Newsletter No 41 Winter 2012/13 From the Chair New Committee Member Winter is drawing upon us once again and Dr Robyne Erica Calvert: another year’s activities for the Society are coming Dr Robyne Erica Calvert is currently a Lecturer in to a close. I’m pleased to say that we have had a Architectural, Design, and Fashion history at the successful year with membership numbers on the Glasgow School of Art. She completed her PhD in increase, a variety of interesting and popular early 2012 at the University of Glasgow, titled events, the launch of the new issue of the Journal Fashioning the Artist: Artistic Dress in Britain, 1848 imminently upon us as I write, and most recently a - 1910. Her research interests are on 19th and very successful conference organised by Andrew early 20th century art and design in Britain, with Watson at George Watson’s College, the papers particular focus on Glasgow. Previous research has from which will be published in next year’s Journal. centred on Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, and A successful new initiative was the Society’s her essay on exploring Macdonald's work in the first evening class, run by myself and Lesley Lindsay Willow Tea Room in relation to Dante Gabriel over the past two months through the University Rossetti's Willowwood sonnets was published in of Dundee’s Continuing Education department. On the December 2012 SSAH Journal. She is currently the topic of Scottish Art in the 20th Century, it preparing her research on Artistic Dress for included visits to the Fergusson Gallery, the publication, and working on a project investigating McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum, and autograph fans, with the goal of creating an the art collections of the Universities of Dundee electronic resource for these unusual objects. and St Andrews; as well as featuring guest talks by Joanna Soden, Tom Normand, Claire Robinson and SSAH Research Support Grants Helen Scott. The students were given membership of the society as part of their course fee, and it is The Scottish Society for Art History promotes hoped that they (and indeed all of you!) will want scholarship in the history of Scottish art and art to renew subscriptions for next year. located in Scotland. To facilitate this, the SSAH Finally, after seven years, this is my last offers research support grants from £50 to £300 to ‘From the Chair’ as I handed over the reins at the AGM. I will continue to serve on the committee but assist with research costs and travel expenses. I would like to take this final opportunity as Chair Applicants must be working at a post-graduate level or above and should either be resident in to thank my fellow committee members for all Scotland or doing research that necessitates travel their help and to thank all of you for your on-going to Scotland. Application deadlines: 30 November support for the Society. Merry Christmas! and 31 May. Matthew Jarron 1 To apply please send via e-mail: is that it was made in two stages in Rembrandt’s a cover letter career, which corresponds with periods of works current curriculum vitae that he produced on the theme of the Passion. In a brief project description (300-500 words) addition to the two distinct ways of painting that specifying how the grant will be used and how are present in the one work, the second significant it relates to a broader research agenda aspect concerned the status of the work as a a budget preparatory sketch, which is something the the name and e-mail address of one reference materials used – oil on oak panel – suggest was anything but a preparatory work. It is as an Address applications to: exploration of these questions that the exhibition SSAH Research Support Grants unfolds. c/o Dr Shannon Hunter Hurtado Of particular interest are two moments in [email protected] the exhibition where the relationship between sketches and works were examined. On the SSAH events opposite wall to the Entombment Sketch was the Munich painting commissioned by Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, which although Tour of the Rembrandt and the Passion unfinished provided a comparison on the same exhibition, Hunterian Gallery, Glasgow, Saturday theme. Also, in the final room there were a 27th October 2012 number of similarly sized paintings on the theme Review by Benjamin Greenman that were used as sketches for editions of prints, a practice that Rembrandt adapted from Peter Paul The exhibition Rembrandt and the Passion, Rubens. the first show in the newly re-opened Hunterian A strong feature of the exhibition, and one gallery, was a rich and thought-provoking look into where we greatly profited from a curator’s one of Western art’s most famous protagonists. narrative, was the relationships between works Our tour was led by curator Peter Black who and what it told us about Rembrandt’s way of provided an invaluable insight into the aims of the working. In the same room as the Entombment exhibition as well as a deeply knowledgeable Sketch was a copy by Rembrandt of Jan Lievens’ account of the artist’s life and career. painting and etching The Raising of Lazarus, which A particularly compelling aspect of this is known to have been on display in Rembrandt’s exhibition, especially for those familiar with the front room. Rather than a mere copy Rembrandt’s Hunterian, was the central place it gave to the drawing illustrates the formal and thematic Hunterian collection’s own Rembrandt painting, inventiveness of the artist, and of particular Entombment Sketch, around which the exhibition relevance for the exhibition the way that he was organised. This small painting, which notably transformed the scene into a depiction of was the first painting by the artist to be exhibited entombment. in Britain, poses some intriguing questions for the The central space of the exhibition was art historian and provided the impetus for the devoted to reconstructing elements of exhibition itself. The sense of investigation and Rembrandt’s kunst caemer (or museum) that research that underlay the exhibition was evident adjoined his painting studio and contained his from Black’s narration and explanation of the collection of prints. This section conveyed a clear exhibits. This was an exhibition borne out of sense of the Italian precedents that the artist questioning the specific character of the sought to understand and rival. The final room Entombment Sketch and considering the artist’s looked extensively at the prints of the Passion, particular manner of working and its relation to his showing both the way in which Rembrandt other works. The first significant feature of the understood the value of prints as well as what he sketch, which was supported by technical analysis, 2 sought in depicting the Passion in a sustained way, The Black Watch at Bay is one of the most which was concisely expressed by his first magnificent paintings in the collection and has biographer as a study of ‘the movement of the become an icon of the Museum, due in no small soul.’ With great appreciation to Peter Black’s part to its topic and its size, an impressive 156 by patient account this tour was as much an enjoyable 215cm. The painting was brought to the Museum and insightful perspective on the exhibition as a in 1950 with the assistance of an endowment from real look into the nature of art historical research the late Major-General A H Marindin. itself. The Black Watch at Bay was painted in 1894 by the artist William Barnes Wollen (1857-1936). He was a leading practitioner in historicising battle Features th painting in the 19 century. He was later engaged The Black Watch Castle and Museum – by The Sphere newspaper as its official war artist Artwork Focus covering the Boer War but is highly regarded for By Leanor Blackhall and Emma Halford-Forbes with his battle paintings of the Napoleonic era. Wollen’s assistance from research conducted by Helen work is included in the collections of the National Smailes and Allan Carswell Army Museum, the National War Museum of Scotland and several English Regimental museums. The Black Watch Castle and Museum holds The Black Watch at Bay captures the impressive collections of both official and personal moment when the 42nd Regiment were ordered to materials that reflect the life and activities of hold the cross roads at Quatre Bras on 16 June Scotland’s oldest Highland Regiment. The Museum 1815. This was a critical point in the Regiment’s has a particularly fine collection of paintings, history. Advancing through head-height rye, they including items deemed of National significance. were caught out of square by French cavalry. This article will highlight three of the artworks that Lieutenant Colonel Macara is pictured (near the will be displayed within the Museum when it re- Colours at the top left), shouting orders to his opens in late Spring 2013 following a £3.5million troops. During the battle, Macara was killed and Redevelopment Project. The building work includes Robert Dick took command. Despite losing its an extension that will provide a new café, shop, Colonel and other senior officers, the 42nd reception area, improved storage for archives and managed to form a square, forcing the French to artefacts and a designated learning space. The retire. They held the cross roads and this allowed existing Museum building and galleries are being Wellington to pass onto Waterloo and his great redeveloped to realise the full potential of the victory two days later, in which both the 42nd and building and exhibit the collection in its full glory.