PICTURES FOR THE NATION: Conceptualizing a Collection of 'Old Masters' for London 1775-1800 by Kristin Erin Campbell A thesis submitted to the Department of Art In conformity with the requirements for The degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada January 2009 Copyright © Kristin Campbell, 2009 Abstract This thesis addresses the growing impulse towards establishing a public, national collection of Old Master pictures for Britain, located in London, in the last quarter of the eighteenth-century. It does so by identifying the importance of individual conceptualizations of what such a collection might mean for a nation, and how it might come to be realized for an imprecisely defined public. My thesis examines the shifting dynamics between private and public collections during the period of 1775 to 1800, repositioning notions of what constituted space for viewing and accessing art in a national context, and investigates just who participated in the ensuing dialogues about various uses of art for the nation. To this end, three case studies have been employed. The first examines the collection of pictures assembled by Sir Robert Walpole and their public legacy. The second explores the proposal for a national collection of art put forth by art dealer Noel Desenfans. The third examines the frustrated plans of Sir Joshua Reynolds for his collection of Old Master pictures. Through the respective lenses provided by the case studies, it is demonstrated that the envisioning of a national gallery for Britain pitched competing perspectives against each other, as different kinds of people jockeyed for cultural authority. The process of articulating and shaping these ambitions with an eye towards national benefit was only beginning to be explored, and negotiations of private ambitions and interests surrounding picture collections for the public was further complicated by factors of social class and profession. This thesis demonstrate that the boundaries of participation in matters concerning art for the nation were not fixed regarding Old Master pictures and the value placed on them in late eighteenth-century London. i Acknowledgements I had ambitious plans, coming out of my experience doing special field examinations in the Department of Art at Queen’s University. I was determined that my dissertation could cover at least a hundred years of art viewing in London, between 1750 and 1850. It was my intention to look at practice of touring and visiting histories of private and public collections in both town and country houses, and the differences between temporary and permanent art exhibitions. I wanted to expand on the idea of what it meant to have space in which to view art objects; not only physical ones like drawing rooms and galleries, but also descriptive and prescriptive spaces, particularly those textual and descriptive journeys in guidebooks, pamphlets and newspapers that might enable a mysterious and largely anonymous public who didn’t often see art, to imagine it. From the vantage point that only a completed project affords, I can look back and say with relative certainty that almost everyone in the Department who read my initial proposals must have recognized that the scope of the intended project was a bit ridiculous. These same people had equal confidence that as I progressed through the material, I would be able to redirect focus on aspects that would not only contribute something relevant to the field, but would allow me to finish the project before it was time to collect a pension! I gratefully acknowledge the Department of Art for its support and encouragement as I worked through the processes of researching, producing and refining this dissertation. I must thank Dr. Janice Helland for her able supervision of my special field examinations. We worked through a changing process together, and navigated it so ii successfully that I emerged with an enthusiastic and inspirational co-supervisor, Janet M. Brooke. Janet’s generosity with her time and her knowledge in the field of Collecting History added immeasurably to the experience: I’m grateful for the many opportunities to dialogue with her throughout the development of this dissertation, and for her constant support and encouragement throughout the process. The project could not have been whittled down to manageable size without her. Dr. Lynda Jessup’s support as co- supervisor is also much appreciated: her insightful reading of my material invigorated my research at a crucial juncture, and the benefits of this are apparent. My extensive research in London could not have been undertaken without the support of a Bader Fellowship. The generosity of Dr. Alfred Bader in establishing this fellowship enabled many opportunities, and I am most grateful. I am also grateful for the support of Canadian Society for Eighteenth Century Studies. As a recipient of the D.W. Smith Fellowship, I was able to conclude my research with a final short trip to London. The necessary navigation of libraries in pursuit of research is always made better when a graduate student has the good fortune to work with people who are as generous and helpful as they are capable. My good fortune began at Queen’s University: many thanks to Rozan Roberts and Nina Boyd of the Art History Library, and to Mary Fraser (ret.) of the Visual Resources unit of the Department of Art. While in London, I was assisted by the staff at a variety of libraries, archives and museums, and would like to thank in particular Mrs. Calista M. Lucy and Dr. Jan Piggott (ret.) of the Dulwich College Archives, and Lynn Young at the British Library, for their help. Val Hoyt at Christie’s New York was also very generous, receiving requests and answering queries. Staff at the Rare Books and Manuscripts room at the British Library, iii the National Art Library (Victoria & Albert Museum), the Sackler Library at Oxford University, the Cambridge University Library, and at the Library at the Art Gallery of Ontario are also to be thanked for their assistance. Mentors and friends have all provided much needed support, encouragement, and sometimes the welcome distractions: I could not have embarked on this project without some of them, and could not have completed it without others. They all have my profound thanks and my gratitude. J. Douglas Stewart, for sharing his great love of the arts in Britain, and his passion for learning and the power of anecdote. Carol Gibson Wood, for encouraging me in my first critical readings of Horace Walpole and George Vertue a decade ago at the University of Victoria. Catherine Harding, Sally Hickson and Sharon Gregory, for providing me with opportunities to share parts of this thesis at conference sessions in recent years, and to discover the joy of discussing my work with others. Victoria Pollard, my oldest friend and strongest supporter, for intoning a steady refrain of encouragement from the beginning: Coraggio! Allison and Joan Sherman, for their boundless kindness and generosity, and, frequently, the roof over my head! Peter Coffman and Diane Laundy, for always forging their own path and setting the greatest example by it. Roger and Meow Brook, for always making me feel so at home in theirs. Michelle Brook, Sonia Dubon, Jane Russell Corbett and Stan Corbett, Kristy Holmes, Angela Roberts, Andrea Bubenik, Krystina Stermole, Noah Kelly, Graham Brown—you have all helped make this possibility a reality. Finally, my family: Gerry and Judy Campbell, and Lt. Col. and Mrs. W. B. Asbury, for being there from Day One, and helping every step of the way. iv Dedicated to the memory of J. Douglas Stewart (1934-2008). My best times at Queen’s were spent in your classroom and around your dinner table—a generous teacher and kind host, always. It was my great fortune to have been one of your students, and the experience continues to inspire me. v Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgments ii Dedication v Table of Contents vi List of Illustrations viii Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review 1 Chapter Two: Presence, Absence, and Narratives of Loss: Robert Walpole (1676-1745) and the Collection at Houghton Hall 48 Chapter Three: Noel Desenfans (1744/5-1807), Francis Bourgeois (c.1756- 1811), and the Problem of Negotiated Ownership 109 Chapter Four: Continuing Strategies of Negotiation 156 Chapter Five: The Old Servants’ Old Masters: The Collection of Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) 192 Chapter Six: Conclusion 210 Bibliography: 216 Appendix A: Letter from Horace Walpole to George Montagu 232 Appendix B: Parliamentary Speech of John Wilkes, 8 April 1777 235 Appendix C: Prospectus for John Boydell’s Houghton Gallery 241 Appendix D: Noel Desenfans’s Plan for a National Gallery 242 Appendix E: Newspaper Clipping on the Orléans Collection 277 Appendix F: Letter from an Anonymous Painter to Noel Desenfans 279 Appendix G: Letter from Noel Desenfans to Benjamin West 301 Appendix H: Satirical News Item related to ‘Ralph’s Exhibition’ 320 vi Appendix I: Letter from Joshua Reynolds to William Cribb 322 vii List of Illustrations Fig. 1. Dedication Page to Catherine the Great, from John Boydell’s Houghton Gallery. 1788. 84 Fig. 2. S.F. Ravenet after Carlo Dolci, Saint John, for John Boydell, 1780. 89 Fig. 3. S.F. Ravenet after Carlo Dolci, Saint John, for John Boydell, 1780. Detail of Inscription. 90 viii Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review In 1761, Horace Walpole (1717-1797), 4th Earl of Orford, penned a letter to his friend, George Montagu, detailing a recent exchange with painter and engraver William Hogarth in the artist’s Leicester Fields’ studio, on the matter of literary projects in which each was engaged at the time. Walpole was in the throes of assembling and compiling his Anecdotes of Painting in England; Hogarth was planning an Apology for Painters.