THE GETTY PROVENANCE INDEX 
 
MEMORIALS OF CHRISTIE'S. 
 
GEORGE BELL & SONS 
 
 LONDON: YORK ST., COVENT GARDEN 
 NEW YORK : 66, FIFTH AVENUE, AND 
 BOMBAY : 53, ESPLANADE ROAD 
 CAMBRIDGE : DEIGHTON, BELL & CO. 
 
Digitized by 
 
 the Internet Archive 
 in 2013 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 http://archive.org/details/memorialsofchris01robe 
 
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THE SPECIOUS ORATOR " 
 (i.e. JAMES CHRISTIE L). 
 
 From a print by R. Dightqn, published March 25, 1794. 
 
MEMORIALS OF 
 
 CHRISTIE' 
 
 A RECORD OF ART SALES 
 
 FROM 1766 TO 1896 
 
 BY 
 
 W. ROBERTS 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE BOOKHUNTER IN LONDON," ETC 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON 
 GEORGE BELL AND SONS 
 1897 
 
" Hie Liber est conglutinatus ex tarn multis libris, quot 
 unus pinguis Cocus Oves, boves, sues, grues, anseres, 
 passeres, coquere, aut unus fumosus Calefactor centum 
 magna hypocausta ex illis calefacere possit." 
 
 fflE GETTY CENTFP 
 Jfc LIBRARY 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HE chief difficulty experienced in 
 the compilation of these " Memorials 
 of Christie's " has been, not the lack 
 of material, but the wealth of it. 
 To compress into two volumes the 
 essence of many thousands of catalogues has been 
 a task of no little difficulty, and I do not pretend 
 to claim that every "lot" of importance is to 
 be found mentioned within these covers. To 
 compile a complete record of the sales at 
 Christie's would require a lifetime of constant 
 application, and a long series of volumes dealing 
 with each of the many special objects which come 
 under the hammer at Messrs. Christie, Manson 
 and Woods'. Such a work would be of the 
 greatest possible value, and in many respects of 
 very considerable interest, but it naturally could 
 not be undertaken by one upon whose time the 
 daily press makes large demands. In the pre- 
 paration of this work, I have gone through all the 
 earlier Christie catalogues, page by page, and all 
 the more important ones of the later issues have 
 been carefully scanned. I think, therefore, that 
 
vi 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 these two volumes will be found to contain a fairly 
 exhaustive risumi of the chief public sales which 
 have been held at Christie's during the long period 
 of nearly a century and a half. The task has been 
 no light one, and if the results are commensurate 
 with the amount of labour and time which it has 
 involved I shall feel at all events that my work has 
 not been in vain. 
 
 If Messrs. Christie had not been, from the very 
 first, in the habit of preserving their priced cata- 
 logues, no such work as this could possibly have 
 been carried into even an approximately successful 
 issue. Even as it is, their earlier volumes of 
 catalogues are in some instances incomplete, and 
 a few of the first importance and interest are 
 wanting : they were borrowed, when borrowing was 
 not prohibited, and they have met the usual fate of 
 borrowed books — they have never been returned. 
 Catalogues of art, as of book sales, become after a 
 time excessively difficult to obtain, and some are 
 absolutely unprocurable. A few of those absent 
 from Messrs. Christie's invaluable " file," are to be 
 found at the British Museum, and possibly else- 
 where, and I have been able to make good some 
 " gaps " from outside sources, and from con- 
 temporary newspaper reports. Messrs. Christie 
 have courteously given me every facility in the pre- 
 paration of this work, which is not to be regarded as 
 in any sense of an " official" nature produced under 
 the auspices of the firm itself ; and I desire here to 
 express the deep sense of obligation I feel towards 
 the members of the historic firm in this matter. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 vii 
 
 Without Messrs. Christie's courtesy I could not 
 have obtained permission to reproduce the series 
 of collotype plates with which these volumes are 
 illustrated, and in this matter Mr. L. Hannen has 
 actively interested himself by obtaining permission 
 from the various possessors of the pictures and 
 other objects of art. I am also indebted to The 
 Times for a generous selection from the many 
 brilliant articles which have appeared in its pages 
 when any great sale has been about to take 
 place. My friend Mr. Gleeson White has 
 assisted me in the selection of plates and in other 
 matters. 
 
 " Memorials of Christie's" is not in any sense 
 a rival of the late George Redford's " Art Sales," 
 published in two volumes in 1888, from which it 
 differs entirely, not only in arrangement, but in the 
 fact that it is devoted entirely to Christie's. It is 
 not easy to decide as to the most convenient plan 
 for such a work as this. My own preferences would 
 have been to model it on the system adopted by 
 M. Charles Blanc in his " Tresor de la Curiosite, 
 tire des Catalogues de Vente " (Paris, 1857-8), 
 giving, in addition, some account of the collectors 
 themselves, and relying on a very full index as the 
 means of making it a valuable work of reference. 
 That plan is, indeed, followed here, but with many 
 important modifications, as one preferable to Mr. 
 Redford's : had it been followed entirely, however, 
 it would not have been possible to compress the 
 information already contained in these pages into 
 less than half-a-dozen volumes. A very consider- 
 
viii 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 able percentage of the collectors were men who 
 may be said to have had no individuality beyond 
 their collections, and are consequently unconsidered 
 by the various biographical dictionaries. I have, 
 however, given a few brief personal details where 
 such have been accessible. 
 
 I do not think that any elaborate details as to 
 the scope of the work are necessary, as my object 
 has been to make the text as simple as possible. 
 It may, nevertheless, be necessary to point out that 
 several moderately important sales which do not 
 appear as substantive articles will be found in- 
 corporated with other auctions. The Heugh sales, 
 for instance, included a number of important 
 pictures, nearly all of which have occurred sub- 
 sequently in other collections, where they are 
 duly referred to. This practice has saved much 
 valuable space. Another point may be mentioned 
 to prevent any possible confusion. Where two or 
 three pictures by one artist occur in a single sale, it 
 has not been thought necessary to repeat the artist's 
 name : the conjunction " and," of course, indicating 
 that the second picture is by the same artist as that 
 immediately preceding — for example : Ruysdael, 
 a Waterfall, oooo guineas, and a Cascade, oooo 
 guineas. One of the great difficulties would have 
 been to draw a hard and fast line as to prices. 
 I have not attempted to draw any such line, but 
 have mentioned objects which appeared to me to 
 be worthy of note. Price is by no means an in- 
 fallible guide as to the authenticity of a picture or 
 its value as a work of art. Innumerable instances 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ix 
 
 have occurred in which a picture realized say ,£10 
 in the early part of the century has within recent 
 years sold for upwards of ,£1,000. The tastes of 
 collectors of works of art, as in everything else, 
 undergo changes, and can be guided by no law 
 of logic : in such a work as this, therefore, common 
 sense and the absence of any kind of enthusiasm 
 for any particular school of art are an authors most 
 valuable attributes. 
 
 The writer of an article in the first volume 
 of the Library of the Fine Arts, March, 1 831, 
 says that James Christie, the elder, first started in 
 Wardour Street, where he opened business as a 
 book auctioneer. " Diligent and successful in his 
 calling, he improved his means, and removing to 
 Spring Gardens, Charing Cross, commenced as 
 general auctioneer, under the firm of Christie and 
 Ansell. It was here that he experienced his first 
 great loss, the precursor of those misfortunes to 
 which his generous nature too frequently exposed 
 him throughout life. He became, under particular 
 circumstances of friendship, security for a minor 
 of great expectations, to the amount of £"20,000. 
 The young gentlemen died just before the ex- 
 piration of his minority, and Christie lost the 
 whole sum. Happily he had many friends, 
 amongst others, the illustrious Garrick. No sooner 
 was this great player acquainted with Christies 
 loss, than he generously advanced him the loan of 
 £10,000 which the borrower within a given period 
 repaid ; and such was his grateful recollection of 
 the circumstance, that when deputed by Garrick's 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 widow to sell part of her honoured husband's 
 effects, Christie very feelingly related the whole 
 affair to his auditors from the rostrum." 
 
 From the same writer we learn that of the two 
 partners mentioned in vol. i., p. n, Sharp was a 
 diamond merchant in the city, and that Harper was 
 a brother of the wife of Jack Banister, the comedian. 
 This writer also informs us that the first James 
 Christie was not exactly a connoisseur, but to have 
 " had the advantage of a constant and friendly 
 intercourse with many of the distinguished artists 
 and connoisseurs ; so much so that a certain coterie, 
 who frequently partook of his venison and claret, 
 were denominated Christie's Fraternity of God- 
 Fathers, as they sometimes in the character of 
 sponsors christened questionable graphic specimens 
 of the genius obscure, Domenichino's, S. del 
 Piombo's, Da Vinci's, etc." 
 
 Garrick, Richard Wilson, and Gainsborough 
 frequently dined with Mr. Christie, and it was on 
 such occasions that Tern Gainsborough and Davy 
 Garrick gave loose to their crazy fancies, in their 
 travesties of every remarkable picture that had 
 passed the ordeal of the ivory hammer. 
 
 The first Christie acquired " a universal reputa- 
 tion for honour and integrity, and so boundless 
 was his liberality that he was commonly designated 
 the ' Princely-minded Christie.' He died honoured 
 and respected — but certainly not rich." According 
 to the same writer, " Young Christie " — by which 
 distinction he was known up to the time of his 
 death — " never cared for the auction business," 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 xi 
 
 which his father induced him, only after repeated 
 efforts, to enter. He first entered the rostrum " in 
 the spring of 1794, to relieve his father of the 
 tedium of the six days' sale of the effects of J. 
 Alexander Gresse, the artist and collector." The 
 second James Christie was a member of the 
 Spectacle Makers' Company, and his son George 
 was eventually elected a member of the same 
 fraternity. 
 
 The Christies' burial-place was at St. James's, 
 Hampstead Road, where a runic cross now bears 
 the names of nine members of the family. James 
 Christie I. was an ardent Jacobite, and the names 
 of all his children bear witness of his devotion to 
 this cause. He first married Isabella Chapman, 
 daughter of a Suffolk landowner ; and secondly 
 Mrs. Urquhart, widow of a Scotch wine merchant. 
 
 Two interesting relics of the founder of the firm 
 are still in constant use at King Street, namely the 
 fine old mahogany rostrum said to have been made 
 by Chippendale, and the original ivory hammer 
 which has sealed, so to speak, the fate of so many 
 great collections. W. R. 
 
 Carlton Villa, Klea Avenue, 
 Clapham Common. 
 
 March, 1897. 
 
A PICTURE SALE, CIRCA 1770. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 i 
 
 Chap. I. James Christie and his Successors . . , * . . 
 
 Chap. II. Some Early Sales: English Porcelain — Sir 
 Robert Strange — R. Ansell — Captain O'Kelly — 
 Greenwood — Samuel Dickinson — H. E. J. Got de 
 Grote — Libraries — Signor Biondi — Samuel Foote — 
 W. Laws — N. J. Desenfans — The Chevalier D'Eon 
 — Sir Joshua Reynolds — B. Vandergucht — Hogarth's 
 Marriage a la Mode — John Trumbull 
 
 Chap. III. 1800-1810 : John Udny's pictures from the 
 Colonna Palace and Florentine Gallery — Lord Bess- 
 borough — Sir William Hamilton — William Young 
 Ottley — Alderman Beckford — Countess Holderness 
 — Guy Head — Sir Simon Clarke and George Hibbert 
 — Walsh Porter — The Novellara collection — Robert 
 Udny — Pictures from the Barberini Palace — -Alder- 
 man Boydell — Welbore Agar Ellis — Lafontaine — 
 Speaker Lenthall — Walsh Porter (2nd sale) . . . 
 
 Chap. IV. 1811-1847: William Young Ottley— Duca 
 San Pietro — Duke of Roxburghe — Henry Hope — J. 
 F. Tuffen — Ph. Panne — Benjamin West — Arthur 
 Champernowne — Marchioness of Thomond — John 
 Lamb — Marquis of Bute — Fonthill — G. Watson 
 Taylor — David Garrick — Nollekens — Madame 
 Murat— Sir M. M. Sykes, H.R.H. the Duke of York 
 — Egyptian Antiquities — Duke of Bedford — Lord 
 de Tabley — Lord Carysfoot — George Canning — 
 Lord Gwydyr — Sir Thomas Lawrence — Earl of Mul- 
 grave — Lord C. Townshend — W. G. Coesvelt — Sir 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Simon H.Clarke — John Penrice — Edmund Higgin- 
 son of Saltmarsbe — Edward Solly 
 
 Chap. V. 1848-1854: The Stowe collection of the 
 Duke of Buckingham — J. Newington Hughes — 
 Casimir Perier — Sir Thomas Baring — Montcalm 
 Gallery at Montpellier — W. Coningham — W. Wells 
 of Redleaf — W*. W. Hope — Lord Ashburnham — 
 Charles Lucien Bonaparte — Louis Philippe — J. D. 
 Gardner — E. J. de Bammeville 
 
 Chap. VI. 1855-1870: Ralph Bernal — Samuel Rogers, 
 the Poet — Lord Orford — The Alton Towers collec- 
 tion of the Earl of Shrewsbury — Rev. F. Leicester — 
 Hon. Percy Ashburnham — Charles Scarisbrick — L. 
 V. Flatou — China Sales — Sir John Swinburne — T. 
 E. Plint's Pre-Raphaelite Pictures — Elkanan Bick- 
 nell — John Leech's Drawings and Pictures — Edwin 
 Bullock — David Maclise — Charles Dickens . . . 
 
 Chap. VII. 1872-1876: Joseph Gillott — Prince Jerome 
 Napoleon — Alexander Barker — Sir E. Landseer — 
 The Marlborough Gems — Sam Mendel of Manley 
 Hall — William Quilter — Charles Bredel — Rev. John 
 Lucy — Thomas Woolner — Jesse Watts Russell of 
 Ham Hall— W. E. Gladstone— Wynn Ellis— Gains- 
 borough's Duchess of Devonshire — Albert Levy — 
 R. Foster of Clewer Manor — Dunn Gardner . . . 
 
 Chap. VIII. 1877-1882 : W. Stone Ellis— Robert Na- 
 pier, of Shandon — Robert Vernon — Baron Albert 
 Grant's Kensington House Gallery — John Knowles 
 of Manchester — Sir Henry Raeburn — The Due de 
 Forli's Dresden Porcelain — Dr. Sibson's Wedgwood 
 — H. A. J. Munro, of Novar — Thomas Greenwood 
 — Porcelain Sales — H. G. Bohn — J. S. Virtue — 
 Lord Lonsdale — Joseph Arden — Jonathan Nield — 
 W. and J. Fenton— J. Wardells— W. Benoni White 
 — J. H. Anderdon — Charles Dickens — F.W. Hooper 
 — Charles Kurtz — Colonel Holdsworth — Charles 
 Sackville Bale — E. J. Coleman — W. Sharp — E. 
 Hermon, M.P., of Wyfold Court 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Vol. L 
 PLATES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " The Specious Orator," i.e., James Christie I. Re- 
 produced in colours from a print by R. Dighton 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 James Christie I. From an engraving after the original 
 
 portrait by T. Gainsborough face 10 
 
 James Christie II. From a bust by Harry Behnes, in 
 
 the possession of Messrs. Christie 12 
 
 William Manson. From an engraved portrait in the 
 
 possession of Messrs. Christie 14 
 
 Christie's Auction Rooms. From the original drawing 
 
 by Rowlandson, in the possession of Mr. T. H. 
 
 Woods 22 
 
 Christie's Auction Rooms. From " The Microcosm 
 
 of London," plate 8 80 
 
 Maecenas in Pursuit of the Fine Arts. From a 
 
 print by Gillray 88 
 
 The Sale of " The Snake in the Grass." From the 
 
 original picture by J. Gebaud, in the possession of 
 
 Messrs. Christie 120 
 
 Filippino Lippi : La Simonetta 186 
 
 Greuze : Portrait of a Young Girl 190 
 
 The Coventry Sevres Vases 226 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. 
 
 A Picture Sale, circa 1770 xii 
 
 " A Peep at Christie's." By Gillray 7 
 
Xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Portrait of Noel J. Desenfans 41 
 
 Ancient Gaelic Brooch (Bernal Sale) 53 
 
 Sir Thomas More's Candlestick (Bernal Sale) . . 138 
 
 Raphael and Fornarina Plate „ . . 141 
 
 Pilgrim-shaped Gres Bottle ,, . . 169 
 
 Dresden Porcelain Clock . . 170 
 
 „ „ Candelabra „ . . 171 
 
 Pilgrim's Bottle, Faenza Ware „ . . 172 
 Sevres Vases „ 174-175 
 
 St. Thomas a Beckett's Reliquaire ,, . . 177 
 
 Limoges Enamel Casket . . 178 
 
MEMORIALS OF CHRISTIE'S. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 T is not only a curious but a very re- 
 markable fact, that the founders of 
 two eminent London firms should 
 have been " drawn," at about the 
 same time, from a source which 
 seemed little likely to augur success. Both John 
 Murray I. and James Christie primus left the 
 Navy for the respective callings of publishing and 
 auctioneering in London, practically within a few 
 months of one another. They were both Scots- 
 men, and each seems to have possessed, in a con- 
 spicuous degree, not only a more than native share 
 of pluck and energy, but the infinite capacity for 
 mastering details which alone makes successful 
 men of business. Although neither the firm of 
 Christie nor that of Murray is the doyen of the 
 trade in its respective line ; yet they are rightly 
 regarded as the heads of the two great phases of 
 commercial enterprise. 
 
 I. B 
 
2 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 Of James Christie's parentage and family con- 
 nections very little appears to be known ; and of 
 his career up to the time when he started as an 
 auctioneer in London, even less information has 
 been published. He was, as we have already 
 stated, a Scotsman, having been born at Perth in 
 1730; his mother was a Macdonald, his father 
 an Englishman of good family, whilst Flora 
 Macdonald was a near relation and intimate friend. 
 He entered the Navy, 1 and held a commission 
 under which he served some years as midshipman. 
 He is said to have resigned his commission before 
 he was twenty, owing to a romantic attachment 
 to a lady of great beauty whom he eventually 
 married, and on coming up to London, he be- 
 came assistant to an auctioneer named Annesley, 
 in Covent Garden. With Annesley he remained 
 in partnership for some years, but towards the end of 
 the year 1 766 2 he started on his own account at the 
 rooms in Pall Mall, formerly occupied by Richard 
 Dalton, printseller ; the business was at first 
 
 1 It may be nothing more than a coincidence, but the fact is 
 worth mentioning, that the Add. MSS. at the British Museum, 
 5439, f. 137, contains "Proposals for better Victualling a 
 Hospital Ship," by James Christie, dated 1704. It would be 
 interesting to know if James Christie's father was a sailor. 
 
 2 It is not perhaps wise to be too dogmatic on this point, as 
 since the above statement has been in type the writer learns 
 that the Public Advertiser of July 21st, 1763, contains an 
 advertisement of Mr. Christie's as an auctioneer. This was the 
 sale of the effects of a large house about to be demolished in 
 St. James's Square. The file of catalogues now preserved at 
 King Street does not extend back earlier than the year 1766. 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 3 
 
 almost entirely devoted to the sale of estates and 
 London houses, and the sales of pictures and 
 other chattels formed but a small percentage 
 of the transactions. All contemporary accounts 
 of James Christie are laudatory in the highest 
 degree, and coming, as these do, from so many 
 men of widely differing and indeed antagonistic 
 tastes and creeds, there can be no question 
 as to the high estimation in which he was 
 held. " He was," says one, "of tall and dignified 
 appearance, remarkable for eloquence and profes- 
 sional enthusiasm, and was intimate with Garrick, 
 Reynolds, Gainsborough and other men of note." 
 
 The stories told about him are very numerous, 
 although the majority of them are perhaps not too 
 authentic. In one of these traditions he plays the 
 part of patriot. At the time when Admiral Sir 
 Hugh Palliser's house in Pall Mall was attacked 
 because its owner did not bring home fresh laurels 
 to the British Navy, Mr. Christie called all his 
 porters together, and sallied out at their head, 
 armed with good stout sticks ; they completely 
 routed the mob, driving them away in confusion. 
 John Taylor, the author of " Monsieur Tonson," 
 describes in his interesting " Records of My 
 Life," 1832 (vol. ii. 206-211), James Christie in 
 highly flattering terms. He says : — il There was 
 something interesting and persuasive, as well as 
 thoroughly agreeable in his manner. He was 
 very animated, and it may be justly said, eloquent, 
 in his recommendation of any article to be an- 
 nounced from his 1 Rostrum,' as well as in occasional 
 
4 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 effusions of genuine humour. He was courteous, 
 friendly and hospitable in private life, and was 
 held in great esteem by his numerous friends, 
 among whom there were many of high rank. It 
 was reported, and I believe truly, that he lost con- 
 siderable property by his confidence in Mr. Chace 
 Price, a gentleman well known in the upper 
 circles of his time, and more admired for his wit 
 and humour than for the strictness of his moral 
 principles. It was understood that Mr. Christie's 
 loss by this gentleman amounted to five thousand 
 pounds ; and this event afforded an additional 
 proof of the generous feelings of Mr. Garrick, who, 
 hearing of the loss and of the high character of 
 Mr. Christie, though but little acquainted with 
 him, with great delicacy offered to accommodate 
 him with the full amount of his loss, if his conse- 
 quent situation rendered such assistance necessary 
 or expedient. Whether Mr. Christie had occasion 
 to avail himself of this liberal offer, I know not, 
 but that it was tendered is certainly true, and it 
 corresponds with the testimony in favour of Mr. 
 Garrick's benevolent disposition, as given by Dr. 
 Johnson, by Mr. Smith the actor, in several of his 
 letters to me, and by my late friend, Mr. Arthur 
 Murphy. . . . 
 
 " As a proof of the estimation in which Mr. 
 Christie's character was held, particularly by the 
 great Earl of Chesterfield, a nobleman distin- 
 guished for his intellectual powers and knowledge 
 of mankind, as well as for the polish of his 
 manners, I relate the following fact, which was 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 5 
 
 told to me by my late esteemed friend, Sir Francis 
 Bourgeois. Mr. Christie had a particularly 
 valuable collection of pictures to dispose of, most 
 of which were of very high reputation abroad. 
 Anxious that this collection should be distin- 
 guished from those of less celebrity, he waited 
 upon the Earl of Chesterfield, to whom he had the 
 honour of being known. It happened that the 
 Earl had seen many of the pictures in question 
 during his travels. Mr. Christie told his lord- 
 ship how anxious he was that these pictures should 
 excite the attention which they deserved, and he 
 requested that his lordship would condescend to 
 look at them. His lordship promised to attend 
 the public view, and gave Mr. Christie leave 
 to announce his intention among his friends, or 
 wherever he thought proper, and in order to 
 give eclat to the occasion, he promised to come 
 in state. On the day appointed, therefore, the 
 room was crowded in the expectation of seeing 
 this venerable and celebrated nobleman, who 
 arrived in a coach and six, with numerous atten- 
 dants. The company gave way and afforded a 
 convenient space for his lordship. He was at- 
 tended by Mr. Christie, who took the liberty of 
 directing his lordship's attention to some pictures, 
 and requested to be favoured with his opinion of 
 the chief productions in the room. . . . The 
 auditors pressed as near as respect for his lordship 
 would permit them, in order to hear and circulate 
 his opinions. . . . 
 
 " I remember calling on Mr. Christie one morn- 
 
6 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 ing, just before he was going into his great room to 
 dispose of an estate. Always alive to the interest 
 of his employers, he requested that I would act as 
 a bidder. I observed that if any of my friends 
 happened to be present, they would laugh if they 
 saw me come forward on such an occasion, and 
 that, as it would be totally new to me, I should 
 commit some blunder. He, however, repeated his 
 request, and I assented. It happened as I appre- 
 hended, for I made a bidding beyond that of a 
 bond fide purchaser, who would go no further, and 
 the estate was knocked down to me. I apologized 
 for my blundering ignorance, which Mr. Christie 
 treated with his usual good-nature and affability, 
 and insisted on my staying to dine with the family." 
 
 A great feature of the sales at Christie's at the 
 latter part of the last century was the private view 
 day. This was a fashionable lounge where persons 
 of distinction congregated in great numbers. Dur- 
 ing the season, when any remarkable collections 
 were on view, occasional evening receptions took 
 place : the great room was then lighted up, and 
 persons of quality attended in such large numbers 
 that an official from the Opera was stationed at 
 the entrance to prevent the intrusion of those not 
 belonging to the fashionable world. The last of 
 these evening receptions was held when Watson 
 Taylor's pictures were on view. Gillray's " A Peep 
 at Christie's," published on September 4th, 1796, 
 gives us a very good idea, more or less imaginary, 
 of a private view day at the celebrated auction 
 room at this period. This caricature has, as its 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 7 
 
 second title, " Tally-ho and his Nimeney Pimeney, 
 Taking their morning Lounge;" Miss Farren, 
 
 "A Peep at Christie's," by Gillray. 
 
 whose inimitable performance of the character 
 of Nimeney Pimeney in General Burgoyne's 
 " Heiress " obtained her the nickname, had not 
 yet become the second wife of the Earl of Derby. 
 
8 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 Lord Derby is admiring a sporting picture, The 
 Death of Reynard, in allusion to his tastes and 
 circumstances; whilst Miss Farren is scrutinizing 
 the merits of a different subject, Zenocrates and 
 Phryne ; in the background, engaged in the study 
 of Susannah and the Elders, is a group of fashion- 
 able loungers dressed in the height of the prevailing 
 mode. Gillray hated both Lord Derby and Miss 
 Farren, so that, in his caricature, he has libelled 
 both the lady and her protector. 
 
 On two occasions, James Christie I. added to 
 the responsibility of a rapidly growing business by 
 investing in newspaper property. He was one of 
 the twenty original proprietors of the Morning 
 Chronicle, 1 which started in June, 1769, — the 
 other proprietors, it is interesting to mention, in- 
 cluded John Murray, Peter Elmsley, and four 
 other booksellers. The Morning Chronicle was 
 Whig in politics, and its editor was William 
 
 1 Here is an exceedingly interesting advertisement copied 
 from the Morning Chronicle, of Saturday, November 24th, 
 1787: 
 
 By Mr. CHRISTIE, 
 
 On the premifes, in the courfe of a fhort time. 
 
 ALL the fuperlatively rich, elegant, and fu- 
 perb HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE, pier glafles 
 of great magnitude, beauty, and perfection ; a most capi- 
 tal and valuable collection of Italian, French, Flemiih, 
 and Dutch Pictures of the moft efteemed Matters, and in 
 the higheft Mate of perfection. 
 
 Ineftimable China, a fuite of the Gobeline Tapeftry, 
 choice wines, and a profufion of valuable articles, the pro- 
 perty of 
 
 His Excellence COUNT D'ADHEM AR, 
 AmbafTador to his Moft Chriftian Majefty, returned to 
 France. 
 
 At his Excellency's Houfe in Piccadilly. 
 Notice of viewing and fale will be given. 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 9 
 
 Woodfall (" memory " Woodfall), who was also 
 printer and reporter. How long Christie re- 
 mained a proprietor is not known, probably not 
 long, and almost certainly not after 1789, when 
 Woodfall left the paper, which had previously 
 passed into the hands of James Perry. It is pro- 
 bable, indeed, that he did not remain connected 
 with the paper for more than a year or two, as 
 he was one of the earlier proprietors of the 
 Chronicle s " impudent rival," the Morning Post, 
 which started as a Tory paper in November, 
 1772. The daily circulation of the Morning Post, 
 in 1795, had dwindled down to 350, and Tattersall, 
 the auctioneer, who was chief proprietor, disposed 
 of his interest to David Stuart for £600, which 
 price included the house in Catherine Street, the 
 plant and copyright. Stuart himself tells us : 
 " Soon after I joined the Morning Post in the 
 autumn of 1795, Christie, the auctioneer, left it on 
 account of its low sale, and left a blank, a ruinous 
 proclamation of decline. But in 1802 he came to 
 me again, praying for readmission." 
 
 The value of the press as an advertising 
 medium had from the very first been fully recog- 
 nized by him. His advertisements constantly 
 appeared in the leading newspapers of the day. 
 One of the earliest of these advertisements ap- 
 peared in Lloyd's Evening Post, December nth- 
 14th, 1767. It announced that on Thursday next, 
 the 17th inst., Mr. Christie would sell at his Great 
 Auction Rooms, in Pall Mall, "a valuable collec- 
 tion of Italian, French and Flemish Pictures, the 
 
TO 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 property of a Person of Distinction, the Principal 
 of which are in high Preservation." In the next 
 issue of the same journal, December 1 4th- 1 6th, 
 we find an announcement that, immediately after 
 Christmas, Mr. Christie would " sell all the genuine 
 and neat household furniture and other valuable 
 effects of a gentleman of distinction leaving off 
 housekeeping, at his house opposite the Middlesex 
 Coffee House, in Charles Street, Cavendish 
 Square." The same journal, December 18th- 
 2 1 st, announces the sale by auction of "all this 
 year's produce of the Artificial Stone Manu- 
 factory, consisting of above 100 different subjects, 
 including antique bustos, figures, vases, tables, 
 friezes, medallions, architect and chimney pieces, 
 both antique and modern." It was not until 
 very late in the century that Mr. Christie's sales 
 were reported by the press, and then only in 
 fits and starts, and in a very perfunctory kind of 
 way. 
 
 James Christie died at his house in Pall Mall 
 on November 8th, 1803, aged 73, and was interred 
 at St. James's Burial Ground in the Hampstead 
 Road. He was twice married, the eldest of his 
 children, James, succeeding him ; the second, 
 Charles, Captain in the 5th Regiment of Bengal 
 Native Infantry, was killed in 181 2 in Persia, 
 during a Russian attack ; the third, Albany, died 
 in 1 82 1 ; the fourth, Edward, a midshipman, died 
 at Port Royal, in Jamaica, 1821 ; and the fifth, 
 Samuel Hunter Christie (1784-1865), became 
 afterwards the distinguished mathematician. 
 
JAMES CHRISTIE t 
 From an engraving after the original portrait by T. GAINSBOROUGH. 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 I I 
 
 In an obituary notice, the Gentleman s Maga- 
 zine said : — " In Pall Mall, aged 73, after a long 
 and lingering illness, Mr. James Christie, many 
 years well-known and justly celebrated as an 
 auctioneer, and the successful disposer of property 
 of every kind, whether by public sale or private 
 contract. With an easy and gentleman-like flow 
 of eloquence, he possessed in a great degree the 
 power of persuasion, and even tempered his public 
 addresses by a gentle refinement of manners. His 
 remains were interred on the 14th inst." 
 
 In 1778, Gainsborough painted his friend's 
 portrait and presented it to him ; it is a half- 
 length, standing leaning on a picture. This 
 portrait continued to be hung in the King Street 
 Rooms until 1846. Gainsborough is said to have 
 made a request that the picture should be hung 
 in the great sale-room, avowedly for the purpose 
 of drawing the public attention to his name as a 
 portrait painter. This portrait, of which we give 
 a reproduction, has been engraved ; the original is 
 now in Mr. Christie's possession at Framingham. 
 
 On two occasions the first James Christie 
 admitted partners. From January 16th, 1777, 
 until October 12th- 13th, 1784, the firm was known 
 as Christie and Ansell ; and from February 16th, 
 1 797, up to and including May 20th of the same 
 year, it stood as Christie, Sharp, and Harper, — the 
 catalogue of the sale held on May 22nd, was 
 printed with the two latter names, which are, how- 
 ever, blotted out in the auctioneer's copy. 
 
 James Christie the Second, was born in Pall 
 
I 2 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 Mall in 1773. He was educated at Eton, and 
 was intended for the Church, but entered the 
 auctioneers business, which after his fathers 
 death he carried on with increased success. The 
 younger James Christie's success as an auctioneer 
 was only one degree less than his abilities as an 
 author, his publications being as follows : 
 
 " An Enquiry into the Antient Greek Game, 
 supposed to have been invented by Palamedes, 
 antecedent to the Siege of Troy ; with reasons for 
 believing the same to have been known from 
 remote antiquity in China, and progressively im- 
 proved into the Chinese, Indian, Persian, and 
 European Chess; also two dissertations on the 
 Athenian Shiophoria, and on the mystical meaning 
 of the bough and umbrella in the Skiran rites." 
 4to, London, 1801. 
 
 " A Disquisition upon Etruscan Vases, display- 
 ing their probable Connections with the Shows at 
 Eleusis, and the Chinese Feast of Lanterns." 4to, 
 London, 1806. Of this work, which contains 16 
 plates, only 100 copies were printed for private 
 distribution. To some copies is added an engrav- 
 ing of a vase which belonged to J. Edwards. 
 
 " An Essay upon the Earliest Species of 
 Idolatry, the Worship of the Elements." 4to, 
 Norwich, 1814. In addition to a frontispiece, this 
 volume has also a coloured folding Chinese plate ; 
 it further contains a description of a colossal vase 
 found in the ruins of Hadrian's villa, near Rome, 
 formerly belonging to the noble family of Lanti, 
 afterwards acquired by Francis, Duke of Bedford. 
 
JAMES CHRISTIE II. 
 
 From a bust by Harry Behnes, now in possession of 
 Messrs. Christie. 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 13 
 
 " Disquisitions upon the painted Greek Vases, 
 and their probable connection with the Shows of 
 the Eleusinian and other mysteries " in " Outline 
 Engravings and Descriptions of the Woburn 
 Abbey Marbles." 4to, London, 1825. 
 
 " An Enquiry into the Early History of Greek 
 Sculpture." 4to, London, 1833. 
 
 His intimacy with Charles Townley is said to 
 have led James Christie into the study of the 
 painted Greek vases, the result of which was the 
 privately printed edition of a limited number of 
 copies of the first work in the foregoing list. It 
 was enlarged and issued again in 1825, its published 
 price being two guineas. The last work on the 
 list had been written to form the introduction to 
 the second volume of " Specimens of Ancient 
 Sculpture," published by the Dilettanti Society, 
 but a less speculative paper by R. P. Knight was 
 chosen instead. Fifty copies of Christie's essay 
 were, however, privately printed by the author's 
 son, James Stirling Christie. This publication is 
 additionally valuable from the fact that it contains 
 a portrait of the author from a bust by Harry 
 Behnes, drawn by Henry Corbould, and engraved 
 by Robert Graves. 
 
 The second James Christie was not only a 
 scholar, but he was also a great student of biblical 
 and poetical studies ; " his position as a fine-art 
 critic was recognized by his election to the 
 Athenaeum Club, 1826, and to the Dilettanti 
 Society, 1824." He was for several years one of 
 the registrars of the Literary Fund. He died at 
 
JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 his house in King Street, February 2nd, 1831, 
 aged 58, and left two sons, James Stirling Christie, 
 who died in 1834, and George Henry Christie, J. P., 
 of Framingham House, near Norwich, who re- 
 tired from the firm in 1863, and who died in 1887, 
 aged seventy-six. He was succeeded as the head 
 of the business by his son, Mr. James H. B. 
 Christie, who retired from the firm in 1889. 
 
 On February 23rd, 183 1 , the firm became known 
 as Christie and Manson. William Manson, who 
 died in 1852, and Edward his brother, who 
 subsequently became a partner and who died in 
 1884, were sons of the well-known bookseller, 
 J. P. Manson, who carried on business first in 
 Westminster and subsequently in Gerard Street, 
 Soho, where he died in 181 2. The present head 
 of the firm, Mr. Thomas H. Woods, who had been 
 for many years an assistant, became a partner in 
 1859, his name appearing for the first time on the 
 sale catalogue of the library of John Allan Powell, 
 November 1st. After the secession of Mr. James 
 H. B. Christie, the firm was reconstituted, the new 
 partners being Mr. Taylor, who had been an 
 assistant since 1858; Mr. Arthur Nattali, who 
 entered the house a year later, and seceded in July, 
 1896 ; Mr. W. Agnew, son of the well-known dealer, 
 Sir William Agnew ; and Mr. L. Hannen. 
 
 James Christie's first 1 sale took place, at Dalton's 
 Print Rooms, in Pall Mall, on December 5th, 1766. 
 The exact locality of the house is disputed, for Pall 
 Mall was constantly changing its appearance from 
 
 1 See note, p. 2. 
 
WILLIAM MANSON. 
 From an engraved portrait in possession of Messrs. Christie. 
 
.<Qa^4(t UhUAlM ;;^><Uh:; 
 
// ///ft /, 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 15 
 
 the latter part of the last, up to about the middle of 
 the present century. The Academy Rooms were 
 opposite Market Lane, which is supposed to have 
 been a narrow thoroughfare about a hundred 
 yards to the west of the Haymarket, and on the 
 site of the present Senior United Service Club. 
 In 1768 the Royal Academy took possession of a 
 part of the house in which Mr. Christie had been 
 established for six years. In 1770, Christie re- 
 moved westward to No. 125, adjoining Schom- 
 berg House, where Gainsborough, on his arrival 
 in London from Bath in 1774, set up his studio. 
 Schomberg House, on the south side of Pall Mall, 
 is close to the present War Office, or rather the 
 half of it which was not pulled down in 1852. 
 Christie's " Great Rooms " were to be found next 
 to Schomberg House until the autumn of 1823, 
 when the next move was to 8, King Street, St. 
 James's Square, the present position, which covers 
 what was formerly Wilson's European Emporium, 
 or Museum, prior to which the place had an unenvi- 
 able notoriety as a gambling hell. The first sale 
 after the firm established itself in King Street was 
 that of a Library of Books, December 1 8th. The 
 late Mr. George Redford suggests that the pre- 
 mises in King Street were probably acquired some 
 years before Christie finally took possession. This 
 suggestion has something in its favour, but it is 
 more probable that the European Museum was let 
 out for various purposes, such as picture exhibitions. 
 On May nth and 12th, 1791, Mr. Christie held a 
 sale of prints and drawings here ; and again on 
 
i6 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 January 31st, and February 1st and 2nd, 1793, he 
 sold John Bertel's immense collection of pictures 
 and prints at 8, King Street. These catalogues 
 contain an intimation that copies were to be had 
 at the Great Rooms in Pall Mall. Apparently the 
 first James Christie lived in Castle Street, Oxford 
 Road (or Market), at the time he commenced 
 business, as catalogues were to be had there, as 
 well as at his Great Rooms. The dingy exterior 
 and entrance of 8, King Street, gave way in 1893 
 to the present handsome portico and spacious 
 entrance hall ; the interior has frequently undergone 
 alteration, whilst the octagon room is a copy of 
 one built in the Adelphi by Adam for Whitefoord. 
 
 James Christie primus started in business at a 
 most opportune time. The dispersal of the cele- 
 brated collection of pictures belonging to Charles I. 
 had apparentlyput a stop to the taste for the acquisi- 
 tion of works of art, and for over a century after- 
 wards picture collecting in England was almost 
 unknown. About the middle of the eighteenth 
 century this dormant faculty began to give frequent 
 signs of life, and in the course of a very few years 
 it had developed into a prevailing passion. Various 
 circumstances which, however fateful and ruinous 
 to foreign countries, gave it an impetus to which 
 modern history presents no parallel. " La chute 
 du trone de Constantin porta dans l'ltalie les 
 debris de l'ancienne Grece ; la France s'enrichit 
 a son tour de ces precieuses depouilles ; " and 
 England in her turn enriched herself with the 
 spoils of France and Italy. The greater propor- 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 17 
 
 tion of the pictures which were sold at auction 
 before the middle of the last century were doubt- 
 less good old copies, or possibly in many cases 
 replicas, either by the artists themselves, or by 
 their pupils. Few of the picture sales up to this 
 period contain items for which a higher figure 
 than £20 was paid, and, as a matter of fact, they 
 nearly all realized very considerably less than that 
 sum. This applies even to the sale of the Earl 
 of Oxford's collection by Cock, on March 8th 
 and five following days, 1741-2, when, however, 
 "an exceedingly fine head by Holbein" realized 
 50 guineas ; and a fine portrait by Vandyck of Sir 
 Kenelm Digby, his wife and two sons, produced 
 1 70 guineas. The sale of Dr. Mead's collection 
 by A. Langford, on March 20th, 21st, 22nd, 1754, 
 shows a much higher average, the pictures realizing 
 the then high total of ,£3,417 11s.; a Holy Family 
 by Maratti selling for 175 guineas; Holbein's 
 Erasmus, a Kit-cat, £\ 10 ; Rubens' Sir Theodore 
 Mayerne, 1 10 guineas, and so forth. 
 
 England's isolated position, and the known im- 
 possibility of its successful invasion by any foreign 
 power, doubtless had much to do with the trans- 
 ference here of many celebrated collections — the 
 Orleans and the Calonne for example — during the 
 early days of the French Revolution. But the 
 importance of London as a market for great 
 pictures had been fully recognized nearly a quarter 
 of a century before this event. London had 
 become a wealthy city, and rich men from all parts 
 of Europe had come here to live. Picture buyers 
 
 1. c 
 
i8 
 
 JAMES CHRISTIE 
 
 were numerous, and their purses were well filled. 
 Desenfans, Le Brun, Ansell, Sir Robert Strange, 
 and other buyers, collectors or agents, found 
 London an exceedingly safe and agreeable place. 
 Desenfans came here in 1770; it was not until 
 1790, immediately after the French Revolution, 
 that Stanislaus sent him a commission to purchase 
 a collection of pictures for Poland ; but there can 
 be no doubt that Desenfans had from the very 
 first been an assiduous picture hunter. About 
 1786 or 1787 he created a sensation by paying 
 2,500 guineas for The Seaport with St. Ursula, 
 by Claude, which had been imported in 1 760 by 
 Mr. Lock, from the Palace Barbarini at Rome. 
 Over a century had passed since such a large price 
 had been paid for a single picture. A few years 
 after this another sensation was caused by the fact 
 that £j,ooo were paid for a pair of Claudes. The 
 result of these sensational prices was that the 
 French, Italian and Dutch dealers brought their 
 best wares to London. For many years rich 
 Englishmen had either collected pictures when on 
 their travels on the Continent, or had sent their 
 agents for this purpose; but this costly and unsatis- 
 factory proceeding was dispensed with at the close 
 of the last century, the market in London being, 
 in fact, for a time glutted with pictures by the 
 best masters. 
 
 Before the first quarter of the present century, 
 the most important collections, wholly or in part, of 
 Paris, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Genoa had 
 found their way into this country. The Orleans 
 
AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 
 
 19 
 
 collection was dispersed in London by private 
 contract, and at auction by Coxe, producing a total 
 of nearly 80,000 guineas. Buchanan, in his inter- 
 esting " Memoirs of Painting," tells us that until 
 the arrival of the Orleans collection in England, 
 " the prevailing taste and fashion had been for the 
 acquisition of pictures of the Flemish and Dutch 
 schools ; this likewise had for a long period been 
 the rage in France. These were much more 
 easily acquired, and came more frequently before 
 the eye of the public than works of the Italian 
 masters ; it might, therefore, be deemed some- 
 what singular to see with what avidity the 
 present collection was seized on by amateurs of 
 painting in general ; and it will not be deemed 
 surprising that, for a time, a new turn was given 
 to the taste for collecting in this country. Sub- 
 sequent importation of the works of the Italian 
 masters, gave an opportunity of improving the 
 taste, and brought the English collections gener- 
 ally to a standard of consequence which they 
 could not boast of before that period." 
 
 The few foregoing facts will indicate the posi- 
 tion of the picture market previous to and during 
 Mr. Christie's first quarter of a century in business. 
 In addition to Cock and Langford, who between 
 them sold most of the picture collections which 
 came under the hammer before Christie started, 
 the other art auctioneers included Coxe, who dis- 
 persed some important collections ; Skinner and 
 Dyke, who sold the Calonne collection ; and other 
 firms of considerably less importance. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 SOME EARLY SALES — ENGLISH PORCELAIN — SIR ROBERT 
 STRANGE — R. ANSELL — CAPTAIN o'KELLY — GREENWOOD — 
 
 SAMUEL DICKINSON — H. E. J. GOT DE GROTE LIBRARIES — 
 
 SIGNOR BIONDI — SAMUEL FOOTE — W. LAWS — N. J. DES- 
 ENFANS — THE CHEVALIER D'EON — SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS 
 — B. VANDERGUCHT — HOGARTH'S MARRIAGE A LA MODE — 
 JOHN TRUMBULL. 
 
 HE early sales, of which we possess 
 catalogues, of James Christie differed 
 £^ very little, if anything, from those of 
 other auctioneers, who sold whatever 
 they could get to sell ; but the earlier of 
 the Christie auctions possess a kind of independent 
 interest, having regard to the high position which 
 the firm was destined to occupy at a comparatively 
 early period of its existence. The first sales in- 
 cluded a great and queer variety of objects, from 
 coffins to barrel organs, from the property of a 
 builder to that of a farmer, including, of course, 
 pigs and poultry ; from the stock-in-trade of the 
 late Mr. Stephen Paris, weaver, of Spitalfields — 
 " well known for his excellent taste and good 
 execution in that branch of business ; " dripping 
 pans, razors, and a lady's sedan chair (which fetched 
 £\ icxs\) ; to " this year's produce of the Artificial 
 
THE FIRST GENERAL SALE. 
 
 Stone Manufactory" (of Golden Square, White- 
 chapel) ; and a strange assortment of other articles 
 which, however useful, are not usually associated 
 with the Christie's of to-day. For instance, in 
 l 777 (J une 2nd), Mr. Christie was called upon to 
 sell seven bright bay, nagtail coach geldings of 
 Thomas Rumbold, Esq., at the Mary-le- Bonne 
 Mews, which realized from eight-and-a-half to 
 38 guineas ; and in 1795 (January 22nd), " about 
 72 loads of excellent meadow hay," etc., at Holland 
 House, Kensington, the Duke of Oueensberry 
 purchasing the whole of it for ^247 16^. 
 
 Mr. Christie's first general sale of which there 
 is any record in the shape of a catalogue, com- 
 prised the genuine household furniture, jewels, 
 plate, fire-arms, china, wine and so forth, " late the 
 property of a Noble Personage (deceas'd)." It 
 was a five days' sale, beginning each day at twelve 
 o'clock. The then prevalent system of number- 
 ing independently the lots in each day's sale was 
 observed ; the only lot in this sale that calls 
 for particular reference was "a most beautiful 
 needle-work carpet ; " 5 yards by 4? yards, 
 which realized 50 guineas. The second sale 
 appears to have had its pathetic as well as 
 commercial side. It comprised the household 
 furniture of " a gentleman going abroad," " to 
 which is added the rich wearing apparel, fine laces, 
 jewels, etc., of his Intended Lady, deceased, pre- 
 parative for his nuptials" (February 16th, 1767, 
 and five following days). The third sale took place 
 on March 1 8th, and following day, and was held 
 
22 
 
 EARLY SALES, 1 7^7* 
 
 at No. 4, on the west side of Northumberland 
 Street, in the Strand, the property " of a gentle- 
 man retired into the country." This sale included 
 "A Signum of the Order of the Holy Ghost, 
 composed of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, 
 onyx, pearl, etc., worn by Mary Queen of Scots, 
 the morning she was beheaded, which she gave to 
 a Lady then in Waiting, in whose family it has 
 been 'till this short time, as can be well authenti- 
 cated." This curious relic sold for 12 guineas; 
 and, according to Mr. Christie's MS. entry in his 
 catalogue, it had been " worn by the King of 
 Malta." 
 
 On Friday and Saturday, March 20th and 21st, 
 1767, Mr. Christie's first auction of pictures took 
 place. It comprised "a genuine and valuable col- 
 lection of Italian, French and Flemish pictures, 
 consigned from abroad, some of which are by the 
 following masters : 
 
 M. Angelo, N. Poussin, 
 
 Andrea del Sarto, Jouvenet, 
 
 Parmegiano, Rembrandt, 
 
 Titian, Ostade, 
 
 Tintoret, Gerard Dow, 
 
 Salvator Rosa, Teniers, 
 
 Carlo Maratti, Cuyp, 
 
 Borgognone, Molenaer." 
 
 This sale, taking its tangible results as a guide, 
 was not a successful one, many of the pictures 
 being bought in. A portrait by Holbein sold for 
 £\ i8i\ ; a Titian for 2 guineas; a Guido for 1 
 
CHRISTIE'S AUCTION ROOMS. 
 
 By T. Rowlandson. From the original drawing now in possession 
 of Mr. T. H. Woods. 
 
On Fr$f$Q£)jj W~)lTj 
 
THE FIRST CHINA SALE. 
 
 23 
 
 guinea ; a " very fine " Holy Family by Schedoni 
 for 26 guineas ; " A Vestal " by Casali, 10 guineas ; 
 and "a man smoaking," by Teniers for 14^. The 
 total of the two days' sale only amounted to 
 ^244 iSs. 
 
 China sales date from May 25th and 26th, 
 1767, when the stock-in-trade of Mr. Stewart 
 ("who is going into another Way of Business"), 
 at his " Glass and Staffordshire Warehouse, oppo- 
 site Argyle Buildings, Oxford Road," was offered 
 by Mr. Christie, who also sold the stock of the late 
 Mr. Thomas Turner, " China-man, who had been 
 in business over 30 years," in July, 1767. At 
 this period china was collected with as great a 
 fervour as it is in the present year of grace. The 
 prices have, it is true, greatly altered. When 
 Mr. Christie started in business the works of 
 Sevres, Dresden, Chelsea and Derby were in the 
 height of their fame. It will be interesting to 
 quote here a few of the prices realized at some of 
 the early china sales of James Christie. Two 
 white Chelsea groups of the four quarters of the 
 globe, £1 is. ; twenty-six crimson and gold plates 
 of the same ware, enamelled with birds, £2 6s., 
 and other Chelsea ware included ; a white group 
 of Hercules and Omphale, half-a-guinea, and a 
 figure of Apollo, 14^., and four statuettes, $s. ; a 
 complete service of this porcelain, £25 14s. 6d. ; 
 a dessert service, £25 14^.; and four "compo- 
 teers," 12s. A Worcester tea set, £2 12s. ; a 
 Nankin blue and white table service, £25 4^. 
 Sevres urns and vases varied in price, from 10 
 
2 4 
 
 EARLY CHINA SALES. 
 
 guineas to less than £20 ; among the property of 
 the celebrated sporting character, Captain O'Kelly, 
 was a tea and coffee equipage of Dresden China, 
 which sold for 1 7 guineas ; and also a complete 
 dessert service of Japanese porcelain, which 
 brought 19 guineas, and so on. These totals 
 would not go very far at Christie's to-day, when 
 three articles of Sevres alone realized 10,000 
 guineas, and when everything else that is not 
 modern antique attracts not only a big crowd, but 
 prices which only the very wealthy can afford to pay. 
 
 The early porcelain sales, despite their great 
 interest and importance, are too numerous to 
 be dealt with in this place. Moreover, Mr. 
 J. E. Nightingale, F.S.A., has edited a series of 
 reprints from the Christie catalogues, of the sales 
 of Chelsea, Derby, Worcester and Bristol manu- 
 factories, from 1769 to 1785. Unfortunately, Mr. 
 Nightingale's valuable " Contributions towards a 
 History of Early English Porcelain" (1 88 1 ) was 
 printed for private circulation only — the present 
 writer is indebted to Mr. James H. B. Christie for a 
 copy — and is not nearly so well known as its great 
 merits deserve. It was at one time the fashion 
 for persons of quality to frequent sales and make 
 purchases for themselves ; this practice culminated 
 about 1780. Mr. Nightingale tells us that at 
 Duesbury's sale of Derby and Chelsea porcelain 
 in 1782, the following distinguished persons were 
 present and became purchasers : — Dr. Johnson, 
 The Duchess of Portland, Lady Bute, Sir Abra- 
 ham Hume, Lord FitzWilliam, Lady Weymouth, 
 
MR. DELBOURGS SALE. 
 
 25 
 
 Lady Essex, Lady Cornwall, the Duchess of An- 
 caster, Sir Joseph Banks, and many others. 
 
 From the end of the year 1767, picture sales 
 became more numerous, and more important as 
 time passed on. The second of James Christie's 
 picture sales, held on Thursday, December 17th, 
 1767, was a far more successful performance than 
 the first, inasmuch as it included several of con- 
 siderable importance, e.g., a Guercino, Susannah 
 and the two Elders, ^200 ; and two of L. 
 Jordanus, Mars and Venus with Vulcan, and 
 its companion, The Judgment of Paris, each of 
 which realized ^200 — a very good figure indeed 
 to pay for a picture at that period. Early in the 
 following year, January 30th, another picture sale 
 included a Boar Hunt by Snyders, "the very best 
 of the master," 7 feet x 1 2 feet, 90 guineas. The 
 earliest collection of pictures sold by Mr. Christie, 
 to which the name of the collector was attached, is 
 that of "the late Mr. Delbourg, first musician to 
 H.M.," sold on Friday and Saturday, March nth 
 and 1 2th, 1768. The collection itself contained 
 nothing of note, except, perhaps, an example of 
 Sir Peter Lely, described by Mr. Christie as "a 
 capital picture of King Charles II., in the character 
 of Cymon, looking at the Dutchesses of Cleveland 
 and Portsmouth and Nell Gwyne asleep, with the 
 most graceful parts of their bodies exposed, par- 
 ticularly mentioned in the Anecdotes of the Hon. 
 Horace Walpole " — but its various attractions only 
 resulted in the low figure of £8 js. 6d. In February, 
 1769 (Saturday 4th and nth), Mr. Christie held 
 
26 
 
 ROBERT ANSELLS COLLECTIONS. 
 
 two picture sales ; the later of the two collections 
 " was collected abroad last season at a vast ex- 
 pense, and consigned to Mr. Robert Ansell, of 
 Margaret Street, Cavendish Square." This may 
 be regarded as Christie's first great sale, and it was 
 attended by quite a number of eminent personages, 
 some of whom were buyers — Lord Palmerston, 
 Lord Barrymore, the Duke of Argyle and others. 
 Eighty-five lots realized ^1,327 10s. 6d., the 
 highest single amount being 100 guineas paid for 
 a portrait of Raphael, by himself — " an un- 
 doubted original." On February 9th and 10th, 
 1770, Mr. Christie sold yet another consignment 
 of pictures to Robert Ansell ; and in March (23rd 
 and 24th), the pictures of Count Bruhl, Prime 
 Minister to the late King of Poland ; and during 
 the same month, " for the benefit of an infant," 
 the pictures of the late Charles Gambarini, 
 Librarian and Antiquarian to the Landgrave of 
 Hesse-Cassel. On December 14th and 15th of 
 the same year, Mr. Christie held another interest- 
 ing sale — the collection of pictures, coins, medals, 
 bronzes — " a matchless and superb vase and two 
 urns of the ancient Roman ware," of Pope Paul IV., 
 left to Prince Carafa of Naples. 
 
 The important collection of pictures, " collected 
 during a journey of several years in Italy and 
 France" by the celebrated engraver, (Sir) R. 
 Strange, came under the hammer at Christie's on 
 February 7th, 8th and 9th, 1771, the 153 lots 
 realizing ^6,367 17^. 6d. The more notable of 
 these were — Murillo, Our Saviour in the char- 
 
sir r. strange's collections. 27 
 
 acter of a Shepherd, 24J x 30, 300 guineas 
 (Dr. Hunter); Vandyck, Portrait of Charles I., 
 45 J x 27, 2 1 5 guineas (Dundas) ; Albani, The Three 
 Marys at the Sepulchre, 210 guineas (the same); 
 and Luca Giordano, Adoration of the Shepherds, 
 58 \ x 49, 270 guineas. Sir Robert Strange (who 
 died in 1792) published in 1769 " A Descriptive 
 Catalogue of a Collection of Pictures," which he 
 collected when abroad. Strange was a member of 
 the Royal Academy of Painting of Paris ; of the 
 Academies of Florence, Rome and Bologna ; 
 Professor of the Royal Academy of Parma ; and 
 a Director of the Royal Society of Artists of Great 
 Britain. In addition to the 1771 sale, there were 
 two others, first, on March 5th and 6th, 1773, when 
 1 15 pictures realized a total of ,£3,093 19^. 6d. y and 
 included N. Poussin, a Prospect of the Ancient City 
 of Terracina, in Naples, 1 £"650 (Sir W. Wynn) ; 
 Leonardo, Christ and the Virgin with St. Joseph, 
 ^283 (Lord Clive) ; and Claude, The Departure 
 of Joseph, painted for the Abbe Chevalier, at 
 Rome in 1677, 4°° guineas, the drawing of which 
 is in the Liber Veritatis. On May 5th and 6th, 
 1775, when a total of ,£1,877 was realized, the 
 only noticeable picture was a Vandyck, Christ 
 and the Virgin, with angels, 290 guineas. Accord- 
 ing to Mr. Christie, Strange made at least two 
 picture-collecting expeditions abroad. 
 
 1 " The subject (a man bitten by a snake) is the catastrophe 
 of 1 641. The picture is mentioned by Fenelon in his dialogue 
 at the end of his life of Mignard. It was painted for Pointelieu, 
 1648." — Redford. 
 
28 
 
 ANSELL AND OTHER SALES. 
 
 On February 15th and 1 6th of r 77 1, Mr. Christie 
 disposed of yet another consignment of pictures, 
 sent to Mr. Ansell, seventy-seven lots realizing 
 ,£3,502 1 9^. 6d. In drawing up the catalogue of 
 this sale, Mr. Christie apparently thought that of 
 his well-known judgment something more was 
 expected by the public than a mere bald list of 
 names and subjects. Consequently he branches out 
 in the following manner — the subject is a Madonna 
 and Child of Carlo Dolci : " If we consider this 
 matchless and inestimable picture, we shall find 
 in it an union of the whole art of painting. The 
 charming and becoming grace of the Virgin, with 
 the innocent sweetness and sublimity of the Child, 
 renders this picture excellent beyond descrip- 
 tion." The picture, which measured 48 x 42, was 
 purchased at 520 guineas by Mr. Hewitt. 
 
 Indeed, Ansell, prior to the partnership which 
 commenced in 1777, was one of Mr. Christie's 
 most important clients, and was the means of 
 bringing a large amount of trade to the great rooms 
 in Pall Mall, in addition to his own importations. 
 In 1772 (February 6th, 7th, and 8th), he sold at 
 Christie's an assortment from " the celebrated and 
 well-known collections of the late Mr. Bramcamp, 
 of Amsterdam, the Sieur Freneau, of Munick," 
 and others, in all 1 70 lots, of which the most im- 
 portant was a sea piece by W. Van de Velde, 300 
 guineas. Many of the anonymous picture sales 
 were evidently made up in part from Ansell's ap- 
 parently inexhaustible stock, as the catalogues 
 of about this period contain many memorandums 
 
CAPTAIN o'kELLY's SALE. 
 
 29 
 
 of payments to him. On April 6th and 7th, 1773, 
 another Ansell appears on the scene, and the 
 " superb collection of pictures " sold on this occa- 
 sion, the property of the Right Hon. James 
 Ansell, included a set of four cartoons by Rubens, 
 210 guineas, and set of five by Jordans, £ijg gs., 
 the total amounting to ,£1,582 iSs. 
 
 Two or three fairly good picture sales took place 
 in January, 1772, including that of "a nobleman, 
 brought from his lordship's seat in the country;" 
 on February 27th and 28th, pictures " consigned 
 from abroad," which included a Guercino, Angelica 
 and Meodora, " very capital," 500 guineas, pur- 
 chased by Mr. Dillon, for Lord Carlisle ; and on 
 March 20th, and four following days, "all that 
 grand and noble collection of pictures of Italian, 
 French, Flemish, and Dutch pictures of a noble- 
 man, brought from his lordships seat in Notting- 
 hamshire." There were very few high prices in this 
 sale, and only one of three figures, a Guido, Christ 
 in the House of Simon the Pharisee, 150 guineas. 
 On January 27th, and three following days "that 
 much-esteemed Museum of the Marquis Lenori 
 of Pesaro," came under the hammer, and com- 
 prised curious intaglios and cameos, a variety 
 of " most beautiful " and scarce gems, of Greek 
 and other workmanship, vases, cups, and up- 
 wards of a thousand specimens of valuable stones 
 (^1,036 4.S.). But quite the most celebrated 
 character whose household furniture and other 
 effects were sold in 1772 was Captain O'Kelly, 
 The sale took place at the Captain's house at the 
 
30 
 
 EARLY SALES. 
 
 corner of Great Marlborough Street and Poland 
 Street, on February 17th and 18th, the gross total 
 being ^286 gs. only. O'Kelly was the man who 
 " placed " the horses in a race at Newmarket, by 
 naming his own Eclipse first and the rest " no- 
 where," and won the bet and many thousands of 
 pounds by instructing his jockey to " come away " 
 and " distance " the field. One of O'Kelly's eccen- 
 tricities consisted in his carrying about in his 
 pockets a "map of his estates" in the shape of a 
 roll of bank notes of a thousand pounds each. 
 This roll must have considerably decreased by 
 1772. Two years previously Mr. Christie sold 
 him up when in Dover Street, Piccadilly, at which 
 place one of his effects was a two-gallon punch- 
 bowl. Another sale of this year (July 17th and 
 1 8th) is too interesting to be omitted. It com- 
 prised the household furniture, plate, trinkets, 
 china, laces, linen, some wearing apparel, etc., of 
 Mrs. Winter, deceased, " body-laundress " to her 
 late Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of 
 Wales, at her house in Duke Street, St. James's 
 (£339)' The emoluments of a " body-laundress " 
 must have been considerable a century and a 
 quarter since, for at that period Duke Street was a 
 very superior locality. 
 
 A certain Mr. Greenwood was another important 
 client of Mr. Christie's, and several collections of 
 pictures formed by him were sold at the Great 
 Rooms. One of these sales (February 22nd, 
 1773), comprised a " valuable collection of pictures 
 purchased abroad " by Mr. Greenwood, the best of 
 
THE GREENWOOD COLLECTIONS. 3 1 
 
 which was a Backhuysen, the famous sea engage- 
 ment off La Hogue, between Admirals Russel and 
 Torville, which, according to the cataloguer, " the 
 great number of the ships and figures, the effects 
 of light and shade, the harmony and perfect preser- 
 vation of the whole, pronounce it the finest picture 
 of the subject in the world." In spite of all this 
 praise it only sold for 150 guineas. Another of 
 Greenwood's collections was sold on February 
 1 8th, 1774, and included a group of A Country 
 Surgeon with his Patients by Teniers, 70 guineas ; 
 An Interior of a Country Tavern, by Jan Steen, 
 135 guineas ; and a pair by Cortona, The Mar- 
 riage of the Virgin and St. Joseph, and " Noli 
 me tangere," which were secured by Lord Carys- 
 footfor 140 guineas. These two pictures were pur- 
 chased out of Marshall Tallard's collection, "and 
 have since that time graced the cabinet of Monsieur 
 L'Empereur, where they have always met with the 
 approbation they justly deserve." The sales of 
 1773 included " the large elegant mahogany book- 
 cases forming a complete set " of the Hon. Topham 
 Beauclerk, Dr. Johnson's great friend; and the 
 two parts of the previous years produce of the 
 Derby and Chelsea porcelain manufactories. 
 
 Samuel Dickinson's pictures (March nth and 
 1 2th), which Mr. Christie sold in 1774, included 
 two Claudes from the cabinet of M. Jullien, of Paris, 
 A landscape, 185 guineas ; and an Italian seaport, 
 70 guineas ; also " the most capital picture extant " 
 of Ph. Champaigne, 230 guineas. In the follow- 
 ing week (March 18th and 19th), " the superb 
 
32 
 
 SIR GEORGE COLEBROOKe's SALE. 
 
 and valuable collection " of Italian, French, Flem- 
 ish and Dutch pictures, " collected with great taste 
 and expense out of some of the principle cabinets " 
 by M. Le Brun, of Paris, included among the 134 
 lots (£2,142) a few fairly good pictures. The 
 most important picture sale of 1774 (April 22nd 
 and 23rd) comprised ninety-four pictures from the 
 collection of Sir George Colebrooke, who was the 
 head of an old and wealthy firm of bankers, M.P. for 
 Arundell, and a constant defender of the privileges 
 of the East India Company, of which he became 
 Chairman in 1769. These pictures included 
 a Giordano, Adoration of Shepherds, 150 guineas, 
 which was purchased by the Chelsea Porcelain 
 Manufactory ; Carlo Dolci, Virgin, Child and St. 
 John, a circle, 130 guineas; Claude, A Landscape in 
 Italy, from Lady Betty Germaine's collection, £1 3 1 ; 
 Titian, A Holy Family, 130 guineas; Vandyck, Por- 
 trait of Cardinal Trieste, 230 guineas ; Bassano, 
 The Vintage, from Boucher's collection, 165 
 guineas ; Cuyp, a view of Nimeguen, 290 guineas ; 
 and Guido, Venus attired by the Graces, 145 
 guineas. Total, ,£4,385 17^. 
 
 Mr. Christie's picture sales sometimes ran in fits 
 and starts. Several would occur within a few weeks 
 of one another, and then cease for months. After 
 the Colebrooke dispersal, for example, no more note- 
 worthy picture sales occurred until December 14th. 
 From the catalogues it would appear that there 
 was no such institution as a vacation invented, for 
 auctions were held throughout August, September 
 and October — whenever, in fact, they were wanted 
 
COUNTRY SALES. 
 
 33 
 
 or could be made up. Mr. Christie's holidays ap- 
 pear to have resolved themselves into business 
 excursions into the country, which were fairly 
 frequent throughout the year. He was engaged 
 for eight days in July, 1772, at Dawley, Hillington, 
 Middlesex; and on August 17th and 18th, in 
 selling the household and other property of John 
 Zoffany, at his house " near the six-mile stone on 
 the road leading to Brentford." In May, 1773, we 
 find he took six days in selling Major Granard's 
 property at Langley, Bucks, three miles from 
 Windsor; and in January, 1774, he was engaged 
 for three days at the Right Hon. Lord Viscount 
 Vane's place, at Easton, near Winchester. These 
 country excursions were continued for many years, 
 and were often as profitable as they must have 
 been enjoyable. 
 
 Two interesting picture sales only occurred in 
 1775, the earlier of which (March 10th and nth), 
 comprised the collection of Thomas Bladen, Esq., 
 " to which is added some superb pictures, late the 
 property of a nobleman," etc. ; this sale included 
 a Guido, Santa Christina, or the Force of Religion 
 represented by her Martyrdom, 430 guineas. On 
 April 1 2th and 13th, the collection of pictures, 
 late the property of Count Schulenburg, of Zell, 
 the principal of which were purchased out of the 
 Duke of Mantua's collection, by Field Marshal 
 Schulenburg, of Venice, were brought over from 
 the Count's palace at Heblen on the Weser. 
 The 128 lots included some good pictures, notably 
 a Rubens, The Graces, life-size, which realized 
 
 1. D 
 
34 
 
 THE FOULIS SALE. 
 
 200 guineas. In the course of the following year, 
 two or three rather interesting sales occurred. 
 Lord Montfort's collection from Horse Heath 
 (February 1 6th and 1 7th, 1776), included A Seaport 
 by Salvator Rosa, 190 guineas; the pictures of 
 His Excellency J. Got de Grote, Baron of the 
 Roman Empire, were sent over from his Palace at 
 Hanover (March 29th, 30th), and included a 
 Landscape by Berghem, with peasants and cattle 
 reposing in the shade of a stupendous rock, 250 
 guineas ; and a Rembrandt, The Adoration of the 
 Kings, 390 guineas. The concluding picture sale 
 of this year comprised " the large well-known col- 
 lection of the Roman, Florentine, Parma, Bolog- 
 nese, Venetian, Flemish and French schools of 
 Robert Foulis," which had formed the Public 
 Academy at Glasgow (December 6th and 7th), the 
 192 lots realizing a total of only ^381 8s. 6d. 
 The taste of the brothers Foulis for the fine arts 
 is one of the few instances on record which proved 
 financial and physical ruin. The collection of 
 pictures was formed, chiefly abroad and at a great 
 cost ; after the death of Andrew, the younger 
 brother, Robert decided to sell the " Academy," 
 of which a catalogue in three volumes was issued. 
 He came up to London in April 1776, and " con- 
 trary to the advice of Mr. Christie, and at a period 
 when the market was glutted with importations 
 of pictures from Paris, his collection was sold off 
 greatly under its supposed value." After all ex- 
 penses were defrayed, the balance in Foulis's 
 favour is said to have amounted to fifteen shillings. 
 
EARLY BOOK SALES. 
 
 35 
 
 At about this period a number of interesting 
 and important libraries were sold at Christie's. 
 These sales usually took place in the evenings at six 
 o'clock. The well-known and valuable collection 
 of books of John Ratcliffe, Esq., of Bermondsey, 
 was sold on March 27th, and the eight following 
 days (1776), on which occasion ten books printed 
 by Caxton realized the total of ^46 13^. 6d. 
 On April 30th, and seven following days of the 
 same year, the library of the late Francis Hare 
 Naylor was sold. On February 20th, 1777, and 
 ten following days, Sir George Colebrooke's library 
 was brought from his house in Soho Square to 
 Christie's Great Rooms and sold. The bankrupt 
 stock of Henry Payne (of Pall Mall), bookseller, 
 was sold on March 20th, 1782, and nineteen 
 following days. 
 
 The picture sales of 1771 commenced on 
 February 21st and 22nd, with the " superb " 
 collection of Signor Biondi, who is " going 
 abroad," and it included a Pordenone, a Holy 
 Family with a view of Porcie, near Perdonone, 
 "a capital picture," 130 guineas. Picture sales to 
 the unusual number of three were held in March, 
 the first (6th, 7th and 8th), comprising the collection 
 of the late Gerard Vandergucht, in which was a 
 Bacchanalian scene by Poussin, 200 guineas ; the 
 second on the 14th and 15th, included four pictures 
 "by that ingenious artist, Mr. West," Jupiter 
 and Semele, 60 guineas ; Pylades and Orestes, 
 100 guineas; its companion, Continence of 
 Scipio, 100 guineas ; and Agrippina landing 
 
36 
 
 SAMUEL FOOTE'S SALE. 
 
 the Ashes of Germanicus, 105 guineas; and the 
 third and last sale of the month, 21st and 22nd, 
 comprised the collection of Gilbert Fane Fleming, 
 which included Giordano's Adoration of the 
 Shepherds, 210 guineas, and a view of the City 
 of Verona, by Canaletto, for which Lord Cadogan 
 gave 205 guineas. 
 
 By far the most interesting of the sales of 1778 
 were those of the late Samuel Foote, the irrepres- 
 sible actor, who died on October 21st, 1777. The 
 first of these, on January the 2nd and 3rd, com- 
 prised the household furniture, large wardrobe of 
 table and bed linen, pictures, prints, china, 
 carriages, farming and gardening utensils, a rick 
 of hay, live and dead stock, etc., at his villa, 
 " North End, between Brompton and Hammer- 
 smith." The second sale was held at Foote's 
 town house, on the 26th, 27th and 28th, of the 
 same month, in Suffolk Street, Charing Cross, 
 and comprised books, jewels, watches, fire-arms, 
 air pump, and books which were chiefly in French. 
 The third sale was held September 1 8th, and 
 offered among other items, carriages, and a 
 fine rick of new hay, which latter brought 
 65 guineas. The picture sales of this year were 
 neither numerous nor important, but they included 
 (March 6th and 7th) the properties of Charles 
 Ogilvie, and others, in which was N. Poussin, 
 Jupiter nourished by the Fawns and Satyrs, 
 460 guineas ; and on June 1st and 2nd, the pic- 
 tures of the late Duchess of Bridgwater, among 
 which was a chef-d'oeuvre of Murillo, The Good 
 
"Mississippi" law's collection. 37 
 
 Shepherd, 1 590 guineas, apparently bought in. In 
 the sale of February 18th and 19th, 1780, there 
 were "two matchless" pictures of Murillo, The 
 Virgin embracing the Infant Christ, 300 guineas, 
 and St. Joseph contemplating the Sleeping 
 Saviour, its companion, 280 guineas. The Earl 
 of Harrington's pictures were sold March 30th 
 and 31st, 1 781. 
 
 The picture sales of 1782 were both numerous 
 and interesting. On February 16th, "the reserved 
 collection of the celebrated Monsieur Law, well- 
 known for being the founder of the Mississippi 
 scheme, and Prime Minister to the Regent, Duke 
 of Orleans" ; this collection included a Correggio, 
 Jupiter and Io, which " the son of the Duke of 
 Orleans ordered to be cut to pieces," 39 guineas ; 
 a work of W. Van de Velde, the picture of the 
 engagement fought on June 3rd, 1665, between 
 the English and Dutch fleets, respectively under 
 the commands of the Duke of York, and Admiral 
 Opdam. This picture was painted for Pepys, 
 it was afterwards purchased by Admiral Russel, 
 and, later, by the Earl of Oxford, 2 73 guineas. 
 Among the Earl of Halifax's collection (April 
 
 1 This work, catalogued as the Pastor Bonus, was bought of 
 Major, the engraver (who engraved it in 1772), in 1773, by the 
 Duchess for ^400, and was at the time considered to be an 
 original, but afterwards ascertained to be a copy by Grimoux. The 
 original is nowin possession of Baron Rothschild,atGunnersbury. 
 
 2 The only picture in the Earl of Oxford's sale, March 
 1741-42, which may possibly be identified with this work, 
 was lot twenty-four in the fifth day's sale, purchased by Lord 
 J. Cavendish for 5^ guineas. 
 
3* 
 
 EARLY SALES, I 782- 1 785. 
 
 19th and 20th, 1782), we get the earliest of 
 Reynolds' pictures in an auction room — Juvenile 
 Amusement, which was " passed"; and the 
 celebrated work, Garrick between Tragedy and 
 Comedy, which realized 250 guineas; The 
 Marriage Feast at Cana in Galilee, catalogued 
 as by Paul Veronese, and accompanied by a 
 most minute and elaborate description, only 
 fetched 47 guineas. During this year Christie 
 and Ansell sold the household goods and chattels 
 of the Earl of Chesterfield, at his lordship's 
 house at Blackheath, adjoining to Blackheath 
 Park (April 29th, and five following days) ; of 
 his Excellency Count Belgioiox, Envoy Extra- 
 ordinary and Plenipotentiary of His Imperial 
 Majesty to the Court of Great Britain, at Portman 
 Square (November 27th and 29th), and of the 
 Earl of Roseberry, at Holland House, Kensington 
 (December 19th and 21st). 
 
 No more notable picture sales occurred until 
 the spring of 1785. On March 1 8th and 19th, 
 and on April 2nd, the collection of M. Le Brun, 
 of Paris, was sold ; a made-up sale on April 29th 
 and 30th, included a Greuze, La Pere de Famille, 
 painted for M. De La Dive, the patron of this 
 artist, 350 guineas ; the famous Berghem en- 
 graved by Aliamet under the title of L'Ancien 
 port de Genes, from the cabinet of Le Comte 
 Merle (dispersed in Paris during the previous year), 
 610 guineas. It was at this period that a very 
 interesting personage comes on the scene. On 
 May nth, 12th, 13th and 14th, 1785, the first 
 
NOEL JOSEPH DESENFANS. 
 
 39 
 
 part of the " truly superb collection of Italian, 
 Roman, Spanish, Venetian, English, French, 
 Flemish and Dutch pictures," of M. Desenfans, 
 was offered by Mr. Christie. For some reason 
 or other, which does not seem very clear, this 
 sale was a failure, and a large number were bought 
 in. In July of the following year, another four 
 days' sale was an equal failure, the whole of the 
 fourth day, in fact, being withdrawn; of the ,£2,622 
 1 ys. 6d. realized from the three days' sale, lots to 
 the value of ,£1,043 l 3 s - 6d. were bought in. 
 Desenfans, who is virtually the founder of the 
 Dulwich Gallery, deserves here more than a 
 passing notice, and the following brief epitome 
 of his career will doubtless be acceptable : 
 
 Noel Joseph Desenfans was born at Douai, in 
 1 745 ; and it is said was brought up in a foundling 
 institution. He was educated partly at Douai, 
 and partly at Paris. He commenced life as a 
 writer, but before he was thirty years of age came 
 to London as a teacher of languages. He had 
 considerable taste, and much love of the fine arts, 
 and often attended picture sales ; at one of these 
 he bought a small picture, by Claude, so advan- 
 tageously, that when he sold it to George III. for 
 ,£1,000, the profit he made induced him to turn 
 his whole attention to picture-dealing. His friend- 
 ship with the Prince Primate of Poland, brother 
 to Stanislaus, was the means of his obtaining 
 a commission from that monarch, to purchase fine 
 pictures. He was made Consul-General for 
 Poland, in England. In 1802 as he found there 
 
4<D DESENFANS AND DULWICH. 
 
 was no probability of his being repaid for the 
 pictures he had bought, he issued a Catalogue, in 
 two volumes, of the pictures, which he then tried 
 to dispose of by private contract. Of the 187 pic- 
 tures in his Catalogue, only thirty-nine are in the 
 Dulwich Gallery ; but he added to his collection 
 considerably between 1802 and 1807. He married 
 Margaret Morris, sister of Sir John Morris, of 
 Claremont, Glamorganshire. In 1799 he pub- 
 lished a plan for the advancement of the fine arts 
 in England, by the establishment of a National 
 Gallery. If the scheme was carried out, he offered 
 to contribute liberally to it in pictures and in 
 money. He died on July 8th, 1807, and by his 
 will, dated October 8th, 1803, he left the whole of 
 his collection to Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois, R.A. 
 (1 756-181 1) chief landscape-painter to George III., 
 to whom Desenfans bequeathed his collection of 
 pictures and by whom they were, with his own 
 additions, bequeathed to the Master, Warden and 
 Fellows of Dulwich College. This collection now 
 comprises 380 pictures. Redford states that 
 Christie held seven sales of Desenfans pictures, 
 but this must be incorrect, as there is no record 
 of more than two having taken place there. Any 
 attempt to identify the pictures which occurred 
 at the two Christie sales, either with those 
 enumerated in Desenfans' Catalogue of 1802, or 
 with those now at Dulwich, must be attended with 
 great difficulty. About one, however, there can 
 be no question — the famous Claude, St. Ursula 
 and her Maidens, which, moreover, was among the 
 
THE DESENFANS SALES. 
 
 4? 
 
 pictures withdrawn on the Fourth day, and formed 
 subsequently part of the Angerstein Gallery, now 
 in the National Gallery. 
 
 The February (9th and 10th) sales of 1787, 
 included Mortimer's picture of Edward the Con- 
 
 NOEL J. DESENFANS, ESQ. 
 
 Painted by Northcote. Engraved by Freeman. 
 
 fessor putting away his Queen, which obtained 
 the premium from the Society for the Encourage- 
 ment of Arts and Sciences, 200 guineas ; on 
 April 26th and 27th, the late Sir John Taylor's 
 pictures, " collected by him during his residence 
 in Italy," included a Parmigiano, The Madonna 
 
42 
 
 VANDERGUCHT S COLLECTION. 
 
 and St. Catherine, the Infant Saviour and St. John, 
 405 guineas. Several pictures of considerable 
 importance occurred in the property of a gentle- 
 man, sold at his house, "the third on the South 
 side of Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square/' 
 for example, a Titian, Holy Family with St. John 
 and Elizabeth, 470 guineas ; and a Vandyck, 
 Samson and Delilah, 700 guineas ; both ot 
 which were purchased by Ottley. The Holy 
 Family was painted when Titian was at Rome, 
 and he kept it in his studio the remainder of his 
 life ; his son sold it with fourteen others to a 
 Flemish nobleman, whose heirs sold it to Charles I. 
 The most interesting picture in the sale of 
 January 25th and 26th, 1788, was Murillo's 
 Beggar Boys, which was originally purchased in 
 Spain for 400 guineas, and was now apparently 
 bought in for 62 guineas. The collection of the 
 late Edmund Antrobus, Esq. (March 12th), in- 
 cluded a few choice things, a Paolo Veronese, 
 The Adulteress brought before Christ, 180 
 guineas. The sale of the year (March 14th and 
 15th,) comprised "the superb collection, collected 
 at an immense expense " by Mr. Vandergucht, 
 which included a view of the Escurial, said to 
 have been painted in 1625 by Rubens, 200 guineas ; 
 An Italian Seaport, by Claude, from Lord North- 
 ington's collection, 290 guineas ; and a Berghem, 
 Le Retour des Champs (the engraved picture), 
 320 guineas. On May 23rd and 24th, the greater 
 number of the pictures exhibited at the " Great 
 Imperial Exhibition," were sold, the only notable 
 
THE CHEVALIER d'eOn's SALE. 
 
 43 
 
 example being a Guercino, Our Saviour taken 
 in the Garden — which was engraved, soon after 
 its execution, by Baptista Pasqualini — 350 guineas. 
 The collection of the Right Hon. Richard Rigby 
 (January 9th, 1 789), included a View of Nimeguen, 
 by Cuyp, 250 guineas ; of William Beckford 
 (January 23rd), Titian, portrait of two dogs, 
 20 guineas ; of the late Richard Price Jones, of 
 the Custom House (February 26th, 1 791), the 
 head of an old woman, by Denner, 150 guineas; 
 and a collection sold May 14th, 1 791, "the 
 undoubted property of a nobleman, selected about 
 fifty years ago, with great taste and at a most 
 liberal expense," included several of interest, 
 notably a Rubens, The Nativity, 450 guineas 
 (Tasssert). The sale of the pictures of Richard 
 Cosway, R.A. (March 2nd, 1792), does not call 
 for any lengthy reference here. In 1793 (June 
 6th), the pictures and drawings of " that esteemed 
 artist George Morland," were sold by Mr. Christie 
 at prices which varied from 20 to 69 guineas. 
 
 It is impossible not to refer here to one of 
 Mr. Christie's great friends, the Chevalier D'Eon, 
 whose furniture, swords, trinkets, jewels, etc., 
 he sold on May 5th and 6th, 1 79 1 ; and whose 
 library was dispersed by the second James Christie, 
 February 14th, 181 3. Mr. James Christie, who 
 retired from the firm a few years ago, still 
 possesses the corset and other relics which this 
 eccentric individual wore during his enforced 
 adoption of the feminine habit. D'Eon's connec- 
 tion with the Christies will be found dealt with in 
 
44 sir joshua reynolds's collection. 
 
 the " Lives " by Telfer and Vizetelly, and by the 
 present writer in the Gentleman s Magazine, March, 
 1896. The jewels of another highly distinguished 
 French individual came under the hammer at 
 Christie's on February 19th, 1795, those in fact 
 of " La Comtesse Dubarry, deceased." This sale 
 naturally excited very great interest, and the 
 articles were described by Mr. Christie as not 
 only a selection from the Royal Cabinet, but 
 from every Cabinet, both public and private, in 
 France. The sale was without reserve, and the 
 total realized by 65 lots amounted to ,£8,791 4s. gd. 
 
 The great sale of 1794, that of Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds's collection of pictures, was also one of 
 the most important which had, as yet, come into 
 Mr. Christie's hands. The catalogues announced 
 the sale for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and 
 Saturday, March nth- 14th, but the date was 
 altered to 13th- 17th of the same month. Sir 
 Joshua's death had taken place on February 23rd, 
 1792, and in due course the whole of his collection 
 of 411 pictures was ordered to be sold by the 
 three executors, Edmund Burke, Edmond Malone, 
 and Philip Metcalf. These pictures comprised 
 " the undoubted works of the greatest masters 
 of the Roman, Florentine, Bolognese, Venetian, 
 French, Flemish, and Dutch schools, in the most 
 perfect state of preservation." To Mr. Christie's 
 catalogue the executors prefixed a very interesting 
 address which is well worth quoting in full : 
 
 " The public has here a collection, of great 
 extent and variety, of the Pictures of the most 
 
sir joshua reynoldss collection. 45 
 
 eminent Artists of former Ages, made by the most 
 eminent Artist of the present Time. He chose 
 these Pictures as Objects at once of Study and of 
 Rivalship. No Person could do more than the 
 great Man we have lately lost from the Funds of his 
 own Genius ; no Person ever endeavoured more 
 to take Advantage of the Labours of others. He 
 considered great Collections of the Works of Art 
 in the Light of great Libraries ; with this difference 
 in the favour of the former, that whilst they instruct 
 they decorate. Indeed, all his Passions, all his 
 Tastes, all his Ideas of Employment, or of Re- 
 laxation from Employment, almost all his Accu- 
 mulation, and all his Expenditure, had a Relation 
 to his Art. In this Collection was vested a large, 
 if not the largest Part of his Fortune ; and he was 
 not likely from Ignorance, Inattention, or want of 
 practical or speculative Judgment, to make great 
 Expenses for Things of small or of uncertain 
 Value. 
 
 "The whole of the within collection were the 
 Property of the late Sir Joshua Reynolds, as 
 Witness our Hands, 
 
 Edmund Burke, 
 Edmond Malone, 
 Philip Metcalf, 
 
 Executors! 
 
 Burke states that Sir Joshua's immense collec- 
 tion of pictures, drawings, and prints, " stood him 
 in more than twenty thousand pounds." The total 
 amount realized by the pictures was ,£10,319, to 
 which may be added the sketches, etc., which sold 
 
4 6 
 
 THE 
 
 REYNOLDS 
 
 COLLECTION. 
 
 in the following year for ,£4,536. Very many of 
 Sir Joshua's " old masters " were unquestionably 
 either replicas or copies, but they were probably 
 excellent ones. Mr. Redford summarizes the 
 collection thus : Correggio, 54 ; A. Caracci, 28 ; 
 L. Caracci, 18; Vandyck, 70; Fra Bartolommeo, 
 9 ; Tintoretto, 32 ; Giulio Romano, 43 ; Leonardo 
 da Vinci, 12 ; Michaelangelo, 44 (!) ; Rubens, 22 ; 
 Raphael, 24 (!) ; Rembrandt, 19; and Titian, 13. 
 The following were the chief pictures, judged by 
 the amounts respectively paid for them : Rubens, 
 Child Blowing Bubbles, 175 guineas; Vandyke, 
 half-length portrait of Rubens, with two other 
 artists, 140 guineas, the purchaser being Mr. 
 Angerstein — the picture is now hung in the 
 National Gallery. The Christie Catalogue states 
 that " it is well authenticated that Vandyke painted 
 this picture at the age of eighteen years, which 
 proves him to have been a prodigy of genius and 
 capacity." Teniers, A Sorceress entering the 
 Regions of Pandemonium laden with her Spoil, 
 formerly in Dr. Chauncey's collection, fetched 330 
 guineas; Wouverman, Halt of the Banditti, 103 
 guineas ; Claude Lorraine, a " view near the 
 Castle Gondolfo, one of his most capital and 
 finished pictures " (Angerstein, 145 guineas, now 
 in National Gallery) ; Michaelangelo, [?] Jupiter 
 and Leda, (Lord Berwick, 71 guineas,) — a very 
 interesting picture (probably painted in tempera), 
 said to have been executed for Alfonso, Duke of 
 Ferrara, and to have belonged to Francis I ; " it was 
 purchased in 1746 by the Hon. John Spencer, and 
 
THE HUNTER AND OTHER SALES. 47 
 
 came into the possession of Sir Joshua by the 
 favour of the present Earl Spencer ; " Rubens, a 
 Wild Boar Hunt, 165 guineas ; and Hercules and 
 Omphale, from the collection of the late Count 
 Bruhl of Dresden, (Angerstein) 160 guineas ; 
 N. Poussin, The Nativity, 205 guineas; and The 
 Wise Men's Offering, formerly in the possession 
 of Sir Edward Walpole, 525 guineas. 
 
 The sale of pictures, the property of Count 
 Redeen, " lately ambassador for the Court of 
 Prussia," and collections from other sources, may 
 be mentioned as having been sold on June 14th, 
 1 794 ; the collection of prints and pictures which 
 belonged to John Hunter, the famous anatomist, 
 who lived next door to Hogarth in Leicester 
 Fields, was also sold in this year (January 29th), 
 but neither sale was an important one, although 
 Hunter's pictures included a Madonna and Child 
 ascribed to Carlo Dolci (engraved by Sharp), 
 which brought £11 1 ; and a portrait of Nelly 
 O'Brien, by Reynolds, that realized 20 guineas. 
 
 A few interesting pictures were sold in 1795, 
 notably the collection of Baron Nagel, March 21st, 
 comprising fifty works, among which was a hawk- 
 ing or hunting scene by Wouverman, 240 guineas ; 
 on May 1st and 2nd, the pictures of the late 
 Admiral Sir Edward Vernon, of John Walsh and 
 others, included a capital and noble picture of the 
 Assumption of the Virgin by Murillo, " which was 
 purchased in Spain by a nobleman at 1,000 guineas 
 about 60 years ago," but which now fetched only 
 46 guineas. On June 10th, the valuable jewels, 
 
4 8 
 
 THE BUTE AND OTHER SALES. 
 
 watches, trinkets, etc., of the late Duchess of 
 Bedford, came under the hammer, seventy-six lots 
 realizing ,£2,068. One of the several sales of the 
 late George Coleman's effects was held in this year 
 by Mr. Christie. 
 
 A number of interesting and important collec- 
 tions were dispersed at Mr. Christie's in 1796. 
 The season led off with that of Benjamin Vander 
 Gucht, deceased, March 11th and 12th, among 
 which were many good pictures, including Van der 
 Werff's Judgment of Paris, which was purchased 
 for 255 guineas by Sir F. Bourgeois and is now in 
 the Dulwich Gallery. Descamps states (" La vie 
 des Peintres,") that this work was painted in 17 18 
 for the Regent Duke of Orleans ; and is said that 
 it was much admired by Reynolds ; a Correggio, 
 Venus, Cupid and Satyr, for which Vander Gucht 
 paid ,£1,500 to Sir William Hamilton, who brought 
 the picture to England, 600 guineas ( Lord Radnor) ; 
 Claude, a noble landscape with the Worship of 
 the Golden Calf, 500 guineas ; and a landscape 
 by Cuyp, 420 guineas. One hundred lots realized 
 a total of ,£3,145. The Earl of Bute's pictures, 
 brought after his death from High-Clifife, Hamp- 
 shire, his county seat, were sold on March 19th, 
 but the prices ruled extremely low throughout, 
 the two highest, indeed, being a view on the 
 Schelt, embarkation of the Prince of Orange, 
 by Cuyp, 50 guineas ; and a harbour scene ascribed 
 to Vandevelde, 50 guineas. The miscellaneous 
 sales of this year included (May 5th, 1796,) 
 fourteen cases containing 4,182 dozen of ladies' 
 
hogarth's marriage A la mode. 
 
 49 
 
 fans ; and Sir Thomas Henry Rumbold's curious 
 museum (April 29th to May 2nd), which included 
 watches, jewels, coins, bronzes, a sedan chair, and 
 so forth. Rumbold's personality is hidden in the 
 catalogue under the title of " A Man of Fashion." 
 
 On February 10th, 1797, the celebrated series 
 of pictures by Hogarth, Marriage a la Mode, 
 appeared at Christies, the name of the owner, 
 Colonel Cawthorne, not appearing in connection 
 with them. These pictures were completed in 
 1744, and were sold by Hogarth, at auction, on 
 June 6th, 1750, the purchaser, who was also the 
 only bidder, being Mr. Lane of Hillingdon, near 
 Uxbrid^e, who obtained them for 120 guineas — 
 the frames alone had cost Hogarth 24 guineas — 
 Mr. Lane bequeathed them to Colonel Cawthorne. 
 At Christie's they were knocked down for 1,000 
 guineas to Mr. Angerstein, and are now in the 
 National Gallery. Another important sale of this 
 year was that of Gainsborough Dupont's collection 
 (April 10th and nth). It included several pic- 
 tures by Dupont's uncle, the great Gainsborough, 
 many of which, however, were unfinished. The 
 sale was a complete fiasco, the highest price being 
 paid for a Landscape, with cattle watering, a sunset 
 effect, described as " one of the very finest pro- 
 ductions of this great artist," realizing only 97 
 guineas. Another fiasco occurred in the following 
 month (May 13th and 14th), when the " pictures 
 of a gentleman," apparently produced a total of 
 ^1,900 ijs. of which amount, however, ^1,656 4^. 
 represented property bought in, leaving the vendor 
 
 1. E 
 
50 john trumbull's collection. 
 
 a total of £244 13^. from which the auctioneers 
 fees still had to be deducted. On June 2nd and 
 3rd, a collection of modern masters, chiefly the 
 property of the Right Hon. Lady Rivers, and 
 comprising pictures by Morland, Wheatley, and 
 others, sold very badly, only two or three lots 
 realizing over £10. The " genuine and entire 
 stock of prints, etc., and a few pleasing cabinet 
 pictures, the property of Mr. G. Bartolozzi, retiring 
 from business," came under the hammer ; and in 
 the same year (March 30th), " a choice collection 
 of new pearls," etc., etc., received by the ships 
 " Henry Dundas" and " Earl of Wycombe,'' 
 lately arrived from India, was also sold by 
 Christie, Sharpe, and Harper. 
 
 The most important sale of this year, 1797, 
 however, was that of the collection of John 
 Trumbull, February 17th and 18th. This collec- 
 tion was purchased by Trumbull, who was attached 
 to the American legation at Paris in the spring of 
 1 795, by which time the most illustrious families 
 of France had arrived at the most acute stage of 
 their distress. The opportunity was an exception- 
 ally favourable one to Mr. Trumbull's design, and 
 he appears to have brought to his task great 
 knowledge and excellent good taste. The two 
 days' sale resulted in a total of ,£7,996 $s. although 
 many of the lots were bought in. The pictures were 
 for the most part of the Flemish and Dutch schools, 
 but there were a few notable Italian examples. 
 The more important were : Vandermeulen, a 
 Battle Scene, 59 guineas ; Teniers, Portrait 
 
THE TRUMBULL COLLECTION. 
 
 51 
 
 of a Lady with a Negro Servant, 50 guineas; 
 Jordaens, a Holy Family, 50 guineas ; Sebastian 
 Bourdon, The Daughters of Jethro, " a very fine 
 composition, worthy of N. Poussin," 125 guineas; 
 Rembrandt, a half-length Portrait of a Lady, "one 
 of his finest and most extraordinary works/' 100 
 guineas; Vanderwerff, Children with a Bird's Nest, 
 " an exquisite little picture of this admired master," 
 84 guineas ; Gerard Dow, The Onion Cutter, 67 
 guineas; Van der Heyden, a Landscape, with water 
 and boats by W. Van de Velde, and figures by A. 
 Van de Velde, 83 guineas ; Wouverman, a Return 
 from the Chase, 98 guineas ; Teniers, Gamblers 
 at Trictrac, no guineas (Lord Suffolk); and a 
 Chemist in his Laboratory, 175 guineas (Bryan) ; 
 Bassano, The Magdalen at the Feast of the 
 Pharisee, 230 guineas (Agar); two by Vernet, a 
 storm and a shipwreck, 140 guineas (Lord Temple), 
 and a view of the Castle and Bridge of St. Angelo, 
 in Rome, with a fete on the Tiber — with Vernet 
 himself, his wife, and her father, among the 
 spectators — 125 guineas ; Bronzino, the Madonna, 
 Child, and St. Catherine, 170 guineas ; N. Poussin, 
 a Holy Family, 170 guineas, and Christ on the 
 Mount of Olives, 260 guineas ; Murillo, St. John 
 with the Lamb, 200 guineas ; Pordenone, Dejanira 
 and the Centaur pursued by Hercules, 560 guineas ; 
 Guercino, Angelica and Medora, a life-size work, 
 440 guineas ; Berghem, Landscape, with figures 
 and cattle, 900 guineas ; Le Brun, The Triumph 
 of Constantine, 150 guineas; and Raphael, the 
 Virgin, Christ and St. John, known as the 
 
52 
 
 THE TRUMBULL COLLECTION. 
 
 " Madonna du Corset Rouge," ^890. This picture 
 was brought from Rome by Cardinal Mazarin, 
 and, notwithstanding very high prices were offered 
 for it, particularly by the Prince of Conde, was 
 religiously preserved in his family until the dis- 
 tress of the Revolution, in which M. Primodan, the 
 late possessor, had his full share, when he deter- 
 mined to part with it for a very extravagant price ; 
 it was originally painted on wood, but, beginning to 
 decay, was transferred upon cloth in 1767 by 
 Hacquin. It was the altarpiece of the private 
 chapel of Mazarin, and at his death he bequeathed 
 it to the ancestor of M. Primodan. Trumbull 
 gave 40,000 livres for it. How far the picture itself 
 is genuine cannot be dealt with here ; there is (or 
 was) a duplicate of it in the Louvre. This very 
 fine collection of pictures included examples 
 from the cabinets of such connoisseurs as MM. 
 Joubart, Des Touches, Grandpre, Le Rouge, the 
 Due de Praslin, the Baron D'Espagnac, Due de 
 Tallard, Donjoux, Prince Carignan, Le Brun, De 
 la Regniere, and others. 
 
 No more first-class picture sales took place at 
 Christie's during the eighteenth century, but a few 
 of those which did occur are not without a certain 
 amount of interest. For instance, on February 1 5th, 
 1799, an assemblage of Chinese drawings, paint- 
 ings, natural and artificial curiosities, the property 
 of A. E. Van Braam, Esq., chief of the direction 
 of the Dutch East India Company at Canton, and 
 second in the Dutch Embassy to the Court of 
 Pekin in the years 1794-5, attracted much interest. 
 
THE GAINSBOROUGH AND OTHER SALES. 53 
 
 Van Braam's " Authentic Account of the Embassy" 
 was published in 1798. The only item of import- 
 ance in the sale to which we need refer is a collec- 
 tion of 352 views of the most celebrated and 
 interesting places, gardens and courts in China, by 
 a native, which brought 165 guineas. In May 
 there were two picture sales. First, on the 10th 
 and nth, the remaining pictures, sketch-books, 
 etc., of the late Thomas Gainsborough were sold ; 
 on the 31st, the pictures of the late R. Bayley and 
 others, included G. Dow, The Tooth Drawer, "one 
 of his finest," 100 guineas; and Gainsborough, 
 The Milk Girl, 145 guineas. On June 7th and 8th 
 was sold the collection of pictures of the late 
 Thomas Hankey, "collected during the course of 
 a number of years by John Bernard, Esq., univers- 
 ally esteemed for his correct knowledge of the fine 
 arts and superior taste." There were a few good 
 pictures, including a landscape by Cuyp, no 
 guineas ; and P. Veronese, Baptism of Christ by 
 St. John, (Bryan) 170 guineas. The sale realized 
 a total of ^2,295 4.S. 6d. 
 
 Ancient Gaelic Brooch. 
 (Bernal Sale, p. 175.) 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 1800 — 1810. 
 
 JOHN UDNY'S PICTURES FROM THE COLONNA PALACE AND 
 FLORENTINE GALLERY — LORD BESSBOROUGH — SIR WIL- 
 LIAM HAMILTON — WILLIAM YOUNG OTTLEY — ALDERMAN 
 BECKFORD — COUNTESS HOLDERNESS — GUY HEAD — SIR 
 SIMON CLARKE AND GEORGE HIBBERT — WALSH PORTER 
 — THE NOVELLARA COLLECTION — ROBERT UDNY — PIC- 
 TURES FROM THE BARBERINI PALACE — ALDERMAN BOY- 
 DELL — WELBORE AGAR ELLIS LAFONTAINE SPEAKER 
 
 LENTHALL^WALSH PORTER (2ND SALE). 
 
 HE first picture sale of importance 
 with which Mr. Christie commenced 
 the new century was held on March 
 28th, 29th, 1800. Among the items 
 were three formerly in the cabinet 
 of the great Duke of Chandos — an Interior of a 
 Chamber, with an old woman sewing, by Van Toll, 
 100 guineas (Dormer); F. Mieris, Ammon putting 
 away Tamar, 200 guineas (the same) ; and an 
 Interior by Gerard Dow, in which the artist's own 
 portrait appears, 340 guineas (Bryan). On April 
 25th the sale included twenty-two pictures from the 
 Colonna Palace, seventeen from the Florentine 
 Gallery and that of Capo di Monte, belonging to the 
 King of Naples. They were described as "of 
 the highest class," and as having " graced some of 
 the first palaces in Florence, Rome, and Naples." 
 
john udny's sale. 55 
 
 Further, "the many judges who have visited Italy 
 will recognize these pictures, which are in the same 
 pure and perfect state as when they were trans- 
 ferred from the easels of the immortal artists who 
 painted them to the apartments in the several 
 distinguished palaces they adorned." Although 
 there is nothing on the title-page of the catalogue 
 to indicate the owner of this collection, it was 
 doubtless an open secret at the time. Buchanan, 
 in his " Memoirs of Painting," describes it as 
 having been formed by John Udny, Esq. (whom 
 Buchanan calls Udney). The sale was without 
 the least reserve, and it included two Raphaels, A 
 Virgin and Child, 480 guineas ; and a Holy Family, 
 which had been in the possession of the Colonna 
 family for over two centuries, 650 guineas, both 
 bought by Mr. Davidson, who also purchased 
 Guido's celebrated picture of St. Cecilia, painted for 
 Prince Colonna from whose family it was purchased 
 by the present owner, 340 guineas ; and a pair of 
 Landscapes by Claude, morning and evening 
 effects, painted for the Colonna family, " in which 
 they have continued, and are as fresh and as 
 pure as when first painted," 670 guineas ; 
 Ludovico Caracci, a Riposo, on thick wood, painted 
 for the Parma family, and with their seal on it, 
 1,100 guineas (Colonel Murray); Schidone, Girl 
 learning the Lord's Prayer, from the Parma collec- 
 tion, in thick panel, with the seal of the family, 200 
 guineas (Earl of Ashburnham) ; two Landscapes of 
 Annibal Caracci, companion pictures, both painted 
 for the Parma gallery, 185 guineas and 175 
 
56 
 
 LORD BESSBOROUGH'S SALE. 
 
 guineas ; and a life-size Venus and Cupid by the 
 same, painted in 1585 as a companion to the Mag- 
 dalen by Titian in the Tribune at Florence, one of 
 this artist's most highly finished works, 105 guineas ; 
 all three were purchased by Colonel Murray. The 
 only other picture sale of importance this year, 
 May 9th and 10th, included a Gerard Dow, Por- 
 trait of the Painter, who is depicted touching a 
 violin at a window, with men grinding his colours 
 in the background, 365 guineas, from the Orleans 
 collection, in which it realized 300 guineas. It was 
 again sold in 1801 for 290 guineas, and two years 
 later for 115 guineas. 
 
 Three interesting picture sales occurred in 1801. 
 Lord Bessborough was a distinguished connoisseur 
 and collector of various works of art, and the sale 
 of his property occupied Mr. Christie three days, 
 February 5-7. The majority of the pictures were 
 probably good old copies, as very few realized three 
 figures ; but there were a few notable ones, for 
 example : Cuyp, Landscape and Cattle, 390 guineas 
 (Duke of St. Albans) ; Le Nain, Group of Beggars, 
 engraved in Boydell's collection, 100 guineas ; 
 Raphael, Madonna with Bambino, from Lord Wal- 
 degrave's collection, 220 guineas; Titian, Chess- 
 players, "a very singular and rare picture," 220 
 guineas ; Claude, A Seaport, " a brilliant and fas- 
 cinating effect of the sun gilding and reflecting on 
 the undulating motion of the water," 280 guineas ; 
 Salvator Rosa, Jason poisoning the Dragon, 
 bought at the sale of James, Duke of Chandos, in 
 1 747 by Lord Bessborough, and engraved in Boy- 
 
SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON. 57 
 
 dell's collection, 310 guineas; and N. Poussin, 
 Venus and Adonis, 250 guineas. The total of the 
 three days' sale amounted to ,£9,460 ijs. 
 
 Sir William Hamilton's forms the second in- 
 teresting sale of 1 80 1. This distinguished per- 
 sonage, best known perhaps as the husband of the 
 famous Lady Hamilton, resided for thirty-seven 
 years as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of 
 Naples, and fully availed himself of his unique 
 opportunities for collecting works of art. His 
 extensive collection of antique fictile vases, for- 
 merly the property of the Porcinari family, glass, 
 bronze, sculpture, gems, medals, and so forth, was 
 purchased in 1772 by the Government of the day, 
 and is now in the British Museum. He still 
 went on collecting, and despatched a large consign- 
 ment to England for sale, most of which, however, 
 was lost in a storm. Mr. Christie's sale on 
 March 27th and 28th, 1801, was made up of the 
 articles not included in the Museum purchase and 
 those which were saved from the storm. The 
 only important picture in the ninety-seven sold 
 was the Leonardo da Vinci, The Laughing Boy, 
 or Boy with a Horn-book, of which two studies 
 of the same boy are extant in the drawing-book 
 of Leonardo in the Ambrosian Library, Milan. 
 This exceedingly interesting picture was in the 
 Arundel collection inherited by Lady Betty Ger- 
 maine, who left it in her will to Sir William 
 Hamilton. It was now purchased for 1,300 
 guineas by William Beckford, and remained at 
 Fonthill Abbey until 1823, when it was sold with 
 
58 
 
 THE OTTLEY COLLECTION 
 
 the other things at Fonthill by order of Mr. Far- 
 quhar, the purchaser of the estate, and again Mr. 
 Beckford was the buyer. It was afterwards trans- 
 ferred to the Hamilton Palace Collection, in which 
 it remained until 1882. 
 
 The third great sale of 1801 comprised forty- 
 nine lots, " the superb, capital, and truly valuable 
 collection of celebrated Italian pictures lately pur- 
 chased from the Colonna, Borghese, and Corsini 
 palaces," by William Young Ottley, and " forming 
 an unrivalled assemblage of the genuine and 
 finest works of the Italian schools." The extra- 
 ordinary preservation of these pictures is attributed 
 to their " having remained under the pure climate 
 of Italy, unexposed to injudicious experiments of 
 varnishes and other methods of repair, and care- 
 fully protected from the rude touch of daubers and 
 copyists." The appearance of the pictures in the 
 market is explained thus by Mr. Christie : " It is 
 to the aera of fatal revolution in Italy ; it is to the 
 oppressive spirit of its invaders ; it is to the fallen 
 grandeur of the nobles and princes of Rome ; it is 
 to their extreme need and distress, that is to be 
 attributed finally their parting with what they so 
 long possessed and so highly valued." This sale 
 took place on May 16th, but Messrs. Christie's 
 copy of the catalogue has been stolen from their 
 set. The British Museum, however, possesses a 
 partly-priced copy of it, and Buchanan (" Memoirs 
 of Painting," ii. 20-30) reprints it in full, with the 
 prices. The collection was formed by Ottley in 
 Rome about the end of 1 798 or in the beginning 
 
OF ITALIAN MASTERS. 
 
 59 
 
 of 1799, when the principal families were in 
 the acutest stage of their misery. It was brought 
 to this country in 1800, and sold on May 16th of the 
 following year. Its importance maybe judged by 
 the fact that the sum realized by its sale was close 
 on 22,000 guineas. One of the most important 
 pictures in the collection was the celebrated Land- 
 scape of Salvator Rosa, in which are introduced 
 the figures of Mercury and the woodman, 6 feet 
 7 inches x 4 feet. It was purchased by Sir M. M. 
 Sykesfor 1,550 guineas, and became subsequently, 
 first the property of Lord Durham, then of Mr. 
 Byng. It is now in the National Gallery. 
 Another Landscape by the same artist, a rocky 
 scene with a distant view of a volcano, with figures 
 in the foreground representing the finding of Moses 
 by Pharaoh's daughter, 79 x 49, 1,500 guineas, 
 both from the Colonna Palace ; Parmigiano, The 
 Marriage of St. Catherine, described as ranking 
 " the highest of the few cabinet pictures of this 
 celebrated painter,"and selected by Gavin Hamilton 
 for his " Schola Italica Picturae," 22 x 29, 1,550 
 guineas (W. Morland) ; the same artist's Portrait 
 of Himself, " always so-called when in the cele- 
 brated collection of the King of Naples at Capo di 
 Monte," 26 x 35, 650 guineas ; N. Poussin, Noah's 
 Sacrifice after he quitted the Ark, one of the 
 finest of this artist's Italian pictures, 54 x 27, 1,000 
 guineas (Sykes) ; and three other minor land- 
 scapes of the same artist. Of Gaspar Poussin 
 there were three landscapes, the most important 
 being a view of Nemi, near Rome, from the 
 
6o 
 
 THE OTTLEY COLLECTION. 
 
 Colonna Palace, 60 x 36, 700 guineas ; Benvenuto 
 Garofalo, a Holy Family with Saints, 16 x 13, 
 240 guineas ; and the Vision of St. Augustine, 
 with the Madonna and Choir of Angels in 
 the Clouds, li the very finest production of this 
 master," from the Corsini Palace, 32 inches x 25 
 inches, 1,000 guineas (Lord Radstock) ; Domeni- 
 chino, Repose in Egypt, in a landscape — 
 "this artist painted so few landscapes that this 
 may be considered almost unique " — 21 inches 
 x 16 inches, 320 guineas; Mazzolino di Ferrara, 
 Ecce Homo, a chef cCceuvre of the master, from 
 the Villa Aldobrandini, 17 inches x 21 inches, 429 
 guineas ; Raffaelle, Sleeping Warrior and two alle- 
 gorical female figures, 6 inches square, from the Bor- 
 ghese Palace, 470 guineas ; Guido Reni, St. Peter, 
 head and hands, 33 inches x 25 inches, from the 
 Aldobrandini apartments of the Borghese Palace, 
 580 guineas (Sykes) ; and " Madonna Dolorata," 
 on copper, 15 inches x 19 inches, formerly the 
 property of Pope Paul V., 380 guineas (Morland) ; 
 Annibal Caracci, Susannah and the Elders, 43 
 inches x 63 inches, 560 guineas (Humble) ; and 
 the Infant Jesus sleeping, attended by Angels, 
 20 inches x 26 inches, 700 guineas (Hibbert) ; and 
 an important picture of Christ crowned with 
 Thorns, catalogued as by Caracci, but which of 
 the three or four of that name is not stated, 
 1, 100 guineas (Earl Fitzwilliam) ; Sasso Ferrato, 
 Virgin and Child, with Cherubs, from the Cor- 
 sini Palace, 33 inches x 31 inches, 750 guineas; 
 Paul Veronese, Marriage of the Virgin, 560 
 
ALDERMAN BECKFORD OF FONTHILL. 6 1 
 
 guineas (Wells of Redleaf) ; and Titian, Madonna, 
 Child, and St. Catherine, 45 inches x 65 inches, 
 1,150 guineas; and the Holy Family, with the 
 Shepherds' Offering, both from the Borghese 
 Palace, 700 guineas. There were two other 
 Ottley sales, one in 181 1, and the other after his 
 death in 1837 (see pp. 88-90). It should be here 
 mentioned that Ottley sold his own fine collection 
 of drawings by old Italian masters to Sir T. 
 Lawrence for ,£8,000 ; it formed the principal part 
 of the magnificent collection of that artist. 
 
 Two other sales may be mentioned as having 
 taken place in 1801 — " the genuine pictures of that 
 esteemed artist, Mr. Joseph Wright of Derby, ,, on 
 May 6th ; and the collection of castes from the 
 antique, a very fine skeleton, and other artistic 
 properties of George Romney, at his late residence, 
 Hollybush Hill, Hampstead, on March 18th. 
 
 Quite a number of important sales took place 
 during 1802. The earliest of these is in some re- 
 spects the most interesting. No name appeared on 
 the title page of the catalogue, but " a gentleman 
 highly distinguished for his fine taste in the arts," 
 and the further statement that the collection was 
 " now brought from his seat at Fonthill, Wiltshire," 
 sufficiently reveals the identity of the collector. 
 Alderman Beckford, the father of that more 
 distinguished celebrity, the author of " Vathek," 
 was the proprietor on this occasion ; but this 
 sale must not be confounded with the dispersal 
 of the far more important collection of William 
 Beckford Jils. Indeed, the present transaction was 
 
62 
 
 hogarth's rake's progress. 
 
 not an important one, the only first-rate lot which 
 it comprised was the set of eight pictures of 
 " The Rake's Progress," 1 " ever celebrated," (said 
 Mr. Christie) " as chefs-d'oeuvre of Hogarth, who, 
 well acquainted with all the vicissitudes of life, and 
 perfectly master of the passions, has immortalized 
 himself by correcting the failings of his country- 
 men." This set was purchased for 570 guineas, 
 by Sir John Soane, and may now be seen in the 
 Soane Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields. A few 
 other pictures may be mentioned, notably a Salva- 
 tor Rosa, Banditti on the Banks of a River — ' ' a 
 noble picture purchased from the Colonna Palace," 
 190 guineas, and its companion, St. Francis preach- 
 ing, 100 guineas, both purchased by Lord G. 
 Cavendish ; a work catalogued as Paduanino 
 (which name is struck through in Mr. Christie's 
 catalogue), Deianira and the Centaur pursued by 
 Hercules — " equal in colour to Titian and in com- 
 position worthy of A. Caracci," 270 guineas; and 
 a pair, The Presentation of the Virgin, by A. 
 Diirer; " this chef-d'oeuvre of the German Raphael 
 and its companion [the Circumcision] were for- 
 merly brought to Italy by Christina, Queen of 
 Sweden, but were not long since purchased from 
 out of the Bracciano Palace at Rome," 140 
 guineas (Walsh Porter). The eighty-eight lots 
 realized ^2,960 3s. 6d. 
 
 1 Alderman Beckford possessed also Hogarth's "Harlot's 
 Progress," of which five were unfortunately burnt in the fire at 
 Fonthill in 1755, an d tne sixth, which once belonged to Lord 
 Charlemont, now belongs to the Earl of Wemyss. 
 
THE COUNTESS OF HOLDERNESS' SALE. 63 
 
 The pictures of the late Countess of Holderness, 
 derived from such patrons of art as Greffier Fagel 1 
 and his son, were sold at Christie's on March 6th, 
 1 802. I n a brief preface to the catalogue we read : 
 " As every accession of virtue becomes fair subject 
 for congratulation to the British public, inasmuch 
 as it tends to improve the taste, correct the judg- 
 ment, and enlarge the ideas, both of artists and 
 collectors, in like manner may the present cabinet 
 of pictures be commended, and those whose spirit 
 and affection for the arts have been warmed by 
 the recent importations from Italy and France, 
 will, we conceive, have fresh pleasure in being per- 
 mitted to participate in the public distribution of so 
 exquisite an assemblage as the Holderness collec- 
 tion." The more important of the eighty-one pic- 
 tures, which realized a total of ,£5,954 2s. 6d. y were 
 Hobbema, a Landscape with figures by A. Van de 
 Velde, 280 guineas; Rubens, Judgment of Paris, 
 " a rich and beautiful picture, in perfect preserva- 
 tion,'' 305 guineas; Berghem, landscape with a 
 shepherdess and cattle, 280 guineas ; Wouver- 
 man, Horses Watering, 1 70 guineas ; Jan Steen, 
 The Pancake Girl, 115 guineas; W. Mieris, 
 The Raree Showman, a group of eight figures, 
 210 guineas ; and A lady with a child in a cradle, 
 195 guineas; several by Adrian Van de Velde, 
 notably a Landscape with a group of cows and 
 sheep, 210 guineas; Teniers, An Interior of a 
 
 1 The Greffier Fagel cabinet was sold by Coxe, Burrell and 
 Foster, May 22nd, 1801, and a full-priced list is given by 
 Buchanan. 
 
6 4 
 
 GUY HEAD'S COPIES. 
 
 Gardener's House, 310 guineas; A. Ostade, In- 
 terior of a Dutch Cabaret, 305 guineas ; Jan de 
 Mabuse, Portraits of a Gentleman and a Lady at 
 Devotion, ^138. 
 
 On March 13th, in the following week the re- 
 markable series of copies by Guy Head came up 
 for sale. Head was a great friend of Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, who took him under his special protec- 
 tion and sent him to the Continent, where he 
 resided for sixteen years, all the time making copies 
 of the great masters in Holland, Flanders, Ger- 
 many and Italy. Some of these copies realized 
 high amounts at this sale, for instance, a set of three 
 after Rubens, The Taking Down from the Cross, 
 St. Simeon in the Temple, and The Visitation, 
 brought 400 guineas ; and another, The Raising 
 of the Christ, 200 guineas. The no lots realized 
 a total of .£2,195 Ils ' At the sale, April 3rd, of 
 the original pictures collected by Guy Head, a 
 Titian, The Stratagem of Pharaohs Daughter, 
 formerly in the gallery of the Soranza family, sold 
 for 735 guineas. On May 6th, William Gilpin's 
 collections of Prints, Drawings, Sketches, the 
 greater part accompanied with valuable remarks 
 in MS., and several unpublished works were sold; 
 and two days afterwards a picture sale included five 
 Claudes, a fine Landscape the subject in No. 5, 
 " Liber Veritatis," 210 guineas; another with a 
 view of the Colosseum, No. 1, " Liber Veritatis," 
 200 guineas ; and A Landscape with a Repose in 
 the foreground, from Lord Londonderry's collec- 
 tion, 260 guineas ; and Ruysdael, Landscape 
 
SIR SIMON CLARKE AND G. HIBBERT. 65 
 
 with a view of the Castle of Bentheim, 300 guineas. 
 On May 14th and 15th the united cabinets of Sir 
 Simon Clarke and George Hibbert, Esq., selected 
 by them out of the collections of the Duke of 
 Orleans, Mr. Gildemester of Amsterdam, M. 
 Colonne, Mr. Woodhouse, etc., came under the 
 hammer, 141 pictures totalling up to ^18,454 16s. 
 The principal pictures were — Raphael, Virgin and 
 Child from the Orleans collection, 280 guineas ; 
 Rubens, Assumption of the Virgin, from the Purl- 
 ing collection, 400 guineas ; and Diana returning 
 from the chase, from the Walkenier collection 
 (engraved by Sharp), 1,050 guineas ; Salvator 
 Rosa, Pythagoras discovered by his fellow citizens, 
 460 guineas ; Wouverman, Coach and Six Gray 
 Horses from the Gildemester collection, and de- 
 scribed by Descamp in his "Life" of the artist, 
 340 guineas ; and a Landscape with figures, from the 
 same source, 240 guineas ; Titian, A Holy Family, 
 from the Aldobrandini collection, 400 guineas; 
 Guido, a Sibyl, from the Orleans collection, 330 
 guineas ; P. Da Cortona, Flight of Jacob, from the 
 same, 320 guineas; and Cuyp, a Landscape with 
 Peasants going to market, from the Brun collec- 
 tion, 295 guineas. 
 
 Lord Mendip's collection of Antique Marbles, 
 Statues, and Busts was dispersed by Mr. Christie, 
 on May 1 7th ; and on the two following days the 
 household furniture, etc., at York House, Piccadilly, 
 late the property of H.R. H. the Duke of York, 
 was sold, the 3 1 3 lots realizing ^2,544 ; and finally, 
 in June, "the superb and costly oriental museum, 
 
 1. F 
 
66 THE WALKER AND WALSH PORTER SALES. 
 
 the property of Mr. Findley, who paid ,£10,000 
 for it," including statuary, the most perfect speci- 
 mens of pellucid gems, coloured diamonds, rubies, 
 emeralds, sapphires, topazes, and a diamond of 
 uncommon lustre and size. This sale occupied 
 four days from June 14th. 
 
 The first important picture sale of 1803, March 
 4th and 5th, included eight pictures, the property 
 of the late Richard Walker, Esq., of Liverpool, 
 and of these we may mention Gerard Dow, His 
 own Portrait, touching the violin, " the very cele- 
 brated and highly finished picture" (see page 55), 
 from the Orleans collection, 1 15 guineas; Teniers, a 
 Flemish Farm-yard with the white horse, 290 
 guineas ; N. Poussin, a Bacchanalian scene, painted 
 for the artist's patron, the Prime Minister of Louis 
 XIII., was knocked down at 800 guineas, — but as 
 no name of purchaser is given, the picture may not 
 have been sold. 
 
 Unquestionably the great picture sale of 1803 
 was that of Mr. Walsh Porter, which took place 
 on March 22nd and 23rd, 103 pictures showing a 
 total of £"8,553 8s. Porter, says Mr. Redford, 
 was " one of the most intelligent and enterprising 
 of those who went to the Continent to collect 
 during these troublous times, and who were also 
 on the look out for good pictures coming to 
 England through various hands to be sold, and 
 often placed in the possession of bankers as 
 security for loans, or as a place of safety." Porter, 
 at the time of this sale, was advertised as " going 
 abroad." The principal pictures were Gains- 
 
THE WALSH PORTER SALE. 
 
 67 
 
 borough, Female Domestic bestowing Alms, from 
 Lord Robert Spencer's collection, 73 guineas; G. 
 Poussin, Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe, 
 120 guineas; Murillo, The Seven Acts of Mercy, 
 from the collection of the Chanoine Clynps at 
 Antwerp, 370 guineas ; William Van de Velde, the 
 Naval Battle in which Van Tromp was killed, 
 410 guineas; A. Ostade, an Interior with Boors, 
 170 guineas ; Dusart, Dutch Family at a Repast in 
 an Arbour, with hurdy-gurdy player, 1 20 guineas ; 
 R. Wilson, Landscape with phaeton, formerly in 
 the possession of the late Duke of Bridgwater, 
 engraved by Woollett, 185 guineas ; A. del Sarto, 
 Madonna, Christ and infant Saints, 190 guineas ; 
 Cuyp, Three cows in a sunny landscape, 300 
 guineas ; Claude, An Italian Landscape, with the 
 Civita Castellana in the distance, and figures, from 
 the collection of the Due de Choiseul, 700 guineas ; 
 and the companion Landscape with the story of 
 Mercury and Bacchus, from the same collection, 
 650 guineas ; David Teniers, Le Tambour bat- 
 tant, the celebrated picture from the collection of 
 the Due de Praslin, 280 guineas ; G. Schalken, 
 Le Roi Depouille, " worthy of the collection it 
 once graced of the late unfortunate monarch of 
 France," 390 guineas ; Correggio, the Madonna 
 with the rabbit, 200 guineas ; Le Nain (catalogued 
 as Caravaggio), Infant Card Players, " an exquisite 
 jewel " from the Aldobrandini Palace, 370 guineas ; 
 and the most important lot of all, Leonardo da 
 Vinci, Virgin and Child, " an inestimable perform- 
 ance," 800 guineas. The second and consider- 
 
68 
 
 SALES IN 1803. 
 
 ably more important picture sale of Mr. Walsh 
 Porter took place in 18 10 (see pp. 83-86). 
 
 On May nth, 1803, Mr. Christie held a picture 
 sale which comprised a single work, namely " a 
 grand historical picture representing the reception 
 of the hostage sons of Tippoo Saib by the Marquis 
 of Cornwallis," painted in India by A. W. Devis, 
 Esq., and containing nearly 70 portraits painted 
 from life : the picture realized ^400. A few 
 interesting canvases occurred among the pictures 
 purchased by the late Francis, Earl of Godolphin, 
 " distinguished for his knowledge and taste for the 
 fine arts," sold on June 6th and 7th, notably 
 Murillo, Spanish beggar boys, 250 guineas, and its 
 companion, 270 guineas ; 1 P. Veronese, a Female 
 Saint in a vision, and angels descending with the 
 holy cross, 1 30 guineas ; and Vandyck, Portrait of 
 Rubens, when the latter was in advanced years, 
 150 guineas. In September (17th) Mr. Christie 
 was selling the greenhouse plants, orange, lemon, 
 and citron trees of unparalleled growth, of Robert 
 Udny (to whom we shall refer again presently), 
 at his Villa, Teddington, Middlesex; and a month 
 later (October 15th), fifty orange, lemon and citron 
 trees, many of them of the unusual height of ten 
 
 1 See Curtis, page 291 ; Evelyn writes under date June 21st, 
 1693 : — " I saw a great auction of pictures in the Banqueting 
 House, Whitehall. They had been my Lord Melfort's, now 
 ambassador from King James at Rome, and engag'd to his 
 creditors here. Lord Godolphin bought the picture of the 
 Boys by Morillo, the Spaniard, for 80 guineas, deare enough." 
 This picture is now the property of Mr. H. M. Leathes, of 
 Herringfleet Hall, Lowestoft. 
 
PICTURES FROM ROME. 
 
 6 9 
 
 feet, at Weybridge, Surrey ; it is interesting to 
 note that these trees sold at prices varying from 
 5 to 1 2 guineas, according to size. 
 
 The 1804 season opened on March 2nd, with a 
 <( superb collection " of Italian pictures recently con- 
 signed from Rome, composed of the chefs-d'oeicvre 
 selected from the treasures of the Borghese, 
 Colonna, Doria, Aldobrandini, Gighi, Cavalieri, 
 Rospigliosi and Bolognetti Palaces, most of 
 them actually painted for these several families, 
 " as shall be made appear to the purchasers by 
 the original documents and papers." This sale 
 was undoubtedly an important one, and it included 
 Jordaens, the Infant Saviour, Amatheae and Satyr, 
 the celebrated picture formerly in the collection of 
 Sir Gregory Page, 105 guineas; Salvator Rosa, 
 Christ in the Wilderness, purchased from the Church 
 of the Jesuits at Rome, for which church it was 
 painted, 500 guineas ; Diirer, portrait of Leo X. 
 in the character of St. Jerome in his study, 162 
 guineas ; Titian, Virgin, Child, St. John, St. 
 Catherine and a Bishop, from the Borghese gallery, 
 395 guineas; and a portrait of Cardinal Caraffa, 
 nephew of Paul IV. (afterwards strangled in the 
 castle of St. Angelo), 100 guineas ; Bramante, The 
 Deposition, " a surprising picture of this master, 
 the architect of the basilica of St. Peter at Rome, 
 whose works are unknown in England," from the 
 Borghese gallery, 390 guineas; Guido, Magdalen, 
 from the Palazzo Ghigi, 230 guineas ; Andrea del 
 Sarto, The Virgin and the young Christ and St. 
 Joseph, 440 guineas; Palma il Goven, ("im- 
 
7o 
 
 THE NOVELLARA COLLECTION. 
 
 properly so called, perhaps Jul. Romano,") Assump- 
 tion of the Virgin, a female (probably the patroness 
 of the artist) in the corner below offering up 
 her evening prayer to the Virgin, 790 guineas ; 
 and Michel Angelo, The Crucifixion of the Virgin 
 and St. John the Evangelist, "this most inestimable 
 jewel " was painted for the Oratory of the Cava- 
 lieri Palace, 690 guineas. 
 
 The day after the sale of the foregoing collec- 
 tion, Mr. Christie offered a collection " being the 
 greater part of the well-known collection of No- 
 vellara, a ducal villa in the neighbourhood of 
 Modena." The principal pictures were — Correggio, 
 The Passion of our Saviour, with a letter explaining 
 the manner in which it was purchased from the Duke 
 of Salviati, and the seal of the Academy of Parma, 
 710 guineas; Leonardo da Vinci, Christ Washing 
 the Apostles' Feet, 280 guineas; Schidone, Vir- 
 gin and Infant Christ, St. John and St. Joseph, 
 680 guineas ; and Correggio, The Flight into Egypt, 
 St. Joseph in the foreground drawing water from 
 a pool, and the Virgin and Child accompanied by 
 angels, 1,500 guineas. Concerning this sale, it may 
 be mentioned that of the total sum ,£5,565 igs. no 
 less than ^5,247 6s. represents property bought in. 
 On May 12th a Vandyck portrait of Charles L 
 was apparently bought in at 490 guineas. 
 
 The celebrated collection of pictures of Robert 
 Udny, " formed during a long series of years with- 
 out regard to expense, out of the principal cabinets 
 of Italy and elsewhere," came up for sale at Chris- 
 tie's on May 1 8th and 19th, 1804, the 2 °7 l°ts realiz- 
 
ROBERT UDNYS SALE. 
 
 71 
 
 ing ^6,548 14^. 6d. There were two Udnys, John, 
 British Consul at Leghorn, who was an extensive 
 buyer of pictures, and his brother Robert, who 
 lived at Teddington, to whom he transferred and 
 whose collection of pictures was sold in 1800 
 (see p. 55). When Robert Udny died, in or 
 before 1802, his executors drew up a catalogue 
 of his collection of pictures at Teddington, and 
 expressed themselves as "willing to treat with any 
 gentleman or company for the purchase of the col- 
 lection entire.'' No offer being forthcoming, the 
 pictures were sent to Mr. Christie and sold in 
 May, 1804, as above. One of the most important 
 was a Correggio, Danae, which measured 60 x 78, 
 and realized 200 guineas (see also p. 86). The 
 adventures of this picture read like a romance. 
 It was painted by order of the Duke of Mantua 
 as a present for the emperor Charles V., and was 
 in his collection at Prague, on the capture of which 
 by Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, it was 
 sent (with other pictures) to Stockholm ; the Queen 
 Christina bought the whole of the collection, and at 
 her death it was purchased by the Popes nephew, 
 Odescalchi ; on his death the collection was bought 
 by the Regent of France, the Duke of Orleans, 
 and placed in the Palais Royal ; about the year 
 1728, during a dangerous illness of the then Duke 
 of Orleans, son to the Regent, a bigoted friar, his 
 confessor, made it the condition of his absolution 
 that he should order all the pictures with naked 
 figures in the Gallery to be destroyed ; an order 
 which was executed in the presence of Charles 
 
7 2 
 
 THE BARBERINI PICTURES. 
 
 Coypel, painter to the Court ; but Coypel contrived 
 to cut the Danae in two places without injuring 
 the figures ; four months after the picture, restored, 
 was sold to the Venetian noble, Lobbia ; in 1 776 the 
 Danae was stolen from the family; in 1780 Consul 
 Udny at Leybon purchased it, and sent it to Eng- 
 land in 1793. Another important picture in this 
 sale was a second Correggio, Ecce Homo, the 
 Virgin fallen in a swoon, 152 guineas, to which 
 there is a long and somewhat conflicting history 
 attached, which may possibly be the picture now in 
 the National Gallery. Other pictures in this sale 
 were — Fra Bartolommeo, Virgin and Child, St. 
 John, and angels, and portrait of Corsini, life size, 
 50 x 38, ^128, and Madonna della Seggiola, 
 a circle, 63 guineas ; Domenichino, The Magdalen, 
 to the knees, 530 guineas ; Garofalo, Christ and the 
 Woman of Samaria, 102 guineas ; Primaticcio, Her- 
 cules teaching Achilles, from Dr. Mead's collection, 
 60 guineas ; and Andrea del Sarto, Virgin, Child, 
 St. John, Elizabeth, and two angels, 100 guineas. 
 This collection was composed almost entirely of 
 works by Italian masters, the few Dutch and other 
 pictures selling at very small sums. It may be 
 further mentioned that Mr. Christie sold Robert 
 Udny's furniture on the premises at Teddington on 
 July 9th, 10th, and nth. 
 
 The pictures from the Barberini Palace formed 
 the first important sale of 1805 (March 30th), 
 and among these were — Guido, Magdalen in the 
 Desert, 490 guineas ; Leonardo da Vinci, The 
 Daughter of Herodias receiving the Head of John 
 
BOYDELL'S SHAKESPEARE GALLERY. 
 
 73 
 
 the Baptist, " deemed one of the most precious 
 jewels of the Barberini Palace," 960 guineas ; Gior- 
 gione, A Female at her Toilet, 560 guineas ; 
 Luini, Portrait of Calvin in his Study, 135 
 guineas ; Baroccio, an unfinished work, Madonna 
 and Infant sleeping on her bosom, 240 guineas; 
 Vandyck, Portrait of an Abbess, 230 guineas; 
 Titian, Holy Family and St. Elizabeth under a 
 Tree, 130 guineas; and The Flagellation, 230 
 guineas. In April (6th) of this year Mr. Christie 
 offered his patrons something in the manner of a 
 change — a valuable and highly curious collection 
 of rare birds, natives of Cayenne, being an actual 
 consignment to the French National Museum, in- 
 cluding various presents to M. Talleyrand and 
 others, taken by a ship of war on their passage to 
 Europe. 
 
 The only other important picture sale of this 
 year took place May 17th, 18th, and 20th, and 
 comprised "the productions of the great artists of 
 the British school," and known as the collection of 
 the Shakespeare Gallery of xA^lderman Boydell. 
 This collection of about 1 70 pictures with engrav- 
 ings were disposed of by a lottery of 22,000 tickets, 
 and on January 28th, 1805, the lottery was drawn, 
 the winner being Tassie, the gem modeller, who 
 transferred the collection to Christie's, realizing a 
 total of rather over £6, 157. The principal pictures 
 were Northcote, Prince Arthur and Hubert in 
 Prison, 101 guineas; Richard II. and Boling- 
 broke, 108 guineas ; The Princes smothered in 
 the Tower, 100 guineas; and Romeo, Juliet and 
 
74 
 
 RICHARD HULSe's SALE. 
 
 Paris at the Tomb of the Capulets, 200 guineas ; 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, Death of Cardinal Beau- 
 fort, " the celebrated chef-d'oeuvre" 505 guineas; 
 and Puck, ^215 (Samuel Rogers); and Macbeth 
 and the Witches, 360 guineas ; B. West, King Lear 
 in the Storm, 205 guineas — this picture, with two 
 others by West purchased at the same time, are 
 now in the Philadelphia Museum ; and " those 
 matchless set of pictures " by R. Smirke, Shake- 
 speare's Seven Ages of Man, 240 guineas. 
 
 Several important pictures were included in the 
 collection of the late Richard Hulse, Esq., of 
 Blackheath, sold on March 21st and 22nd, 1806, 
 particularly a pair of Cuyps, Cattle and Pigs on 
 the banks of a river, 225 guineas, and a Landscape 
 with cattle and a farmer on a grey horse convers- 
 ing with a herdsman, 430 guineas ; Salvator Rosa, 
 the Lycian Peasants transformed into Frogs, — u an 
 extraordinary effort," 275 guineas; Rembrandt, 
 Abraham and Sarah with Isaac, 1 50 guineas ; 
 Claude, landscape and figures, 140 guineas; and 
 " a chef-d'oeuvre that does infinite honour to the 
 British School," — a view of Windermere Lake, with 
 a man driving sheep and cattle, the joint produc- 
 tion of G. Barrett, R.A., and S. Gilpin, R.A., 80 
 guineas. A small but very choice assemblage of 
 thirty-two valuable pictures, consigned from abroad, 
 came under the hammer at Christie's on April 26th. 
 Among these were Berghem, a " broken " Land- 
 scape, with peasants and cattle passing a ford, 345 
 guineas ; Hobbema, A woody Landscape with cot- 
 tages and figures, 210 guineas; Terburg, an In- 
 
THE ELLIS AGAR COLLECTION. 75 
 
 terior, a cavalier taking a lady by the hand, and 
 other figures (Marquis of Stafford), 240 guineas; 
 Both, A Mountainous Pass on the brink of a river, 
 300 guineas ; Ruysdael, A Woody scene, with 
 torrent rushing over a rocky bed, 190 guineas; 
 G. Metzu, a Woman selling fish and vegetables, 
 and a house-door, on the lintel of which is in- 
 scribed the name of the artist (Eglinton), 240 
 guineas ; Teniers, an Interior, with Boors smoking 
 and others regaling in an inner apartment (Lord 
 Kinnaird), 380 guineas ; Wouverman, Halt of the 
 hawking party, 345 guineas; A.Ostade,An Interior, 
 with many figures, dancing and regaling, an open 
 door in the distance admits a view of a beautiful 
 landscape, 490 guineas ; Cuyp, A Landscape on a 
 road at the foot of a mountainous pass, peasants 
 driving cattle, 376 guineas; and a Paul Potter, A 
 Farmyard with cattle and figures, " acknowledged 
 by the artist to have been his masterpiece," origin- 
 ally painted for the family of Slingleant, 1,450 
 guineas (Campbell). The thirty-two pictures 
 realized ,£7,099 135. The sale which, above all 
 others, was to have rendered the year 1806 cele- 
 brated in the annals of picture sales, did not take 
 place. The collection formed by Mr. Welbore 
 Ellis Agar, chiefly through Gavin Hamilton, who 
 (see p. 59) brought a large number of pictures to 
 this country from Rome and other cities in Italy, 
 was announced by Mr. Christie for May 2nd, 1806. 
 There were in all sixty-five pictures, the sizes of 
 which are given in the catalogue, printed in French ; 
 but the entire collection was privately purchased 
 
7 6 
 
 PICTURE SALES, 1807. 
 
 by Lord Grosvenor for 30,000 guineas. Deprived 
 of the privilege of selling the Agar collection, Mr. 
 Christie offered to his clients, on May 1 7th, a small 
 selection of twenty-four pictures, the property of 
 H . R. H . the Duke of Gloucester, the most important 
 works being R. Wilson, The Death of Niobe, — 
 " the celebrated chef-d' ceuvre of the immortal 
 Wilson, engraved by Woollett," 800 guineas ; and 
 Andrea del Sarto, a Holy Family known as the 
 " Madonna del Sacco," and purchased at Rome 
 by the duke, 600 guineas. 
 
 An anonymous collection, sold on February 
 7th, 1807, ca H s f° r special examination, inasmuch 
 as it contained three good pictures, Schalken, Le 
 Concert de Famille, an interior with five persons, 
 230 guineas — this work has been engraved by 
 Wille ; C. du Jardin, A Cavalier watering his 
 horse at a brook during a halt from the chace, 
 250 guineas; and a highly important work of 
 Rubens, The Return of Peace to the City of Ant- 
 werp, the latter allegorically represented as a 
 beautiful female embraced by Pallas, who has put 
 sedition under her feet, in the distance a storm 
 dispersing, 950 guineas. During the next week 
 (February 14th) the capital and valuable finished 
 and unfinished original works of the distinguished 
 artist John Russell, Esq., R.A., crayon painter to 
 His Majesty, the Prince of Wales and Duke of 
 York, came up for sale (and a still further consign- 
 ment on March 25th) ; and on the 26th, 27th, and 
 28th the pictures of " one of the principal pro- 
 prietors of the European Museum, retiring from 
 
THE LAFONTAINE SALES. 
 
 77 
 
 the concern," came under the hammer, but neither 
 sale calls for details. 
 
 The remaining works of " that great genius and 
 distinguished artist, James Barry, Esq., deceased," 
 occupied Mr. Christie on April ioth and nth, 
 1807, but very few of the 141 lots need detain us. 
 We may mention, however, the justly celebrated 
 chef-d' ceuvre, Pandora receiving her Presents from 
 the Gods, 230 guineas, the finished study of 
 his great picture on the walls of the Society of 
 Arts in the Adelphi ; an unfinished Portrait of Dr. 
 Johnson, 30 guineas ; and A Temptation of Adam, 
 100 guineas. Quite an epidemic of sales of "the 
 remaining works " of recently deceased artists ap- 
 pears to have broken out in this year ; for in addi- 
 tion to the two already mentioned, on April 27th, 
 " the select and reserved collection of portraits of 
 the eminent and very celebrated artist," George 
 Romney, was offered for sale, but very few of the 
 articles were actually sold ; they were reserved, in 
 fact, until May, 1894, when they came up at 
 Christie's once more. 
 
 The principal picture sale of 1 807 was the earlier 
 of the two of M. Lafontaine, a very successful 
 dealer of Paris, and through whose hands a large 
 number of highly important works passed. For 
 convenience we bracket the tw r o sales together. 
 The earlier of the two, that of June 13th, 1807, 
 included the celebrated Rembrandt, now in the 
 National Gallery, the Woman taken in Adultery, 
 5,000 guineas ; the equally famous Claude, A Land- 
 scape, with figures representing the marriage fes- 
 
78 
 
 THE LAFONTAINE SALES. 
 
 tival of Isaac and Rebecca, known also as "II 
 Molino, or Claude's Mill," from the composition in- 
 cluding a picturesque water-mill, 800 guineas ; this 
 picture is also in the National Gallery. There 
 were several other Claudes, notably The Grotto of 
 Neptune, 410 guineas ; and Landscape and seaport, 
 1,900 guineas; Rembrandt, a Sea piece, with numer- 
 ous vessels and a yacht from which the Statholder 
 and suite have put off in a barge of State, 470 
 guineas ; Rubens, Portrait of Helena Forman and 
 child, in a landscape by Breughel, ^290 ; Leonardo 
 da Vinci, St. Jerome seated under a Tree, 440 
 guineas ; and Correggio, Virgin and Child with St. 
 John, from the Modena collection, 3,000 guineas. 
 The second of the two sales, June 12th, 181 1, 
 was, like the first, anonymous, although the ven- 
 dor's identity was in each case well known. The 
 great picture on this occasion was the celebrated 
 Rembrandt, The Master Ship-builder, " known 
 throughout Europe as the finest performance in his 
 second manner," and purchased for 5,000 guineas 
 by Lord Yarmouth for the Prince of Wales (George 
 IV.) ; this picture is now in the Royal Collection, 
 Buckingham Palace. Lord Yarmouth also purchased 
 Adrian Van de Velde, Peasants and cattle reposing 
 beneath a woody bank, 1,800 guineas; Wouver- 
 man, Hay Harvest, "a perfect chef-d* oeuvre, in 
 which all the excellencies of this master are beauti- 
 fully combined," 1,700 guineas ; A. Ostade, Flemish 
 Family's Repast, one of this artist's very finest 
 interiors, 1,000 guineas; and Teniers, A Flemish 
 Village Fete, a composition of nearly 200 figures, 
 
THE LAFONTAINE SALES. 
 
 79 
 
 comprising a religious procession, a brawl, a group 
 of dancers, tables spread with viands, and peasants 
 regaling, 1,650 guineas. The other pictures in- 
 cluded— F. Mieris, Lady Stringing Pearls, seated 
 at a table covered with a rich Turkey carpet, on 
 which is a silver vase and salver, 280 guineas — 
 this is the celebrated " l'Enfileuse de perles," 
 afterwards in the Talleyrand Collection ; Vandyck, 
 Christ Healing the Lame Man, 1 a composition 
 chiefly of three figures, engraved by De Jode as 
 " Tolle Crabbatum,"^346; Salvator Rosa, A Grand 
 Landscape with broken hilly grounds and detached 
 rocks, 290 guineas ; G. Poussin, A Grand Land- 
 scape, 290 guineas ; Guercino, The Woman 
 taken in Adultery, from the palace of Cambiaso, 
 Genoa, 240 guineas ; J. Both, A Grand Landscape, 
 with figures, the Baptism of the Eunuch, 1,550 
 guineas ; and W. Van de Velde, A Calm, with a 
 fleet at anchor, and a vessel and yachts in motion, 
 950 guineas. Although all these prices are duly 
 copied from Mr. Christie's catalogue, it is highly 
 probable that several of them are fictitious. The 
 Wouverman, as well as the Rembrandt and Van de 
 Velde passed into the Prince of Wales's possession, 
 and, after adorning the walls of Carlton House, were 
 subsequently removed to Buckingham Palace ; but 
 the Prince is understood to have acquired them at 
 much lower than the published amounts. Several 
 pictures, moreover, were admittedly bought in. 
 On Saturday, June 20th, 1807, " a most capital 
 
 1 By some extraordinary blunder Redford quotes this picture 
 as having realized ,£3,800 at this sale. 
 
8o 
 
 SALES IN 1807. 
 
 and valuable collection of pictures, the property of 
 an eminent collector, purchased by him chiefly in 
 the course of several tours on the Continent," came 
 under the hammer, and appears to have included 
 a few good things, notably a chef-d'oeuvre of 
 Rubens, A Holy Family, formerly the altarpiece 
 of the Theatine Convent at Munich (and possibly 
 the picture referred to by Van Hassett as "pro- 
 venait de la collection de Lord Scarborough "), 
 800 guineas ; and another by the same artist, 
 Fathers of the Church, 195 guineas. A few 
 other sales of this year may be here dealt with 
 collectively. On June 2nd, 3rd and 5th, Mr. 
 Christie sold the Museum and entire stock of Mr. 
 Innocent, " retiring from the business and removed 
 from his house at the corner of Little Newport 
 Street " ; the stock comprised a great assortment 
 of stones, agates, crystals, miniatures, shells, 
 minerals, carvings in ivory, eight small stained 
 glass gothic windows, and, last but not least, 
 " the cap in which King Charles I. was beheaded," 
 and which, in spite of the fact that it was 
 "well authenticated," only realized £2 15s. On 
 October 2nd "a vast assemblage of curious and 
 singularly fine Hyacinths and other bulbous roots 
 of the rarest kinds and in every variety," came up 
 for sale at Christies, and this was probably the 
 first consignment of the kind sold by auction in 
 England ; the experiment was apparently a suc- 
 cess, for on November 3rd another importation 
 came under Christie's hammer. 
 
 Only one sale in 1808 calls for special notice. 
 
CHRISTIE'S AUCTION ROOMS. 
 By T. Rowlandson. From " The Microcosm of London," plate 8. 
 
inoofl y.oiryjK:mi-tPAm» assortI 
 
MR. SPEAKER LENTHALLS PICTURES. 8 1 
 
 A dozen pictures, " the property of John Lenthall, 
 Esq., being a choice part of the collection formed 
 by William Lenthall, Speaker of the Long Parlia- 
 ment, who died in 1662, since which time the 
 paintings have never been out of the family man- 
 sion at Burford (Oxfordshire), from which they 
 have recently been brought." The only work in 
 this small collection which calls for special notice 
 was a group of seven life-size pictures by Holbein, 
 the arms of the principal figures emblazoned over 
 the heads of each ; the picture measured 1 5 feet x 
 10 feet, and was bought in at 1,000 guineas. 
 Wornum states that this picture is considered to 
 be made up from Holbein's drawing at Basel, and 
 other figures introduced by a later hand in 1593, 
 fifty years after the death of Holbein ; it is now 
 in possession of Mrs. Strickland, of Cokethorpe 
 Park, Witney. 
 
 The year 1809, like its predecessor, was barren 
 in good picture sales. Only one (February 24th) 
 may be mentioned, that of the late Sir H. T. Gott, 
 of Newland Park, near Chalfont St. Peter's, Bucks, 
 but only two or three realized over 100 guineas, 
 e.g., J. and A. Both, An Italian Landscape, with 
 cattle and figures, 155 guineas, and a Wouver- 
 man, Romantic Landscape, with a halt of sports- 
 men, 120 guineas. The most attractive sale of 
 the year took place on June 3rd, and comprised 
 "a very rare and exceedingly curious assemblage 
 of valuable articles actually designed as presents 
 to Bonaparte when first Consul of France, inter- 
 cepted by English cruisers at the Rio de la Plata 
 
 I. G 
 
82 THE HON. C. F. GREVILLE's COLLECTION. 
 
 and elsewhere on their passage to Europe." These 
 articles included a Chinese pleasure yacht chiefly 
 composed of ivory, 6 feet long x 6 feet high, " of 
 the most surprising and elaborate workmanship," 
 240 guineas ; and a fan of the very finest Japan 
 lacquer on the talipat leaf, " probably the only 
 article of the kind ever seen in the western world," 
 30 guineas. 
 
 A number of important sales took place during 
 1810. The earliest of these, March 16th and 
 1 7th, comprised " original pictures from Spain, 
 the actual property of a noble family, expedited to 
 this country on their late removal from Seville " ; 
 but the two days' sale only produced ^871, and 
 only one picture need be specified, a Murillo, An 
 Old Woman eating porridge, 7 1 guineas. During 
 the last few days of March and the first few days 
 in April, Mr. Christie was busy dispersing the 
 extensive collections of pictures, furniture, wines, 
 books, snuff boxes, jewellery, prints, and so forth, 
 of the late Hon. C. F. Greville, F.R.S., F.A.S., 
 etc. The collection of 99 pictures was sold on 
 March 31st, producing a total of ^4,144 us. 
 The majority were probably good old copies after 
 the great Italian masters ; but a few first-class 
 works occurred in this sale, notably R. Wilson, 
 Apollo and Diana slaying the children of Niobe, 
 apparently one of the two duplicates of the picture 
 in the National Gallery, 205 guineas ; Rubens, 
 Loves of the Centaurs, in a landscape, 6 10 guineas, 
 purchased by the Marquis of Douglas, and again 
 sold with the Hamilton Palace Collection in 1882. 
 
THE SECOND WALSH PORTER SALE. 
 
 83 
 
 But the great sale of the year was the second 
 Walsh Porter collection, on Saturday, April 14th, 
 when 52 lots realized the total of ,£30,074 19^., the 
 record amount of a day's sale at Christie's, up to 
 and for long after the year 18 10. We have already 
 seen that Mr. Walsh Porter had sold one collection 
 seven years previously, and that collection was, at 
 the time, regarded as an excellent one. This 
 second collection, which comprised specimens of 
 nearly all the great masters of every foreign 
 school, is described by the auctioneer as " a 
 superb assemblage, well known to the more dis- 
 tinguished cognoscenti, but which has never been 
 generally exhibited," and further as " scarcely to 
 be equalled by even the finest that has been con- 
 signed to this country within the last ten years." 
 The sale was without the least reserve, and 
 the catalogues, without which no person was 
 admitted on the day of the sale, were sold at 
 half-a-crown each. The more important of the 
 pictures were the following : — Jan Steen, Exterior 
 of a Cabaret, with skittle-ground, near a fortified 
 town, several groups, from the Neuilly collection, 
 194 guineas ; Van der Heyden, A view of the Stadt- 
 house, Amsterdam, 220 guineas; Ruysdael, The 
 Mill, now at Buckingham Palace, 290 guineas ; 
 Carlo Dolci, Virgin and child, with flowers, 300 
 guineas ; Guido, St. Apollonia and the Executioner, 
 with cherub, from the Orleans collection, 330 
 guineas ; Metzu, Lady with a harpsichord, and 
 cavalier, from the Choiseul collection, 250 guineas ; 
 A. Ostade, Boors smoking, 260 guineas ; Wynants 
 
8 4 
 
 THE WALSH PORTER SALE. 
 
 and Wouverman, Forest scene, with figures hawk- 
 ing, 320 guineas, purchased by Lord Yarmouth 
 for the Prince of Wales ; Wouverman, Camp 
 scene with a beggar, 300 guineas ; Leonardo da 
 Vinci, Virgin and child with cherries, sculptured 
 pedestal and landscape, 810 guineas; Giorgione, 
 Venus and Cupid stung by a bee, in landscape, 
 from the Orleans collection, 320 guineas ; Vandyck, 
 St. Sebastian and soldiers, 850 guineas, and Virgin, 
 with Infant standing on her knee, with Magdalen, 
 David, and the good Thief, 750 guineas ; Teniers, 
 Group of fishermen on beach, 610 guineas, and 
 Village Surgeon, from the Chevalier De Venee's 
 collection, engraved, 240 guineas; Gerard Dow, Old 
 Woman with a candle, 200 guineas ; Rembrandt, 
 Head of a Rabbi, 194 guineas ; P. Veronese, Mar- 
 riage of the Virgin, with many figures, from the 
 Corsini Palace, 350 guineas ; N. Poussin, Holy 
 Family, 610 guineas ; G. Poussin, Woody valley, 
 with goatherd and figures, from the Corsini 
 Palace, 6oo guineas ; A. Carracci, Silenus and 
 Apollo, designed for a harpsichord, from the 
 Lanzelotti Palace, engraved, 300 guineas, pur- 
 chased by Mr. Angerstein and now in the National 
 Gallery; Murillo, a pair from the Capuchin Con- 
 vent, Genoa, Magdalen in prayer, choir of angels, 
 420 guineas; and a Riposo with angels, 1,000 
 guineas ; Titian, Adoration of the Kings, with 
 one of the kings alighted from a white horse, 
 presented to Charles V. by the Spanish Court, 
 520 guineas ; Titian, Ariadne in Naxos, known 
 as " the Bacchanalian Scene," one of the four 
 
THE WALSH PORTER SALE. 
 
 85 
 
 pictures painted for Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, 
 1,500 guineas, — the catalogue contains a long 
 description of this work, " which agrees with the 
 picture No. 450 in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, 
 of which this was either a fine copy or a replica, as 
 it brought this high price " (Redford) — the present 
 whereabouts of this picture is not known ; Guido, 
 St. Jerome and Angel, from the Balbi Palace, 610 
 guineas ; Bassano, Conversion of a Princess, with 
 a bishop, and cherubs, from Corsini Palace, 310 
 guineas ; Andrea del Sarto, Virgin with the young 
 Christ and St. John, 1,150 guineas (Buchanan); 
 Domenichino, St. Cecilia, holding palm in right 
 hand, and scroll of music in the left, group of 
 angels near, and before her the organ, a wreath of 
 roses round her head, formerly in the Pallavicini 
 collection, 1,750 guineas (the same) ; three highly 
 important Claudes, The Enchanted Castle, a bay, 
 with castle on the shore in middle ground, and 
 fine trees, female figure in a pensive attitude 
 seated in foreground, figures in a boat in the bay, 
 some deer near, 900 guineas (the same) — sketched 
 by Claude, No. 162, " Liber Veritatis," and 
 the picture painted for the Conestabile collection 
 in 1664, subsequently passing into the possession 
 of Mr. Davenant, Mr. Chauncy, M. de Calonne, 
 Mr. Froward, Mr. Walsh Porter, Mr. Wells, of 
 Redleaf, and finally into the Overstone collection, 
 where it now is ; Sinon before Priam and his 
 suite, with guards to the right, Troy on the left on 
 a hill, and the Trojan camp, from the Ghigi 
 Palace, No. 145, " Liber Veritatis " 2,750 guineas ; 
 
86 
 
 MINOR SALES, l8lO. 
 
 and ^Eneas shooting deer on the coast of Lybia, 
 Achates and followers, woody landscape, with 
 several temples and ancient buildings, from the 
 Colonna Palace, 600 guineas ; two by Rubens, 
 Pan and Syrinx, from the collection of the Due 
 de Montesquieu, cabinet size, engraved, 1,000 
 guineas, and The Painter as St. George, preceded 
 by his three wives, one as Mary Magdalen, 
 standing in front before the Virgin seated with 
 the Infant, St. Jerome kneeling, with winged boy 
 holding book, group of angels in sky, formerly in 
 the Balbi Palace at Genoa, 2,050 guineas ; P. 
 Veronese, Venus and Cupid, from the Colonna 
 Palace, 770 guineas ; Correggio, Danae receiving 
 the shower of gold, rather smaller than life — this 
 picture is referred to at length in Mengs' " Life " 
 of the Artist (see also p. 71), 2,050 guineas. 
 
 Subsequent sales held during the year 18 10 
 suffer much by comparison with the Walsh Porter 
 sensation. The collection of Sir Philip Stephens 
 was sold on May 17th, on the premises, 2, Great 
 Cumberland Crescent, Oxford Street, by order of 
 Viscount Ranelagh, but of the hundred pictures 
 we need only refer to Teniers, The Gazette, four 
 men and the newsman, from the Orleans collection, 
 ^450 ; A. Cuyp, A Grand Landscape, morning 
 scene, a river, a horseman in the middle of the 
 foreground, and other figures, with cows, 48 x 63J, 
 1,600 guineas, and an Evening Scene, bank of river 
 with cows and herdsman, fisherman's basket in 
 front and a heron hiding in the rushes, 1,000 
 guineas. Caleb Whitefoord's collection was sold by 
 
MINOR SALES, l8lO. 
 
 87 
 
 Mr. Christie on May 4th and 5th, but it contained 
 no pictures of importance — Whitefoord is painted 
 by Wilkie as the hero in the well-known picture 
 of The Letter of Introduction. On May 25th and 
 26th, Mr. Christie sold the pictures and works 
 of art in marble and bronze of the late Marquis of 
 Lansdowne, removed from Lansdowne House, and 
 including a pair by Salvator Rosa, Diogenes casting 
 away his Golden Cup, 980 guineas; and Heraclitus 
 contemplating, surrounded with decaying pyramids, 
 obelisks, spoils of war, skeletons, etc., 950 guineas, 
 both from Sir George Yonge's collection, and both 
 bought in ; also 38 pictures by order of the 
 assignees of Michael Bryan, author of the " Dic- 
 tionary of Painters " ; and also of a number of 
 pictures the property of "a collector distinguished 
 for his refined taste," which included Murillo, 
 Madonna and child, 650 guineas ; and the Assump- 
 tion of the Virgin, " a beautiful little gem," 140 
 guineas ; and several examples of Teniers, Wouver- 
 man, A. del Sarto, N. Poussin, and Sir Antonio 
 More's Portrait of Queen Mary, 180 guineas. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1811— 1847. 
 
 WILLIAM YOUNG OTTLEY — DUCA SAN PIETRO — DUKE OF ROX- 
 BURGHE — HENRY HOPE — J. F. TUFFEN — PH. PANNE" — 
 BENJAMIN WEST — ARTHURCHAMPERNOWNE — MARCHIONESS 
 
 OF THOMOND JOHN LAMB — MARQUIS OF BUTE FONTHILL 
 
 — G. WATSON TAYLOR — DAVID GARRICK — NOLLEKENS — 
 MADAME MURAT — SIR M. M. SYKES — H.R.H. THE DUKE OF 
 
 YORK EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES — DUKE OF BEDFORD — LORD 
 
 DE TABLEY — LORD CARYSFOOT — GEORGE CANNING — LORD 
 GWYDYR — SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE — EARL OF MULGRAVE — 
 LORD C. TOWNSHEND — W. G. COESVELT — SIR SIMON H. 
 CLARKE — JOHN PENRICE — EDMUND HIGGINSON OF SALT- 
 MARSHE — EDWARD SOLLY. 
 
 HE first important sale of 181 1 (May 
 25th) comprised the " capital and 
 highly valuable assemblage, chiefly 
 of distinguished Italian, and a few 
 Spanish, French, Flemish and Dutch 
 
 pictures of the finest class, the genuine and entire 
 collection " of William Young Ottley, the distin- 
 guished collector and connoisseur, whose first col- 
 lection, as we have seen, was sold at Christie's in 
 1 80 1. The present portion comprised ninety-two 
 lots, and of these, the most important were Barto- 
 lommeo di San Marco, Mary Magdalen carried to 
 Heaven by Angels, an unfinished work on panel, 
 
MAECENAS IN PURSUIT OF THE FINE ARTS. 
 
 From a print by James Gillray, published May 9, 1808. 
 
 This print exhibits the portico of Christie's old rooms in Pall Mall ; 
 attached to the door-post is the usual catalogue, advertising in this 
 instance, u 800 Capital Pictures to be Sold by Mr. Christie, February 
 1st, 1808." The snow is lying on the railings. A brisk, stooping 
 figure, clapping his hands for warmth, and wearing a spencer and 
 gaiters, and blue spectacles, represents Maecenas, the Marquis of 
 Stafford (the first Duke of Sutherland), as he actually appeared 
 engaged in forming the celebrated Stafford Collection. 
 
; IlnU- llfiSf at amocn bto iMwP 
 airfl ru ^fjiginovb/i ^u^ol&Jjs b;uai 
 Yinujd^'T \phehdO :iM yd bfo£ ;xf 
 
 :Jidirbw jniiq e, 
 nnh erft nt bor 
 
 // i<i't zbttfid eid ^fiiqqjjb 
 jjjci lo sduCl sdi) b 
 
THE OTTLEY SALES. 
 
 8 9 
 
 supposed to have been painted for Leo X., when 
 Cardinal, whose portrait is introduced in the lower 
 part of the picture, 120 guineas ; Bassano, Jacob's 
 Journey, 220 guineas ; Guercino, A Man in 
 Armour, supposed to be intended to represent 
 the famous Scanderberg, " one of the finest of this 
 artist," from the Albani Palace at Rome, 240 
 guineas ; Raphael, Vision of a Christian Knight, 
 from the Borghese Palace, 380 guineas, — purchased 
 probably, according to Redford, for Sir Thomas 
 Lawrence, from whose possession it passed into 
 Lady Sykes's collection, whence it passed into the 
 Rev. Thomas Egerton's hands, and was purchased 
 for the National Gallery, in 1847, f° r 100 guineas; 
 G. Poussin, Landscape and figures, from the 
 Colonna Palace, 650 guineas ; Murillo, Virgin 
 and Child, apparently cut from its straining-frame 
 with a sabre and rolled up, was brought to this 
 country by a gentleman in the British Service, 
 soon after the English had possession of Cadiz, and 
 " was probably a part of the pillage which the 
 French troops found inconvenient to carry with 
 them ; " and has " evidently been the altarpiece 
 of a chapel," 380 guineas ; Andrea del Sarto, 
 Chanty, brought from France to Dublin, many 
 years ago, by the Attorney-General Tyndale — 
 there is a fresco of the same subject in a Cloister 
 at Florence — 480 guineas ; and Titian, Europa, 
 a study, 270 guineas. In several instances, the 
 pictures in this sale did not reach the reserve put 
 upon them, as they came up for sale again (after 
 Ottley's death,) on March 4th, 1837, when the 
 
90 THE DUCA DI SAN PIETRO COLLECTION. 
 
 Titian sketch (of which the catalogue contained 
 an engraving) fell to 148 guineas ; Rembrandt's 
 Bathsheba declined from ^180 to 105 guineas; 
 Bassano's Jacob's Journey, from 220 guineas to 41 
 guineas ; and the companion picture of Dives and 
 Lazarus, from £yg to 30 guineas. 
 
 The principal sale of the year, however, was an 
 anonymous one, which took place on June 22nd, 
 and comprised pictures from the collection of the 
 Duca di San Pietro. The examples of the work 
 of Rubens, Rembrandt, Leonardo, Spagnoletto, 
 and Alessandro Veronese, were of a highly impor- 
 tant character, judging by the prices at which they 
 were knocked down. One of the two Rembrandts, 
 The Calling of St. Matthew, is described as " a very 
 capital and beautiful easel picture, painted with 
 great spirit of outline, and a most brilliant and 
 harmonious display of colour ; " it was apparently 
 bought in at 1,450 guineas; the Leonardo was 
 a Portrait of a female in white bodice, and low 
 embroidered turban cap, "a brunette with the 
 most pleasing regularity of feature," "the figure 
 simply relieved by a curtain of emerald green," 
 3,000 guineas. The Spagnoletto, St. Sebastien, a 
 female drawing an arrow from a wound and 
 another bearing the ointment, 3,000 guineas ; and 
 Alessandro Veronese, Murder of the Innocents, 
 2,900 guineas ; these three, like the Rembrandt, 
 were almost certainly bought in, and to a number 
 of the other pictures no prices are attached. It is 
 interesting to note in connection with this sale 
 that, after the death of the Duke, some of the 
 
SALES FROM 18101819. 
 
 91 
 
 pictures which had been offered in this sale, came 
 again under the hammer on July 10th, 18 13, not, 
 however, at Christie's, but at Squibb's, when ex- 
 ceedingly small prices were realized — the best 
 were Murillo, A Boy Sleeping, 36 x 27, 500 
 guineas ; and Rembrandt, Semiramis at her Toilet 
 hearing of the revolt of Babylon, which introduces 
 in the foreground portraits of the wife of the 
 artist in profile, his mother and himself, 66 x 48, 
 800 guineas. Mr. Redford quotes a number of 
 the eighty-three pictures which realized less than 
 £100. 
 
 Although Christie's annual volumes of catalogues 
 show a progressive growth in size, and the sales a 
 constant increase in number, the picture sales from 
 1 8 10 to 1819 included very few of importance. 
 We may mention, however, the sale of William Nor- 
 ton Pitt's pictures, June 1st, 181 1, which realized 
 ^1,934 55.; and also that some of the effects of 
 the Duke of Queensberry ("old Q " ) were sold 
 on August 30th, 181 2. During 181 2 the sales in- 
 cluded the pictures collected by Bishop Hoadley 
 and Dr. Hoadley, January 21st (total £934 16^.) ; 
 some Italian pictures, the property of Edmund 
 Burke, on June 5th (total ^2,018 12s. 6d.) ; the 
 late Duke of Roxburghe's " fashionable plate," 
 June nth, realized the very high amount of 
 £33,646 8s. The late Bishop of Ely's extensive 
 collection of engraved British and foreign por- 
 traits occupied 12 days in selling, from March 1st, 
 1 8 1 3, with the apparently poor result of ,£1,759 2s. 
 The most important sale during the nine years was 
 
92 THE HENRY HOPE COLLECTION. 
 
 that of Henry Hope's collection, which occupied 
 three days from June 27th, 1816, and included 286 
 pictures, which showed a total of ,£14,466. Four 
 of the most interesting works were purchased by 
 Lord Yarmouth for the Prince Regent, and are 
 now in the Royal Collections, namely, two por- 
 traits by Vandyck, the artist himself as Paris, 360 
 guineas; and Gaston, Due d'Orleans, 390 guineas ; 
 Rubens, Assumption of the Virgin, 240 guineas, 
 at Windsor ; and a Rembrandt, portrait of Burgo- 
 master Pancras and wife, ^300, now at Bucking- 
 ham Palace ; Vandyck's portraits of De Vos and 
 his Wife, 80 guineas and 100 guineas respectively ; 
 Rubens, Woman taken in Adultery, 2,000 guineas 
 ■ — the highest price in the sale ; and the Assump- 
 tion of the Virgin, 250 guineas ; Murillo, Holy 
 Family, from the Calonne collection, ^320 ; 
 Guido, Magdalen, 210 guineas, and Salvator 
 Mundi, ^215, and two other pictures attributed 
 to this master, and a pair by Albano, the Bath of 
 Diana, and Apollo recalled to Heaven, (purchased 
 by Lord Yarmouth) for 147 guineas. The Due 
 d'Alberg's pictures were sold at Christie's on June 
 13th of the following year, the sixty-seven lots 
 realizing a nominal total of ,£2,162, but most of 
 them were bought in ; the chief prices were, Do- 
 menichino, Landscape, 1,000 guineas ; Correggio, 
 Christ's Agony in the Garden, ^367 ; Albano, St. 
 Teresa in Prayer, 200 guineas ; G. Poussin, Mount 
 Parnassus, with figures by P. da Cortona, 200 
 guineas ; and the companion picture, 240 guineas, 
 — both these latter were painted for the Palavicini 
 
J. f. tuffen's sale. 
 
 93 
 
 Palace, Rome ; Metzu, Woman cleaning Fish, 160 
 guineas — this picture passed into the Beckford 
 collection, and from thence into that of Mr. 
 Higginson, and was again sold at Christie's in 
 1846 ; and Jan Steen, The Artist and his family at 
 dinner, ^"362. 
 
 On Friday, May 9th, 18 17, and three following 
 week days, the pictures and so forth, of William 
 Beckford of Fonthill, realized ,£4,339 gs. 6d. Mr. 
 J. F. Tuffen's collection of ninety-four pictures 
 was sold on April 11th, 18 18, and produced, with 
 the bronzes, Etruscan vases, sculpture, etc., sold on 
 the same day, the total of ^4,253 $s. ; it included, 
 Jan Steen, a Cabaret scene, the hostess presenting 
 wine to a man seated on a barrel under a trellis, 
 12J x 9J, from the collection of the Due de 
 Valentinois, 245 guineas ; Wouverman, A Fair, 
 from the same collection, 13 x 14, 120 guineas; 
 A. Van de Velde, Cattle feeding, with boy and 
 girl, n|- x 16, from the Heathcote collection, 
 180 guineas; A. Ostade, Interior, with Boors 
 playing Trie Trac, from the Orleans Gallery, 340 
 guineas ; Isaac Ostade, Door of a Cabaret, with 
 Boors drinking, and a white horse, 14 x 13, from 
 the collection of the Comte de Vaudreuil, 20 x 14, 
 200 guineas; W. Mieris, Interior, with a Show- 
 man and a Dutch family, from the collection of 
 Lady Holderness, 23 x 19J, 330 guineas ; 
 and Teniers, an Open-air Concert before the artist's 
 house, Teniers playing a violoncello, with his 
 wife and family, 16 x 13, ^173. 
 
 In 18 1 9, March 26th, and two following days, 
 
94 
 
 THE PANNE COLLECTION. 
 
 the collection of 350 pictures, by the old masters ) 
 of Ph. Panne, of Great George Street, Hanover 
 Square, came under the hammer at Christie's. 
 There were many good things in this collection of 
 350 pictures, although there were no sensational 
 prices. Special mention may be made of the 
 following : — P. de Hooghe, The Cradle, mother 
 suckling infant, with spaniel and servant, 32 x 36, 
 £"174 ; Leonardo, Virgin, Child in her lap, stretch- 
 ing oat his arms, foliage background, 41 x 32, 
 280 guineas ; Giorgione, Concert of four figures, 
 said to be portraits of two Italian poets and their 
 mistresses, from the Udny collection, 32 x 40 
 (Lord Yarmouth), 277 guineas. This collection is 
 especially noticeable on account of the several first- 
 class examples of Correggio which it contained, 
 viz., Danae, 60 x 76, from the Udny collection, 309 
 guineas (see p. 86) ; Virgin, with child in her lap, 
 34 x 27, 250 guineas ; The Virgin with the Infant 
 Christ on her knee, with workbasket, and St. 
 Joseph at his carpenters bench, " La Vierge au 
 Panier," 14JX 11 \, 240 guineas, " apparently the 
 beautiful picture in the National Gallery, No. 23, 
 which was purchased of Mr. C. J. Nieuwenhuys 
 for ,£3,800 in 1825" (Redford). No total of this 
 sale is given, but the second day realized ,£3,397, 
 and the third day, £"6,125. A notable sale of 
 1 8 19 comprised the painted Greek vases of the late 
 Sir John Coghill, Bart., June 1 8th and 19th, realiz- 
 ing the then high amount of ,£2,557 4s. 6d. 
 
 The two principal sales of 1820 were those 
 of Arthur Champernowne and Benjamin West, 
 
BENJAMIN WEST'S SALES. 
 
 95 
 
 P.R.A. West, who succeeded Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds in the Presidency of the Royal Academy, 
 was, like his distinguished predecessor, not only 
 an artist, but an eminent collector of objects of 
 art. There were two sales, the earlier and more 
 important taking place at the artist's late residence 
 in Newman Street, on June 23rd and 24th, 1820, 
 and the second on May 28th, 1824. Mr. Christie 
 was the auctioneer on both occasions. Mr. Red- 
 ford gives a fairly exhaustive list of the articles 
 included in the earlier sale, and places the total at 
 about ^15,000. The principal pictures were the 
 following: — Metzu, Lady playing Viol di Gamba, 
 gentleman with a flute, and two others in the back- 
 ground, \Z\ x 1 5^, 150 guineas; Rembrandt, 
 Abraham and the Angels, dated 1646, x 8|-, 
 290 guineas ; and a forest scene, with figures, 
 16 x 14 (S. Rogers), 200 guineas ; A. Carracci, 
 Death of St. Francis, and a choir of Angels, 
 27^-x 19I-, 1 94 guineas; P. Veronese, The Offering 
 of the Wise Men, 39x53, 120 guineas; four 
 examples of Titian, the Magdalen in landscape, 
 47 x 37> : 5° guineas ; the Bath of Diana, 27 x 36, 
 study for the picture in the Stafford Gallery, 610 
 guineas ; the Last Supper, study for the picture in 
 the Escurial, 29J x 40, 435 guineas — apparently 
 bought in, as it was again sold in the West Sale of 
 1824, this time realizing only 250 guineas (it is 
 now in the Overstone Collection of Lord Wantage) 
 — and the most important work in the sale, The 
 Death of Actaeon, 49 x 71, formerly in the collec- 
 tion of Charles I., to whom it was presented by the 
 
9 6 
 
 THE WEST SALES. 
 
 King of Spain, 1,700 guineas ; Pynacker, A glow- 
 ing Landscape with arched gateway, 38J x 50^, 
 ^"299 ; N. Poussin, Landscape, with Cephalus and 
 Procris, 25^x32, 205 guineas, and a Moonlight 
 Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe, 25^x37, 
 180 guineas; Giorgione, Knight in armour, the 
 head bare, a whole length portrait, said to be of 
 Gaston de Foix, was purchased for 140 guineas 
 by Samuel Rogers, and bequeathed by him to the 
 National Gallery in 1855 ; Parmigiano, Virgin and 
 Child, St. John and Magdalen, 26 x 21, from Sir G. 
 Page's collection, 360 guineas ; Wouverman, The 
 Watering place, with the red cap, from the Choiseul 
 collection, 18 x 25, 500 guineas ; Hobbema, River 
 Scene, with fisherman, 18 x 25J, 290 guineas; 
 Rubens, Minerva repelling War from the Throne of 
 James I., 155 guineas; Guido, Ecce Homo, oval 
 on panel, 22 x 16 (S. Rogers), 700 guineas; and 
 Berghem, peasants at door of a stable, and girl 
 milking, 44x39, 450 guineas. The 1824 sale 
 comprised " the remaining pictures of the late 
 Benjamin West," and produced the insignificant 
 total of ^829 1 os. 6d. There was yet a third West 
 sale, and this consisted of pictures, mostly studies 
 for his large works, which Mr. West exhibited in 
 the gallery where he received visitors at his house ; 
 this sale was conducted by George Robins, on May 
 22nd, 23rd, and 25th, 1829. 
 
 The second important sale of 1820 comprised 
 the collection of pictures formed with excellent 
 judgment by the late Arthur Champernowne, 
 " purchased from several distinguished Palaces in 
 
THE CHAMPERNOWNE SALE. 
 
 97 
 
 Italy." The sale took place on June 30th, and 
 produced a total of ^5,688. The principal lots 
 were Rubens, the Horrors of War, 19JX30J, a 
 sketch of the large picture painted in 1637, and 
 now in the Pitti Palace at Florence, 155 guineas, 
 purchased by Samuel Rogers, and now in the 
 National Gallery ; a good copy of Andrea Man- 
 tegna's Triumph, 335 guineas ; Titian, Noli me 
 Tangere, from the cabinet of the Muselli family at 
 Verona, and subsequently in the Orleans col- 
 lection, 315 guineas, purchased by Samuel Rogers 
 and bequeathed by him to the National Gallery in 
 1855; Domenichino, landscape with St. George 
 and Dragon, from Lucien Buonaparte's collection, 
 purchased by the Rev. H. Carr (against S. Rogers), 
 for 410 guineas, and bequeathed by him to the 
 National Gallery in 1831 ; N. Poussin, landscape, 
 and figures (S. Rogers), ^212 ; G. Poussin, land- 
 scape, "The Campagna" ^220 ; Murillo, Adoration 
 of the Shepherds, from a [? the Capuchin] Convent 
 at Genoa, ^430 ; Andrea del Sarto, Holy Family, 
 from the Mari Palace, Genoa, ^410 guineas ; and 
 Fra Bartolommeo, Virgin, Christ and St. John, 
 from the Aldobrandini Palace, Rome, 290 guineas. 
 
 The only important sale of 1821 was one of the 
 greatest interest. It comprised many works of 
 the old masters, and a number of Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds's own pictures, which Sir Joshua had 
 bequeathed, with the bulk of his property, to his 
 favourite niece, Mary Palmer, who married the 
 Marquis of Thomond. The sale took place on 
 May 1 8th and 19th, the pictures and a few bronzes 
 
 1. H 
 
98 
 
 THE THOMOND REYNOLDS'S. 
 
 producing a total of ^15,040 13s.; whilst the 
 collection of Sir Joshua's sketches and drawings by 
 the old masters, sold on the 26th, fetched ^962 
 1 2s. The sale attracted all the ilite of the day, and 
 among those present were the Dukes of Devon- 
 shire and Northumberland ; Lords Egremont, 
 Grosvenor, Bridgwater, Fitzwilliam, Dudley, and 
 Harewood; Sir Charles Long for George IV., 
 and Mr. Alexander Baring. The following list 
 includes the chief works : 
 
 Portrait of the Artist with a Book . 234 gs. Lord Normanton. 
 
 Hope Nursing Love 215 gs. ... Morris. 
 
 Mrs. Hartley as a Bacchante with a 
 
 Child on her Shoulders . . . 290 gs. Lord Carysfoot. 
 Young Girl with Scarlet Muff . . 265 gs. Lord Landsdowne. 
 Gipsy Fortune Teller, 44 x 55 J . 240 gs. ... Gosling. 
 Piping Shepherd Boy with Dog . 410 gs. . Sir G. Philips. 
 Young Shepherdess with Lambs . 210 gs. 
 [? Mrs. Stanhope as] Contemplation, 
 
 55i x 44 145 gs. . . . Pinney- 
 
 Dido on the Funeral Pile, 56 x 94 700 gs. ... Pinney. 
 
 Snake in the Grass 510 gs. Sir John Soane. 
 
 Resignation, elderly man in chair . 125 gs. . . . Pinney. 
 
 Lady Hamilton 202 gs. . . Lambton. 
 
 Sir Joshua in Spectacles . . . . 100 gs. 
 View from Richmond Hill . . . 155 gs. 
 
 Girl with Kitten 295 gs. Lord Normanton. 
 
 Mrs. Stanhope ^"1,105 . . . Pinney. 
 
 Earl of Dunmore, whole length . .114 gs. 
 Admiral Rodney 115 gs. 
 
 The sale included also Sir Joshuas large paint- 
 ings, designed for the New College, Oxford, and 
 which were copied on glass by Jarvis. These 
 pictures, all of which measured about 72x33, were : 
 
THE THOMOND REYNOLDS'S. 
 
 99 
 
 Adoration of the Shepherds (por- 
 traits of Sir Joshua and Jarvis) 1,500 gs. Lord Normanton. 
 Girl, and Children with a Torch . 400 gs. 
 
 Shepherd Boy and Dog .... 650 gs. 
 Young St. John and Lamb . . . 600 gs. 
 
 Charity 1,100 gs. 
 
 Faith 700 gs. 
 
 Hope 350 gs. 
 
 Temperance 600 gs. 
 
 Justice i75 g s - 
 
 Fortitude 400 gs. 
 
 Prudence 410 gs. 
 
 Of the foregoing pictures, it may be mentioned 
 that the Snake in the Grass 1 has found a permanent 
 home in the Soane Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields ; 
 Hope nursing Love is at Stafford House; the 
 fancy portrait of Mrs. Hartley appeared at Lord 
 Carysfoot's sale in 1828, at the Bentley sale in 
 1863, when it was bought in, and again in 1874, 
 when it was purchased by Messrs. Agnew, and is 
 now the property of Lord Rothschild ; the Piping 
 Shepherd Boy is still in possession of Sir George 
 Philips's descendant; the portrait of Mrs. Stanhope 
 as Contemplation appeared in the Munro sale of 
 1878, and was purchased for the Baroness Alphonse 
 de Rothschild ; the Girl with a muff is owned by 
 
 1 This is one of the two genuine duplicates. The original 
 picture, now in the National Gallery (see p. 121), was painted 
 by Sir Joshua for Lord Carysfoot in June, 1788, the price being 
 100 guineas. The second duplicate is in Baron Rothschild's 
 collection. This picture has always been a prime favourite 
 with copyists, and no season's picture sales is complete without 
 several of these copies. 
 
IOO 
 
 EARLY SALE OF ARMOUR. 
 
 the Marquis of Lansdowne ; whilst some of the 
 New College pictures are in possession of the 
 present Lord Normanton, and at least two of these, 
 the Adoration of the Shepherds, and the Shepherd 
 Boy, belong to the Earl Fitzwilliam. 
 
 In March and April of 1821 Mr. Christie was 
 selling the contents of the Gothic Hall, near the 
 Opera Colonnade, Pall Mall. This sale is interest- 
 ing to us chiefly from the fact that it was one 
 of the first in which armour is made a special 
 feature. One of the lots was "a most excellent 
 suit of the early part of Elizabeth's reign," and of 
 about six feet in height ; it was discovered about 
 three years previously in an old convent near 
 Norwich, and now realized thirty guineas. The 
 same sale included what was described as Oliver 
 Cromwell's helmet, which went for a couple of 
 guineas. The most curious lot of all was No. 221, 
 catalogued as the armour of a crusader, and de- 
 scribed as follows : " This ancient Suit of Chain 
 mail is of the utmost rarity, being the only perfect 
 specimen extant : it remained for centuries in Tong 
 Castle in Shropshire, from whence it was obtained 
 by the late Dr. Green, of Litchfield : it is near 
 700 years old, being of the time of King Stephen 
 as set up, including the horse and the highly 
 curious and elaborate armour which covers it (of 
 zvhich we have no memorandum except in ancient 
 illuminations, tapestry, etc.), together with a Nor- 
 man spear and ditto mace, both of which are per- 
 fectly unique." Apparently this valuable relic was 
 not sold ; at all events it subsequently found its 
 
SALES OF l82 2. 
 
 IOI 
 
 way to the Tower of London, where it now is, 
 and where it was revered for many years as 
 having been worn by a Crusader. It is, how- 
 ever, of comparatively modern manufacture, and is 
 certainly not older than the sixteenth century ; the 
 horse is Persian work and the man is Indian of 
 the same period. The suit of armour of Henri IV. 
 of France was offered at the same time, as was 
 also a curious carved stock of an Arcubalista, found 
 about the year 1773 by some labourers working 
 in Bos worth Field (Gentleman's Magazine, Feb- 
 ruary, 1785), but apparently neither lot was sold. 
 
 The year, 1822, which promised to be one of the 
 most successful for Mr. Christie, turned out to be a 
 singularly uninteresting and unprofitable one. On 
 May 14th and 15th, the small collection of pictures, 
 the genuine property of John Lamb, Esq., late of 
 the South Sea House, deceased, well known for 
 his love of the fine arts — who may possibly have 
 been related to Charles Lamb, who was also of the 
 South Sea House — realized ,£1,317 6s. Some 
 pictures from the very noble and extensive collec- 
 tion " of the Marquis of Bute, were sold June 7th 
 and 8th, of the same year, and realized a total of 
 ,£3,628 js. 6d. During the early summer of this 
 year, the rumours of the sale of the magnificent 
 art collections at Fonthill Abbey disturbed the 
 sleeping hours of collectors all over the country, and 
 the newspapers of the period to some extent reflect 
 the excitement which this rumour was causing. 
 During August the following advertisement ap- 
 peared in the Museum and other newspapers : 
 
102 THE FONTHILL ABBEY COLLECTION. 
 
 " Fonthill Abbey. (Now on view.) Mr. Christie 
 has the honour very respectfully to inform the 
 Nobility, Connoisseurs, and the Public, that on 
 Tuesday, October 9th, he will sell by Auction, the 
 very select and valuable collection of Italian, 
 French, Flemish, and Dutch pictures, in the above 
 highly-celebrated mansion, which has been formed 
 under the peculiar advantages of correct judgment 
 and acknowledged taste, by purchases abroad and 
 in this country. 
 
 " Among them will be found, of the Italian 
 School, the Laughing Boy, by L. da Vinci, which 
 was long preserved and admired in the cabinet of 
 the famous Earl of Arundel ; the Sibylla Lybica, 
 by L. Carracci, of gallery size, formerly in the 
 Lansdown Collection ; and Job and his Friends, 
 the celebrated Santa Croce, master-piece of S. 
 Rosa ; and others of the first class, by L. da Vinci, 
 Solario, Perugino, Garofalo, Mazzolino, M. Venusti, 
 Bronzino, Bellini, Bonifaccio, P. Veronese, Bassano, 
 and Domenichino ; of the early painters, A. Man- 
 tegna, V. Eyck, Quintin, Matsys, and A. Durer. 
 
 " Also, the Poulterer's Shop, by G. Dow ; 
 l'Embarquement des Vivres, by Berghem ; and a 
 small Landscape, by ditto, of exquisite beauty ; 
 two by Teniers ; one by Mieris ; one by Poelemborg ; 
 and a Flower Piece, by Van Huysum, all from the 
 Choiseuil and Praslin Cabinets : and various by — 
 Holbein, Sir A. More, Velasquez, Murillo, A. 
 Cano, G. Poussin, Stella, Vernet, Fragonard, Brill, 
 Breughel, Neefs, Rembrandt, Peters, Steenwyck, 
 Wilson, West, Stothard, Decort. 
 
THE FONTHILL ABBEY COLLECTION. IO3 
 
 "N.B. — The View will close on the 29th of 
 September, previous to the Sale. 
 
 " Catalogues may be had of Mr. Hitchcock, on 
 the Single, at Amsterdam; of Mr. Nieuwenhuys, 
 Brussels ; at Mr. Gaglinani's office, Paris ; of Mr. 
 Clarke, Bookseller, Bond Street, London ; and of 
 Mr. Christie, Pall Mall." 
 
 We make no apology for quoting the advertise- 
 ment in its entirety, as although Mr. Christie drew 
 up the catalogue, of which 1,500 were sold at a 
 guinea each, the entire collection was disposed of 
 en bloc, prior to the above date, to a Mr. Farquhar for 
 ,£350,000. The sale of the works of art, furniture, 
 etc., actually took place in September and October 
 of the following year, not, however, under Mr. 
 Christie's hammer, but under that of Mr. Phillips, 
 and consequently does not come within the scope 
 of the present work. 
 
 One of the earliest sales of the year 1823 
 consisted of the choice collection of painted Greek 
 vases, formed by the late Sir Henry Englefield, 
 which came under the hammer March 6th, 7th and 
 8th, and realized ,£2,732 15^. Two very important 
 sales took place in the following June. The earlier 
 one comprised the " town collection " of pictures of 
 Mr. G. Watson Taylor. 1 Mr. Christie's announce- 
 
 1 There is a portrait of G. Watson Taylor, M.P. (who died 
 in 1841), in one of the set of four pictures of patrons of art 
 during the reign of George IV. ; by Pieter Christoph Wonder, 
 in the National Portrait Gallery. He is represented kneeling 
 in front of the famous Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne, with his 
 pale face looking up to Sir John Murray. 
 
104 THE WATSON TAYLOR COLLECTION. 
 
 ment intimated in the advertisements that " on 
 Friday, the 13th of June, and following Day, he 
 will sell by Auction, at his Great Room, Pall Mall, 
 precisely at One o'clock, the very distinguished 
 collection of Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, and 
 English pictures, of the first class, of George 
 Watson Taylor, Esq., being the collection from his 
 town mansion in Cavendish Square. The superb 
 assemblage comprises chefs-dceuvre which have 
 contributed importance to many foreign cabinets, 
 and have been further celebrated by engravings 
 made from them." Among them were " that 
 grand masterpiece " of Parmigiano, the Vision of 
 St. Jerome, originally brought to England by the 
 Marquis of Abercorn about 1 780 from the church of 
 San Salvatore di Lauro, at Citta di Castello, and 
 was purchased at this sale by the Rev. H. Carr for 
 the British Institution for 3,050 guineas, and is now 
 in the National Gallery ; Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, 1 the celebrated 
 
 1 The original picture was bought by M. de Caloiine for 800 
 guineas. At the sale of his pictures in 1795 tne "Tragic Muse" 
 passed into the hands of W. Smith, Esq., M.P. for Norwich, for 
 ^"700. From him Mr. Watson Taylor purchased it for £900, 
 and at his sale in 1822 it was bought by the first Marquis of 
 Westminster for 1,760 guineas. [The correct amount is 1,750 
 guineas.] There is an exquisite replica of the picture at Langley 
 Park, Stowe, the seat of Mr. Harvey, M.P., given by Sir Joshua 
 to Mr. Harvey's grandfather in exchange for a large boar-hunt 
 by Snynders, which Sir Joshua admired, and which used to hang 
 in the place now filled by the " Tragic Muse/' This is certainly 
 the finest example of the picture after the original in the 
 Grosvenor Gallery. The Dulwich replica (which is the one 
 marked in Sir Joshua's account as sold to M. Desenfans in 
 
THE WATSON TAYLOR COLLECTION. 105 
 
 picture, 1,750 guineas (Earl Grosvenor). These 
 were the two great pictures of the sale ; but there 
 were also the following: — J. Steen, An Interior, 
 with women stealing a watch from a youth over- 
 powered with wine and sleep, 200 guineas ; Ruys- 
 dael, a small Landscape, with woody bank, a road, 
 and a pool of water, with traveller and dog, 97 
 guineas ; and a Heath Scene, with a clump of trees 
 on a winding road, the companion, 200 guineas ; 
 David Teniers, the Four Seasons, " exemplified in 
 four beautiful, small, cabinet pictures," from the 
 Talleyrand collection, 180 guineas (Peel, now in 
 National Gallery) ; Sir Joshua Reynolds, the 
 celebrated original portrait of Dr. Samuel John- 
 son, painted for Mrs. Thrale, 470 guineas (Major 
 Thwaites), subsequently in the Peel collection, 
 and now in the National Gallery ; Portrait of 
 Baretti, reading, 100 guineas, and of Arthur 
 Murphy, 90 guineas — both painted for Mrs. 
 Thrale ; Jan Steen, Portraits of the artist and 
 his wife taking an afternoon nap, their children 
 playing tricks, from the D'Alberg collection, 220 
 guineas (Mr. Hume) ; Vandyck, Portrait of Simon 
 Vos, the celebrated animal painter, 182 guineas, 
 and of the wife of De Vos, 340 guineas — the latter 
 was bought by Wells of Redleaf (see also p. 92) ; 
 
 June, 1789, for ^735, ) is inferior, and according to Northcote, 
 was painted by Score, then one of Sir Joshua's assistants. There 
 is a replica (including only the upper part of the figure) in the 
 possession of Mrs. Combe, of Edinburgh ; and another, a full- 
 length, in Lord Normanton's gallery, of the history of which I 
 am not informed. — Leslie and Taylor's Life, ii. p. 424. 
 
I06 THE WATSON TAYLOR COLLECTION. 
 
 Rubens, Lions at Play, 315 guineas; Wouverman, 
 Bank of River, figures landing goods from a 
 shallop, from the Le Perier collection, 685 guineas 
 (Hume) ; A. Carracci, Christ and the Woman of 
 Samaria at the Well, the Disciples and other 
 figures approaching them, 310 guineas; Guido, 
 Magdalen accosted by an Infant Angel, 310 
 guineas ; D. Teniers, Exterior of a Farmhouse, 
 with many Villagers and four Strolling Players, 
 395 guineas ; William Van de Velde, A Calm, 
 Dutch frigate at anchor, a shallop approaching her, 
 with other vessels, 390 guineas (Peel, now in the 
 National Gallery) ; Ruysdael, a cool fresh Land- 
 scape, stream of water between the ruins of an 
 abbey mill, 300 guineas (Thwaites) ; G. Poussin, 
 Landscape with rich broken scenery, buildings in 
 foreground, 360 guineas (Beckford) ; Murillo, Por- 
 trait of Don Justino Neve y Yevennes, a Canon of 
 Seville, seated, with favourite Dog at his feet, 1 910 
 guineas (Thwaites) ; Guido, Martyrdom of St. 
 Apollonia, on copper, 400 guineas ; Hobbema, a 
 Grand Landscape, with watermill, cottages and a 
 transparent sheet of water, figures in a woody scene, 
 950 guineas (Sequire), and the companion picture, 
 Forest Scene, with road through a village, peasant 
 family reposing near a pool in foreground, 800 
 guineas (the same) ; Paul Potter, Landscape, with 
 a bull and two cows, signed on a paling beneath 
 a willow tree on the right, " Paulus Potter, f. 
 
 1 This portrait was brought from Spain about 1804, by 
 M. Delahante, and sold to Taylor for ^1,020; it is now in 
 the possession of the Marquis of Lansdowne. 
 
DAVID GARRTCK's SALE. I07 
 
 1647," 1,2 10 guineas (Thwaites) ; Wouverman, 
 Interior of a Stable, with mounted cavalier and 
 two others, lady mounted and an attendant 
 leading a horse are arriving, 530 guineas 
 (Emmerson) ; and Rubens, the Grand Landscape 
 with a Rainbow, from the Balbi Palace at Genoa, 
 2,600 guineas (Lord Orford). The total of the sale 
 amounted to ^ 1 8,567 10^., but of this amount 
 £"6,385 worth of pictures were bought in. 
 
 Within ten days of the Watson Taylor sensation, 
 Mr. Christie was called upon to sell the collection 
 of pictures formed by his late friend David Garrick. 
 Although the sale produced ,£3,504 13^. 6d., "the 
 magic of a name " unquestionably gave it an 
 unusual impetus and interest. Garrick possessed 
 a number of portraits of actors in character by 
 Zoffany ; a few landscapes by Loutherbourg ; and 
 some views by Lambton. The great attraction of 
 the sale was centred in the set of four election 
 subjects by Hogarth, Canvass, Poll, Chairing, and 
 Feast, which lot "was purchased by Mr. Soane, 
 with a spirit worthy of his genius and taste " for 
 1,650 guineas, and is now in the Soane Museum, 
 Lincoln's Inn Fields ; Hogarth's portrait of David 
 Garrick, seated at his writing table, composing his 
 " Prologue to Taste," with Mrs. Garrick behind, 
 was purchased for 71 guineas by Mr. E. H. 
 Locker, of Greenwich Hospital, who subsequently 
 sold it to George IV., and the portrait is now 
 at Windsor Castle ; and an example of Andrea 
 del Sarto, Madonna, Child, and St. John, attended 
 by three Infant Angels, presented to Garrick by 
 
io8 
 
 THE NOLLEKENS SALE. 
 
 Lord Baltimore at Rome, 255 guineas (Prince 
 Leopold). The sale included a number of 
 Shakespearian relics more or less — probably less 
 — authentic, and among these we may mention a 
 salt cellar of Delf ware, two guineas, and a pair of 
 gloves and a dagger, ^3 5^ In Mrs. Garrick's 
 will she bequeathed a pair of gloves, worn by 
 Shakespeare, to Mrs. Siddons, so that Garrick 
 was passing rich in Shakespeare gloves. 
 
 Early in July (3rd, 4th and 5th) of this year 
 the collection of yet another celebrity — Joseph 
 Nollekens, the sculptor, to wit — came under the 
 hammer at Mr. Christies. A writer, probably T. 
 F. Dibdin, the bibliographer, in the Museum of 
 July 1 2th, says : " If ever there was a genuine 
 * turn out ' this was one. You would swear, not 
 only that the property could belong to only one 
 man, but that that man had not been accustomed 
 to live in drawing rooms, where silk-damask hang- 
 ings were seen, and where Axminster carpets were 
 felt. Such a dingy and sombre farrago, it is true, 
 could not have graced a gallery in which ladies 
 with long trains were accustomed to promenade ; 
 nor could they have exactly been the furniture of 
 any room but a studio ; in other words, a sculptor's 
 workshop." Very few articles reached three figures, 
 the more notable exceptions were : Venus pouring 
 Ambrosia on her Hair, described as " a beauti- 
 ful statue" by Nollekens, 220 guineas (Russel 
 Palmer), an antique statue of Minerva with the 
 Helmet, the arms replaced by Nollekens, 155 
 guineas (Duke of Newcastle) ; an antique bust of 
 
MADAME MURAT'S PICTURES. 
 
 IO9 
 
 Commodus, 320 guineas (the same) ; another of 
 Mercury, 140 guineas (the same) ; and a bust of 
 Charles James Fox, by Nollekens, 145 guineas 
 (" Mr. Christie modestly recommended this bust to 
 be placed between Trajan and Marcus Aurelius"). 
 The total of the sale on the second and third days 
 was ^3,182 16s. 6d. 
 
 The year 1823 ought not to be allowed to pass 
 without a brief reference to the pictures of Madame 
 Murat, Ex-Queen of Naples. This unfortunate 
 woman, after the murder of her husband, rescued 
 fifteen Italian pictures of the very first class, from 
 the spoils of Austria. They were subsequently 
 transferred to a distinguished nobleman, " recently 
 our Ambassador at the Court of Vienna," who con- 
 signed thirteen of them to the hammer of Mr. 
 Christie, by whom they were sold on Saturday, 
 July 12th, 1823. The remaining two, " one of 
 them the far-famed Ecce Homo, by Correggio, 
 are reserved, and for the present remain in the 
 possession of the Noble Marquis." The principal 
 prices in the sale were : Perugino, Holy Family, 
 and three Angels kneeling in prayer over the 
 Infant, shepherds and figures engaged in the chase 
 are seen in the distant landscape, Bethlehem crowns 
 a precipice, 280 guineas ; Luca Cambiaso, Mar- 
 riage of St. Catherine, " an extraordinary picture 
 of the master," 260 guineas ; Albano, Apollo and 
 Daphne, in a landscape, Cupid with torch is 
 urging Apollo forward, 140 guineas (these three 
 were bought by Woodburn) ; A. Del Sarto, St. 
 John writing the Revelations on the Island of 
 
I IO 
 
 SALES OF 1824-5. 
 
 Patmos, pen in one hand and book in the other, 
 450 guineas (Woodburn) ; Raphael, Holy Family, 
 from the Monte Casino, near Ponte Corvo, 490 
 guineas (Solly) ; Titian, the Enamoured Physi- 
 cian, female on couch, attended by a doctor, 700 
 guineas (the same) ; and Annibale Carracci, Cupid 
 asleep, on a bed of clouds, 900 guineas (Peacock). 
 The sale realized close on £4,000. As regards 
 the two Correggios, not included in this sale, 
 Mercury instructing Cupid in the Presence of 
 Venus, and the celebrated Ecce Homo, these were 
 sold privately by "the noble Marquis "(London- 
 derry), to the National Gallery in 1834, the price 
 paid for the pair being £11,500. The former 
 was at one time in the collection of Charles I., and 
 the latter was purchased of the Colonna family, by 
 Sir Simon Clarke, who, being unable to remove it 
 from Italy, sold it to Murat. 
 
 The sales of 1824, included the Italian pictures 
 and bronzes of the late Sir Masterman Sykes, May 
 21st and 22nd, the total being ,£5,901 ; the cabinet 
 and collection of pictures, chiefly of the Bolognese 
 School, of Count Cesare Bianchetti, of Bologna, 
 produced a total of £"2,653 145-. 6d., on May 28th, 
 1824; the collection of Sir G. Osborne Page 
 Turner, of Battlesden Park, near Woburn, Bedford- 
 shire, was sold on June 7th and 8th, showing a 
 total of £"3,232 2s., whilst this baronet's " valuable 
 and curious selection of articles of vertu " was sold 
 on July 29th, and three following days. 
 
 The 1825 sales included some of considerable 
 interest ; and among them we may mention a 
 
LEONARDO DA VINCl's LEDA. I I I 
 
 small collection of pictures and of fine old Dresden 
 china, the property of the late Henry Fauntleroy 
 — the banker- forger who was hung in October, 
 1824, — came up for sale on March 25th, and 
 fetched ^2,277 5^ lod. The original cup from 
 Shakespeare's mulberry tree, which was presented 
 to David Garrick by the Mayor and Corporation, 
 at the time of the Jubilee at Stratford, realized 
 121 guineas on April 30th. 
 
 Old French decorative furniture had, by the 
 end of the first quarter of the present century, 
 become an object of keen competition at sales ; 
 on May 28th, 1825, " some sumptuous articles of 
 Parisian and other furniture, in the finest style 
 of magnificence ; including many that formerly 
 adorned the palace at Versailles, some noble 
 groups and busts of bronze," and various sculpture 
 from the late very distinguished town mansion 
 of G. Watson Taylor, Esq., in Cavendish Square, 
 realized a total of £6,866 10s. On June 16th, the 
 table and dessert service and sideboard plate, 
 altogether about 10,700 ounces, the property of 
 the Marquis of Waterford, brought £3,651 18^. 
 
 In June, 1825, Mr. Christie had on view at his 
 rooms, but for sale by private contract, one of the 
 several Ledas attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. 
 As the amount asked for it, £7,000, was large, a 
 good deal of importance was apparently attached 
 to it. From The Parthenon of June 18, we gather 
 that the subject is Leda and her twins, Castor 
 and Helena, Pollux and Clytemnestra. The figure 
 of Leda is full-length, about the size of life, and 
 
I 1 2 LEONARDO DA VINCl's LEDA. 
 
 almost entirely naked ; in the background some 
 horsemen are seen, and one of these is said to be 
 intended for Francis I., in whose arms Leonardo 
 expired. Vasari does not mention this picture, 
 nor indeed any of the works which Leonardo 
 executed in France (of which this is said to have 
 been one), except a cartoon of St. Anne, and even 
 that he describes as having been rather con- 
 templated than completed. " Considered as a 
 work of art, the Leda of Leonardo da Vinci is 
 rather curious than fine. For the period at which 
 it was executed, it must certainly be viewed in 
 common with all other productions of that master, 
 as a very extraordinary effort, that is, to say the 
 least of it, an interesting specimen of the state of 
 art at the beginning of the sixteenth century." 
 There is no doubt about Leonardos having exe- 
 cuted a picture of Leda during his sojourn in 
 France, and it is perhaps equally certain that this 
 picture has disappeared. The example at the 
 Hague is undoubtedly the finest of a long list of 
 replicas and copies, but some prudish possessor con- 
 verted it into Charity by clothing the naked figures. 
 This example was at one time in the Gallery at 
 Hesse-Cassel, subsequently at Malmaison, and 
 finally in that of William II. of Holland, at whose 
 sale in 1850 it was purchased for 24,500 florins, 
 or about ,£2,041. It measures 126 x 104 centi- 
 metres. As regards the Leda which appeared at 
 Christie's in 1 82 5, we believe that it is identical with 
 the picture in Mr. Alexander Barker's collection, 
 which measured 94 x 36, and was bought in in 1874, 
 
THE DUKE OF YORIv's SILVER PLATE. I 1 3 
 
 for 170 guineas, and subsequently sold in 1879 for 
 80 guineas. Waagen saw this picture in Mr. 
 Barker's collection in 1 857 (" Galleries and Cabinets 
 of Great Britain," p. 75), and then pronounced it 
 to be the careful work of an excellent master of 
 the Cologne School ; he also mentions that Mr. 
 Barker believed it to be the original of Leonardo. 
 There can, we think, be very little doubt about 
 the theory that the Leda at Christie's in 1825 is 
 identical with that in the Barker collection ; if so, 
 the transaction is one of the most remarkable in 
 the history of picture sales. 
 
 The sales of the year 1827 included the mag- 
 nificent collection of silver and silver-gilt plate of 
 H.R.H. the Duke of York, deceased, and the 
 total of the four days' sale from Monday, March 
 19th, amounted to £2 2,438 10s. ; the Duke's collec- 
 tion of fire-arms and costly Oriental and European 
 weapons, occupied another four days from March 
 27th, and produced ,£8,838 12s. lod. ; and his 
 furniture realized close on £7,000. As the sale 
 of the Duke of York's collection of plate was the 
 most important of its kind which had been held 
 at Christie's, we may be excused for quoting a 
 newspaper report of the first day's proceedings. 
 The report runs as follows : 
 
 " Before the sale commenced, a short speech 
 was made by Mr. Christie relative to the property 
 which he was about to offer, and the terms upon 
 which it was to be sold. The executors of his late 
 Royal Highness, he said, had not a single reserve, 
 and the object of the sale was a highly honourable 
 
 [. 1 
 
114 THE duke of york's silver plate. 
 
 one. The illustrious possessor, whose magnificent 
 plate was now to be sold, was characterized by a 
 most happy singleness of heart, urbanity of man- 
 ners, and kind condescension to all who approached 
 him. The purchasers of the articles which the 
 catalogue set forth, would have a memento which 
 would keep alive and cherish the recollection of 
 the Duke of York, whose sweetness of temper, and 
 goodness of disposition, endeared him to all by 
 whom he was personally known ; and he had left 
 behind a name that would be handed down to 
 posterity and cherished. The eulogium made by 
 Mr. Christie on his Royal Highness was warmly 
 applauded by the company. In the room were 
 several ladies elegantly attired, attending with not 
 a little eagerness to the biddings of some of the 
 most beautiful articles. The chief purchasers, we 
 understand, were chiefly silversmiths, and persons 
 commissioned by gentlemen. The general opinion 
 was, that the articles did not bring near so much 
 as they were worth intrinsically, and certainly not 
 so much as they cost, especially the splendid 
 massive silver-gilt plate. A magnificent cistern, 
 1 8 j inches in diameter, the neck and lip enwreathed 
 with vines in fruit, and with two figures of Tritons 
 bending over the rim, and looking in. On the 
 outside of the bowl were represented combats 
 of Roman galleys, with numerous figures very 
 spiritedly designed. The bowl was burnished, 
 with the figures and relief executed in gold 
 mat. The whole weighed 8 1 1 oz. io dwt. This 
 bowl was said by Mr. Christie to have cost his 
 
THE DUKE OF YORK'S SILVER PLATE. I 1 5 
 
 Royal Highness ,£1,500. It sold for only 11^. an 
 ounce. 
 
 " A magnificent Candelabrum (made by Lewis, 
 of St. James's Street), for the centre of a table, 
 representing Hercules attacking the Hydra, and 
 surrounded by its nine heads, which bore as many 
 nosles for lights. Hylas, the companion of Hercules, 
 is represented in the act of searing a neck of the 
 monster below. The Candelabrum was supported 
 on a mass of rock-work, about the base of which 
 are various reptiles. Weight 1,144 oz - 5 dwt. 
 This was knocked down for 6s. an oz. after Mr. 
 Christie had dwelt a considerable time at that 
 bidding. There was a murmur ran round the room 
 of 'How cheap!' when the hammer fell. Mr. 
 Christie said that the candelabrum was purchased 
 by the late illustrious owner for the new Palace, 
 which it pleased Providence that he was never to 
 inhabit. ' Notwithstanding I feel sorry for the 
 sacrifice which has been made in this article,' said 
 Mr. Christie, ' I feel greater grief that the work- 
 manship of the artist is valued so low. The 
 design,' he added, ' is most beautiful, and there 
 exists only another like it in England.' A grand 
 praefericulum, with scalloped neck and lip, sup- 
 ported by two satyrs seated upon the shoulder, 
 the handle formed of a satyr rescuing two infant 
 satyrs entwined from the folds of a dragon. The 
 oviform body of the vase covered with a spirited 
 relief, representing one of the battles of Alexander. 
 A griffin supports the bowl of the vase, and upon 
 the scalloped foot the arms of France are thrice 
 
I 1 6 THE DUKE OF YORK'S SILVER PLATE. 
 
 repeated. This noble piece of plate is 23 inches 
 high to the top of the handle ; the weight 
 220 oz. 13 dwt. This was likewise made by 
 Mr. Lewis, and was purchased by a gentleman 
 named Thomas, as well as the companion praeferi- 
 culum, at 12s. gd. per oz. A large silver-gilt 
 dish, for the side-board, 25 inches long. In the 
 centre is a Roman triumph, setting out from a 
 ruined city, composed of multitudes of figures, 
 some of them wholly detached from the ground of 
 the dish ; the border is embellished with pastoral 
 figures, after Jordaens, which are very richly and 
 beautifully chased ; weight 1 30 oz. 1 5 dwt. Great 
 competition was manifested for this and the follow- 
 ing lot, a similar dish, the one of which brought 
 one guinea an ounce, and the other a guinea and 
 sixpence. Some knives, with richly chased handles, 
 of Coburg pattern, four-pronged silver forks, etc. 
 in lots of one dozen each, fetched about 8s. per 
 ounce. Some soup ladles and gravy spoons, Co- 
 burg pattern handles, were sold in lots about the 
 same price. A fish plate, the piercing of elegant 
 design, twenty inches long, weighing 69 oz. 1 5 dwt. 
 sold for only $s. Sd. an ounce. Mr. Christie 
 alluded to the Candelabrum above described, 
 some time after it was sold, remarking that he 
 hoped the executors would not lament having 
 placed their cause in the hands of the purchasers, 
 but in that instance he much feared it. The 
 sacrifice on that article, he repeated, was indeed 
 great. A pair of plated covers fetched £14. 10s. ; 
 another ditto, made £\6 $s. ; and a third ^"io 10s. 
 
EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES. 
 
 117 
 
 A superb tureen, of rich and massive manufacture, 
 the surface chased with vegetables in high relief, 
 weighing 209 oz. 10 dwt, brought 6s. 6d. an ounce. 
 
 A very curious and interesting assemblage of 
 Egyptian antiquities, from the Levant, was sold 
 by Mr. Christie in June, 1827. It consisted of 
 a number of sepulchral monuments, presenting a 
 great variety of mythological figures, and of in- 
 scriptions in hieroglyphic characters ; also various 
 figures of deities and animals in terra-cotta, 
 wood, basalt, and other materials. There were 
 likewise several articles of an interesting nature, 
 as affording means of experiments on the nature 
 of the process of embalming as practised by the 
 ancient Egyptians. A large sepulchral tablet, or 
 stele, of white stone, in high preservation, with 
 various figures of divinities, and hieroglyphic in- 
 scriptions, was sold for ^5 10s. There were twenty- 
 five other sepulchral monuments, of various sizes, 
 ornamented with figures and hieroglyphics, which 
 were sold in lots, and produced altogether about 
 30 guineas. A mummy of a female was sold for 
 £9 us. 6d. The apex of an Egyptian obelisk, 
 etc., sculptured with hieroglyphics, £2 10s. The 
 top of an altar, containing a representation of 
 different objects of sacrifice, several lines of hiero- 
 glyphics, and a receptacle for libations, 14^. A 
 slab of basalt, sculptured with figures and hiero- 
 glyphics, £1 10s. An embalmed cat, £1. An 
 embalmed hawk, 5^. An arm of a mummy, etc., 
 one guinea. A draped figure of Isis, in bronze, 
 about 1 2 inches high ; and a bronze wing, or feather 
 
I 1 8 THE DUKE OF BEDFORD'S PICTURES. 
 
 about 10 inches long, £2 i>s. The sepulchral monu- 
 ments had been viewed by some celebrated anti- 
 quarians, who consider them to have " derived 
 considerable importance from the then recent dis- 
 coveries of Dr. Young and M. Champollion, by 
 whose successful labours a key has been furnished 
 to many of the hieroglyphic inscriptions, which were 
 formerly considered merely as objects of curiosity, 
 but are now satisfactorily explained ; and it may 
 be reasonably expected that by the study of such 
 objects, much information relative to the history, 
 mythology, laws, and manners, of the ancient 
 Egyptians, may be obtained." 
 
 A select assemblage of forty-four chiefly highly- 
 finished, Flemish and Dutch cabinet pictures, the 
 property of the Duke of Bedford, and removed to 
 town from his Grace's mansion, Woburn Abbey, 
 were sold by Mr. Christie, on June 30th. Mr. 
 Christie stated that his Grace's reason for disposing 
 of these pictures is to make room in his mansion for 
 works by living artists — " a noble example every 
 way worthy of imitation." Among the Duke's col- 
 lection were specimens of Teniers, Schidone, Cuyp, 
 Salvator Rosa, Hans Holbein, Both, Rubens, 
 Titian, the Poussins, Claude, Rembrandt, and 
 Ruysdael. A Landscape, by Cuyp, describing an 
 extensive scene, interspersed with villages, which 
 was so much admired in the collection of M. 
 Rigby — Cuyp has represented himself drawing 
 this delightful scene — brought 570 guineas. A 
 Burgomaster and his Family going out Hawking, 
 by Paul Potter, sold for 400 guineas, and an 
 
LORD DE TABLEY'S PICTURES. I 1 9 
 
 Evening Landscape, with a Group of Peasants, by 
 J. Both, 159 guineas. A portrait of Sir Thomas 
 More, invested with the Collar of the Garter, by 
 Holbein ; upon a pedestal is inscribed the date, 
 mdxxvil, sold for 70 guineas. 
 
 The sale by Mr. Christie of Lord de Tabley's 
 pictures on July 7th, 1827, took place at his house, 
 24, Hill Street, Berkeley Square, and it may be 
 mentioned here that, according to J. T. Smith, in 
 his " Life of Nollekens," his lordship's collection of 
 pictures by modern English artists produced 
 twenty-five per cent, more than they cost, " though 
 they were purchased of the artists at what they 
 considered most liberal prices." Lord de Tabley, 
 then Sir John Fleming Leicester, began to form 
 his collection of the works of British artists about 
 the period of the Peace of Amiens, and the 
 Examiner of April 26th, 1818, contains a very 
 interesting description of this gallery. Sir John 
 Fleming Leicester is there alluded to in very high 
 terms as among the first, if not the first, " to foster 
 the early genius of England in the fine arts," and 
 his name is said to be one that will ''ever rever- 
 berate in the hearts of the genuine lovers of art, as 
 that of the first individual who has done it in the 
 most effectual way, by appropriating a noble 
 gallery exclusively to its honour, and opening it 
 for a time to the community of taste. This is the 
 true spirit of Greek patronage. It has all its cor- 
 diality and greatness. ... It is at once a satire 
 on government and its example — that government 
 which unconsciously creates sinecures of thousands 
 
120 
 
 LORD DE TABLEY'S PICTURES. 
 
 a-year for lazy, worthless courtiers and constitution- 
 killers, but never expends a guinea in furtherance 
 of British genius in painting." In 1 8 19, William 
 Carey published " A Descriptive Catalogue" of 
 this collection. Lord de Tabley died on June 1 8th, 
 1827, aged sixty-five. A few of the best prices 
 were Sir A. W. Callcott, The River Arno, 124 
 guineas, and The Pier at Little Hampton, 155 
 guineas ; W. Collins, Landscape, women washing, 
 180 guineas, and Sunrise, seashore, 200 guineas ; 
 T. Gainsborough, a Cottage, women with chil- 
 dren, 500 guineas (Lord Grosvenor) ; W. Hilton, 
 the Rape of Europa, 315 guineas (Lord Egre- 
 mont) ; John Hoppner, a Sleeping Nymph, 
 450 guineas (the same); H. Howard, the 
 Pleiades, a replica of the picture at Stafford 
 House, 210 guineas; Sir J. Reynolds, Girl 
 holding a Kitten, 260 guineas, and three others by 
 the same. Of Turner there were six first-class ex- 
 amples, notably a View of the Thames at Tedding- 
 ton, 205 guineas ; a View of Kilgarran Castle, 1 10 
 guineas ; a Lighter and a Lock at Teddington, 
 135 guineas (Sir T. Lawrence); and a View of 
 Dutch Fishing Boats, Sun rising through the 
 Mist, 490 guineas, purchased by Turner himself, 
 and bequeathed by him to the National Gallery ; 
 James Ward, View of the Lake and Tower, 
 Tabley Park, 190 guineas ; Benjamin West, P.R.A., 
 a Bacchante with Symbols, 115 guineas; and R. 
 Wilson, a View on the Arno, 470 guineas. 
 
 Lord Carysfoot's pictures, brought from his 
 country seat at Elton, Huntingdonshire, and from 
 
THE SALE OF THE -SNAKE IN THE 
 GRASS." 
 
 From the original picture by J. Gebaud, now in possession of 
 Messrs. Christie (p. 121). 
 
and R. 
 
LORD CARYSFOOT's PICTURES. 
 
 121 
 
 his town house in Grosvenor Street, came up for 
 sale on June 14th, 1828, when sixty-five lots pro- 
 duced a total of ^3,604. The most important work 
 was the original work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 known as The Snake in the Grass, 1,200 guineas, 
 purchased for Sir Robert Peel, and now in the 
 National Gallery (see p. 99) ; one of several repeti- 
 tions of a Strawberry Girl, 169 guineas (Lord Lans- 
 downe) ; Sir G. Hayter, Tartars and Circassians, 
 220 guineas. This sale has an unusual interest 
 for us, inasmuch as an excellent painting was made 
 of it by J. Gebaud, and was purchased by Messrs. 
 Christie at their own rooms in 1875. The lot was 
 catalogued as " The sale of Sir Joshua Reynolds' 
 picture of 1 The Snake in the Grass/ A scene at 
 Christie's during the sale of the late Earl of Carys- 
 foot's pictures, June 14th, 1828, with portraits of 
 the late Sir Robert Peel, the late Marquis of 
 Stafford, Prince Pane Esterhazy, Lady Morgan, 
 the late John Allnutt, Esq., Mr. Smith of Bond 
 Street, Mr. Emmerson, and other well-known per- 
 sonages." Concerning this picture Mr. Humphry 
 Ward, the eminent connoisseur, writes : " Mr. 
 Christie himself is in the box, eagerly looking 
 towards the bidder in the left-hand corner, and on 
 the easel is Sir Joshua's celebrated ' Snake in the 
 Grass,' which now hangs in the National Gallery. 
 The nation bought it with the rest of the Peel 
 collection, for Sir Robert Peel purchased the 
 picture at this sale, and there he is standing to the 
 right, his hands behind him, his frock-coat tightly 
 buttoned across his small waist. . . . Lady Mor- 
 
122 
 
 GEORGE CANNINGS SALE. 
 
 gan, the bright Irishwoman, with many friends 
 and not a few enemies, is in the centre of the 
 picture ; and the bidder with his hand and pencil 
 raised is the 1 Mr. Smith of Bond Street,' and the 
 author of the most famous of all catalogues, the 
 ' Catalogue Raisonne of Dutch, French, and 
 Flemish Pictures,' which is still regarded by dealers 
 and amateurs as the principal authority on the 
 pictures which it describes." 
 
 This year (1828) also included several important 
 jewel sales. On June 29th, a large brilliant, of 
 pure water, fetched 5 1 5 guineas, and another, yet 
 finer, 1,550 guineas — at the time the record prices; 
 five days previously some valuable jewels, the 
 genuine property of an officer in the Honourable 
 East India Company's service, lately deceased, 
 brought ,£3,758. On June 2 5th, the elegant articles 
 of furniture, china, and ormolu of the Right Hon. 
 George Canning sold for £8 18 Ss. ; and a selection 
 of his books, ^462. As an historic interest is 
 attached to this sale of George Canning's effects, the 
 following list, with the prices at which the prin- 
 cipal articles were sold, will be found very interest- 
 ing : — A very handsome circular soup tureen, the 
 bowl convexly ribbed, with lions' masks at the 
 handles, shell feet; a lion rampant forms the handle 
 of the lid ; 112 oz. 2 dwt, 6s. per oz. A superb 
 vase, serving as an ice-pail, the handles with satyrs' 
 masks, the surface with the triumph of Bacchus 
 and Ariadne in relief, the bowl is embossed with 
 foliage and fluted feet, weighing about 168 oz., 
 13s. per oz. The silver-gilt plate, which consisted 
 
GEORGE CANNING'S SALE. 
 
 I23 
 
 of a variety of articles, produced rather high prices. 
 The principal articles were a pair of very magni- 
 ficent Athenian owls for sugar and pepper, weigh- 
 ing about 17J oz., sold for iSs. 6d. per oz. A 
 magnificent centre for a dessert, of ormolu, sup- 
 ported upon twelve lions, and surmounted by three 
 female figures or sphinxes, and bearing cornucopiae, 
 festoons of vines in fruit, and branches for six or 
 nine lights, and an extra plinth to be used occa- 
 sionally ; also, a cut glass vessel for artificial 
 flowers, were sold for 50 guineas. A pair of beau- 
 tiful high vases of Florentine alabaster, orna- 
 mented with festoons of flowers, and glass shades, 
 sold for 2 guineas. A centre for a dessert, of 
 Florentine alabaster, with a basket of flowers sup- 
 ported by three female figures on a pedestal, orna- 
 mented with festoons, in relief, £/\. 5s. A dessert 
 service with green border, painted with fruit and 
 flowers, consisting of thirty-six plates, a pair of 
 wine-coolers, eight tazzas for fruit, a pair of sugar 
 tureens, and a cream ewer, ^15. Two glazed 
 cases containing very beautiful specimens of exotic 
 birds from the Indies, obtained by the deceased 
 when Ambassador at Portugal, ^8 10s. 6d. A set 
 of eight kneeling figures of Cupids, of ormolu, on 
 pedestals, 16 guineas. A superb plateau, in seven 
 divisions, of plate glass, the border chased with 
 Bacchanalian figures, and devices and festoons of 
 vines, very richly gilt, 3 feet 6 inches long x 22 
 inches wide, and two dial cases to contain it. 
 This superb article, which cost the late Premier 
 nearly ^100, was bought for 39 guineas. An ink- 
 
124 
 
 LORD GWYDYRS SALES. 
 
 stand of ormolu, surmounted by a small kneeling 
 bronze figure, bearing a bowl of real opalized glass, 
 and a Cupid of ormolu, playing on the harp, with 
 a drawer and musical movement concealed within 
 the plinth, 7 guineas. A sarcophagus and cover 
 of antique ornamental alabaster, very rare, small 
 model from the antique, and a small lion of Rosso 
 — those articles cost the deceased fifty guineas in 
 Rome — sold for io|- guineas. A fine bronze bust 
 of the Right Hon. W. Pitt, from the marble by 
 Nollekens, £j 15s. A pair of noble bell-shaped 
 vases, of Swedish porphyry, £16 $s. 6d. A mag- 
 nificent suite of state hangings, of crimson velvet, 
 richly embroidered with the arms and crest of the 
 United Kingdom, and four cushions, ^25 10s. A 
 circular table of cedar wood, the top composed of 
 beautiful specimens of variegated marbles, the 
 centre a circular slab of fine lapis lazuli, the whole 
 bordered with verd antique, supported by a pillar 
 and plinth ornamented with ormolu, £1% js. 6d. 
 
 In 1 829 the death of Lord Gwydyr was followed 
 by several sales of his objects of art, pictures, 
 furniture and so forth, partly from the family seat, 
 Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, and partly from 
 the London mansion in Whitehall. The pictures 
 were sold on May 8th and 9th, 1829, and pro- 
 duced a total of ^14,636 js. 6d. The more 
 notable were William Van de Velde, Harbour, with 
 a Fleet of Ships of War at Anchor, dressed to 
 receive the Prince of Orange, who is putting off in 
 his yacht, 365 guineas ; G. Romano, Virgin and 
 the Infant Christ and St. John, St. Joseph with a 
 
LORD GWYDYR'S SALES. 
 
 125 
 
 lantern in a doorway, 320 guineas ; Paul Potter, 
 Group of Cows and a Horse, several Sheep behind 
 them, with a grove of fine Trees, 1,205 guineas; 
 Wouverman, Return from the Chase, group of 
 figures dismounting at the steps of a palace, from the 
 celebrated Poulain cabinet, 680 guineas; Claude, 
 Rape of Europa, 2,000 guineas (bought by George 
 IV.) ; Both, a rich and romantic Landscape, with 
 group of figures by Polemberg, Paris awarding 
 the Prize of Beauty, 460 guineas ; Reynolds, the 
 celebrated Riposo of the Holy Family, 77 x 69^, 
 painted for Macklin, the printseller, who, in his turn, 
 disposed of it to Lord Gwydyr; it was now pur- 
 chased at 1,900 guineas for the directors of the 
 British Institution, and by them presented to the 
 National Gallery ; and Gainsborough, the Market 
 Cart, 7 2^ x 6o|-, 1,050 guineas, also purchased for 
 the British Institution, and afterwards presented 
 to the National Gallery. In 1829 Lord Gwydyr's 
 ornamental furniture and collection of rare old 
 Sevres and oriental porcelain came under the 
 hammer on May 20th and 21st, realizing ,£3,445 
 145. ; and the " very elegant effects" of the same 
 nobleman, removed from Grimsthorpe Castle in 
 March (1829), and another portion in June. 
 
 It is not necessary for us to enter into an ex- 
 haustive history of the highly important collection 
 of drawings of the old masters, of the pictures, 
 books of prints, and so forth formed by Sir Thomas 
 Lawrence, P.R.A., and sold after his death at 
 Christie's. Lawrence is said to have spent £40,000 
 upon his " collection of genuine drawings by the 
 
126 SIR THOMAS LAWRENCES COLLECTIONS. 
 
 old masters, which in number and value I know to 
 be unequalled in Europe." As we have already 
 seen, he purchased Ottley's fine collection for 
 ,£8,000. He directed in his will that his collec- 
 tion should be offered at the modest price of 
 ,£20,000 to the King, and, if not accepted, then 
 to the British Museum, to Sir Robert Peel, or 
 the Earl of Dudley ; but in the event of non- 
 acceptance of the offer by either of these, the col- 
 lection was to be advertised for public sale, and if 
 within two years a purchaser was not forthcoming, 
 then the whole was to be submitted to sale at 
 auction. In the end the collection was purchased 
 by Sir Thomas Lawrence's principal creditors, 
 Messrs. Woodburn, for £ 16,000. After a number 
 of efforts of various kinds, one portion passing 
 into the possession of the Prince of Orange, 
 afterwards William II. of Holland, another into 
 the University galleries, Oxford, of which a valu- 
 able catalogue has been drawn up by Sir J. C. 
 Robinson ; a few became the property of the 
 Rev. Dr. Wellesley, of Oxford ; and finally the 
 unsold portion of the collection was sold at Christie's 
 by Mr. Woodburn in i860. It will be understood, 
 therefore, that the 1830 sale of Sir Thomas Law- 
 rence was a very ordinary one, and an altogether 
 inadequate reflection of this distinguished artist's 
 fine discrimination and excellent judgment. The 
 first sale began on May 10th, 1830, and the five 
 days' dispersal of prints and books of prints brought 
 a total of £"1,761 1 5^. ; the pictures were sold on 
 May 15th, and realized a total of ,£5,283 2s. 6d. 
 
sir thomas Lawrence's collections. 127 
 
 Among them the more notable were Rembrandt, 
 Potiphar's Wife, 44 x 3 4 J, 570 guineas ; Gior- 
 gione, Bacchanalian Scene, 66 x 56, no guineas; 
 Marcello Venusti, Christ driving out the Money- 
 changers, 23 x 15J, from the Borghese Palace, 
 after the design of Michael Angelo, 210 guineas; 
 Raphael, Charity, 1 if x 7^, also from the Borghese 
 Palace, 223 guineas ; two works attributed to 
 Rubens ; J. M. W. Turner, a Canal Scene, Barges, 
 120 guineas ; and W. Etty, Pandora, 44 x 35, 105 
 guineas. On May 20th and 21st, some drawings 
 by himself and other artists were sold, the total 
 being ^589 6s. 6d. On June 17th and following 
 two days, 14 the remaining part of the valuable 
 collection of modern drawings, a few paintings, a 
 set of cartoons of L. da Vinci, consisting of the 
 original designs of that great master for the heads 
 in his picture of the Last Supper, as also numerous 
 rare and very precious cinque cento models in wax 
 and terra-cotta," a few bronzes and antique marble 
 busts, and an unpublished engraved copperplate 
 of the young Duke of Reichstadt. The eight car- 
 toons, in black chalk and crayons, of Leonardo, 
 produced a total of 524 guineas; the finished 
 drawing made from life by Lawrence of the Duke 
 of Reichstadt, and engraved by Bromley, fetched 
 250 guineas; and the total of the sale amounted 
 to ,£3,856 12s. The Lawrence collection of casts 
 from the antique, some medals in gold, silver, and 
 copper, sold on the premises, 65, Russell Square, 
 July 6th, and produced £"732 10s. ; the final 
 dispersal of his extensive collections took place 
 
128 THE EARL OF MULGRAVE's PICTURES. 
 
 on June 18th, 1831, and comprised his unfinished 
 pictures, portraits, and sketches, the total being 
 ,£3,191 $s. 6d., and among these were his Portrait 
 of himself, " exquisitely finished," 470 guineas 
 (Lord Chesterfield), and the picture of Satan Sum- 
 moning his Legions was bought in at 480 guineas. 
 The total of the Lawrence sales at Christie's 
 amounted to £11,557 19s. 6d. 
 
 The Earl of Mulgrave's collection of seventy- 
 five pictures formed the great, and the only, 
 sensation of the year 1832. It included no less 
 than thirteen pictures and sketches painted by 
 David Wilkie, for his lordship ; and of these, the 
 most important was the celebrated Rent Day, 
 painted in 1807, 750 guineas; the sketch for the 
 picture of the Cut Finger, realized 150 guineas. 
 The other pictures included two Claudes, a Morn- 
 ing Scene, river with bridges and buildings, from 
 the Govotti Palace, Savona, 260 guineas ; and an 
 Evening Scene, with peasants attacked by Ban- 
 ditti, purchased about 1802 from Prince Rus- 
 pigliosi (for whose family it was painted), 350 
 guineas ; Rubens, Moonlight Landscape, with a 
 horse grazing in the foreground, and the stars 
 painted, from Sir Joshua Reynolds's collection, 210 
 guineas; Rembrandt, the Jewess Bride, 115 
 guineas ; Vandyck, St. Sebastian with two Angels, 
 140 guineas. The sale produced the total of 
 £S^ l 92> 5 s - The late Mr. John Ewer's collection 
 of a dozen pictures was also sold in 1832, May 12th, 
 and included A. Van de Velde, Landscape, with 
 colt of mouse colour in the centre, a tan cow lying 
 
THE EWER AND ERARD PICTURES. I 29 
 
 down with a white calf, and some sheep 14 x 10, 
 from the Holderness collection, 430 guineas ; 
 Berghem, a small Landscape with cattle and 
 figures, from the Duke of Bedford's collection, 
 ^215; and Gainsborough, Woody landscape, 
 Sunset, 220 guineas — purchased by Mr. Vernon, 
 and now in the National Gallery. On June 22nd, 
 of this year, the greater portion of pictures formed 
 by the Chevalier Sebastian Erard, was offered for 
 sale, but some of the more important works were 
 bought in ; the sales included N. Poussin, Birth 
 of Bacchus, 45 x 56, ^305 ; Cuyp, landscape, with 
 Shepherdess, 17 x 27, 380 guineas : Teniers, 
 Prodigal with two Women, 19 x 28, ^703 ; 
 A. Van Der Neer, moonlight, with figures by Cuyp, 
 44 x 56, 770 guineas, and A. Van de Velde, 
 Maternal Occupation, woody scene, with a shed at 
 the side, on the bank is a woman suckling an 
 infant, dated 1762, 280 guineas — this fine picture 
 occurred again in the Dean Paul sale of June 27th, 
 1896. 
 
 Lord Charles Townshend's collection of pictures 
 was sold on April nth, 1835, and realized a total 
 of ^4,641 3^. 6d. It included some good pictures, 
 one of the best being a Greuze, Girl with a chaplet 
 of wild flowers, 305 guineas ; Ruysdael, a moun- 
 tainous landscape, with a village church, cottages, 
 33 x 33J, from the Brentano collection, 690 
 guineas ; Berghem, Ancient ruins near Rome, 
 750 guineas; Sir A. W. Callcott, View on the 
 Meuse, 8 feet 5 inches by 4 feet 7 inches, 750 
 guineas ; Teniers, Village Fete, dated 1646, 675 
 
 I. K 
 
130 SIR CHARLES BAGOT's PICTURES. 
 
 guineas, and the celebrated picture by Wilkie, 
 Duncan Gray, 455 guineas. Immediately after 
 the sale of this collection of pictures, was sold, by 
 order of the Court of Chancery, the celebrated 
 work of Manzuoli di Friano, Visitation : Virgin 
 bending towards St. Elizabeth, who is kneeling 
 before her, Zacharias behind, with hands raised, 
 13 feet x 8| feet, in fine preservation, painted on 
 thick panel of white poplar, with arched top, 450 
 guineas (Hope). 
 
 The pictures of the Right Hon. Sir Charles 
 Bagot, G.C.B., were sold on June 18th, 1836, for 
 ,£5,638 10s. , and the 56 lots included : Wouver- 
 man, the Horse Fair, 169 guineas; A. Van Der 
 Neer, View in Holland, moonlight, from the 
 collection of M. Saportas, of Amsterdam, 111 
 guineas (Lord Normanton) ; Hackaert, View in 
 the wood at the Hague, evening effect, a return 
 from Hawking, figures by A. Van de Velde, from 
 the Duval collection, 191 guineas; G. Dow, Old 
 woman at an arched window, holding a reel for 
 winding thread, 1653, 196 guineas; Van der 
 Heyden and A. Van de Velde, view in a town in 
 Holland, with the procession of the Host, from 
 the Holderness collection, 200 guineas ; Hob- 
 bema, Landscape, with a view on river, village and 
 windmill, 150 guineas, and the companion, a 
 retired Village, rustic bridge in the foreground, 
 from the Hossner collection, 200 guineas — both 
 purchased by Sequier for Lord Normanton ; 
 Backhuysen, view on the Zuyder Zee, under the 
 aspect of a fresh breeze, 370 guineas — this picture 
 
THE FREELTNG AND COESVELT PICTURES. 1 3 1 
 
 was again sold in the Dean Paul collection, June 
 27th, 1896 ; Berghem, Landscape, with figures and 
 cattle, from the celebrated collection of Randon 
 de Boisset, 535 guineas; and G. Metzu, Interior, 
 from the collections of Colonel Way and Lord 
 Vernon, 586 guineas. 
 
 Sir Francis Freeling's pictures, sold April 15th, 
 1837, included C. Stanfield, a Market Boat on 
 the Schelt, 1 70 guineas ; W. Etty, Cleopatra 
 embarking on the Cydnus, 210 guineas, and 
 W. Collins, the Shrimpers, 122 guineas (the total 
 realized ,£2,901 11^.). There were two or three 
 other good picture sales during this year, notably 
 the collection of works of the Italian masters, of 
 W. G. Coesvelt, removed from the Gallery in 
 Carlton Gardens, sold on June 2nd and 3rd, and 
 including Titian, Rape of Proserpine, 25 x 37, 
 390 guineas ; and Virgin and Child, St. Catherine 
 and St. John, in alandscape, 550 guineas ; Raphael, 
 Virgin and Child, seated on clouds, 16 x 12, £"546. 
 Parmegiano, Flagellation of Christ, 23 x 18, ^215 ; 
 Claude, Sunset, 46 x 68, £640 ; Fra Bartolcmmeo, 
 Virgin and Child, in landscape, 33 in., circle, £472. 
 The total of this sale is not indicated, and, as 
 a matter of fact, the very high reserves placed 
 on nearly all the pictures rendered the auction a 
 complete fiasco. Mr. Coesvelt was a foreign 
 dealer who resided in London, and he issued 
 an illustrated catalogue of these pictures, the 
 majority of which were again offered for sale 
 at Christies, in June, 1840, when nearly all were 
 either bought in at "less than half the sum 
 
132 THE WARRENDER AND PONIATOWSKI SALES. 
 
 in the previous sale," or were sold at a great 
 sacrifice. 
 
 We may mention here that the Right Hon. 
 Sir George Warrender's twenty-two pictures were 
 sold on June 3rd, and a total of ,£3,750 was 
 obtained ; among them was a Velasquez, portrait 
 of Don Baltasar Carlos, full length, imported from 
 Cadiz in 18 14, 410 guineas, now in possession of 
 the Duke of Abercorn ; there were also Guercino, 
 Assalone con Tamar, 1645, painted for Cardinal 
 Cornaro, and purchased out of the Cornaro Palace 
 at Verona, 300 guineas ; and Teniers, view of his 
 Chateau, men presenting a pike to the artist and 
 his family, 345 guineas. 
 
 A brief reference may be here made to the 
 extensive collection of engraved gems, the property 
 of Prince Poniatowski, and also his pictures, 
 bronzes and minatures, which were sold at 
 Christie's in February, March, and April, 1839. 
 The 2,639 lots of gems, which took seventeen days 
 to sell, realized ,£3,796; the 211 lots of pictures, 
 £"2,374 ; and the marbles, bronzes, etc., £441. 
 
 Only one important picture sale took place 
 during 1840, and that comprised the celebrated 
 gallery of the late Sir Simon H. Clarke, removed 
 from Oakhill, Herts, and sold on May 8th and 
 9th, in pictures, realizing a total of £28,065 us. 
 Among these were A. Ostade, Interior of a Cottage, 
 four men, and two men in the background playing 
 tric-trac, dated 1668, from the Prince de Conti 
 and Tuffen collections, 510 guineas ; the companion 
 picture, two Peasants seated at card table, figures 
 
sir simon h. clarke's pictures. 133 
 
 around a fire, 1673, 310 guineas; Berghem, Roman 
 ruins near a bridge, cascade, peasants and cattle, 
 230 guineas, and the companion picture, ruins of 
 a Roman aqueduct, 385 guineas ; Rachael Ruysch, 
 group of peaches, grapes, and other fruit, 274 
 guineas ; and the companion picture, Group of 
 flowers, 200 guineas ; Rembrandt, " Le Port 
 Drapeau," the artist in the character of a Standard 
 Bearer, once in the collection of George IV. who 
 exchanged it with Lafontaine for other pictures, 
 800 guineas; and the Tribute Money, 1645, 600 
 guineas ; Rubens, Diana departing for the Chase, 
 from the Hibbert collection, 610 guineas; the 
 Holy Family, from the same, 900 guineas 
 (Buchanan, for Mr. Holford) ; and the portrait 
 of Helen Forman, 295 guineas ; Ruysdael, Water- 
 fall, evening effect, 530 guineas ; Terburg, Reading 
 a Letter, from the Hibbert collection, 415 guineas ; 
 Karel du Jardin, Landscape, with a bullock, an ass, 
 sheep and goats under a group of trees, 930 
 guineas; Teniers, the Industrious Housewife, 270 
 guineas ; Cuyp, Castle on a precipitous rock over- 
 looking a bay, 340 guineas (Lord Normanton) ; 
 and Woman Milking a Cow, 910 guineas ; Claude, 
 Seaport at Sunrise, from the Robit collection, 700 
 guineas ; Wouverman, " Le Depart des Cavaliers," 
 415 guineas; Adrian Van De Velde, peasants 
 passing a ford under a tree, with sheep, goats, and 
 man leading a cow, 760 guineas ; William Van De 
 Velde, Calm, with Dutch fleet at anchor, awaiting 
 a royal personage who is embarking from a yacht, 
 980 guineas ; Jan Steen, the Tired Traveller, from 
 
i34 
 
 PICTURE SALES, 184O-1848. 
 
 the Tuffen collection, 560 guineas ; Carlo Dolci, 
 St. Matthew writing his Gospels, attended by an 
 angel, 910 guineas; and the companion picture, 
 St. John, in a green and red drapery, holding a 
 pen and book, 480 guineas, — both these pictures 
 were from the gallery of Lucien Bonaparte ; and 
 Domenichino, Magdalen in Contemplation, 665 
 guineas (Buchanan, for Mr. Holford) ; Metzu, 
 "Le Corset Rouge," 510 guineas; Murillo, The 
 Good Shepherd, 2,900 guineas (Rothschild), and 
 the Infant St. John, 2,000 guineas (Lord Ash- 
 burton, for the National Gallery), and Teniers, 
 The Freemasons, 630 guineas. 
 
 Three important picture sales took place at 
 Christie's from 1840 to 1848. The earliest of 
 these comprised the " celebrated collection of pic- 
 tures of the very highest class," formed by the 
 late John Penrice, of Great Yarmouth. The 
 seventeen lots realized a total of ,£11,488, and 
 included Titian, Riposo, Virgin and Child, and 
 St. Joseph, from the Giustinian Gallery, 200 
 guineas ; and the Woman taken in Adultery, 600 
 guineas (bought in) ; Wouverman, Hawking 
 Party, from the Orleans Gallery, 620 guineas ; 
 D. Teniers, " Le Lendemain des Noces," from 
 the Brunois collection, 535 guineas ; and " Pair, 
 ou non Pair," interior of cabaret, with peasants, 
 from the Orleans Gallery, 840 guineas ; Guido, 
 Lot and his Daughters leaving Sodom, 45^ x 58^-, 
 1,600 guineas (National Gallery), and Susannah 
 and the Elders, 46 x 59^, 900 guineas, bought in, 
 but sold privately to the National Gallery in the 
 
EDMUND HIGGINSON OF SALTM ARSH K. I 35 
 
 following year for 1,200 guineas, — both these pic- 
 tures were, until the French Revolution, in the 
 Lancellotti Palace, at Rome, and were brought to 
 England by Mr. Irvine for Mr. Champernowne ; 
 A. Ostade, Interior, with two dancing, and about 
 twenty-six other figures, from the Le Brun, 
 Wassenaer, Randon de Boisset, Geldermester and 
 Crawford collections, 1,310 guineas ; but the great 
 picture of the sale was the Rubens, Judgment of 
 Paris, 57x75, from the Orleans collection, from 
 which it was acquired by Lord Kinnaird for 2,000 
 guineas, passing subsequently into the possession 
 of Mr. Penrice at 2,500 guineas, at whose sale it 
 was acquired for the National Gallery for 4,000 
 guineas. 
 
 The Saltmarshe collection, formed by Mr. 
 Edmund Higginson, of Saltmarshe, near Brom- 
 yard, Herefordshire, formed the great sale of 
 1846 ; it occupied three days, June 4th, 5th, and 
 6th, and the 231 lots produced a total of ,£32,703 ; 
 but several lots were bought in, to the extent, 
 indeed, of £13,416, and came up again for sale in 
 i860. This collection was formed with exceed- 
 ingly good judgment from the sales of the Bour- 
 sault, Burtin, Beckford, Gray, Northwick, and 
 other first-class Galleries. The highest price 
 paid for a single picture in this sale went for 
 the Murillo, Adoration of the Shepherds, 2,875 
 guineas, the purchaser being Sir Richard Wallace, 
 and the picture is still at Manchester House, 
 London; it is considered that this exceptionally 
 fine work was brought by Mr. Irvine from the 
 
i 3 6 
 
 THE SALTMARSHE COLLECTION. 
 
 Capuchin Convent at Genoa. The next highest 
 price was paid for a Rubens, The Holy Family, 
 originally in the Imperial Gallery at Vienna, and 
 presented by the Emperor Joseph II. to M. de 
 Burtin, of Brussels, 2,360 guineas (Marquis of 
 Hertford); and the other important pictures in- 
 cluded the following : Metzu, Woman cleaning 
 Fish, with kitten sitting on a brass kettle turned 
 up on its side, 10 x 12 inches, 480 guineas (Baron 
 Rothschild) ; Wouverman, Sacking a Village, 
 24J x i6f inches, 460 guineas (bought in) ; 
 William Van De Velde, Calm, with ship of war 
 at anchor, 64 x 98J, from the Lichfield collection, 
 1,680 guineas (Marquis of Hertford); K. du 
 Jardin, The Farrier, 19JX18 inches, from the 
 Pourtales collection, 1,350 guineas (Baron Roth- 
 schild) ; Greuze, Psyche, 1,000 guineas (Marquis 
 of Hertford) ; Rembrandt, Portrait of Katrina 
 Hoogh, 49^x39, her name inscribed with date, 
 1657, from Lord de Spencer's collection, 760 
 guineas (bought in) ; Claude, Landscape, from the 
 Hesse Cassel and Talleyrand collections, 1,470 
 guineas (Marquis of Hertford) ; and ^Fmeas 
 visiting Helenus at Delos, painted for M. Passey 
 le Gout, 1,200 guineas (bought in) ; P. Potter, 
 Three cows in a meadow, from the Erard collec- 
 tion, 930 guineas (Marquis of Hertford) ; and 
 A. Ostade, The Cabaret, dated 1652, 950 guineas ; 
 and J. Ostade, a Village Inn, from the Lucien 
 Bonaparte and Boursault collections, 1,010 guineas. 
 Some of the unsold pictures were again offered 
 for sale in i860, and of these we may mention the 
 
MR. EDWARD SOLLY'S COLLECTION. 
 
 137 
 
 Wouverman, which now sold for 500 guineas ; 
 the Claude, ^Eneas, realizing 850 guineas ; the 
 Rembrandt, portrait of Katrina Hoogh, 740 
 guineas ; whilst a work of Baldassare Peruzzi, 
 Adoration of the Magi, bought in at 500 guineas, 
 was presented to the National Gallery in 1849, 
 by Mr. Higginson. 
 
 Two noteworthy sales took place in 1847. The 
 earlier of these comprised the valuable and in- 
 teresting collection formed by Mr. Edward Solly, 
 whose knowledge of the Italian School of painting 
 was great and his judgment excellent. The forty- 
 two lots sold on May 8th, produced a total of 
 ,£5,279. In this collection there were Girolamo 
 da Cottignola, Ascension of the Virgin, dated 
 1 5 12, 120x72, 240 guineas, and Pope Gregory 
 and St. Peter, dated 1528, 26x66, 203 guineas; 
 Francia, Christ on the Cross, 96 x 67, 330 guineas ; 
 Innocenzo da Imola, Virgin and Child enthroned, 
 dated 1527, 8x6, 310 guineas — all purchased by 
 Mr. Davenport Bromley. Carlo Grivelli, Annun- 
 ciation, 82 x 58, painted for the Convent Santis- 
 sima Annunziata, at Ascoli, where it was still 
 preserved in 1790 (bought for 310 guineas by 
 Mr. Labouchere, afterwards Lord Taunton, who 
 presented it to the National Gallery, in 1864) J 
 Mazzolini da Ferrara, Destruction of Pharaoh and 
 his Host, dated 1 52 1, 50 x 63, 230 guineas ; 
 Lorenzo Lotto, Portraits of the artist, his wife, and 
 two children, signed, 48 x 54, engraved when in 
 Lucien Bonaparte's collection as by Carlo Lotto, 
 215 guineas; Bernadino Luini, Madonna and 
 
 [ 
 
138 MR. CLAUDIUS TARRAL's PICTURES. 
 
 child standing on her lap, in a landscape, from 
 the Cathedral at Como, 84x60, 372 guineas 
 (Tate) ; Girolamo da Treviso, Madonna en- 
 throned, from the Church of St. Domenico, at 
 Bologna, 98 x 57, 282 guineas, purchased by Lord 
 Northwick, at whose sale in 1859 it was sold for 
 450 guineas to the National Gallery; Raphael, 
 Ascension of the Virgin, from Pisa Cathedral, 
 72 x 72, 330 guineas ; and Giorgione, Madonna 
 enthroned, from Soranzoo and Balbi collections, 
 500 guineas. On June nth, fifty-five pictures 
 brought from M. Claudius Tarral's residence in 
 Paris, fetched a total of £s,3&2>, and among them 
 were Giorgione, Adoration of the Shepherds, 
 35x42, 1,470 guineas; Ruysdael, Forest Scene, 
 22 x 25, 460 guineas ; and Backhuysen, a Squall, 
 240 guineas, — all three of which came from the 
 collection of Cardinal Fesch. 
 
 Sir Thomas Moke's Candlestick. 
 (Bernal Sale, p. 176.) 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 1848— 1854. 
 
 THE STOWE COLLECTION OF THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM — 
 J. NEWINGTON HUGHES — CASIMIR PERIER — SIR THOMAS 
 BARING — MONTCALM GALLERY AT MONTPELLIER — W. 
 CONINGHAM — W. WELLS OF REDLEAF — W. W. HOPE — LORD 
 ASHBURN HAM — CHARLES LUCIEN BONAPARTE — LOUIS 
 PHILIPPE — J. D. GARDNER — E. J. DE BAMMEVILLE. 
 
 N historic interest is attached to the 
 dispersal of the celebrated Stowe col- 
 lection of works of art, the property 
 of the Duke of Buckingham and 
 Chandos. The sale on the premises 
 occupied Messrs. Christie and Manson forty days, 
 beginning with August 15th, 1848, and produced 
 what at this day would be regarded as the compara- 
 tively small total of ,£77,562 45. 6d. In every 
 respect the sale was the most remarkable which 
 had up to that period taken place in this country. 
 The Strawberry Hill sale — conducted by George 
 Robins — six years previously, produced, in twenty- 
 four days, the total of ,£33,450 1 is. gd. ; and the 
 Beckford sale — conducted by Phillips — in 1823, 
 produced in forty-one days, the then handsome 
 total of £43,869 14^. The following leading 
 article appeared in The Times of August 14th, and 
 
140 
 
 THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 gives such a picturesque view of the whole event 
 at Stowe that we make no apology for giving it 
 
 in extenso : 
 
 " During the past week the British public has 
 been admitted to a spectacle of painful interest 
 and gravely historical import. One of the most 
 splendid abodes of our almost regal aristocracy 
 has thrown open its portals to an endless succession 
 of visitors, who from morning to night had flowed 
 in an uninterrupted stream from room to room, 
 and floor to floor — not to enjoy the hospitality of 
 the lord, or to congratulate him on his countless 
 treasures of art, but to see an ancient family ruined, 
 their palace marked for destruction, and its con- 
 tents scattered to the four winds of Heaven. We 
 are only saying what is notorious, and what, there- 
 fore, it is neither a novelty nor a cruelty to 
 repeat, that the most noble and puissant prince, 
 his Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, 
 is at this moment an absolutely ruined and 
 destitute man. Our advertising columns have 
 introduced to the public the long list of estates, 
 properties and interests, which are no longer his, 
 and will not revert to his heirs. The last crash of 
 this mighty ruin is that which now sounds. Stowe 
 is no more. This morning the tumultuous inva- 
 sion of sight-seers will once again be endured, and 
 to-morrow the auctioneer will begin his work. 
 
 " As every thoughtful spectator has spoken to 
 the peculiar and most lamentable character of the 
 scene, one may be permitted to dwell for a while 
 upon circumstances of such rare occurrence and 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 141 
 
 ndelible recollection. Under the lofty arch which 
 crowns the long avenue from Buckingham, and 
 opens the first view of the magnificent Palladian 
 facade, has lately passed a daily cavalcade which, 
 except in its utter absence of style, might remind 
 one of the road to Epsom on a Derby Day. 
 
 Raffaelle and Fornarina Plate. 
 (Stowe and Bernal Sales, p. 173.) 
 
 Barouches, flys, stage-coaches, "busses" pressed 
 from the metropolitan service, and every grada- 
 tion of " trap," down to the carrier's cart hastily 
 emptied of groceries, dragged to Wolverton, and 
 filled with the unfortunate holders of return tickets 
 to town, constitute a dreary antithesis to the coi'tege 
 
142 
 
 THE STOWE SALE 
 
 which so lately brought royalty to Stowe. An 
 elaborately circuitous road conducted the impatient 
 visitors to the park front, before which in the vast 
 amphitheatre formed by its side colonnades, so 
 often the scene of rural festivities, the enemy en- 
 camped, one might imagine a great country picnic 
 had suddenly gathered at Stowe ; even stalls were 
 there. From the branch of a noble beech hung a 
 huge pair of scales, on which venison was weighed. 
 An advertisement posted on the front door par- 
 ticularized the very moderate prices at which a 
 back, a half, or a quarter might be obtained. In 
 the distance were fallen trees, timber waggons, 
 and extempore sawpits. The enormous edifice 
 was a human hive, every window showed the 
 crowd within passing to and fro. But once ad- 
 mitted — once standing under the Pantheon-like 
 vault of the central saloon, and glancing right 
 and left, endless vistas of gorgeous apartments, 
 then one indeed realized the sacrilege that was 
 going on. Every scholar must have thought of 
 the scene related by iEneas, when the Greeks 
 burst open the gates of Priam's palace, and when 
 the splendid interior, the spacious halls, and the 
 sacred haunts of the ancient dynasty were pre- 
 sented to the eyes of the furious assailants. 
 
 "The house was well set out for the distinguished 
 visitors. Neither Louis XVIII., nor the Duke 
 of Orleans, nor Queen Victoria, nor any of the 
 great ones of the earth, whose visits are recorded 
 with pillars, and with trees planted with their own 
 hands, saw Stowe so nobly arrayed as the British 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 143 
 
 public have seen it this week. The bride was 
 dressed for the altar, the victim for the sacrifice. 
 No thrifty coverings, no brown hollands, no neat 
 chintzes were there. King Mob had it all of the 
 best, the richest damask furniture of the newest 
 state hangings ; only as that personage rode 
 literally roughshod through the palace, and brought 
 with him cartloads of gravel, there was just an 
 attempt to save the carpets from excessive tritura- 
 tion. In the state dining room were set out 
 60,000 ounces of gold and silver plate ; one was 
 involuntary reminded of the weight, for the scales 
 were at work there also, and men were weighing 
 and noting down lot after lot. 
 
 " On a table 20 yards long, and on a dozen side- 
 boards stood forests of vases, candelabras, epergnes, 
 groups, goblets, tankards, and every form and 
 variety of plate, from the eleborate designs of 
 Italian artists to the simple elegance of the old 
 English schools, and the pretentious richness of 
 the last generation. Among fifty other pieces of 
 historic value, the gift of royal personages and 
 distinguished men, stood a vase formed from snuff 
 boxes, presented by the cities and corporations of 
 Ireland in 1779, the mace of the old corporation 
 of Buckingham, purchased by the Buckingham 
 Conservatives, and presented to the Duke as an 
 everlasting possession, and the Chandos testi- 
 monial, for which the gentry and yeomanry of the 
 county lately subscribed, we believe, ,£1,500. 
 During the whole week this testimonial was sur- 
 rounded by a crowd of agriculturalists, the very 
 
144 
 
 THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 originals of the figures thereon represented, telling 
 of the guineas they had contributed to the ill-fated 
 fabric, but avowing with unvaried gratitude worthy 
 of a safer, if not a better cause, that they would 
 gladly give the money over again. 
 
 " The galleries of family portraits and collections 
 of family memorials seem to connect all the great 
 men, and all the great achievements of modern 
 Europe with the name of Chandos, Temple, Cob- 
 ham, and Grenville. But beyond the somewhat 
 extensive circle of family affection, the original 
 portraits of famous men and women here as- 
 sembled, are of the greatest interest and value. 
 Here, too, is the victor's portion in the celebrated 
 sieges, the memento of historical friendships, and 
 the favourite gem of royalty or beauty. In the 
 manuscript room is the most extensive and valu- 
 able collection of Irish documents anywhere to be 
 found. For the pictures, marbles, bronzes, antique 
 articles of vertu, curiosities, china, glass and wines, 
 we leave them to the auctioneer and his catalogue 
 of 5,000 items. It is not our purpose to speak of 
 that which money has collected, and may collect 
 again. Such things are only scattered for a fresh 
 reunion elsewhere, under new and more favour- 
 able auspices. But the heirlooms of many great 
 families, the records of many great events, and the 
 memorials of many great persons, all spontaneously 
 collected into one great whole, constitute a most 
 singular and significant fact, the obliteration of 
 which we can only compare to the overthrow of a 
 nation or a throne. 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 145 
 
 " And everything is to be sold. The fatal ticket 
 is everywhere to be seen. The portrait of Charles 
 Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, the founder of the 
 family, by Holbein, is Lot 51 in the twenty-first 
 day's sale. That every other ancestor should go 
 to the hammer, whether Vandyck or Lely, or 
 Kneller or Gainsborough, or Reynolds, follows, of 
 course. But there is one item of which no pre- 
 paration can remove the shock. The Chandos 
 family is descended from Frances Brandon, eldest 
 daughter of the above Charles Brandon, by Mary, 
 daughter of Henry VII., and Queen Dowager of 
 France. Some time since savages or dilettanti at 
 Bury, exhumed that Mary Brandon from her grave 
 and took from her head a lock of silken hair, which 
 thus constitutes a visible link between the present 
 Duke of Buckingham and the throne of these 
 realms, to which he has a reversionary claim. That 
 lock of silken hair in its odass case is now to be sold 
 
 o 
 
 to the highest bidder." 
 
 Messrs. Christie and Manson charged 1 5^. for the 
 sale catalogue, and this admitted four persons to the 
 private view, August 3rd to the 15th ; but imme- 
 diately after the conclusion of the sale, Henry Ram- 
 sey Forster compiled, and David Bogue published, 
 the 4< Stowe Catalogue, Priced and Annotated," a 
 valuable and interesting book in quarto, of 310 
 pages, with a number of illustrations, and a frontis- 
 piece of the celebrated Rembrandt, The Unmerci- 
 ful Servant. It is neither possible, nor perhaps 
 desirable, for us to enter exhaustively into the 
 innumerable details of this sale, and we must 
 
 1. L 
 
146 
 
 THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 content ourselves with a severe condensation of 
 Forster's Catalogue. The principal articles, taken 
 in the order of sale, were as follows: — A jewel, de- 
 signed for a Benitoire, in the most exquisite taste, 
 of the period of Cellini ; the vessel for holy water 
 is formed of a single almandine, supported by two 
 angels of gold, enamelled, on the lid is a bust of 
 the Virgin, and cameos, above is a relief of the 
 Virgin, in a glory, supported by angels, with the 
 Trinity above; the whole jewel is thickly studded 
 in rose diamonds and turquoise — this beautiful 
 work of art was formerly among the crown jewels 
 of Portugal, whence it was brought to this country 
 by Dom Miguel — 101 guineas; an oviform vase, 
 long considered a perfect chef-d'oeuvre of Raffaele 
 ware, 50 guineas; an oval salver of Sevres porcelain, 
 turquoise ground, with a subject after Watteau, 100 
 guineas ; a beautiful antique statue, the Marine 
 Venus arranging her hair, found in excavating the 
 baths of Agrippa at Rome, and brought to Eng- 
 land by the Marquis of Chandos, 4 feet 6 inches 
 high, 156 guineas (Her Majesty the Queen) ; the 
 celebrated Laocoon, a magnificent bronze, of the 
 size of the original group, by G. di Bologna at 
 Florence, by Carbonneaux (? or by Crozatier), 
 executed for Watson Taylor at ^2,000 (but never 
 in his possession), from the Fonthill collection, 
 540 guineas (Duke of Hamilton) ; Roubiliac's 
 bust of Prior, 130 guineas (Sir Robert Peel) ; a 
 pair of superb candelabra, the stem and pedestal of 
 Sevres bleu du Roi, mounted with ormolu, 8 feet 
 6 inches high, 235 guineas (E. L. Betts) ; the state 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 H7 
 
 bedstead, magnificently carved and gilt, made for 
 the Prince and Princess of Wales upon their visit 
 to Stowe in 1737, and subsequently the resting 
 place of very many royal personages, including 
 the Prince of Wales in 1805, Louis XVIII. in 
 1808 or 1809; and of the Queen and Prince 
 Albert in 1845, 86 guineas ; a beautiful cabinet of 
 marqueterie of the finest old German work, formed 
 as a table supporting a cabinet, 235 guineas ; a 
 pair of magnificent silver gilt sideboard vases, with 
 lip, each with two handles springing from above a 
 mask, covers surmounted by a figure of a cavalier, 
 311 ounces at £2 per ounce. 
 
 The first portion of the pictures came up for 
 sale on Tuesday, September 12th. The Stowe 
 collection had been formed out of the accumulation 
 of several families ; from Gosfield, the seat of Earl 
 Nugent, in Essex ; from Minchenden House, near 
 Southgate, the seat of Mr. Nicoll, whose only 
 daughter and heiress married James, Marquis of 
 Carnarvon, afterwards third Duke of Chandos ; 
 and from Avington, another seat of the Chandos 
 family, in Hampshire. When the second Duke 
 of Buckingham, whose sale we are now describing, 
 succeeded to the title, he made a complete clearance, 
 and sent nearly one thousand pictures to Christie's 
 rooms, where they produced a total of about ^'600. 
 Those sold at Stowe included a number of copies, 
 replicas and so forth ; the more important were 
 the following : — Holbein, Portrait of Charles 
 Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, 48 guineas (Duke of 
 Sutherland) ; Fuseli, Midsummer Night's Dream, 
 
148 
 
 THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 painted for Boydell's Shakespeare, 65 guineas, and 
 another scene from the same, 60 guineas ; Henry 
 Morland (father of George), Lady Coventry, 32 
 guineas, and Duchess of Hamilton, 36 guineas. 
 
 The sale on Wednesday, September 13th, in- 
 cluded a number of interesting relics, and among 
 these were William III.'s silver watch, by Bushman, 
 of London, 10 guineas ; the white silk sash of the 
 Pretender, Charles Edward, taken from his baggage 
 at Culloden, in 1745, 40 guineas; the badge and 
 ribbon of the Order of the Bath, worn by Sir 
 R. Temple at the coronation of Charles II., 6^ 
 guineas ; a lock of the hair of Queen Mary, 
 taken from the corpse at St. Mary's Church, Bury, 
 in 1784, purchased at the sale of the museum of 
 the Duchess- Dowager of Portland in 1786, for 
 £6 ios.) and now sold for £j 10s. ; and the cele- 
 brated miniature portrait of Charles II. by Cooper, 
 sent by the King in 1651 to Henry, Lord Beau- 
 champ, 100 guineas. Pictures were again sold on 
 September 14th, and included Richardson's Por- 
 trait of Alexander Pope, 70 guineas (Sir Robert 
 Peel) ; and his Portrait of J. Locke, 40 guineas 
 (Earl of Mansfield) ; several by Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds, Richard Grenville, Earl Temple, half- 
 length, 160 guineas; Mary, Marchioness of Buck- 
 ingham, and her son, in a landscape, whole length, 
 1 30 guineas; the Right Hon. G. Grenville, in robes, 
 160 guineas ; and the Marquis of Granby, whole 
 length, in engagement in the background, 200 
 guineas ; T. Gainsborough, Robert, Earl Nugent, 
 seated, whole length, 10 1 guineas ; six by Sir 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 149 
 
 P. Lely, Lady Henrietta Berkeley, 70 guineas ; 
 Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond, in yellow 
 satin dress, whole length, 68 guineas; Charles II., 
 whole length, 16 guineas ; Anne, Countess of 
 Southesk, 80 guineas ; Nell Gwynne, whole length, 
 in yellow and blue dress, 100 guineas ; and Anne 
 Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury, as Minerva, 65 
 guineas (Sir R. Peel) ; Vandyck, the Marquis of 
 Vieuville, in a white dress and black coat, whole 
 length, 210 guineas; R. Wilson, Minchenden 
 House, Southgate, with extensive landscape and 
 water, figures in the foreground, 195 guineas (Lord 
 Leigh), and Caernarvon Castle, with peasants and 
 cattle, 1 10 guineas. But the great picture of the 
 sale was the Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, 
 presumed to be the work of Burbage, who first 
 acted " Richard III."; it was the property of John 
 Taylor, the poet's Hamlet, who left it by will to 
 Sir W. Davenant in or about 1653; at Davenant's 
 death, or soon after, it was purchased by Betterton 
 the actor, and when he died, Robert Keck, of the 
 Inner Temple, gave Mrs. Barry, the actress, 40 
 guineas for it ; from Keek's possession it passed to 
 Mr. Nicoll, of Minchenden House, whose only 
 daughter, as we have before stated, married 
 James, Marquis of Carnarvon, afterwards Duke of 
 Chandos ; it was here purchased by Rodd, the 
 bookseller of Little Newport Street, London, for 
 the Earl of Ellesmere, for 355 guineas. The last 
 picture in the day's sale was the celebrated work of 
 Clarkson Stanfield, Wreckers off Calais, from the 
 Watson Taylor collection, 410 guineas (Naylor). 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 The most important pictures in the collection 
 were sold on Friday, September 15th, and at the 
 head of these came the celebrated Rembrandt, the 
 Unmerciful Servant, 7 feet by 5 feet 10 inches, pur- 
 chased in Amsterdam from the representatives of 
 the family for whom it was painted, and brought 
 away the night before the entrance of the French 
 troops, 2,200 guineas (Marquis of Hertford). This 
 day's sale included two other important works of 
 this master, a Portrait of a Burgomaster in a black 
 dress, wearing a skull-cap and ruff, 52 x 43, from 
 the Orleans Gallery, at the dispersal of which it 
 sold for 300 guineas ; at the Morland sale it sold 
 for 400 guineas ; and it was now understood to be 
 purchased for the Marquis of Breadalbane for 
 810 guineas ; and a Negro armed with bows and 
 arrows, richly attired, 251 guineas (Holford). The 
 other pictures included a pair by Albert Dtirer, St. 
 Catherine reading a book, 150 guineas; and St. 
 Barbara, with a book in her left hand, 160 guineas ; 
 D. Ferriers, three old peasants in conversation 
 near the door of a farmhouse, 240 guineas ; Do- 
 menichino, Sybilla Persica, one of the finest pro- 
 ductions of this master, from the Orleans Gallery, 
 690 guineas (Marquis of Hertford); Salvator Rosa, 
 The Finding of Moses, 79 x 48, brought to England 
 by W. Y. Ottley, "as the companion to the cele- 
 brated picture in the National Gallery " (which, how- 
 ever, it is not, as the companion to the Stowe pic- 
 ture is engraved in Le Brun's work), 1,000 guineas 
 (Marquis of Breadalbane) ; and the celebrated 
 Cuyp, Philip Baptizing the Eunuch, 66 x 45, from 
 
THE STOWE SALE. 
 
 the collection of the Count de Vismes, i ,470 guineas 
 (T. B. Brown). The only two other lots in this 
 sale to which we need refer are the following: 
 The celebrated collections of mineralogy and geo- 
 logy formed by the Abbe Haliy, comprising nearly 
 ten thousand specimens, each carefully labelled 
 and described by his own hand, together with very 
 numerous models of crystals, elaborately cut in 
 wood, to explain his particular system of Crystalo- 
 graphy ; an extensive horhts siccus, etc., the whole 
 forming a valuable and interesting illustration of 
 the " Traite de Mineralogie," published by the 
 Abbe in 1822, 310 guineas, purchased by the 
 Directors of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. And 
 the Buckingham collection of mineralogy and geo- 
 logy, containing more than 6,000 specimens, some 
 of them of considerable variety and beauty, 65 
 guineas. 
 
 It may be mentioned here that the contents of 
 the Duke of Buckingham's town house at 9T, Pall 
 Mall, were sold at Christie's in the spring preced- 
 ing the great dispersal at Stowe. On March 27th, 
 28th, and 29th the Sevres and other porcelain, 
 wines, and a few pictures brought a total of about 
 ,£2,300; on March 30th the plate realized ,£3,267 
 13^; on April 3rd, the books, stuffed birds, car- 
 riages, etc., realized nearly £"300 ; whilst a sale of 
 guns, rifles, etc., took place on July 1 ith. 
 
 Although the Stowe sale overshadowed every 
 other event of its kind in 1848, it was by no means 
 the only important auction of the year. Neither 
 was it the earliest. In the sale of J. Newington 
 
152 THE HUGHES AND PERIER SALES. 
 
 Hughes (" who was so well known as a collector for 
 the last sixty years") of Winchester, on April 14th 
 and 15th, 1848. A few good pictures occurred: 
 A series of sixteen portraits of celebrities of the 
 times of Charles I., known as "The Fairfax por- 
 traits," ^174; J. M. W. Turner, Sheerness and 
 the Isle of Sheppey, 565 guineas; and Whalley 
 Bridge and Abbey, 295 guineas (now in the col- 
 lection of Lord Wantage) ; A. Ostade, an Interior, 
 three Boors sitting at a table, one looking into a 
 jug, 370 guineas ; Teniers, the Village Mill, obelisk 
 in foreground, 225 guineas ; and Cuyp, a Chateau 
 on a river, man in red on grey horse conversing with 
 a peasant, 710 guineas (Baron L. de Rothschild). 
 
 Early in the following month (May 5th), twenty- 
 six pictures of the Dutch School, "the most select 
 portion of the collection formed by the former 
 minister of France, the late M. Casimir Perier" 
 (who died in 1832), was sent over to Christie's 
 from France, and produced a total of ,£5,987. 
 Several of the more important pictures were pur- 
 chased by the Marquis of Hertford, notably P. de 
 Hooghe, Interior, lady peeling apples, 21 x 28, 
 270 guineas; Metzu, a Dutch kitchen, known as 
 "The Tabby Cat," 13x16, 240 guineas : Rem- 
 brandt, Portrait of himself, with black cap and fur 
 collar, 25x19, 280 guineas; Wouverman, " Les 
 Sables," the Downs, Holland, 26 x 22, from the 
 Choiseul collection, 390 guineas; and Terburg, "La 
 Liseuse," Dutch lady reading, 18 x 14, 6 10 guineas. 
 There were also Hobbema, " Les Deux Mares," 
 two ponds, man on horseback, 33 x 24, 560 guineas ; 
 
SIR THOMAS BARING'S PICTURES. 
 
 153 
 
 P. Potter, " L'Hotellerie," coach in sandy road, 
 13 x 20, 425 guineas ; Ruysdael, a Watermill, large 
 stones and old timber, 32 x 25, 350 guineas 
 (Gardner); Terburg, "La Couseuse," old woman 
 at needlework, 18 x 14, 310 guineas (bought in); 
 W. Van De Velde, a Calm, with numerous vessels, 
 18 x 16, 550 guineas (Gardner); Wouverman, 
 Le Defile de Due de Vendome, a landscape, with 
 cavalry and leader on white horse, 41 x 31, 610 
 guineas (Lord Derby) ; and Velasquez, Philip IV. 
 in armour, 26 x 16, 180 guineas (Stone). 
 
 The last noteworthy picture sale prior to the 
 Stowe dispersal comprised 136 pictures sold by 
 direction of the will of the late Sir Thomas Baring, 
 and removed from Stratton Park and Devonshire 
 Place, London. The sale took place on Friday 
 and Saturday, June 2nd and 3rd, and the total 
 realized, ^11,776 us., does not give a very high 
 average. The following were the most important 
 works : William Collins, Boulogne Fisherman and 
 Girls, 230 guineas ; and Boy taking Sea-fowls' 
 Eggs, 1833," the capital chef d'eeuvre," 245 guineas ; 
 J. M. W. Turner, Sheerness, sun rising through 
 the fog, man-of-war at anchor, 550 guineas (Wells) ; 
 D. Wilkie, Alfred in the Neatherd's Cottage, 430 
 guineas (Ryan) ; and Sheepwashing, 660 guineas; 
 R. Wilson, Meleager, 170 guineas (Rought); 
 Rembrandt, Landscape, with village church on 
 a hill, partly concealed by trees, 215 guineas 
 (Farrer) ; Hobbema, Watermill, with village church 
 and cottage, 275 guineas; Rubens, Abraham 
 and Melchizedec, 365 guineas ; Backhuysen, a 
 
154 
 
 THE MONTCALM GALLERY. 
 
 Fresh Breeze, with Dutch men-of-war, from the 
 Hibbert collection, 270 guineas; Paul Potter, 
 a brown Bull standing near a tree, two sheep 
 lying down, 210 guineas (Fuller) ; and Wouver- 
 man, A Stag Hunt, on the banks of a river, 425 
 guineas. 
 
 Early in 1849 another batch of pictures was 
 received at Christie's from France, where the revo- 
 lution of the previous year rendered everything 
 uncertain. These pictures comprised the Mont- 
 calm Gallery at Montpellier, originally formed by 
 the Marquis de Montcalm, who commanded the 
 French forces at the battle of Quebec. Other 
 pictures were added to the collection, which con- 
 sisted of 145 works, and the sale of May 4th and 
 5th showed a total of ,£9,546. The chief lots were 
 H. Vernet, Une Odalisque, 27 x 23, 102 guineas ; 
 Sasso Ferrato, Virgin and Child, circle, 17 inches, 
 205 guineas ; P. de Champagne, Adoration of the 
 Shepherds, from the Bonnemaison collection, 350 
 guineas ; and Albano, V enus Reposing in Clouds, 
 12 x 14, 370 guineas — (all the foregoing were 
 purchased by the Marquis of Hertford) ; Salvator 
 Rosa, Rocky Coast of Calabria, 190 guineas ; and 
 one of the Battles of Alexander, from the Lapey- 
 riere collection, 260 guineas ; Le Sueur, the Annun- 
 ciation, from the Tourgot and Robit collection, 1 70 
 guineas ; Guido, Woman in pink plucking rose 
 from a vase, from the Sommariva collection, 252 
 guineas — all of which were purchased by the Earl 
 of Normanton; Greuze, Le Premier Sentiment, 
 a portrait of Madame Geoffrin when young, oval, 
 
THE CONINGHAM PICTURES. 
 
 155 
 
 22 x 28, 600 guineas (Norton) ; and La Reveuse, 
 head of a very beautiful girl with light hair, 1 5 x 12, 
 355 guineas (Bryant). 
 
 The pictures collected by a well-known amateur 
 of repute in his day, W. Coningham, were dis- 
 persed in three portions, the first on April 25th, 
 1844, the second, April 25th, 1849, and the last on 
 April 1 2th, 1 85 1. The second of these sales in- 
 cluded sixty-seven pictures, the most important of 
 his collection, the total realizing ,£6,894. Special 
 mention may be made of the following : Garofalo, 
 Circumcision, from Lord Cawdor's collection, 250 
 guineas (Farrer) ; Filippo Lippi, Offering of the 
 Wise Men, circle, from the Guicciardini Palace, 
 Florence, 270 guineas ; Andrea Mantegna, Christ 
 on the Mount of Olives, signed " opus Andrea 
 Mantegna," from Cardinal Fesch's collection, 400 
 guineas (bought in) ; Titian, Tarquin and Lucretia, 
 from Charles the First's collection, 73 x 525 
 guineas (bought in) ; Carlo Crivelli, Virgin and 
 Child, St. Peter and Saints, from the Brera Gallery, 
 900 guineas (bought in) ; P. Veronese, Death of 
 Procris, 500 guineas (bought in) ; Raphael, Christ 
 Praying on the Mount of Olives, from the Gabrielli 
 collection, 24 x 2 7 J, 750 guineas (W. Brown) ; Se- 
 bastian del Piombo, Holy Family, from the Cam- 
 biaso collection 1,800 guineas (Baring) ; Rembrandt, 
 Portrait of Martin Looten, dated 1637, from the 
 Fesch collection, ^700 (Holford). The third sale, 
 in 1 85 1, included six of Mr. Coningham's pictures, 
 and of these two were among those bought in at 
 the 1849 sale, viz., the Mantegna, which now sold 
 
156 
 
 W. WELLS OF REDLEAF. 
 
 for 240 guineas, and the Paul Veronese, which now 
 realized ^301. 
 
 One of the most important picture sales of 1849 
 took place the week after the dispersal of Mr. Con- 
 ingham's second instalment. This was the earlier 
 of the two sales of William Wells, of Redleaf, and 
 it occupied two days, May 12th and 13th. This 
 sale included the following : Guido, a Sybil, in a 
 white dress and blue drapery, 25 x 30, 340 guineas ; 
 R. Maes, a Distressed Boy asking alms of a lady, 
 3 1 x 24, 585 guineas ; W. Van Mieris, young woman 
 with a basket of eggs on her arm, 18 x 15, 260 
 guineas; and the companion picture, a Woman with 
 a dish of flounders in her hand at a window, 200 
 guineas; D. Teniers, Interior of a kitchen, with a 
 pile of culinary and other objects, 19J x 2 3 J, 270 
 guineas ; P. Wouverman, Landscape presenting a 
 view of an open, barren country, group of pedes- 
 trians, and gentleman on a brown horse, 13J x 2o|-, 
 570 guineas (Theobald) ; I. Ostade, Peasant at the 
 half-door of a thatched cottage talking to a traveller, 
 from the Robit and other collections, 315 guineas, 
 and View of the back court of a house, with various 
 accessories introduced, 4 r 5 guineas ; Claude, Herds- 
 man tending goats, 3 1 5 guineas ; Sir David Wilkie, 
 Distraining for Rent, 1,050 guineas ; F. Mieris, The 
 Tired Traveller seated on a bank, with his hat off, 
 and a knapsack by his side, said to be a portrait 
 of the artist when he was young, 9x7, 470 guineas 
 (now at Dorchester House) ; A. Cuyp, Cows and 
 oxen at pleasure, 27 x 26, 390 guineas (Fletcher) ; 
 Van De Capella, Calm off the Dutch Coast, 1 2J x 13, 
 
THE REDLEAF COLLECTIONS. * 5 7 
 
 310 guineas (Emmerson) ; J. and A. Both, View in 
 Italy, represented under the effect of a fine sum- 
 mer's day, 18^x26, 295 guineas; and Peter de 
 Hooghe, View in the back court of a house, having 
 an open door at the end of it, 28 x 23, 515 guineas. 
 The total of the two days' sale amounted to 
 ,£5,566. In 1852 another portion of the Redleaf 
 collection, in which there were some excellent 
 examples of the English school, came up for sale 
 on May 20th, and for convenience' sake may be 
 included here. The total realized by the 125 lots 
 amounted to ,£30,736 js. 6d. The principal pic- 
 tures were Sir E. Landseer, Fallow Deer, 700 
 guineas, and the companion, Red Deer, 650 
 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, a Harbour Scene, sun- 
 set, ships of war at anchor, 640 guineas (Graves) ; 
 F. Goodall, the Hurdy-Gurdy Player, 306 guineas ; 
 T. Webster, Boys Going to School, 365 guineas ; 
 A. Egg, Autolycus, the much-admired work in the 
 Royal Academy of 1845, 355 guineas (Graves); 
 C. R. Leslie, Columbus and the Egg, in the Royal 
 Academy 1834, 318 guineas; J. Ostade, a Little 
 Country Inn, at which a gentleman has just arrived, 
 from the Prince Galitschkin collection, 30 x 24, 
 1,000 guineas ; Vandyck, Portrait of the Wife of De 
 Vos, when about thirty, 750 guineas (Lord Hert- 
 ford) ; Wouverman, Halt of Cavalry, 14 x 17^, 
 330 guineas, and a similar subject, 12x17, 3^o 
 guineas, described in Smith's Catalogue, No. 380 
 and 381 respectively; A. Ostade, Country Fair, 
 310 guineas; K. du Jardin, a Rocky Glen, 640 
 guineas ; Hobbema, a View in Westphalia, 610 
 
158 
 
 THE WELLS COLLECTIONS. 
 
 guineas; G. Metzu, the Fainting Lady, in a scarlet 
 jacket (15 x 13), from a number of celebrated collec- 
 tions, including Hemskirk, Van Alpen, Crewe, and 
 Schimmelpeninck, 300 guineas (Duke of Cleve- 
 land) ; W. Van De Velde, View on the Coast of 
 Scheveningen, dated 1659, 500 guineas (Sir R. 
 Peel) ; J. Ruysdael, Forest Scene, 45 x 56, 700 
 guineas ; J, Van Huysman, Yellow Vase with 
 flowers, grapes, bird's nest, etc., 53 x 36, 400 
 guineas; 1 J. B. Greuze, Young Woman with light 
 auburn hair and a blue kerchief round her shoulders, 
 with a basket of eggs in her lap, 750 guineas (Lord 
 Hertford) ; Claude, The Enchanted Castle, 46 x 60J, 
 from the Walsh Porter collection, 2,000 guineas 
 (Lord Overston) ; Velasquez, Portrait of Prince 
 Balthazar of Spain, 650 guineas (Lord Hertford); 
 Domenichino, St. Cecilia, 580 guineas; and 
 Murillo, St. Thomas Distributing Alms to the 
 Poor (59 x 59), 2,850 guineas (Lord Hertford). 
 Finally it may be mentioned here that the 
 celebrated work of Sir E. Landseer, the Portrait 
 of Sir Walter Scott seated in the Rhymers Glen, 
 painted for Mr. Wells, was sold on June 9th, 1877, 
 for 3,050 guineas. In 1890 yet another portion of 
 the Redleaf collection came up for sale, and it is 
 dealt with under that date. 
 
 The last important picture sale at Christie's in 
 1849, took place on June 14th, 15th and 16th, and 
 comprised " pictures of the very highest class, 
 
 1 This beautiful picture was purchased on this occasion by 
 Alexander Darby, at whose sale, in 1867, it realized 380 guineas, 
 and is now in the National Gallery. 
 
THE HOPE COLLECTION. 
 
 159 
 
 partly from Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire," 
 with some rare vases, bronzes and enamels, the 
 property of William Williams Hope. The total 
 amount realized by the 101 pictures was ,£7,526 
 14.S. Some of the best pictures were bought in, 
 notably Jan Steen, the Poultry Market, 500 
 guineas; Teniers, the Three Smokers, 520 
 guineas ; Wouverman, Cavaliers starting from a 
 stake, 350 guineas ; Hobbema, Wood in Guelder- 
 land, 360 guineas ; Greuze, Ariadne, 550 guineas ; 
 and Claude, Italian landscape, shepherd seated in 
 the foreground, figures and mules crossing a 
 bridge, 550 guineas. The pictures sold included 
 A. Van de Velde, landscape with shepherd and 
 shepherdess, 400 guineas (Winthrop) ; Murillo, 
 Virgin and Child, 580 guineas (Lord Hertford), 
 and a Riposo of the Holy Family, 780 guineas 
 (the same) ; W. Van de Velde, a Calm, men 
 of war furling sails, 340 guineas (Farrer) ; Isaac 
 Ostade, the Bowl Players, 262 guineas (Norton) ; 
 Van der Heyden, square in a German Town, 
 370 guineas; Rembrandt, portrait of Admiral 
 Van Tromp, 460 guineas (Baron Rothschild) ; 
 and A. Ostade, Adoration of the Shepherds, 450 
 guineas. 
 
 Lord Ashburnham's sale, July 20th, formed the 
 principal event of 1850, 91 pictures and 5 bronzes 
 realizing total of £ 1 3, 295, or, deducting the bought 
 in property, ,£9,773. The principal pictures in 
 the sale included Carlo Dolci, Daughter of Hero- 
 dias, 700 guineas (Marquis of Westminster) ; Sal- 
 vator Rosa, Apollo and the Sibyl, 1,700 guineas 
 
l6o THE ASHBURNHAM PICTURES. 
 
 (Marquis of Hertford) ; and St. John preaching in 
 the Wilderness, with Philip baptizing the Eunuch, 
 1,000 guineas (bought in); Vandyck, portrait of 
 Don Livio Odescalchi, 450 guineas — or ^500 it 
 is not quite clear from the catalogue which is the 
 correct amount (Lord C. Townshend) ; Rembrandt, 
 a Cavalier in black dress, 690 guineas, (Farrer) ; 
 and Mathematician and Pupil, the engraved picture 
 from the Dundas collection, 1,000 guineas (bought 
 in); Guido, Bacchus and Ariadne, 400 guineas 
 (bought in) ; and Lucretia stabbing herself, 390 
 guineas (Baron N. Rothschild) ; Claude, View in the 
 Bay of Naples, 1,070 guineas, and a view of Rome, 
 with the Ponte Molle in the distance, 1,800 
 guineas, both bought in ; Murillo, Portrait of him- 
 self, signed and inscribed, 790 guineas (Lord 
 Spencer), and St. Francis kneeling in prayer, from 
 the Dundas collection, 1,000 guineas (bought in) ; 
 Rubens, Nature unveiled by the Graces, painted 
 for Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, 1,000 guineas 
 (bought in); G. Poussin, View of Tivoli, with 
 figures, from the Waldegrave and Fleming collec- 
 tions, 480 guineas (Marquis of Hertford) ; N. 
 Poussin, Triumph of Bacchus, 1,160 guineas (Lord 
 Carlisle) ; Triumph of Pan, 1,180 guineas (Hume) 
 — these two belong to a set of three pictures said 
 to have been painted for the Due de Montmorenci, 
 the third is in the National Gallery, No. 42 ; and 
 another by the same artist, a Landscape with storm, 
 and Pyramusand Thisbe, 400 guineas (bought in) ; 
 and Schidone, Girl with Horn Book learning the 
 Lord's Prayer, from the Capo di Monte collection, 
 
PICTURES FROM FRANCE. 
 
 161 
 
 750 guineas (bought in). A few interesting Dutch 
 pictures were included in the sale, July 31st, 1851, 
 of Viscount Middleton's collection, removed from 
 Peper Harrow Park, near Godalming, Surrey. 
 The 87 pictures realized ,£3,137, and included 
 Rembrandt, Portrait of himself in a brown cloak 
 and brown cap, hands clasped, bust size, 33 x 27^, 
 4ioguineas (Sir Charles Eastlake, for the National 
 Gallery); and Jan Van Eyck, Portrait of a man in a 
 fur cloak, with red chaperon round his head, from 
 the Arundel collection, and painted, according to 
 an inscription on the lower part of the frame, 
 October 21, 1433, 105-X7J, 300 guineas, now in 
 the National Gallery ; A. Ostade, Interior, with 
 six peasants, dated 1649, 290 guineas ; Wouver- 
 man, an Army on the March, on rising ground 
 near a pool, £250 ; and Terburg, Lady tickling the 
 face of an officer who is asleep, 285 guineas. 
 
 Curiously enough the two picture sale sensations 
 of 1853 were of what may be termed French 
 extraction. The earlier of these two sales, March 
 1 2th, comprised 47 lots, which, with the exception 
 of four, were those which were reserved at the 
 sale of the gallery of the late Cardinal Fesch by 
 his grand nephew, Charles Lucien Buonaparte, 
 Prince of Canino. Of the 47 lots the only two 
 which were not bought in were Tiberio d'Assisi, 
 Virgin and Child enthroned, angels on each side, 
 and Saints, " a chef-d oeuvre of this exceedingly 
 rare master," dated 1 507, 380 guineas; and Rubens, 
 Adoration of the Magi, " formerly the property of 
 the Church of Berg-Saint-Vinox, sold about 1 766, 
 
 L M 
 
l62 
 
 louis Philippe's gallery. 
 
 to Randon de Boisset for about ,£2,400 " (at whose 
 sale in 1777, it realized 10,000 livres), £1,200. 
 
 The great sensation of the year, however, was 
 provided by the death of Louis Philippe, the 
 ex-kinof of the French, which occurred at Clare- 
 mont, on August 26th, 1850; but the sale of his 
 pictures did not begin until the Spring of 1853. 
 The sales were held on May 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 
 20th, and 2 1 st, whilst the collection bequeathed to 
 Louis Philippe by Frank Hall Standish, came 
 up for dispersal on the 28th and 30th. The 528 
 pictures in the ex-king's own collection realized 
 £27,635 16s. 6d., and were chiefly of the Spanish 
 School ; they formed the " Spanish Gallery," as 
 exhibited at the Louvre; 1 the Standish pictures 
 
 1 " King Louis Philippe possessed a collection of paintings 
 by the old Spanish masters, which was perhaps the largest ever 
 brought together, as well as one of the most important. 
 Besides the specimens of other schools, it included 656 Spanish 
 paintings, being 140 more of that school than are to be found 
 in the famous Museo del Prado at Madrid. . . . The Standish 
 Gallery was formed by Frank Hall Standish, of Duxbury Hall, 
 Lincolnshire, an enthusiastic lover of Spanish art, who resided 
 a long time in Spain, and wrote an agreeable and useful book, 
 entitled 'Seville and its Vicinity,' 1840. His collection of 
 drawings, which included those formerly owned by the Conde 
 del Aguila, was probably the most extensive and valuable ever 
 brought together. . . . Mr. Standish, dying in 1841, bequeathed 
 to King Louis Philippe, all his books, pictures, etc., 'as a 
 testimony of my esteem for a generous and polite nation, which 
 is always ready to welcome travellers, and which I have always 
 visited with pleasure and quitted with regret.' " (Curtis, 
 " Velasquez and Murillo.") It is said that Mr. Standish offered 
 to give his books to the British Museum, and his pictures to 
 the National Gallery, but the hint at a revival of a baronetcy 
 
louis Philippe's gallery. 
 
 163 
 
 were 249 in number, and realized ,£9,859 195-. ; 
 whilst the furniture, porcelain, and objects of art 
 from the Chateau d'Eu realized £"1,190. The 
 Spanish pictures included the following : — Alonzo 
 Cano, Virgin and Child, £"200, Balaam's Ass, £240, 
 and three others by the same artist ; Morales, 
 Ecce Homo, £*no, and Carrying the Cross, 115 
 guineas ; over thirty attributed to Murillo, and 
 among them the Infant Jesus sleeping on the 
 knees of St. Joseph, 380 guineas ; Christ, after 
 the Flagellation, kneeling on the ground, 205 
 guineas; St. Bonaventura, 125 guineas; St. Thomas 
 de Villanueva, a composition of fifteen figures, 
 described by R. Ford in the Athenceum, May 
 28th, 1853, as "one of the finest sketches of 
 Murillo in existence," 51 J x 29, £jio, now in the 
 possession of Lord Northbrook; St. Felix of 
 Cantalicio, £"350, now in Lord Elcho's collection ; 
 St. Rodrigues crowned by an Angel, 200 guineas, 
 now in the Dresden Gallery, No. 633 ; St. 
 Catherine, £"300, now in the collection of the 
 Duke of Cleveland, Raby Castle, Durham ; St. 
 Joseph and Infant Jesus, 42 x 34, £"440 (when 
 sold it was in bad condition, having been injured 
 by sea- water and ill-usage ; it was purchased by 
 Mr. Rutley for Mr. Lyne Stephens, of Lynford 
 Hall, Norfolk, in whose possession it remained 
 until May, 1895, when it was again sold at 
 Christie's) ; the Magdalen, in purple drapery, at 
 the entrance of a cavern, 59 x 41, 800 guineas 
 
 which had once been in his family, not being taken by Lord 
 Melbourne, the collections were willed as described. 
 
164 
 
 LOUIS PHILIPPE S GALLERY. 
 
 (Wells) ; St. Augustine at Hippona, the saint in 
 bishop's robes, ^680 (J. T. Mills); portrait of 
 Don Andreas di Andrada, inscribed, 78 x 46, 
 ^1,020 — "this picture was bought by Sir J. M. 
 Brackenbury some twenty years ago from the 
 heirs of Andradae for ,£1,000" (Athenczum, May, 
 1853, p. 623), it was purchased by Thomas Baring, 
 and is now in the Northbrook collection ; Portrait 
 of the artist, oval, inscribed "Vera effigies Bar- 
 tholomaei Stephani a Morillo Maximi Pictoris 
 Hispani," etc., 400 guineas (Baron Seilliere) ; 
 Miraculous Conception, from a Convent at Cor- 
 dova, ^810; Virgin and Infant Jesus, known as 
 " La Vierge a la Ceinture," or " Virgen de la Faja," 
 ,£1,550 (Due de Montpensier) — this celebrated 
 work was purchased by Louis Philippe for 60,000 
 francs ; Christ and St. John by the River Jordan, 
 £660 (the same) ; and a Portrait of himself, a 
 head, resembling the portrait above mentioned, 
 but with material differences, 330 guineas. The 
 more important of nearly twenty examples of 
 Velasquez were the following : Landscape, setting 
 sun, with monastery of the Escurial in the distance, 
 410 guineas; Angel appearing to Shepherds, 380 
 guineas (Davenport Bromley) ; portrait of the 
 Infant Don Balthazar Carlos, son of Philip IV., 
 when a child of about three years of age, whole 
 length, i,6oo guineas (Lord Hertford); portrait of 
 Philip IV., whole length, £250 ; portrait of Gaspar 
 Gusman Conde d'01ivares, / ^3io; portrait of Isabel 
 de Bourbon, whole length, wearing a black head- 
 dress with a white feather, ^300. The last three 
 
LOUIS phillipe's gallery. 
 
 165 
 
 pictures were purchased by Mr. Farrer, who ex- 
 hibited them at Manchester in 1857, and sold 
 them to Mr. Henry Huth in 1863; Jesus and 
 his Disciples at Emmaus, ^235 (Earl of Breadal- 
 bane) ; and the most important of all, the celebrated 
 Adoration of the Shepherds, known as " The 
 Manger/' 91 x 66, ^2,060 — purchased about 1832 
 for ^4,800 by Baron Taylor, Louis Philippe's 
 agent, from the Conde del Aguila, in whose house 
 in Seville it had remained since the time it was 
 painted ; it is now in the National Gallery. The 
 other Spanish pictures included four examples of 
 Spagnoletto, notably the Assumption of the Mag- 
 dalen, ^200; a number of examples of Zurbaran, 
 among them a Franciscan Monk holding a skull 
 in his hands, 61 x 39, ^265 ; and a pair, Adoration 
 of the Shepherds, and Adoration of the Magi, 
 ^1,700 (Colnaghi). There were also four works 
 of David Roberts, Interior of the Temple of 
 Edfou, 360 guineas ; St. Helena at Bethlehem, 
 460 guineas ; Interior of the Mosque at Cordova, 
 300 guineas ; and the High Altar in the Seville 
 Cathedral, 300 guineas ; also a fine example of 
 Watteau, Landscape, with the actors of the 
 Comedie Italienne, 700 guineas (Lord Hertford). 
 
 Only two sales of note occurred in 1854. The 
 earlier of these was the small but interesting 
 collection of J. D. Gardner, removed from 
 Bottisham Hall, Cambridgeshire, and the total 
 realized, on March 25th, by the seventy-five lots 
 was ,£2,305. These were : Rubens, Landscape, ex- 
 hibiting a wild and sequestered scene, with figures, 
 
I 66 THE GARDNER AND BAMMEVILLE PICTURES. 
 
 imported from Holland by Emmerson in 1 8 1 8 
 (and from the Harman sale of 1844), 400 guineas ; 
 and Salvator Rosa, view in the Apennines, also 
 from the Harman sale, 450 guineas — both bought 
 in, and offered again in 1877, when the former 
 sold for 490 guineas, and the latter for 210 guineas. 
 This sale included the antique marble of an eagle, 
 found in the Boccapudugli Gardens, near the 
 Baths of Caracalla, Rome, in 1742 ; at the Straw- 
 berry Hill sale in 1842 it realized 200 guineas, 
 and it now fetched 530 guineas. The second note- 
 worthy sale of the year took place on June 12th, 
 and comprised the collection of fifty-seven pictures 
 of E. J. De Bammeville; of the total of ^4,106, 
 ^1,253 represented pictures bought in. One of 
 the pictures in this sale was purchased for the 
 National Gallery, viz., Lorenzo di San Severino, 
 Marriage of St. Catherine, formerly in the Church 
 of Santa Lucia at Fabriano, 57x57, 375 guineas. 
 The other pictures included L. Cranach, Christ 
 Blessing Little Children, boy in red supposed to 
 be Luther, 151 guineas; Botticelli, Madonna, and 
 Child in her arms, circle, 210 guineas, and Madonna 
 adoring Infant, St. John behind, 520 guineas; 
 Masaccio, Madonna dictating to St. Bernard, three 
 angels, 460 guineas ; Fra Angelico, the Last Judg- 
 ment, 600 guineas (both bought in) ; and Duccio 
 di Buoninsegna, the Crucifixion, 265 guineas 
 (Davenport Bromley). 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 1855-1870. 
 
 RALPH BERNAL SAMUEL ROGERS, THE POET LORD ORFORD 
 
 THE ALTON TOWERS COLLECTION OF THE EARL OF 
 
 SHREWSBURY — REV. F. LEICESTER HON. PERCY ASHBURN- 
 
 HAM — CHARLES SCARISBRICK — L. V. FLATOU — CHINA SALES 
 
 SIR JOHN SWINBURNE — T. E. PLINT'S PRE-RAPHAELITE 
 
 PICTURES — ELKANAN BICKNELL — JOHN LEECH'S DRAWINGS 
 
 AND PICTURES EDWIN BULLOCK DAVID MACLISE 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 R. RALPH BERNAL'S sale, in 
 1855, marks an epoch in the history 
 of such events. The collection com- 
 prised 4,294 lots, it occupied 32 days 
 in selling, and realized the grand total 
 of ,£62,690 iSs. whilst the prints, books, and fur- 
 niture brought it up to £"70,954 4.S. In a note pre- 
 fixed to the sale catalogue of Messrs. Christie and 
 Manson, J. R. Planche wrote: ''Distinguished 
 amongst English antiquaries by the perfection of 
 his taste, as well as the extent of his knowledge, the 
 difficulty of imposing upon him was increased by 
 the necessity of the fabrication being fine enough in 
 form, colour or workmanship, to rival the master- 
 piece it simulated : to be, in fact, itself a gem of art 
 which it would not pay to produce as a relic of 
 
RALPH BERNAL. 
 
 antiquity. Mr. Bernal could be tempted by nothing 
 that was inferior. Even his pictures, though 
 avowedly not selected for their value as paintings, 
 but for their illustration of costume, have probably, 
 taken as a whole, more merit in them than any 
 similar collection in Europe." 
 
 Ralph Bernal, who was of Hebrew descent, 
 was born about 1783, and was educated at Christ's 
 College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A., 
 1806, and M.A., in 1809 \ ne was called to the 
 Bar at Lincoln's Inn, February 5th, 18 10. Not 
 being a Jew by religion he was eligible for Parlia- 
 ment, which he entered as member for Lincoln in 
 18 1 8, and, in 1820, for Rochester, which he repre- 
 sented in nine Parliaments; in 1841 he stood for 
 Weymouth, and was seated on petition : at the 
 dissolution of 1852 he retired from Parliament. 
 In 1830 Mr. Bernal was appointed Chairman of 
 Committees of the House of Commons, at a salary 
 of ^2,000 a year, and this office he filled for twenty 
 years. He died on August 26th, 1854. " He 
 lived," writes Mr. Humphry Ward, " at a time 
 when no one either knew or cared about the choice 
 things which nowadays ten thousand collectors seek 
 for with frenzy. No one of his contemporaries 
 in England — though Sauvagest and others were 
 equally fine judges in France — knew so much 
 as he about old armour or mediaeval goldsmiths' 
 work, or the steel inlaying of the Milanese, or the 
 makers and the decorators of the pate tendre of 
 Sevres, or about majolica, or those infinitely delicate 
 kinds of Chinese porcelain for which English 
 
THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 1 69 
 
 and American connoisseurs are prepared to pay 
 any price. What times those were for the collec- 
 tor! one is tempted to say as one looks through 
 the priced Bernal catalogue with its pretty engrav- 
 ings by Mason after Fitzcook's drawings. The 
 
 Pilgrim-shaped Gres Bottle. 
 (Bernal Sale. See p. 172.) 
 
 things sold for what we should consider literally 
 nothing, though in almost every case they marked 
 a considerable advance on the price Mr. Bernal 
 paid. As you walk through the South Ken- 
 sington Museum, you can discover numbers of 
 specimens of Limoges enamel, or of the " ruby- 
 backed " oriental plates, or of a score of other 
 
170 
 
 THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 curiosities with labels marking the prices at 
 which they were obtained in the Bernal sale : 
 for the plates, £50 or £60 for the pieces of 
 Limoges, and so forth — in every instance about 
 one-tenth or one-twentieth part of what would be 
 paid now, so tremendous has been the effect of 
 the spread of education, the diffusion of wealth 
 and the desire to possess at least some of the 
 
 choice works of the past. 
 What was remarkable, 
 however, in the Bernal 
 collection, was not the 
 low prices at which things 
 had been bought and 
 were sold, but the fault- 
 less taste that had pre- 
 sided over their acquisi- 
 tion. Mr. Woods, the 
 present well-known and 
 accomplished head of 
 Christie's firm, is fond of 
 quoting this Bernal sale 
 as the supreme instance 
 of a perfect collection ; 
 there was nothing, out of all the 4,294 objects that 
 was not good, genuine, and, it may almost be said, 
 in intact condition." 1 
 
 The sale began on Monday, March 5th, 1855, 
 and concluded on April 30th. As a cheap edition, 
 with illustrations, of the catalogue is published 
 
 Dresden Porcelain Clock 
 (Bernal Sale. See p. 171.) 
 
 1 Soibner's, December, 1890. 
 
DRESDEN PORCELATN. 
 
 171 
 
 in Bohn's Illustrated Library, anything like an 
 exhaustive analysis of the sale is unnecessary, 
 and we must content ourselves with enumerating 
 a few of the more interesting or important items. 
 Dresden porcelain : a pair of small sceaux scalloped, 
 each with eight small subjects of figures, £40 — 
 these beautiful speci- 
 mens were purchased 
 by Mr. Bernal for 
 £S ; an egg-shaped 
 scalloped vase, with 
 two subjects after 
 Watteau, flowers on 
 gold ground, 40 
 guineas ; a clock in 
 the form of a temple, 
 with pilasters at the 
 angles, and dome top, 
 surmounted by two 
 female figures, dated 
 1727, 18 in. high, 
 ^120 (Sir A. de 
 Rothschild), see illus- 
 tration p. 1 70 ; a pair 
 of superb candelabra, 
 each formed of a 
 female draped figure bearing several branches for 
 five lights, 24m. high, 220guineas (Marquis of Bath), 
 see illustration above ; a pair of two-handled vases 
 and ewers, painted with Chinese figures, and 
 colours, ^54 (Baron M. Rothschild). Old Chelsea : 
 a pair of beautiful globular scalloped vases and 
 
 Dresden Candelabrum. 
 (Bernal Sale.) 
 
THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 covers, deep blue, painted with exotic limes, 105 
 guineas (S. Addington) ; and an ecuelle, and 
 cover and stand, with pink scalloped edges, 26 
 guineas (F. Baring). Gres de Flandres : a blue 
 and white pilgrim-shaped bottle, with perforated 
 ridges at the sides, inscriptions relating to the 
 shield and arms of the Prince of Orange, and 
 medallion of a helmeted head, date 1590, £18 
 
 (British Museum), see 
 illustration, p. 169. 
 
 Faenza and Raf- 
 faelle ware : a salt- 
 cellar of Raffaelle 
 ware, of triangular 
 form, painted with 
 rich ornaments of 
 cupids and negroes' 
 heads, date 1532, 
 2-| in. high by 6 in. 
 l° n g> £6* (British 
 Museum) : a tazza- 
 shaped dish, deep 
 blue, with ten cupids, 
 supporting banners, 
 date 1520, 10 in. diameter, £6 \ (A. Fountain); a 
 flat-shaped pilgrim's bottle, with cover, snake 
 handle, embellished with arabesque ornaments, 
 camei, and subjects of Hercules and the Centaur, 
 date about 1540, 12J in. high, 11 in. wide, 
 40 guineas (Baron A. de Rothschild), — see illus- 
 tration above ; and a plate of the most rare and 
 interesting character, in very strong colours : the 
 
 Faenza Ware— A Pilgrim's 
 Bottle. 
 (Bernal Sale.) 
 
SEVRES PORCELAIN. 
 
 173 
 
 subject believed to be Raffaelle himself and the 
 Fornarina seated in the studio of an artist, who 
 is occupied in painting a plate ; in. diameter, 
 ^120 (Marlborough House), see illustration, p. 141 
 — this lot realized at the Stowe sale, August 1 7th, 
 1848, only and it was afterwards sold to 
 
 Mr. Bernal for ,£5. Palissy ware : a circular dish, 
 on a foot, a lizard in the centre and with very rich 
 border, 12^ in. diameter, ^162 (Baron G. de 
 Rothschild), — a true specimen of the extremely 
 rare Palissy ware, purchased in a broken state in 
 Paris for 12 francs, and after being admirably 
 restored, sold to Mr. Bernal for ^4. 
 
 Sevres : an ecuelle, cover and stand, gros-bleu, 
 painted with six subjects of cupids by Chabry, 1 77 1 , 
 ^125 (Marlborough House); an elegant vase, with 
 handles of goats' heads, gros-bleu, with frieze and 
 gold, with an exquisite medallion of Fame recording 
 the events of Time, 14 in. high, 121 guineas 
 (S. Addington), — this article cost Mr. Bernal 17 
 guineas ; a gros-bleu vase and cover of beautiful 
 form, with two handles, and festoons and leaves 
 falling from the centre of the neck to the bottom of 
 the handles, painted with Venus, Adonis, and Cupid 
 in front, and bouquet of flowers on reverse, i6jin. 
 high, 213 guineas (S. Rucker) ; a magnificent 
 cabaret, of the finest gros-bleu, with wreaths of 
 gold, consisting of plateau, teapot, sucrier and 
 cover, milkpot, and two cups and saucers, painted 
 by Leguay, 1775-6,^465 (Marquis of Bath),— 
 said to have cost Mr. Bernal 65 guineas; a pair 
 of fine vases and covers, green ground pencilled 
 
174 
 
 THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 Sevres Vase, Rose 
 du Barri 
 (Bernal Sale.) 
 
 Sevres Vase. 
 (Bernal Sale.) 
 
 with gold, each with two bou- 
 quets with flowers in medal- 
 lions by Dodet, 17 in., 305 
 guineas (C. Mills) ; a pair of 
 oval jardinieres, a very fine 
 bleu de Vincennes ground, 
 with children after Boucher, 
 1 754, ^100 (Lord Falmouth) ; 
 a pair of vases rose du Barri, 
 each painted with two groups 
 of cupids in medallions, the 
 curved leaf-shaped lips form- 
 ing handles, 14^ in., ,£1,942 
 10s. (Hertford) — see adjoin- 
 ing illustration ; this magni- 
 ficent pair of vases were 
 formerly in the possession of 
 Henry Baring, who sold them 
 to Mr. Bernal for about ,£200 ; 
 a pair of vases, of very elegant 
 form, turquoise, with oval 
 medallions of a shepherdess, 
 and a girl bathing her feet, 
 by Dodet and Drand, 18 in. 
 ,£1,417 1 Oi\ (the same) ; a noble 
 oviform vase and cover, green 
 with gilt busts forming the 
 handles, exquisite painting of 
 a peasant family, in the manner 
 of Greuze, 18 in. high, ,£388 
 10s. (the same), see adjoin- 
 ing illustration ; a pair of tall 
 
OLD SEVRES. 
 
 175 
 
 vases, and covers, of rare form, gros bleu, deli- 
 cately pencilled with gold stripes, with medallion of 
 a sacrifice to Venus and Bacchus, 14 in. high, £joo 
 (S. H. Sutherland) ; a centre vase and cover, gros- 
 bleu with upright handles, the centre with an 
 exquisite painting of a peasant and two girls 
 gathering cherries, donkey 
 with panniers at their side, 
 18 in. high, ^871 10s. 
 (Marquis of Hertford); a 
 pair of vases and covers of 
 equally high quality, gros- 
 bleu, on the necks are two 
 exquisite paintings by Gre- 
 mont of a nymph at the 
 bath, 1 5^ in. high, ,£900 
 (Sir A. de Rothschild) — 
 see adjoining illustration ; 
 and a pair of oviform vases 
 and covers of equally high 
 quality, gros-bleu, with flat 
 handles, the front nearly 
 covered with an exquisite 
 painting of Bacchus seated, 
 with a nymph presenting a 
 wreath to Cupid in landscapes, 13 in. high, ^590 
 (Marquis of Bath). 
 
 The antique jewellery, rings, crosses, brooches, 
 and ornaments included an ancient Gaelic brooch, 
 of silver, of circular form, scalloped and surrounded 
 by small upright obelisks, each set with a pearl at 
 top; in the centre is a round crystalline ball, con- 
 
 Old Sevres Vase and 
 Cover. 
 (Bernal Sale.) 
 
176 
 
 THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 sidered a magical gem, 4§ in. diameter (see illustra- 
 tion, p. 53), £ji (British Museum). This Scottish 
 brooch is traditionally said to have been made by 
 a tinker on the estate of Lochbury in Mull, from a 
 silver one found there in or about the year 1500, 
 and it was successively the property of Dr. Lort, 
 at the sale of whose effects, July 15th, 1 791 , it was 
 purchased by Samuel Tysson ; from them, at 
 Tysson's sale, May 18th, 1802, it was purchased 
 by Mr. Bindley, and at his sale by Mr. Thomas, 
 and again at Thomas's sale by Mr. Bernal, for 
 10 guineas. The armour and arms comprised 
 complete suits, cross-bows, daggers, gauntlets, 
 guns, pistols, halberds, helmets, swords, shields, 
 bucklers, and so forth. The Byzantine metal 
 work, included King Lothaire's magic crystal, a 
 highly interesting relic, engraved with the whole 
 history of Susannah, in copper gilt, gothic frames 
 set with imitations of precious stones, the crystal 
 in. diameter, ^267 (British Museum) — this 
 object was purchased in the Low Countries for 12 
 francs, and sold to Mr. Bernal for £\o. The more 
 interesting examples of mediaeval metal work in- 
 cluded Sir Thomas More's brass candlesticks, 
 or rather flower vases, with flowers and leaves 
 enamelled in blue and white (see illustration, p. 138), 
 221 guineas (Duke of Hamilton); the celebrated 
 copper formed Reliquaire of the kings, copper gilt 
 enamelled with blue and turquoise, presented by 
 Pope Eugenius IV. to Philip le Bon Duke of 
 Burgundy, containing at the time the relics found 
 in the Chatreux at Dijon in 1430, ^66 (British 
 
THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 177 
 
 Museum) ; and the St. Thomas a Becket Reliquaire, 
 a small copper of copper gilt, richly enamelled with 
 blue ; on the front is represented the martyrdom of the 
 saint, 4§ inches long, nearly 2\ inches wide and 6\ 
 inches high (see illustration below), ^28 17^. 6d. 
 (Col. Sibthorp, M.P.) — this is said to have cost 
 £ 1 2. Of the large number of Limoges enamel we 
 can only mention an elegant ewer, with a fine 
 subject of an equestrian combat around the body, 
 and with busts in 
 medallions of Henri 
 II. or Francis I., 10 
 inches by 4 inches, 
 130 guineas (S. 
 Addington); and a 
 beautiful casket in 
 original silver gilt 
 chased mounting, 
 highly embellished 
 with gems, camei, 
 etc., and composed 
 of five plaques of St. Thomas a Beckett Reliquaire. 
 enamels in panels (Bernal Sale.) 
 
 representing the sibyls in black and white, \\ 
 inches long by inches wide (see illustration, 
 p. 178), 240 guineas (Mr. T. Smith, M.P.). 
 
 Finally, the pictures included : Largilliere, Pre- 
 tender, in red dress wearing the Order of the 
 Garter, and his sister in white satin at his side, 
 26 x 2 1, in guineas (Farrer) ; Mignard, Madame 
 de Maintenon, in a yellow damask dress and blue 
 robe lined with ermine, 52 x 40, 80 guineas (Duke 
 
 I. N 
 
1 7 8 
 
 THE BERNAL COLLECTION. 
 
 of Hamilton) ; and Princess Henrietta, Duchess of 
 Orleans, in a blue and white dress, ornamented with 
 fleurs-de-lys, 40 x 33, 78 guineas (Vardon), " this 
 beautiful portrait is one of the last works of the 
 master;" Drouais (not Greuze as catalogued), 
 Madame de Pompadour in a white flowered dress, 
 with a muff, oval, 185 guineas (S. Lyne Stephens) ; 
 
 A Casket of Limoges Enamel. 
 (Bernal Sale. See p. 177.) 
 
 Mytens, Charles I., in a pink silk dress with slashed 
 sleeves, with lace collar, and the ribbon and badge of 
 theGarter,46 x 36, 80 guineas(Duke of Hamilton) ; 
 Sir Peter Lely, Nell Gwynne, in a white dress and 
 blue mantle, seated on a bank in a landscape, 
 49x40, 62 guineas (J. Neeld, M.P.) ; Cuyp, 
 William II., Prince of Orange, in a white dress, 
 edged with gold, on a brown horse, 19 x 13, 100 
 guineas (Marquis of Londonderry) ; Primaticcio, 
 
THE BERNAL PICTURES. 
 
 179 
 
 the Cardinal of Chantillon, in a crimson damask 
 dress and cloak, with a broad front of ermine, a 
 small red cap on his head, half-length, 36 x 28, 
 dated 1531 (H.R.H. the Due d'Aumale); 
 S. Coello, Anna Maria of Austria, Queen of 
 Philip II. of Spain, in white silk dress, orna- 
 mented with broad gold bands of arabesque pat- 
 tern, " a noble chef-d cetivre of the great Spanish 
 portrait painter," signed, 205 guineas (Sir H. H. 
 Campbell) ; W. Mieris, Portrait of the artist, in a 
 yellow silk dress and crimson velvet cloak, fastened 
 by a jewel, oval, 34 inches high, 62 guineas ; 
 Palomino, Isabella de Valois, wife of Philip II., in 
 a black dress, with pink sleeves, with necklace of 
 pearls and jewels, 75 x 43, 1 10 guineas (C. Mills) ; 
 Janet, Elizabeth of Austria (not Isabel), Queen of 
 Charles IX. of France, in white dress, beautifully 
 ornamented with jewels, three-quarter length, 
 14 x 10, 147 guineas (Due d'Aumale); Janet, or 
 more probably Bernard Van Orley, Eleanor of 
 Portugal, Queen of Francis I., in a black dress 
 with slashed sleeves, three-quarter length, 
 15^-x 12, 212 guineas (the same); Holbein, Anne 
 of Cleves, in a black dress ornamented with broad 
 stripes of gold damask, gold chain around her 
 neck, a flat gold cap on her head, half-length (see 
 illustration), 15^ inches x 14 inches, "an exquisite 
 portrait on vellum," 175 guineas (Morant); Hol- 
 bein, Lady Johanna Abergavenny, in a crimson 
 dress with yellow sleeves, a gold head dress em- 
 broidered with initials, a. i., half-length, from 
 Strawberry Hill, 16 x 12, 52 guineas (R. Neville) ; 
 
l8o SAMUEL ROGERS, BANKER-POET. 
 
 and the Portrait of Nicholas, Lord Vaux, the poet 
 and musician, in a black dress and cap, seated at 
 a table, an open book before him, he holds a viol 
 de gambe in his left hand, green drapery behind, 
 1 7^ x 17, " a most beautiful portrait of the highest 
 interest," 100 guineas (Morant) ; and a Portrait 
 by an unknown artist of Edward IV., in a gold 
 dress and crimson cloak edged with fur, 150 
 guineas (Duke of Newcastle). 
 
 The echoes of the great Bernal Sale had 
 scarcely died away ere the death of Samuel 
 Rogers, the Banker Poet, on December 18th, 
 1855, was followed almost immediately by the 
 announcement of the sale of his numerous art 
 treasures. Rogers was born in 1763, and was a 
 man of wealth, as well as one of fine critical taste. 
 For about three-quarters of a century he knew 
 every person worth knowing in the political, 
 literary and artistic world, and his breakfasts at 
 22, St. James's Place were as famous, in their 
 way, as the celebrated receptions at Holland 
 House. He was a constant attendant at art sales 
 from the early part of the century, but his pur- 
 chases were never showy — he depended upon his 
 own judgment, and was not led away by outside 
 enthusiasm, or public excitement. Nearly every 
 picture in his collection realized two or three times 
 more than he originally paid ; and the eighteen 
 days' sale, from April 28th, 1856, realized a total of 
 ,£42,367 — the 233 pictures alone brought £"30, 180. 
 Innumerable friends and associates of Rogers have 
 left permanent records of their impressions of his 
 
ROGERS AT ST. JAMES'S PLACE. 1 8 I 
 
 famous house. Byron, who quarrelled with 
 Rogers, as he quarrelled with nearly everybody 
 else, except Shelley, wrote in his diary: "If you 
 enter his house — his drawing-room — his library — 
 you, of yourself, say, this is not the dwelling of a 
 common mind. There is not a gem, a coin, a 
 book, thrown aside on his chimney-piece, his sofa, 
 his table, that does not bespeak an almost fas- 
 tidious elegance in the possessor." Macaulay, 
 writing in June, 183 1 , says, "1 breakfasted with 
 Rogers yesterday. What a delightful house it is ! 
 The furniture has been selected with a delicacy of 
 taste quite unique. In the drawing-room the 
 chimney-pieces are carved by Flaxman into most 
 beautiful Grecian forms. The bookcase is painted 
 by Stothard in his very best manner with groups 
 from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Boccaccio. In 
 the dining-room are some beautiful paintings, a 
 cast of Pope taken after his death by Roubiliac, 
 and a mahogany table, in which stands an antique 
 vase. Chantrey asked Rogers who made the 
 table. ' A common carpenter,' said Rogers. 
 ' Yes,' said Chantrey, ' I was the carpenter.' " 
 
 A description in the Athencziim of December 
 29th, 1855, gives such a vivid picture of the con- 
 tents of the house as they were arranged by the 
 owner, that we must be excused for quoting it at 
 length, and to avoid the necessity of going over 
 the same ground twice, we give the prices which 
 the articles alluded to realized in brackets : — 
 " The poet's house consists merely of a front and 
 back room on each floor, separated by the stair- 
 
182 
 
 ROGERS AT ST. JAMES'S PLACE. 
 
 case, and is a narrow strip extending from St. 
 James's Palace to the Green Park, where its con- 
 tracted frontage is distinguished by a triple bow 
 window and carved gilt balcony. The street 
 entrance conducts by a long narrow passage by 
 the side of the staircase direct to the dining-room 
 door. On entering this apartment, the large 
 window, shaded by evergreens, at once removes 
 the confined feeling connected with a town house. 
 In front of the window rises, dark and monumental, 
 a handsome mahogany pedestal, surmounted by a 
 beautiful vase ; the latter is antique, the former 
 the work of Chantrey when a journeyman. Viewed 
 from the window, the pedestal has a stone-like ap- 
 pearance. To the right of the door on entering is 
 a sideboard supporting ancient painted Greek 
 vases, and Roubiliac's terra-cotta model of the 
 head of Pope. Above the glass is a portion of a 
 fresco from the Carmine at Florence, by Giotto 
 [75 guineas, National Gallery]. In the corner to 
 the left, and towards the fireplace, is the original 
 terra-cotta model by Michael Angelo for his well- 
 known statue of the Duke Lorenzo dei Medici. 
 Over the chimney-piece is the sketch by Velasquez 
 of the Infant Don Balthazar [1,210 guineas, Sir 
 Richard Wallace, purchased in Spain, in 1827, 
 for Rogers]. Between the fireplace and the 
 window is the poet's writing table, and immedi- 
 ately on a level with his eye are three small 
 pictures. The right hand one, Christ on the 
 Mount of Olives [450 guineas, Baroness Burdett- 
 Coutts, from the Orleans Gallery], was painted 
 
THE ROGERS COLLECTION. 
 
 183 
 
 when Raphael was about two-and-twenty. It is 
 one of a series of pictures that ornamented the 
 predella or step of the great altarpiece executed 
 by Raphael for the nuns of St. Antonio at 
 Perugia. The large picture is in the Royal 
 Palace at Naples : the other compartments of the 
 predella belong to Mr. Miles of Leigh Court 
 [sold in 1884], and Mrs. Whyte of Barron Hill. 
 The remaining subjects over Mr. Rogers' writing 
 table are a Virgin and Child, worshipped by six 
 saints, by Ludovico Carracci, and a lonely land- 
 scape, The Mill, by Claude [660 guineas, Baroness 
 Burdett-Coutts], No. 1 1 of the " Liber Veritatis." 
 On this side of the room is the magnificent sketch 
 by Tintoretto for his celebrated picture of the 
 Miracle of the Slave [410 guineas, the same]. It 
 formerly belonged to Pilkington. Near, on the 
 same wall, hangs a fine original study by Titian, 
 of Charles V. on horseback. Low down, next the 
 window, is one of the most powerfully painted 
 heads by Rembrandt, being his own portrait 
 [310 guineas — it cost Rogers ^69 at Lord Carys- 
 foot's sale]. The touches and texture are truly 
 marvellous. On the wall facing the fireplace is 
 the large study by Paul Veronese for the cele- 
 brated picture in the Durazzo Palace, from which it 
 differs in many respects. Mr. Rogers purchased 
 it from the Hope Collection in 18 16 for ^90 
 [380 guineas, Baroness Burdett-Coutts]. This is 
 the picture which he actually crawled on his hands 
 and knees to obtain. Near it are a superb sketch 
 by Rubens for the picture of the Horrors of War 
 
THE ROGERS COLLECTION. 
 
 in the Pitti Palace at Florence [200 guineas, 
 Bentley for the National Gallery], and the Head 
 of our Saviour, by Guido [cost 25^ guineas, 
 bequeathed to the National Gallery], one of the 
 three destined to grace our National Gallery. 
 Many of the largest pictures in the room are con- 
 trived by very simple machinery to advance 
 from the wall and turn in almost every possible 
 direction. Immediately from the dining-room 
 door, to the left, the staircase leads by a curved 
 and unbroken flight of steps to the first floor, 
 opening by a door upon a covered gallery, con- 
 necting the drawing-room with the small square 
 apartment in front, which is the poet's celebrated 
 library. The gallery is lighted by a glazed 
 window from the staircase, the walls of which are 
 relieved by choice casts from the marbles of the 
 Parthenon. Here, scarcely to be seen, is hung 
 the sketch by Titian for the famous Gloria at 
 Madrid [270 guineas, Lord H. Vane]. Here, in 
 semi-darkness, are some of the choicest painted 
 Greek vases and Egyptian sculptures. Some of 
 the rarest objects of vertu are laid out on a table, 
 including an especially fine specimen of a Greek 
 Rhyton. The library is lined with bookcases 
 surmounted by Greek vases, each one remarkable 
 for its exquisite beauty of form. Upon the gilt 
 lattice-work of the bookcases are lightly hung in 
 frames some of the finest original sketches by 
 Raphael, Michael Angelo and Andrea del Sarto, 
 and finished paintings by Angelico da Fiesole and 
 Fouquet of Tours. Modern works also, by 
 
THE ROGERS COLLECTION. 
 
 185 
 
 Turner, Wilkie, and Mulready are there. The 
 large painting, by Reynolds, of Cupid and Psyche, 
 is over the fireplace in the same apartment [400 
 guineas, Mr. Rogers gave 250 guineas for it]. 
 Over the drawing-room fireplace, sculptured by 
 Flaxman, is the study of Rubens [1,050 guineas, 
 for the National Gallery], from Andrea Man- 
 tegna's Triumphal Procession of Julius Caesar, 
 now at Hampton Court. Beneath this picture is 
 a range of interesting miniatures and various 
 relics, including orange blossoms under glass. 
 The chief picture towards the window is the 
 beautiful ' Noli me Tangere,' by Titian. It is for- 
 tunately destined to pass to the National Gallery 
 [to which Mr. Rogers bequeathed it]. Over the 
 sofa hang pictures by Watteau, Le Nain, and Jan 
 Van Eyck, the latter a most exquisitely painted 
 figure of Madonna and Child, surmounted by the 
 richest ornamental architecture. Facing the 
 window is a bold allegorical picture by Rem- 
 brandt, and a mellow Moonlight scene by Rubens 
 [310 guineas, Lord Ward, from Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds's Sale]. Opposite the chimney-piece, a 
 cabinet of light wood is panelled with pictures by 
 Stothard. The subjects are the characters of 
 Shakespeare, the Canterbury Pilgrims, the char- 
 acters of the Decameron, and the Sans Souci. 
 In the centre of this side of the room is a fine 
 picture of Annibal Carracci of the Coronation of 
 the Virgin ; another repetition of this subject 
 hangs to the right, but is very different in treat- 
 ment. It is a small altarpiece by Lorenzo di 
 
THE ROGERS COLLECTION. 
 
 Credi [380 guineas, Lord Overstone]. Near this 
 again hangs the well-known Madonna and Child, 
 from the Orleans Gallery, attributed to Raphael, 
 but certainly differing in feeling, form, and tone of 
 colour from others of his well-known works at that 
 period [480 guineas, Mackintosh, cost Mr. Rogers 
 ^"66 in 1816]. An extraordinary riposo by Cor- 
 reggio, remarkable for powers of handling and 
 incorrect drawing, is possibly one of his early 
 genuine works [240 guineas, cost Rogers 51 
 guineas]. The famous Puck, by Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, graces this room, and the collection 
 possesses, altogether, seven excellent specimens 
 of this English master." 
 
 So far the Athencenm. There were nine ex- 
 amples of Reynolds in the collection. Of these 
 the highest price was paid for the celebrated 
 Strawberry Girl, 2,100 guineas, purchased for the 
 Marquis of Hertford, and now in Sir Richard 
 Wallace's collection at Manchester House ; the 
 next in importance was Puck and Titania, with 
 Bottom in the background, sold by Reynolds to 
 Boydell for 100 guineas, purchased by Rogers for 
 210 guineas, and now bought by the Earl 
 Fitzwilliam for 980 guineas ; Cupid and Psyche, 
 Landscape background, 400 guineas ; A Girl 
 Sketching, from the Thomond sale, 350 guineas ; 
 View from Richmond Hill, from the same collec- 
 tion, 430 guineas ; The Mob Cap in the " Infant 
 Academy," the engraved picture, 780 guineas 
 ( Windus) ; Girl with a Bird, 2 30 guineas ; A Woody 
 Landscape, 105 guineas ; and the Sleeping Girl, 
 
F1LIPPIN0 LIPPI, LA SIMON ETTA. 
 
 From the S. Rogers, 1856 (185 gs.) ; Rev. Davenport Bromley, 1863 
 (460 gs.) ; A. Barker, and Earl Dudley, 1892 (1,600 gs.). 
 
 "This portrait was called a Verrochio in Mr. S. Rogers's collection, 
 till Dr. Waagen pronounced it to be by Antonio Pollajuolo. The 
 catalogue of Mr. Bromley's stated this, but that nevertheless ' it is 
 generally considered that the treatment agrees entirely with that of 
 Filippino Lippi.' It also quoted Vasari's description of ' La Simonetta ' 
 as k una giovine e bella donna di colla notabilmente lungo,' which, 
 however, applies to the well-known portrait in the Pitti Gallery by 
 Botticelli, which is always called 'La Bella Simonetta' (No. 353), and 
 is said to be the portrait referred to by Vasari in his life of that painter 
 as one of two profile portraits in the guardaroba of Duke Cosimo ; one, 
 he says, was Lucrezia Tornabuoni, wife of Lorenzo Medici, the other 
 was ' si dichi che sia Pinnamorata di Giuliano de' Medici.' The Pitti 
 catalogue says this lady was 'chantee,'by the poets Pulci and Poliziano, 
 and that she was born at Porto-Venere, of a Genoese family, and 
 married at Florence a member of the noble house of the Cattani. But 
 there is in the collection of which the Due d'Aumale has recently made 
 the magnificent gift to the French nation to be called the ' Musee 
 Conde,' a portrait also called 'La Bella Simonetta' by Antonio 
 Pollajuolo, which bears inscribed on it in capitals, 'simonetta 
 JANUENSIS VESPUCCIA.' This is especially noticed in an article in 
 the Journal des Debats, January, 1887, by M. Pillet, the expert, as one of 
 the pictures purchased by the Due d'Aumale of M. Reiset in 1879. The 
 writer also says that some of these pictures were from the collection 
 of M. S. Rogers, the poet. It is remarkable that a portrait of ' La 
 Simonetta' should have been in the Rogers' sale, and one attributed 
 to Pollajuolo, as is the one now in the Musee Conde. The question 
 arises whether the picture in the Bromley sale above recorded is not 
 the same as that. If so, then it should have the arms of the Soderini 
 family, if such they are, on the background. As to the inscribed name, 
 nothing is said either in the catalogue of the Rogers sale, nor in the 
 Davenport Bromley sale. Mr. Barker's collection was sold in 1874 
 and 1879 at Christie's, but the 'Simonetta' does not appear in either 
 catalogue, so it is to be concluded that he had sold it."— (Redford, 
 "Art Sales," ii. 237.) As regards Mr. Redford's interesting speculations, 
 we can only add that the Dudley picture has the arms of the Soderini 
 family emblazoned on the background, and that there can be no ques- 
 tion about the fact that this identical picture was successively in the 
 possession of Rogers, Davenport Bromley, and Alexander Barker. 
 Dr. Richter, in his "Commentary" on Vasari (London, 1892), em- 
 phatically states that "the portrait in the Pitti Palace (No. 353) neither 
 represents La bella Simonetta. nor is it by Botticelli." (See vol. ii., 
 !>• '97*) 
 
ECTION. 
 
 Credi [380 guineas, Lord Overstone]. Near this 
 from the Orleans Gallery, attributed to Raphael, 
 
 &d8i '/afrnpia rioqns/iKl .vafl.: ($92#'0 d?&4 .eiDnoX. 9fll mcn'i 
 
 A-jifru \(yjrvi\ 'nnifnMr.VHi iElbooyibvwv&b ®fo$\&\isiim\$ stand e& 
 
 «wtio,; omiaoJ 9<tny *° BuOffimafg od| nr etfiiniioq 9lnp;iq i t)7zj lo 9fio 8js 
 
 bar, /^m^.9^k$^^ 
 
 Jfj<^ jfJKilcO 3ftlto Ssuod aldon 3flj "io igdrngm b 9Dri9-ioH }£ bohifirn 
 abfcrn 7 mi 309^ ' ^IWfBmi^B^SiCI 9flJ doidm lo noboalloo odl ni ei gioriJ 
 99eul$ . J 9fjU 9^ (A, Sf&fijUyj $ in &1ph$fo> Jti'g. J n ft^^f S^'^c** 1 "^ 
 
 oinoJnA yd r ji}J9nonii£ tflBfii £.11 i hsitsv) osIk ffOTftsxL. £ 'gbnoD 
 
 bidodntts 900 bn/» , c A&e Vi9go>I 9fli ni apod- 97,6 ri ^ f "p ; ' "Tt^ygiP 
 norJaaup 9ffT .abnoO 99auM aril ni v/on Dno srii aV ( ofo4[£fto'T oi 
 ibff «i b9biOD9i 9vocffi 9ffie Y9lfnoT^I srif ni atfjtoiq- 3ilf>i9ri«9rfW ifekm; 
 
 inn3bo8 9rf} lo egns aril avsd bfyprfe )i narli ^.^1 ■ ,j£.rfj MmmjB2ddl 
 
 t bio 
 
 ,2ffO 
 
 iqii; 
 
 EtSfybi; ^tno(f6»i 
 
 ie Sleeping Girl, 
 
THE ROGERS COLLECTION. 
 
 187 
 
 150 guineas (Bentley). The other pictures in- 
 cluded three by C. R. Leslie, the Princes in 
 the Tower at Prayer, for which the owner paid 
 the artist 40 guineas, now brought 215 guineas; 
 Sancho and the Duchess (a replica of the original 
 now in the National Gallery), for which Rogers 
 paid Leslie 200 guineas, sold for 1,120 guineas, and 
 The First Lesson, 320 guineas ; F. Bassano, the 
 Good Samaritan, 230 guineas (National Gallery — 
 it cost Rogers £4.0) ; Mazzolino di Ferrara, Christ 
 disputing with the Doctors, from the Ottley sale of 
 1837 (115 guineas), 500 guineas (Bentley) ; Murillo, 
 St. Anthony of Padua (wrongly called St. Francis), 
 and the Infant Jesus, cabinet size, 230 guineas 
 (Baroness Burdett-Coutts), and St. Joseph and the 
 Infant Jesus, 12 x ig^, from the Hope sale of 
 1 8 16 (27 guineas), 380 guineas (the same); Teniers, 
 the Enchantress, from the Reynolds and Thomond 
 (115 guineas) collections, 300 guineas (Danby 
 Seymour) ; in addition to the two examples of 
 Rubens already mentioned there were a Moonlight 
 Landscape, with horses grazing, from the 
 Reynolds' collection, 310 guineas, a Boar Hunt, 
 310 guineas, both purchased by Lord Ward ; and 
 the Waggon, 6 10 guineas (Bentley) ; and Watteau, 
 a Masquerade, and a Concert, the companion, a 
 pair from Lord Carysfoot's collection (at the sale 
 of which they were purchased for 60 guineas), 
 330 guineas. 
 
 The dispersal of the Rogers collection was soon 
 followed by that of Lord Orford. This sale was 
 advertised as comprising " a highly important 
 
i88 
 
 LORD ORFORD's PICTURES. 
 
 collection removed from a noble mansion in the 
 country," but the owner of the collection was pretty 
 generally known to be Lord Orford. The seventy- 
 one pictures sold on June 26th, 1856, produced a 
 total of ^ 1 1,577. By far the most important work 
 in the sale was the celebrated Rubens known as 
 the Rainbow Landscape ; it was formerly in the 
 Balbi Palace at Genoa, was purchased at the 
 Watson Taylor sale in 1823 by Lord Orford, and 
 now realized ,£4,550. There were also four by 
 Canaletto, Courtyard, Venice, 160 guineas; 
 Staircase, Doge's Palace, bought by Lord Orford 
 in 181 2 at St. Petersburg of the executors of Count 
 Algarotti, 240 guineas (Duke of Cleveland), St. 
 Mark's Palace, 260 guineas, and St. Mark's 
 Church, 2 74 guineas; Berghem, Italian Landscape, 
 Peasant in red dress, two Cows, Horse, and Man, 
 470 guineas (Pennell) ; Lo Spagna, Glorification 
 of the Vigin, 70 x 31 J, with arched top, from the 
 Ercolani collection, Bologna, 620 guineas (National 
 Gallery) ; J. Ruysdael, Sea-Piece, storm, two figures 
 on a wooden pier, beacon, 300 guineas ; M. 
 Grunenwald, Altarpiece, Virgin standing on the 
 moon, 130 guineas (H.R.H. Prince Albert); De 
 Koning, Landscape, from the Pourtales collection, 
 390 guineas ; Murillo, Christ bearing the Cross, 
 from the Bishop of Tarento's , collection, 690 
 guineas; Sasso Ferrato, Marriage of St. Catherine, 
 1,025 guineas (Marquis of Hertford); and John 
 Opie, Peasant Boy and Girl, 310 guineas. 
 
 The principal sale of 1857 comprised the 
 extensive collection of pictures, objects of art, 
 
THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY. 
 
 armour, and old decorative furniture, formed 
 chiefly by Charles, fifteenth Earl of Shrewsbury, 
 early in the present century. The sale was held 
 at Alton Towers, in the valley of the Churnet, 
 Staffordshire, and the entire receipts of the thirty 
 days' dispersal of 3,981 lots, from July 6th, 
 amounted to ,£42,198 16s. The Times published 
 a long leading article on the event, commenc- 
 ing it with the following sentence : — " One of the 
 noblest families in the English peerage is extinct, 
 its effects for sale, and the manor over which the 
 premier Earls of England have held right of 
 jurisdiction since the days of Henry II., is about to 
 pass into the keeping of strange hands. " Redford 
 observes : " As regards pictures, the collection was 
 by no means of a high order, although most of 
 them came from Rome, and were purchased in 
 1829 by the Shrewsbury family in one lot from 
 Madame Bonaparte, the mother of Napoleon. 
 These had been obtained by her son Lucien, who 
 had many fine pictures, the best of which were sold 
 in London ; and it is evident that Madame Mere 
 must have made a very successful sale of pictures 
 which her son Lucien knew were inferior to his 
 own. The Earl Charles also bought pictures by 
 the advice of Bryan the picture dealer, and being a 
 strict Roman Catholic the subjects were all in 
 accordance with that feeling." The collection of 
 708 pictures occupied six days in selling, and 
 produced a total of ,£12,940 ; the great majority, 
 indeed, did not reach £"50, and the best of those 
 which reached three figures were the following : — 
 
I9O THE ALTON TOWERS COLLECTION. 
 
 Velasquez, Philip IV., full-length, when about 25 
 years of age, 123 guineas (probably, according to 
 Curtis, the picture now in the Holford collection) ; 
 the best of the several Murillos was The Virgin in 
 purple robe and blue drapery, holding the Child in 
 her arms, 206 guineas ; Sasso Ferrato, Virgin and 
 Child sleeping, 131 guineas; Carlo Dolci, St. 
 Catherine, her cheek resting in wheel, 1 2 1 guineas ; 
 G. Bellini, Circumcision, signed, 162 guineas; 
 Raphael, Virgin kneeling in a Landscape, holding 
 a book, 2 10 guineas ; Perugino, Virgin, seated, with 
 Infant in her lap on a cushion in Landscape, 205 
 guineas ; De Heusch, Landscape with waggon 
 attacked by banditti, 120 guineas; J. Wynants, 
 Landscape, river scene with fallen tree, 130 
 guineas ; and Gonzales Coques, Gentleman and 
 Lady, with three children and servant in a garden, 
 165 guineas. 
 
 Lord Northwick's celebrated collection of 
 pictures, and objects of art, by some curious mis- 
 chance, was not sold at Christie's, but by Phillips 
 of Bond Street on the premises at Thirlestane 
 House, Cheltenham, July 25th, 1859, and is here 
 referred to inasmuch as the collection is frequently 
 mentioned in the course of this work. 
 
 The principal picture sale of i860 comprised 
 two small collections, that of the Rev. Frederic 
 Leicester, and of the Hon. Percy Ashburnham, 
 May 19th. The former consisted of twenty-nine 
 pictures which realized the total of ,£4,565, and 
 among them were : Cuyp, The Ferry Boat, a view 
 on the Maes, with ferry-boat full of figures start- 
 
J. B. GREUZE. 
 
 PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG GIRL. 
 
 From the collections of the Hon. H. M. Pierpoint ; G. T. Braine, Esq. 
 1857 (240 gs.) ; and Adrian Hope, 1894. Exhibited at the British 
 Gallery, 1835 : Smith's "Catalogue Raisonne," vol. viii. No. 69. (See 
 vol. ii., p. 236, where the price, 2,900 gs , is inadvertently omitted ) 
 
the rev. f. Leicester's collection. 191 
 
 ing from a wooden jetty, 22 J x 28, from the col- 
 lection of Sir Robert Price (dispersed in 1854), 810 
 guineas ; W. Mieris, The Greengrocer, at a stone- 
 arched window a young lady, the wife of the 
 artist, in a brown silk dress, choosing a melon 
 from a basket, 1 73 1 , 15J x 13, from the 
 Saltmarshe collection, 255 guineas ; Canaletto, 
 Piazza di San Marco, Venice, looking towards the 
 front of the Church of the Campanile, from Mr. 
 Cankrien's collection, 350 guineas ; Gonzales 
 Coques, Henry III., Stadtholder, in a green silk 
 dress, with portraits of his Secretary, Chancellor 
 De Witte, his Consort, and others, 380 guineas ; 
 Teniers, his own Chateau, with portraits of himself 
 in a red cloak, his two daughters and son, stand- 
 ing on the bank of a river, 24 x 20, from Sir 
 George Warrender's collection, 465 guineas; J. 
 and A. Both, The Ferry Boat, known as " The 
 Courteney Both," Cavalier and Lady on horseback 
 in conversation with peasants in a ferry boat, in 
 which are two cows, Roman ruins on the woody 
 bank, from the Acraman and French collections, 
 360 guineas ; Murillo, The Virgin in a crimson 
 and blue drapery, pressing the Infant to her 
 bosom, from the Joseph Bonaparte collection, 220 
 guineas ; and J. Ruysdael, Solitude, a Grand 
 Landscape with ruined chateau, seen between the 
 stems of a group of venerable oaks and backed by 
 a wood, 305 guineas. 
 
 The collection of the Hon. P. Ashburnham con- 
 sisted of about thirty pictures which realized a total 
 of close on ,£7,600. The principal pictures were 
 
192 THE HON. P. ASHBURNHAM'S PICTURES. 
 
 the following : — Teniers, The Enchantress quitting 
 the infernal regions, formerly the property of Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, who gave Dr. Chauncy three of 
 his own productions and two others by old masters 
 in exchange, 230 guineas ; J. and A. Both, a Grand 
 Italian Landscape, representing a rocky and highly 
 picturesque scene upon the aspect of a sultry day, 
 from the Earl of Shaftesbury's collection, 300 
 guineas; Paul Veronese, the Vision of St. Helena, 
 empress in robe of delicate crimson hue reclining 
 in sleep before a stone cornice, formerly in the 
 collections of the Duke of Marlborough and the 
 Duke of Leeds, 270 guineas; and Andrea del 
 Sarto, Carita, a noble female figure, seated, 
 surrounded by a group of children in a grand 
 Landscape, 1529, formerly the property of W. Y. 
 Ottley, 500 guineas. 
 
 The Scarisbrick collection, formed by Charles 
 Scarisbrick at Scarisbrick Hall and Wrightington 
 Hall, Lancashire, constituted the chief sale of 
 1 86 1. The dispersal of this exceedingly extensive 
 collection commenced on November 7th, i860, 
 with the carved oak furniture and valuable carvings, 
 the 172 lots realizing ,£2,001 ; on November 26th, 
 and five following days, the sale of the library 
 realized ^3,82 1, and included a probably unrivalled 
 set of the original editions, in seventy-nine volumes, 
 of the works of Daniel Defoe, which sold for £j6. 
 The first portion of the pictures was sold on May 
 nth and 13th, 243 lots, bringing ^20,373 js.) the 
 second portion was sold on May 17th and 18th, 
 bringing a total of ^5,437 1 is. ; and the third and 
 
THE SCARISRRICK COLLECTION. 1 93 
 
 final portion on May 24th and 25th, ,£3,409; in 
 all there were 760 lots. In the intervals between 
 the sales of the pictures, Messrs. Christie sold on 
 May 13th and 14th, the Scarisbrick engravings, 
 ,£1,149 gs. 6d; on May 15th and 16th, the objects 
 of art and vertu, £4,852 8s.; on May 20th and 
 2 1 st, the drawings by ancient and modern masters, 
 ,£469 17^. ; and on May 22nd, the armour, arms, 
 curiosities, and cigars, ,£799 6s. The grand total 
 of the property amounting to over ,£42,347. 
 
 There were a few important pictures, including 
 Hobbema, Landscape with winding road, cottage 
 and figures, from Dawson Turner's collection, 440 
 guineas ; eight good examples of Berghem, among 
 them a Landscape, with two women, one milking 
 a goat, 300 guineas (Lord Dudley); another, with a 
 Lady on a white horse, farrier shoeing a mule, 
 490 guineas ; another with Italian woman nursing 
 child, one milking cow, peasants, goats, etc., signed 
 and dated, 1649, 250 guineas ; and another, Peasant 
 nursing child, man playing hurdy-gurdy, goats, etc., 
 231 guineas; P. de Hooghe, Interior, lady in red 
 dress, child in open door, 420 guineas ; W. Van 
 de Velde, A Calm, 1 fisherman putting off in boat, 
 from the Vernon and Redleaf collections, 620 
 guineas (Marquis of Hertford) ; and A Fresh 
 Breeze, with man-of-war, 232 guineas; J. Wynants, 
 Landscape, with figures at a ford, cattle crossing, 
 350 guineas (the same) ; Baroccio, " Noli me 
 Tangere," engraved by R. Morghen, 720 guineas ; 
 
 1 This was sold at Robinson and Fisher's, June 4th, 1896, for 
 430 guineas. 
 
 I. O 
 
194 
 
 THE SCARTSBRICK COLLECTION. 
 
 A. Ostade, View at cottage door, man playing 
 hurdy-gurdy, little girl and three other figures, 
 from the Capron collection, 470 guineas (Lord 
 Dudley) ; Velasquez, Portrait of Olivares, in black, 
 standing, left hand on rapier, from Altamira and 
 Baillie collections, 240 guineas ; Guido, St. James, 
 green and orange dress, from Louis Philippe's 
 collection, 1,250 guineas (Graves) ; the most im- 
 portant of nearly a dozen examples of J. Ruysdael 
 was a Landscape, stream, lofty hill, and fallen 
 beech tree, 1,250 guineas; another good example 
 of this master was a Landscape with a Chateau, 
 cascade, and peasants and sheep crossing a bridge, 
 340 guineas ; L. da Vinci, Herodia's Daughter, 
 crimson dress edged with blue and pearls, wreath 
 of leaves on her head, an alabaster tazza, from 
 the Barbarini Palace, 370 guineas (Davenport 
 Bromley) ; Murillo, Annunciation, from the Church 
 of St. Trinidad, Seville, ^222 ; of several works by 
 John Martin, we may mention Joshua commanding 
 the Sun to stand still, the engraved picture, 450 
 guineas ; The Fall of Nineveh, 205 guineas ; and 
 The Deluge, 1 50 guineas. The objects of art 
 included the Aldobrandini Caesar Tazzas attri- 
 buted to Cellini, ,£1,280; and a pair of etageres 
 of Cellini design, 19 inches high, from the Stowe 
 collection, £iJ2. Two drawings, apparently not 
 included in either of these sales, were sold at 
 Christie's on March 25th, 1872, J. Martin, A 
 Classical Landscape, 33 guineas; and Copley 
 Fielding, Landscape, with cattle on a road, and 
 figures seated under a group of trees, 410 guineas. 
 
OLD SEVRES PORCELAIN. 
 
 195 
 
 A large number of " English pictures of the 
 highest class, many of which have never been ex- 
 hibited," the " property of Mr. L. V. Flatou, who 
 in future intends to confine his attention to the 
 Publication of an important work which is now 
 being printed for him," came up for sale on March 
 23rd, 1 86 1. But a very large proportion of these 
 pictures were bought in; those which were actually 
 sold included E. W. Cooke, Entrance to Calais 
 Harbour, from the Redleaf sale, 350 guineas; W. E. 
 Frost, Wood Nymphs surprised Bathing, " one of 
 the finest of the artist's productions," 360 guineas ; 
 F. R. Lee, Canterbury Meadows, with group of 
 cows painted in by T. S. Cooper, 400 guineas ; 
 and Clarkson Stanfield, View on the Irish Coast, 
 410 guineas ; and Cittara in the Gulf of Salerno — 
 rough weather, 500 guineas. 
 
 The great china sales may almost be said to date 
 from this year, June 14th, as the prices realized far 
 exceeded anything which had hitherto been paid 
 for similar articles. The sale was made up of a 
 number of properties ; and the principal prices 
 were the following : Sevres : a pair of Campana- 
 shaped Vases and covers, presumably unique, 
 green ground richly pencilled with gold, with 
 flattened handles and ornaments in slight relief in 
 pure white and gold, painted with miniatures of 
 Venus and Cupid, and flowers in colours on white 
 ground, 500 guineas ; a pair of eventail jardinieres 
 on stands, of the first quality, green ground richly 
 pencilled with gold, painted with exquisite minia- 
 tures after Teniers, 355 guineas ; a jardiniere of 
 
196 
 
 SIR JOHN SWINBURNE. 
 
 oblong shape, with white and gold scroll-foliage 
 handles, the ground apple-green, white and gold, 
 painted with subjects after Teniers, 106 guineas ; a 
 beautiful cabaret, deep blue, pencilled with gold, 
 exquisitely painted with figure-subjects after Teniers 
 in medallions, consisting of plateau, teapot, milk- 
 pot, sucrier and cup and saucer, 137 guineas. An 
 oviform Vase of the finest old Chelsea, white and 
 gold scroll- pattern handles, deep blue ground 
 beautifully pencilled and exquisitely painted with 
 the subject of Leda and the Swan, ^129 ; a pair of 
 very fine Vases of the same, deep blue ground 
 beautifully pencilled with Chinese figures in land- 
 scape, 406 guineas. This porcelain sale was 
 followed on the next day by one of pictures 
 which included those collected by Sir John Swin- 
 burne. Among these were Peter Nasmyth, Woody 
 Landscape, with figures on road, river beyond and 
 open distance, warm effect of evening, " a charming 
 work selected for Sir John by Mulready," 220 
 guineas; David Wilkie, The Errand Boy, the 
 celebrated engraved picture, purchased direct from 
 the artist, 435 guineas ; Sir A. W. Callcott, South- 
 ampton Water, a grand gallery picture, executed 
 for Sir John Swinburne in 18 12, 1,205 guineas 
 (Flatou) ; and W. Mulready, Punch, a fine com- 
 position of thirty figures, purchased direct from 
 the easel in 181 2, 955 guineas. 
 
 Pre-Raphaelite pictures formed the great collec- 
 tion sold during 1862. The premature death of 
 T. E. Plint, of Leeds, threw on the market a large 
 assemblage of works almost exclusively executed 
 
MR. PLINT'S PRE-RAPHAELITE COLLECTION. 1 97 
 
 by the small band of men who were distinguished 
 as constituting the Pre-Raphaelite school — Sir 
 John (then Mr.) Millais, Holman Hunt, Ford 
 Madox Brown, and Henry Wallis. The sale, which 
 took place on Friday (drawings) and Saturday 
 (pictures), March 2nd and 3rd, realized a total of 
 ,£5,269 19^. 6d. and £1$, 1 2 1 11^. 6d. respectively. 
 The most important of the pictures and drawings 
 are included in the following list : Arthur Hughes, 
 The Knight of the Sun, 38 x 5 1, 200 guineas ; The 
 Kings Orchard, 26 x 20, £103 ; and three others 
 which realized from 25 to 42 guineas ; W. Holman 
 Hunt, Claude and Isabella, 8x5, the finished 
 study, 200 guineas ; and a scene from " The Two 
 Gentlemen of Verona," 10 x 13, 140 guineas; 
 this artist's drawings included the Plain of Rephaim, 
 r 3i x T 9i"> 120 guineas; Nazareth, ^151; the 
 Dead Sea from Siloam, 63 guineas ; Jerusalem 
 during Ramazan, 100 guineas, and Cairo, sunset in 
 Gebel Mokatum, 100 guineas ; J. C. Hook, Arming 
 Christian, 29 x 35J, 260 guineas; J. F. Lewis, 
 Street in Cairo, 14J x 21J, 170 guineas; J. W. 
 Luard, " A Welcome Arrival," the Crimea, 
 29 x 37, 200 guineas ; Sir John E. Millais, 
 Wedding Cards, 120 guineas; The Bridesmaid, 
 1 20 guineas; The Proscribed Royalist, 525 guineas; 
 The Carpenters Shop, 525 guineas, and the 
 Black Brunswicker, 780 guineas ; six drawings 
 for Trollope's " Framley Parsonage " realized 
 from 20 to 40 guineas each, and some other 
 drawings varied from 11 \ guineas to 31 guineas; 
 J. W. Oakes, The Warren, 180 guineas; Sir 
 
198 ELKANAN BICKNELL. 
 
 J. Noel Paton, P.R.S.A., The Dead Lady, 170 
 guineas ; H. W. Pickersgill, Christiana and Com- 
 panions, 180 guineas ; D. G. Rossetti, Dr. Johnson 
 and his Lady Disciples at the Mitre, 14 x 14, 72 
 guineas ; Clarkson Stanfield, The Shipwreck, 250 
 guineas ; Henry Wallis, Gondomar at the Execu- 
 tion of Sir Walter Raleigh, 190 guineas; The Re- 
 turn from Marston Moor, 135 guineas; Martin in 
 Chepstow Castle, 221 guineas; Elaine, the sketch, 
 7 x 14, no guineas, and the finished picture, 475 
 guineas ; W. L. Windus, Burd Helen, 353 guineas 
 (bought in). 
 
 About six weeks after the dispersal of the re- 
 markable collection of pictures by artists of the Pre- 
 Raphaelite school, a much more comprehensive 
 sensation was provided by Messrs. Christie. This 
 was the collection of modern pictures formed by 
 Elkanan Bicknell. Bicknell was the son of a 
 schoolmaster at Ponders End, and a partner with 
 Mr. Langton, an oil merchant and refiner of waste 
 spermaceti, at Newington Butts, from which a 
 large fortune was derived. His house at Heme 
 Hill was a complete gallery of pictures and sculp- 
 ture ; in an obituary notice the Athenceum re- 
 ferred to his death as a great loss to the arts, and 
 claimed him with Mr. Vernon, Mr. Wells, and Mr. 
 Sheepshanks, as the four principal collectors of 
 modern art — "men who, unimpelled by the motive 
 of investment for profit, collected for the pleasure 
 and instruction they derived from contemplation 
 and love for the art exhibited in the painters works.' ' 
 Mr. Bicknell was born December 21st, 1788, in 
 
THE BICKNELL COLLECTION. 
 
 199 
 
 Blackman Street, London, his father at that time 
 being a serge manufacture there. In 1808, Elkanan 
 was sent to Cause, near Shrewsbury, to learn farm- 
 ing, but at the end of a year he abandoned the 
 project and returned to London. He commenced 
 to form his celebrated gallery in 1 838. His second 
 wife was a sister of Hablot K. Browne, " Phiz " ; 
 and one of his sons married a daughter of David 
 Roberts, R.A. Mr. Bicknell died on November 
 27th, 1 86 1. About one-third of his collection is 
 said to have been purchased by the Marquis of 
 Hertford at the sale. The Star of that period 
 (not to be confounded with the Star of to-day), 
 contained in its issue of April 28th, a very interest- 
 ing article on the sale, and as that article may be 
 taken as recording an epoch in the History of 
 English Art, we need not apologize for quoting it 
 at length. It runs as follows : 
 
 " There took place last Saturday an event in 
 London, such, as we venture to think, could scarcely, 
 in the same time and under the same conditions, 
 have happened in any other city in the world. It 
 was not a great national event — a royal reception, 
 or a popular demonstration. It was not any- 
 thing attacking or symbolizing institutions or 
 sentiments peculiarly British. It had nothing 
 to do with our glorious constitution, our Lords, 
 our Commons, our free press, our meteor flag, 
 our climate, our racecourse, or our bitter beer. 
 It was just something which might have happened 
 anywhere else, and yet which we venture to affirm 
 could not be paralleled out of London. It was 
 
200 
 
 THE BICKNELL COLLECTION. 
 
 merely a sale of pictures. The collection of paint- 
 ing thus sold had been gathered together by a 
 private Englishman, a man of comparatively ob- 
 scure position, a man engaged at one time in mere 
 trade ; a man not even pretending to resemble a 
 Genoese or Florentine merchant prince, but simply 
 and absolutely a Londoner of the middle class, 
 actively occupied in business. This Englishman, 
 now no more, had brought together a picture 
 gallery which would have done no discredit to a 
 Lorenzo the Magnificent, although his name is 
 probably still hardly known to the general public of 
 the very city in which he lived. He had been the 
 patron of some of the greatest of modern artists, and 
 had formed a collection which would have brought 
 tourists from all parts of the world to the dingiest 
 and most decaying of Italian towns. Offered for 
 sale in an auction room on Saturday, to that select 
 section of the London public, who both care about 
 and can pay for pictures, and who found it con- 
 venient to be at the time in Messrs. Christie and 
 Manson's establishment, the collection realized a 
 sum of money only wanting a few hundreds of sixty 
 thousand pounds. The artists whose works were 
 thus purchased, were for the most part, too, our 
 own. It was no mere competition of fashionable 
 pretenders, feeling themselves secure to praise and 
 purchase so long as your 1 Raphaels, Correggios 
 and stuff' were in question. English money was 
 spent upon English art. 
 
 " But, as a whole, the collection was a magnificent 
 display of English art. Painted (with very little 
 
THE BICKNELL COLLECTION. 
 
 20I 
 
 exception) by English artists, gathered together by 
 an English collector, it appears from the names 
 which we have seen to have been purchased almost 
 altogether by Englishmen. We were slow to obtain 
 a name as a nation possessing artists. Long after 
 the world had consented to acknowledge that 
 Britons could write poems and construct dramas, 
 foreign nations were entirely incredulous as to our 
 capacity to paint pictures. Boileau professed to 
 have never heard of Dryden ; but it is only in our 
 own time that Boileau's countrymen are beginning 
 to hear and to care anything about Gainsborough 
 and Turner. Nor was the reputation which we 
 enjoyed as collectors, which is of a good deal older 
 date, very honourable in its character. The rich 
 Englishman was supposed to go about the world 
 staring with lack-lustre, unappreciating eyes, at 
 the wonderful productions of Italian and Spanish 
 pencils — productions which he pretended to admire 
 because he thought it genteel to do so, and which 
 he consented to purchase because he supposed it 
 due to his social state to display expensive paintings 
 to his guests. This was the continental notion of 
 an English art-patron. 
 
 " Voltaire embodied it, and fifty others since his 
 time gave it what new colouring their natures could. 
 Many a Frenchman who came over to last year's 
 Exhibition, frankly acknowledged himself amazed 
 at the pictorial collection which our British court 
 had to show, and returned impressed with the 
 belief that John Bull was a better judge of pictures 
 than his neighbours had supposed. We have 
 
202 
 
 THE BICKNELL SALE. 
 
 plenty of picture-fanciers indeed, who purchase 
 and criticise still upon just the same principles as 
 the honest Briton in ' Peregrine Pickle ; ' but it 
 would be impossible to deny that the taste for art 
 has immensely progressed in England during the 
 past two or three generations. Some of the finest 
 collections of pictures to be found in Europe are at 
 present the property either of the English nation, 
 or of individual Englishmen. Those who are not 
 disposed to render us full credit in this respect, 
 might have been better able to appreciate the fact 
 had they attended the sale on Saturday, and ob- 
 served the artistic wealth accumulated in one 
 English collection, which did not claim to be among 
 the foremost." 
 
 The sale took place on April 25th, 1863, the 145 
 lots realizing ,£58,639 12s., and included the follow- 
 ing pictures : Sir A. W. Callcott, View near South- 
 ampton, 100 guineas; and an English Landscape 
 with cattle introduced, by Sir E. Landseer, 72 x 54, 
 2,950 guineas (Fletcher) ; G. Chambers, Sheerness, 
 1 10 guineas, and Boats and Shipping, 295 guineas ; 
 W. Collins, Selling Fish, the etched picture, 
 33J x 46|-(cost Bicknell 320guineas), 1,1 30 guineas, 
 and Early Morning on the Sussex Coast, 34J x 47J, 
 960 guineas; T. S. Cooper, Interior, cow and 
 sheep, 22 x 30J, 250 guineas; T. Creswick, land- 
 scape known as " The Stepping Stones," 28 x 35, 
 250 guineas; W. Dyce, King Joash with Elisha, 
 an Art-Union Prize of ^140, 220 guineas; W. 
 Etty, Venus and Cupid, 98 guineas (H. Bicknell); 
 Copley Fielding, Dunstaffnage Castle, 10 x 13, 102 
 
THE BICKNELL SALE. 
 
 203 
 
 guineas ; W. E. Frost, Naiad, 1 1 1 guineas, and 
 Musidora, 105 guineas, both small ovals about 8x6; 
 The Sirens, n|-x 15^-, 280 guineas, and Euphro- 
 syne, 36^ x 71^-, 781 guineas; T. Gainsborough, 
 Landscape with sheep, 47 x 58,38oguineas,and Re- 
 pose, 47 x 58, 781 guineas — the celebrated picture 
 sold again in the James Price collection, 1895 ; F. 
 Goodall, Raising the May Pole, the sketch, 16x27, 
 600 guineas ; Louis Haghe, Santa Maria Novella, 
 Florence, 42 x 60, 290 guineas (Holloway), and 
 An Artist in his Studio, 175 guineas ; W. Hilton, 
 Triumph of Amphitrite, 54 x 89, 270 guineas ; H. 
 Jutsum, a Cornfield, 34 x 53, 130 guineas ; Sir 
 Edwin Landseer, The Prize Calf, 26 x 20, 1,800 
 guineas ; Two Dogs looking for Crumbs, 25 x 30, 
 2,300 guineas, and Highland Shepherd, 57 x 31, 
 2,230 guineas; C. R. Leslie, The Heiress, 33J x 28, 
 1,200 guineas; J. Linnell, Christ and the Two 
 Disciples at Emmaus, 45 x 60, 275 guineas ; 
 W. J. Miiller, Devonshire Watermill, 20 x 33, 
 300 guineas, and Gillingham, 29 x 24, 390 guineas ; 
 P. Nasmyth, a view near Edinburgh, 1 7^ x 23^-, 
 165 guineas, and a Lane near Epping, 17 x 24, 
 195 guineas ; David Roberts, ten highly important 
 works, Chapel of Ferdinand and Isabella at 
 Granada, 1 8^- x 14^, 260 guineas (Marquis of 
 Hertford) ; Interior of St. Miguel, Xeres, 30 x 25, 
 570 guineas — said to have cost Mr. Bicknell 100 
 guineas ; the Ravine Petra, 49 x 38, 280 guineas 
 (Holloway); Tyre, 22 x 44, 350 guineas (Rhodes) ; 
 Sidon, 360 guineas (the same) ; Street in Cairo, 
 30 x 24 — said to have cost ^50 — 525 guineas; 
 
204 
 
 THE BICKNELL TURNERS. 
 
 Melrose Abbey, 24 x 20, 260 guineas ; Karnac, 
 56 x 43, 320 guineas; Baalbec, 61 x 51, 750 
 guineas, and Interior of St. Gomar, Lierre, 47 x 36, 
 said to have cost Mr. Bicknell £300, and now 
 purchased by the Marquis of Hertford for 1,370 
 guineas ; Clarkson Stanfield, Shipping near St. 
 Malo, 28 x 43, 1,230 guineas; Beilstein on the 
 Moselle, 45 x 64, 1,500 guineas; Pic du Midi 
 d'Ossau, 83 x 59, 2,550 guineas — according to 
 Mr. Redford these three pictures cost Mr. Bicknell 
 1,100 guineas; and Lagodi Garda, 28x43, 820 
 guineas. The unrivalled series of pictures by J. 
 M. W. Turner, included Helvoetsluys, the City of 
 Utrecht, 64, going to sea, exhibited in 1832, 36 x 48, 
 1,600 guineas (cost 270 guineas); Antwerp, Van 
 Goyen looking for a Subject, exhibited in 1833, 
 36 x 48 2,510 guineas (cost 300 guineas) ; Ivy 
 Bridge, Devon, 36 x 48, 880 guineas (bought 
 in) ; Wreckers, Coast of Northumberland, steamer 
 assisting ship off, exhibited in 1834, 36 x 48, 
 1,890 guineas; Calder Bridge, Cumberland, 36 x 48, 
 500 guineas (H. Bicknell) ; Venice, Campo Santo, 
 exhibited 1842, 24 x 36, ,£2,000; Venice, Giu- 
 deca, same size as last, exhibited in 1 841 , 1,655 
 guineas ; Ehrenbreitstein on the Rhine, exhibited 
 1 84 1, 1,800 guineas ; Port Ruysdael, 36 x 48, 
 exhibited 1827, 1,900 guineas — the last three 
 pictures are said to have cost Mr. Bicknell less 
 than £1,000; and Palestrina, exhibited 1850, 1,900 
 guineas (bought in). T. Webster, The Disputed 
 Title, 19 x 23, 270 guineas ; the Impenitent, 
 18 x 15, 350 guineas; and Good Night, 1,150 
 
THE BICKNELL DRAWINGS. 205 
 
 guineas (said by Mr. Redford to have cost Mr. 
 Bicknell 250 guineas), and The Smile and The 
 Frown, a pair, 11 x 24, 1,600 guineas. 
 
 The drawings, of which 421 lots brought 
 ,£15,950 16s., were sold on April 29th, 30th and 
 31st, and the more important of those which 
 realized £100 and upwards, included: Peter de 
 Wint, Corn Harvest, 101 guineas, and another of 
 the same subject, 250 guineas ; River, Canterbury 
 Meadows, 270 guineas; Gleaners Disturbed, 365 
 guineas ; C. Fielding, Bridlington Harbour, 530 
 guineas (Marquis of Hertford); Rivaulx Abbey, 
 1 830, 460 guineas; the same, an evening effect, 1842, 
 600 guineas; Traelte Mawr, 1850, 420 guineas; 
 Loch Katrine, 260 guineas ; Bowhill Downs, 392 
 guineas ; Langdale Pikes, 350 guineas, and Crow- 
 borough Hill, 760 guineas (Marquis of Hertford) ; 
 J. D. Harding, Bern Castle, 280 guineas; W. Hunt, 
 Tambourine Girl, 190 guineas; and Girl seated with 
 basket, 183 guineas; Samuel Prout, Amiens, 110 
 guineas; Cathedral Porch, 102 guineas; Interior 
 of Cathedral, 106 guineas ; Place d^ la Pucelle, 
 Rouen, 140 guineas, and Porch of Chartres, 120 
 guineas; David Roberts, The Great Square, Tetuan, 
 410 guineas, and the Seminario de Santiago, 250 
 guineas — Mr. Redford states that these two draw- 
 ings cost Mr. Bicknell 45 guineas ; Clarkson 
 Stanfield, Sunderland, 135 guineas, and Honfleur, 
 99 guineas; and J. M. W. Turner, Himalaya Moun- 
 tains, 1 70 guineas ; Lake of Geneva from the Jura, 
 141 guineas, the Righi, 296 guineas ; Castle of Elz 
 on the Moselle, 160 guineas; Rouen, 200 guineas ; 
 
206 
 
 THE BICKNELL SALE. 
 
 Lake of Lucerne, 680 guineas ; Scarborough Castle, 
 1809, 520 guineas; Mowbray Lodge, Ripon, 510 
 guineas ; Grouse Shooting, with portrait of the artist, 
 and dogs by G. Stubbs, 430 guineas ; Woodcock 
 Shooting with portrait of Sir H. Pilkington, 18 13, 
 510 guineas — "these were the Yorkshire drawings 
 done for Sir H. Pilkington ; they cost Mr. 
 Bicknell ^600 the four" — Redford. 
 
 Mr. Bicknell's engravings were sold on May 7th, 
 of the same year. We may here conveniently in- 
 clude the sale on April 7th, 8th, and 9th, 1 88 1, 
 of the pictures and drawings of Henry Sanford 
 Bicknell, removed from Cavendish House, Clap- 
 ham Common. This sale included several pictures 
 which had been sent to Christie's in 1865, some of 
 which were bought in, and the total proceeds of the 
 488 lots amounted to ,£24,524 8s. 6d. Pictures : — 
 David Roberts, Rome, Castle and Bridge, with 
 St. Angelo, 10 x 24, 300 guineas; the Dogana, 
 Venice, 20 x 30, 490 guineas; the Forum, 18 x 36, 
 440 guineas ; Interior of churches of SS. Giovanni 
 e Paolo, 21 x 29, 500 guineas; St. Peter's, 
 Christmas Day, 42 x 53, 380 guineas; Interior of 
 Church of St. Gomar, sketch, 45 x 36, 550 guineas; 
 Ruins of Koom-Ombos, 330 guineas ; and St. 
 Andrews from the Sea, 220 guineas. Clarkson 
 Stanfield was represented by a Jetty, 10^ x 16^-, 
 £"2,365, and Mouth of the Humber, 280 guineas ; 
 W. P. Frith, " Beware, Beware," 29 x 19, 330 
 guineas; F. Goodall, six examples, of which the 
 more important were : Arab Mother and Child, 1 15 
 guineas, and the Palm Offering, sketch, 22 x 15, 
 
DRAWINGS BY DAVID COX. 
 
 207 
 
 260 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, Off Margate, 130 
 guineas ; Ivy Bridge, Devon, 800 guineas (bought 
 in at the 1863 sale for 880 guineas), and Palestrina, 
 3,000 guineas — this fine work was successively 
 bought in in 1863 for 1,900 guineas, and in 1865 
 for 2,100 guineas. The drawings were: David 
 Roberts, Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, 240 guineas, 
 and Luxor, 203 guineas. 
 
 The sale of John Leech's drawings and pictures 
 took place after his death (which occurred on Oct. 
 29th, 1864), on April 25th, 1865, and the catalogue 
 of the sale contains an interesting Preface. The 
 drawings sold at extremely good prices, which 
 ranged from about thirty to over a hundred guineas. 
 The collection of pottery and porcelain of Joseph 
 Marryat, the author of the standard work on these 
 subjects, was sold on February 9th, 1867, and 
 seven following days, realizing a total of about 
 ,£3,000. 
 
 Although the collection formed by Peter Allen, 
 of Sedgley Park, Manchester, was small, it was a 
 choice one; it was sold on March 6th, 1869, and 
 eighty-three lots brought ,£4,934. There were 
 forty-six fine drawings by David Cox, including 
 Windsor from Virginia Water, 230 guineas; Hay- 
 maker, Vale of Carmarthen, 99 guineas ; Windsor 
 Castle, Guards exercising, 200 guineas ; Landscape, 
 figures in road, 1834, 105 guineas; Welsh Land- 
 scape, man and horse crossing a stream, 24 x 34, 355 
 guineas; Landscape, with windmill 135 guineas; 
 the original study of a Welsh Funeral, 109 guineas ; 
 Landscape, figures near stile, 1851, 150 guineas; 
 
208 
 
 EDWIN BULLOCK. 
 
 Going to Harvest Field, 1845, 200 guineas; Broom 
 Gatherers, 1854, 200 guineas ; Landscape, pool of 
 water and horses in foreground, 1840, 226 guineas ; 
 Wind, Rain, and Storm, 395 guineas, and the Weald 
 of Kent, 345 guineas ; ten drawings by Peter de 
 Wint : the Shore of Morecambe Bay, stormy, 315 
 guineas, and Landscape with windmill, 299 guineas ; 
 two by J. M. W. Turner : Inverary, 190 guineas, 
 and the Temple of Jupiter at ^Egina, 2 10 guineas ; 
 and others by Sir A. W. Callcott, Cattermole, 
 Frere, W. Hunt, Mtiller, S. Prout, Uwins, and 
 Varley. 
 
 The two great sales of 1870 were the collections 
 of Edwin Bullock and Charles Dickens. " Mr. 
 Bullock, " says the Daily News of May 20th, " was 
 well known as one of the most liberal amateurs in 
 the Midland Counties, and had for the last forty 
 years been a constant purchaser of modern pictures 
 from the various exhibitions, and by many com- 
 missions given directly to the artists. The collec- 
 tion is particularly remarkable for the large number 
 of drawings and oil paintings by the late David Cox, 
 who, it will be remembered, came from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Birmingham. There are more than a 
 hundred works of this highly esteemed painter of our 
 water-colour school, all of great interest, and some 
 remarkable examples. They illustrate the career 
 of the artist from the year 181 3, of which early 
 time there is one very bold and effective drawing 
 of Hastings Beach, down to his latest period." The 
 sale took place on Saturday and Monday, May 2 1st 
 and 23rd, and the total realized by the 492 lots 
 
THE BULLOCK COLLECTION. 
 
 209 
 
 amounted to ,£42,700. The principal pictures 
 were the following : — Sir A. W. Callcott, Hamp- 
 stead Heath, figures, 195 guineas; W.Collins, The 
 Reluctant Departure, exhibited in 181 5, 1,400 
 guineas ; J. Constable, six examples, including 
 Weymouth Bay, 510 guineas ; River scene, with 
 rustic bridge, 100 guineas ; Hampstead Heath, two 
 donkeys, 560 guineas; Landscape, Salisbury Marsh, 
 with bridge, 380 guineas ; Heath scene, cart, cattle, 
 and donkey, 750 guineas ; and the Manor House, 
 130 guineas ; of the long list of pictures by David 
 Cox, we can only mention those which ran well into 
 three figures, and these are as follows : Landscape, 
 men, white horse, and dog at gate, 205 guineas ; 
 River Scene, North Wales, with anglers, 150 
 guineas ; Churchyard, Darley Dale, 200 guineas ; 
 River Scene, early morning, horses watering, 200 
 guineas ; Landscape, with waggon, man on bridge, 
 1840, 245 guineas; Going to the Hayfield, 1853,400 
 guineas; Windsor Castle, 240 guineas ; Hayfield, 
 425 guineas; Collecting Flocks in North Wales, 
 1 848, 400 guineas ; and a Coast scene, 192 guineas ; 
 W. Etty, the Grape Gatherer, the Bacchante, 510 
 guineas, and scene from Milton's " Comus," 1,005 
 guineas. F. Goodall, a replica of his Charles I. and 
 children in a boat, with the swans, 640 guineas ; 
 Sir E. Landseer, The Highland Shepherd's Home, 
 1,000 guineas; C. R. Leslie, The Rivals, 130 
 guineas ; The Opera Box, 260 guineas ; Scene 
 from the Twelfth Night, 520 guineas, and the 
 Rape of the Lock, 1,300 guineas ; J. Linnell, The 
 Woodlands, woodcutters, man on horseback, and 
 h p 
 
2 IO 
 
 THE BULLOCK COLLECTION. 
 
 waggon, 1850, 1,300 guineas; David Maclise, 
 Alfred in the tent of Guthrum, 550 guineas ; W. 
 J. Miiller, Landscape, peasants and sheep, 390 
 guineas; Port of Rhodes, 160 guineas; Lago Mag- 
 giore, 590 guineas; Gillingham, On the Medway, 
 360 guineas ; Angers, 250 guineas ; a Savoyard Boy, 
 1 10 guineas ; and Compton Dando, children sailing 
 boat, 1,250 guineas; Peter Nasmyth, Landscape 
 in Hampshire, cottage, boy fishing, woman and 
 cows, 1,160 guineas ; P. F. Poole, May Day, 235 
 guineas ; David Roberts, Ruins of Koom-Ombos, 
 evening 320 guineas, and Colleoni Monument, 390 
 guineas ; C. Stanfield, Gulf of Salerno, near Vietri, 
 1846, 950 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, Venice, the 
 Dogana, and St. Maria della Salute, exhibited in 
 1844, 2,560 guineas ; T. Webster, the Playground, 
 410 guineas; and A Present to the Lady of the 
 Village, 250 guineas. 
 
 The more important of the water-colour drawings 
 were the following : David Cox, Cutting the Stick, 
 135 guineas, Welsh Road, cattle and ducks, 1846, 
 230 guineas; Cross Roads, 1847, 370 guineas ; 
 The Left Road, 1854, 200 guineas; Forest 
 scene, figures and white horse, 1 70 guineas ; 
 Bolton Abbey, 130 guineas; Malvern Abbey, 
 105 guineas; Crossing the Downs; 1854, 105 
 guineas; Landscape, with rustic bridge and figures, 
 295 guineas; Stokesay, Woman and Child, 130 
 guineas ; Bolsover Castle, man and pony, 340 
 guineas ; Penmaen Maur, 1858, 140 guineas ; Boys 
 Bathing, alarmed by a bull, 330 guineas ; and Picture 
 Gallery, Hardwick Hall, 300 guineas ; and Copley 
 
MACLISE AND DICKENS. 
 
 2 I 1 
 
 Fielding, Off Bridlington, a squally scene, 280 
 guineas. 
 
 Between the Bullock and the Dickens sale came 
 the dispersal of the last works of David Maclise 
 (who died April 25th of the year of the sale), on 
 June 24th. The principal pictures were the Earls 
 of Desmond and Ormonde, — at the time of sale on 
 show at the Royal Academy Exhibition — 500 
 guineas, and the cartoon in black chalk of the 
 Meeting of Wellington and Blucher at Waterloo, 
 300 guineas, purchased by the Royal Academy. A 
 large number of the artist's sketches and studies 
 also came under the hammer. 
 
 The Dickens sale, which took place on July 9th, 
 was an interesting one rather from the eminence 
 of the great novelist than from the superlative 
 quality of the articles which it contained. The 
 author of " David Copperfield " had passed away 
 just exactly a month prior to the sale of his lares 
 et pcnates, and the suddenness of his death was 
 still uppermost in men's minds when his pictures 
 were offered for sale under the hammer. " The 
 room is full of mementoes," says one of the reports 
 of the period, in its " private view " notice of the 
 sale. The more notable pictures were the follow- 
 ing : — P. H. Calderon, The Letter, Hever Castle, 
 120 guineas, and Hide and Seek, the companion, 
 131 guineas; W. Dobson, portrait of Oliver 
 Cromwell in armour, 36 guineas ; A. L. Egg, 
 portrait of Dickens as Sir C. Coldstream, £170 ; 
 W. P. Frith, Dolly Varden, 25 x 20, 1,000 
 guineas,and Kate Nickleby at Madame Mantalini's, 
 
2 I 2 
 
 THE DICKENS SALE. 
 
 200 guineas — these two pictures cost Dickens £20 
 each ; W. Gale, Mr. F.'s aunt ("Little Dorrit"), 
 60 guineas ; R. Hannah, The Novel, 100 guineas, 
 and The Play, 60 guineas ; C. R. Leslie, Pickwick 
 and Mrs. Bardell, 8 x 6, ^131 ; Daniel Maclise, 
 Girl at a Waterfall, 610 guineas — purchased by 
 John Forster, who refers to it in his " Life of 
 Dickens," and who bequeathed it to the South 
 Kensington Museum ; and Portrait of Dickens, 
 painted in 1839, an ^ presented to the novelist 
 by the publishers on the completion of Nicholas 
 Nickleby, 660 guineas (Rev. Sir E. Jodrell) ; 
 David Roberts, The Simoom, £255 ; Clarkson 
 Stanfield, Eddystone Lighthouse, 103 x 101 ; the 
 drop-scene for the play by Wilkie Collins, "The 
 Lighthouse," 990 guineas; an Arctic scene, 150 
 guineas, and Man-o'-War, 175 guineas; T.Webster, 
 Dotheboy's Hall, a sketch, 10x7, 510 guineas; 
 D. Wilkie, Mother and Child, a water-colour sketch 
 given to Dickens by the artist in 1840, 130 guineas. 
 The miscellaneous mementoes included Dickens's 
 favourite Raven in a glass case, which sold for 120 
 guineas. The sale included 40 pictures and draw- 
 ings, and 78 other lots w r ere decorative objects 
 generally ; the total proceeds amounted to ,£9,410. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 1872— 1876. 
 
 JOSEPH GILLOTT PRINCE JEROME NAPOLEON — ALEXANDER 
 
 BARKER — SIR E. LANDSEER — THE MARLBOROUGH GEMS — 
 
 SAM MENDEL OF MANLEY HALL WILLIAM QUILTER 
 
 CHARLES BREDEL — REV. JOHN LUCY — THOMAS WOOLNER 
 
 JESSE WATTS RUSSELL OF ILAM HALL W. E. GLADSTONE 
 
 — WYNN ELLIS — GAINSBOROUGH^ DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE 
 — ALBERT LEVY — R. FOSTER OF CLEWER MANOR — DUNN 
 GARDNER. 
 
 E have already had a number of 
 practical proofs of the origin and 
 growth of the remarkable develop- 
 ment of the taste for pictures by 
 modern masters, but the crowning 
 demonstration of all occurred in 1872, when the 
 collection formed by Joseph Gillott came up for 
 sale. Gillott was born at Sheffield in 1799, of 
 poor parents, and began his career as an 
 operative grinder, chiefly in steel toy or tool 
 making. He soon turned his attention to the 
 manufacture of steel pens, which were then 
 made by him at a cost of 3s. 6d. each. Gillott 
 adapted the "press" used in button-making to 
 turning out pens, and is said to have succeeded by 
 this appliance in producing more pens than twenty 
 
JOSEPH GILLOTT. 
 
 pair of hands could do in the time. On the 
 morning of his marriage he worked before break- 
 
 o o 
 
 fast, and turned out a gross of pens which he sold 
 at once for £j 4^., at is, each. Gillott made 
 money with great rapidity, and by 1836 had 
 erected a large factory at Birmingham, and in this 
 year is said to have produced 36,000,000, which 
 sold at less than a shilling per gross; by 1872 
 the annual output was computed at 150,000,000, 
 and the number of workpeople employed 450. 
 
 At the very beginning of his prosperous career 
 Gillott developed a passion for pictures. In a 
 short preface to the Sale Catalogue Messrs. 
 Christie, Manson and Woods wrote : " The noble 
 collection of pictures brought together by the late 
 Mr. Joseph Gillott has enjoyed so world-wide a 
 fame, and has been so long regarded by connoisseurs 
 — and justly so — as a complete epitome of the 
 English School, that very little comment is neces- 
 sary in bringing it before the public. Being the 
 growth of so many years, its formation has been 
 the result of no hasty or indiscriminate purchase. 
 Nearly half a century has elapsed since Mr. Gillott, 
 then a young man, first laid the foundations of it, 
 and during the whole period the work — with 
 him a very labour of love — has been steadily con- 
 tinued upon principles of thoughtful and judicious 
 selection, which excluded all but first-rate pro- 
 ductions. Enjoying the friendship of many of 
 those whose names are most honoured in the roll 
 of English art — among others, of Turner and 
 Etty (in the works of both of whom the Gallery is 
 
THE GILLOTT COLLECTION. 
 
 215 
 
 especially rich) — of Linnell and Miiller, of William 
 Hunt and David Cox, and himself gifted with a 
 refined and critical taste, and with a true artistic 
 instinct which appears never to have been at fault, 
 Mr. Gillott was in possession of advantages rarely 
 falling to the lot of collectors. Of these, his 
 ample means enabled him fully to avail himself, 
 and the result has been a collection, both in oil 
 and water-colour, altogether unrivalled among 
 private galleries as embracing all the highest char- 
 acteristics of the English School. Of landscapes 
 the collection boasts many among the greatest 
 ever executed by human hand, while there is 
 scarcely a name of note in the history of British 
 art, to whatever branch devoted, of whom one 
 or more first-rate and characteristic examples will 
 not be found." 
 
 Gillott died on January 5, 1872. His collec- 
 tion consisted of 525 pictures and water-colour 
 drawings, of which 305 were works of the British 
 School, 60 by old masters, and 160 water-colour 
 drawings. " The pictures were hung chiefly in 
 two galleries specially built in Mr. Gillott's resi- 
 dence at Edgbaston, the west-end suburb of Bir- 
 mingham, some being in the entrance hall, which 
 was lit by a top-light, others in the drawing- room, 
 and the fine Turner drawings, with others, in the 
 drawing-room" (Redford). The sale was in three 
 parts: — April 19 and 20, modern pictures of the 
 late English School; April 26 and 27, pictures of 
 the early English School ; May 3, Old Masters ; 
 and May 4, water-colour drawings. The com- 
 
216 
 
 THE GILLOTT SALE. 
 
 mercial value of the collection is indicated by the 
 following tabulated statement of the results of the 
 six days' sale : 
 
 LOTS. £ S. 
 
 First day, oil pictures, English school . 89 29,718 7 
 Second day „ „ - 73 44,443 
 
 Third day „ „ . 76 19,556 5 
 
 Fourth day „ „ . 58 36,830 12 
 
 Fifth day, Old Masters 58 6,559 o 
 
 Sixth day, water-colour drawings . . . 160 27,423 o 
 
 ^164,530 4 1 
 
 To this huge total may be added the amount of 
 ,£4,195 realized by the sale of his choice collection 
 of violins (April 29th). 
 
 It is not possible to give, as we should like to 
 do, a complete list of the Gillott pictures, and the 
 amounts which they realized, but all the more im- 
 portant examples will be found in the following 
 enumeration. It should be mentioned that many 
 of the works were commissioned by Gillott, and 
 some of them sold for over twenty times the sum 
 they originally cost. 
 
 Oil Pictures R. P. Bonington, Landscape, 
 with woman on a horse, 18 x 15, 200 guineas; 
 View on the Seine, figures in a boat, x 1 6^, 
 300 guineas, and Landscape with timber waggon, 
 20 x 38, 520 guineas ; Sir A. W. Callcott, Harvest 
 Field, 9x12, 285 guineas; The Cow-boy, 51 x 42, 
 410 guineas, and Coast Scene with fishing boat, 
 22J x 36, 1,400 guineas; W. Collins, Barmouth 
 
 1 A slight error occurred in adding up the amount of one of 
 the pages, and the correct official totalis placed at^" 164,501 5^. 
 
THE GILLOTT PICTURES. 
 
 217 
 
 Sands, with figures, 22 x 42, 1,780 guineas, and 
 Cromer Sands, 40 x 47, 3,600 guineas (both these 
 pictures were commissioned by Mr. Gillott, who 
 gave ^300 for the latter) ; J. Constable, London, 
 from Hampstead, 8J x ii^-, 390 guineas ; Rustic 
 Landscape, 2 i| x 17J, 350 guineas; View on the 
 Stour, 24 x 45, 650 guineas (New York Museum), 
 and Weymouth Bay, 700 guineas; David Cox, A 
 Hayfield, 11^ x 16, 450 guineas; Coast Scene, 
 figures, cart, and boats, 8J x 12^, 275 guineas; 
 Cottages at Brixton, 7 J x 10, 205 guineas; Pass in 
 Wales, with cattle at a ford, 1849, 14 x 18, 510 
 guineas ; Peace and War, troops marching near a 
 harvest field towards Lancaster Castle, 1846, 
 1877 x 24, 3,430 guineas ; Outskirts of a Wood, with 
 gipsies, 1847, 28J x 36^-, 2,205 guineas (this work 
 was sold at the Potter sale in 1884 for 1,350 
 guineas) ; Old Mill at Bettwys-y-Coed, geese in 
 foreground, 1847,28^ x 36, 1 ,500 guineas ; Wash- 
 ing Day, landscape with two women at a pool and 
 clothes hung out, cottage in the distance, 1843, 
 18 x 25, 900 guineas, and Going to the Mill, 
 36 x 29, 1,500 guineas ; John Crome, Rocky River 
 Scene, 15 x 24, 305 guineas; Windmill, Mouse- 
 hold Heath, near Norwich, 44 x 36, 360 guineas, 
 and Richly Wooded Landscape, 25 x 33, 700 
 guineas ; William Etty, Flowers of the Forest, 
 25 x 31, 215 guineas; The Bather, 26 x 20, 470 
 guineas ; The Graces, 280 guineas ; The Bather, 
 48 x 35, 410 guineas ; Circe, 39 x 66, arched, 600 
 guineas ; Judgment of Paris, 57 x 78, 8 10 guineas ; 
 and Pluto and Proserpine, 68 x 75, 1,000 guineas ; 
 
218 
 
 THE GILLOTT PICTURES. 
 
 Thomas Faed, Sir Walter Scott surrounded by 
 his Friends, 21 x 29, 910 guineas, and ''Seeing 
 Them Off," 24 x 19 J, 700 guineas ; W. P. Frith, 
 Dolly Varden with the Bracelet, 22J x i8|-, 700 
 guineas ; Thomas Gainsborough, a grand Land- 
 scape, 57 x 62, 350 guineas; The Bullock- Waggon, 
 signed, and dated 1787, 38 x 51, 500 guineas; 
 Repose, 48 x 60, 900 guineas; a rustic Landscape, 
 48 x 59, 1,030 guineas ; a pair of companion pic- 
 tures, Scottish River Scenes, 73 x 54, formerly in 
 Lord Coventry's collection, Morning, 2 to guineas, 
 and Evening, 305 guineas, and a Portrait of the 
 Artist, 29 x 24, 330 guineas (now in the New 
 York Museum) ; F. Goodall, Scene in Brittany, 
 14 x 21, 470 guineas; Peter Graham, On the 
 Way to Castle Tryst, 49 x 70, 1,480 guineas; 
 J. C. Hook, A Passing Cloud, lovers' tiff, 24 x 33, 
 810 guineas; The Cowherd's Mischief, 27 x 42, 
 700 guineas; Sea-Urchins, 7x11, 305 guineas; 
 and the Sailor's Holiday, 5x11, 205 guineas ; j. 
 C. Horsley, Check-Mate Next Move, Haddon 
 Hall, 33 x 47, 1,630 guineas ; Sir E. Landseer, 
 Lady Rachel Russell reading, 14 x 10, 270 guineas; 
 Waiting for Deer to Rise, 20 x 27, 1,345 guineas ; 
 St. Bernard Dogs, 18 x 24, 1,740 guineas; and 
 Pointers, "To Ho!" 53 x 73, 1,920 guineas — at 
 the W. Wells' sale of 1877 this picture dropped to 
 950 guineas ; J. Linnell, River Scene with figures, 
 1826, 11J x 16, 290 guineas; Barley- Harvest, 
 Evening, 36 x 44, 1,630 guineas; Hampstead 
 Heath, figures, donkey, boy and cattle, 1850, 
 50 x 72. 1,660 guineas; Redstone Wood, 600 
 
THE GILLOTT PICTURES. 
 
 guineas; Bayswater in 1 8 1 3, 13 x 1 8, 300 guineas ; 
 The Woodlands, woodcutters and timber-waggon, 
 39 x 50, 2,500 guineas ; and Eve of the Deluge, 
 animals entering the ark, 1848, 58 x 90, 1,040 
 guineas ; Daniel Maclise, Installation of Captain 
 Rock, 1834, 66 x 94, 385 guineas; The Last Sleep 
 of Duncan, 45 x 60, 375 guineas; The Author's In- 
 troduction to the Players, 45 x 72, 750 guineas, 
 and Bohemian Gipsies, 72 x 168, 890 guineas; 
 W. J. Mtiller, Port of Rhodes, 16 x 24, 350 guineas ; 
 Cottage in North Wales, old man smoking, 11x6, 
 200 guineas; Turkish Burial Ground, 13 x 20, 270 
 guineas ; Dogana and S. Maria Salute, 10 x 18, 330 
 guineas; Landscape with Hagar and Ishmael, 1842, 
 25 x 40, 280 guineas; The Memnons, 24 x 40, 
 315 guineas; The Treasure-Finders, Egypt, 
 30 x 54, 410 guineas ; Landscape with rainbow, 
 boy with mice, and two children and two donkeys, 
 30 x 48, 770 guineas; The Slave Market, 15 x 25, 
 1,5 10 guineas ; The Chess Players, 1843, 23 x 33, 
 3,950 guineas ; Bay of Naples, 42 x 70, 2,000 
 guineas, and Dolgarog Mills, 55 x 70, 1,250 
 guineas; W. Mulready, The Rattle, 15 x 13, 400 
 guineas, and Baiting Horses, 16 x 14, 620 guineas ; 
 Peter Nasmyth, Frith of Forth, 17 x 23, 1,070 
 guineas; River Scene, angler, 10^- x 15, 285 
 guineas ; Landscape with view of Chislehurst, 
 12 x 16, 365 guineas ; Landscape, richly wooded, 
 10 x 14, 370 guineas ; Meadow, with figures and 
 sheep, 9 x 12, 180 guineas, and Landscape with 
 farmyard, 12 x 16^, 390 guineas; G. S. Newton, 
 Norman Peasant Girl in Church, 16 x 13, 400 
 
2 20 
 
 THE GILLOTT PICTURES. 
 
 guineas ; Erskine Nicol, The Flyfisher, 560 
 guineas; An Irish Cabin, 15 x 21, 200 guineas ; 
 " Both Puzzled," 30 x 22, 715 guineas ; and The 
 Country Booking Office, 45 x 58, 1,100 guineas; 
 J. Phillip, "Cosas de Espana," 17 x 13, 870 
 guineas; " El Aqua Bendita," 24 x 17, 700 
 guineas, and Castanette Player, 25 x 18, 700 
 guineas ; P. F. Poole, Hide and Seek, 420 guineas ; 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, Portraits of Lady Galloway, 
 60 x 45, and of Mrs. Yates, 50 x 40, each 300 
 guineas; C. Stanfield, The Wooden Walls of Old 
 England, 27 x 45, 2,700 guineas, and Mouth of 
 the Thames, 14 x 24, 790 guineas ; J. M. W. 
 Turner, Going to the Ball, San Martino, Venice, 
 1,700 guineas ; Returning from the Ball, St. Marino, 
 Venice, 1 1,500 guineas ; Calais Sands, Coissards, 
 low water (said to have cost Mr. Gillott ^350), 
 28 x 42, 1,700 guineas — these three were pur- 
 chased by Lord Bective ; Coast Scene, with boats, 
 12J x 300 guineas; Kilgarran Castle, 23 x 29, 
 600 guineas; an open Sea View, 13 x 18, 800 
 guineas, Kilgarran Castle, with bathers, 36 x 48, 
 2,700 guineas (New York Museum); The Junction 
 of the Thames and the Medway, 42 x 56, 4,350 
 guineas, and Walton Bridges, 37 x 49, 5,000 
 
 1 This pair of pictures were in the B. G. Windus sale of 
 1853, and there realized 520 guineas and 610 guineas respec- 
 tively; they came up again for sale in 1878, when they were 
 bought in at 1,200 guineas each ; they eventually passed into 
 the collection of the late James Price, and were sold with his 
 collection in June, 1895. Both these pictures were exhibited 
 at the Royal Academy of 1846, and again at the Royal Jubilee 
 Exhibition in 1887. Neither picture has been engraved. 
 
THE GILLOTT DRAWINGS. 
 
 221 
 
 guineas ; T. Webster, Villagers looking at Punch, 
 8x 1 5, 300guineas;The Seasons, a setof four, 5^ x 7, 
 320 guineas; The Travelling Jeweller, 18 x 16, 
 530 guineas, and Roast Pig, 30 x 48, 3,550 
 guineas (for this picture it is said that Mr. Gillott 
 paid the artist 700 guineas) ; Sir David Wilkie, 
 Digging for Rats, 7 x 5 J, 215 guineas; The Penny 
 Wedding, 20 x 33, 700 guineas, and Escape of 
 Queen Mary, 48 x 65, 600 guineas ; R. Wilson, 
 Landscape near Rome, 310 guineas (one of four- 
 teen pictures by this artist in the Gillott collec- 
 tion). 
 
 Water Colour Drawings : David Cox, Lake 
 Scene, sheep and figures, 8 x 12, 260 guineas, 
 and Farm, with cows and ducks at a pool, 10 x 
 14, 430 guineas ; Peter de Wint, River Scene, 
 bird's-eye view, 13 x 22, 300 guineas; William 
 Hunt, Nest and Wild Rose, 8 x 11, 255 guineas,* 
 Spring Gatherings, 12x16, 590 guineas; Prim- 
 roses and Hedge-sparrows' Nests, 10 x 7, 250 
 guineas; Primrose and Cherry Blossom, 12x9, 
 255 guineas ; C. Stanfield, Fort Roque, Calais, 
 12x11, 360 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, On the 
 Thames, 450 guineas ; The Source of the Tamar, 
 350 guineas; Patterdale, 800 guineas; Powis Castle, 
 1,2 10 guineas ; Windermere, 1,950 guineas (Lord 
 Dudley); Brinkburn (not Brentburn) Priory, North- 
 umberland, 1,060 guineas ; Zurich, 710 guineas, 
 Hastings Beach, the Fishmarket, signed and dated 
 1824, 1,100 guineas, Heidelburg; with rainbow, 
 2,650 guineas (Lord Dudley) ; Ehrenbreitstein, 
 2,650 guineas; and Bamborough Castle, 20x28, 
 
222 
 
 PRINCE JEROME NAPOLEON. 
 
 3,150 guineas (Lord Dudley) : with the exception 
 of the last, these Turner drawings varied from 
 7 J x 10} to about 17$ x 26^. 
 
 The only examples of the Old Masters which 
 call for special mention are the following : Rubens, 
 The Family of the Artist, from the Balbi Palace, 
 Genoa, and Walsh-Porter collection, 90 x 81, en- 
 graved, 1,230 guineas ; J. Ruysdael, Landscape in 
 Guelderland, 29 x 36, 300 guineas ; Teniers, an 
 Interior, with Alchemist, 16 x 25, 380 guineas, 
 and Wouverman, The Fortune Teller, 13 x 15, 
 600 guineas. This collection also contained 
 two works by Rosa Bonheur, the principal one 
 being a Scene in the Pyrenees, 27 x 40, 1,800 
 guineas. 
 
 The dispersal of the art collections of Prince 
 Napoleon (Jerome), or rather that portion of them 
 which was saved from the fire or the Communists 
 in May, 1871, formed the principle event at 
 Christie's of May, 1872. The sale commenced on 
 May 9, and was continued on the two following 
 days, 369 lots realizing ,£14,168 2S. In addition 
 to some pictures there were other works of art 
 formed by the Prince, " together with the magni- 
 ficent plate, china, and bronze candelabra, all made 
 in the style of the Greco- Roman house which the 
 Prince furnished in the Avenue Montaigne. . . . 
 Many of these objects have passed through fire, 
 and carry marks upon the surface, while some 
 have been half melted and broken." Some of the 
 pictures were cleverly restored, but the following 
 list includes all the examples to which we need 
 
DAVID COX THE YOUNGER. 
 
 223 
 
 call attention : — Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child 
 in Landscape, green curtain, 600 guineas ; G. 
 Antonio Beltraffio, Profile Portrait of a Lady, 
 404 guineas (Holloway) ; Paris Bordone, Girl at 
 Toilet, 700 guineas (Lord Dudley) ; Sandro 
 Botticelli, Virgin and Child, seated, 250 guineas ; 
 Angelo Bronzino, half-length portrait of Cosmo 
 d'Medici, in armour, 325 guineas (Holloway); 
 Francia (Francesco Raibolini), Portrait of a youth 
 in black dress and cap, 390 guineas ; Sebastian 
 del Piombo, Christ bearing Cross, with Simon 
 and soldier, Jerusalem and Calvary in the back- 
 ground, 240 guineas. 
 
 It may be here mentioned that the sale of May 
 3rd and 5th, 1873, comprised 63 pictures and 200 
 drawings of David Cox, (which had been in the 
 possession of David Cox, J nr., since the death of 
 his father in 1859), many of which were quite un- 
 known to the public. A few of the best pictures 
 were : Boy throwing stones, 390 guineas ; Lugg 
 Meadow, 395 guineas; Rocks on the Lledr, 460 
 guineas; Lancaster Sands, with figures, 1,000 
 guineas ; Going to the Hayfield, with sketch on 
 the back, 600 guineas ; View of Conway Castle, 
 1,000 guineas, and Welsh Funeral, 730 guineas. 
 The drawings included : Peat Gatherers, 670 
 guineas ; Park Scene, 540 guineas ; Darley 
 Churchyard, 360 guineas ; Going to the Cornfield, 
 330 guineas ; Skirts of the Forest, 420 guineas, 
 and Flock, hill-side, Bolton Abbey, 330 guineas. 
 The 271 lots produced a total of ,£25,325. 
 
 The collection of the late Alexander Barker, of 
 
224 
 
 ALEXANDER BARKER. 
 
 103, Piccadilly, formed the great sale event of 
 1874. Mr. Barker was an excellent all-round 
 judge of art, and this is all the more remarkable, 
 perhaps, from the fact that he was an entirely self- 
 educated man — his father kept a bootmaker s shop 
 in the west-end of London, and the Daily News 
 of the period grimly pointed out that it was in the 
 present instance a matter for congratulation that 
 another cobbler defied the ancient saw, ne sutor 
 ultra crepidam. Keen as was Mr. Barker's in- 
 stinct in the matter of an object of art, he was 
 apparently not averse to parting with it on business- 
 like terms. Consequently the collection which was 
 sold after his death did not include the whole of 
 the hoard of treasures which he gathered from the 
 various parts of Europe. The earlier sale was 
 held on June 6th, 1874, and four following days, 
 the 709 lots realizing the total of ,£65,764 Ss. 6d. 
 The second sale took place on June 19th, 1879, 
 and two following days, when 533 lots showed 
 a total of £13,666 145. 9a 7 . The pictures in- 
 cluded the following : — G. Bellini, Madonna and 
 Child, with St. Peter and St. Helena, half-length, 
 from the Manfrini Gallery, 720 guineas; Ben- 
 venuto di Sienna, Madonna and Child, enthroned, 
 with angels, 500 guineas (National Gallery) ; 
 Sandro Botticelli, The Story of Nastagio Degli 
 Oneste, from the " Decameron " of Boccaccio, a 
 composition in six panels, from the Gallery of the 
 Pucci family ; the panels were as follows : the 
 first column of figures representing the amounts 
 at which they were respectively bought in at the 
 
THE BARKER SALE. 
 
 225 
 
 1874 sale, and the second column those at which 
 they were sold in 1879 : 
 
 
 GUINEAS. 
 
 GUINEAS. 
 
 The Feast to His Friends . . 
 
 950 
 
 420 
 
 
 65O 
 
 28o 
 
 A Banquet with Centaurs . . 
 
 4OO 
 
 15° 
 
 
 4OO 
 
 I3O 
 
 Coast Scene with Horsemen, etc. 
 
 500 
 
 l6o 
 
 >> » • • 
 
 500 
 
 175 
 
 The other pictures in the 1874 sale by Botticelli 
 were, Mars and Venus reclining, with Cupids, 
 1,000 guineas; Venus reclining in landscape, 
 amorini pelting her with roses, 1,550 guineas 
 (both now in the National Gallery) ; Portrait of 
 artist's wife in profile, with figure on the back of 
 the panel, 225 guineas; and Madonna and Child, 
 with St. John, from the Bammeville collection, 1,600 
 guineas ; Carmona, The Wise Virgins, 170 guineas, 
 and The Foolish Virgins, 100 guineas (bought in, 
 and sold in 1879 for 50 guineas and 45 guineas 
 respectively) ; Correggio, Juno with Peacock, from 
 the Orleans and Baron Rothschild collections, 
 42 J x 23, 135 guineas (bought in and sold in 
 1879 for 41 guineas) ; Lorenzo di Credi, Madonna 
 Kneeling over Infant, with St. Joseph, 460 guineas; 
 Madonna Enthroned, St. Sebastian and vase of 
 flowers, 640 guineas (Dresden Gallery) ; Madonna 
 kneeling, with Infant Saviour and St. John, cir- 
 cular, 310 guineas; Madonna seated, with Infant 
 Saviour, 300 guineas, and three other Madonnas 
 attributed to the same ; Carlo Crivelli, a pair, St. 
 Catherine and the Magdalen, 210 guineas; and 
 1. Q 
 
226 
 
 THE BARKER SALE. 
 
 The Madonna in Ecstasy, Deity, angels, flowers, 
 fruit, etc., 1492, 550 guineas (these three pictures are 
 now in the National Gallery) ; Gentile da Fabrino, 
 Madonna and Child with pomegranate, 38oguineas; 
 Pietro della Francesca, the Nativity, 49 x 58, on 
 wood, from the Marini-Franceschi family, descend- 
 ants of the artist, 2,300 guineas (National Gallery), 
 Francia, Madonna and Child, St. John and angels, 
 in landscape, 650 guineas ; Domenico Ghirlandaio, 
 Madonna and Child enthroned, angels, St. John, 
 Bonaventura, Francis, and Catherine, 350 guineas 
 (Lord Bath) ; Giorgione, Portrait of the Artist's 
 Mistress, from the Manfrini Gallery, 380 guineas, 
 and Landscape, with Borso d'Este and Lucretia 
 Borgia, 580 guineas ; Filippino Lippi, Adoration 
 of the Magi, Portrait of the Accajuoli family, 700 
 guineas ; B. Pinturicchio, a companion pair of pic- 
 tures on long panels, Tent and Camp scenes, 300 
 guineas (Lord Bath), the Return of Ulysses, from 
 the Pandolpho Petrucci Palace at Siena, 2,050 
 guineas, and three pictures illustrating the story 
 of Griselda, together 690 guineas (these four 
 works are now in the National Gallery) ; Antonio 
 Pollajuolo, Madonna and Child, with goldfinch, 
 660 guineas ; A. Privitale, Madonna, Child, and 
 St. John, signed and dated 15 10, 660 guineas 
 (Dresden Gallery) ; Raphael, portrait of a Youth 
 in profile, red hair, black cap and badge, 17 x 11, 
 380 guineas (bought in, and sold in 1879 for 155 
 guineas) ; Sasso Ferrata, Madonna and Child with 
 two cherubs, 400 guineas (apparently bought in, 
 and resold in 1879 for 110 guineas) ; Luca Sig- 
 
THE COVENTRY SEVRES VASES. 
 
 This garniture de cheminee is unquestionably one of the greatest 
 triumphs of Sevres work, and its history may be here told. The set is 
 known as the " Coventry Vases, ' ; and these unique specimens of 
 ceramic art were made in 1759. They were purchased by George 
 William, sixth Earl of Coventry, who married in 1752 one of the 
 beautiful Miss Gunnings. The centre-piece, which is modelled to re- 
 present the arms of the city of Paris, is \^\ inches high, whilst the two 
 jardinieres are 8| inches high. The rose du Barri ground is combined 
 with green, and is a perfect example of this scarce combination ; the 
 paintings are admirably copied from Teniers' well-known subjects, with 
 groups of exquisitely painted flowers, by Morin, in the reverse. 
 
 Earl of Coventry's sale, June 12, 1874 : purchased by the Earl of 
 Dudley, by whom they were sold privately to Mr. J. W. Goode ; at the 
 Goode sale, July 17, 1895, the reserve price not being reached, they 
 were bought in, and are still in possession of Mr. Goode's executors. 
 In addition to the information given in vol. ii. pp. 267-8, it may be 
 here mentioned that the late Mr. Goode had two copies made of them 
 at his potteries, and the extreme similarity of the copies to the originals 
 is most striking. These copies, one of which is now in possession of 
 the Dudley family, and the other at Messrs. Goode's warehouse at 
 South Audley Street, W., cost about ^300 each to produce. (See 
 vol. ii., pp. 267-8.) 
 
SIR EDWIN LANDSEER'S SALE. 
 
 227 
 
 norelli, Pair of Pilasters, each with three figures of 
 saints, 255 guineas; the Story of Coridanus, 460 
 guineas ; Triumph of Chastity, Cupid bound by 
 maidens, 800 guineas (National Gallery) — these 
 two are frescoes transferred to canvas ; and Ma- 
 donna kneeling over Infant, landscape background, 
 410 guineas ; Francesco Ubertini, portrait of 
 Youth with Guitar, with Apollo and Daphne, 
 256 guineas (bought in, and sold in 1879 for 155 
 guineas) ; and Leonardo da Vinci, Leda, to which 
 full reference is made on pp. 1 1 1-1 13. 
 
 A sale which possesses a special interest may 
 be here included as having occurred in 1874 
 (May 8th). It comprised the finished and un- 
 finished pictures of Sir Edwin Landseer, who died 
 on October 1st, 1873. Special mention may be 
 made of the following : — Landscape, with cattle, 
 315 guineas; Portraits of Duke of Devonshire, 
 Lord and Lady Cavendish, deer and dogs in park, 
 unfinished, 1,050 guineas ; Lady Godiva's Prayer, 
 exhibited in 1868, 3,200 guineas; Horses and 
 Dogs, 1,000 guineas ; Digging out the Otter, 610 
 guineas; Portraits of the Earl and Countess of Sef- 
 ton and daughter, 570 guineas ; Portraits of Two 
 Young Ladies, 610 guineas ; Portrait of Sir Walter 
 Scott, with a book, 800 guineas ; Portrait of Her 
 Majesty the Queen on a white Horse, unfinished, 
 750 guineas ; Portraits of the Duke of Beaufort 
 and Sisters when young, with dogs, 1,050 guineas ; 
 " Old Brutus," rough, white-haired dog, 600 guineas, 
 and a Newfoundland dog and terrier at a stream, 
 1,050 guineas, and a large number of studies, 
 
228 
 
 THE MARLBOROUGH GEMS. 
 
 sketches, and unfinished pictures, nearly all of 
 which realized exceedingly high prices. 
 
 One of the most important events of 1875, 
 unique in itself, was the sale of the splendid collec- 
 tion of antique engraved gems and cameos, formed 
 by George, third Duke of Marlborough, in the 
 latter part of the last century. The collection is 
 best known through Jacob Bryant's work, which 
 is illustrated with Bartolozzi's engravings from 
 Cipriani's drawings ; it comprised 739 gems, which 
 were offered in one lot on June 28th, and pur- 
 chased for 35,000 guineas by Mr. Agnew for Mr. 
 Bromilow, of Battlesden Park, Bedfordshire. 
 
 The numerous great picture sales of this year 
 commenced with that formed by Sam Mendel, 
 of Manley Hall, Manchester, a textile merchant. 
 According to Mr. Redford, " Art Sales," i. 200, 
 Mendel (who was of German origin) " made no 
 pretensions to being a great connoisseur, and did 
 not collect works of art as a pursuit. He found 
 himself a rich man, and he saw that other rich men 
 in business, successful like himself, were displaying 
 their wealth by buying pictures at high prices, and 
 making their dwelling houses as magnificent with 
 works of modern art as the aristocracy had always 
 done with the pictures by the old masters." The 
 general high excellence of the Manley Hall col- 
 lection is due to the eminent firm of Thomas 
 Agnew and Sons ; its entire dispersal occupied 
 twenty-one days ; the pictures were sold on April 
 1 4th- 1 7th and 2 3rd-24th, and produced the total 
 of ,£101,184 13^. 6d. ; which amount included 
 
MENDEL OF MANLEY HALL. 
 
 229 
 
 3,050 guineas paid by Mr. Hermon (M.P. for 
 Preston), for the highly interesting series of 271 
 drawings and sketches of Lord Clyde's campaign 
 in Oude by Mr. E. Liindgren ; and the residue of 
 the collection, the furniture and other appointments 
 of the Hall, sold on the premises on March 15th 
 and fourteen following days, brought ,£42,855. 
 The grand total amounted to ,£150,100 15^. nd. 
 Prior to the sale by auction, 100 of the more 
 important works changed hands by private treaty. 
 
 The more important of the 137 pictures of the 
 English school and 25 by foreign artists were the 
 following : — R. Ansdell, Visit to the Shrine in the 
 Alhambra, 72 x 47, 600 guineas ; T. Jones Barker, 
 Relief of Lucknow, 106 x 190, 970 guineas; R. 
 P. Bonington, Chateau on the French Coast, 
 14x24, 460 guineas; P. H. Calderon, Virgin's 
 Bower, 70 x 46, 290 guineas ; Home after Victory, 
 48x81, 900 guineas, and GEnone, 53 x 40, 750 
 guineas ; Sir A. W. Callcott, Landscape with cot- 
 tage and water, 27 x 39, 400 guineas, and Launce 
 and his Dog (scene from " The Two Gentlemen of 
 Verona"), 25 x 30, 385 guineas ; W. Collins, Land- 
 scape, with boys angling, 17x22, 330 guineas, 
 and The Skittle Players, 34x43, 2,300 guineas; 
 J. Constable, Landscape with a Suffolk river, 
 28 x 36, 600 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, Scheveningen 
 Trawler, 35 x 54, 850 guineas ; T. Creswick, Pont- 
 y-Pont Mill, 20x40, 420 guineas; John Crome, 
 Landscape, road scene with trees, 71 x 55, 1,500 
 guineas — Mr. Redford states that this picture was 
 bought for ^7 at a sale in Cavendish Square, 
 
230 samuel mendel's 
 
 and that its authenticity was doubted ; W. C. T. 
 Dodson, Abraham and H agar, 41 x 34, 470 guineas; 
 A. Elmore, Katherine and Petruchio, 43 x 33, 300 
 guineas ; W. Etty, Mars and Venus, 37 x 25, 500 
 guineas; T. Faed, Only Herself, 53x39, 1,650 
 guineas, and A Wee Bit Fractious, 53 x 39, 1,900 
 guineas; W. P. Frith, Sterne's Maria, 44 x 31, 
 900 guineas, and Before Dinner at Boswell's lodg- 
 ings in Bond Street, 1769, 4,350 guineas ; W. E. 
 Frost, Aurora and Zephyr, 35 x 28, 380 guineas ; 
 T. Gainsborough, George IV. when Prince of 
 Wales, 28 x 24, 460 guineas ; W. Gale, Jews' Place 
 of Wailing, 21x29, 2 9° guineas; P. Graham, 
 Among the Hills, 44 x 70, 1,550 guineas ; A Spate 
 in the Highlands, 23 x 17, 410 guineas, and O'er 
 Moor and Moss, 44x70, 1,050 guineas; J. R. 
 Herbert, Mary Magdalene, 14 x 12, 360 guineas, 
 and Christ and the Woman of Samaria, 38 x 56, 
 530 guineas ; J. C. Hook, the Lobster Catcher, 
 29x42, 1,410 guineas; Sir F. Leighton, Noble 
 Venetian Lady, 16th century, 34 x 25, 950 guineas ; 
 C. R. Leslie, Hermione, 31 x 20, 520 guineas, and 
 scene from " Henry the Eighth," 23x34, 1,300 
 guineas (at the Brunei sale in i860 this picture 
 was sold for 960 guineas) ; G. D. Leslie, The 
 Appointed Hour, 43 x 29, 720 guineas, and An 
 Elopement, a.d. 1790, 47x89, 1,100 guineas; J. 
 Linnell, the Rustic Bridge, 18 x 25, 600 guineas ; 
 Midday Rest, Harvest Time, 37 x 55, i,300guineas; 
 The Tramps, 28 x 39, 1,060 guineas ; The Journey 
 to Emmaus, 22 x 31, 670 guineas, and Landscape 
 with shepherd, 18 x 25, 720 guineas ; J. T. Linnell, 
 
MANLEY HALL COLLECTION. 23 I 
 
 Autumn Evening, 26x31, 720 guineas, and Open- 
 ing the Gate, 29 x 44, 500 guineas ; W. Linnell, 
 the Gleaner's Return, 42 x 64, 610 guineas ; Daniel 
 Maclise, the Departure of Bayard, 48 x 34, 405 
 guineas; H. S. Marks, the Notary, 28x36, 380 
 guineas ; Sir John Millais, " O, Swallow, Swallow," 
 painted in 1865, 40 x 29J, 1,000 guineas, Jephthah, 
 1867, 50 x 64, 3,800 guineas (W. Armstrong), and 
 " Chill October," 1871, 55x73, 3,100 guineas ; 
 W. J. Miiller, Stapenhill Village, 30x48, 660 
 guineas, and Gillingham, children fishing, 22 x 16, 
 600 guineas ; P. Nasmyth, Waterfall, Glen Shirah, 
 28 x 38, 1,400 guineas; H. O'Neil, Last Moments 
 of Raphael, 48x72, 1,050 guineas; J. Phillip, 
 Winnowing Corn, 37 x 30, 480 guineas ; David 
 Roberts, Church of the Nativity, 44 x 55, 1,350 
 guineas, and Interior of Seville Cathedral, 50 x 40, 
 1,800 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, View on the 
 River Maas, Holland, 22 x 36, 2,500 guineas, and 
 Grand Canal, Venice, 36x48, 7,000 guineas; E. 
 M. Ward, Last Sleep of Argyle, and Last Scene 
 in the Life of Montrose, each 800 guineas, the 
 engraved pictures ; T. Webster, Results of In- 
 temperance, 30 x 42, 800 guineas, and R. Wilson, 
 Lake Scene, 33 x 42, 700 guineas. 
 
 The pictures by Continental artists included 
 the following : Rosa Bonheur, Souvenir of Nor- 
 mandy, 39 x 5 1,410 guineas; Coast Scene, [9 x 25, 
 605 guineas, and Cattle in landscape, 320 guineas ; 
 Henriette Browne, Giving Baby a Ride, 16 x 17, 
 600 guineas, and Abyssinian Girl, 35 x 24, 400 
 guineas ; Paul Delaroche, President Duranti, 
 
232 THE QUILTER DRAWINGS. 
 
 21 x 18, 625 guineas; J. L. Dyckmans, Mary at 
 the Cross, 19 x 15, 500 guineas ; Edouard Frere, 
 the Go-Cart, 240 guineas ; and " It is caught ! " 
 400 guineas ; Louis Gallait, Columbus in Prison, 
 59x43, 850 guineas; the Wanderers, 31x25, 
 605 guineas ; Last Honours to Egmont and Horn, 
 2 7 x 39> 1,100 guineas, and Vargas taking the 
 Oath, 44x60, 2,550 guineas; J. L. Gerome, 
 Italian Woman and Child, 23 x 17, 300 guineas; 
 Baron H. Leys, Going to Church at Antwerp in 
 the Sixteenth Century — a winter scene, 830 
 guineas; C. Troyon, cattle piece, 31x45, 960 
 guineas. 
 
 In some respects the sale on April 8, 9, and 10, 
 of the collection of drawings formed by Mr. 
 William Quilter was the most interesting event of 
 this annus mirabilis of art sales. The collection 
 comprised 417 lots (of which over one hundred 
 were the work of David Cox), and produced the 
 splendid total of ,£41,517. The prices realized 
 were in nearly every respect record ones ; and The 
 Times, in a final note on this remarkable sale, 
 stated that Mr. Quilter realized a profit of some- 
 thing like 260 per cent, on the whole collection. 
 This sale comprised 114 pen and ink etchings, 
 sepia and water-colour drawings, by David Cox ; 
 2 1 by Cattermole ; 7 by Prout ; 1 1 by G. Barrett ; 
 40 by W. Hunt ; 18 by Turner; 13 by W. Mliller ; 
 7 by C. Haag ; and 15 by Tayler. A number of 
 the drawings were bought in for Mr. Quilter, and 
 were again offered for sale on May 1 8th, 1889, after 
 the owner's death. This post mortem sale com- 
 
THE QUILTER DRAWINGS. 
 
 233 
 
 prised 147 lots, which showed a total of ,£21,802 2s. 
 We have here combined the two sales, and in- 
 clude only the prices from £200 and upwards. 
 G. Barret, Landscape, sunset effect, with figure, 
 dog and sheep, 300 guineas; Sir F. W. Burton, 
 La Marchesa, 320 guineas (1889, 200 guineas) ; 
 La Romanina, 570 guineas, and a.d. 1660, a Rem- 
 nant of the Ironsides, 400 guineas ; G. Cattermole, 
 Trying the Sword, 250 guineas; Benvenuto Cellini 
 Valuing one of his own Productions to the Brigands, 
 from the Haines collection, exhibited at Manchester 
 ( 1 854, and the Loan Collection, 1 87 1 ), 2 70 guineas ; 
 Macbeth instructing the Murderers, 240 guineas ; 
 Shakespeare reciting to Sir Thomas Lucy, 36 x 24, 
 340 guineas (in 1889, 160 guineas) ; Salvator Rosa 
 and the Brigands, 390 guineas(in 1 889, 230guineas), 
 and Old English Hospitality, 410 guineas. David 
 Cox, Old Oak, Sherwood Forest, 210 guineas; 
 Powis Terrace, with figures, 1840, 260 guineas; 
 Crossing a Moor, man on horseback, 240 guineas; 
 Calais Pier, 245 guineas ; Hay-making, 2 10 guineas; 
 Bolton Park, the Wharfe, 2 10 guineas ; Welsh Land- 
 scape, with shepherds driving sheep, 350 guineas; 
 A Hop Garden, 14I-X 10, 210 guineas ; Old Mill 
 and moor, 21 x 1 2§ , 450 guineas ; Kenilworth, a 
 selected Art Union prize, 14I-X iof, 390 guineas; 
 Fors Novin,3ioguineas(i889, 160 guineas); Corn- 
 field, horse and cart going through a gate, 300 
 guineas (1889, 205 guineas) ; Cottage, with man 
 ploughing, i4 T %x iof, 285 guineas; Gipsies cross- 
 ing a Common, 19 x 1 2^, 300 guineas ; Beaumaris, 
 engraved in Roscoe's " North Wales," and for the 
 
234 
 
 THE QUILTER DRAWINGS. 
 
 Art Union, 1869, 420 guineas; Golden Vale, Caer- 
 marthen, where Jeremy Taylor lived and wrote, 
 14^ x 10 J, 305 guineas; Haddon Hall, from the 
 Mendel collection, 410 guineas (1889, 195 guineas) ; 
 Carthage, 450 guineas (1889, 165 guineas) ; Water 
 Tower, Kenilworth, 720guineas ( 1 889, 305guineas) ; 
 The Night Train, 29^ x 29^, 610 guineas (1889, 
 350 guineas) ; Deerstalking, Bolton Park, from the 
 H. W. Birch collection, 34 x 22, 950 guineas (cost 
 Mr. Quilter ^250); Hardwick Castle, windy day, 
 from W. M. Bigg's collection, 34 x 24, 960 guineas 
 (this cost Mr. Quilter £ 1 50) ; Storm on the Llugwy, 
 from Pont-y-Kyfin, near Capel Curig, exhibited 
 October, 1871, 26JX31, 660 guineas (1889, 350 
 guineas) ; Green Lanes, 30x25, with autograph 
 letter of the artist to Mr. Joseph Parrington, who 
 purchased the drawing at the Water Colour Ex- 
 hibition, 1845, l A°° guineas (1889, 850 guineas) ; 
 Vale of Clwyd, 27 x 21, 1,550 guineas (1889, 2,300 
 guineas) — the last two pictures cost Mr. Quilter, 
 ^600 each ; The Hayfield, exhibited at the Water 
 Colour Society, 1850, at Leeds, 1868, in October, 
 1 87 1, at Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1871, and at 
 Burlington House, 1873, 33 x 22, 2,810 guineas 
 (cost ^500), and Peace and War, 34 x 23, 950 
 guineas (1889, 700 guineas). P. de Wint, 1 Kirk- 
 stall Abbey, Yorkshire, 200 guineas ; Farmyard 
 and buildings, 480 guineas ; Lancaster, 905 guineas 
 (1889, 1, 100 guineas) ; and Southall, Notts., 1,650 
 guineas ; Copley Fielding, Rivaulx Abbey, 950 
 
 1 The 1889 sale included one other important De Wint 
 drawing, Lincoln, which fetched 1,670 guineas. 
 
THE QUILTER DRAWINGS. 
 
 235 
 
 guineas ; Loch Awe, Ben Cruachan, 850 guineas, 
 and The Mull of Galloway, 1,650 guineas ; the first 
 of these three came from the Bicknell collection, all 
 were exhibited at the Water Colour Gallery, and 
 at the Royal Academy, 1873; Sir John Gilbert, 
 Duke of Gloucester and his Murders, 400 guineas 
 (1889, 160 guineas), and " To Be, or Not to Be," 
 410 guineas (1889, 140 guineas) ; Carl Haag, Tyro- 
 lese Hunter and Mountain Girl, 500 guineas ; En- 
 camping at Palmyra, 400 guineas, and Leaving 
 Palmyra, 395 guineas — the three exhibited at the 
 Loan Collection, 1871 ; James Holland, Roses, 275 
 guineas ; W. Hunt, Plums, mossy ground, oval, 
 2 1 2 guineas ; Plums and Primroses and Bird's nest, 
 a companion pair of ovals, from the J. Harris col- 
 lection, 450 guineas ; Pineapple, grapes and pome- 
 granate, from the Bigg collection, 210 guineas; 
 Hut, with gipsies, 315 guineas (1889, 180 guineas); 
 Devotion, 420 guineas (1889, 3 2 ° guineas); Prim- 
 roses on mossy bank, 245 guineas ; Cymon and 
 Iphigenia, from the Mendel collection, 440 guineas ; 
 " Too Hot," from the John Leigh Clare collection, 
 exhibited at Manchester, 1857, Royal Academy, 
 1873, 75° guineas ; and The Eaves Dropper, from 
 the J. James collection, 750 guineas (1889, 460 
 guineas); J. F. Lewis, Caged Birds, 200 guineas ; 
 School at Cairo, 1,180 guineas (1889, 620 guineas); 
 Lilium Auratum, i,oioguineas(i 889, i,oooguineas) ; 
 and The Prayer of Faith, 1,120 guineas (1889, 720 
 guineas) — the last two were the drawings for the 
 well known pictures which were exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy ; P. F. Poole, Peasant Girls, 550 
 
236 
 
 THE QUILTER DRAWINGS. 
 
 guineas (1889, 340 guineas), and Rustic Mother 
 and Child, 500 guineas ; Samuel Prout, Church of 
 St. Pierre, Caen, exhibited at the Royal Academy, 
 1873, 8°° guineas ; E. Tayler, The Evening Stroll, 
 325 guineas ; F. W. Topham, the Holy Well, 230 
 guineas (1889, 105 guineas); Little Nell in the 
 Churchyard, 310 guineas (1889, 100 guineas), and 
 Oliver Goldsmith, when at Trinity College, Dublin, 
 hearing his ballad sung, gives his last farthing, 
 250 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, 1 Plymouth, 390 
 guineas (1889, 305 guineas) ; Cassiobury, 415 
 guineas ; Tomb of Cecilia Metella, 1827, from the 
 Munro collection, 320 guineas (1889, 220 guineas) 
 — these two were at the Royal Academy, 1873 ; Mal- 
 vern, 800 guineas; Heidelberg, i,45oguineas (1889, 
 1, 1 10 guineas) ; Oberwesel, Royal Academy, 1873, 
 and from the collection of Oldham Whitaker and 
 J. Leigh Ford, 1,550 guineas (1889, 1,020 guineas) ; 
 Reichenbach on the Rhine, 240 guineas ; Geneva, 
 285 guineas (1889, 220 guineas); and Thun, 280 
 guineas (1889, 240 guineas) — the last two were ex- 
 hibited at Burlington House, 1873, at Leeds in 
 1 868, and are from General Rawdon's collection ; F. 
 Walker, The New Boy, 200 guineas ; Fortuny, In- 
 teriorofa Morocco carpet warehouse, 1,400 guineas. 
 
 The dispersal of the collection of pictures by the 
 Dutch and Flemish masters formed by Charles 
 Bredel (who died in 185 1), and of that of the Rev. 
 John Lucy, of Hampton Lucy, together consti- 
 tuted the third great art sale event of 1875. The 
 
 1 The second sale included Turner's Hardraw Fall, 11 x 16, 
 605 guineas. 
 
THE BREDEL COLLECTION. 
 
 237 
 
 sale took place on May 1st, and the 43 lots, which 
 comprised the Bredel property, included the fol- 
 lowing works : Le Nain, Interior, with two lads 
 and a girl playing musical instruments, bird cage 
 on a trunk on the right, signed, and dated 1629, 
 
 26 x 33, 470 guineas ; A. Watteau, Two Peasants 
 dancing before a Cabaret, violin player and other 
 figures, 9x6, 250 guineas, and a Danse Cham- 
 petre, a composition of 25 figures, 25x32, 500 
 guineas ; N. Berghem, Woman with a Distaff, 
 landscape with hilly and broken foreground, 
 17x15, from the Edward Solly collection, 900 
 guineas; J. Both, Landscape, with two large 
 trees in centre of the foreground, peasant driving 
 mule laden with panniers, with two men on horse- 
 back in the distance, man and two dogs crossing 
 a ford, 19 x 25, 1,650 guineas ; A. Cuyp, View on 
 a Dutch river, church and six windmills in dis- 
 tance, 14 x 20, 310 guineas, and View on the banks 
 of the Maas, youth and three cows and sheep, 
 tower of " Het huis te Mewer" in distance, 
 18 x 29, 1,050 guineas ; C. Dusart, Farmyard, with 
 peasants and children, signed, and dated 1687, 
 
 27 x 24, 310 guineas ; M. Hobbema, River scene, 
 with trees, boat with two figures, signed, and 
 dated 1650, 18x25, 3,100 guineas; N. Maas, 
 Interior, with girl seated making lace, calendar 
 for 1655 on wall, 22x17, 1,700 guineas; F. 
 Mieris, Young Lady holding palette, on copper, 
 5x3, 250 guineas, and The Enamoured Cavalier, 
 an interior with cavalier looking at a pretty girl 
 who is filling his glass from a silver tankard, with 
 
2 3 8 
 
 THE BREDEL COLLECTION. 
 
 couple embracing in a doorway, dated 1658, 
 16 x 13, 4, 100 guineas ; W. Mieris, An owl on stand, 
 two figures with a birdcage in landscape back- 
 ground, signed, and dated 1686, 5 x 4, on copper, 
 260 guineas ; A. Ostade, the n Tric-trac Players," 
 interior with five boors round a table, and other 
 figures, 12 x 10, signed, and dated 1670, from the 
 Clarke- Hibbert collection of 1802, 670 guineas; 
 Rubens, Christ Triumphant over Sin and Death, 
 28 x 19, a sketch, 410 guineas ; J. Ruysdael, The 
 Ruin, landscape, with ruin and figures, 18x25, 
 2,200 guineas — this celebrated picture was for- 
 merly in the collections of M. Morelli, 1776, 
 M. de Calonne, 1788, M. Coders, 1789, Mr. W. 
 Smith, M.P., and Lord Radstock, 1826 ; Jan 
 Steen, Interior, with large projecting chimney, two 
 women seated and man bowing obsequiously 
 before them, and other figures, 17x13, 630 
 guineas ; D. Teniers, Villagers merrymaking, 
 16 x 14, signed, 370 guineas (from the Heathcote 
 collection, 1802) ; A. Van der Neer, Winter Scene 
 in Holland, frozen river, with church and other 
 buildings, and skaters, 530 guineas; E. Van der 
 Neer, Interior, with a young lady wearing a white 
 cap, black kerchief and white satin robe, signed, 
 and dated 1665, 13x10, 500 guineas; D. Van 
 Tol, Two children at an arched open window 
 blowing bubbles, 10x8, 260 guineas ; W. Van de 
 Velde, Calm on Dutch coast, 13 x 16, 750 guineas ; 
 A. Van de Velde, Pastoral scene, woody land- 
 scape, with sloping meadow in front, cows, horse, 
 sheep, and woman milking a goat, 13 x 12, dated 
 
THE REV. JOHN LUCY'S COLLECTION. 239 
 
 1662, " in every respect one of the finest pictures 
 by this great master " (Waagen), respectively in 
 the collections of the Countess of Holderness, 
 1802, John Ewer, 1832 (430 guineas), Brooke 
 Greville, 1836 (565 guineas), and was purchased 
 by Mr. Bredel for about £joo — it now realized 
 4,300 guineas ; P. Wouverman, Winter scene on 
 Dutch canal, with figures, 12 x 14, 1,220 guineas, 
 River Scene, with picturesque bridge and other 
 buildings on bank, with figures, 13 x 19, 600 
 guineas, and Departure of a Hawking party, 
 chateau with gentleman escorting a lady to her 
 piebald horse, and other figures, 19 x 25, 580 
 guineas; J. Wynants, Landscape, with herdsman 
 and cattle, by A. Van de Velde, 15 x 19, 350 
 guineas, and Boy angling, cottages, and distant 
 landscape, 14 x 19, 1,800 guineas. 
 
 A few unimportant pctures belonging to the 
 Hon. Baroness Dimsdale followed the Bredel col- 
 lection. The Rev. John Lucy's collection of 91 
 drawings and pictures included : T. Gainsborough, 
 A Landscape, with rustics on a road, church in the 
 distance, 40 x 50, 3,300 guineas ; t Van de Capella, 
 River Scene, boats at anchor in a calm, figures on 
 ajetty,signed and dated 1 561, 22 x 28, 390 guineas; 
 W. Mieris, The Grocers Shop, woman with scales 
 in her hand, and boy at open window, and a shop 
 over which a vine is trained, 15 x 13, purchased 
 in 1855 for 300 guineas, and now sold for 750 
 guineas ; J. Wynants and A. Van de Velde, Woody 
 Landscape with two decayed trees, figures, and 
 woman carrying a bundle on her head, signed, 
 
240 
 
 THE LUCY SALE. 
 
 and dated 1683, 20 x 25, 3 10 guineas; A. Watteau, 
 Danse Champetre, a composition of seven figures, 
 and the companion, a Musical Conversation, five 
 figures, circular, 8 inches, together 5 10 guineas — this 
 pair was sold in Lord Carysfoot's collection in 1828 
 for 60 guineas to Samuel Rogers, and at the latter's 
 sale in 1856 for 320 guineas; J. and A. Both, 
 Abraham with Hagar and Ishmael, a sunny Italian 
 landscape, with figures on a road, group of trees, 
 and a castle with round tower and arch in the 
 distance, 41 x 49, 4,500 guineas — this celebrated 
 picture was in the collections of C. H. Wade, 1827, 
 Major Dunn, 1828, and the late H. J. Munro re- 
 spectively ; and VV. Van de Velde, a Fresh Breeze, 
 with Dutch man-of-war in front and six others in 
 the distance, fishing boats, 16 x 24, 650 guineas — 
 from the Earl of Lichfield's collection at Shug- 
 borough, when it was known as " The Arrival of 
 William III." From another source, " the property 
 of a nobleman," otherwise from the collection of 
 the late Marquis of Hertford, K.G., at Ragley 
 Castle, came two works of G. Romney, viz., Lady 
 Hamilton as the Tragic Muse, 48 x 62, 240 
 guineas, and Lady Hamilton as the Comic Muse, 
 the companion, 310 guineas. 
 
 The sale of the collection of modern pictures 
 belonging to Mr. Thomas Woolner, R.A., 141 
 examples in all, formed the chief event of June, 1875 
 (12th), the total realized being ^8,210. The pic- 
 tures by J. M. W. Turner were the chief attraction 
 of this sale, and were : Worcester Cathedral, from 
 the banks of the Severn, 27x36, engraved, 400 
 
THOMAS WOOLNERS COLLECTION. 24 1 
 
 guineas; Kirkstall Abbey on the Aire, 24 x 36, 
 engraved by Burnley for " The Rivers of Eng- 
 land," 260 guineas ; Crichton Castle, engraved 
 by G. Cooke for " Antiquities of Scotland," 480 
 guineas; Whalers, 18 x 24, 310 guineas; Nea- 
 politan Fisher Girls surprised while Bathing, 
 moonlight effect, 24 x 30, 500 guineas ; and a num- 
 ber of other works by Turner which realized under 
 ^100 each ; R. P. Bonington, Old French Water 
 Mill, 300 guineas ; Palace of Prince Maffei, Verona, 
 190 guineas; Francis I. and his Sister, " Souvent 
 femme varie. Bien fol est qui s'y fie," engraved 
 by Heath, 220 guineas, and others; William 
 Collins, The Ferry, 27 x 36, 276 guineas; John 
 Crome, Bruges on the Ostend river, moonlight 
 effect, 280 guineas ; and Landscape near Thorpe, 
 290 guineas ; J. S. Cotman, Chateau in Normandy, 
 18x24, 275 guineas; and Boscastle Cove, 550 
 guineas; J. Linnell, Hanson Foot, Dovedale, 1846, 
 450 guineas ; and The Last Gleam before the 
 Storm, 54 x 30, 1847, 2,500 guineas (from the 
 Eden sale of 1874, when it realized the same 
 amount : it was purchased of the artist for ^300) ; 
 Sir J. E. Millais, Lorenzo and Isabella ("the 
 Kick"), 85oguineas — this early picture appeared in 
 the Royal Academy of 1849; at the Windus sale in 
 1868 it sold for 400 guineas, and in 1883 it again 
 changed hands for 1,050 guineas, and is now in the 
 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool ; and Ferdinand 
 lured by Ariel, a scene from the " Tempest," 300 
 guineas, which in the Elliston sale of 1874 brought 
 220 guineas. 
 
 h R 
 
242 
 
 THE I LAM HALL COLLECTION. 
 
 The last important sale of the year took place 
 on July 3rd, and, like several of the others, it was 
 made up of various properties. At the head of 
 these came the collection of pictures formed by the 
 late Jesse Watts Russell, of Ham Hall, Staffordshire. 
 The most important items in this collection, which 
 produced the total of ,£18,771 i&s. 6d. y for fifty 
 lots, were as follows : T. Gainsborough, a Wood 
 scene, with figures, a view near the village of 
 Conard, Suffolk, said to have been painted for 
 Alderman Boydell, 72 x 54, 1,150 guineas (National 
 Gallery); R. Wilson, View on the Arno, 54x81, 
 from the Lord de Tabley sale, 1827 (where it 
 realized 470 guineas), 1,800 guineas (Lord Over- 
 stone) ; W.Collins, The Fisherman's Return, 2,250 
 guineas ; Sir E. Landseer, St. Bernard Dogs, 
 96 x 72, 2,150 guineas ; Sir A. W. Callcott, Dutch 
 Fishing Boats running foul, 1,600 guineas; J. M. 
 W. Turner, High Street, Oxford, 36 x 24, 1000 
 guineas, and Oxford, from the Abingdon Road, 
 36 x 24, 1,220 guineas — both these pictures were 
 painted for Alderman James Wyatt, of Oxford ; 
 H. Howard, the Pleiades, 140 guineas; W. Owen, 
 The Fortune Teller, 280 guineas ; H.Thompson, 
 girl crossing a brook leading a child, life-size 
 figures, 820 guineas ; G. Romney, Titania, Puck, 
 and the Changeling (from the De Tabley collec- 
 tion, where it sold for 155 guineas), 230 guineas; 
 J. Opie, the Schoolmistress, from the Watson 
 Taylor collection, 750 guineas (Lord Overstone) ; 
 W. Hilton, Una, 360 guineas ; J. Constable, Har- 
 wich Lighthouse, 18 x 12, 360 guineas; Samuel 
 
MINOR SALES, 1 875. 
 
 243 
 
 Prout, Market Day at Malines, cathedral and 
 figures, 36 x 30, water-colour drawing, 290 guineas ; 
 A. Cuyp, River Scene, with cattle, 54 x 30, 750 
 guineas ; Van de Capella, Castle of Dordrecht, 
 with shipping, 54x30, 720 guineas; Ruysdael, 
 River Scene in Norway, 650 guineas; and Claude, 
 Landscape, with figures, 40 x 26, 2 10 guineas — the 
 last four pictures were formerly in Lord Radstock's 
 collection. 
 
 The other important pictures sold on the same 
 day as the foregoing were the following: Sir J. 
 Reynolds, two full-length Portraits of the Earl and 
 Countess of Bellamont, respectively 530 guineas 
 and 2,400 guineas ; G. Romney, Lady Hamilton 
 at the Spinning-wheel, 770 guineas (Lord Nor- 
 manton), Lady Hamilton as a Bacchante, 200 
 guineas, and Portrait of Mrs. Burton, 260 guineas ; 
 T. Gainsborough, Portrait of Bach, the musical 
 composer, 600 guineas ; J. Weenix, Grand upright 
 landscape, with figures and dead game, signed, and 
 dated 1 700, 540 guineas ; David Cox, Morecambe 
 Bay, a water-colour drawing, 430 guineas ; P. de 
 Wint, Bolton Abbey, also water-colour drawing, 
 450 guineas ; and Sir J. Reynolds, Portrait of Lady 
 Gordon with her son, 320 guineas. 
 
 W e can only briefly refer to a few of the less 
 important collections which were dispersed during 
 the 1875 season. Mr. William Leafs collection 
 of water-colour drawings, pictures, and statuary, 
 538 lots, was sold on May 6th, 7th, and 8th. 
 Mr. Gladstone's collection of works of art, June 
 23-26, was chiefly remarkable for the numerous 
 
244 
 
 THE WYNN ELLIS SALE. 
 
 fine examples of Wedgwood ; there were 68 1 lots, 
 which realized the total of ,£9,193. The only 
 pictures which call for special notice were W. 
 Dyce, Lady with coronet of jasmine, 400 guineas, 
 and Bonifazio, Virgin and Child in a landscape, 
 from the Fonthill collection, 460 guineas. Two 
 portions of the Bohn collection of porcelain were 
 sold in March and June of this year ; and the in- 
 teresting collection of old English and foreign 
 plate formed by Dr. Dasent realized close on 
 ,£4,000 in June. 
 
 The great picture sale of 1876 was that of the 
 collection formed by the late Wynn Ellis. This 
 distinguished collector was born at Oundle, in 
 Northamptonshire, in July, 1790, and in 181 2 
 started as a haberdasher, hosier, and mercer at 16, 
 Ludgate Street, London, where he gradually 
 created the largest silk business in London, adding 
 house to house as opportunity occurred of pur- 
 chasing the property around him, and passing from 
 the retail to the wholesale business in 1830 (" Dic- 
 tionary of National Biography," infra Ellis). He 
 sat in the House of Commons as an advanced 
 Liberal from May, 1831, to December, 1834, 
 and again from March, 1839, to July, 1847. He 
 owned the manor of Ponsborne Park, Hertford- 
 shire (which he sold a few months before his 
 death), and Tankerton Tower, near Canterbury. 
 He died at 30, Cadogan Place, Sloane Street, 
 London, Nov. 20th, 1875, an d was buried at Whit- 
 stable. By his will he left numerous legacies to 
 charitable and religious institutions, and his per- 
 
\ 
 
 THE WYNN ELLIS SALE. 245 
 
 sonalty was proved under £600,000 on January 
 8th, 1876. He had retired from active business in 
 1 87 1, when the firm which he established was (and 
 is still) continued under the name of John Howell 
 and Co. His great hobby was picture collecting, 
 and at the time of his death he had formed an ex- 
 ceedingly extensive gallery. His ancient pictures, 
 402 in number, he left to the English nation ; but 
 of these the Trustees of the National Gallery 
 selected only forty-four, which are now placed in 
 a separate room as the Wynn Ellis bequest. The 
 following analysis of the sale will at once show the 
 comparative values of each day's dispersal : 
 
 LOTS. £ S. d. 
 
 May 5. Objects of art 146 4,600 o o 
 
 „ 6. Modern pictures .... 135 32,208 18 o 
 
 ,, 27. Dutch and Flemish pictures . 156 10,387 13 o 
 June 17. French, Spanish and Italian 
 
 pictures 159 6,703 4 6 
 
 July 15. Remaining pictures and 
 
 water-colour drawings . . 145 2,586 3 o 
 
 Total ,£56,485 ^ 6 
 
 " The sale of the modern pictures belonging to 
 the Wynn Ellis collection on Saturday last," wrote 
 The Times correspondent, Monday, May 8th, 
 " created such a sensation as has never been ex- 
 perienced in the picture world of London. Through- 
 out the week the pictures had attracted consider- 
 able numbers of visitors, but on the day preced- 
 ing the sale the interest came to a climax, and 
 crowds filled the rooms of Messrs. Christie, Man- 
 son and Woods all day. Anyone passing the 
 
246 Gainsborough's duchess of Devonshire. 
 
 neighbourhood of St. James's Square might well 
 have supposed that some great lady was holding a 
 reception, and this, in fact, was pretty much what 
 was going on within the gallery in King Street. 
 All the world had come to see a beautiful duchess 
 created by Gainsborough, and, so far as we could 
 observe, they all came, saw, and were conquered 
 by her fascinating beauty. Even those who were 
 prepared by Walpole's glowing description of 
 Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire — that her 
 ' lively modesty and modest familiarity made her 
 a phenomenon ' — were not disappointed, though 
 there were some few who, equally charmed with 
 the picture, failed to recognize the lovely senti- 
 ment and refinement of the portraits of her by 
 Sir Joshua at Chatsworth and at Althorp . . . . 
 When the portrait was placed before the crowded 
 audience, a burst of applause showed the universal 
 admiration of the picture; and after this Mr. 
 Woods proceeded to give the history of the work, 
 as far as he knew it. It was exhibited as a whole- 
 length at the Royal Academy in 1783, the year in 
 which also was exhibited the portrait of Mrs. 
 Sheridan, now belonging to Baron Rothschild. It 
 was purchased for 60 guineas by Mr. Wynn 
 Ellis of the late Mr. Bentley, the picture re- 
 storer, who had it in 1839 for ,£50 from a Mrs. 
 Magennis, and it had been for many years in Mr. 
 Ellis's collection." The biddings commenced at 
 1,000 guineas, and rapidly advanced to 10,000 
 guineas, which was the offer of the auctioneers on 
 behalf of the then Earl of Dudley ; on an advance 
 
Gainsborough's duchess of Devonshire. 247 
 
 of 100 guineas on this the picture became Mr. 
 Agnew's property for 10,100 guineas — the highest 
 amount up to that time paid for a picture at 
 Christie's. The picture measured 59J x 45, and 
 the duchess is wearing a white dress and blue silk 
 petticoat and sash, and a large black hat and 
 feathers ; the head is turned three-quarters to the 
 right, the eyes directed towards the spectator, the 
 hair profusely curled, powdered, and falling on the 
 shoulders ; the complexion very brilliant, with very 
 red lips ; and the left hand, which is very slightly 
 painted in, seen upon the dress ; the background 
 is sky, with foliage at each side. We cannot here 
 enter into even a summarized account of the dis- 
 cussion which raged furiously in the papers at the 
 time as to the authenticity of this picture : it may 
 or may not have been a genuine work of Gains- 
 borough, but the general opinion seems to have 
 been that the picture was beautiful enough to have 
 been the work of the great English master. Its 
 subsequent history is briefly told : it was exhibited 
 at Messrs. Thomas Agnew and Sons' gallery at 
 39B, Old Bond Street, where on the night of May 
 26th it was cut away from the stretching frame and 
 stolen. This calamity gave the picture a world- 
 wide fame which totally eclipsed the sensation pro- 
 duced by the record price at which it had been 
 sold on May 6th previously. It has never been 
 recovered, although the mystery surrounding its 
 disappearance has upon several occasions been 
 " explained," notably in the Pall Mall Gazette 
 of July 24th, 1893, where the " Confession of the 
 
2 4 8 
 
 THE WYNN ELLIS SALE. 
 
 theft of the vanished Gainsborough " forms a sen- 
 sational article of one and a half columns. The 
 mystery, nevertheless, is still unsolved. 
 
 This sale included several other works cata- 
 logued as by Gainsborough, but the only one which 
 we need mention is Gad's Hill Oak, with group of 
 peasant children and donkeys, 49 x 39, 310 guineas. 
 The best of the other pictures were the following : 
 G. Morland, a Farmyard, 125 guineas, and The 
 Gun Inn, 1 50 guineas ; P. Nasmyth, View on the 
 Essex Coast, 20 x 43, 200 guineas ; Woody Land- 
 scape, 12J x 17, 530 guineas; View in North- 
 amptonshire, with cottages and figures sitting on a 
 felled tree, 27 x 39, 650 guineas; and a Woody 
 Landscape with figures, 12 x 16, 400 guineas ; Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, whole length Portrait of Mrs. 
 Mathew, with a spaniel, in a landscape, 900 guineas ; 
 Nelly O'Brien, in white dress, leaning on a crimson 
 cushion, 30 x 24, 525 guineas; Babes in the 
 Wood, 28 x 24, 330 guineas ; and several others 
 which realized small amounts and were probably 
 replicas or copies ; Sir D. Wilkie, The Rabbit on 
 the Wall, 23 x 30, 1,000 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, 
 Waterfall, with figures, 15 x 2, 140 guineas; View on 
 the Tyne, 28 x 38, 230 guineas ; Kilgarran Castle, 
 Evening effect, 22 x 28, 450 guineas, Whalley 
 Bridge, 24 x 34, 900 guineas ; Conway Castle, 
 41 x 54, 2,800 guineas (Duke of Westminster) ; 
 and the Temple of Jupiter at ^Egina, 46 x 70, of 
 which the authenticity was at the time of the sale 
 questioned, 1 2,000 guineas ; R. Wilson, Niobe, 430 
 1 See The Times, May 9th and 10th, 1879. 
 
THE WYNN ELLIS SALE. 
 
 249 
 
 guineas ; J. Constable, Glebe Farm, Suffolk, 
 18 x 23, 370 guineas; John Crome, View of 
 Yarmouth Harbour, 15J x 26, 400 guineas ; and 
 The Oak, 35 x 42, 330 guineas ; W. Etty, 
 Cymocles and Imogen, 310 guineas. 
 
 The sale of May 27th included the Dutch and 
 Flemish pictures, of which the important examples 
 were as follows : C. de Jonghe, Old London 
 Bridge, 36 x 18, 500 guineas; A. Diirer, Portrait 
 of Katherine Furleyer, painted in tempera on linen, 
 322 guineas; Rembrandt, Portrait of a gentleman in 
 black dress and hat, with ruff, an oval, 610 guineas, 
 and The Tribute Money, 27 x 36, (from the collec- 
 tion of Sir Simon Clarke, 600 guineas,) 360 guineas ; 
 and Cuyp, Landscape, with shepherds and shep- 
 herdesses, known as the " Coventry House Cuyp/' 
 1,140 guineas. On June 17th, the pictures of the 
 French, Spanish, and Italian schools comprised 
 1 59 lots, probably not one of which was a genuine 
 work by the artist to whom it was attributed, 
 very few of these realized over ^100. The final 
 portion of this collection was sold on July 15th, 
 and the only work which realized an " old master " 
 price was Murillo, The Immaculate Conception, 
 painted for an archbishop of Lima, 168 1, 410 
 guineas. 
 
 Another great sale of the year was that of the 
 modern pictures and drawings of Mr. Albert Levy, 
 sold on March 31st, April rst and April 6th, 1876. 
 This sale, which comprised 386 lots and produced 
 a total of ,£77,756 $s. 6d., is chiefly notable for the 
 extraordinary number which it contained of works 
 
25O THE ALBERT LEVY SALE. 
 
 by David Cox, who was represented by 1 1 drawings 
 in sepia, 77 in water colours, and 18 pictures ; and 
 Turner, of whose drawings there were 16. The 
 more important pictures of David Cox were the 
 following : Cart Loading from a Smack, 7x9, 280 
 guineas ; Driving the Flock, 8 x 1 ij, 280 guineas ; 
 Stepping Stones, Bettws, 11 x 15, 320 guineas; 
 Harlech Castle, peasants reaping, 10 x 18, 300 
 guineas ; Haddon Hall, 14J x 18, 380 guineas ; 
 View near Bettws, 15 x 20, 320 guineas; Welsh 
 view, two figures, distant sea, 18 x 25, 425 guineas ; 
 View in Wales, man on grey horse, 11 x 15, 260 
 guineas ; View on the Thames below Gravesend, 
 rainbow effect, 17x27, 430 guineas ; Wind, Rain, 
 and Sunshine, 1845, l % x 2 5> I »ioo guineas (in 
 1 863 this picture was sold for ^250) ; Solitude, 1853, 
 36x31, 700 guineas ; Counting the Flock, 1852, 
 24 x 34, 2,300 guineas; The Hayfield, 1852, 18 x 28, 
 1,200 guineas ; Rhyl Sands, 1854, 30 x 54, 1,900 
 guineas, Bettws-y-Coed Church, 1857, 31 x 43, 
 2,100 guineas; and Caer Cennen Castle, Caer- 
 marthenshire, 38 x 28, 2,500 guineas. The more 
 important of the drawings by David Cox were 
 as follows: Golden Vale, Caermarthen, 10x14, 
 310 guineas; The Missing Flock, 25x30, 310 
 guineas; Noon, Going to the Cornfield, 14 x 20, 330 
 guineas; A Forest Scene, ioj-x 14J, 290 guineas; 
 Gossips on the Bridge, 17 x 24, 405 guineas ; Caer- 
 narvon Castle, 10J x 17J, 305 guineas; Old Mill 
 and Moor, 12 x 19, 360 guineas ; Lancaster Castle, 
 morning, 11x19, 520guineas; Cross Roads, 23 x 34, 
 800 guineas; Ulverston Sands, 23 x 33, 1,650 
 
THE LEVY SALE. 
 
 251 
 
 guineas; Changing Pastures, 23 x 33, 1,270 guineas; 
 TheSkylarks, Anthurst Hill, 24 x 34, 1,300 guineas; 
 and Junction of the Severn and the Wye, 30 x 41, 
 350 guineas. 
 
 The Turner drawings included Suez, 5^ x 8, 250 
 guineas; Joppa, 5x8, 260 guineas; the Glacier des 
 Boissons, 9x13, 290 guineas ; Plymouth, 7 x 1 1 J, 
 265 guineas; Le Havre, 7 x 10, 250 guineas; 
 Meyrick Abbey, n x 16, 710 guineas; Exeter, 
 njx 16, 710 guineas; and Patterdale, iojx 15J, 
 650 guineas (in the Gillott sale this realized 800 
 guineas), all of which excepting the third in the 
 list have been engraved. W. J. Mliller, The 
 Slave Market, 24 x 41, 2,760 guineas ; Gillingham 
 Church, 14^x24, 530 guineas; Good Samaritan, 
 560 guineas ; Whitchurch, with two children near a 
 stream, 31x56, 1,250 guineas; Street in Cairo, 
 with figures, 12x15, 1,040 guineas (in 1865 this 
 picture sold for 305 guineas); and The Pyramids, 
 440 guineas ; John Phillip, The Pride of Seville, 
 1,000 guineas (at the Guest sale of 1863 this sold 
 for 250 guineas). 
 
 The Levy pictures sold on April 6th included 
 the following : J. Crome, sen., Hautbois Common, 
 385 guineas ; T. Gainsborough, Portrait of Ten- 
 ducci, 250 guineas ; G. Morland, View at Enderby, 
 2 50 guineas ; Landscape with a gipsy encampment, 
 1 790,420 guineas (this sold for 145 guineas in 1863); 
 and Evening, or the Postboy's Return, 600 guineas; 
 P. Nasmyth, Landscape with figures, 12 x 16, 
 320 guineas ; and Landscape near Godstone 
 10 x 15, 310 guineas ; Cima il Conegliano, Virgin 
 
252 
 
 THE LEVY SALE. 
 
 seated with infant Christ, from Prince Napoleon's 
 collection, 23 x 19, 360 guineas (Lord Overstone) ; 
 Gerard Dow, an Astrologer, at a window, 12x8, 
 680 guineas (at the Earl of Clare's sale in 1864 
 this sold for 670 guineas, and at the Delafield sale 
 in 1870 it brought 760 guineas) ; F. Hals, the 
 Singer, 23 x 19, 250 guineas; and Portrait of the 
 Artist, 27 x 24, 250 guineas ; M. Hobbema, Land- 
 scape, richly wooded, 16x34, 950 guineas; F. 
 Mieris, The Enamoured Cavalier, from the Bredel 
 collection, 3,500 guineas (Lord Dudley) ; W. 
 Mieris, The Guitar Player, 12 x 10, 460 guineas 
 (this picture was again sold in 1879 and realized 
 490 guineas) ; Adrian Ostade, The Card-players, 
 270 guineas ; J. Ruysdael, View in the environs of 
 a forest, 680 guineas (Salting) ; View in a grove of 
 trees, 370 guineas; and a View in the Hollands 
 Deep, 290 guineas; Solomon Ruysdael, Landscape, 
 484 guineas; and a River Scene with cattle, 400 
 guineas ; Jan Steen, Bad Company, an interior 
 14 x 16, 950 guineas (at the Townsend sale in 1873 
 this realized 1,020 guineas) ; A. Van de Velde, 
 View in a woody park, 900 guineas ; and P. Wou- 
 verman, a Hawking Party, 12 x 16, 880 guineas 
 (from the Cope collection, 1872, 920 guineas), 
 and View on a Canal in Holland, winter scene, 
 12JX 14J, 1,050 guineas (from the Bredel collec- 
 tion). 
 
 After Mr. Levy's death the remainder of his 
 collection (including a few which did not reach 
 the reserved figures in 1876), was sold at Christie's 
 on May 3rd, 1884. There were in all fifty-nine 
 
R. FOSTER OF CLEWER MANOR. 253 
 
 pictures and drawings, which realized the total of 
 ,£9,099 16s. 6d. The following list includes the 
 more important works in this sale : G. Romney, 
 Portrait of Mrs. Robinson (?) as " Perdita," from the 
 Anderdon sale of 1879 (250 guineas), 490 guineas; 
 J. Crome, Hautbois Common, known also as " The 
 Clump of Trees," 25 x 35 (bought in in 1876 for 
 385 guineas), 395 guineas ; Rubens, the Meeting 
 of Jacob and Esau, a sketch, 19 x 16, 295 guineas ; 
 N. Maes, Interior, with woman dressing a child's 
 hair, and two other children, 24 x 18, 305 guineas ; 
 A. Cuyp, Sunny Landscape with miller's waggon, 
 13 x 19, 360 guineas — the last three were from the 
 Novar collection ; J. Ruysdael, Landscape with 
 waterfall and bridge, 340 guineas ; Jan Steen, 
 Doctor's Visit to the Sick Lady, 17 x 14, 315 
 guineas (bought in, 1876, for 195 guineas); and The 
 Proposal, 290 guineas, at which price it was bought 
 in at the 1876 sale; and Rembrandt, Portrait of 
 himself as the Calvinist, in black dress and cap, 
 with gold chain, 24 x 19, signed and dated 1635, 
 1,800 guineas. 
 
 The last sensational picture sale of 1876 was 
 that of the Clewer Manor collection, which had 
 been formed by three generations of the Foster 
 family. Of the nineteen choice pictures in this 
 collection, three were withdrawn during the sale, 
 and the remaining sixteen realized the record 
 total of ,£34,465, or an average of over 2,000 
 guineas each. Jan Steen, The Guitar Lesson, 
 24 x 20, 300 guineas, and the Tric-Trac Players, 
 interior of an estaminet, with a group of four men 
 
THE CLEWER MANOR SALE. 
 
 and other figures, 24 x 27, 720 guineas (this picture 
 was again put up at Christie's in 1884, when it 
 declined to 400 guineas) ; A. Van de Velde, Sea 
 Piece, fresh breeze, numerous ships and other 
 vessels with gilded yacht, 17 x 24, 700 guineas 
 (National Gallery of Ireland), and a Calm with 
 fishing boats near a jetty drying their sails and a 
 man-of-war at anchor, 25 x 30, 2,250 guineas ; A. 
 Cuyp, view on the Rhine, 22 x 30, 3,000 guineas, 
 and a hilly Landscape, fine early morning effect, 
 cavalier in a red cloak on a grey horse, and other 
 figures, 26x32, 4,800 guineas; J. Both, a Rocky 
 Pass, tall trees and rich landscape in the distance, 
 42 x 40, ,£1,600 ; P. Wouverman, Hilly Sandbank, 
 with river in distance and figures of men and 
 horses, 7 J x 10, 280 guineas; and Le Port Drapeau, 
 three cavaliers, with other figures, horses, and 
 bridge over a stream, 22 x 26, 1,250 guineas; N. 
 Berghem, Two Herdsmen and cattle passing a ford, 
 1,150 guineas; Rachael Ruysch, Vase of flowers 
 with insects in a vase on a slab, 42 x 34, 400 
 guineas (at the Earl of Shrewsbury's sale in 1857 
 this sold for 145 guineas) ; Karel du Jardin, La 
 Fraiche Matinee, 20 x 18, 700 guineas ; J. Ruys- 
 dael, the Mill, with house beneath the trees, and 
 miller raising sluice, from the Casimir Perier collec- 
 tion, 22x39, 1,750 guineas; A. Ostade, Interior 
 of a village ale-house, with man and woman danc- 
 ing, fiddler on a bench, and numerous other figures, 
 18 x 15, 3,600 guineas; Rubens, The Virgin in 
 scarlet robe with pale purple mantle and lighter 
 drapery, with infant Saviour. 52 x 36, bought in at 
 
THE CLEWER MANOR SALE. 
 
 255 
 
 the Hart Davis sale, 1814, for 1,000 guineas, after- 
 wards sold for 1,100 guineas to Sir M. M. Sykes, at 
 whose sale, in 1848, it brought £170; it now passed 
 into Baron Rothschild's collection for 4,000 guineas. 
 The last of the Clewer Manor property was the 
 celebrated Greuze, a Portrait of a little girl of five 
 or six years old seated on a rush-bottomed chair, 
 holding her spaniel puppy close to her bosom, 
 and looking aside to the spectator, 24 x 20, from the 
 Watson Taylor collection, 1832 (670 guineas), 
 6,400 guineas (Lord Dudley). 
 
 The three pictures which were withdrawn from 
 the 1876 sale were sold on July 13th, 1895, after 
 Mr. Richard Fosters death. These three pro- 
 duced a total of 8,880 guineas, which, added to 
 the former amount, shows the extraordinary amount 
 of ,£43,789 for nineteen pictures. The three pic- 
 tures in question were Murillo, The Holy Family 
 with the child St. John and St. Joseph, formerly 
 in the collection of Lord Nugent, and afterwards 
 of Sir W. Eustace, from whom Mr. Foster bought 
 it, 46 x 43, 4,000 guineas ; J. Weenix, Dead hare, 
 two partridges and other birds, with gun and other 
 accessories of the chase, 51 x 41, 680 guineas; 
 and J. Ruysdael, A Sea view : the entrance to the 
 Y, man-of-war lying at anchor, with fishing smacks, 
 42 x 46, 4,200 guineas. 
 
 Following the Clewer Manor pictures, in 1876, 
 came a number from various sources, including 
 some from Mr. Dunn Gardner's collection. We 
 need only mention the following : — W. Van de 
 Velde, a Calm, with many vessels, 16 x 18, 550 
 
256 MINOR SALES, 1 876. 
 
 guineas ; from the Casimir Perier collection (at the 
 dispersal of which, in 1848, this work was pur- 
 chased by Mr. Dunn Gardner for an identical sum) ; 
 Rubens, Landscape, woman and cows, 490 guineas ; 
 H. van der Goes, The Stem of Jesse, 30 x 24, 270 
 guineas, — this extremely beautiful picture was for- 
 merly in the Belvedere collection of the late Sir 
 Culling Eardley, Bart, and it was again sold on July 
 13th, 1895, f° r tne much enhanced price of 610 
 guineas ; Greuze, three-quarter length Portrait of a 
 lady, said to be Madame Westrenen, 750 guineas 
 (Holloway) ; Murillo, the Madonna de la Faja, a 
 repetition of the celebrated picture (see p. 164) in 
 the Montpensier collection, Seville, 1,250 guineas ; 
 W. Collins, Landscape, with Chichester Cathedral 
 in the distance, 750 guineas ; and Sir J. Reynolds, 
 Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra, grey tunic over white, 
 cup in her left hand, 29 x 24, 2,350 guineas. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing sales of 1876, we 
 may briefly mention a few of the minor auctions of 
 art property held during the same year : Mr. W. 
 Kershaw's engravings, drawings and pictures, six 
 days, February. Mr. Sigismund Rucker's water- 
 colour drawings, March nth, among which were: 
 Sir F. W. Burton, An apple-girl, 15x12, 205 
 guineas ; The Virgin's Day, girl with lily, 12 x 10, 
 410 guineas ; Tyrolese boys bird trapping, 250 
 guineas ; and Faust's first sight of Marguerite, 600 
 guineas. This collection included a picture in oils 
 by J. L. Dyckmans, of Antwerp, The Lace- maker, 
 650 guineas ; and the pictures from another source 
 in the same day's sale included another by the 
 
ETCHINGS BY REMBRANDT. 
 
 257 
 
 same artist, The Startling Account, 350 guineas, 
 and also W. Collins, A Landscape, with girl on grey 
 pony and Chichester Cathedral in the distance, 
 38 x 24, 790 guineas (in the following year this 
 work was again sold for 565 guineas). Sir Abraham 
 H ume's collection of more than 200 Rembrandt etch- 
 ings realized over ,£4,290 on June 1st ; a few of the 
 more important examples were as follows : — Christ 
 Healing the Sick, best known as " The Hundred- 
 Guilder Piece," from Rembrandt's having once 
 sold it for this price (about £"8), second impression 
 on India paper, with i|- inches margin, 205 guineas ; 
 The Shell, first state, white background, £"200 — 
 " this was the well-known work, being nothing 
 more than a simple conical spotted shell of the 
 natural size, about 3 inches long, but so exquisitely 
 drawn as to be quite a marvel among etchings " ; 
 Landscape, with a ruined tower and a clear 
 foreground, second state, ^230 ; Portrait of Old 
 Haaring, third state, ^255; George Lutma, second 
 state, before the window, ^155 ; Portrait of Van 
 Tolling, from Lord Aylesford s collection, fine and 
 rare, £500 (cost Sir A. Hume £90) ; The Burgo- 
 master Six, third state, with name and age, £2^0 ; 
 and The Three Trees, a fine impression, ^120. 
 Lord Malmesbury's pictures were sold on July 
 2nd, but of these we need only mention Hobbema, 
 A Wood and Cottages, 42 x 54, 1,050 guineas, and 
 Giorgione, The Duke of Ferrara and His Mistress, 
 from the Fesch collection, 35 x 29, 350 guineas. 
 
 e 
 
 S 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1877-1882. 
 
 W. STONE ELLIS — ROBERT NAPIER, OF SHANDON — ROBERT 
 VERNON — BARON ALBERT GRANT'S KENSINGTON HOUSE 
 
 GALLERY — JOHN KNOWLES OF MANCHESTER SIR HENRY 
 
 RAEBURN — THE DUC DE FORLl'S DRESDEN PORCELAIN — 
 DR. SIBSON'S WEDGWOOD — H. A. J. MUNRO, OF NOVAR — 
 THOMAS GREENWOOD — PORCELAIN SALES — H G. BOHN — 
 J. S. VIRTUE — LORD LONSDALE — JOSEPH ARDEN — JONA- 
 THAN NIELD — W. AND J. FENTON — J. WARDELLS — W. BENONI 
 
 WHITE J. H. ANDERDON — CHARLES DICKENS F. W. 
 
 HOOPER CHARLES KURTZ — COLONEL HOLDSWORTH 
 
 CHARLES SACKVILLE BALE — E. J. COLEMAN — W. SHARP — 
 E. HERMON, M.P., OF WYFOLD COURT. 
 
 HERE was, for some years, a com- 
 parative lull in great art sales after 
 the wonderful season of 1876. Never- 
 theless several highly important 
 events occurred during the six years 
 covered by this chapter. The first of these in point 
 of date was that of the collection of drawings 
 and sketches by David Cox formed by the late 
 W. Stone Ellis, of Streatham (a pupil and intimate 
 friend of Cox), sold on Friday and Saturday, 
 March 9th and 10th, 1877. The 364 lots realized 
 £1 7,91 1 iSs. and nearly all the drawings were in 
 
THE ELLIS COX DRAWINGS. 
 
 259 
 
 the finest condition, having been preserved in 
 portfolios from the action of light. Of upwards of 
 300 drawings by David Cox, all of which varied 
 from about 10 x 12 up to the largest of all, Cader 
 Idris, 30^- x 42, were as follows : — A Bridge, 
 Warwickshire, 140 guineas, Going to the Hay- 
 field, 135 guineas; Market Carts, Lancaster, 180 
 guineas; near Ludlow, no guineas; Haddon 
 Hall garden, 185 guineas; Returning from Market, 
 Lancaster Sands, 335 guineas ; A Passing Shower, 
 1854, 131 guineas; Rhiwaedoz, Near Bala, grey 
 daylight effect, 1 95 guineas ; Mill, Staffordshire, 2 1 6 
 guineas ; and a larger drawing of the same subject, 
 200 guineas; Outskirts of Pakenham Park, 1854, 
 175 guineas ; On the Kentish Coast, 145 guineas ; 
 Boys Angling, 205 guineas ; Gipsy Camp, an early 
 work, 190 guineas ; Hayfield, watering horses, on 
 sandpaper, 15 x 20, 3 50 guineas; Off Sheerness, on 
 sugar paper, 15 x 20, 280 guineas ; A Breezy Day, 
 10 x 12, 225guineas; Plumstead Marsh, 185 guineas; 
 Haymaking, 1853, 10 x 12, 270 guineas; Children 
 Flying the Kite, 10 x 1 2, 31 5 guineas ; Lane Scene, 
 Cheshire, no guineas; Cutting Ling, 155 guineas; 
 Boy openinggate for Sheep, 1 2 5 guineas ; Ulverston 
 Sands, 160 guineas; Going to the Hayfield, man in 
 smock frock on a gray horse, and a hay-wain in the 
 distance, 14 x 18, 250 guineas ; Water Lane, Har- 
 bourne, 175 guineas; Changing Pastures, 155 
 guineas; Bettws Churchyard, 145 guineas; Stokesay 
 Castle, cloudy day, on sugar paper, iox 13, 235 
 guineas; Colwyn Bay, 1845, 145 guineas; Sandy 
 Lane, with trees and a timber waggon, 2 10 guineas ; 
 
26o 
 
 ROBERT NAPIER OF SHANDON. 
 
 Dinas Mountain, man leading horse over the rocks 
 in the river bed, i ioguineas; Meetingofthe Conway 
 and Llugwy, 16 x 28, 115 guineas ; Tooting Com- 
 mon, 1 85 1, 150 guineas; Mischief, boy driving 
 geese about, 1852, 5ioguineas; and Cader Idris, 
 1828, evening effect, with the storm clearing off 
 described in Ruskin's " Modern Painters," 365 
 guineas. There were also three oil paintings by 
 David Cox, namely, a Road Scene, effects of 
 wind and shower, 10 x 12, 310 guineas; Lane at 
 Harbourne, from the gate of the artists house, 100 
 guineas ; and Market Women crossing a heath, 
 signed and dated 1854, 350 guineas. This collec- 
 tion contained also a few unimportant drawings by 
 other artists, e.g., G. Cattermole, Visit to the 
 Armourer, 101 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, View 
 in Italy, castle on a hill, and figures, 140 guineas. 
 
 The dispersal of the extensive collection of 
 objects of art formed by Mr. Robert Napier, and 
 of which an admirable catalogue was compiled by 
 Mr. (now Sir) J. C. Robinson, and privately 
 printed at the Chiswick Press in 1865 ; it was 
 illustrated with a view of West Shandon House, 
 and with a general view of West Shandon from the 
 Garelock. Mr. Napier (who was born in 1791 and 
 who died in 1876), was President of the Institute of 
 Mechanical Engineers, a J. P. and D.L., and a 
 Chevalier of the Legion of H onour, and the son of 
 a blacksmith. In 1823 he made his first marine 
 engine, for a steamer plying between Dumbarton 
 and Glasgow ; he was one of the originators of the 
 Cunard Steamship Company. The Times of April 
 
THE NAPIER COLLECTION. 
 
 26l 
 
 9, 1877, contained the following excellent pre- 
 liminary account of Mr. Napier's accumulations : 
 
 " The Shandon collection, belonging to the 
 late Mr. Robert Napier, the great iron ship- 
 builder of Glasgow, so called from the name of 
 the mansion which he built upon the banks of 
 the Gaerlock, is now displayed at the rooms of 
 Messrs. Christie, Manson and Woods, completely 
 filling the three large galleries. This, however, is 
 only the first portion of the enormous gathering 
 of works of art of every kind which will be sold 
 from time to time during the season until the 
 middle of June. The pictures are numerous 
 enough to cover the whole of the wall space of the 
 galleries, some being of large size, and good ex- 
 amples of the sort of decorative works that form a 
 good background for objects of ornamental art, 
 in which the collection is rich. All the schools 
 seem to be pretty fully represented by names of 
 masters, though the cognoscenti will probably find 
 abundant material for discussion as to the attribu- 
 tion of many of the examples, while there are some 
 which may be accepted as true works of fair 
 average quality. The catalogue informs us in 
 several instances that the pictures have been in 
 well-known collections, such as Lord Northwick's, 
 Count Schoenbrun's, the Due de Bern's, and that 
 of Cardinal Fesch. Those which were selected 
 from the Art Treasures Exhibition at Manchester 
 in 1857 are No. 648, a triptych, by Jande Mabuse, 
 which came from the gallery of Count Palante, of 
 Lisbon ; and No. 649, Virgin and Child, with 
 
262 
 
 THE NAPIER COLLECTION. 
 
 window showing a wide landscape, which was also 
 once attributed to Mabuse, but is now more rightly 
 named as a work of Van Orley, according to Mr. 
 G. Scharf s suggestion in his Art Treasures Cata- 
 logue. There is also a masterpiece of its kind in 
 the large water-colour drawing by Mr. Louis 
 Haghe, the interior of the Audience Chamber in 
 the Hotel de Ville at Bruges, with Margaret, 
 Governess of the Netherlands, receiving the 
 burghers of the city, which was exhibited with the 
 Art Treasures of 1857. The Sevres, Dresden, and 
 Oriental porcelain included in the first and second 
 days' sale, is most of it good, and some examples 
 are of unusually fine quality. Pieces which may be 
 pointed out are the two Sevres plates belonging to 
 a famous dinner service made for the Empress 
 Catherine of Russia. These have a turquoise 
 ground with border of cameo subjects, the centre 
 painted with the cipher of the Empress in floral 
 design. These fine plates were exhibited by Mr. 
 Napier in the Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857, 
 and are believed to be the only pieces of the kind 
 out of the Imperial cabinet. Five other very 
 beautiful specimens of Sevres are similar to those 
 belonging to the Queen's splendid service at 
 Windsor Castle, which were originally acquired by 
 George IV. These will be found in the corner 
 cases of the entrance-room. There are some fine 
 Chinese and Japanese vases and bottles, some of 
 which are of the rare old " egg-shell " porcelain, 
 and a pair of large flat-shaped vases, painted with 
 hunting scenes and other subjects, with Kylins on 
 
THE NAPIER SALE. 
 
 263 
 
 the covers 27 inches high, may be noticed among 
 the best pieces. The jade and other carvings in 
 agate and crystal are remarkable for large size, 
 good quality, and excellent work in this extremely 
 hard material. The Wedgwood consists of several 
 vases, with one of the Barberini vases in black and 
 white, many medallions, and a tea and coffee-ser- 
 vice of thirty-one pieces, ornamented with classical 
 figures in relief, and borders of the acanthus and 
 olive leaf." 
 
 The following is a synopsis of the twenty days' 
 sale : 
 
 First Portion. 
 
 £ d- 
 
 April 11-20. Porcelain; French, Spanish, Italian, 
 and Dutch pictures ; silver and silver-gilt ; 
 enamels ; bronzes ; French decorative fur- 
 niture ; jade, and crystal . . 1,500 lots 34,340 9 o 
 
 Second Portion. 
 May 11-18. Miniatures; bijouterie; watches; 
 snuffboxes ; carvings in ivory and wood ; 
 gems; knives, forks, and spoons, with 
 carved handles ; oriental curiosities and 
 bronzes, etc lots 1,501 — 2,321 9,473 10 o 
 
 Third Portion. 
 June 4-7. Venetian and other glass; Limoges 
 enamel ; Hispano-Mauro, Palissy, Delia 
 Robida, Cyprus, and other ware ; metal 
 work and arms . . . lots 2,322 — 3,003 4,625 2 6 
 
 Fourth Portion. 
 Junen-12. Ancient locks, keys, metal work, 
 arms and accoutrements, and illuminated 
 missals lots 3,004— 3,451 1,304 3 o 
 
 ,£49,744 4 6 
 
264 
 
 THE NAPIER SALE. 
 
 The sale catalogue extends to 222 pages, and 
 the following list, arranged in the order of dispersal, 
 will be found to contain the more important items. 
 Porcelain : A Capo di Monte bottle, painted with 
 classical subjects, 6\ inches high, 50 guineas ; a 
 fluted bowl of old Dresden, painted with battle 
 subjects, 1 64 guineas; a pair of old Sevres square 
 white jardinieres, painted with cupids in pink, by 
 Michel, 1785, 325 guineas ; a large cup and saucer 
 of the same, green ground, painted with Cupid, 
 1758, 105 guineas ; and five pieces of Sevres similar 
 to Her Majesty's service at Windsor Castle, a tazza 
 painted with subjects from Homer and Ovid, two 
 circular dishes, and two seaux (one of the largest 
 model), brought a total of 831 guineas. 
 
 Pictures : Palma Vecchio, Adoration of the 
 Shepherds, 160 guineas ; S. Cantarini, the Saviour 
 as a child of about eight years old, standing on a 
 globe, 100 guineas; J. Van Huysum, Vase, with a 
 bouquet of flowers on a marble slab, upon which is 
 lying a group of fruit, 30 x 34, 320 guineas ; Rem- 
 brandt, Portrait of the Burgomaster Six, in black 
 dress, 24 x 20, 101 guineas, and Portrait of a lady, 
 the companion picture, 105 guineas, both from Lord 
 Northwick's collection; A. Pynacker, River scene, 
 with travellers and mules crossing a bridge, 
 peasant carrying a woman through a pool of 
 water, 20x20, 165 guineas; Ruysdael, Bleaching 
 grounds near Haarlem, a cavalier and dogs on a 
 road, 29 x 20, Smith's " Catalogue," Supplement 
 No. 16, 125 guineas; D. Teniers, A Flemish 
 Farmyard, with figures, animals, and buildings, on 
 
THE NAPIER SALE. 
 
 265 
 
 copper, 38 x 27, Smith's " Catalogue," Supplement 
 No. 8, 80 guineas ; and G. Van der Eeckhout, 
 Group of four portraits of children playing with a 
 goat, signed, and dated 1667, 140 guineas ; 
 B. C. Koekkoek, A Forest Scene, morning effect, 
 1858, 36 x 25, 530 guineas, and a woody landscape, 
 sunset effect, 600 guineas ; P. Van Schendel, 
 Market Scene in Rotterdam, woman selling 
 vegetables by candlelight, 205 guineas, and the 
 companion picture, with a poultry-seller, 200 
 guineas ; E. Verboeckhoven, Scotch sheep and 
 collie dogs, view taken from the top of Ben 
 Lomond looking down upon Loch Lomond, 365 
 guineas ; Louis Haghe, Audience chamber in the 
 Hotel de Ville at Bruges, with Margaret, Go- 
 verness of the Netherlands, receiving the burghers 
 of the city, in water colours, 1852, 66x46, 740 
 guineas ; W. Mieris, Interior of a Kitchen, with a 
 man giving a basket of fish, fowl and cabbage to a 
 cook, 1736, 16x13, 75 guineas; Interior of a 
 Grocer's Shop, the companion, 90 guineas, and 
 Interior of an Eating House, 205 guineas; G. Van 
 Aelst, Group of Fruit and a glass beaker, on a 
 slab covered with red table cloth, 1659, 32 x 26, 
 from the collection of Francois Zavier de Burtin, 
 and described at length in his well-known work, 
 210 guineas ; Paul Potter, Landscape, with cattle, 
 sheep, and a horse, man in conversation with 
 woman milking a cow, from the Willett Collection, 
 but doubtfully genuine, 300 guineas ; Ruysdael, 
 Mountainous landscape, with waterfall, cottage and 
 figures, 49 x 38, signed, brought to England about 
 
266 
 
 THE NAPIER SALE. 
 
 1745 by Colonel Knight of Tiverton, and was 
 purchased from the Knight family in 1845, 2 4° 
 guineas ; D. Teniers, The Smoker, interior of a 
 Dutch cabaret, 13x9, 118 guineas, and The Card 
 Players, group of four peasants playing cards in an 
 alehouse, and two others at a fireplace, from the 
 collection of Count Schoenbrun ; Jan de Mabuse, 
 Triptych, centre with the Adoration of the Magi, 
 and the two wings with the Virgin crowned and 
 carrying Infant Christ, and the Pentecost (see 
 p. 261), 495 guineas. 
 
 Decorative Furniture: A clock, in lyre-shaped 
 case of old bleu-du-roi Sevres and ormolu, of the 
 largest model, the pendulum surrounded by large 
 pastes, 2,000 guineas; a pair of beautiful Louis XV. 
 candelabra, formed as draped figures of nymphs 
 supporting vases, with branches for three lights, 2 
 feet high, 600 guineas; a Florentine mosaic casket of 
 ebony, with five plaques of fruit and flowers in pietra 
 dura, £95 ; an old oak hall-bench, the back richly 
 carved, Flemish work of the seventeenth century, 
 155 guineas. A Wedgwood tea and coffee-service, 
 thirty-one pieces, ^82 ijs. 6d. Old Chelsea : 
 a pair of large bell-shaped cups, painted with 
 flowers on gold ground, 4 inches high ; a tall bulb- 
 shaped bottle, pale blue, with vertical white stripes, 
 12 inches high, £ij ; a pair of flat-shaped bottles, 
 painted with amorini and richly mounted with or- 
 molu, 8f inches high, 85 guineas ; a beaker and 
 cover, of rococo design, painted with bouquets of 
 flowers on gold ground, £ioj \ an oviform vase, 
 with rococo handles, crimson and white ground, 
 
THE NAPIER SAL?:. 
 
 267 
 
 painted with peacocks and foliage on gold ground, 
 14 inches high, 130 guineas; a pair of oviform 
 vases and covers, maroon and white, upon three 
 terminal figures, 130 guineas, and a large vase 
 with perforated cover, painted with the seasons on 
 maroon and white ground, scroll work in high 
 relief, 15J inches high, ^200. Oriental Porce- 
 lain : A pair of hexagonal eggshell vases, painted 
 with landscapes and figures on pencilled gold 
 ground, 23 inches high, ^100 ; a pair of large flat- 
 shaped vases and covers, painted with landscapes, 
 hunting, and other subjects, 27 inches high, ^125. 
 Jade : A flat vase and cover, pale green, with 
 mask and ring handles, birds, deer, and foliage, in 
 high relief, £56 ; an octagonal vase and cover, 
 with similar handles, carved with ornaments in 
 high relief, £61 ; a circular incense-burner and 
 cover, ,£44, and a large pear-shaped flat bottle, 
 carved with foliage, 10J inches high, ^43. 
 Crystals : A large oval cup of rock crystal, on 
 tall stem, mounted with silver and gold, and 
 decorated with enamels, 1 7 5 guineas ; a ewer and 
 salver of engraved rock-crystal, mounted with 
 silver-gilt and enamel, ^132 ; a chronometer, in 
 silver case, by J. Harrison, 1770, being the dupli- 
 cate of one for which the inventor received a 
 reward of ,£20,000 from the Board of Longitude, 
 acquired from the granddaughter of the inventor by 
 Mr. Napier, in 1869, with all the papers and 
 drawings for its construction, 160 guineas ; a vase 
 of old Oriental celadon porcelain, formed as two 
 lotus flowers, with Louis XV. ormolu mounts, and 
 
268 
 
 THE NAPIER SALE. 
 
 lion's head and ring handles, 300 guineas. Ur- 
 bino Ware : A large Faenza-ware dish, painted 
 in the centre with the Judgment of Paris, dated 
 1527, 18 inches diameter, 94 guineas ; a lustred 
 plate by Maestro Giorgio, painted with Vulcan 
 forging arrows for Cupid, 10J inches diameter, 
 signed, and dated 1527, 40 guineas; and a ruby- 
 lustred Gubbio-ware dish by the same, painted in 
 the centre with the Infant John the Baptist, 
 12J inches diameter, £2$, and another by the 
 same, painted with the Judgment of Solomon, 
 10J inches diameter, 60 guineas. Majolica : An 
 oblong plaque, painted with the Temptation, after 
 the print by Marc Antonio, after Raffaelle, date 
 1523, 10x7^, ^106 ; a small deep Gubbio-ware 
 lustred plate by Maestro Giorgio, painted with the 
 Prodigal Son, in the style of Diirer, 8f inches 
 diameter, signed, and dated 1528, £^0 ; a Gubbio- 
 ware plate by the same, painted with Apollo and 
 Daphne, iof inches diameter, 1529, £60. Ur- 
 bino Ware : A lustred plate by Fra Xanto, 
 painted with ^Eneas bearing Anchises from Troy, 
 signed, and inscribed, dated 1532, 10J inches 
 diameter, 55 guineas ; a plaque with the Infant 
 Christ and Virgin in Glory, surrounded by angels, 
 10x8, £60 ; a large plateau, by Fra Xanto, with 
 the battle of Darius against Gobrius, dated 1536, 
 17J inches, 60 guineas; and a triangular salver, 
 with raised masks and ornaments, painted with a 
 mythological subject, 180 guineas. 
 
 Mr. Robert Vernon's collection of historical 
 portraits, removed from Harley Park, Cambridge- 
 
THE VERNON PORTRAITS. 
 
 269 
 
 shire, and sold on April 21st, 1877, possesses an 
 interest apart from the sale, inasmuch as Mr. 
 Vernon was the generous donor to the National 
 Gallery of the magnificent collection of the works 
 of modern artists which bears his name, and on 
 which he is said to have spent ^150,000. Mr. 
 Vernon, who was born in 1775, and who died in 
 1849, was a successful breeder of horses, and is 
 perhaps the only instance on record in which a 
 man of this calling has so generously patronized 
 art. The sale in 1877 contained 100 portraits and 
 about twenty miniatures, and as the whole only 
 realized the total of ,£6,575 10s. 6d. y the collection 
 was not of a very sensational character. The fol- 
 lowing were the more important: — Janet, Gaston 
 de Foix, in black cap with feathers, crimson vest 
 and green cloak, 225 guineas ; Sir Peter Lely, 
 Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II., 67 
 guineas ; Lord Grandison in crimson dress and 
 scarf, with lace collar and sleeves, 100 guineas; 
 and the Marquis of Spinola, in rich armour, 101 
 guineas ; Zucchero, Robert Dudley, Earl of Lei- 
 cester, in rich crimson dress with the order of 
 St. Esprit, 190 guineas ; Vandyck, Count Tully, 
 commander of the Imperialists at the storming 
 of Prague, in armour with the Golden Fleece, 150 
 guineas ; W. Van de Velde, a Sea Piece, with 
 men-of-war and boats, 155 guineas ; Van der Meer 
 of Delft (catalogued as by Metzu) Interior, lady 
 opening window, 385 guineas ; A. Watteau, Fete 
 Champetre, a composition of seven figures, 100 
 guineas ; M. Hondekoeter, water-fowl and other 
 
BARON GRANT'S GALLERY. 
 
 birds, in a landscape, 190 guineas; Jordaens, 
 Portrait of a Burgomaster, in black dress and ruff, 
 190 guineas, and the portrait of the Burgomaster's 
 wife, 170 guineas; Sir Edwin Landseer, Lady 
 Catherine Douglas, hawking, 355 guineas; P. 
 Nasmyth, Carisbrook Castle, signed and dated 
 1826, 530 guineas; J. P. de Loutherbourg, View 
 in Wales, with Castle on the banks of a stream, 
 125 guineas ; F. R. Lee, Mill in Devonshire, 115 
 guineas ; C. Stanfield, Mouth of the Tees, signed 
 and dated 580 guineas ; and W. Collins, the 
 Mariner's Widow, 1835, 305 guineas. 
 
 Unquestionably the great picture sale of 1877 was 
 that of the Kensington House Gallery formed by 
 Baron Albert Grant, the well-known financier, at 
 one time M.P. for Kidderminster, who purchased 
 and presented Leicester Square to the public. 
 The sale took place on April 27th and 28th. 
 There were in all 205 pictures and drawings, which 
 produced the handsome total of ,£98,477 Ss. Baron 
 Grant had in 1868 (June 20th) offered a number of 
 modern pictures for sale, but a good many of them 
 were bought in. 
 
 The more important works now sold were the 
 following : — R. Ansdell, The Wounded Ram, 
 59x42, 515 guineas; Scotch Sheep, 47 x 73, 525 
 guineas ; The Road to Seville, 31 x 100, 660 
 guineas ; The Favourite Calf, 26 x 47, 420 guineas ; 
 Outside the Cover, 59x41, 540 guineas; Goat- 
 herds, Gibraltar, 48 x 74, 720 guineas ; and a work, 
 the joint production of Ansdell and Frith, My 
 Lady's Pets, 30 x 24, 240 guineas ; T. Brooks, 
 
BARON GRANT'S GALLERY. 
 
 271 
 
 The Lifeboat, 38 x 63, 155 guineas; Pleasing 
 Reflections, 37 x 59, 273 guineas; J. Burr, A 
 Toyseller, 28 x 22, 125 guineas; Lady Butler 
 (Miss Thompson), Tito Melema, 34 x 24, 370 
 guineas ; P. H. Calderon, Young Lord Hamlet, 
 34 x 54, 330 guineas; The Virgin's Bower, 72 x 
 46, 670 guineas ; Lovers on a Garden Seat, 27 x 
 35, 270 guineas, and the Queen of the Tournament, 
 55 x 42, 610 guineas; Sir A. W. Callcott, a 
 classical Landscape, 27 x 42, 610 guineas (from the 
 Wells and Hargreaves collections, in the latter of 
 which, 1873, it realized 620 guineas) ; W. Collins, 
 Le Bon Cure, 27 x 35, 470 guineas (from the Knott 
 sale of 1 845, when it was known as The Peacemaker 
 and realized 260 guineas : it is said to have cost 
 £yoo) ; and The Venturesome Robin, 27 x 36, 800 
 guineas (the price at which it was sold in the Farn- 
 worth collection, 1874); E.W.Cooke, Dutch Pinks: 
 Scheveningen Beach, 31x48, 460 guineas, and 
 Dream of Venice, 200 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, 
 November, 47x72, 1873, 650 guineas; Children 
 of the Mist, 47 x 78, 5 10 guineas (cost 750 guineas), 
 and Guardian of the Herd, 47 x 71, 620 guineas ; 
 David Cox, Haddon Hall : Rook Shooting, from 
 the Dawes collection, i7f x 1 if , 380 guineas ; T. 
 Creswick, First Glimpse of Sea, windmill by the 
 shore, the sheep by Ansdell, and figures by Phillip, 
 exhibited in 1852, from the Manley Hall collec- 
 tion, 36 x 59, 1,050 guineas, — in 1883, when 
 again sold, this picture realized 1,250 guineas, 
 the purchaser being Mr. Martin Holloway ; 
 and St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall, 44 x 71, 
 
272 
 
 BARON GRANT'S GALLERY. 
 
 with figures by Ansdell, from the same collec- 
 tion (2,000 guineas), 1,350 guineas ; H. W. B. 
 Davis, a Brittany Lane, 59 x 47, 540 guineas ; 
 W. C. T. Dobson, The Nativity, 32 x 48, 250 
 guineas ; Tobias and Raphael, and angel journey- 
 ing to Media, 38 x 40, 250 guineas ; Abraham and 
 Hagar, from Manley Hall, 41 x 34, 350 guineas, 
 and Flower Girl, Dresden, 24 x 20, 410 guineas ; 
 W. Dyce, George Herbert at Bemerton, 34x44, 
 1,040 guineas — this was purchased in 1861 by Sam 
 Mendel for 7 10 guineas ; and The Garden of Geth- 
 semane, from the Farnworth sale, 370 guineas ; A. 
 Elmore, Life in Algiers, 35 x 27, 510 guineas, and 
 Charles V. at the Convent of Yuste,from the Mendel 
 collection, 65 x 47, 1,200 guineas; William Etty, 
 Pluto carrying off Prosperine, 50 x 78, 710 guineas 
 (Gillott sale, 1,000 guineas) ; W. P. Frith, "I Know 
 a Maiden Fair to See," 30 x 25, 250 guineas ; The 
 Miniature, 47 x 39, 360 guineas ; Sterne's Maria, 
 from Manley Hall, 44 x 30, 500 guineas; Hope and 
 Fear, a companion pair, 32 x 29, 610 guineas ; The 
 Crossing Sweeper, 1 7 x 13, 300 guineas; My Lady's 
 Pets, the animals by Ansdell, 240 guineas (cost 700 
 guineas), and Before Dinner at Boswell's Lodgings 
 in Bond Street, 38 x 59, 3,050 guineas, — at the 
 Manley Hall sale three years previously this picture, 
 for which the artist received ,£1,200, sold for 4,350 
 guineas ; W. E. Frost, The Sea Cave, 16 x 18, 220 
 guineas; Sir John Gilbert, Charles I. leaving West- 
 minster Hall after the sentence ofdeath,47 x 72,640 
 guineas ; F. Goodall, Head of the House at Prayer, 
 34 x 95, 1,150 guineas, and Hunt the Slipper, 530 
 
BARON GRANT'S GALLERY. 
 
 273 
 
 guineas ; Peter Graham, On the Sutherland Coast, 
 12x17, 210 guineas; A Rainy Day, horses and 
 boy at an Inn door in a Scotch mist, 47 x 72, 760 
 guineas ; and a Highland Croft, landscape and 
 cattle, 47 x 72, 610 guineas (cost Mr. Grant 1,100 
 guineas) ; Keeley Halswelle, Lo Sposalizio, 62 x 98, 
 800 guineas ; F. D. Hardy, A Wedding Breakfast, 
 
 34 x 38, 760 guineas, and A Quartette Party, 
 29 x 40, 760 guineas; J. R. Herbert, The Holy 
 Family, 40 x 62, 450 guineas ; J. E. Hodgson, 
 Army Organization, Morocco — The Awkward 
 Squad, 32 x 59, 380 guineas; J. C. Hook, Are 
 Chimney Sweeps always Black? 28 x 43, 1,120 
 guineas ; A Dream of Venice, 18 x 11, 200 guineas, 
 and Sea Earnings, 30x55, 1,060 guineas; J. C. 
 Horsley, Stolen Glances, 39x31, 400 guineas; 
 W. Holman Hunt, The Saviour in the Temple, 
 17 x 27, study for the large picture, 1,350 guineas ; 
 Sir E. Landseer, Portrait of Sir Walter Scott, 
 32JX19I-, 510 guineas — this portrait, for which 
 Mr. Grant paid 160 guineas, was one of two 
 purchased by him at the artist's sale in 1874, the 
 second portrait Mr. Grant presented to the 
 National Portrait Gallery ; A Highland Lassie, 
 
 35 x 27, 590 guineas ; The Otter Hunt, engraved 
 by C. G. Lewis, 76 x 60, 5,650 guineas — Mr. Grant 
 is said to have given ,£10,000 for this celebrated 
 masterpiece, which was painted for Lord Aber- 
 deen; and The Lady's Horse (Prosperity, 27 x 35), 
 and the Cabman's Horse (Adversity), 1,410 guineas, 
 and 1,430 guineas respectively. B. W. Leader, A 
 Bright Night: Goring-on-Thames, 1873, 3^ x 5°i 
 
 1. T 
 
274 
 
 BARON GRANTS GALLERY. 
 
 420 guineas, and English Cottage Houses, 35 x 53, 
 430 guineas ; Sir F. Leighton,Lady and Pomegran- 
 ate, 34 x 25, 765 guineas ; C. R. Leslie, Hermione, 
 30 x 19, 350 guineas; and Falstaff Personating 
 the King, 46 x 54, 1,450 guineas; J. Linnell, 
 Collecting the Flock, 28 x 39, 550 guineas ; Milk- 
 ing Time, 35 x 55, 1866, 1,330 guineas (Eden 
 sale, 1874, 1,105 guineas); Grand Welsh Land- 
 scape, 1863, 38 x 53, 1,450 guineas, from the Man- 
 ley Hall collection, said to have cost Mr. Grant 
 ^2,000 ; and Balaam and the Angel, 19 x 27, 450 
 guineas — at the Farn worth sale in 1874 this fetched 
 500 guineas ; J. T. Linnell, Opening the Gate, 
 29 x 45, 630 guineas ; E. Long, Madrid, or Liberty 
 of Creed, priests discussing with the people in the 
 streets, 55 x 84, 600 guineas ; D. Maclise, Oberon 
 and Titania, 50x40, 350 guineas; H. S. Marks, 
 The Adjutant, stork with black wings, 53 x 26, 190 
 guineas ; The Sentinel, stork with red wings and 
 legs, same size, 230 guineas ; St. Francis preaching 
 to the Birds, 58x48, i,ico guineas — for this Mr. 
 Grant paid 1,500 guineas ; and Doctors Differ, 
 36 x 28, 230 guineas; Sir J. E. Millais, Winter 
 Fuel, 76 x 57, 1,700 guineas; Scotch Firs, 73 x 55, 
 1,750 guineas ; Knight Errant and Lady, 72 x 53, 
 1,450 guineas; and Victory O Lord! Exodus 
 xvii. 10-12, Royal Academy, 1871, 75 x 54, 1,950 
 guineas ; W. J. Muller, The Opium Dealer, 
 34 x 26, 470 guineas ; and, Entering the Temple 
 of Osiris at Philae, 29 x 52, 2,200 guineas (Cope 
 sale, 1872, 1,910 guineas); H. O'Neil, Last 
 Moments of Raffaelle, from the Manley Hall sale. 
 
BARON GRANT'S GALLERY. 
 
 275 
 
 1,010 guineas ; Sir J. Noel Paton, The " Bluidie 
 Tryste," 28 x 26, 470 guineas ; J. Phillip, Spanish 
 Flower Seller, 34 x 27, 1,800 guineas ; La Lotteria 
 Nacional, 51 x 65, 3,000 guineas (both from the 
 Manley Hall Gallery), and Scotch Baptism, 1,500 
 guineas; P. F. Poole, Mother and Child, 12 x 8, 
 290 guineas ; D. Roberts, View of Jerusalem, 
 47 x 84, 315 guineas ; James Sant, Girl holding a 
 peach in each hand, in front of a peach tree, the 
 celebrated picture, 45 x 33, 500 guineas; C. Stan- 
 field, Lago di Garda, 27x42, 1,455 guineas (at 
 the Bicknell sale, 1863, this sold for 820 guineas, 
 and is said to have cost Mr. Grant 2,000 guineas); 
 The Morning of the Wreck, the engraved picture 
 painted for E. Bicknell, 2,550 guineas (this picture 
 sold for 2,800 guineas in 1872) ; Battle of Rove- 
 redo, 71 x 108, from Manley Hall, 2,400 guineas 
 (see also p. 324) ; and Eddystone Lighthouse, 
 71 x 108, 750 guineas (at the Dickens sale in 1870 
 this realized 990 guineas) ; H. Wallis, Death of 
 Chatterton, 7 x 10, study for the large picture, 150 
 guineas (Mendel sale, 1875, 260 guineas) ; E. M. 
 Ward, Charles II. and Lady Russell, 50 x 59, 
 800 guineas ; The Last Sleep of Argyle, 57 x 65, 
 900 guineas ; The Last Scene of Montrose, 56 x 64, 
 800 guineas — these two are from the Manley Hall 
 collection, and are the pictures from which the 
 well-known engravings were executed ; and Jose- 
 phine Signing the act of her Divorce, 51 x 64, 950 
 guineas ; Sir David Wilkie, The Penny Wedding, 
 23 x 24 — "a false imitation," according to Mr. 
 Redford — 342 guineas (from the Gillott sale) ; and 
 
276 JOHN KNOWLES OF MANCHESTER. 
 
 Napoleon and the Pope: Pius VII. signing the 
 Concordat which secured the religious liberties of 
 France, 98 x 78, 1,800 guineas — the well-known 
 picture painted for the late James Marshall, of 
 Leeds, subsequently in the Manley Hall collection, 
 from which it was purchased privately ; Wilkie 
 received 500 guineas for it. 
 
 The few drawings to which special reference 
 may be made are as follows : G. Cattermole, The 
 Baron's Hall, 25 x 34, 285 guineas (at the Heugh 
 sale, in 1 874, it sold for 420 guineas) ; Louis Haghe, 
 Interior of Milan Cathedral, 26 x 28, 205 guineas ; 
 James Holland, Rotterdam, 105 guineas ; W. 
 Hunt, Grace before Meat, 370 guineas; and 
 Summer Flowers and Fruit, 380 guineas (cost Mr. 
 Grant 500 guineas). 
 
 The third art-sale event of 1877 was the dis- 
 persal of the water-colour drawings collected by 
 Mr. John Knowles, of Manchester. The sale 
 took place on May 19th, and the 100 lots 
 realized the total (excluding articles bought in) of 
 ;£ 1 3,9 1 6 19^. 6d. A large number of the drawings 
 were bought in, and were again offered in 1880, 
 with the results we have indicated in parentheses. 
 The more important of these were the following : 
 G. Barrett, Sunset, 12 x 20, 175 guineas ; S. Bough, 
 Sands at Whitchurch, sunrise, 20 x 26, 142 guineas; 
 Sir F. W. Burton, The Young Scholar, 16 x 12, 
 330 guineas (this was bought in and offered again 
 in 1 880, when it fetched only 1 20 guineas) ; and The 
 Turret Stair, 37 x 24, 635 guineas ; G. Cattermole, 
 Salvator sketching the banditti amongst ruins of 
 
JOHN KNOWLES OF MANCHESTER. 277 
 
 an ancient temple, 21 x 30, 405 guineas ; T. S. 
 Cooper, Canterbury Meadows, 20 x 28, 215 guineas; 
 and Sheep, 13x17, 140 guineas; David Cox, 
 Windsor Castle, 10 x 14, 155 guineas ; The River 
 Conway, 9x13, 140 guineas; Stacking Hay, 
 9x13, 265 guineas ; The Junction of the Llugwy 
 and Conway, 29 x 40, 790 guineas ; Bolsover 
 Castle, 18 x 24, 410 guineas; and Shepherds 
 gathering Flocks, 21 x 20, 375 guineas — the last 
 two works were bought in, and when sold in 1880 
 respectively fetched 160 guineas and 170 guineas ; 
 P. de Wint, Lowther Castle, sheep and figures, 
 27x41, 625 guineas; E. Duncan, Shrimp boats, 
 Gravesend, with rainbow, 30x22, 325 guineas; 
 Copley Fielding, Loch Lomond, 14x19, 255 
 guineas ; Vessels in a Breeze, 14 x 19, 300 guineas ; 
 Landscape with cattle and figures, 22 x 30, 380 
 guineas ; and The Clyde and Arran, 17 x 30, 620 
 guineas ; Birket Foster, Oxford from the Thames, 
 13x28, 380 guineas ; Landscape in Surrey, 12x29, 
 325 guineas; and The Chair Mender, 16x24, 
 310 guineas — the last two were bought in, and 
 again offered in 1880 when they respectively 
 fetched 235 guineas and 180 guineas; Sir John 
 Gilbert, Jean d'Arc, and the Bodies of Talbot and 
 his son, 19 x 26, 259 guineas ; Scene from " Henry 
 the Fifth," 10 x 16, 110 guineas; and Rubens in 
 his Studio, 29 x 24, 400 guineas — the two latter 
 were bought in and sold in 1880 for 95 guineas 
 and 285 guineas respectively ; F. Goodall, Palm 
 Offering, 27x19, 525 guineas ; and Raising the 
 Maypole, 11x18, 320 guineas — bought in and 
 
278 JOHN KNOWLES OF MANCHESTER. 
 
 sold in 1880 for 180 guineas ; Louis Haghe, 
 Transept of the Cathedral at Tournay, 29x22, 
 240 guineas ; J. D. Harding, Marseilles, 22 x 35, 
 265 guineas ; J. R. Herbert, The Bedouin's 
 Home, 13x22, 145 guineas; W. Hunt, Flower 
 Girl, 14x10, 1 10 guineas; Quinces, plums, and 
 blackberries, 9x11, 330 guineas; and Flowers 
 and plums, 8x12, 200 guineas ; Sir E. Landseer, 
 Arrest of the False Herald, the engraved vignette 
 to " Quentin Durward," 8x7, 190 guineas ; J. F. 
 Lewis, Greeting in the Desert, 14 x 19, 330 
 guineas; Curiosity Shop, Venice, 19x25, 325 
 guineas ; and the Giralda, Seville, 33 x 26, 505 
 guineas — the last two were bought in and sold in 
 1880 for 105 guineas and 1 1 5 guineas respectively ; 
 John Linnell, Boy herding Sheep, 9x12, 155 
 guineas; and Windsor Forest, 10 x 15, 250 
 guineas ; Sir J. E. Millais, The Vale of Rest, 
 5x8, 102 guineas (at the Heugh sale in 1878 this 
 sold for 200 guineas) ; W. J. Miiller, The Acro- 
 polis, Athens, 12x19, 420 guineas (1880, 160 
 guineas) ; S. Prout, Wreck on the Betsy Cains, 
 25x38, 112 guineas; and Nuremberg, 25x19, 
 470 guineas( 1880, 250 guineas) ; T. M. Richardson, 
 Road to Tivoli, 26 x 40, 195 guineas; D. Roberts, 
 St. Bavon, 12x8, 101 guineas; and St. Pierre, 
 Caen, 17x13, 230 guineas; C. Stanfleld, Lago 
 Maggiore, 9x13, 190 guineas ; Portsmouth, 8x12, 
 the engraved work, 192 guineas ; and Off Fort 
 Rouge, 13x19, 370 guineas; F. Tayler, Fern 
 Gatherers, 16 x 22, 260 guineas ; F. W. Topham, 
 Spanish Gipsies, 16 x 19, 205 guineas; and The 
 
JOHN KNOVVLES OF MANCHESTER. 279 
 
 Gipsy Toilet, 30x20, 475 guineas; J. M. W. 
 Turner, Lake Nemi, 16x22, 270 guineas (from the 
 Heugh sale, 1874, 250 guineas) ; Leeds, 1 2 x 17, 320 
 guineas (1880, 325 guineas) ; Wharfdale, 11 x 16, 
 from the collection of C. Stanfield, 370 guineas 
 (i88o,90guineas); Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, 7 x 10, 
 also from the same collection, in the " England and 
 Wales" series, 380 guineas ; Welsh Coast, near 
 Flint Castle, 9 x 13, engraved, 420 guineas 
 (1880, 295 guineas) ; Orfordness, 11 x 16, engraved 
 in the same series, 375 guineas ( 1 880, 355 guineas) ; 
 Richmond Hill, 12 x 19, unfinished, 315 guineas; 
 The First Steamer on the Thames, with view of 
 the Tower of London, 12 x 17, 766 guineas; and 
 Nottingham, with the double rainbow, also en- 
 graved in the above-mentioned series, 12x18, 
 1,100 guineas ; F. Walker, The Fish-shop, 8x12, 
 215 guineas (bought in at the Knowles' sale in 
 1865 for 220 guineas). In addition to the fore- 
 going works of English artists, there were two 
 drawings by Rosa Bonheur, Driving Cattle, 
 15 x 25, 1 80 guineas, and The Forest of Fontaine- 
 bleau, 14 x 25, 360 guineas. 
 
 Two other important picture sales occurred in 
 June of this year, the earlier of which, the Novar 
 collection of drawings and vignettes by Turner, 
 will be found grouped with the Munro sale of 
 1878 ; whilst that of the following week, June 9th, 
 comprised pictures from a number of sources. 
 The most interesting item in this day's sale, 
 Landseer's portrait of Sir Walter Scott, painted 
 for the late W. Wells of Redleaf, has already been 
 
280 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES. 
 
 alluded to (see p. 158). The sale included the 
 following pictures : R. Ansdell, Lost, and Found, 
 a pair, 200 guineas ; and The Goatherd, with 
 a view of Gibraltar, 350 guineas — on March 12th, 
 1 88 1, the former sold for 205 guineas, and the 
 latter for 310 guineas; L. Alma Tadema, A 
 Flemish Interior, thirteenth century, an early work 
 of the artist, 200 guineas ; Colin Hunter, With 
 Stream and Tide, 260 guineas ; Peter Graham, A 
 Misty Morning in the Highlands, 350 guineas ; and 
 Homewards, 320 guineas; I. Israels, Waiting, 
 fisherman's wife looking anxiously towards a win- 
 dow, 330 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, Goatherd on 
 Nivel Siabad, North Wales, 460 guineas ; W. 
 Collins, Landscape and figures, with grey pony, 
 and Chichester Cathedral in the distance, 1821, 
 565 guineas (bought in, in 1876, for 750 guineas) ; 
 Edouard Frere, Washing Day, 1870, 245 guineas ; 
 H. Merle, Hagar and Ishmael, 615 guineas; T. 
 Webster, Summer, a hayfield with figures, 400 
 guineas ; and Winter, the companion, 305 guineas ; 
 W. P. Frith, La Marchande des Fleurs, Boulogne, 
 375 guineas ; Sir J. E. Millais, James I. of Scot- 
 land, with lady in deep blue dress caressing a 
 hand held over a wall, 1859, 600 guineas; C. 
 Stanfield, Tintagel Castle, 870 guineas ; W. Miiller, 
 Prayer in the Desert, 1843, a lunette-shaped 
 picture, 530 guineas; G. Morland, The Horse 
 Fair, 345 guineas; and The Fruit of Early In- 
 dustry and Economy, a family portrait-piece en- 
 graved by W. Ward, 555 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, 
 Danish craft on the Elbe, low water, 700 guineas ; 
 
SIR HENRY RAEBURNS SALE. 
 
 28l 
 
 Rosa Bonheur, Deer in the Forest of Fontaine- 
 bleau, 26 x 18, 850 guineas ; W. Van de Velde, A 
 Fresh Breeze, 455 guineas (at the Lucy sale in 
 1875 this sold for 650 guineas) ; and A Calm, with 
 boatmen, a jetty and ships, 18x22, 1,500 guineas ; 
 J. Van der Heyden, View in a Dutch town, with 
 figures, 16x22, 280 guineas. The water-colour 
 drawings in this sale included D. Cox, Lancaster 
 Sands, 245 guineas ; and Tivoli, 345 guineas (from 
 the Allnutt sale, 1867, 150 guineas); Copley 
 Fielding, Off the Scotch Coast, 290 guineas ; W. 
 Hunt, Roses and Birds' Nests, 240 guineas; and 
 J. M. W. Turner, Sidmouth, 175 guineas. 
 
 A brief mention may be made here of the sale, 
 on May 7th, of the portraits and sketches of the 
 late Sir Henry Raeburn, 49 lots realizing the 
 total of £"4,707 12s. id., and included Portrait of 
 Sir W. Scott, 310 guineas; a Portrait of the 
 Artist, 510 guineas ; Lady Raeburn, 950 guineas ; 
 Mrs. Hamilton, 225 guineas ; Portrait of the artist's 
 son on a grey pony, 410 guineas ; Boy with cherries, 
 240 guineas ; and Study of a Child, 285 guineas. 
 
 A sale under similar circumstances of the sketches 
 and pictures of the late J. F. Lewis took place on 
 May 4th, 5th and 7th, when 530 lots brought a 
 total of ,£3,372, and included the following draw- 
 ings : — Hosh of the artist's house, Cairo, 310 
 guineas ; and The Gorieh, 300 guineas. 
 
 Several important collections of porcelain came 
 under the hammer during this year, notably the 
 Dresden china of the Due de Forli, which brought, 
 on March 1st, a total of £4,221 14.S. for 134 lots, 
 
282 
 
 PORCELAIN SALES. 
 
 among which were : a lady in a hooped petticoat 
 with two pet dogs, ^215 ; a pair of bulls attacked 
 by dogs, 6\ in. high, ^195 ; a pair of busts of 
 Count Bruhl's children, richly coloured, with 
 daisies, 70 guineas ; a pair of Louis XV. candle- 
 sticks of scroll design, richly gilt, £\oo \ a fine 
 coffee-pot and cover, painted with river scene and 
 figures, 100 guineas ; an oval verriere, with handles 
 formed as eagle's head, festoons of flowers in high 
 relief in colours, ^135 ; and a beautiful ecuelle, 
 cover and stand, with dolphin handles, May-flower 
 ground, painted with medallions of watteau figures 
 on each side, the arms of the Dauphin of France 
 in relief in each side of the lid, ^305. 
 
 The collection of Wedgwood ware, formed by the 
 late Francis Sibson, M.D., F.R.S., the physician of 
 Brook Street, was one of the most complete of its 
 kind ever brought together. The two days' sale of 
 319 lots, March 7th and 8th, realized ,£7,473 18^. 6d. 
 We can only mention a few of the higher priced 
 articles : — A vase, blue jasper, with Hercules 
 in the garden of the Hesperides, by Flaxman, 
 from an Etruscan vase, 14 in. high, 115 guineas; 
 another with cupids by Lady Diana Beauclerk, 
 96 guineas ; the companion vase with the Infant 
 Academy of Reynolds, £ioo\ a secretaire of satin 
 wood, with plaques of the Marlborough gems, and 
 two upright plaques of Sappho and Flora, 180 
 guineas ; a small table of Coromandel wood, inlaid 
 with Wedgwood plaque and eight small oval 
 medallions, ^150; a pair of oviform vases, blue 
 jasper, with Flaxman's l< Blind Man's Buff," and 
 
MUNRO OF NOVAR. 
 
 283 
 
 Venus in her car with cupids, 11 in. high, no 
 guineas; and a magnificent vase in black jasper, 
 with serpent handles and Medusa heads, bands of 
 Greek ornament in white, the body having a relief 
 of the Apotheosis of Homer, with palm trees 
 on reverse side, 25 inches high, 700 guineas. 
 Another portion of the Bohn porcelain came under 
 the hammer in March of this year. 
 
 The great art sale of 1878 was that of the 
 famous Novar collection, formed by the late H. 
 A. J. Munro, the intimate friend and executor of 
 Turner, of Novar, Scotland. Mr. Munro was a 
 son of Sir Alexander Munro, was born in the last 
 three or four years of the last century, and died in 
 1865, when Novar passed into the female line, now 
 represented by the Munro-Fergusons of Raith, 
 Kircaldy, Fifeshire. Mr. Munro Ferguson, M.P., 
 writes : u He spent the greater part of his life in 
 collecting pictures, most of which were kept in 
 his house, now removed, which formed the ml de 
 sac that was opened up to make Hamilton Place, 
 about twenty years ago. He had a contract with 
 Turner at the rate of ^500 for his larger pictures, 
 of which he possessed sixteen, besides a large 
 number of drawings. Turner used to be a good 
 deal at Novar, and also Landseer and other artists. 
 
 "While most of Novar came to Colonel Fer- 
 guson as heir in tail, the pictures went to Mr. H. 
 Munro Butler Johnston, his nephew, by whom they 
 were sold." 
 
 The dispersal took place on Saturday, April 
 6th 
 
284 THE MUNRO TURNER DRAWINGS. 
 
 But before dealing with this sale it is necessary 
 to notice that of the Turner drawings and vig- 
 nettes, which was held on June 2nd, 1877, when 
 fifty-five lots brought ^24,486 11s. Of the 
 twenty-four vignettes engraved for the 1834 
 edition of Scott's poetical works we may 
 mention Smallholme Tower, 205 guineas ; 
 Johnnie Armstrong's Tower, 380 guineas; Her- 
 mitage Castle, 160 guineas; Caerlavroch Castle, 
 200 guineas ; Fingal's Cave, 1 10 guineas ; 
 and Mayborough, King Arthur's Round Table, 
 100 guineas. The drawings and vignettes en- 
 graved for Scott's prose works, published in 1834, 
 included Dryden's Tomb in Westminster Abbey, 
 46 guineas ; Dumbarton, one of the smallest, 3 x 2J, 
 285 guineas; Brussels, 180 guineas; Norham 
 Castle, 385 guineas; New Abbey near Dumfries, 
 180 guineas; Vincennes, 140 guineas; Mal- 
 maison's vignette, 126 guineas ; Dunfermline, with 
 rainbow and water-wheel in the foreground, 385 
 guineas ; Craigmillar Castle, ^204 ; Killiecrankie, 
 200 guineas ; Rouen, 250 guineas ; Abbeville, 265 
 guineas ; Winchelsea, with soldiers and baggage- 
 waggon, 5x8, 620 guineas ; Corinth from the 
 Acropolis, 305 guineas, and the Temple of Minerva, 
 Cape Colonna, 120 guineas, both engraved by 
 Finden for Byron's poems ; Havre, engraved in 
 " The Rivers of France," £121 ; the Trial of the 
 Ring, 95 guineas ; The Chaplet, £66 ; and The 
 Garden, 140 guineas — these three vignettes en- 
 graved for Moore's " Epicurean." The engrav- 
 ings to Milton's poetical works included the Ex- 
 
THE MUNRO TURNER DRAWINGS. 285 
 
 pulsion from Paradise, 134 guineas ; Mustering of 
 the Warrior Angels, 100 guineas; Fall of the 
 Rebel Angels, 140 guineas; the Temptation on 
 the Mountain, 80 guineas ; Temptation on the 
 Pinnacle of the Temple, 105 guineas; St. Michael's 
 Mount, scene of the shipwreck of Lycidas, 185 
 guineas ; Ludlow Castle, with fairy figures from 
 " Comus," 220 guineas. The larger drawings in- 
 cluded Rhigi, effect of sunrise, 12 x 18, 630 guineas; 
 Lucerne, moonlight effect, 1 i|- x 18 J, 850 guineas ; 
 Nantes, with figures on the quay and bridge, 
 1 if x 17J, 780 guineas; St. Germain-en-Laye, 
 
 I if x 13, 350 guineas; Marly, with trees and 
 figures, 1 ij x 1 6f, 400 guineas ; Northampton Elec- 
 tion, with figures, iijx 17 J, 210 guineas; Bridge 
 at Narni, engraved in Hakewill's " Picturesque 
 Tour in Italy," 1820, signed by the artist, 5 J x 
 %h 59° g umeas - The " England and W ales" series 
 included Criccieth Castle, 1 ij x i6f, 620 guineas ; 
 Kenilworth, n^x\j\, 1,205 guineas; Kidwelly 
 Castle, n^-x i7f, 610 guineas; Lancaster Sands, 
 njx 16, 840 guineas ; Leicester Abbey, 11 x 18, 
 620 guineas; Bedford, I3fxi9^-, 480 guineas; 
 Carnarvon Castle, with girls bathing from a boat, 
 
 II x 1 6 J, 760 guineas; Chatham, from Fort Pitt, 
 njxi8, 450 guineas; Christ Church, Oxford, 
 1 if x 16J, 405 guineas ; Coventry, sunlight effect 
 on three churches, a storm, 11^ x 17J, 1,030 
 guineas; Louth Horse Fair, 1 ij x 1 6 J, 4 10 guineas ; 
 Richmond Terrace, with view of river and figures, 
 11JX17J, 410 guineas; Valle Crucis Abbey, 
 ii^-x 16^, 875 guineas ; and Whitehaven, sunlight 
 
286 
 
 THE MUNRO TURNERS. 
 
 effect on hills and stormy sea, i2^x8-|, 740 
 guineas. There were also the Lighthouse, Lowes- 
 toft, 105 guineas; and Orford Haven, 180 guineas. 
 
 The greater of the two Novar sales took place 
 on April 6th, 1878, when 104 lots fetched 
 ,£73,518 js. 6d. We take the liberty of quoting 
 the preliminary notice of the sale which appeared 
 in The Times of April 4th : " The fine pictures by 
 Turner belonging to the late Mr. Munro, who was 
 his intimate friend and executor, forming what has 
 long been known as the Munro collection, but 
 which has lately taken the name of ( Novar ' — 
 that of Mr. Munro's place in Scotland — are now 
 exhibited at the rooms of Messrs. Christie, Man- 
 son and Woods, previous to the sale on Saturday. 
 The collection has always been at the house in 
 Hamilton Place, Piccadilly, but when that was 
 pulled down in making the new road they were 
 removed to the Pantechnicon, where they remained 
 for some years until the present time. As now 
 exhibited, this extremely interesting collection, 
 however, is not quite what it was during Mr. 
 Munro's lifetime. Two of the most beautiful pic- 
 tures were sold in i860, 1 the Ostend, and the 
 Approach to Venice ; and the Modern Italy was 
 
 1 The sale on March 24th, i860, included three pictures by 
 Turner : The Grand Canal, Venice, 2,400 guineas, which at 
 the Mendel sale in 1875 realized 7,000 guineas, the purchaser 
 being Mr. Agnew, who afterwards sold it to Lord Dudley at an 
 advance of ten per cent. ; Ostend, stormy sea, 1,650 guineas, 
 and Neapolitan Bathers Surprised, moonlight effect, 215 guineas. 
 'The sale also included R. Wilson's Rome from the Villa Ma- 
 donna, 370 guineas, and Niobe, 155 guineas. 
 
THE MUNRO TURNERS. 
 
 287 
 
 parted with in 1867,' but was soon afterwards, in 
 the following year, bought back again by Mr. 
 Butler Johnston, and now appears among its 
 fellows. It is remarkable of these sales that such 
 high prices were realized that Mr. Munro actually 
 gained more by the Ostend and the Venice — 
 which sold, the first for ,£1,732 10s. y and the latter 
 for £"2,520 — than he paid Turner for all his pictures 
 and water-colour drawings. But, strange to say, 
 in repurchasing the Modern Italy from Mr. Fal- 
 lows' sale, a profit of more than ,£500 was paid, 
 the picture having been sold in the Munro sale for 
 £"3,465, and bringing only ,£2,961 afterwards in 
 the Fallows sale. The Venice, it will be remem- 
 bered, was sold at the sale of Mr. Mendel's collec- 
 tion, in 1875, for £7,350, and passed into the 
 gallery of Lord Dudley. The greatest interest 
 
 1 In 1867, May nth and 1 6th, the Turners included: Scene 
 on the River Maas, with females bathing, 1,270 guineas; Cicero 
 at his Villa at Tusculum, 1,470 guineas (Lord Powerscourt) — 
 this picture was again put up for sale in 1881, but was bought 
 in at r, 800 guineas ; Loch Katrine, 555 guineas ; Modern Italy, 
 3,300 guineas, which, at the 1878 sale, passed into the posses- 
 sion of the late David Price, and was again sold after his death 
 in 1892 for 5,200 guineas, and The Wreck Buoy, 1,500 guineas. 
 This sale of 1867 also included a Gainsborough, Portrait of a 
 lady in a pink dress, 555 guineas; three works by Hogarth, of 
 which only one was sold, the Portrait of Miss Rae, Lord 
 Sandwich's mistress, 525 guineas (which at the Addington sale 
 in 1 88 5 sold for only 66 guineas); three Portraits by G. 
 Romney, Fanny Reynolds (Sir Joshua's sister) in straw hat and 
 pink ribbons, 135 guineas ; a Lady in ablack dress lined with pink, 
 T45 guineas, and Miss Liddell (Duchess of Grafton) in a black 
 dress, 225 guineas (the three bought by Lord Normanton). 
 
288 
 
 THE MUNRO TURNERS. 
 
 and curiosity is felt as to the prices which will be 
 given for the pictures now about to be sold, as 
 they are considered to be quite worthy compeers 
 of the splendid Venice and the Ostend. Since the 
 memorable Bicknell sale, in 1863, there has been 
 no such display of Turner pictures at this famous 
 picture gallery. . . . Here there are nine [pic- 
 tures] with more than thirty water-colour drawings, 
 many of which are large and important examples, 
 and serve, such as the Zurich, the Knaresborough, 
 and the Lowestoft, as beautiful and characteristic 
 examples of the master as any of his acknowledged 
 masterpieces, and all fresh and brilliant from 
 having been kept so carefully from the light in 
 portfolios, as were those which, with the numerous 
 exquisite vignettes, were sold last year. Of the 
 pictures, the Ancient Italy, with its subject, sug- 
 gested by Turner's own peculiar feelings, of 
 ' Ovid banished from Rome,' and the Modern 
 Italy, are known from the engravings ; and so is 
 the St. Mark's Piazza, with the moonlight mas- 
 querade, and Juliet with her Nurse on the Balcony. 
 The Kilgarran Castle is tolerably well-known from 
 his having painted it frequently, but perhaps never 
 with more grandeur and imposing solemnity than 
 in this. The two views of Rome are of his finest 
 middle time, when, as Mr. Ruskin has so elo- 
 quently said, ' He saw there were more clouds in 
 any sky than ever had been painted, more trees in 
 every forest, more crags on every hill-side, and he 
 set himself with all his strength to proclaim this 
 great fact of quantity in the universe.' In these 
 
THE MUNRO TURNERS. 
 
 289 
 
 the subject is infinite, and the beauty is inex- 
 haustible. Nothing could be more lovely and 
 abounding in the charm of poetic treatment than 
 the Campo Vaccino, with the departing glory of 
 the sunlight striking over the classic ruins fading 
 before the silvery light of the moon. The view of 
 Rome, showing the vast city spread out from the 
 foot of the Aventine, with the umbrella pine high 
 in the foreground, is amazing in the grasp and 
 power with which the scene in all its intricate detail 
 and vast space is brought before the spectator. 
 The Avalanche is one of his most tremendous 
 efforts, and altogether a most striking and impres- 
 sive picture. The Van Tromp's Shallop is one of 
 the four Van Tromps he painted, described in the 
 sale catalogue as painted in 1 83 1 ; but, if this is 
 correct, the picture is that in the Academy cata- 
 logue of that year, called Van Tromp's Barge at 
 the entrance of the Texel, otherwise it would be 
 the one exhibited in the next year, and called Van 
 Tromp's Shallop at the entrance of the Scheldt. 
 A picture of great interest, as an early work of his 
 youth almost, is the Venus and Adonis, an upright 
 landscape with amorini hovering in the trees, and 
 four hounds held in the leash by Adonis, painted 
 in 1806, but not exhibited till 1849, quite in emu- 
 lation of Titian. The pictures by Bonington of 
 the celebrated Kitty Fisher of Sir Joshua, though 
 somewhat overshadowed by the Turners, add 
 great interest to this remarkable sale." 
 
 The nine Turner pictures were as follows : 
 Ancient Italy, 36x48, 5,200 guineas (K. Hodg- 
 
 L U 
 
290 
 
 THE MUNRO TURNERS. 
 
 son, M.P.); Modern Italy, 36x49, 5,000 guineas 
 (David Price) ; View of Rome from Mount Aven- 
 tine, painted for Mr. Munro, 36 x 49, 5,850 guineas ; 
 Campo Vaccino, 35 x 48, 4,450 guineas ; St. Mark's 
 Place, moonlight, 35 x 47, 5,200 guineas (K. Hodg- 
 son) ; Van Tromp's Shallop at the entrance of 
 the Scheldt, exhibited in 1832 (not 183 1), 1 35 x 47, 
 5,200 guineas (the same) ; Avalanche in the Valley 
 of Aosta, Savoy,35 x 48,9ioguineas (Lord Wharn- 
 cliffe) ; Departure of Adonis for the Chase, 60 x 48, 
 1,850 guineas (purchased by Mr. Munro at John 
 Green's sale, 1830, for 83 guineas) ; and Kilgarran 
 Castle, 35 x 46, 3,400 guineas (Sir W. Armstrong). 
 The drawings were as follows : Lichfield, 1 1 5 x 17 h 
 480 guineas; Oxford, 1 3 J x 2oi, 500 guineas; 
 the Baths of Pfeffers, Ragatz, Splungen Pass, 
 iiJxi8J, 1,000 guineas; River Scene, Switzer- 
 land, 9 x 1 2J, 115 guineas ; Descent of St. Gothard, 
 1 2f x 20J, 500 guineas ; Lake of Lucerne, 12x1 8^, 
 590 guineas; Kussnacht, Lucerne, 12^-x 18 J, 970 
 guineas; Zurich, 12x18, 1,200 guineas; Ashby- 
 de-la-Zouche, nf x 17J, 500 guineas; Chain 
 Bridge over the Tees, iof x i6§, 1,420 guineas; 
 Blenheim, nf x 18 J, 680 guineas; Knaresborough 
 1 if x 16J, 1,160 guineas ; Lowestoft, 1 1 x i6f, 740 
 guineas; Malmesbury Abbey, nf x i6f, 700 
 guineas ; Pembroke Castle, 1 if x 17, 600 guineas ; 
 Ulleswater, 13 x 17J, 650 guineas (the foregoing 
 eight were engraved for the " England and Wales " 
 
 1 Another picture of the same subject, 30 x 40, was sold at 
 the H.Woods sale in 1883 for 3,500 guineas; it was purchased 
 by Mr. Martin Holloway, and is now in the Holloway College. 
 
THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 29I 
 
 series) ; " The Sea ! the Sea! " engraved by Wil- 
 man for "the Keepsake, 1837," 200 guineas; 
 The Simplon, 205 guineas; Bellerophon, 185 
 guineas; Hotel de Ville, Paris, 140 guineas; 
 Hotel de Ville, Brussels, 130 guineas; Stirling, 
 3J x 6J, 340 guineas ; Kenilworth, moonlight, 
 5t x 5f> l 5° guineas; Edinburgh, 3J x 5 J, 410 
 guineas ; Inverness, 3I x 6 J, 300 guineas ; Glen- 
 coe, 4 1 x 5 J, 320 guineas ; Loch Katrine, 3 J x 5 J, 
 320 guineas (the foregoing ten were engraved for 
 Scott's poetical and prose works) ; Moonlight on 
 the Nile, vignette for Moore's " Epicurean," 250 
 guineas; Valley of the Var, 18 13, 5^ x 8f , 400 
 guineas; Walls of Romeand Tomb of Caius Sestius, 
 5^ x 8^-, 205 guineas ; Rhodes, 5 J x 9, 250 guineas ; 
 and the Acropolis of Athens, 6^x9, 155 guineas 
 (the last three were engraved by Finden for 
 Byron's works). 
 
 The following were the more important of the 
 pictures by other artists included in this sale ; R. 
 P. Bonington, Scene on the Normandy Coast, 
 9^x12, 400 guineas; French coast scene, 210 
 guineas; the Fish Market, Boulogne, 31x47, 
 engraved by Quilley, 3,000 guineas ; and the 
 Grand Canal, Venice, 40 x 50, engraved by C. G. 
 Lewis, 3,000 guineas — these two pictures are said 
 to be the largest ever painted by Bonington ; W. 
 Collins, Dominicans returning to their Monastery, 
 Amalfi, 1842, 27x36, 255 guineas; J. Constable, 
 Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk, 12 x 19, 310 guineas ; 
 Hampstead Heath, 14x19, 460 guineas; and 
 Ploughing and Windmill, iox 14, 290 guineas; 
 
292 
 
 THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 W. Etty, the Good Samaritan, 21 x 26, 160 guineas 
 (said to have cost Mr. Munro ^600) ; the Three 
 Graces, 20 x 30, 170 guineas ; Venus and Adonis, 
 after the Titian in the National Gallery, but smaller, 
 220 guineas; Diana and Endymion, 31 x 27, 300 
 guineas ; and Aurora and Zephyr, circular, 36 inches, 
 460 guineas ; W. Hogarth, two scenes — the other 
 four were burnt at Fonthill — from the " Harlot's 
 Progress," the Quarrel with the New Lover, 520 
 guineas, and the Scene in Bridewell, 300 guineas 
 (this pair was bought in at the Munro sale in 1867 
 for 400 guineas and 330 guineas respectively) ; 
 P. F. Poole, Visitation and Surrender of Syon 
 Nunnery, Isleworth, to the Commissioners of 
 Henry VIII., 55x88, 510 guineas; Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, Kitty Fisher, 35 x 27, one of five or six 
 replicas, 700 guineas ; Portrait of Miss Stanhope 
 as " Contemplation," in white dress, seated in a 
 landscape, engraved by C. Watson, 55 x 44, 3,000 
 guineas — from the Thomond sale of 1828, when it 
 was knocked down for 145 guineas ; and Portrait 
 of Dr. Hawkesworth, 28 x 24, 200 guineas; and R. 
 Wilson, Lake Scene near Coast, 27 x 35, 280 
 guineas ; River Scene, Italy, 16x21, 260 guineas ; 
 River Scene, with Temple, 24 x 9, 160 guineas; 
 and Sion House, from Kew, 36 x 53, 270 guineas. 
 
 The pictures by the old masters came under the 
 hammer on June 1st, and the following list includes 
 all the more important examples. The 153 lots 
 realized ,£44,422 17^. 6d. y from which total, of 
 course, the Raphael " Madonna dei Candelabri " is 
 excluded. N. Berghem, Landscape, with mule- 
 
THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 293 
 
 teers and animals, signed and dated 1644, 21 x l 9> 
 215 guineas; J. Both, View on the Tiber, sunset, 
 with the Ponte Molle and figures, 31x42, 260 
 guineas (from Sir H. Oxenham's sale, 1839, 210 
 guineas) ; F. Boucher, The Mask, lady in slate- 
 coloured jacket and red skirt, 1734, no guineas; 
 Claude, Lake Scene, with sportsmen, cattle and 
 goats under trees, 23x32, 300 guineas ; Phillip 
 baptizing the Eunuch, wooded landscape, painted 
 in 1673, f° r Cardinal Spada, 800 guineas; and a 
 Seaport, with classic buildings, vessels and tower, 
 figures, 39 x 52, 3,000 guineas; A. Cuyp, Portrait 
 group of three girls under a tree with sheep and 
 lambs, 60 x 70, 500 guineas ; and Landscape with 
 millers cart near rustic buildings, 13x19, 430 
 guineas ; Sasso Ferrato, The Holy Family with 
 St. Elizabeth and St. John with the Lamb, 42 x 34, 
 200 guineas ; Greuze, Head of a Girl with hair 
 tied with a blue ribbon, 18x14, 200 guineas; 
 Guido, Europa, from the Altieri Palace and 
 Altmira Gallery, Madrid, 61x44, 210 guineas; 
 M. Hobbema, Wooded River Scene, with peasants 
 and winding road, white cumuli and grey cloud 
 in right corner, signed, 26x34, 2,100 guineas 
 (Mr. Munro is said to have given ^200 for this 
 picture) ; and A Woody Landscape, blue sky and 
 clouds, cottages, post-waggon passing a ford and 
 figures, 17x20, 700 guineas; N. Maes, Interior, 
 with woman arranging a child's hair, two other 
 children and a dog and cat, 24 x 18, 450 guineas ; 
 Murillo, three sketches for his larger pictures, 
 including that of the Miracle of the Loaves and 
 
294 
 
 THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 Fishes in the Caridad, Seville, 300 guineas ; and 
 also the finished works, Group of Spanish Beggars 
 at the stall of a woman selling bread, winter, 
 37 x 47, 260 guineas ; and St. Anthony caressing 
 the Infant, sold by Queen Christina from the 
 Royal Gallery, Madrid, 73x81, 2,250 guineas; 
 Perugino, St. Francis in ecstasy, 24x19, 260 
 guineas ; A. Pynacker, Rocky Coast Scene, with 
 vessels wrecked, crews being saved by boats, 3 2 x 43, 
 450 guineas ; Rubens, Meeting of Jacob and Esau, 
 a sketch, 19 x 15, 310 guineas; Portrait of a 
 Lady, inscribed " Virgo Brabantini," 42 x 31, 1,050 
 guineas ; Portrait of Old Parr, said to have been 
 painted by Rubens when ambassador at the English 
 Court, 24 x 18, 180 guineas; and the Holy Family 
 with St. Anne, 59 x 44, 175 guineas ; J. Ruysdael, 
 Grand Sea Piece, storm, with fishing vessels, from 
 Lord Orford's collection, 34x47, 1,400 guineas; 
 and A Sea View, with fishing boats and men-of- 
 war, 27 x 36, 1,400 guineas ; Andrea del Sarto, La 
 Carita, from the Ruspigliosi Palace, formerly in 
 the Anderdon collection, and probably the picture 
 referred to on p. 192, 330 guineas ; and The Pieta, 
 Madonna and two angels mourning over the body 
 of Christ, 38 x 51, 1,700 guineas ; J. Steen, Effects 
 of Intemperance, from the Beckford collection, 
 30 x 43, 1,250 guineas ; and After Dinner, portraits 
 of the artist and his wife, two children blowing 
 bubbles, 25x32, 230 guineas; G. Terburg, The 
 Glass of Lemonade, two ladies and gentlemen in a 
 handsome apartment, from the Praslin collection 
 and engraved in the Choiseul gallery, 26x21,1,850 
 
THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 295 
 
 guineas ; Titian, Repose of the Holy Family in 
 Landscape, with castle to the right, 18x24, 350 
 guineas ; Vanclyck, Daedalus and Icarus, 43 x 35, 
 400 guineas — from the J. Knight collection, 18 19, 
 300 guineas ; and E. W. Lake sale of 1848, £66 ; 
 A. Van de Velde, Landscape, with herdsman and 
 shepherdess and animals near a pool of water, 
 signed, 10 x 1 3, 505 guineas ; Paul Veronese, Venus 
 seated on a couch, red curtain background, from 
 the Colonna Palace, and subsequently in the col- 
 lections of Walsh Porter and Sir Simon Clarke, 
 75 x 56, 680 guineas ; and Vision of St. Helena, 
 the altarpiece of the chapel at Venice dedicated to 
 that saint, formerly in the first Duke of Marl- 
 borough's collection, whence it passed into that of 
 Lord Treasurer Godolphin, and was purchased at 
 the Duke of Leeds' sale by the Marquis of Hert- 
 ford, 77 x 45, and again sold in i860 (see p. 192), 
 3,300 guineas (National Gallery); A.Watteau, Fete 
 Champetre, 12 x 15, 300 guineas; Le Printemps, 
 two nude figures crowning a youth with flowers, 
 engraved by Desplace, 49 x 40, 620 guineas ; and 
 " Les Deux Marquises," two little girls in white 
 wigs and pompons of feathers and flowers, 30 x 24, 
 2,500 guineas; P. Wouverman, Halt of Cavaliers 
 and Ladies at a farrier's shop, 13 x 19, 300 
 guineas ; and two great works of Raphael, " La 
 Vierge a la Legende," or " La Vierge de Novar," 
 said to have belonged to Charles I., and ascribed 
 to Giulio Romano when in Lord Gwydyr's collec- 
 tion, 32 x 24, 3,000 guineas (this celebrated work, 
 which has been engraved by Forster, was again 
 
296 
 
 THE MUNRO COLLECTION. 
 
 sold with the Dudley Gallery in 1892); and the 
 celebrated chef-d' ceuvi'e, " Madonna dei Cande- 
 labri," 26 inches circle, bought from the Borghese 
 Palace by Lucien Bonaparte, and sold by him 
 to the Queen of Etruria ; it was purchased by 
 Mr. Munro at the Due de Lucca sale in June, 
 1 84 1 for ,£1,500, it was now bought in at 19,000 
 guineas. 
 
 Finally the remaining pictures and drawings, 
 and also the books collected by Mr. Munro, and 
 subsequently the property of Colonel the Hon. 
 Henry Butler-Johnstone, came under the hammer 
 on March 19th, 22nd and 23rd, 1880, 707 lots, 
 showing a total of £"2,897 l2S - The only lots in 
 this sale which call for special notice are the follow- 
 ing : R. P. Bonington, Francis I. and his Sister, 
 the engraved picture, 14 x 11, 255 guineas; and 
 The Grand Canal, Venice, the sketch for the 
 large picture, 100 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, 
 Grand Canal, Venice, painted on the engraving, 
 105 guineas ; and Sir E. Landseer, Hinds Alarmed, 
 painted at Novar, 250 guineas. 
 
 In the interval which occurred between the dis- 
 persal of the modern and the ancient pictures of Mr. 
 Hugh A. J. Munro, the exceedingly choice collec- 
 tion of works (nearly all of which were of cabinet 
 size) by modern artists, of the late Frederic Thomas 
 Turner, of The Cedars, Clapham Common, was sold. 
 This assemblage was not a large one, but it was 
 made with great good taste, and sixty-one lots 
 realized the total of £"26,628 15^. The sale took 
 place on May 4th, 1878, and the principal pictures 
 
THE F. T. TURNER COLLECTION. 297 
 
 were as follows : J. C. Hook, Beaching the Boat, 
 l 3 x 9» 33° guineas, and Leaving, at Low Water, 
 Scilly Isles,26 x 41, 1,130 guineas ; Sir J. E. Millais, 
 " Charlie is my Darling," 16 x 9, 190 guineas; 
 Joan of Arc, 34 x 23, 700 guineas, and The Romans 
 Leaving Britain, 17x27, 320 guineas ; C. Stan- 
 field, Ancona, 15 x 23, 420 guineas ; Boats Fouling, 
 entering the harbour, Zuyder Zee, 23 x 35, 750 
 guineas; On the Italian Coast, 15 x 23, 330 
 guineas ; The Stack Rock, Coast of Antrim, 1861, 
 14x23, 630 guineas ; On the River Texel, 1861, 
 15 x 24, 500 guineas, and the Pic du Midi 
 d'Ossau, in the Pyrenees, 1866, 29 x 22 (not to be 
 confounded with the very large work on the same 
 subject in the Bicknell and Coleman sales), 510 
 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, Porto del Lido, 1853 : the 
 entrance to the Lagunes of Venice from the 
 Adriatic, 19x33, 530 guineas; T. Faed, The 
 Silken Gown, 19 x 15, 710 guineas ; " Letting the 
 Cows into the Corn," 29 x 22, 700 guineas ; 
 Thoughts of the Absent, 29x21, 600 guineas ; On 
 the Coast of Arran, 1854, 19 x 13, 640 guineas; 
 W. E. Frost, The Syrens, 15 x 1 1, a small replica, 
 formerly in the Bicknell collection, of the picture 
 painted in 1849 for Mr. Andrews of York, and 
 subsequently in the possession of Mr. Dennistown 
 of Golf-hill (see letter in The Times May 28th, 
 1878), 200 guineas ; John Linnell, Harvest, 
 19 x 23, 500 guineas ; and View near Hampstead, 
 7x11, 380 guineas; J. Phillip, Agua Benedita : 
 a church scene, 1861, 35x27, 1,400 guineas; El 
 Picador, 1862, 19 x 25, 550 guineas; Uvas 
 
298 THE F. T. TURNER COLLECTION. 
 
 Maduras, Spanish Fruit Seller, 28x18, 1,190 
 guineas ; El Cigarello : taking a quiet whiff, 
 25 x 19, 1,520 guineas; " Oh Nanny!" 1859, 
 9x7, 100 guineas, and Una Maja Bonita, 1856, 
 17 x 13, 440 guineas ; W. P. Frith, Bed-Time, the 
 engraved picture, 1852, 23 x 19, 380 guineas ; The 
 Keeper's Daughter (with R. Ansdell), engraved by 
 H. T. Ryall, 22 x 27, 720 guineas, and Twelfth 
 Night, a study, 1862, 8x11, 175 guineas; T. 
 Webster, The Impenitent, from the Collection of 
 E. Bicknell, for whom it was painted, 17x15, 
 390 guineas ; W. Miiller, The Village of Gil- 
 lingham, 1841, 29x24, from the Bicknell collec- 
 tion, 900 guineas ; D. Roberts, a Street in Cairo, 
 1846, painted for Mr. Bicknell, 29 x 24, 610 
 guineas — this picture again occurred in 1883 at the 
 T. Taylor sale, when it was purchased by Mr. 
 Martin Holloway for 710 guineas; F. Goodall, 
 The Rising of the Nile, 29 x 53, 650 guineas; Sir 
 E. Landseer, Highland Nurses (deer and ptar- 
 migan), 27x35, engraved by T. Landseer, 1,600 
 guineas ; and three small works of L. Alma 
 Tadema from the Royal Academy of 1873. The 
 Siesta, 6\ x 18, 300 guineas ; The Dinner, 6 \ x 23, 
 400 guineas, and The Wine, 6 x 14, 270 guineas ; 
 Rosa Bonheur, " Le Retour du Moulin," 10 x 13, 
 570 guineas, and " Chevreuils au repos dans la 
 Foret de Fontainebleau," 1867, engraved by 
 C. G. Lewis, 38x31, 1,100 guineas; E. Frere, 
 " Les Preparatifs du Dejeuner," 1851, 16x12, 
 340 guineas, and " La Sortie de l'Ecole," 1866, 
 34 x 28, 630 guineas. A beautiful statue by Tan- 
 
THE F. T. TURNER COLLECTION. 299 
 
 tardini, The Bather, life size, 1863, sold for 200 
 guineas. 
 
 The only other picture sales of 1878 which we 
 need mention, are as follows : — The collection of 
 water-colour drawings of the late Thomas Green- 
 wood, of Sandfield Lodge, Hampstead, April 10th 
 and nth, when 13 works by David Cox, and 10 
 by Turner realized, for the most part, small prices, 
 and the total of 52 drawings and pictures being 
 ,£2,344 ; there were two earlier sales of Mr. 
 Greenwood, the first in 1872 and the second in 
 1875, several of the less important drawings on 
 each occasion failed to reach the reserve placed 
 upon them. Of the works in the 1875 sa ^ e we 
 may mention the following by D. Cox, Market 
 Woman crossing a Heath, 2ioguineas; Twilight, 
 480 guineas ; Bolton Park, 420 guineas; Crossing 
 Lancaster Sands, from the Ellison collection, 
 375 guineas ; Pass of Killiecrankie, 335 guineas ; 
 Landscape with Brigands, 650 guineas ; and 
 Waiting on Lancaster Sands, 210 guineas. The 
 modern pictures of W. J. Alt, previously exhibited 
 at the Bethnal Green Museum, and sold on March 
 2nd, brought a total of £"6,500. The only two 
 pictures of note in the T. Graham White collec- 
 tion (40 lots), sold on March 23rd, being a Por- 
 trait by Sir Joshua Reynolds of Lady Smyth and 
 her children, the picture engraved by Bartolozzi, 
 1,250 guineas — this picture subsequently appeared 
 in the Duchess of Montrose sales, 1894 and 
 1895 I an d a Rembrandt, Portrait of the Artist's 
 Wife in turban, rich red dress and pearl bracelet, 
 
300 
 
 PORCELAIN SALES. 
 
 36x27, 450 guineas (in the Wardell sale of the 
 next year this picture fetched 635 guineas). Mrs. 
 Edward Romilly's pictures were sold on the same 
 day, and included a Teniers, The Guitar Player, 
 an oval, interior, with guitar player and group of 
 five men playing cards and smoking in a further 
 room, 10x12, 520 guineas; Cuyp, Flight into 
 Egypt, with Holy Family on the left, 18x24, 
 290 guineas ; Greuze, Portrait of Madame Van 
 Westrenen, painted in 1802, 290 guineas ; and 
 P. de Wint, Grand View of Lincoln from the 
 Brayford, 725 guineas — this very fine drawing was 
 again sold in March, 1883, when it fetched 655 
 guineas. 
 
 The porcelain sales of this year included a rose 
 du Barri Sevres dessert service, the property of the 
 late J. P. G. Dering, of South Street, Park Lane, 
 and of Great Missenden, Bucks, and formerly in 
 the possession of Lord Gwydyr, in whose sale it 
 was included in 1829 ; the set comprised fifty- 
 seven pieces, all painted with medallions of fruits 
 and flowers, chiefly dating 1757. The set, now 
 sold in portions, realized ,£4,039 14^., the principal 
 objects being a pair of seaux, 1,070 guineas; a 
 circular tureen, the cover being an artichoke in 
 green and gold, 195 guineas; the companion, 205 
 guineas ; two oval dishes with white centres and 
 ends painted with flowers, each 255 guineas ; and 
 twelve plates, painted with flowers, fruit, and 
 exotic birds by Thevenet, 360 guineas. A pair of 
 fluted lavender-coloured vases, mounted in ormulu, 
 also from the Gwydyr collection, £"410. 
 
THE BOHN COLLECTIONS. 3OI 
 
 The last of the six portions of the extensive col- 
 lection of ceramics and other works of art formed 
 by Henry G. Bohn, came under the hammer during 
 the present year. The following is a list, with in- 
 clusive dates, of the Bohn sales : 
 
 
 
 LOTS. 
 
 £ 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 1875 
 
 
 646 
 
 6,528 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 473 
 
 4,862 
 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 1876 
 
 
 
 3j J 54 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 1226 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 1877 
 
 
 638 
 
 3 9 IQ 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 1878 
 
 
 777 
 
 4,995 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 1885 
 
 March 19-28 (9 days, Drawings 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1621 
 
 19,209 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 
 March 30-31 (Private Library) 
 
 396 
 
 749 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 Total ,£44,637 14 ° 
 
 The water-colour drawings and pictures in oils 
 collected by the late James S. Virtue, nearly all of 
 which had been engraved in the Art Journal, came 
 under the hammer on March 1st, 1879, and the 
 171 lots realized ,£9,343, very few of the articles 
 reaching three figures. This sale was followed by 
 that of Lord Lonsdale's pictures, china, and de- 
 corative furniture on March 5th and three follow- 
 ing days. The china and decorative furniture 
 showed a total of ,£19,336 ijs. 6d. y and the prin- 
 cipal articles were : An old Dresden dinner service, 
 painted with tigers, birds, and foliage in Oriental 
 style, with basket borders, 375 guineas ; a rose du 
 Barri Sevres cabinet, pastoral figures in medallions, 
 of eight pieces, exceedingly fine, 805 guineas ; an 
 old Chelsea tea service of twenty-two pieces, 
 
302 
 
 lord lonsdale's collection. 
 
 painted with exotic birds and blue bands, sold 
 separately at from £4.0 to ^130 each, and brought 
 the high total of 820 guineas ; a fine square-shaped 
 Chelsea vase, deep blue ground, with four large 
 medallions of Chinese figures and eight smaller of 
 exotic birds, 21 in. high, 520 guineas ; and a pair 
 of tall vases and covers, with white and gold scroll 
 handles, deep blue ground, with groups of exotic 
 birds and flowers in gold, 20J in. high, unfor- 
 tunately badly broken and worse mended, 420 
 guineas ; a Crown Derby dessert service, with dark 
 blue and gold jewelled edges, painted with land- 
 scapes, in blue and gold borders, 257 guineas. An 
 old French oblong casket of black buhl, ^"295 ; a 
 clock of buhl on pedestal, 350 guineas ; and a fine 
 Louis XIV. writing-table of black buhl, 60x40, 
 400 guineas. The pictures were thirteen in all, 
 nine in oils and four large water colour drawings 
 by De Wint. Moucheron, Italian landscape, with 
 figures by A. Van de Velde, hilly ground to the 
 left, peasant woman riding on a mule, dog, sheep, 
 beggar woman, and other figures, and carriage with 
 horseman in an avenue, 30x25, 1,000 guineas; 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, The Laughing Girl, 30 x 25, 
 1,300 guineas (Lord Chesterfield) ; and Robinetta, 
 30 x 25, 1,000 guineas — both pictures that had been 
 engraved, but were now in poor condition ; T. 
 Gainsborough, Horses watering at a Trough, with 
 man on gray horse, with hills and a church in the 
 distance, from Sir John Leicester's collection, 48 x 39, 
 1,300 guineas (bought in) ; Sir Thomas Lawrence, 
 Portrait of George IV. on a sofa, engraved, 75 
 
ARDEN OF RICKMANSWORTH. 303 
 
 guineas; J. Jackson, Portrait of the Duke of Wel- 
 lington, in blue uniform, holding cocked hat, battle 
 in the distance, 150 guineas. The De Wint draw- 
 ings were Lancaster, with castle in the middle 
 ground and wide reach of water and hills beyond, 
 2 9h x 5 T > T >35° guineas ; Tewkesbury Abbey, 
 cattle passing over a bridge, trees, 35 x 24J, 600 
 guineas ; Whitehaven, view of town and harbour, 
 21 x 35, 700 guineas ; and Lowther Castle, fir trees 
 and figures in the foreground, 29 x 39, 645 guineas 
 — the last two were bought in. Another interest- 
 ing sale of pictures took place in March (29th), 
 namely, that of the remaining works, sketches, and 
 studies of the late E. M. Ward, R.A., 1 19 lots in all. 
 We need only specially mention Anne Boleyn at 
 the Queen's Stairs, exhibited in 1871, 450 guineas ; 
 the Ante-chamber at Whitehall, exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy, 1 86 1, 900 guineas. 
 
 Several important pictures were included in the 
 collection of Joseph Arden, of Rickmansworth Park, 
 sold on April 26th. The ninety-six lots realized 
 £17,172 4s. 6d., the more notable being as follows: 
 E. W. Cooke, Venice, Riva dei Schiavoni, 1853, 
 15 x 26, 200 guineas ; the Port of Delfzijl on the 
 Dollart, Holland, 1856, 26 x 41, 330 guineas; 
 and Venice, 26x42, 810 guineas; W. S. Burton, 
 The Cavalier and the Puritan, exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy of 1856, 34 x 40, 430 guineas ; T. 
 Creswick, Chequered Shade, an avenue of trees, 
 1848, 35 x 71, 360 guineas; and The Greenwood 
 Stream, 1848, 27x35, 490 guineas; W. Linton, 
 Bellinzona, 48 x 72, 250 guineas; Sir J. E. Millais, 
 
3°4 
 
 ARDEN OF RICKMANSWORTH. 
 
 The Order of Release, 1853, 40 x 29, 2, 700 guineas ; 
 and The Rescue, the celebrated picture of a fire- 
 man saving a woman from a fire, 46 x 33, 1,250 
 guineas ; D. Roberts, Santa Maria della Salute, 
 Venice, 24 x 48, painted for Mr. Arden, 750 
 guineas ; San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, the com- 
 panion picture, 720 guineas ; a Street Scene in 
 Cairo, 55 x 43, 900 guineas; A Recollection of 
 Spain, interior, with the tomb of Ferdinand and 
 Isabella, etc., 55 x 43, 740 guineas; and Ruins of 
 the Great Temple of Karnac, painted for Mr. 
 Arden, 57x93, 1845, 480 guineas ; C. Stanfield, 
 II Ponte Rotto, Rome, 1846, 37 x 32, 800 guineas ; 
 F. Stone, The Old, Old Story, 1854, the engraved 
 picture, 42 x 34, 400 guineas (sold again in 1883 
 with Mrs. Gibbons pictures for the same amount) ; 
 and E. M. Ward, Last Parting of Marie Antoin- 
 ette and her son, 1856, 48 x 68, 950 guineas. 
 The water colour drawings included J. F. Lewis, 
 The Harem of a Memlook Bey, painted for Mr. 
 Arden at Cairo, 35 x 53, 690 guineas. After the 
 Arden pictures came a few others, from various 
 properties, and among them were : D. Teniers, 
 Interior of a Guardroom, soldiers playing cards, 
 and other figures, on copper, 18 x 24, 5 20 guineas ; 
 M. Hobbema, Dutch village, with peasants on a 
 raft and fisherman in a boat, signed, and dated 
 1663, 208 guineas ; and four works of Guardi, The 
 Grand Canal, Venice, 235 guineas ; The Approach 
 to Venice, the companion, 200 guineas; St. Mark's 
 Place, 200 guineas ; and the Piazetta of St. Mark's, 
 Venice, 245 guineas. 
 
THE NIELD COLLECTION. 305 
 
 The May sales opened (3rd) with the collection 
 of ninety-eight pictures formed by Jonathan Nield, 
 of Dunster House, Rochdale, which brought a total 
 of ,£33,423 165". There were R. Ansdell, Gardener's 
 Daughter (with J. Phillip), 600 guineas ; the 
 companion pair, Lost and Found, respectively 195 
 guineas and 200 guineas ; Gossip at the Well, 365 
 guineas ; Return from Deerstalking, 400 guineas ; 
 and the Gamekeeper's Daughter (with W. P. 
 Frith), 290 guineas ; J. Constable, Stoke-by-Way- 
 land, Suffolk, 48 x 56, 740 guineas ; and The 
 Thames, Westminster, 410 guineas; P. H. Cal- 
 deron, Victory, 1,050 guineas; and Good Night, 
 250 guineas ; W. Collins, Coast Scenes, men and 
 boats, 26 x 32, 420 guineas ; E. W. Cook, Venice, 
 3 20 guineas; T. S. Cooper, Summer Afternoon, 250 
 guineas ; David Cox, Lancaster Sands, purchased 
 at the sale of David Cox, jun., May, 1873 (1,000 
 guineas — see p. 223), 3 10 guineas ; Cavalry, 7 x 10, 
 205 guineas ; and a Hayfield, 10 x 13, 230 guineas ; 
 T. Creswick, a Rocky Dell, 300 guineas ; and a 
 Woody River scene, 240 guineas; A. Elmore, After 
 the Siesta, 18 x 24, 270 guineas ; and Columbus at 
 Porto Santo, 460 guineas ; T. Faed, A Listener 
 nae hears gude o' himsel', iox 14, 350 guineas; 
 In Doubt, 490 guineas ; and Sunday Afternoon, 
 620 guineas ; W. P. Frith, Dolly Varden with the 
 Bracelet, from the Gillott collection, 24 x 18, 300 
 guineas ; and Amy Robsart and Janet, 300 guineas ; 
 F. Goodall, Hagarand Ishmael, 950 guineas; Go- 
 ing to School, iox 13, 260 guineas; and Wedding 
 Dance, Brittany, 760 guineas; Peter Graham, Our 
 1. x 
 
306 
 
 THE NIELD COLLECTION. 
 
 Northern Wall, cliffs and gulls, 400 guineas ; J. E. 
 Hodgson, Warriors of Islam, 200 guineas; J. C. 
 Horsley, "The Other Name?" 460 guineas; H. Le 
 Jeune, The Bird's Nest, 155 guineas; J. C. Hook, 
 Overtaken by the Tide, 1,020 guineas ; and Cross- 
 ing the Brook, 660 guineas; G. D. Leslie, The 
 Nut-brown Maid 500 guineas ; and Lavinia, 1,000 
 guineas ; Sir E. Landseer, Sport in the Highlands, 
 1,450 guineas ; and The King of the Forest, 
 24x24, 1,000 guineas; J. Linnell, Hampstead 
 Heath, figures and sheep, 530 guineas ; and The 
 Woodcutters, 10 x 12, 410 guineas; H. S. Marks, 
 Capital and Labour, 1,050 guineas ; W. J. Miiller, 
 Gillingham Church, an upright, 1841, 30 x 32, 700 
 guineas; and Alexandria, 1843, 7^° guineas; P. 
 Nasmyth, Landscape, with Turners Hill, 230 
 guineas ; Erskine Nicol, Always tell the Truth, 
 450 guineas ; and The Fisher's Knot, 410 guineas ; 
 H. O'Neil, Marina at the Grave of her Nurse, 
 275 guineas; J. Phillip, Scotch Christening, 10 x 13, 
 160 guineas ; D. Roberts, Piazza Navona, 490 
 guineas ; C. Stanfield, Capture of Smugglers, An- 
 trim, 500 guineas ; Coast Scene, with figures, 410 
 guineas ; and Lake Como, 630 guineas. 
 
 The pictures sold on May 5, of W. Fenton, of 
 Dutton Manor, Rochester, forty-one in number, 
 included T. Creswick, River Tees at Wycliffe, 
 with figures by Frith, 610 guineas ; W. P. Frith 
 and Creswick, River Tees at Wycliffe, from the 
 Mendel collection. 610 guineas; G. D. Leslie, 
 Pot Pourri, 1,180 guineas ; J. Linnell, A sunny 
 Landscape, 590 guineas ; G. B. O'Neil, The Little 
 
THE FENTON COLLECTIONS. 
 
 307 
 
 Trespasser, 255 guineas. The most important 
 work by a continental artist in this collection was 
 Josef Israels, La Fete de Jeanne, 1,600 guineas. 
 The total amounted to ,£6,588 4s. 6d. Those 
 of Joseph Fenton, of Barnford Hall, Rochdale, 
 ninety- three in all, total ,£13,101 *js. 6d., in- 
 cluded J. Constable, Embarkation of George IV., 
 60 x 80, 410 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, Amsterdam, 
 290 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, Snowdon, peasants 
 and sheep, 3 10 guineas ; T. Creswick, The Water- 
 fall, 320 guineas ; W. C. T. Dobson, The Nut 
 Gatherers, 150 guineas; Sir E. Landseer, Canine 
 Friends, 3 10 guineas ; and Gipsy encampment with 
 donkeys, 290 guineas ; J. Linnell, Winding the 
 Skein, 300 guineas ; Harvest field, with peasants, 
 sunset effect, 1862, 800 guineas ; A Harvest Dinner, 
 42 x 50, 1,610 guineas; The Storm, 510 guineas ; 
 and Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus, 250 
 guineas ; W. J. Mtiller, Athens with the Acropolis, 
 500 guineas ; and the Sphinx, 230 guineas ; P. 
 Nasmyth, Coast Scene, 210 guineas; Windsor 
 Castle, 320 guineas ; and Landscape, with cottages 
 and figures, 260 guineas ; D. Roberts, Interior of 
 the Duomo, Milan, 1,400 guineas ; C. Stanfield, 
 Macbeth and the Witches, from the Brunei col- 
 lection, 490 guineas ; T. Webster, The Young 
 Fisherman, 235 guineas. 
 
 The sale on the second Saturday in May (10th) 
 1879, included pictures from several sources. 
 From the collection of the late John Wardells of 
 Rathgar, Dublin, came A. Brauwer, The Card 
 Players, 1 2 x 16, 270 guineas; G. Coques, Lady 
 
308 THE WARDELLS COLLECTION. 
 
 and Gentleman playing the guitar, from the Wynn 
 Ellis collection, 15x22, 155 guineas; Van Delen 
 and Van Harp, Palace Interior, with the return of 
 the prodigal, 22 x 55, 165 guineas ; A. de Lorme, 
 Interior of a Cathedral, with figures by Terburg, 
 signed, 1655, 400 guineas ; W. Mieris, The 
 Guitar Players, with view of a garden and land- 
 scape, signed, and dated 1705, 11x9, 490 guineas 
 — at the Levy Sale in 1876 this realized 460 
 guineas ; A. Van de Velde, Gardens of a Palace, 
 with figures, 14x13, 290 guineas; Rembrandt; 
 Portrait of his wife already referred to on p. 299, 
 Eglon Van der Neer, Interior, with a lady and 
 gentleman, and a lady nursing an infant, signed, 
 and dated 1664, 25 x 22, 290 guineas (from the 
 Cope sale of 1872, when it realized 220 guineas) ; 
 P. Wouverman, A Hawking Party, painted for 
 Elizabeth de Bourbon, wife of Philip IV. of Spain, 
 whose arms are on the back of the panel, 12 x 16, 
 750 guineas (from the Levy Sale of 1876) ; and 
 G. Morland, Landscape, with figures at an inn 
 door, 1794, 39x52, 320 guineas. The four 
 pictures from the collection of George Faulkner, 
 of Crumpshall, near Manchester, were : A. Ostade, 
 Boors carousing, composition of five half-length 
 figures looking out of a window, one holding a glass 
 and another a flute, 11x9, 400 guineas ; and Karel 
 Du Jardin, Italian landscape, with woman and a boy 
 standing in a pool, donkey, ox, dog, and trees, 
 signed and dated 1662, 16 x 19, 240 guineas. The 
 pictures of the late Fuller Maitland, of Stanstead 
 Hall, Essex (a selection from whose collection 
 
MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS. 309 
 
 was made prior to the sale by the Trustees of the 
 National Gallery), included : J. Constable, Vale of 
 Dedham, on the Stour, 29 x 49, 300 guineas, 
 and Weymouth Bay, a sketch for the large work 
 now in the Louvre, 21 x 29, 150 guineas; three 
 important works by John Crome, Oaks in Kim- 
 berley Park, 46 x 36, 200 guineas ; Group of Oaks 
 on Sandybank, with white heifer, 31x47, 340 
 guineas, and a Barge, with wounded soldiers and 
 other figures, 13 x 19, 160 guineas; J. S. Cotman, 
 Barges on a Broad in a Mist, 170 guineas; 
 Copley Fielding, Mountain Scene, 17x22, 170 
 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, Entrance to Havre 
 Harbour, 9x12, no guineas; R. P. Bonington, 
 View off S. Valery-sur-Somme, 12x15, 280 
 guineas ; and the Chateau of the Duchess de Berri, 
 on the Garonne, 14x20, 310 guineas; J. Ruys- 
 dael, Edge of a Wood, with figures and sheep, 
 16x10, 270 guineas; Van der Capella, Winter 
 Scene, with barns and cottages, and man dragging 
 a boat, 15 x 17, 200 guineas ; F. Francia, Madonna 
 and Child and two angels, in landscape, balustrade 
 in front, 12 x 10, 265 guineas ; and Rubens, Land- 
 scape, with river and pollard willows, figures 
 dancing, lady seated, and lady and gentleman and 
 child holding two greyhounds, 34x51, 800 
 guineas. This day's sale included the following 
 pictures from other sources : J. M. W. Turner, 
 Kilgarran Castle, 32 x 19, 210 guineas — this pic- 
 ture is said to be that which realized 600 guineas 
 at the Gillott sale in 1872, and occurred in the 
 Durand Ruel sale, in Paris, two years later, when 
 
W. BENONI WHITE. 
 
 it realized 33,000 francs ; W. Collins, Dartmouth 
 Harbour, painted for Phillimore Hicks in 1821, 
 36 x 48, 1,500 guineas ; Sir Joshua Reynolds, Por- 
 trait of Mrs. Burrell, 200 guineas ; J. Crome, New 
 Mills at Norwich, 14 x 16, 190 guineas ; W. Etty, 
 Cymocles and Phaedra on the idle lake, 1835, 
 500 guineas ; J. L. Gerome, " Voila celui qui va en 
 enfer et en revient" (Dante), engraved by J. G. 
 Levasseur, 510 guineas. 
 
 Among the large stock of pictures of the late 
 W. Benoni White, the picture dealer, sold on 
 Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, — 310 lots 
 realized ,£11,285 185*. 6d. — we may mention the 
 following : T. Gainsborough, Landscape, evening 
 effect, church in the middle distance, large tree 
 bending over the road of the right foreground, 
 ploughboy on a white horse and brown one by the 
 side, woodman, painted at Bath in 1760 for Samuel 
 Kilderbee, 39 x 49, 725 guineas; G. Morland, 
 Nut Gatherers, 105 guineas, and Wreckers, 560 
 guineas ; J. M. W. Turner, Fisherman on lee 
 shore, squally weather, exhibited in 1802, 36x48, 
 2,300 guineas, and Boats carrying out anchors and 
 cables to Dutch men-of-war in 1665, exhibited 
 in 1804, 4° x 5°» ^S 00 guineas 1 — this fine pair of 
 pictures (when the property of Lord Delamere) 
 was purchased at Christie's on May 24th, 1856, by 
 the late owner for 3,000 guineas; John Burnet, 
 View of East Cowes, from West Cowes Ferry, 
 
 1 This picture was again sold as the property of Mr. W. 
 Houldsworth on May i6th, 1896, and then realised 1,550 
 guineas. 
 
THE AND ER DON COLLECTION. 3 I I 
 
 1823, 310 guineas; J. Ruysdael, View near a 
 village, with rustic bridge, 215 guineas, and a 
 Rocky River Scene, 115 guineas; T. S. Cooper, 
 Mountain Scene, with cattle and sheep, 245 
 guineas; A. Stannard, Sluice-gate on the river 
 Wensum, 315 guineas; and J. Stark, Cadmore 
 End, near Wycombe, 170 guineas. 
 
 The collection of Old Masters and pictures by 
 modern artists formed by the late James Hughes 
 Anderdon, of Upper Grosvenor Square, came under 
 the hammer on May 30th and 31st, the 288 lots 
 realizing ,£9,270 17s. Comparatively few of the 
 pictures (many of which were purchased for the 
 National Gallery) reached three figures, and the 
 following includes all those which seem to call for 
 notice here: F. Mieris, Interior, lady in a white 
 satin dress, 10 x 8, 195 guineas ; J. B. Pater, Fete 
 Champetre, with Cupid, 18x21, 250 guineas; 
 J. Van Goyen, River Scene, with boats and fisher- 
 men, 12x10, 205 guineas; W. Collins, Cromer 
 Sands, with children, 9x12, 155 guineas ; J. Con- 
 stable, a Brook Scene, from the collection of 
 C. R. Leslie, 1 19 guineas ; J. Crome, Old Mill on 
 the Yare, from the Dawson Turner collection 
 (1852), 115 guineas; Skirts of the Forest, 41 X31, 
 185 guineas, and View on Mousehold heath, Nor- 
 wich, 184 guineas; J. Linnell, Landscape, with 
 peasants under a pine tree, 1 8 1 3, 3x10, 135 
 guineas ; G. Morland, Farmer carrying pigs to 
 market, 105 guineas; W. J. Miiller, Landscape, with 
 old willows and sheep, 155 guineas; and an un- 
 usually large number of works by G. Romney : 
 
312 
 
 PORCELAIN SALES. 
 
 Portrait of Mrs. Tickell in white dress, straw hat, 
 with black and white feathers, 800 guineas ; Mrs. 
 Thornhill, 320 guineas ; The Parson's Daughter, 
 360 guineas, (National Gallery) ; Head of Mrs. 
 Crouch the Actress, 250 guineas ; Madame de 
 Genlis, 250 guineas; Mrs. Trimmer, 130 guineas, 
 and Bust of Mrs. Robinson as " Perdita," with 
 head leaning on right hand, 380 guineas. Another 
 property included : G. Romney, Lady Hamilton as 
 Ariadne, nearly life size, in white dress and straw 
 hat, in a cave by the sea, 220 guineas. A miscel- 
 laneous sale on June 28th, included the Earl of 
 Portarlington's fine Rembrandt, Portrait of the 
 Artist in black, with gold chain, signed, and dated 
 1635, 1,250 guineas. 
 
 The Alexander Barker sale in June of this year, 
 has been incorporated with that of 1874. A 
 few important collections of porcelain were dis- 
 persed during this year, notably that of Mr. Charles 
 Dickins, of Sunnyside, Wimbledon, which brought 
 a total of nearly ,£6,000 ; the 249 lots included a 
 gros-bleu Sevres lyre clock, mounted with a mask 
 of Apollo, and ornaments of chased ormolu, with 
 enamelled dial and pendulum set with pastes, 
 ^590 (apparently bought in) ; a pair of old Chelsea 
 square vases, each side painted with groups of 
 Chinese figures and small medallions of birds in 
 deep blue and gold border, £320 ; a fine turquoise 
 vase of the same, with openwork neck, and ewer, 
 painted with figures and animals in a landscape, 
 £470 ; a large beaker-shaped vase of the same, 
 brilliant deep-blue ground, painted with large 
 
PORCELAIN AND PICTURES. 
 
 3*3 
 
 medallions of exotic birds in richly gilt borders, 
 ^"504 ; and a set of three vases, also old Chelsea, 
 about 10 inches high, on flat oval-shaped deep- 
 blue ground, richly gilt, each painted with two 
 children in medallions, and group of birds, ,£1,365 ; 
 a set of three Worcester vases, each painted with 
 medallion of horsemen and figures, in the style of 
 Wouverman, with medallions of flowers on the 
 necks, deep-blue ground, ^650. The old Dresden 
 articles included a group of Venus and Cupid, in 
 a car, supported by three Tritons, ^175; a fine 
 group of a lady in a hooped dress, seated, with a 
 gentleman standing by her side, and female pedlar 
 offering wares, ^260, and a group of Venus and 
 Cupid in a car drawn by two sea-horses, and 
 Neptune, ^336 5s. 
 
 The earliest picture sale of note in 1880 (Feb- 
 ruary 2 1 st) comprised the works of modern artists, 
 " the property of a gentleman [F. W. Hooper] near 
 Manchester, and the 158 lots brought a total of 
 £"10,050 12s., of which about one- third represent 
 actual sales. A few of the best prices are as 
 follows : James Webb, Anglesea, with Beaumaris 
 in the distance, 190 guineas; J. Holland, Rouen, 
 290 guineas ; A. E. Mulready, Uncared For, 145 
 guineas ; Sir John Gilbert, a Family Card-party, 
 215 guineas; T. S. Cooper, Cows in a Landscape, 
 215 guineas ; J. Pettie, The Hour, 500 guineas (ap- 
 parently bought in and offered again in 1881, when 
 it was knocked down for 400 guineas) ; Sir David 
 Wilkie, Escape of Mary Queen of Scots from 
 Lochleven Castle, 48 x 65, 700 guineas (from the 
 
3 14 JAMES FENTON OF NORTON HALL. 
 
 Gillott sale) ; T. Faed, " God Bless It ! " 30 x 20, 
 400 guineas ; W. J. Miiller, the Old Snuff Mill, 
 Stapleton, 780 guineas ; Frank Holl,The Deserter, 
 330 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, The Brides of 
 Venice, 42 x 60, 400 guineas (bought in). Another 
 somewhat important sale took place during the 
 following week (February 26th, 27th and 28th), 
 namely, that of the large collection of pictures 
 formed by James Fenton, Norton Hall, Glouces- 
 tershire. There were 450 lots, and the total of 
 the actual sales amounts to ,£8,565 igs. 6d. It 
 included : G. Morland, Butcher bargaining with 
 Farmer, signed, and dated 1794, 20 x 25, 290 
 guineas ; G. Romney, Portraits of Two Children, 
 said to be the children of Lord Warwick, life size, 
 24 x 30, 260 guineas (from the Alton Towers sale 
 in 1868, when it sold for 25 guineas); Rubens, 
 Helena Forman, and her two children as Infant 
 Christ and St. John, 160 guineas, and Mercury 
 and Argus, 160 guineas; J. M. W. Turner, The 
 Tummel Bridge, 181 2, 12 x 18, 220 guineas; Sir 
 E. Landseer, Lion preying on a Fawn, 1840, 
 16x12, 175 guineas; T. S. Cooper, Landscape 
 with three Cows, 240 guineas ; J. B. Pyne, the 
 Blind Beggar of the Lago Lugano, 210 guineas; 
 J. Linnell, the Isle of Wight from Lymington, 480 
 guineas, and Sheepfold, evening, 26 x 36, 455 
 guineas ; W. Linnell, Landscape, peasant driving 
 cattle up a hill, 185 guineas ; T. Creswick and W. 
 P. Frith, a Glade in the Forest, 1849, 300 guineas ; 
 T. Webster, the Young Fisherman, 1840, 235 
 guineas; W. Collins, " Les Causeuses," 1830, 335 
 
THE KURTZ COLLECTION. 3 I 5 
 
 guineas; A. Elmore, Rienzi in the Forum, 1844, 
 66x48, 210 guineas, and Guardi, View of the 
 Rial to, 410 guineas. 
 
 The great picture sale of this year was that of 
 the collection of the late Charles Kurtz, sold by 
 direction of the executors under the order of the 
 Court of Chancery on March 12th and 13th. The 
 total of the 199 lots of water colour drawings and 
 pictures amounted to ,£17,822 14^., the nominal 
 total being nearly £"9,000 in excess of the actual 
 sales. The drawings included L. Gallait, Corona- 
 tion of Banderien, Emperor of Constantinople, in 
 1204, 14 x 26, 190 guineas, and J. L. E. Meissonier, 
 L'Attente, 13x7, 400 guineas. The pictures com- 
 prised R. Ansdell and J. Phillip, The Spanish 
 Muleteer, 21x24, 2 °5 guineas; R. Beavis, Col- 
 lecting Wreck on the French Coast, 24x36, 135 
 guineas ; F. Lee Bridell, The Coliseum by Moon- 
 light, 30 x 40, 200 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, The 
 Defeat of Kellerman's Cuirassiers and Carabineers 
 by Somerset's Cavalry at Waterloo, 84 x 96, 600 
 guineas (bought in, and offered again in 1881, when 
 it fetched 400 guineas) ; T. Creswick and T. S. 
 Cooper, "Good Evening," autumn, 36x51, 505 
 guineas ; B. W. Leader, Autumn Sunset in the 
 Lledr Valley, North Wales, 40 x 60, 430 guineas ; 
 E. Nicol, His Legal Adviser, 31x43, 1877, 570 
 guineas ; and " Examine your Change before you 
 leave the Counter," 26 x 20, 240 guineas ; Alma 
 Tadema, The Ambush Attack, 27 x 39, 550 
 guineas ; A. Achenbach, A Torrent in Norway, 
 210 guineas; O. Achenbach, Tivoli, 39x60, 150 
 
316 
 
 THE KURTZ COLLECTION. 
 
 guineas ; Auguste Bonheur, Cattle on the Banks 
 of a River, 39 x 55, 300 guineas ; Rosa Bonheur, 
 The Shepherdess, 1846, 17 x 25, 650 guineas ; W. 
 Bouguereau, an Italian Mother and Child, 240 
 guineas ; Henriette Browne, An Armenian Cap- 
 maker, 45 x 35, 300 guineas ; F. Domingo, The 
 Ruined Gamester, 6x9, 430 guineas ; G. Dore, 
 Christian Martyrs in the reign of Diocletian, 1870, 
 •56 x 90, 760 guineas, and an Alpine Scene, 44 x 67, 
 305 guineas ; J. Dyckmans, Paying Accounts, 1837, 
 31 x 27, 280 guineas ; L. Escosura, The Singing 
 Lesson, 32 x 42, 250 guineas ; L. Gallait, Columbus 
 in Prison, 60x43, 750 guineas, and The Neapo- 
 litan Flower Girl, 45 x 30, 475 guineas ; J. L. 
 Gerdme, Neapolitan Women, 35 x 27, 290 guineas; 
 W. de Keyser, Columbus and his Child in the 
 Convent of Petre Santa, 63 x 48, 300 guineas ; L. 
 Knauss, Scene during the Rebel War in Germany 
 in the Fourteenth Century, 1852, 43 x 39, 600 
 guineas ; G. Koller, Faust and Marguerite, 34 x 54, 
 380 guineas ; B. C. Koekkoek, View on the 
 Meuse, 35 x 45, 160 guineas (apparently bought in 
 and again offered in 1881, when it realized 285 
 guineas), and a Winter Scene in Belgium, 25 x 27, 
 305 guineas; Baron H. Leys, Martin Luther in 
 his study, with his wife and friends, 28 x 42, 1,150 
 guineas ; J. L. E. Meissonier, The Commercial 
 Traveller, man in green coat sitting at a table out- 
 side an inn, 15x9, 1,250 guineas ; H. Merle, Mar- 
 guerite trying on the Jewels, 60 x 39, 750 guineas, 
 and Fairy Tales, 22 x 18, 230 guineas ; L. Perrault, 
 Philippean Dancing, 28 x 43, 215 guineas; T. 
 
PORCELAIN SALES. 
 
 3*7 
 
 Sadee, Fishermen's Wives on the Look-out, 
 2 5 x 39> 335 guineas ; J. E. Saintin, The Flower of 
 Joy, 1 30 guineas; Van Schendel, a Market Square, 
 candle and moonlight effect, 32 x 47, 240 guineas ; 
 A. Toulmouche, The Secret, 25 x 19, 210 guineas ; 
 C. Troyon, La Vallee de la Tocque, 102 x 83, 700 
 guineas ; and F. Willems, The Toilet, 2 1 5 guineas. 
 
 The principal porcelain sales of 1 880 may be here 
 bracketed together. The earliest of these comprised 
 the blue and white collection of Dr. E. B. Shuldham, 
 sold on February 24th ; there were over 160 lots, 
 but the chief interest centred in the seven hawthorn 
 jars, each about 13 inches high, some with covers 
 complete, a fine set of three vases and a pair of 
 beakers. " The prices," says The Times reporter, 
 " to which these were run up were preposterous be- 
 yond all precedent, scarce as these old jars may be." 
 The highest prices were as follows : A globular 
 hawthorn jar and cover, ^262 ; another jar, deep- 
 blue marbled ground, branches of hawthorn in white, 
 carved wood cover, ^232 ; another jar and cover, 
 ^410 11s. ; another, ^325 10s. ; another, ^620, 
 and yet another, ^650. A set of three jars and 
 covers, 1 1 inches high, and a pair of beakers, 
 painted with female figures, trees, and vases of 
 flowers, necks painted with birds, 10^- inches high, 
 £120 ; a similar set, with female figures and vases 
 of flowers in compartments, 18 inches high, ^320. 
 
 The works of art and vertu of the late Dowager 
 Lady Carington, sold in May (total ^11,744) also 
 included some choice bits of Dresden, notably a 
 group of two pug dogs, ^119; a large pug dog, 
 
3 I 8 COLONEL HOLDSWORTH's COLLECTION. 
 
 £\2^\ a spaniel on a cushion, with chased Louis 
 XV. ormolu plinth, £325 ; lady with two pugs, on 
 a white and gold pedestal, £210; lady seated, 
 gentleman kissing her hand, and a negro attendant, 
 ^210; and another, nearly similar, ^"208. The 
 choice collection of old English porcelain of the 
 late George William Callender, F.R.S., was sold 
 on May 6th, and comprised fine figures and other 
 specimens of old Bristol porcelain, many of which 
 form illustrations to Owen's " Two Centuries of 
 Ceramic Art in Bristol " — and a number of these 
 illustrations were reproduced in the sale catalogue. 
 
 The first important picture sale of 1881 com- 
 prised the highly important collection of examples 
 of modern artists formed by Colonel Holdsworth, 
 of Shaw Lodge, Halifax, sold on April 30th, 
 eighty-three lots realizing ,£33,040 js. The more 
 notable pictures were : R. Ansdell, Gossip at 
 Seville, 320 guineas, and Spate in the Highlands, 
 420 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, Grand Canal, Venice, 
 sunset, 370 guineas, and Hastings, 36 x 60, 590 
 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, Landscape, with cows, 
 bull, and sheep, evening effect, 535 guineas; T. 
 Creswick, Skirts of the Park, 27 x 34, 350 guineas; 
 Barnard Castle, 36x48,410 guineas; a Watery 
 Lane, 18 x 24, 320 guineas ; The Cottage and the 
 Hall, with figures by Cooper and Stone, 550 
 guineas ; and On Shore, with Figures by Frith, 
 600 guineas ; A. Elmore, Hotspur and the Fop, 
 12x24, 340 guineas; T. Faed, Winter, 300 
 guineas, and Cottage Piety, 405 guineas ; W. P. 
 Frith, Dolly Varden, signed, and dated 1843, 
 
COLONEL HOLDSWORTH'S COLLECTION. 319 
 
 340 guineas ; the finished sketch for the Derby 
 Day, 16x36, 610 guineas; and Pope and Lady 
 Mary Wortley Montagu, upright, 48x36, 1,190 
 guineas (from the Hargreaves sale of 1873, when it 
 realized 1,350 guineas) ; W. E. Frost, Cupid and 
 Nymphs, 310 guineas ; F. Goodall, Fete, Brittany, 
 12 x 18, 350 guineas ; J. C. Hook, A Cornish Gift, 
 24 x 26, 800 guineas, and Mending Nets, 300 
 guineas ; J. Callcott Horsley, Stolen Glances, 400 
 guineas ; Sir F. Leighton, A Roman Lady, 340 
 guineas ; C. R. Leslie, A Picnic Party, 30 x 36, 
 510 guineas; J. Linnell, English Pastoral, 850 
 guineas ; The Sheep Drive, 800 guineas ; Barley 
 Field, 950 guineas (these three pictures each 
 measure 30x40); Bark Peelers, 14 x 20, 360 
 guineas ; and Coming Storm, 18x27, 770 guineas ; 
 J. T. Linnell, " A-top the Hill," 550 guineas ; W. 
 Linnell, Under the Greenwood, 220 guineas ; W. 
 J. Muller, Pandy Mill (erroneously catalogued as 
 "The old Mill, Pont-y-Pool"), 2,000 guineas ; W. 
 Mulready, The Widow, 1,100 guineas; P. Nas- 
 myth, River Scene in Hampshire, 460 guineas ; 
 H. O'Neil, Mary Queen of Scots' Adieu, 24x30, 
 330 guineas ; J. Phillip, Scene from the " Heart of 
 Midlothian," 12 x 16, 450 guineas ; Gentle Student, 
 230 guineas ; and " O, Nannie, will ye gang wi' 
 me ? " 800 guineas ; P. F. Poole, Greek Goatherd's 
 Courtship, 280 guineas ; Mountain Spring, 26 x 20, 
 300 guineas; and Lighting the Beacon, 670 guineas ; 
 D. Roberts, Piazza S. Mario, Venice, October 
 1 85 1, 42 x 92, 1,540 guineas ; C. Stanfield, On the 
 Texel, 530 guineas ; T. Webster, See-Saw, 256 
 
320 
 
 THE BALE COLLECTION. 
 
 guineas ; Punch, 310 guineas ; and The Gipsy, 230 
 guineas; Rosa Bonheur, Les Paturages, 14 x 18, 
 540 guineas ; and Landscape with cows, goat, and 
 woman, 18 x 24, 820 guineas. 
 
 But the principal art sale of 1881 was that of 
 the extensive collection of pictures, drawings, etch- 
 ings, miniatures, medals, coins, bronzes, jewels, 
 and objects of decorative art generally, formed by 
 the late Charles Sackville Bale. Mr. Bale col- 
 lected objects of art in pretty much the same 
 wholesale way as Heber collected books. His 
 house from top to bottom was literally packed with 
 treasures of the greatest interest and value, and all 
 heaped in the most indiscriminate fashion. It 
 would perhaps be too much to say that Mr. Bale 
 knew where to lay his hands on every object in 
 his collection, but it is quite certain that no one 
 had ever collected with more judgment or with 
 greater success in so many branches of art. The 
 collection was dispersed as follows : 
 
 First Part. jQ s. d. 
 
 May 13, 14, and 16. Pictures and drawings of 
 
 the English School (449 lots) .... 28,481 13 o 
 
 Second Part. 
 May 17-19. Oriental porcelain, rock crystal, 
 amber, Japanese lacquer, Chinese enamels, 
 bronzes 6,75020 
 
 Third Part. 
 
 May 20. Silver and silver gilt, jewels, etc. . . 2,871 4 5 
 
 Fourth Part. 
 May 23-24. Old Sevres, Dresden and English 
 porcelain, majolica, Palissy ware, carvings 
 in ivory, etc I 3 J °S3 6 6 
 
THE BALE COLLECTION. 32 I 
 
 Fifth Part. £ s. d. 
 May 30-31. Coins, medals, gems, glass, terra- 
 cottas, Etruscan ware, etc 8,71118 o 
 
 Sixth Part. 
 June 9, 10, 11, and 13. Drawings, engravings, 
 
 etchings IT >576 15 o 
 
 Seventh Part. 
 July 1. The library (360 lots) 1,078 18 6 
 
 £72,523 *7 5 
 
 The total number of the lots, including the pictures and 
 books, 3,500. 
 
 The collection included the following drawings : 
 Peter de Wint, Kenilworth Castle, 390 guineas ; 
 View at Goodwood, 6f x 9^, 200 guineas ; grand 
 Landscape, a river, i5§X24, 400 guineas; and 
 London from Battersea, sh x l2 > : 95 guineas; 
 Copley Fielding, coast scene, j\ x io|-, 120 guineas; 
 Thomas Girtin, Landscape, with mountains, 
 23J x 35§, 130 guineas ; The River Exe, n\ x 20, 
 154 guineas; Durham, 10J x 14^, 135 guineas; 
 and Morpeth Bridge, 12JX 2of, from the Redleaf 
 collection, no guineas; W. Hunt, Grapes and 
 Plums, 9 \ x 13J, 130 guineas; Samuel Prout, In- 
 terior of Chartres Cathedral, \ 2\ x 9^-, 102 guineas ; 
 and the following long series of drawings by 
 Turner: Fall of the Trees, 1,210 guineas; and 
 Chain Bridge over the Tees, 1,050 guineas — both 
 these drawings were engraved in the " England 
 and Wales " series, and the latter is from the Novar 
 collection, 1878; Rye, Sussex, 5f x 9J, 340 guineas; 
 
 1. Y 
 
322 
 
 THE BALE COLLECTION. 
 
 and Lyme Regis from the sea, 5J x 8§, 640 
 guineas — both engraved in the South Coast Series ; 
 Hastings from the Sea, 15J x 23}, 18 18, 1,050 
 guineas ; Weymouth, 5§ x 8f , 520 guineas ; Burn- 
 ing of the Houses of Parliament, the engraved 
 vignette, 200 guineas ; Rouen on the Seine, 5J x 
 85 guineas ; Lanthony Abbey, 1 1 x SJ, 80 guineas ; 
 View of Ingleborough, with Hornby Castle, en- 
 graved, n^xi6f, 2,200 guineas; and View in 
 Switzerland, 9 j- x n|-, 210 guineas. 
 
 The more important of the pictures were as 
 follows : Fra Angelico, Virgin and Child enthroned, 
 nine angels, 1 if x 8^-, from the Samuel Rogers col- 
 lection, 360 guineas ; Giovanni Bellini, Portrait of 
 a lady, from the Charles I. collection, 13 x 11, 220 
 guineas ; Velasquez, Portrait of Don Balthazar in 
 black and gold dress, 20 x 15, 830 guineas — pur- 
 chased in 1868 for 185 guineas at the H. Baillie 
 sale, Mr. Baillie having purchased it on June 
 9th, 1827, for £iy 8s. ; Claude, Herdsman feed- 
 ing goats, 16x21, 400 guineas; and Mercury 
 lulling Argus to Sleep, painted for Bafont, etched 
 by the artist, No. 1 in the Choiseul Gallery, 
 23 x 29, 610 guineas — these two pictures were in 
 the Redleaf sale of W. Wells in 1848; N. Berghem, 
 Landscape, two men, cattle near fountain, 12 x 14, 
 450 guineas ; A. Ostade, Cabaret, four men and 
 dog, 11 x 10, signed and dated 1663, 960 guineas ; 
 and A Lawyer in his Study, signed and dated 
 1664, 650 guineas ; William Van de Velde, Gentle 
 Breeze, three men in a boat, 1 3 x 14J, from the Red- 
 leaf collection, 1841, engraved by Canot, 460 
 
THE BALE COLLECTION. 323 
 
 guineas ; A. Waterloo, Woody river, sportsman and 
 dogs, figures by A. Van de Velde, 19X 10, 210 
 guineas ; P. Wouverman, Hilly sandbank, horses 
 and figures, from the Clewer Manor collection, 
 7^ x 11, 300 guineas. 
 
 As will be seen from the above summary, the 
 drawings by the old masters formed perhaps the 
 most valuable portion of this extensive collection ; 
 but we have only room to mention a few articles 
 as follows : A. Diirer, Head of a young man, black 
 chalk, signed, and dated 1520, 180 guineas; 
 Raphael, Group of the Holy Women and Apostles, 
 pen and bistre, 9! x 6^, from the Pieta, en- 
 graved by M. Antonio, and from the collections 
 of Mead and Barnard, ^535 (Malcolm); L. da 
 Vinci, Study of a child, chalk on grey paper, from 
 the Lely and Samuel Rogers collections, 16 x 10, 
 ^309 ; and a Female head, chalk on grey paper, 
 ^204. The etchings and engravings included 
 Rembrandt, Christ healing, second state, India 
 paper, ; The Three Trees, £101 ; Cottage 
 with white pales, £157 ; and Vandyck, Portrait of 
 J. van den Wouver, first state, ^450. The minia- 
 tures included Isaac Oliver, Richard, third Earl of 
 Dorset, full length, standing, a magnificent example 
 of this master, x 6\, £%oo. The most sensa- 
 tional article in the whole sale was perhaps an 
 oval locket of gold, chased and enamelled, the 
 back of glass, inlaid with arabesques in coloured 
 enamel, 2,025 guineas — a writer in The Pall Mall 
 Gazette of April 23rd, 1894, states that this beau- 
 tiful locket, for there was neither medallion nor 
 
324 mr. coleman's landseers. 
 
 back, was bought of old John Webb of Bond 
 Street by Mr. Bale in 1856 for £10. 
 
 A number of important pictures occurred in the 
 sale of May 28th, but six works from the collection 
 of Mr. E. J. Coleman completely overshadowed 
 the other properties, inasmuch as they realized the 
 handsome total of ,£26,355. Four of these were 
 by Sir Edwin Landseer, namely, " Well-bred 
 sitters who never say they are bored," upright, 
 36 x 28, 5,000 guineas ; " Man proposes, God dis- 
 poses," the bears and the Franklin relics, from the 
 Albert Grant sale, 96 x 36, 6,300 guineas 
 (Holloway) ; Digging out the Otter in the Valley 
 of the Tay, figures finished by Sir J. E. Millais — 
 this picture realized in its unfinished state 630 
 guineas at the artist's sale in 1874 — 60 x 98, 2,950 
 guineas ; and Stag pursued by Greyhound, chalk 
 cartoon, life size in colours, 72 x 96, 5,000 guineas 
 (Holloway) ; and two pictures by Clarkson 
 Stanfield, Pic du Midi d'Ossau, from the Bicknell 
 collection, 2,550 guineas, and the Battle of 
 Roveredo, from the Mendel and Albert Grant sales, 
 (see p. 275) 3,300 guineas — both purchased by 
 Mr. Holloway, and now at the Royal Holloway 
 College, Egham. The other properties sold dur- 
 ing the same day included Sir J. E. Millais, The 
 Princes in the Tower, 3,800 guineas, also purchased 
 by Mr. Holloway ; C. Stanfield, Coast Scene, with 
 wreck, 220 guineas ; J. Linnell, The Woodcutters, 
 1861, 490 guineas ; C. Cole, Cornfield, 2 70 guineas ; 
 J. Philip, The Music Lesson, Seville, i860, 500 
 guineas ; E. W. Cooke, Bay of Carthagena, sunset, 
 
W. SHARP OF IIANDSWORTH. 325 
 
 1 86 1, 240 guineas ; T. Creswick, The Trent Side, 
 2,000 guineas (Holloway) — the artist received 500 
 guineas for this picture, and the last owner paid an 
 advance of 50 guineas on that price ; D. Roberts, 
 The Piazetta of St. Mark, Venice, 290 guineas ; 
 
 C. W. Cope, Lear recovering at the sound of 
 Cordelia's voice, painted in 1850 for the late Mr. 
 Brunei's Shakespeare room, 270 guineas ; P. F. 
 Poole, Job's Messengers, 1850, 60 x 72, 700 
 guineas ; Sir A. W. Callcott, Approach to Verona 
 from the Tyrol, 300 guineas ; W. Collins, The 
 Cherryseller, a small replica of the celebrated 
 picture, 29 x 25, 315 guineas. 
 
 The last noteworthy sale of this year, comprised 
 the collection of modern pictures formed by William 
 Sharp of Handsworth, near Birmingham, sold on 
 July 9th. The eighty lots realized ,£22,967 14^. 
 and included the following : — W. Collins, Borrow- 
 dale, a Landscape, with children, 34 x 44, 2,500 
 guineas ; J. Constable, Hampstead Heath, 550 
 guineas ; T. S. Cooper, Landscape, with sheep 
 and goats, 520 guineas, and Mountain Sheep, 250 
 guineas ; T. Creswick, The King of the Forest, a 
 forest glade, with a stag and deer by R. Ansdell, 
 27 x 35, 650 guineas ; C. Fielding, Travellers in a 
 storm, on the road near Winchester, 40 x 49, 3,000 
 guineas (Holloway), — the late Mr. Sharp is said to 
 have purchased this work for ^240 in 1862 ; F. 
 
 D. rrardy, Interior, with fiddler and other figures, 
 230 guineas ; H. Le Jeune, Consider the Lilies, 
 the engraved picture, 260 guineas ; J. Linnell, 
 Hillside Farm, 16x23, 905 guineas ; The Eve of 
 
326 MR. hermon's wyfold court gallery. 
 
 the Deluge, a small replica of the celebrated picture, 
 2 5 x 34) 3^o guineas, and a portrait of J. M. W. 
 Turner, 82 guineas ; D. Maclise, Spirit of Justice, 
 from the artist's great fresco in the House of 
 Parliament, 96x60, 210 guineas. For the seven 
 pictures by W. J. Mtiller the late Mr. Sharp is said 
 to have refused an offer of ,£10,000 ; they now sold 
 as follows: — Frosty Morning, figures, 18 x 24, 
 155 guineas; High Life, interior of a richly 
 furnished house, with two men, 24 x 34, 105 
 guineas ; Frost scene, with gamekeeper, and trees 
 covered with frost, 1837, 72 x 48, 440 guineas; 
 Arab Shepherds, a mountain landscape, with two 
 figures under palm trees, arched, 1842, 33 x 65, 
 2,600 guineas ; Tomb in the water, Telmessius, 
 Lycia, 1845, 30x60, 2,250 guineas (Holloway), 
 and Prayers in the Desert, landscape with distant 
 mountains, 1843, arched, 40 x 72, 1,800 guineas ; 
 J. P. Pyne, Haweswater, 260 guineas ; and T. 
 Webster, The Pedlar, engraved, 550 guineas. 
 
 The Hamilton Palace sale was naturally the 
 great event of 1882, but prior to this sensation the 
 choice collection of modern pictures formed by the 
 late Edward Hermon, M.P. for Preston, and of 
 Wyfold Court, Henley-on-Thames, came under the 
 hammer on May 13th. The eighty-four lots 
 realized the high total of ,£34,380 19s. 6d.— the 
 nominal total of the sale shows about £"3,000 
 beyond this amount, as a few articles were bought 
 in. The principle pictures were as follows : E. 
 de Schampheleer, Scene on the river Dort, 360 
 guineas ; C. Troyon, Landscape,, near Trouville, 
 
THE WYFOLD COURT GALLERY. 
 
 327 
 
 26 x 37, 400 guineas ; J. Holland, Gesuati-Chiesa, 
 Venice, 9 J x 20, 230 guineas, and the Barbarigo 
 Palace, 19 inches circular, 305 guineas ; W. M tiller, 
 Gillingham Church, 1843, 23x16, 585 guineas; 
 P. H. Calderon, In the cloisters at Aries, 1863, 
 33x28, 425 guineas; E. W. Cooke, A Dutch 
 Vessel aground, 1865, 42 x 66, from the Leaf 
 collection, 510 guineas (Martin Holloway) ; three 
 examples in oils of David Cox, Carrying Vetches, 
 1850, 14 x 21, 510 guineas ; Going to the 
 Hayfield, 1848, 23 x 33, 1,000 guineas, and 
 Changing Pastures, 1,400 guineas — these three 
 were painted for the late Mr. Dawes of Birming- 
 ham between 1848 and 185 1, and the last one 
 was again offered for sale in 1884, when it was 
 knocked down for 1,200 guineas; Sir C. L. East- 
 lake, Scene in the Anno Santo, pilgrims in sight 
 of Rome, 1828, the engraved picture, 260 guineas ; 
 T. Faed, Taking Rest, a cottage woman and her 
 baby, 1858, 33 x 25, 710 guineas (Martin Hol- 
 loway) ; W. P. Frith, Altisidora pretending love 
 for Don Quixote, 1869, 58 x 61, 480 guineas — ■ 
 this picture is said to have cost Mr. Hermon 
 2,000 guineas ; Peter Graham, A Spate in the 
 Highlands, 1872, 27 x 41, 750 guineas, — "this, 
 not the picture of the same title which first 
 brought the painter into notice when exhibited 
 at the old Academy Galleries in Trafalgar Square, 
 was a much larger work, now in the collection 
 of Mr. Cunliffe Brooks " and is said to have cost 
 about 1,300 guineas; and "Where Deep Seas 
 Moan," rocky cliff, with seabirds, 65 x 52, 760 
 
328 
 
 THE WYFOLD COURT GALLERY. 
 
 guineas ; F. Holl, Newgate : Committed for trial, 
 1878, 60x82, 770 guineas ( H olio way ) ; J. C. 
 Horsley, The Duenna's Return (not The Duenna 
 and her Cares), 170 guineas; Colin Hunter, Store for 
 the Cabin, Connemara, a coast scene with figures, 
 60x44, 320 guineas; Sir E. Landseer, Poachers 
 deerstalking, 183 1, 20 x 26, 800 guineas, and " Old 
 Brutus," a white, wire-haired, bull-terrier dog, 
 43 x 55, from the artist's sale, 400 guineas ; three 
 pictures by E. Long, The Babylonian Marriage 
 Market, exhibited at the Royal Academy, 1875, 
 66 x 120, 6,300 guineas; The Suppliants, the 
 subject taken from " The History of the Gipsies," 
 painted in 1872, 72 x 113, 4,100 guineas — for the 
 former of these two pictures the artist is said to 
 have received 7, 100 guineas, and for the latter 1,500 
 guineas, and both were bought by Mr. Holloway 
 for the Royal Holloway College Gallery ; and 
 Billeting at Cadiz, 1868, 62 x 44, 500 guineas; J. 
 MacWhirter, Moonlight, a coast scene, 39 x 65, 
 270 guineas, and " Spindthrift," also a coast scene, 
 with carting of seaweed, 32 x 56, 300 guineas — both 
 these pictures were also bought by Mr. Holloway; 
 Sir J. E. Millais, A Deserted Garden, early 
 morning effect, exhibited in 1875, with the following 
 verse from Campbell : 
 
 " Yet wandering I found in my ruinous walk, 
 
 By the dial-stone, aged and green, 
 One rose of the wilderness left on its stalk, 
 
 To mark where a garden had been," 
 
 48x72, 900 guineas, and Getting Better, 1876, 
 41 x 35, 810 guineas; P. R. Morris, Bathers dis- 
 
THE WYFOLD COURT GALLERY. 
 
 3 2 9 
 
 turbed, 46 x 72,310 guineas ; J. Phillip,The Church 
 Porch, selling relics, the artist's last work, begun in 
 Seville in i86i,but left unfinished, from the Mendel 
 collection, 60x84, 3,750 guineas, and a Highland 
 Lassie Reading, exhibited 1867, 29 x 22, 900 
 guineas; J. Pettie, A State Secret, a Cardinal 
 burning a document in presence of his attendant 
 monk, 48 x 63, 1,000 guineas (Martin Holloway) ; 
 P. F. Poole, Wayfarers, a country woman 
 with her baby, 29 x 26, 410 guineas ; J. M. W. 
 Turner, Cicero at his villa at Tusculum, exhibited 
 at the Royal Academy 1839, 36 x 48, 1,800 
 guineas — this picture is from the Novar collection, 
 and was now understood to be bought in ; and 
 E. M. Ward, The Return of Louis XVI. to Paris, 
 43 x 51, 310 guineas. 
 
 END OF VOLUME I. 
 
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 CHISW1CK PRESS: — CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. 
 TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 
 
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GETTY CENTER LIBRARY