Vullinghsg 2021.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Loyal Exchange: the material and visual culture of Jacobite exile, c.1716 – c.1760 Volume I: Text Georgia W M Vullinghs PhD History of Art The University of Edinburgh 2021 Abstract The historiography of Jacobitism has tended to focus on the political and military efforts within Britain to return the Stuarts to their thrones. The history of the later Stuarts and their cause has also been overwhelmed by the figure of Charles Edward Stuart, or ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’. More recently, research into the Stuart courts in exile, and the political, economic, and military contributions exiled Jacobites made to their host countries, has shifted the focus to acknowledge the cosmopolitan nature of Jacobitism. By examining the material and visual culture of Jacobite exile between c.1716 and c.1760, this thesis looks more deeply into the exiled court of James VIII/III in Rome. Prompted by the theme of exile to consider less discussed elements of Jacobite history, namely the experiences of women, and the lives of Maria Clementina and Henry Benedict Stuart as members of the Stuart dynasty, the thesis offers alternative, though complementary, narratives to the dominant Jacobite histories. The artefacts discussed in this thesis are drawn largely from the rich collection of Jacobite objects at National Museums Scotland. The theme of exile provides the opportunity for a reconsideration of artefacts familiar to historians of Jacobitism – such as embroidery produced by Jacobite women – and offers scope for others – objects associated with Maria Clementina Sobieska for example – to be given more prominence in Jacobite studies. Additionally, the thesis makes sustained use of the Stuart Papers in the Royal Archives at Windsor: the letters and account books of the exiled court. These written sources enhance interpretation of extant Jacobite objects and the material experience of the Stuart court. Correspondence between Jacobites in Britain and the court in Rome illuminates the role of material culture in maintaining the affective relationship between exiled monarch and loyal subject that underpinned Jacobitism. Absent from his kingdoms and not performing the traditional functions of ruler, James VIII/III and his court used material culture to maintain the appearance of royalty in exile. Circulating images of the family, the exiled dynasty readied supporters for its eventual restoration and return. Rather than considering this use of material culture as unique to the exiled Stuarts, the thesis situates the court’s practices in the wider cultural context of early- modern monarchy. While absence is inherent to exile, the thesis proposes that presence is also an essential theme. Chapters one and two consider the notable presence of the expatriate Jacobite community in eighteenth-century Roman society in the context of British 1 tourism, antiquarianism, and art networks. Case studies of Clementina Sobieska and Henry Benedict demonstrate how the Stuarts could become fully incorporated into Roman society without relinquishing their claims to the thrones of Britain, nor the loyalty of their supporters. Examining the artefacts Jacobite women produced and consumed in response to Stuart exile, this thesis argues that material culture worked affectively to make the Stuarts present for their loyal supporters in Britain. Overall, this thesis offers a cultural history of Jacobitism focussing on the theme of exile which serves to unite Jacobitism in Rome with Jacobitism in Britain. Furthermore, this is a history which emphasises emotions as a meaningful measure of loyalty to the Jacobite cause, rather than political/military actions and the subsequent success or failure of those actions. By situating the material and visual culture of Jacobite exile in a wider eighteenth- century British and European cultural context, rather than interpreting it as peripheral to mainstream eighteenth-century history, the thesis also contributes to the history of the Grand Tour, gender studies, the history of emotions, and court culture. 2 Lay Summary Jacobites were the supporters of the exiled Stuart dynasty, the claimants to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland during the eighteenth century. This thesis focuses on the period from 1716 to 1760, when the descendants of the deposed James VII/II lived in Italy. Examining the objects and images connected to the history of Jacobite exile, it looks more deeply into the experience of the Stuarts and Jacobites in Rome, and of those who, remaining loyal, felt their absence in Britain. The collection of Jacobite objects at National Museums Scotland are central to this study. Additionally, it uses the Stuart Papers in the Royal Archives at Windsor: the letters and account books of the exiled court to enhance interpretation of surviving objects. Letters offer an insight into the personal relationship between the exiled Stuarts and their supporters, and how objects were used in it. Account books inform the interpretation of the material culture used by the exiled Stuart court. The first two chapters examine the presence of the Jacobite community in eighteenth- century Roman society in the context of British tourism and artistic networks. They propose that the Stuarts, with the appearance of a royal court, were a significant feature in the British tourist’s visit to Rome. Two case study chapters on Clementina Sobieska and Henry Benedict demonstrate how the Stuarts managed to honourably negotiate their exile by becoming fully incorporated into Roman society without surrendering their claims to the thrones of Britain, nor the loyalty of their supporters. Examining the things Jacobite women made, used, and exchanged in response to Stuart exile, it is argued here that interaction with objects helped individuals and groups come to terms with Stuart absence without relinquishing their loyalty. Indeed, in some way the material culture could make the Stuarts present. Overall, this thesis offers a cultural history of Jacobitism focussing on the theme of exile. Doing so brings together the history of Jacobitism in the Roman and British context. It is a history which emphasises emotions as a meaningful measure of loyalty to the Jacobite cause, rather than political/military actions and the success or failure of those actions. By looking at the material and visual culture of Jacobite exile in a wider eighteenth-century British and European cultural context, the thesis also contributes to the history of the Grand Tour, gender studies, the history of emotions, and court culture. 3 Contents Abstract 1 Lay Summary 3 Abbreviations 5 List of figures 6 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction: the material and visual culture of Jacobite exile c.1716 – c.1760 14 Chapter 1. Visiting the court: encountering the exiled court in Rome, c.1719 – c.1760 49 Chapter 2. Beyond Curiosity: exiled Jacobites and cultural networks in Rome 83 Chapter 3. Rebellious Women: the material and visual culture of Jacobite women 116 Chapter 4. Fit for a Queen: the material and visual culture of Maria Clementina Sobieska, Jacobite queen in exile 161 Chapter 5. Henry Benedict Stuart and the face of Stuart exile 202 Conclusion 243 Appendices 249 Bibliography 254 4 Abbreviations AVCAU Archivum Venerabilis Collegii Anglorum de Urbe NLS National Library of Scotland NMS National Museums Scotland NRS National Records of Scotland RA SP/BOX/ Royal Archives, Stuart Papers Loose Papers RA SP/M/ Royal Archives, Stuart Papers Miscellaneous RA SP/MAIN/ Royal Archives, Stuart Papers Main series S.P. State Papers SNPG Scottish National Portrait Gallery 5 List of figures The figures can be found in the accompanying document. Figure 1.1. William Hogarth, O The Roast Beef of Old England (‘The Gate of Calais’), 1748, oil on canvas, 78.80 × 94.50 cm, Tate N01464, © Tate. Figure 1.2. Section of Giambattista Nolli, (1692-1756), La nuova topographia di Roma Comasco, 1748. The Palazzo del Re is marked with a star. © 2009 The Regents of the University of California. Figure 1.3. Francesco Trevisani, Prince James Francis Edward Stewart, 1688-1766, 1720, oil on canvas, 96.80 x 73.80 cm, PG 159, © National Galleries of Scotland. Figure 1.4. Francesco Trevisani, Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska, 1702-1735. Wife of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, 1719, oil on canvas, 98.00 x 73.00 cm, PG 886, © National Galleries of Scotland. Figure 1.5. Antonio David, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720-1788. Eldest Son of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, 1732, oil on canvas, 73.40 x 60.30 cm, PG 887, © National Galleries of Scotland. Figure 1.6. Antonio David, Prince Henry Benedict Clement Stuart, 1725 - 1807. Cardinal York; younger brother of Prince Charles Edward, 1732, oil on canvas, 73.40 x 60.60 cm, PG 888, © National Galleries of Scotland. Figure 1.7. Giovanni Paolo Panini, Preparations in Piazza Navona to Celebrate the Birth of the Dauphin of France,1729, oil on canvas, 107 x 248 cm, INV. 415, © Musée de Louvre. Figure 2.1. Pier Leone Ghezzi, Dr James Hay as Bear Leader, a drawing; Dr James Hay as Bear Leader, c.1704 – 1729, drawing on paper, 36.30 x 24.30 cm, 1946,0713.98, © The Trustees of the British Museum.