only in the main galleriesa nd in period Harkness,H enry G. Marquand,C olonel Jacob
rooms but also in other areas,s ome of which Ruppert,a nd William K. Vanderbilt.T he
are not open to the public. This Bulletin,w hich Museuma lso has assembleda significanth olding
includes paintings from the sixteenthc entury of Britishp ortraitm iniatures.O f the thirteen
throught he Georgiane ra, affordsa n opportunity illustratedh ere, three of the most important( two
to appreciatea collection that is widely dispersed by Nicholas Hilliarda nd John Hoskins'sD r. Brian
throughoutt he building. Walton) once belonged to the distinguished
At the Museum,a s elsewhere in this country, collection formed by J. Pierpont Morgan.
Britishp ortraiturei s well representedb y compari- The texto f thisB ulletini s by KatharineB aetjer,
son with landscapes,g enre, or sporting subjects. curatoro f EuropeanP aintings,w ho is also the
(The Yale Center for BritishA rt, in New Haven, authoro f EuropeanP aintingsi n TheM etropolitan
is an exception.) We have splendidl ikenessesb y Museumo f Art, a summaryc atalogue of our per-
most of the leading paintersf rom Hans Holbein manentc ollection. Her enthusiasmf or the topic
to Thomas Lawrence,b ut our display of British and her meticulousr esearcha re evidenth ere as she
art cannot do justice to the works of William discussest he subjectso f the portraitsa nd the lives
Hogarth,G eorge Stubbs,J . M. W. Turner,R ichard and works of the artistsw ho paintedt hem.
Wilson, or Joseph Wright of Derby, among Philippe de Montebello, DIRECTOR
This publicationw as made possiblei n partb y PublishersI nc., o5 NorthwesternD rive #Io, Salem, N.H. 03079,
The ChristianH umannF oundation. or from the Museum,B ox 700, MiddleV illage, N.Y. II379.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin General Manager of Publications: John P. O'Neill
SummerI 999 Editor in Chief of the BULLETINJ:o an Holt
Volume LVII, Number i (ISSN 0026-1521) Associate Editor: Tonia L. Payne
Publishedq uarterly? I999 by The MetropolitanM useumo f ProductionJ:o anH olt and PeterA ntony
Art, Iooo Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10028-0198 Design:E msworthD esign
pPMreaoriviloiiddneigcdO aa flssfp i aco besste.an Tgeehf pietMa t oide Mt artuo Npseeouwlimt Yam Mnoe rumks,be Nue.rmYsoa . ,fn a dAn idrst AaB vduadlililetatiboinnlie sab ly AThlle p PhhotootgorgarpaphhsS,u tnuledsiso oo tfh Terhwe iMsene tortoepdo, alirtea bnMy JuuseaunmT or fu jAilrlot.o f
subscription.S ubscriptions$ 25.00 a year. Single copies $8.95.
Four weeks'n otice requiredf or changeo f address.P OST- Front and back covers:D etails of Eli1abethF arrenb, y Sir
MASTER:S end addressc hangest o MembershipD epartment, Thomas Lawrence( see p. 65). Inside front and back covers:
The MetropolitanM useumo f Art, iooo Fifth Avenue, New Details of The Honorable Henry Fane with His Guardians (see
York, N.Y. 10028-0198. Backi ssues availableo n microfilmf rom pp. 28-29) and Captain George K. H. Coussmaker,b y Sir Joshua
UniversityM icrofilms3, 00 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor,M ich. Reynolds (see p. 32). Title page: Detail of TheH onorablMe rs.
48106. Volumesi -xxxvii (1905-1942) availablea s clothbound Lewis ThomasW atsonb, y Sir JoshuaR eynolds (see p. 33)
reprints et or as individualy early volumes from Ayer Company
2 J
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INTRODUCTION
Portraiture hasp layeda uniquer olei n to be availableo n demandw, orkinglo ng
GreatB ritaina nd especiallyi n England, hours.M anyw how ouldh avep referredo ther
dominatingt he arts of paintinga nd sculpture genres-such as historyp aintingo r land-
since the Renaissance.T he sixteenthc entury scape-were forcedt o turnt o portraiturteo
saw the artsb rought into the service of the makea living.
ascendantT udors,d eclaimingt heir legiti- Portraipt aintersa ssembledco llectionso f
macy and power, while at the same time the drawingsa ndp rintsm, aterialtsh atw erea
Reformationc auseda drasticd ecline in com- sourceo f inspirationan d,m ores pecifically,
missions for religious images. A relatively provideda repertoryfr omw hichm otifsc ould
stablem onarchyi n concertw ith a powerful be selectedb y artisto r client.A greemenht ad
landeda ristocracyp rovidedc ontinuity, to be reachedo n the sizeo f thep icturet, he
togetherw ith the patronaget hat fueled a costumep, erhapsth e setting,a ndt hep rice.
growing market. The mostc ommonp racticef,o rw hichs everal
The portraitm iniaturef lourishedi n Great meetingsw eret ypicallyr equiredw, asf ort he
Britain.R eproductionso f portraitsc onceived artistt o painta sketcho f theh eadf roml ife.
in otherm ediaa nd caricatureas ccountedf or a As sittingsa ret edious,a na rtistw ho could
significantp ercentageo f the printsm ade for conversew itha nde ntertainh is clientm ean-
sale or as book illustrationsC. eramics,r everse whilem ayh aveh adg reaters uccessA. draw-
paintingso n glass, silhouettes,c oins, medals, ing of theh eadw ithc olorn otes,w hichc ould
and needleworkb ore likenesses.L ondon's be completedin a muchs hortert ime,s ome-
National PortraitG alleryw as the firsto f its timess ervedt hep urposein steadA. n influen-
kind. Suchi magesi n exceptionallyl argen um- tialp ainterm ighth avea rolei n determining
bers figuredp rominentlyi n Englishi nteriors, thec ostumet o be worn.I n thec aseo f an
wheret hey were arrangedt o convey domestic exceptionallpyr ominenot r busyc lient,t he
as well as politicala nd dynasticm essages. clothesa ndj ewelsm ightb e lentt o the studio.
There is much writtena nd visual evi- Assistantosr m odelso ftenp osedf ors econdary
dence to show thatb y the eighteenthc entury partso f a picturea, nda ssistantws erea lso
the practicesa ssociatedw ith portraitureh ad employedin paintingd raperys,t illl ifes,a nd
been graduallyc odified,i n terms described backgroundRs. eplicasa ndv ariantws eren ot
brieflyb elow. Customd ictatedt hatt he sitter regardeda s theya ret oday;a s a corollary,
visit the artisti n the studio,w hich by prefer- neitherw ast hep rimacyo f theo riginal
ence was in an accessible,f ashionableL ondon inventionP. ortraitws eres ometimers etained
location. Often therew as also a gallery where by thea rtisti n anticipatioonf then eedt o
finished works were displayedt o prospective multiplyt hei mageo r wereb orrowedb ack
clients. Artist's houses were meeting places fort he samep urpose.
for celebritiesf rom all classes of society. A portraiwt asg enerallyu nderstoodto be
Portraitistso f the first rankw ere very busy a likenesso f ani ndividuailn his or hero wn
men (or women, but of the lattert here were guise( aso pposedt o a biblicalm, ythological,
few). To sustaint heir popularity,t hey had or someo therc ontext)a nda ne xpressiono f
3
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character.T he whole was greatert han the
sum of its parts:a ccuratelyt ranscribingt he
sitter'sf eaturesw as not necessarilym ore
importantt han suggesting characteristics
appropriatet o his or her age, sex, political
role, or social position. A degree of compli-
ance was expectedo f the artist,a s the client's
vanity might dictatec ertainf latteringa djust-
ments. There were many judges:t he individ-
ual portrayed,f amily,f riends,a nd, in the
eighteenthc entury,t he press and populace
attendingt he exhibitionsw here works of art
were displayed.
To modern eyes the stiff, bulky Eliza-
bethanc ostumes may seem to overwhelmt he
courtierw ho wore them. In the Stuarte ra
standardso f beauty were so strictlya dhered
to that it is sometimesd ifficultt o distinguish
one aristocraticw oman from another.B y
contrast,G eorgianp ortraitureo ften conveyed
the ephemeral( a fleeting glance, a silk skirt
trailingo ver the grass) while engaging the
observer.A lthoughi ntendedf or publicd isplay,
Lawrence'sE lijabeth Farren( cover) is perhaps
more intimatet hana familyp hotograph.
4
BRITISH PORTRAITS
HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER
(1497/98-1543)
Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap
Oil on wood; overall, with engaged
frame, diam. 5 in. (12.7 cm); painted
surface, diam. 33/4 in. (9-5 cm)
Inscribed (on doublet): H[R(?)]
Bequest of Mary StillmanH arkness,
1950 (50.I45.24)
rawing on works in the Metropolitan group portraito f the memberso f his house-
Museum's permanent collection, this hold, which unfortunatelyh as not survived.
Bulletin addresses the evolution of portrait Sir Thomas was an exceptionallyw ell placed
painting in England over three centuries. patron:H e served successively as a privy
The phrase "portrait painting in England" is councillor,a s speakero f the House of Com-
used advisedly because in the sixteenth and mons, and from 1529 as lord chancellor. Later,
seventeenth centuries many portraitists who however, for his refusalt o recognize Henry
worked there were not native born. During VIII as head of the Churcho f England,
the reign of Henry VIII ( 509-47) the most More, a Roman Catholic,w as convicted of
distinguished artist in London was Hans treasona nd executedi n 1535.
Holbein the Younger, a native of Augsburg By August 1528H olbein returnedt o his
who matured in Basel as a painter, draftsman, family in Basel. Having bought a house, he
and designer of prints. In the late summer set to work on commissionsl eft unfinished.
or early autumn of 1526, impelled by eco- Despite strenuouse fforts on the parto f the
nomic necessity, Holbein arrived in London city council to keep him there, he was back in
bearing a letter of introduction from the Englandb y the summero f 1532.H olbein
Swiss philosopher Desiderius Erasmus to the made one more visit to Basel, in 1538, and
scholar and statesman Sir Thomas More, who died in London in November 1543. Manyo f
commissioned a half-length portrait of him- the patronso f Holbein's firstE nglish period
self (Frick Collection, New York) and a were disgracedo r had died by the time he
HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER and Elizabeth of York. Though the mural
William Roper (1493/94-1578) and was destroyed when Whitehall burned in
Margaret More (I505-1544), Mrs. Roper I698, the design survives in two copies, as
Vellum on card (the latter a playing card), does the portrait of the king in the form of
diam. (each) i3/4 in. (45 mm) Holbein's original cartoon (National Portrait
Inscribed( respectively,i n gold): Gallery, London, p. io).
AN ETATISS VAE XLII * and Holbein demonstrated a gift for charac-
A ?ETATIS XXX terization while still in his teens. By 1526 he
Rogers Fund, I950 (50.69.I,.2) had achieved unparalleled mastery of the
means by which to create the illusion of the
physical presence of the sitter. He was famil-
returned. Among his most important new iar with German, north Italian, French, and
clients were the German merchants of the Netherlandish art: his small portrait roundels
Hanseatic League, for whom he painted a in oils must have been inspired also by medals
number of grave and richly informative por- and antique coins. The Museum's roundel
traits, two of which (acc. nos. 49.7.29 and bears Henry VIII's monogram, H[enricus]
50.I35.4) are in the Museum's collection. As [Rex (?)], and was probably painted in the
the royal accounts for the I53os are incom- mid-I53os (p. 5). From an early age Holbein's
plete, it is not known when Holbein entered practice was to begin with a head-and-
Henry VIII's service. In 1536 he was first shoulders drawing of his subject from life.
recorded as one of the king's painters, and in The features and hair were fully worked up,
1537 he completed a mural in Whitehall Palace while only the outlines of the costume were
celebrating the ascendancy of the Tudor indicated. The drawings often included color
dynasty. This wall painting showed Henry notes in addition to details of jewelry and
VIII, lifesize and full-length, with his wife drapery. Holbein's habits as a draftsman led
Jane Seymour and his parents, Henry VII him to make large preparatory sketches for
event hem iniaturetsh atd atet o his final portraitm iniatures.S mallp icturesi n closing
decadei n London.H e learnedt hish ighly boxes, like miniatures,w ere intendedt o be
specializeda rtf ormf romL ucasH ornebolte portablea nd not meantf or permanentd is-
(1490/95?-I544)o f Ghent,o ne of thei nven- play. While it is possible that Holbein saw
torso f theg enre,w how asp aintingm inia- Hornebolte's miniaturesd uringh is firstv isit
tures at Henry VIII's court as early as 1525. to London, he did not then try his hand at
The unknown sitterf or the roundeli n them. Of some fourteens uch works confi-
oils wears a doubletb earingt he monogram dently attributedt o him, none can be securely
H[R?] in blackw ith gold stitching,i ndicating datedb efore I535. The Roperm iniatures
that he was in service to the king. Though the (opposite), which are among the earliest,
picturei s worn, the elaborateg old calligra- demonstratet he assurancew ith which he
phy serves as a remindero f Holbein's skill as handledt he new medium,a daptingt he con-
a printd esigner.T he collar of the man's vincing naturalismo f his style in oils to
shirt, measuringn o more than an inch across, minuted epictionsi n watercolora nd gouache.
is embroideredw ith a repeatingp atterno f MargaretR operw as the eldest and
leaves and dots in two rows; its rufflede dge is favoritec hild of Sir Thomas More. Holbein
bound, and it is loosely fastenedw ith black inscribed her age as thirty. In I 52 she had
and white strings,t he ends of which are marriedt he Kentishl andownera nd lawyer
unraveled.U nder magnificationt he individ- WilliamR oper,s hown here at forty-two. He
ual threadsc an be counted. The sitter'se ye- was to write More's biography.
brows are thick;h is broad cheek, double Holbein paintedM argareta nd her hus-
chin, and neck show the gray shadowo f a bandb etween October 1535a nd October
beard. Nonetheless the abundantd etail does 1536,n ot long afterS ir Thomas More's death
not detractf rom our sense of the man, his on July 7, I 535. Roper is soberly dressed in a
heavy body, and intent expression. cloak with a fur collar over a tunic. His wife
This portraiti s on wood, its carvedg ilt wears a gown with turned-backc uffs and a
framef orming an integralp art. The black fur tippet. Her hair is concealedb y crossed
back is scored with three concentricc ircles. bands,a n embroideredu ndercap,a nd a hood
The reverse and the edge show wear due to of black velvet with a stiffenedb rocaded
handling,w hile a projectingr im, cut by hand, damaskf rame.T his elaborateh eadgear
must have been intendedt o receive a now- drawsa ttentiont o her thin, sorrowfulf ace.
lost lid. There is a precedentf or this format: Her hollow eyes bear witness to the suffering
a roundel of the same size representingt he she enduredi n the long months of her
Germant heologian and reformerP hilipp father'si mprisonmenta nd at the time of his
Melanchthon,w ith a decorativel id that is execution.M argaretR operr evealsh erself to
painteda nd inscribedo n the inside by Hol- the viewer in the role of the daughtero f a
bein (NiedersachsischesL andesgalerie,H an- martyr,t he guise in which, perhaps,s he
nover). Additionally,H olbein'sp ortraitso f wished to be remembered.
an older court officiala nd his wife (Kunsthis- During the reign of Queen ElizabethI
torischesM useum,V ienna) seem to have (I558-I603), Holbein was succeeded by
been pairedo riginally as the elementso f a Nicholas Hilliard,a n exceptionallyg ifted
slightly largerr oundb ox. The sitterf or the miniaturistH. owever,u ntilA nthonyv an Dyck
male portraiti n Viennaw ears a coat embroi- arriveda t the court of JamesI in I620, no
deredw ith the letters HR in full; both were painterc ould matchH olbein's achievements.
paintedi n 1534,w hich suggests an approxi-
mate date for our picture.
The format,s cale, and solid blue back-
ground of the Man in a Red Cap relate it to
R obert Devereux was born in 1566,a nd
his age, twenty-two, accords with the
miniature's date. Thirty years younger than
Queen Elizabeth I, he was for many years her
favorite, but he overstepped his bounds,
attempted to raise a rebellion, and was exe-
cuted as a traitor in I60o. Hilliard was largely
self-taught. He claimed to have been influ-
enced by Holbein, but his restrained model-
ing and avoidance of shadows give his
miniatures a very different effect. He advo-
cated copying the engravings of Albrecht
Diirer whose tensile line he
(I47I-I 528),
NICHOLAS HILLIARD (I547-I619) adapted to decorative purposes. Hilliard
Portrait of a YoungM an, brought clarity, elegance, and grace to minia-
Probably RobertD evereux (I566-I60o), ture painting, imbuing his work with the
Second Earl of Essex poetry and gallantry of the Elizabethan era.
Velluml aid on card, i %x 3/ in. (40 x 33 mm)
Dated and inscribed( edge, in gold):
Ano *D ni 1588 .* EtatisS uae 22 ?
FletcherF und, 1935( 35.89.4)
NICHOLAS HILLIARD
Portrait of a Woman
Vellum, I7/8 X /2 in. (47 x 39 mm)
Dated (left edge, in gold): 1597i
FletcherF und, 1935( 35.89.2)
n the precisiona nd finesseo f its handling
the miniature bears witness to Hilliard's
training as a goldsmith. The white pigment
describing the starched threads of the lace
ruff can be seen under magnification to pro-
ject in relief. The bodice and sleeves are
embroidered in blue and green and sprinkled
with gold tags, and the sitter wears an abun-
dance of jewels. Her pallor would have been
fashionable at Queen Elizabeth's court and
was perhaps cosmetically enhanced, but her
broad cheeks, double chin, and the mole above
her lip are uniquely her own.