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ANECDOTES
O F
PAINTING in ENGLAND;
With fome Account of the principal Ar tills ; And incidental NOTES on other ARTS; Colle&ed by the late
Mr. GEORGE VERTUE;
And now digefted and publifhed from his original MSS.
By Mr. HORACE WALPOLE.
VOL. m.
— The diflinguifh'd part of Men With Compafs, Pencil, Sword, or Pen5 Shou'd in Life's vifit leave their Name In Characters, which may proclaim, That they with Ardour ftrove to raife At once their Art's and Country's Praife.
Prior.
STRAWBERRY-HILL: PRINTED in the Year Mdcclxiii.
Anecdotes of PAINTING, &c.
chap, h
Painters in the Reign of Cbarlei II.
THE arts were in a manner expelled with the Royal Family from Britain. The anecdotes of a Civil War are the hiftory of Deftruction. In all ages the mob have vented their hatred to Tyrants, on the pomp of Tyranny. The magnificence the people have envied, they grow to deteft, and miftaking confequences for caufes, the firft objects of their fury are the palaces of their matters. If Religion is thrown into the quarrel, the moft innocent arts are cata- logued with fins. This was the cafe in the. contefts between Charles- and his parliament. As he had blended affection to the fciences with a luft of power, nonfenfe and ignorance were adopted into the liber- ties of the fubject. Painting became idolatry ; monuments were deemed carnal pride, and a venerable cathedral feemed equally contra- dictory to Magna Charta and the Bible. Learning and wit were con- ftrued to be fo heathen, that one would have thought the Holy Ghoft could endure nothing above a pun. What the fury of Henry VIII. had fpared, was condemned by the Puritans : Ruin was their harveft, and they gleaned after the Reformers. Had they countenanced any of the fofter arts, what could thofe arts have reprefented? How piclu- Vol. III. A refque
2 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
refque was the figure of an Anabaptift? But fectaries have no often- iible enjoyments ; their pleafures are private, comfortable and grofs. The arts that civilize fociety are not calculated for men who mean to rife on the ruins of eftablifhed order. Jargon and aufterities are the weapons that beft ferve the purpofes of herefiarcs and innovators. The fciences have been excommunicated from the Gnoftics to Mr. Whitfield.
The reftoration of royalty bjought back t^ie arts, nottafte. Charles II. had a turn to mechanics, none to the politer fciences. He had learned * to draw in his youth; in the imperial library at Vienna is a view of the ifle of Jerfey, defigned by him ; but he was too indo- knt even to amufe himfelf. He introduced the fafhions of the court of France, without it's elegance. He had feen Louis XIV. counte- nance Corneille, Moliere, Boileau, Le Sueur, who forming themfelves on the models of the ancients, feemed by the purity of their writings to have ftudied only in Sparta. Charles found as much genius at home, but how licentious, how indelicate was the ftyle he permitted or demanded! Dryden's tragedies, are a compound of bombaft and he- roic obfcenity, inclofed in the moft beautiful numbers. If Wycherley had nature, it is nature Hark naked. The painters of that time veiled ic but little more Sir Peter Lely fcarce faves appearances but by a bit of fringe or embroidery. His nymphs, generally repofed on the turf, are too wanton and too magnificent to be taken for any thing but maids of honour. Yet fantaftic as his compofitions feem, they were pretty much in the drefs of the times, as is evident by a puritan trad: publifhed in 1678, and intituled, " Juft and reafonable Reprehen- sions of naked Breads and Shoulders." The court had gone a good
way
* Sec before, vpl. II. p. 101.
painters in the Reign of Charles If. 3
way beyond the fafliion of the preceding reign, when the galantry in vogue was to wear a lock of fome favorite object ; and yet Prynne had thought that mode fo damnable, that he publifhed an abfurd piece againft it, called, The Unlovelinefs of Love-locks *.
The fe&aries, in oppofition to the king, had run into the extreme againft politenefs : The new court, to indemnify themfelves and mark averfion to their rigid adverfaries, took the other extreme. Elegance and delicacy were the point from which both fides ftarted different ways ; and tafte was as little fought by the men of wit, as by thofe who called themfelves the men of God. The latter thought that to demoliiri was to reform the others, that ridicule was the only rational corrective ; and thus while one party deftroyed all order, and the other gave a loofe to diforder, no wonder the age produced fcarce any work of art, that was worthy of being preferved by pofterity. Yet in a hiftory of the arts, as in other hiftories, the times of confufion and barbarifm muft have their place to preferve the connection, and to afcertain the ebb and flow of genius. One likes to fee through whac clouds broke forth the age of Auguftus. The pages that folio w will prefent the reader with few memorable names \ the number muft atone for merit, if that can be thought any atonement. The iirft -f-
perfon
* At the fale of the late lady Worfeley, about feven or -eight years ago, was the portrait of the duchefs of Somerfet, daughter of Robert earl of Effex, [Q. Elizabeth's favorite] with a lock of her father's hair hanging in her neck ; and the lock itfelf was in the fame auction.
f Vertue was told by old Mr. Laroon, who faw him in Yorkfhire9 that the celebrated Rembrandt was in England in 1661, and lived 16 or 18 months at Hull, where he drew feveral gentlemen and feafaring perfons. Mr. Dahl had one of thofe pictures. There are two fine whole lengths at Yarmouth, which
might
4 Painters in the Reign of Charles IL
perfon who made any figure, and who was properly a remnant of a better age, was
ISAAC FULLER,
Of his family or matters, I find no account, except that he ftudied many years in France under Perrier, who engraved the antique ftatues. Graham fays " he wanted the regular improvements of travel to confider the antiques, and underftood the anatomic part of painting, perhaps equal to Michael Angelo, following it fo clofe, that he was very apt to make the mufcelling too ftrong and promi- nent." But this writer was not aware that the very fault he objects to Fuller did not proceed from not having feen the antiques, but from having feen them too partially, and that he was only to be compa- red to Michael Angelo from a fimilitude of errors, flowing from a fimilitude of ftudy. Each caught the robuft ftyle from ancient ftatu- ary, without attaining it's graces. If Graham had avoided hyperbole* he had not fallen into a blunder. In his hiftoric compofitions Fuller is a wretched painter, his colouring was raw and unnatural, and not compenfated by difpofition or invention. In portraits his pencil was bold, ftrong, and mafterly : Men who mine in the latter, and mifcarry in the former, want imagination. They fucceed only in what they fee* Liotard is a living inftance of this fterility. He cannot paint a blue
ribband
might be dene at the fame time. As there is no other evidence of Rembrandt being in England, it was not neceflary to make a feperate article for him, efpe- dally at a time when he is fo well known, and his works in fuch repute, that his fcratches, with the difference only of a black horfe or a white one* fell for thirty guineas.
ISAAC FULLER.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 5
ribband if a lady is drefied in purple knots. If he had been in the prifon at the death of Socrates, and the paffions were as permanent as the perfons on whom they act, he might have made a finer picture than Nicolo Pouflin,
Graham fpeaks of Fuller as extravagant and burlefque in his man- ners, and fays, that they influenced the ilyle of his works *, The former character feems more true than the latter. I have a picture of Ogleby by him, in which he certainly has not debafed his fubjecl, but has made Ogleby appear a moonftruck bard, inflead of a con- temptible one. The competition has more of Salvator than of Brau- wer. His own \ portrait in the gallery at Oxford is capricious, but touched with great force and character. His altar pieces at $ Mag- dalen and All-fouls colleges in Oxford are defpicable. At Wadham college is an altar-cloth in a fingular manner, and of merit : It is juft bruflied over for the lights and fhades, and the colours melted in with a hot iron.
Whi!e Fuller was at Oxford he drew feverai portraits, and copied Dobfon's decollation of St. John, but varying the faces from real per- fons. For Herodias, who held the charger, he painted his own mif- trefs her mother for the old woman receiving the head in a bag, and the ruffian, who cut it off, was a noted bruifer of that age. There was befides a little boy with a torch, which illuminated the whole picture. Vol. Hi. B Fuller
* Elfum in an epigram, that is not one of his worfc, agrees with this opinion ;
On a drunken Sot, His head does on his fhoulder lean, | Who fees this fot in his own colour His eyes are funk and hardly feen ; | Is apt to fay, 'twas done- by Fuller.
f It is much damaged, and was given to the Univeriity by Dr. Clarke. % Mr. Addifon wrote a latin poem in praife of it.
6 Painters in the Reign of Charles XL
Fuller received 60 pieces for it. In king James's catalogue is men- tioned a picture by him, reprefenting Fame and Honour treading down Envy. Colonel Seymour * had a head of Pierce, the carver, by Fuller. He was much employed to paint the great taverns -f- in London particularly the mitre in Fenchurch-flreet, where he adorn- ed all the fides of a great room in pannels, as was then the fafhion. The figures were as large as life ; a Venus, Satyr and fleeping Cupid ; a boy riding a goat and another fallen down, over the chimney ; this was the beft part of the performance, fays Vertue ; Saturn devouring a child, Mercury, Minerva, Diana, Apollo ; and Bacchus, Venus, and Ceres embracing ; a young Silenus fallen down, and holding a goblet, into which a boy was pouring wine ; the feafons between the win- dows, and on the ceiling two angels fupporting a mitre, in a large circle ; this part was very bad, and the colouring of the Saturn too raw, and his figure too mufcular. He painted five very large pictures, the hiftory of the king's efcape after the battle of Worcefter ; they cod a great fum, but were little efteemed.
Vertue had feen two books with etchings by Fuller; the firft, Csefar Ripa's Emblems; fome of the plates by Fuller, others by Henry Cooke. The fecond was called, Libro da Difegnare ; 8 or 10 of the plates by our painter.
He died in Bloomfbury-fquare about the year 1676, and left a fon, an ingenious but idle man, according to Vertue, chiefly employed in coach-painting. He led a diflblute life and died young.
Fuller
* Vertue*bought it, and from his fale I purchafed it.
+ Sir P. Lely feeing a portrait of Nocris, the king's frame-maker, an old grey-headed man, finely painted by Fuller, lamented that fuch a genius fhould drown his talents in wine.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 7
Fuller had one Scholar, Charles Woodfield, who entered under him at Oxford, and ferved feven years. He generally painted views, buildings, monuments, and antiquities, but being as idle as his mas- ter's fon, often wanted necefiaries. He died fuddenly in his chair in the year 1724, at the age of 75.
CORNELIUS BOLL,
A painter of whom I find no particulars, but that he made views of London before the fire, which proves that he was here early in this reign if not in the laft ; thefe views were at Sutton-place in Surrey, and reprefented Arundel-houfe, Somerfet-houfe and the Tower. Vertue, who faw them, fays, they were in a good free tafte.
JOHN FREEMAN,
An hiftoric painter, was a rival of Fuller, which feems to have been his greateft glory. He was thought to have been poifoned in the Weft-indies, but however died in England, after having been em- ployed in painting fcenes for the theatre in Covent-garden *.
REMEE or REMIGIUS VAN LEMPUT,
Was born at Antwerp, and arrived at fome excellence by copying the works of Vandyck he imitated too with fuccefs the Flemifh mafters, as Stone did the Italians -9 and for the works of Lely, Remee told that mailer that he could copy them better than Sir Peter could himfelf. I have already mentioned his fmall pidlure from Holbein,
of
* Graham p. 419.
8 Painters in the Reign of Charles ft
of the two Henrys and their queens, and that his purchafe in king Charles's fale of the king on horfeback was taken from 'him, by a fait at law, after he had demanded 1500 guineas for it at Antwerp and been bid 1000. The earl of Pomfret at Eaflon had a copy of Ra- phael's Galatea by him, and at Penlhurfl is a fmall whole length of Francis earl of Bedford aet* 48, 1636, from Vandyck. Mr. Stevens, hiftoriographer to the king, had fome portraits of his family painted by Remee. The latter had a well-chofen collection of prints and drawings*. He died in Nov. 1675, and was buried in the church-yard ©f Covent-garden, as his fon Charles had been in 16-51. His daughter "t/as a paintrefs, and married to Thomas,, brother of
ROBERT STREATER,
Who was appointed ferjeant painter at the reftoration. He was the ton of a painter and born in Covent-garden, 1624, and ftudied under Du Moulin. Streater did not confine himfelf to any branch of his art, but fuccecded belt in architecture, perfpective, landfcape and flill life. Graham calls him the greateft and mod univerfal painter that ever England bred, but with about as much judgment, as where he fays that Streater's being a good hiftorian contributed not a little to his perfection in that way of painting. He might as well fay that read- ing the Rape of the Lock would make one a good hair-cutter. I fnould rely more on Sanderfon, who fpeaking of landfcape, fays " of our own nation I know none more excellent but Streater, who indeed is a compleat mafter therein, as alfo in other arts of etching, -[-graving,..
and
* Grab any p. 458.
f He engraved a plate of die battle of Nafeby. The plates for Ogleby's Juvenal were deftgned by Streater,- Barlow and Danckers.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 9
and his work of architecture and perfpective \ not a line but is true to the rules of art and fymmetry *." And again, comparing our own countrymen with foreigners, in different branches, he adds, " Streater in all paintings f . " But from the few works that I have feen of his hand, I can by no means fubfcribe to thefe encomiums : The Theatre at Oxford, his principal performance, is a very mean one ; yet Streater was as much commended for it, as by the authors I have mentioned for his works in general. One Robert Whitehall J, a poetafter of that age, wrote a poem called Urania, or a defcription of the painting at the top of the theatre at Oxford, which concluded with thefe lines, That future ages mud confefs they owe To Streater more than Michael Angelo. At Oxford Streater painted too the chapel at All -fouls, except the Refurrection, which is the work of Sir James Thornhill. Vertue faw a picture, which he commends, of a Dr. Prujean [|, in his gown and long hair, one hand on a death's head, and the other on fome books, with this infcription, Amicitise ergo pinxit Rob. Streater : And in the pofTefTion of a captain Streater, the portrait of Robert by him- felf, of his brother Thomas, by Lankrink; and of Thomas's wife, the daughter of Remee, by herfelf. Vertue had alfo feen two letters, directed to ferjeant Streater at his houfe in Long-acre ; the firft from Vol. III. C the
* Graphice p. rg.
•f lb. 20.
X V. Wood's Athense, vol. 2. p. 786. A defcription in profe of that painting is in the new Oxford-guide.
|| Vertue met with a print, Opinion fitting in a tree, thus infcribedy Viro clarifs. Dno. Francifco Prujeano, Medico, omnium bonarum artium & elegantiarum Fautori & admiratori furnmo. D. D. D. H. Peacham.
io Painters in the Reign of Charles li- the * earl of Chefterfield dated june 13, 1678, mentioning a picture of Mutius Scsevola, for which he had paid him 20 /. and offering him 160/. if he would paint fix fmall pictures with figures. His lordfhip commends too the ftory of Rinaldo, bought of Streater, but wifhes the idea of the Hero had been taken from the duke of Monmouth or fome very handfome man. The other letter was from the f earl of Briftol at Wimbledon, about fome paintings to be done for him.
J Other works of Streater, were ceilings at Whitehall ; the war of the giants at Sir Robert Clayton's, Mofes and Aaron at St. Michael's Cornhill, and all the fcenes at the old playhoufe. He died in 1680, at the age of 56 not long after being cut for the ftone, though Charles II. had fo much kindnefs for him as to fend for a furgeon from Paris to perform the operation. He had a good collection of Italian books, prints, drawings and pictures, which on the death of his fon in 171 1, were fold by auction. Among them were the following by Streater himfelf, which at leaft mow the univerfality of his talent ; Lacy the player ; a hen and chickens ; two heads ; an eagle a landfcape and flowers j a large pattern of the king's arms ; Ifaac and Re- becca ;
* This was earl Philip, mentioned in the Memoires de Grammont. He was very handfome, and had remarkably fine hair. Lord Harrington has a good head of him by Sir Peter Lely, in which thefe circumftances are ob- ferved.
f The famous George lord Digby. There is at Althrop a fuit of ar- ras with his arms, which he gave to his daughter the countefs of Sun- derland, whom I mention to rectify a common blunder: It is the portrait of this lady, Anne Digby, who had light hair and a large fquare face, that is among the beauties at Windfor, and not her mother-in-law Sacha- rifia, who had a round face, and dark hair, and who probably was no jbeauty in the reign of Charles II.
t Graham, 465. James II. had feven of his hand, V. his catalogue.
Yaw- $qw.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 1 r
becca ; fruit-pieces ; Abraham and Ifaac the nativity ; Jacob's vi- fion-, Mary Magdalen; building and figures; two dogs. They fold, fays Vertue, for no great price ; fome for five pounds, fome for ten.
HENRY ANDERTON*
Was difciple of Streater, whofe manner he followed in landfcape and ilill life. Afterwards he travelled to Italy, and at his return took to portrait painting, and having drawn the famous Mrs. Stuart, duchefs of Richmond, he was employed by the king and court, and even in- terfered with the bufinefs of Sir Peter Lely, Anderton died foon after the year 1665.
FRANCIS VANSON, or V A N Z O O N,
Was born at Antwerp, and learned of his father, a flower painter, but he came early into England, and marrying Streater's neice, fuc- ceeded to much of her uncle's bufinefs. Vertue and Graham com - mend the freedom of his pencil, but his fubje&s were ill-chofen. He painted ftill-life, oranges and lemons, plate, damafk curtains, cloths of gold, and that medley of familiar objects that ftrike the. ignorant vulgar. In Streater's fale, mentioned above, were near thirty of Vanfon's pieces, which fold well ; among others, was the crown of England, and birds in water-colours. Vanfon's patron was the f earl of Radnor, who, at his houfe in St. James's fquare, had near eighteen or twenty of his works, over doors and chimnies, &c.
There
* V. Graham.
t Charles Bodville Robartes, fecond earl of Radnor, who fucceeded his grandfather in 1684, and was lord warden of the ftanneries, and by king George I. made treafurer of the chambers* He died in 1723,
■
12 Painters in the Reign of Charles IT.
There was one large piece, loaded with fruit, flowers, and dead game by him, and his own portrait in it, painted by Laguerre, with a Hawk on his fift. The flair- cafe of that hcufe was painted by La- guerre, and the apartments were ornamented by the principal artifls then living, as Edema, Wyck, Roeflraten, Danckers, old Grifner, young Vandevelde and Sybrecht. The collection * was fold in 17240 Some of his pictures were eight or nine feet high, and in them he propofed to introduce all the medicinal plants in the phyfic garden at Chelfea, but grew tired of the undertaking, before he had corn- pleated it. He lived chiefly in Long- acre, and laftly in St. Alban's- ftreet, where he died in the year 1700, at paft fifty years of age*
SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRATEN,
Was another of thofe painters of ftill life, a manner at that time in fafhion. It was not known that he had been in England, till Vertue difcovered it by a picture of his hand at a fale in Covent-garden 1730. The ground reprefented a walnut-tree board, with papers, pens, pen- knife and an Englifh almanack of the year 1663, a gold medal, and the portrait of the author in a fuppofed ebony frame, long hair, in- clining to red, and his name, S. V. Hoogflraten. The circumftance of the Englifh almanack makes it probable that this painter was in England at leaft in that year, and Vertue found it confirmed by Hou-
braken
* In this fale were fbme capital pictures, as Rubens and his miftrefs (I fuppofe it fhould be his Wife, and that it is the picture at Blenheim) fold for 130 guineas; the martyrdom of St. Laurence by Vandyck, 65 guineas; a fatyr with a woman milking a goat by Jordan of Antwerp, 160 guineas; and the family piece, which I have mentioned in the life of Vandyck^ bought by Mr. Scawen for 500/.
Abraham Hondhts..
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 13
braken his fcholar, who in his lives * of the painters fays, that Hoog- ftraten was born at Dordrecht in 1627, was firft inftrudted by his fa- ther, and then by Rembrandt. That he painted in various kinds, particularly fmall portraits, and was countenanced by the emperor and king of Hungary. That he travelled to Italy, and came to England; that he was author of a book on painting, called Zichtbare Waerelt gefek worden, and died at Dordrecht in 1678.
BALTHAZAR VAN LEMENS,
Was among the firft that came over after the reftoration, when a re- eftablifhed court promifed the revival of arts, and confequcntly advan- tage to artifts, but the poor man was as much difappointed as if he had been ufeful to the court in it's deprefllon. He was born at An- twerp in 1637, and is faid f to have fucceeded in fmall hiftories ; but not being encouraged, and having a fruitful invention and eafy pencil, his beft profit was making lketches for others of his profeflion. He lived to 1704, and was buried in Weftminfter. His brother, who refided at BrufTels, painted a head of him.
ABRAHAM HONDIUS,
Was born at Rotterdam in 16*38 : when he came to England or who was his mafler is not known. His manner indeed feems his own ; it Vol. III. D was
* There is alfo an account of him in the fecond volume of Defcamps, which was publiflied but a litde time before the death of Vertue.
f Graham. A head of Charles I. by one Lemons is mentioned in that king's collection, p. 72. Whether the father of this perfon, or v/hether a different name, as there is a flight variation in the orthography, I do not know. ...*.; • '*
14 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
was bold and free, and except Rubens and Snyder, few mailers have painted animals in fo great a ftyle. Though he drew both figures and landfcape, dogs and huntings were his favorite fubjects. Vertue fays he was a man of humour, and that one of his maxims was, that the goods of other men might be ufed as our own ; and that finding another man's wife of the fame mind, he took and kept her till me died after which he married. He lived on Ludgate-hill, but died of a fevere courfe of gout in 1695, at the blackmore's head over- againft Water-lane Fleet- ftreet. One of his firft pictures was the burning of Troy and he frequently painted candle-lights. His beft was a dog-market, fold at Mr. Halfted's auction in 1726 : Above on fteps were men and women well executed. My father had two large pieces of his hand, the one a boar, the other a ftag-hunting, very capital. Vertue mentions befides a landfcape painted in 1666; Diana returned from hunting, and a bull-baiting, dated 1678.
Jodocus Hondius, probably the grand-father of Abraham, had been in England before, and was an engraver of maps. He execu- ted fome of Speed's, and * one of the voyages of Thomas Cavendifh and Sir Francis Drake round the globe. He alfo engraved a genea- logic chart of the houles of York and Lancafler, with the arms of the knights of the garter to the year 1589, drawn by Thomas Talbot; a map of the Roman empire •, another of the Holy-land, and particu- larly the celeftial and terreftrial globes, the larger! that had then ever been printed. I fhall fay nothing more of him in this place (as the catalogue of Englifh engravers I referve for a feperate volume) but that he left a fon Henry, born in London, whom I take for the fa- ther of Abraham Hondius, and who finifhed feveral things that had been left imperfect by Jodocus.
Mr.
* V. Britifh Librarian.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. '15
Mr. W I L L I A M LIGHTFOOT*
An Englilli painter of perfpective, landfcape and architecture, in which laft fcience he practiced too, having fome fliare in the Royal - exchange. Pie died about 1671.
Sir PETER LELY,
Not only the mod capital painter of this reign, but whofe works are admitted amongft the daffies of the art, was born at Soeft in Weft- phalia, where his father, a captain of Foot, was in garrifon. His name was Vander Vaas, but being born at the Hague in a perfumer's fhop, the fign of the Lilly, he received the appellation of captain Du Lys or Lely, which became the proper name of the fon. He re- ceived his firft inftructions in painting from one De Grebber, and began with landfcape and hiftoric figures lefs than life ; but coming to England in 1641, and feeing the works of Vandyck, he quitted his former ftyle and former fubjects, and gave himfelf wholly to portraits in emulation of that great man. His fuccefs was confi- derable, though, not equal to his ambition ; if \n nothing but fimpli- city, he fell fhort of his model, as Statius or Claudian did of Virgil. If Vandyck's portraits are often tame and fpiritlefs, at leaft they are natural. His laboured draperies flow with eafe, and not a fold but is placed with propriety. Lely fupplied the want of tafte with clin- quant his nymphs trail fringes and embroidery through meadows and purling ftreams. Add, that Vandyck's habits are thofe of the
times y
* Graham.
1 6 Painters in the Reign cf Charles II.
times; Leiy's a fort of fantaflic night-gowns, fattened with a fingle pin *. The latter was in truth the ladies-painter and whether the age was improved in beauty or in f flattery, Leiy's women are cer- tainly much handfomer than thofe of Vandyck. They pleafe as much more, as they evidently meaned to pleafe ; he caught the reigning character, and
on animated canvafs ftole
The fleepy eye that fpoke the melting foul. I don't know whether even in foftnefs of the fielh, he did not excell his predeceiTor. The beauties at Windfor are the court of Paphos, and ought to be engraved for the memoires of it's charming hiftorio- grapher J, count Hamilton. In the portraits of || men, which he fel- domer painted, Lely fcarce came up to Sir Antony ; yet there is a whole length of Horatio lord Townfliend by the former, at Rain- ham, which yields to few of the latter.
At lord Northumberland's at Sion, is a remarkable picture of king Charles I. holding a letter, directed, " au roi monfeigneur," and the
Duke
* Your night-gown faften'd with a fingle pin; Fancy improv'd the wond'rous charms within.
L. M. W. M.
f This fufpicion is authorized by Mr. Dryden, who fays, " It was ob- jected againft a late noble painter, that he drew many graceful pictures, but few of them were like : And this happened to him, becaufe he always fludied himfelf more than thofe who fat to him."
Pref. to fecond part of his mifcellanies.
t Author of the memoires de Grammont.
U I muft except a very fine head in my poffeflion of the earl of Sand- wich : it is painted with the greateft freedom and truth ; and a half-length of an alderman Leneve in his habit, one of the fineft portraits I ever faw, the hand is exquifitely well painted.
Painters in the Reign of Charles IL 17
Duke of York set. 14. preferring a penknife to him to cut the firings. It was drawn at Hampton-court, when the king was laft there, by Mr. Ldy, who was * earneftly recommended to him. I mould have taken it for the hand of Fuller or Dobfon. It is certainly very f un- like Sir Peter's latter manner, and is ftronger than his former. The king has none of the melancholy grace which Vandyck alone, of all his painters, always gave him. It has a flerner countenance, and expreflive of the tempefts he had experienced.
Lely drew the rifing fun, as well as the fetting. Captain Winde told Sheffield duke of Buckingham that Oliver certainly fat to him, and while fitting, laid to him, " Mr. Lely, I defire you would ufe all your (kill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all ; but remark all thefe roughnefles, pimples, warts, and every thing as you fee me, otherwife I never will pay a farthing for it." Vol. III. E It
* The author of the Abrege de la vie des plus fameux Peintres in two volumes quarto, 1745, fays it was at the recommendation of the earl of Pembroke. This piece of ignorance is pardonable in a Frenchman, but not in Graham, from whom he borrowed it, and who fpecifies that it was Philip earl of Pembroke, a man too well known for the part he took, to leave it probable that he either recommended a painter to his abandoned mafter at that crifis, or that his recommendation was ^fuccefsful. He was more likely to have been concerned in the next paragraph.
f Yet it is certainly by him : The earl of Northumberland has Sir Peter's receipt for it, the price 30/. There is a poem by Lovelace on this very picture, p. 61. R. Symondes too mentions it, and the portraits of the duke of York, and the lady Elizabeth, fingle heads, both now at the earl of Northumberland's at Sion ; the firft, very pleafing, the other, as valuable, for being the only one known of that princefs. There was a- nother of the duke of Gloucefter with a fountain by him, which is want- ing. Symondes adds, Sir Peter had 5/, for a ritratto ; 10/. if down to the knees.
1 8 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
It would be endlefs to recapitulate the * works of this rnafter : though fo many have merit, none are admirable or curious enough to be particularized. They are generally portraits to the knees, and moft of them, as I have faid, of ladies f. Few of his hiftoric pieces are known ; at Windfor is a Magdalen, and a naked Venus afleep ; the duke of Devonlhire has one, the ftory of Jupiter and Europa ; and lord Pomfret had that of Cimon and Iphigenia. In Streater's fale, was a Holy Family, a Iketch in black and white, which fold for five pounds ; and Vertue mentions and commends another, a Bacchanal of four or five naked boys, fitting on a tub, the wine running cut ; with his mark Lens made a mezzotinto from a Judgment of
Paris by him ; another, was of Sufanna and the Elders. His defigns are not more common ; they are in Indian ink, heightened with white. He fometimes painted in crayons, and well ; I have his own head by himfelf : Mr. Methuen has Sir Peter's and his family in oil. They reprefent a concert in a landfcape.
He
* Several by him and Vandyck are in the gallery at Althrop, one of thofe enchanted fcenes which a thoufand circumftances of hiftory and art endear to a penfive fpeclator.
f Waller, as galant a poet, as Lely was a painter, has twice cele- brated him i in the night-piece he fays,
Mira can lay her beauty by, Take no advantage of the eye, Quit all that Lcly's art can take, And yet a thoufand captives make. And in his verfes to a lady from whom he received a poem he had loft, The picture of fair Venus (that For which men fay the goddefs fat) Was loft, till Lely from your look Again that glorious image took.
Charles
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 19
• He was knighted by Charles II. and married a beautiful Englifli- woman of family, but her name is not recorded. In town he lived in Drury-lane, in the fummer at Kew*, and always kept a handfome table. His f collection of pictures and drawings was magnificent j he purchafed many of Vandyck's and the earl of Arundel's ; and the fecond Villiers pawned many to him, that had remained of his father the duke of Buckingham's. This collection, after Sir Peter's death, was Ibid by auction J, which lafted forty days, and produced 26,000/. He left befides an eftate in land of 900 /. a year ||. The drawings he had collected may be known by his initial letters P. L.
In 1678 Lely encouraged one § Freres, a painter of hiftory, who had been in Italy, to come from Holland. He expected to be em- ployed at Windfor, but finding Verrio preferred, ** returned to his own country. Sir Peter had difgufts of the fame kind from Simon
Varelft,
Charles Cotton wrote a poem to him, on his pi&ure of the lady Ifa- "bella Thynne. See Mr. Hawkins's curious edition of Ifaac Walton's Com- pleat Angler, in the Life of Cotton. He was celebrated too by a Dutch "bard, John Vallenhove. Defcamps, vol. ii. 258.
* See an account of the lord-keeper Guildford's friendfhip to Sir Peter Lely and his family, particularly in relation to his houfe, in Roger North's Life of the Keeper. Pp 299, 300, 311, &c.
f See a Lift of part of it, printed with the duke of Buckingham's col- lection by Bathoe. It mentions twenty- fix of Vandyck's beft pictures.
% The fale began April 18, 1682, O. S. In the conditions of fale was fpecified that immediately upon the fale of each picture, the bu)'er mould feal a contracl: for payment, according to the cuftom in great fales.
|| Sir Peter gave 50/. towards the building of St. Paul's.
§ See an account of this Theodore Freres in Defcamps, vol. iii. p. 149.
** While he was here, one Thomas Hill a painter, and Robert Wil- liams a mezzotinter, learned of him.
20 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
Varelft, patronized by the duke of Buckingham ; from Gafcar who was brought over by the duchefs of Portfmouth ; and from the rifing merit of Kneller, whom the French author I have mentioned, fets with little reafon far below Sir Peter. Both had too little variety in airs of heads ; Kneller was bolder and more carelefs, Lely more de- licate in rimming. The latter mowed by his pains how high he could arrive : It is plain that if Sir Godfrey had painted much lefs and ap- plied more, he would have been the greater matter. This perhaps is as true a parallel, as the French author's, who thinks that Kneller might have difputed with Lely in the beauty of his head of hair. Deicamps is fo weak as to impute Sir Peter's death to his jealoufy of Kneller, though he owns it was almoft fudden \ an account which is almon: nonfenfe, efpecially as he adds that Lely's phyfician, who knew not the caufe of his malady, heightened it by repetitions of Kneller's fuccefs. It was an extraordinary kind of fudden death!
Sir Peter Lely * died of an apoplexy as he was drawing the duchefs- of Somerfet, 1680, and in the 63d year of his age. He was buried in
the
* The celebrated aftronomer and mifer Robert Hooke, was firft placed with Sir Peter Lely, but foon quitted him, from not being able to bear the fmell of the oil-colours. But though he gave up painting, his mechanic genius turned, among other ftudies, to architecture. He gave a plan for rebuilding London after the fire ; but though it was not accepted, he got a large fum of money, as one of the commiffioners, from the perfons who claimed the feveral diftributions of ground, and this money he locked up in an iron cheft for thirty years. I have heard that he defigned the college of Phyficians j he certainly did Afk's hofpital near Hoxton. He was very able, very fordid, cynical, wrongheaded and whimfical. Proof enough of the laft, was his maintaining that Ovid's Metamorphofis was an allegoric account of earthquakes. See the hiftory of his other qualities in the Bio- graphia Britannica, vol, iv.
Painters in the Refan of Charles II. 21
the church of Covent-gar den, where is a monument with his bull, carved by Gibbins, and a * latin epitaph by Flatman.
JOSEPH BUCKSHORN,
A Dutchman, was fcholar of Lely, whofe works he copied in great perfection, and fome of Vandyck's, particularly the earl of Strafford, which was in the pofTerTion of Watfon earl of Rockingham. Vertue mentions the portraits of Mr. Davenant and his wife, fon of Sir Wil- liam, by Buckfhom. He painted draperies for Sir Peter, and dying at the age of 3.5 was buried at St. Martin's.
JOHN GREENHILL +,
The moft promifmg of Lely's fcholars, was born at J Saliftwry of a good family, and at twenty copied Vandyck's picture of Killigrew with the dog, fo well that it was miftaken for the original f]. The print of Sir William Davenant, with his nofe flattened, is taken from a painting of Greenhill. His heads in crayons were much admired, and that he fometimes engraved, appears from a print of his brother Henry, a merchant of Salifbury, done by him in 1 677 ; it has a long Vol. III. F infcrip-
* See it in Graham, p. 447.
+ The French author calls him Greenfill ; the public is much obliged to perfons who write lives of thofe whofe very names they cannot fpell f
X He painted a whole length of Dr. Seth Ward bifhop of Salifbury, as chancellor of the garter, which was placed in the town hall there.
U General Cholmondeley has a fine half-length of a young man in ar- mour by Greenhill, in which the ftyles of both Vandyck and Lely are very difcernible.
22 Painters in the Reign of Charles IT.
infcription in latin. At firfl: he was very laborious, but becoming ac- quainted with the players, he fell into a debauched courfe of life, and coming home late one night from the Vine tavern, he tumbled into a kennel in Long-acre, and being carried to Parrey Walton's, the painter, in Lincoln's-inn-fields, where he lodged, died in his bed that night, in the flower of his age. He was buried at St. Giles's, and Mrs. Behn, who admired his perfon and turn to poetry, wrote an elegy on his death.
Graham tells a filly (lory of Lely's being jealous of him, and re- fuling to let Greenhill fee him paint, till the fcholar procured his maf- ter to draw his wife's picture, and flood behind him while he drew it. The improbability of this tale is heightened by an anecdote which Walton told Vertue ; or if true, Sir Peter's generofity appears the greater, he fettling forty pounds a year on Greenhill's widow, who was left with feveral children and in great indigence. She was a very handfome Woman but did not long enjoy that bounty, dying mad in a fhorc time after her hufband.
DAVENPORT,
Another Scholar of Lely, and good imitator of his manner, lived afterwards with his fellow difciple Greenhill ; and befides painting had a talent for mufic and a good voice. He died in Salifbury-court* in the reign of king William, aged about 50.
PROSPER HENRY LANKRINK*,
Of German extraction, born about 1628 ; his father a foldier of for- tune^
* V. Graham.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 23
tune, brought his wife and this his only Ton into the Netherlands, and obtaining a commifiion there, died at Antwerp. The widow defigned the boy for a monk, but his inclination to painting dilcovering itfe-Jf early, he was permitted to follow his genius. His belt leffons he obtained in the academy at Antwerp, and from the collection of Mynheer Van Lyan. The youth made a good choice, chiefly draw- ing after the defigns of Salvator Rofa. On his mother's death, from whom he inherited a fmall fortune, he came to England, and was patronized by Sir Edward Spragge, and Sir William Williams, whofe houfe was rilled with his works •, but being burned down, not much remains of Lankrink's hand, he having pafled great part of his time in that gentleman's fervice. His landfcapes are much commended. Sir Peter Lely employed him for his back-grounds. A fingle ceiling of his was at Mr. Kent's at Cauiham, in Wiltlhire near Bath. He Jbmetimes drew from the life, and imitated the manner of Titian, in fmall figures for his landfcapes. Some of thofe were in the hands of his patrons, Mr. Henley, Mr. Trevor, Mr. Auften, and Mr. Hewitt, the latter of whom had a good collection of pictures. So had Lan- krink himfelf, and of drawings, prints and models. He bought much at Lely's fale, for which he borrowed Money of Mr. Auften ; to difcharge which debt Lankrink's collection was feized after his death and fold. He went deep into the pleafures of that age, grew idle and died in 1692 in Covent-garden, and was buried at his own requeft under the porch of that church. A limning of his head was in Swea- ter's lale.
JOHN BAPTIST GASPARS,
Was born at Antwerp, and ftudied under Thomas WUleborts Boflaerr,
adif-
24 Painters In the Reign of Charles II.
a difciple of * Rubens. Baptift Gafpars, (who muft not be confound- ed with Baptift Monoyer, the flower- painter) came into England du- ring the civil war, and entered into the fervice of general Lambert; upon the reftoration he was employed by Sir Peter Lely to paint his poftures, and was known by the name of Lely's Baptift. He had the fame bufmefs under Riley and Sir Godfrey Kneller. He drew well, and made good defigns for tapeftry. The portrait of Charles II. in Painter's-hall, and another of the fame prince, with mathema- tical inftruments, in the hall of St. Bartholomew's hofpital, were painted by this Baptift, who died in 1691, and was buried at St. James's.
JOHN VANDER EYDENf,
A portrait painter of Bruflfels, copied and painted draperies for Sir Peter, till marrying he fettled in Northamptonshire, where he was much employed, particularly by the earls of Rutland and Gainfbb- rough and the lord Sherard, at whofe houfe he died about 1697, and was buried at Staplefort in Leiceftermire.
Mrs. ANNE KILLIGREW,
Daughter of Dr. Henry Killigrew % mailer of the Savoy, and one of the Prebendaries of Weftminfter, was born in St. Martin's-lane, London, a little before the reftoration. Her family was remarkable
for
* Graham by miftake fays of Vandyck. There is a fine little holy family at Houghton by Willeborts, from a large one of Rubens.
f Graham. This was not Vander-Eyden, fo famous for his neat man- ner of painting fmall views of ftreets arid houfes.
% See an account of him in Wood's Athenae, vol. ii. col. 1035.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 25
for it's loyalty, accompllmments, and wit, and this young lady pro* mifed to be one of it's faireft ornaments. Antony Wood fays fhe was a grace for beauty, and a inufe for wit. Dryden has celebrated her genius for painting and poetry in a very long ode, in which the rich ftream of his numbers has hurried along with it all that his luxuriant fancy produced in his way; it is an harmonious hyperbole compofed of the fall of Adam, Arethufa, Veftal Virgins, Diana, Cupid, Noah's- ark, the Pleiades, the valley of Jehofaphat and the lad Aflizes : Yet Antony Wood allures us " there is nothing fpoken of her, which fhe was not equal to, if not fuperior and his proof is as wife as his affertion, for, fays he, " if there, had not been more true hiftory in her praifes, than compliment, her father would never have fuffered them to pafs the prefs." She was maid of honour to the duchefs of York, and died of the fmall-pox in 1685, in the 25th year of her age.
Her poems were publimed after her death in a thin quarto, with a print of her, taken from her portrait drawn by herfelf, which, with the leave of the authors I have quoted, is in a much better flyle than her poetry, and evidently in the manner of Sir Peter Lely. She drew the pictures of James II. and of her miftrefs, Mary of Modena fome pieces of ftill-life and of hiftory ; three of the latter fhe has recorded in her own poems, St. John in the wildernefs, Herodias with the head of that faint, and two of Diana's nymphs. At admiral Killi- grew's fale 1727, were the following pieces by her hand ; Venus and Adonis ; a Satyr playing on a pipe Judith and Holofernes a wo- man's head ; the Graces drefhng Venus ; and her own portrait : " Thefe pictures, fays Vertue, I faw but can lay little."
She was buried in the chapel of the Savoy, where is a monument to her memory, with a latin epitaph, which with the tranfiation, may be Vol. IIL G feen
26 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
feen prefixed to her poems, and in Ballard's Memoires of learned ladies, p. 340.
__ bustler*
A Dutch painter of hiftory and portraits. Mr. Elfum of the Temple, whofe tracts on painting I have mentioned, had a picture of three boors painted by this man, the landfcape behind by Lankrink, and a little dog on one fide by Hondius.
DANIEL BOON,
Of the fame country, a droll painter, which turn he meaned to exprefs both in his large and fmall pieces. He lived to about the year 1700. There is a mezzotinto of him playing on a violin.
ISAAC PALIN Gf,
Another Dutchman, Scholar of Abraham Vander Tempel, was many years in England, and practiced portrait painting. He returned to his own country in 1682.
HENRY PAERT or PEART,
Difciple of Barlow, and afterwards of Henry Stone, from whom he contracted a talent for copying. He exerted this on moft of the hifto- ric pieces of the royal collection, I fuppofe he was an indifferent per- former,
* From Graham, p. 405, as is the following article, f From Houbraken's Lives of the Painters.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. iy
former, for Graham fays he wanted a warmth and beauty of colour- ing, and that his copies were better than his portraits. Vertue men- tions a half length of James earl of Northampton, copied from ahead by Paert, who then lived in Pall-mall *. He died in 1697, or 98.
HENRY DANKER S,
Of the Hague was bred an engraver, but by the perfuafion of his brother John, who was a painter of hiftory, he turned to landfcape, and having ftudied fome time in Italy, came to England, where he was countenanced by Charles II. and employed in drawing views of the royal palaces, and the fea-ports of England and Wales. Of his firfl profelfion there is a head after Titian, with his name Henricus Dan- kers Hagienfis fculpfit. Of the latter, were feveral in the royal col- lection y James II. had no fewer f than twenty-eight J views and landfcapes by him *, one of them was a Hiding piece before a picture of Nell Gwynn. In the publick dining-room at Windfor is the mar- riage of St. Catherine by him. In lord Radnor's fale were other views of Windfor, Plymouth, Penzance, &c. and his name H)ankers, F. 1678, 1679. He made befides feveral defigns for Hollar. Being a Roman Catholic, he left England in the time of the Popifh plot, and died foon after at Amfterdam || .
P A R R E T
* There is a print from his painting of a Morocco embafTador, 1682. f V. his catalogue publifhed by Bathoe.
J- One I fuppofe of thefe, the beginning of Greenwich, is now in a final] clofet by the king's bedchamber at St. James's. || Graham.
28 Painters in the Reign of Charles II. PARREY WALTON,
Though a difciple of Walker, was little more than journeyman to the arts *. He underftood hands, and having the care of the royal col- lection, repaired feveral pictures in it. His fon was continued in the (ame employment, and had an apartment in Somerfet-houfe. The copy, which is at St. James's, of the Cyclops by Luca Giordano at Houghton, was the work of the latter. The father painted ftill-life, and died about the year 1 700.
THOMAS FLATMAN,
Another inftance of the union of Poetry and painting, and of a pro- feffion that feldoms accords with either, was bred at the Inner-temple, but I believe neither made a figure nor ftaid long there ; yet among Vertue's MSS. I find an epigram written by Mr. Oldys on Flatman's three vocations, as if he had fhone in all, though in truth he diftia- guifhed himfelf only in miniature
Should Flatman for his client ftrain the laws, The Painter gives fome colour to the caufe : Should Critics cenfure what the Poet writ, The Pleader quits him at the bar of wit.
'Mr. Tooke, fchool-m after of the Charter-houfe, had a head of his father by Flatman, which was fo well painted, that Vertue took it for Cooper's ; and lord Oxford had another limning of a young knight of the Bath in a rich habit, dated 1661, and with the painter's initial
letter
* Graham.
V-of.in./i. z8
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 29
letter F. which was fo mafterly, that Vertue pronounces Flatman equal to Hofkins, and next to Cooper.
Mrs. Hoadley, firft wife of the late bifliop of Winchefter, and a millrefs of painting herfelf, had Flatman's own head by him. Ano- ther * was rinifhed by Mrs. Beale, Dec. 1681, as appears by her huf- band's pocket-book, from which I mall hereafter give feveral other extracts. The fame perfon fays, " Mr. Flatman borrowed of my wife her copy of lady Northumberland's picture from Sir Peter Lely."
Flatman was born in Alderfgate-ftreet, and educated in Wyke- ham's fchool near Winchefter, and in 1654 was elected fellow of New-college, but left Oxford without taking a degree. Some of his poems were publifhed in a volume with his name ; others, with fome fingular circumftances relating to them, are mentioned by Antony -f- Wood. Flatman had a fmall eftate at Tifhton near Dis in Norfolk, and dying Dec. 8, 1688, was buried in St. Bride's London, where his" eldeft fon had been interred before him; his father, a clerk in Chancery, and then fourfcore, furviving him.
CLAUDE L E FEVRE,
A man of indigent circumftances, ftudied firft in the palace of Fon- tainebleau where he was born in 1633, and then at Paris under Le Sueur and Le Brun, the latter of whom advifed him to adhere to portraits for which he had a particular talent. The French author J, Vol. III. H from
* There is a mezzotinto of Flatman holding a drawing of Charles II. en medaille ; and a fmaller head, painted by Hayls, and neatly engraved by R. White.
f Athenae vol. ii. p. 825.
X Abregc de la Vie des plus fameux Peintres, vol. ii. p. 329.
30 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
from whom I tranfcribe, fays that in that ftyle he equalled the beft matters of that country, and that paffing into England he was reckoned a fecond Vandyck. If he was thought fo then, it is entirely forgotten. Both Graham and Vertue knew fo little of him, that the firft mentions him not, and the latter confounded him with Valentine Le Fevre of BrufTels, who never was here \ yet mentions a mezzo- tint of Alexandre Boudan imprimeur du roi, done at Paris by Sarabe, the eyes of which were printed in blue and the face and hands in fielh-colour. From hence I conclude that Graham made another miftake in his account of
LE FEVRE DE VENISE,
Whofe chriftian name was Roland, and who he fays gained the favour of prince Rupert by a fecret of ftaining marble. As that prince in- vented mezzotinto, I conclude it was Claude who learned it of his highnefs, during his intercourfe with him, and communicated it to Sarabe at Paris. Le Fevre de Venife certainly was in England and died here, as Claude did. Vertue fays that his Le Fevre painted chiefly portraits and hiftories in fmall, in the manner of Vandyck, the latter of which were not always very decent. As I am defirous of adj Lifting the pretenfions of the three Le Fevres, and mould be un- willing to attribute to either of the wrong what his modefty might make him decline, I mean the laft article, I am inclined to beftow the nudities on Roland, qui fe plaifoit, fays * my author, a defliner en caricatures les characleres &: les temperamens de ceux qu'il conoif- foit, imitant en cela Annibal Caracci. — One knows what fort of tern- psramens Annibal painted.
Claude
* Abrege de la Vie des plus fameux Peintres. vol. ii. p. 331.
Painters m the Reign of Charles II. 31
Claude died in 1675 at the age of forty-two ; Roland died in Bear- ftreet near Leicefter-fields in 1677, about the 69th year of his age, and was buried at St. Martin's.
Mercier, painter to the late prince of Wales, bought at an auction the portrait of Le Fevre, in a fpotted-furr-cap, with a pallet in his hand ; I fuppofe painted by himfelf; and at Burlington-houfe is the picture of Roufleau the painter, by Le Fevre I fuppofe Roland.
JOHN HAYLS*,
Remarkable for copying Vandyck well, and for being a rival of Lely, A portrait of himfelf in water-colours, purchafed by colonel Seymour at Mr. Bryan's fale, ill drawn but ftrongly coloured, induced Vertue to think that Lely was not the only perfon whom Hayls had an am- bition to rival, but that this was a firft effay in competition with Cooper. However I find by a note in a different volume, that fome thought this miniature was by Hofkins. At Woburn is the portrait of colonel John RuiTel, (of whom there is a better picture in the Me- moires de Grammont) third fon of Francis earl of Bedford ; and ano- ther of lady Diana, fecond daughter of William the firft duke of that houfe, both by Hayls, and he drew the father of fecretary Pepys. He lived in Southampton-ftreet Bloomfbury, and dying there fuddenly in 1679, was buried in St. Martin's.
HENRY
* So he writes his name on the portrait of Flatman. In Painter's- hall is a St. Sebaftian and a portrait of Mr. Morgan, by one Hayes ; as I find no other mention of this man, it may be a miftake for Hayls: fo Vertue fuppofed.
32 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
HENRY GASCAR,
Another competitor of Sir Peter, was a French portrait-painter, pa- tronized by the duchels of Portfmouth, and in compliment to her much encouraged. Graham fpeaks of his tawdry ftyle, which was more the fault of the age than of the painter. The pomp of Louis XIV. infected Europe and Gafcar, whofe bufinefs was to pleafe, fucceeded as well in Italy as he had in England, from whence he car- ried above 10,000/. At Chefterton Vertue faw a head in armour of Edmund Verney, with Gafcar's name to it. His beft performance was a half length at lord Pomfret's of Philip earl of Pembroke, which he drew by ftealth, by order of his patronefs, whofe filler lord Pembroke had married. I fuppofe this defire of having her brother-in-law's picture was dated before a quarrel Ihe had with him lor ill-ufage of her filler : The duchefs threatened to complain to the king ; the earl told her, if Ihe did, he would fet her upon her head at Charing-crofs, and mow the nation it's g-ievance.
SIMON VARELST,
A real ornament of Charles's reign, and one of the few who have ar- rived at capital excellence in that branch of the art, was a Dutch flower-painter. It is not certain in what year he arrived in England j his works were extremely admired, and his prices the greater! that had been known in this country. The duke of Buckingham patronized him, but having too much wit to be only beneficent, and perceiving the poor man to be immoderately vain, he piqued him to attempt portraits, Varelfl thinking nothing impofiible to his pencil, fell into
the
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 33
the fnare, and drew the duke himfelf, but crouded it fo much with fruits and fun-flowers, that the king, to whom it was fhowed, took it for a flower-piece. However, as it fometimes happens to wifer buf- foons than Varelft, he was laughed at till he was admired, and Sir Peter Lely himfelf became the real facrifice to the jefb : he loft much of his bufinefs, and retired to Kew, while Varelft engroffed the fafhion, and for one half length was paid an hundred and ten pounds. His portraits were exceedingly laboured, and finifhed with the fame deli- cacy as his flowers, which he continued to introduce into them. Lord chancellor Shaftfbury going to fit, was received by him with his hat on. Don't you know me ? faid the peer. Yes, replied the pain- ter, you are my lord chancellor. And do you know me ? I am Va- relft. The king can make any man chancellor, but he can make no- body a Varelft. Shaftfbury was difgufted and fat to Greenhill. In 1680 Varelft, his brother Harman, Henny and Parmentiere, all painters, went to Paris, but ftaid not long. In 1685 Varelft was a witnefs on the divorce between the duke and duchefs of Norfolk 5 one who had married Varelft's half After was brought to fet afide his evidence, and depofed his having been mad and confined. He was fo, but not much more than others of his profefllon have been ; his lunacy was felf-admiration \ he called himfelf the * God of Flowers v and went to Whitehall faying he wanted to converfe with the king for Vol. III. i two
* When fam'd Varelft. this little wonder drew, Flora vouchfaf'd the growing work to view: '. Finding the painter's fcience at a fland, The goddefs fnatch'd the pencil from his hand; And finifhing the piece, fhe fmiling faid, Behold one work of mine that ne'er fhall fade.
Prior*
34- Painters in the Reign of Charles IT.
two or three hours. Being repulfed, he faid, " He is king of England, I am king of painting, why mould not we converfe together familiarly ?" Me mowed an hiftoric piece on which he had laboured twenty years, and boafled that it contained the feveral manners and excellencies of Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and Vandyck. When Va- relft, Kneller and Jervafe have been fo mad with vanity, to what a de- gree of phrenzy had Raphael pretenfions ! — But he was modeft. Varelft was fhut up towards the end of his life, but recovered his fenfes at laft, not his genius, and lived to a great age, certainly as late as 1 710, and died in Suffolk- flreet. In king James's collection were fix by his hand, the king, queen, and duchefs of Portfmouth, half lengths, a landfcape, flowers, and fruit : In lord Pomfret's were nine flower-pieces.
His brother Harman Varelft lived fome time at Vienna, till the Turks befeiged it in 1683. He painted hiftory, fruit and flowers, and dying about 1700 was buried in St. Andrew's Holbourn. He left a fon of his' profefllon called Cornelius, and a very accomplilhed daughter, who painted in oil, and drew fmall hiftories, portraits both in large and fmall, underftood mufic, and fpoke Latin, German, Ita- lian, and other languages.
ANTONIO VERRIO.
A Neapolitan ; an excellent painter for the fort of fubjefts on which he was employed, that is, without much invention, and with lefs tafte, his exuberant pencil was ready at pouring out gods, goddefTes, kings, emperors and triumphs, over thofe public furfaces on which the eye never refts long enough to criticize, and where one mould be forry to
place
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 35
place the works of a better mafter, I mean, cielings and ftair-cafes. The New Teftament or the Roman Hiftory coft him nothing but ultra-marine ; that and marble columns, and marble fteps he never fpared. He firft fettled in France, and painted the high altar of the Carmelites at Thouloufe, which is defcribed in Du Puy's Ti aice fur la Feinture, p. 219. Thoul. 1699.
Charles IT. having a mind to revive the manufacture of tapeftry at Mortlack, which had been interrupted by the civil war, fent for Verrio to England but changing his purpofe, configned over Windfor to his pencil. The king was induced to this by feeing fome of his paint- ing at lord Arlington's, at the end of St. James's-park, where at pre- fent ftands Buckingham-houfe. The firft picture Verrio drew for the king was his majefty in naval triumph, now in the public dining- room in the caftle. He executed mod of the ceilings there, one whole fide of St. George's-hall, and the chapel. On the ceiling of the form- er he has pictured Antony earl of Shaftfbury, in the character of Fac- tion, difperling libels ; as in another place he revenged a private quar- rel with the houfe-keeper Mrs. Marriot, by borrowing her ugly face for one of the furies. With ftill greater impropriety he has introdu- ced himfelf, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Bap. May, furveyor of the works, in long periwigs, as fpectators of Chrift healing the fick. He is recorded as operator of all thefe gawdy works in a large infeription over the tribune at the end of the hall * ;
Antonius Verrio Neapolitanus non ignobili ftirpe natus, ad honorem Dei, AuguftilTimi Regis Caroli fecundi, et
Sancti Georgii, Molem hanc felicilTima manu
Decoravit. The * There is a defcription of St. George's-hall in the Mufae Anglican?.
36 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
The king paid him generoufiy. Vertue met with a memorandum of monies he had received for his performances * at Windfor : As the comparifon of prices in different ages may be one of the mofl; ufeful parts of this work, and as it is remembered what Annibal Caracci re- ceived for his glorious labour in the Farnefe palace at Rome, it will not perhaps be thought tedious if I fet down this account ;
f An account of moneys paid for painting done in Windfor-caftle for his majefty, by Signior Verrio fince July 1676,
£. s, d.
King's guard-chamber - - 300 o o King's pre fence-chamber — 200 o o Privie-chamber - - - Queen's drawing-room - Queen's bed-chamber - King's great bed-chamber King's little bed-chamber King's drawing-room -
King's cloiTet
King's eating-room - - Queen's long gallery - - Queen's chappel - - - King's privie back-ftairs - The king's gratuity - - The king's carved flairs r Queen's privie-chamber - King's guard-chamber-flairs - 200 o o Queen's prefence-chamber - 200 0 o Queen's great flairs - - - 200 o 0 Queen's guard-chamber - - 200 0 o
- 200 o o
- 250 o o
- 100 o o
- 120 0 0
- 50 0 0
- 250 o o
- 50 0 0
- 250 o o * 250 0 0
- no o o
- 100 o 0
- 200 O 0
- 150 O O
- 200 o o
Privy-gallery ----- 200 0 0 Court-yard ----- 200 o 0 Penfion at Midfummer, 1680 100 o o A gratuity of 200 guineas — 215 8 4 Penfion at Chriftmas, 1680 - 100 O O Penfion at Midfummer, 1 68 1, 100 o o The king's chappel - - - 900 o o Over- work in the chappel - - 150 o o
5545 8 4.
On the back of this paper His majefty's gift, a gold chain, 200 o o More by the duke of Albe- 7 ,
marie for a ceiling - . J 6000
More, my lord of EiTex - - 40 o 0 More, from Mr. Montague 7 0
of London - - - 800 0 0
More of Mr. Montague of 1
Woodcutt - - - -J x3°° ? 0
In all 6845 8 4 The
* St. George's -hall is not fpecifled ; I fuppofe it was done afterwards, t Copied, fays Vertue, from a half fheet of paper fairly writ in a hand of the time.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 37
The king's bounty did not flop here ; Verrio had a place of maf- ter-gardiner, and a lodging at the end of the park, now Carleton- houfe. He was expenfive, and kept a great table, and often prefTed the king for money with a freedom which his majefty's own franknefs indulged. Once at Hampton- court, when he had but lately received an advance of a thoufand pounds, he found the king in fuch a circle that he could not approach. He called out, Sire, I defire the favour of fpeaking to your majefty. — Well, Verrio, faid the king, what is your requeft ? Money, Sir, I am fo fliort in cafh, that I am not able to pay my workmen, and your majefty and I have learned by expe- rience, that pedlars and painters cannot give credit long. The king fmiled, and faid he had but lately ordered him ioco/. Yes, Sir, re- plied he, but that was foon paid away, and I have no gold left. At that rate, faid the king, you would fpend more than I do, to main- tain my family. True, anfwered Verrio, but does your majefty keep an open table as I do ?
He gave the defigns for the large equeftrian picture of that monarch in the nail at Chelfea-college ; but it was finimed by Cook, and pre- fented by lord Ranelagh.
On the acceflion of James II. Verrio was again employed atWind- for, in Wolfey's Tomb-houfe, then deftined for a Romifh-chapel. He painted that king and feveral of his courtiers, in the hofpital of Chrift-church London. Among other portraits there is Dr. Hawes, a phyfician Vertue faw the original head from whence he tranflated it into the great piece, which Verrio prefented to the hofpital. He painted too at that of St. Bartholomew.
The revolution was by no means agreeable to Verrio's religion or principles. He quitted his place, and even refufed to work for king Vol. III. K William.
38 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
William. From that time he was for fome years' employed at the lord Exeter's at Burleigh, and afterwards at Chatfworth. At the former he painted feveral chambers, which are reckoned among his beft: works. He has placed his own portrait in the room where he repre- fented the hiftory of Mars and Venus ; and for the Bacchus beftriding a hogfhead, he has, according to his ufual liberty *, borrowed the countenance of a dean, with whom he was at variance. At Chatf- worth is much of his hand. The altar-piece in the chapel is the beft piece I ever faw of his ; the fubjecl, the incredulity of St. Thomas. He was employed too at Lowther-hall, but the houfe has been burnt. At laft by perfuafion of lord Exeter he condefcended to ferve king William, and was fent to Hampton-court, where among other things he painted the great flair-cafe, and as ill, as if he had fpoiled it out of principle. His eyes failing him, queen Anne gave him a penfion of 200/. a year for life, but he did not enjoy it long, dying at Hampton-court in 1707.
Scheffers of Utrecht was employed by Verrio for twenty-five years. At his firft arrival he had worked for pi&ure-fellers. Lanfcron was another painter in Verrio's fervice, and affifted him feven or eight years at Wind for.,
JAMES HUYSMAN or HOUSMANf
Was born at Antwerp in 1656, and ftudied under Bakerel, a fcholar of Rubens, and competitor of Vandyck. Bakerel was a poet too,
and
* It was more excufable, that when his patron obliged him to kifert a pope, in a procefiion not very honorable to the Romim religion, he added the portrait of the archbifhop of Canterbury then living.
f Graham.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 39
and a fatyric one, and having writ an invective againft the Jefuits, was obliged to fly. Huyfman, deprived of his mailer, came to England, and painted both hiftory and portraits. In the latter he rivalled Sir Peter Lely, and with reafon. His picture of lady Byron over the chimney in the beauty- room at Windfor, is at lean: as highly finifhed and coloured with as much force as Sir Peter's works in that chamber, tho' the * lady who fat for it is the lean: handfome of the iet. His Cupids were admired himfelf was moft partial to his pic- ture of queen Catherine. There is a mezzotinto from it, reprefenting her like St. Catherine. King James f had another in the drefs of a fhepherdefs ; and there is a third in PainterVhall. He created himfelf the queen's painter, and to juftify it, made her fit for every Madonna or Venus that he drew. His capital work was over the altar of her chapel at St. James's, now the French church. He died in 1696, and was buried in St. James's-church.
Vertue mentions another painter of the fame furname, whom he calls Michlaer Huyfman of Mecklin, and fays he lived at Antwerp; that he ftudied the Italians, and painted landfcapes in their manner,
which
* I find in Vertue's notes that he had been told it is not lady Byron, but lady Bellaflis. If it was the lady Bellaffis, who was miftrefs to king James, it becomes more valuable, and while Charles paid his brother the compliment of enrolling the latter's miftrefs with his own, he tacitly infinu- ated how much better a tafte he had himfelf. I have an unfiniftied head by Cooper of king James's lady Bellatfis, which is moft hiftorically plain. Huyfman's picture has certainly fome refemblance to the mezzotinto of her from Sir Peter Lely.
t See his catalogue. There too is mentioned the duchefe of Richmond in man's apparel by Huyfman,
40 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
which he adorned with buildings and animals. He came to England, and brought two large landfcapes, which he kept to mow what he could do for thefe he had frames richly carved by Gibbons, and gave the latter two pictures in exchange. In a fale in 1743 Vertue faw three fmall landfcapes and figures by him of great merit. On the revolution he returned to Antwerp, and died there in 1707, aged near 70.
MICHAEL WRIGHT,
Was born in Scotland, but came to London at the age of 1 6 or 1 7, and proved no bad portrait-painter. In 1672 he drew for Sir Robert Vyner a whole length of prince Rupert in armour with a large wig. On the back he wrote the prince's titles at length, and his own name thus, Jo. Michael Wright Lond. pictor regius pinxit 1672. The earl of Oxford had a half length by him of Sir Edward Turner, ion of Sir Edward, fpeaker of the Houfe of Commons and chief baron. On that he called himfelf Jof. Michael Wright Anglus^ 1672, but on the portraits of the judges in Guildhall he wrote Scotus. Sir Peter Lely was to have drawn thefe pictures, but refufing to wait on the judges at their own chambers, Wright got the bufinefs, and received 60/. for each piece. Two of his moll: admired works were a highland laird and an Irifh tory, whole lengths in their proper drelTes, of which feve- ral copies were made. At Windfor is his large picture of John Lacy the comedian in three different characters, Parfon Scruple in the Cheats, Sandy in the Taming of the Shrew, and Monfieur de Vice in the Country Captain. It was painted in 1675, and feveral copies taken from it. He twice drew a duke of Cambridge fon of
king
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 41
king James *, perhaps the two children who bore that title ; one of them is in the king's clofet at St. James's. He painted too a cieling in the king's bedchamber at Whitehall.
Wright attended Roger Palmer earl of Caftlemaine, as fteward of his houmold, on his embafiy to the Pope, and at his return publifhed a pompous account of it, firft in Italian, then in Englifh. He had been in Italy before. At his return from the embafiy he was morti- fied to find that Sir Godfrey Kneller had engrofifed moft of his bufi- nefs. In 1700, upon a vacancy of the king's painter in Scotland, he follicited to fucceed, but a fhop-keeper was preferred — and in truth Wright had not much pretenfions to^favour in that reign — yet as good as his fellow-labourer Tate, who wrote panegyrics in Wright's edition of the embafiy, and yet was made Poet Laureat to king Wil- liam. Orlandi mentions Wright ; " Michaele f Rita Inglefe notato nel Catalogo degli Academici di Roma nel anno 1688." Wright left a fon at Rome, who was mafter of languages and died there. He had a nephew too of his own name, educated at Rome, but who fettled in Ireland, where he had fo much fuccefs, that he gained 900 the firft year, and was always paid 10/. a head. Pooley and Magda- len Smith, were there at the fame time ; the latter and young Wright were rivals.
Wright the uncle had a fine collection of gems and coins, which were purchafed by Sir Hans Sloane after his death, which happened about the year 1700, in James -ftreet Covent-garden. He is buried in that church.
Vol. III. L EDMUND
* V. catalogue.
+ Mr. T. Pelham of Stanmore has a fmall whole length of Mrs. CJey- pokj 011 which is written M. Pvitus. Fee.
42 Painters in the Reign of Charles II. EDMUND ASHFIELD*
Scholar of Wright, was well defcended, and painted both in oil and crayons, in which he made great improvements for multiplying the tints. He inftru&ed Lutterel, who added the invention of ufing crayons on copper plates. Vertue had feen a head of Sir John Ben- net, afterwards lord Offulfton, painted neatly by Aflifkld, tho* not in a good manner.
PETER ROESTRATENf,
Was born at Harlem in 1627, and learned of Francis Hals, whofe daughter he married, and whofe manner for fome time he followed ; but afterwards taking to ftill life, painted little elfe. Sir Peter Lely was very kind J to him at his arrival in England, and introduced him to king Charles, but it does not appear that he was encouraged at court, nothing of his hand appearing in the palaces or royal cata- logues ; he found more countenance from the nobility. There is a good picture by him at Kiveton, the feat of the duke of Leeds, one at Chatfworth, and two were at lord Pomfret's. At lord Radnor's
fale
* Graham, f Graham.
% Defcamps fays, that Lely growing jealous of Roeftraten, propofed to him a partition of the art; portraits were to be monopolized by Lely; all other branches were to be ceded to Roeftraten, whofe works were to be vaunted by Lely, and for which by thefe means he received 40 and 50 guineas. It is very improbable that an artift mould relinquifti that branch of his bufinefs, which fuch a propofal told him he was moft capa- ble of executing.
Vxrt.HZ./i. 43
Painters in the "Reign of Charles IL 43
fale in 1724 were three or four of his pictures, particularly one repre- fenting the crown, fcepter and globe. He was particularly fond of drawing wrought plate. At the countefs of Guildford's at Walde- £hare in Kent are fome of his works. I have one, well coloured, con- taining an ivory tankard, fome figures in bronze, and a medal of Charles II. appendent to a blue ribband. It is certain that he arrived early in this reign, for he hurt his hip at the fire of London and went lame for the reft of his life. Graham fays, that having promifed to fhow a whole length by Francis Hals to a friend, and the latter grow- ing impatient, he called his wife, who was his matter's daughter, and laid, " there is a whole length by Hals." Thefe are trifling circum- ftances, but what more important happens in fedentary and retired lives ? They are at leaft as well worth relating as the witticilms of the old phiJofophers. Roeftraten died in 1698, in the fame ftreet with Michael Wright, and was buried in the fame church.
GERARD SOEST, called Z O U S T,
Was born in Weftphalia, and came to England probably before the reftoration, * for Sanderfon mentions him as then of eftablifhed re- putation. By the only portrait I have feen of his hand, which is his own head at Houghton, he was an admirable mafter. It is animated with truth and nature ; round, bold, yet highly finiflied. His dra- peries were often of fatten, in which he imitated the manner of Ter- burgh, a Dutch painter of converfations, but enlarged his ideas, on
feeing
* Printed In 1685. Defcribing a picture of a hufband and wife, he fays, « It muft be valued an ornament to the dyning-room; being befides well known to be the art of Sowft's handy-work, and he a mafter of fuffici- encie. Graphics p* 43. At Welbeck is Lucy lady Hollis by him, 1657.
44 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
feeing Vandyck. He was inlifted among the rivals of Sir Peter Lely; the number of them is fufficient honour to the latter. Emulation fel- dorri unites a whole profeffion againft one, unlefs he is clearly their fuperior. Soefl: is commended by Vertue and Graham for his por- traits of men : Both confefs that his tafte was too Dutch and ungrace- ful, and his humour too rough to pleafe the fofter fex. The gentle manners of Sir Peter carried them all from his competitor. Soefl: who was capricious, flovenly and covetous, often went to the door himfelf, and if he was not in a humour to draw thofe who came to fit, or was employed in the meaner offices of his family, he would act the fervant and fay his matter was not at home : his drefs made him eafily miftaken. Once when he lived in Curfitor's-alley, he admitted two ladies, but quitted the houfe himfelf. — His wife was obliged to fay, that fince he could not pleafe the ladies, he would draw no more of them. Greenhill carried * Wildt the painter to Soeft, who then lived at the corner houfe in Holbourn-row, and he fhowed them a man and horfe large as life on which he was then at work, out of humour with the public and the fairer half of it. In Jervafe's fale was a portrait of Mr. John Norris by Soefl:, which Jervafe efteemed fo much, that he copied it more than once, and even imitated it in his firft pictures. On the back was written 1685, DUt tnat was a miftake; Soeft died in Feb. 1681. At the Royal Society is a head of Dr. John Wallis ; at Draper's-hall Sheldon Lord Mayor, whole length; in the audit- room of Chrift-church Oxford, a head of Fuller bifhop of Lincoln ; .and at Wimpole was a good double half-length of John earl of Bridg- water and Grace, his countefs, fitting. Vertue defcribes another head of Sir Francis Throckmorton in a full wig and a cravat tied with a
ribband,
* Of this perfon I find np other account.
Painters in the Reign cf Charles II. 45
ribband, and the painter's name ; a fine head of Loggan the engra- ver ; and another which he commends extremely of a gentleman in a full dark perriwig, and pink- coloured drapery: on the {training frame was writ
Gerard Soeft pinxit ebdomeda Pentecoftes ? Anno ?omini l667 r 3 setatis 30.
Price of ? ^iaure 3f S Frame 16 s.
Vertue faw too a fmall oval painted on paper and pafted on board, the portrait of a Mr. Thompfon. Soeft was not only an able mafter himfelf, but formed Mr. Riley.
Reader,
Another fcholar of Soeft, was fon of a clergyman and born at Maid- ftone in Kent. He lived fometime at a nobleman's in the well of England, and at laft died poor in the Charter-houfe.
JOHN LOTEN,
A Dutch landfcape-painter, lived here long and painted much ; chiefly glades, dark oaken groves, land-ftorms and water-falls ; and in Swif- ferland, where he refided too, he drew many views of the Alps. He died in London about [680. In king James's catalogue, where are mentioned three of his landfcapes, he is called Loaton ; except this little notice, all the reft is taken from Graham, as are the three next articles entirely.
Vol. III.
M
THOMAS
Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
THOMAS MANBY,
An Englim landfcape- painter, who had fhidied in Italy, from whence he brought a collection of pictures that were fold in the Banquetting- houfe. He lived ten years after the preceding.
NICHOLAS BYER,
Born at Dronthem in Norway, painted both hiflory and portraits. He was employed by Sir William Temple for three or four years, at his houfe at Shene near Richmond where he died. All that Graham knew remarkable relating to him, was that he was the firft man bu- ried in St. Clement's Danes after it was rc-built, which had been founded by his country- men.
ADAM COLON I,
Of Roterdam, lived many years in England, and was famous for fmall figures, country- wakes, cattle, fire-pieces, &c. He copied many pictures of BafTan, particularly thofe in the royal collection. He died in London 1685, at the age of 51, and was buried in St. Martin's.
His fon Henry Adrian Coloni, was inftructed by his father and by his brother-in-law Vandieft, and drew well. He fometimes painted in the landfcapes of the latter, and imitated Salvator Rofa. He was buried near his father in 1701, at the age of 33.
JOHN G R I F F I E R E,
An agreable painter, called the gentleman of Utrecht, was born at Amfterdam in 1645, and placed apprentice to a carpenter, a profef-
fion
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 47
fion not at all fuiting his inclination. He knew he did not like to be a carpenter, but had not difcovered his own bent. He quitted his matter, and was put to fchool, but becoming acquainted with a lad who was learning to paint earthen-ware, young Griffiere was ftruck with the fcience tho' in fo rude a form, and pafled his time in aflift- ing his friend inftead of going to fchool, yet returning regularly at night as if he had been there. This deception however could not long impofe on his father, who prudently yielded to the force of the boy's genius, but while he gratified it, hoped to fecure him a profef- fion, and bound him to the fame mailer with his friend the tyle- painter. Griffiere improved fo much even in that coarfe fchool, that he was placed with a painter of flowers, and then inftrufted by one Roland Rogman, whofe landfcapes were efteemed. He received oc- cafional leffons too from Adrian Vandevelde, Ruifdale, and Rem- brant, whofe peculiarity of ftyle, and facility of glory, acquired rather by a bold trick of extravagant chiaro fcuro than by genius, captiva- ted the young painter, and tempted him to purfue that manner. But Rogman difluaded him, and Griffiere tho* often indulging his tafte, feems to have been fixed by his matter to landfcapes, which he execu- ted with richnefs and neat colouring, and enlivened with fmall figures, cattle and buildings.
When he quitted Rogman and Utrecht, he went to Roterdam, and foon after the fire of London, came to England, married and fettled here ; received fome inftruclions from Loten, but eafily excelled him. He drew fome views of London, Italian ruins and profpeds on the Rhine. Such mixed fcenes of rivers and rich country were his favo- rite fubjecls. He bought a yatch, embarked with his family and his pencils, and pafied his whole time on the Thames, between Wind-
for,
48 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
for, Greenwich, Gravefend, &c. Befides thefe views, he excelled in copying Italian and Flemifh mailers, particularly Polenburgh, Teniers, Hondecooter, Rembrandt and Ruyfdale.
After flaying here many years, he failed in his own yatch to Roter- dam, but being tempted by a pilot who v/as coming to England, fuddenly embarked again for this country, but was fhipwrecked, and loft his whole cargo except a little gold which his daughter had wrap- ped in a leathern girdle. He remained in Holland ten or twelve years. And returning to England, ft ruck upon a fand-bank, where he was eight days before he could get of. This new calamity cured him of his paffion for living on the water. He took a houfe in Millbank, where he lived feveral years, and died in 171 8, aged above 72. In lord Orford's collection are two pretty pictures by him, a fea-port and a Jandfcape. He etched fome fmall plates of birds and beafts from drawings of Barlow.
Robert Griffiere, his fon, born in England 1688, was bred under his father, and made good progrefs in the art. He was in Ireland when his father was fhip- wrecked, and going to him in Holland, imi- tated his manner of painting and that of Sachtleven. John Griffiere, a good copyift of Claud Lorrain, and who died in Pall-mall a few years ago, was, I beleive, a younger fon of old Grirnere.
GERARD EDEMA,
Born, according to Vertue in Friefland Graham fays at Amfterdam, was fcholar of Everding, whofe manner he followed, and' of whom there is a fmall book of mountainous profpects, containing fome 50 plates. Edema came to England about 1670, and made voyages
both
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 49
both to Norway and Newfoundland, to collect fubjectsfor his pictures among thofe wildnefTes of nature -9 he delighting in rocky views, falls of water, and fcenes of horrour. For figures and buildings he had no talent, and where he wanted them was aflifted by Wyck. The latter, Vandevelde and Edema lived fome time at Mount-Ed gcumbe with Sir Richard, grandfather of the prefent lord Edgcumbe, and painted feveral views of the mount in concert, which are now in a manner decayed. Edema's temper was not fo unfociable as his ge- nius •, he loved the bottle, and died of it at Richmond about the year 1 700 *, Graham fays in the 40th year of his age, which probably is a miftake, if he came to England in 1670 — he could not have learnt much of Everding, if he quitted his fchool at ten years old.
THOMAS STEVENSON,
Scholar of Aggas *, who painted landfcape in oil, figures and archi- tecture in diftemper. The latter is only a dignified expreflion, ufed by Graham, for fcene painting, even in which kind, he owns, Steven- fon's works grew defpifed. The defigns for the pageant, called Goldfmith's Jubilee, on the mayoralty of Sir Robert Vyner, were given by this man.
PHILIP d u v A L,
A French man, ftudied under Le Brun, and afterwards in Italy the
Venetian fchool. He came to England, and painted feveral pictures.
Vol. III. N One
* Aggas, whom I have mentioned in the firft volume, p. 157, was little more than a fcene-painter, for which reafon I do not give him a feperate article here. All the account we have of him is from Graham.
50 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
One for the famous Mrs. Stuart duchefs of Richmond reprefented Venus receiving armour from Vulcan for her fon. The head-drefs of the goddefs, her bracelets, and the Cupids had more the air of Ver- failles than L/atium. On the anvil was the painter's name, and the date 1672. Notwithstanding the good breeding of his pencil, Duval was unfuccefsful, but Mr. Boyle finding in him fome knowledge of chymiftry, in which he had hurt his fmall fortune, generoufly allowed him an annuity of 50 /. On the death of his patron Duval fell into great indigence, and at laft became difordered in his fenfes. He was buried at St. Martin's about 1709.
EDWARD HAWKER,
Succeeded Sir Peter Lely in his houfe, not in his reputation. He painted a whole length of the duke of Grafton, from which there is a print and a head of Sir Dudley North ; was a poor knight of Windfor, and was living in 1721, aged fourfcore. The reader muft cxcufe fuch brief or trifling articles. This work is but an effay towards the hiftory of our arts : All kind of notices are inferted to lead to farther difcoveries, and if a nobler compendium mail be formed, I willingly refign fuch minutes to oblivion.
Sir JOHN G A W D I E,
Born in 1639, was deaf and dumb, but compenfated part of thefe misfortunes by a talent for painting, in which he was not unfucceiT- ful. He had learned of Lely, intending it for his profeflion, but on the death of his elder brother, only continued it for his amufement.
FLES-
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 51
- FLESSIERE,
Another T)bfcure painter mentioned by Vertue, and a frame-maker too, lived in the Strand near the Fountain-tavern *, yet probably was not a very bad performer, as a large piece of fruit painted by him was thought worthy of a place in Sir Peter Lely's collection.
BENEDETTO GENARO,
Nephew and difciple of Guercino, and if that is much merit, refem- bling him in his works. He imitated his uncle's extravagantly dark fhades, caught the roundnefs of his flelh, but with a difagreable livid- nefs, and porTeffed at lean: as much grace and dignity. He came to England, and was one of Charles's painters. In king James's cata- logue are mentioned twelve of his hand ; moil of them, I believe, arc ftill in the royal palaces, four are at Windfor. At Chatfworth are three by him and Lot and his daughters at Coudray. His Hercules and Deianira was fold at Streater's fale for 1 1 /. He was born in 1633, and died in 171 5. It is faid that he had a miftrefs of whom he was jealous, and whom he would not fufFer the king to fee.
GASPAR NETSCHER*
painted fmall portraits in oil. He was invited to England by Sir
William
* He was difciple of Terburg, who, Defcamps and the French author that I fhall mention prefently, fay, was in England ; and the former adds that he received immenfe prices for his works, and that he twice drew
king
52 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
William Temple and recommended to the king, but * ftaid not long here. Vertue mentions five of his pictures : one, a lady and a dog, with his name to it : another of a lady, her hands joined, oval on copper : the third, lord Berkeley of Stratton, his lady, and a fervant, in one piece, dated 1 676. The others, fmall ovals on copper of king William and queen Mary, painted juft before the revolution, in the collection of the duke of Portland. Netfcher died of the gravel and gout in . 1684.
JACOB PEN,
A Dutch painter of hiflory, commended by Graham. There is a St. Luke by him in Painter's-hall. He died about 1686.
SUN-
king William III. However, as his ftay here was certainly fhcrt, and as I cannot point out any of his works, it is not worth while to give him a feperate article. His life may be feen in the authors I quote. Teniers, who, according to the fame writers was here too, came only to buy pic- tures, and therefore belongs ftill lefs to this catalogue.
* The French author of the Abrege de la Vie des plus fameux Pein- tres affirms that he never was here, being apprehenfive of the tumult of a court, and that he compounded with the king by fending him feveral pic- tures, p. 39. One would think that Charles had invited Netfcher to his parties of pleafure, or to be a minifter. The folitude of a painter's life is little difturbed by working for a court. If the refearches of Vertue v/ere not more to be depended on than this inacurate writer, the portraits of lord Berkeley and his lady would turn the balance in his favour. Did Netfcher fend them for prefents to the king ? I don't mean in general to detract from the merits of this writer; he feems to have underftood the profefiion, and is particularly valuable for having collected fo many por- traits of artifts, and for giving lifts of engravers after their pictures. His work confifts of two volumes quarto, 1745.
Painters in the Reign of Charles 11
53
SUN MAN,
Of the fame country with the preceding, came to England in the reign of Charles II. and got into good bufinefs after the death of Sir Peter Lely, but having drawn the king with lefs applaufe than Riley, he was difgufted and retired to Oxford, where he was employed by the Univerfity, and painted for them the large pictures of their founders how in the picture-gallery. He drew dean Fell, father of the bifhop, and Mr. William Adams, fon of him who publifhed the Villare Anglicanum. In term-time Sunman went conftantly to Ox- ford ; the reft of the year he palfed in London, and died at his houfe in Gerard-ftreet about 1707.
SHEPHARD,
An Englifli artift, of whom I can find no record, but that he lived in this reign, near the Royal-exchange, painted Thorn. Killigrew with his dog, now at lord Godolphin's, and retired into Yorkfhire, where he died.
s T e 1 N E R,
A Swifs, fcholar of one Warner, whofe manner he imitated, was alfo an architect. Standing on the walls at the feige of Vienna, he was wounded in the knee. The latter part of his time he lived in England, and died at Mortlack.
Vol. III.
O
PETER
Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
PETER STOOP,
A Fleming, was fettled with his family at Lifbon, from whence they followed Catherine of Portugal to England. Peter painted bat- tles, huntings, procefiions, &c. and his brothers Roderigo and Theo- dore engraved them. ' If the pictures were equal to the plates from them, which are extremely in the manner of Delia Bella, Peter was an artifl of great merit. Graham fays fo, but that his reputation de- clined on the arrival of Wyck. Stoop was employed by one Doily, a dealer in pictures, fluffs, &c. and gave fome inftructions in paint- ing to Johnfon that admirable old comedian, the moft natural and of the lead gefticulation I ever knew, fo famous for playing the grave- digger in Hamlet, Morofe, Noll Bluff, BifTiop Gardiner, and a few other parts, and from whom Vertue received this account. Stoop lived in Durham-yard, and when an aged man retired to Flanders about 1678, where he died eight years afterwards. Vertue does not fay directly that the other two were brothers of Stoop ; on the con- trary he confounds Roderigo with Peter, but I conclude they were his brothers or fons, from the prints etched by them about the very time of Peter's arrival in England. They are a fet of eight plates contain- ing the public entry of admiral Sandwich into Lifbon, and all the circumftances of the queen's departure, arrival, and entries at White- hall and Hampton- court. I have never been able to meet but with two of them one, the entry of the earl, is dedicated to him by Theodore Stoop, ipfuis regias majeftatis pictor, and is the only one to which Vertue mentions the name of Theodore. The other in my pofTeffion is the queen's arrival at Hampton-court but the name is
wanting.
William ,Yajo>e Yelde, jmf.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 55
wanting. Vertue defcribes befides a picture, feven feet wide and two high, containing the king's cavalcade through the gates of the city the day before his coronation, but painted in 1662. He fays not where he faw it, but calls the painter Roderigo Stoop, as he does 'the engra- ver of the reft of the above-mentioned plates. It is not impofTible but Peter might have affumed the Portuguefe name of Roderigo at Lilbon. Some of the plates, among Hollar's, to Ogleby's TEfop, were done by the fame perfon, but very poorly.
WAGGONER,
Another obfcure name, by whom there is a view of the fire of Lon- don in Painter's-hall.
ALEXANDER SOUVILLE,
A French-man, as little known as the preceeding, and difcovered only by Vertue from a memorandum in the account-books at the Temple *, " Oct. 17, 1685. The eight figures on the north-end of the paper- buildings in the King's-bench-walks in the Inner-temple, were painted by Monfieur Alexander Souville."
WILLIAM VANDEVELDE,
Diftinguimed from his more famous fon of the fame name, by the ap- pellation of the Old, was born at Leyden in 1610, and learned to paint iriips by a previous turn to navigation. It was not much to his ho- nour that he conducted the Englifh fleet, as is laid, to burn Schelling. Charles II. had received him and his fon with great marks of favour ;
it
56 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
it was punYing his gratitude too far to ferve the king againft his own country. Dr. Rawlinfon the Antiquarian, gave Vertue a copy of the following privy-feal, purchafed among the papers of fecretary Pepys 5
" Charles the fecond, by the grace of God, &c. to our dear coufirc prince Rupert, and the reft of our commiffioners for executing the place of lord high- admiral of England, greeting. Whereas wee have thought fitt to allow the falary of one hundred pounds per annum unto William Vandevelde the elder for taking and making draughts of fea-fights and the like falary of one hundred pounds per annum unto William Vandevelde the younger for putting the faid draughts into colours for our particular ufe j our will and pleafure is, and wee do hereby authorize and require you to ilTue your orders for the pre- fent and future eftablimment of the faid falaries to the aforefaid Wil- liam Vandevelde the elder and William Vandevelde the younger, to be paid unto them and either of them during our pleafure, and for fo doing thefe our letters mall be your fufflcient warrant and difcharge. Given under our privy-feal at our pallace of Weftminfter, the 20th day of February in the 26th year of our reign."
The father who was a very able mafter, painted chiefly in black and white, and latterly always put the date on his works. He was buried in St. James's-church : on the grave- ftone is this infcription ;
" Mr. William Vandevelde, fenior, late painter of fea-fights to their majefties king Charles II. and king James dyed 1693."
William Vandevelde, the fon, was the greater!: man that has appear- ed in this branch of painting ; the palm is not lefs difputed with Ra- phael for hiftory, than with Vandevelde for fea-pieces : Annibal Ca- racci and Mr. Scott have not furpafTed thofe chieftains. William was born at Amfterdam in 1633, and wanted no mafter but his father, till
the
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 57
the latter came to England ; then for a Ihort time he was placed with Simon de Vlieger, an admired fhip-painter of that time, but whofe name is only preferved now by being united to his difciple's. Young William was foon demanded by his father, and gracioufly entertained by the king, to whole particular inclination his genius was adapted. William, I fuppofe, lived chiefly with his father at Greenwich, who- had chofen that refidence as fuited to the fubjects he wanted. In king James's collection were eighteen pieces of the father and fon ; feveral are at Hampton- court. At Buckingham-houfe was a view of Solebay-fight by the former, with a long infcription. But the bed chofen collection of thele matters is in a chamber at Mr. Skinner's in Cliffbrd-ftreet Burlington-gardens, affembled at great prices by the late Mr. Walker. Vandevelde the fon having painted the junction of Enghfh and French fleets at the Nore, whither king Charles went to view them, and where he was reprefented going on board his own yatch, two commiflioners of the Admiralty agreed to beg it of the king, to cut it in two, and each take a part. The painter, in whofe prefence they concluded this wife treaty, took away the picture and concealed it, till the king's death, when he offered it to Bullfinch, the printfdler (from whom Vertue had the ftory) for fourfcore pounds. Bullfinch took time to confider, and returning to the purchafe, found the picture fold for 130 guineas. Afterwards it was in the pofleffion of Mr. Si one, a merchant retired into Oxfordshire.
William the younger died in 1707, as appears by this infcription under his print; Gulielmus Vanden Velde junior, navium & profpec- tuum marinarum pictor, et oh fingularem in ilia arte peritiam a Ca- rolo and Jacobo 2do. Magnse Britannia regibus annua mercede dona- tus. Obiit 6 Apr. A. D. 1707. set. fuse 74.
Vol. III.
P
William
58 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
William the elder had a brother named Cornelius *, who like him painted fhipping in black and white, was employed by king Charles and had a falary.
The younger William left a Ton, a painter too of the fame ftyle, and who made good copies from his father's works, but was otherwife no confiderable performer. He went to Holland and died there. He had a fitter who was firft married to Simon Du Bois, whom I mall mention hereafter, and then to Mr. Burgefs. She had the portraits of her grandfather and father by Sir Godfrey Kneller, of her brother by Wiffing, and of her great uncle Cornelius.
JOHN VOSTERMA Nf,
Of Bommel, fon of a portrait-painter, and difciple of Sachtleven, was a neat and excellent painter of fmall landfcapes in oil, as may be feen by two views of Windfor, ftill in the gallery there. After the rapid conquefts of the French in 1672 he removed from Utrecht to Nime- guen, and pleafing the marquis de Bethune, was made his major- domo, employed to purchafe pictures, and carried by him to France, from whence he paffed into England, and painted for king Charles a chimney-piece at Whitehall, and a few other things J ; but demand- ing
* The anonymous author of the Abrege de la Vie des plus fameux Peintres, mentions three other Vandevcldes $ Adrian who, he ignorantly fays, was le plus connu^ was no relation of the others, and John an engraver, and Ifaiah, a battle-painter, both brothers of the firft William, as well as this Cornelius, p. 102.
t Graham calls him F. de Vofterman.
% He painted a view of Sterling-caftle, the figures by Wyck, from whence- we may conclude that they took a journey to Scotland.
William Wis sing,
Painters i?i the Reign of Charles II. 59
ing extravagant prices, as 150 and 200/. for his pictures, he had not many commiflions from court ; and being as vain in his expence as of his works, he grew into debt and was arretted. He fued in vain to the king for delivery : his countrymen freed him by a contribution. Sir William Soames being fent embaflador to Constantinople by James II. Vofterman accompanied him, intending to paint the delights of that fituation ; but Sir William dying on the road, it is not cer- tain what became of the painter : it is faid that before his departure from England, he had been invited to Poland by his old patron the marquis de Bethune, and probably went thither on the death of the embaflador *.
WILLIAM WISSING,
Was born at Amfterdam and bred under Dodaens an hiftoric painter of the Hague, from whence WifTing paffed into France, contracted the furbelowed ftyle of that country and age, and came into England, where at leaft he learned it in it's perfection from Sir Peter Lely for whom he worked, and after whofe death he grew into falhion. He drew all the royal family, and particularly the duke of Monmouth feveral times* which ingratiated him with the king and the ladies. Sir Godfrey Kneller, then the riling genius, was a for- midable rival, but death put an end to the conteft in the thirty-firft year of Wifllng's age, who deceafed at Burleigh, the lord Exeter's, in 1687. He was buried at the expence of that earl in St. Martin's
Stam-
* Francilco Mile, a landfcape-painter of Antwerp, was here towards the end of Charles's reign, but probably ftaid not long.
Abrege &c. vol. ii. p. 214.
6o Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
Stamford, where againft a pillar in the middle ifle of the church, is a monumental table to his memory ; the infcription may be feen in Graham. There are feveral prints from his works, particularly one of queen Catherine with a dog. Prior * wrote a poem on the laft pic- ture he painted. A mezzotinto of Willing is thus infcribed. Guli- elmus WifTmgus, inter piclores fui feculi celeberrimos, nulli fecundus artis fuae non exiguum decus & ornamentum immodicis brevis eft aetas.
ADRIAN HENNY or HENNIN,
One of the laft painters who arrived in the reign of Charles II. little is known of him, but that having been two years in France, he adop- ted the manner of Gafpar Poufiin. Vertue thought he came in 1680 5 if fo, the title-plate to a hiftory of Oxford defigned by him, and en- graved by White in 1674, muft have been done antecedent to his ar- rival. He painted much at Eythorp, the feat of Dormer lord Carnar- von, now of Sir William Stanhope, and died here in 17 10.
TEMPEST A and TOMASO,
Two painters who worked at Wilton, painting cielings and pannels of rooms. Tempefta was, I beleive, fon of a well-known painter of the fame name. Tomafo, and a brother of his, who was employed at Wilton too, were brought over by Sir Charles Cotterel, for which rea-
fon
* Prior early in his life was patronized by the fame noble family, and by his pleafing verfes has added celebrity to that venerable palace, facred by the memory of Burleigh, and ornamented with a profufion of Carlo Ma- ratti's and Luca Jordano's works.
Samuel Cooper.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 61
fon I have placed them here, tho' I do not know exactly whether their performances were not dated a little later than this period. I find no other mention of them or Tempefta in England. There are at Wil- ton two pieces of tapeftry after the Cartoons of Raphael, with the workman's name Stephen Mayn, and his arms, a crofs of St. George-, probably executed long before this period, and perhaps not in England.
If our painters in oil were not of the firft rate during the period I have been defcribing, in water-colours that reign has the higheft pre- tenfions.
SAMUEL COOPER
Owed great part of his merit to the works of Vandyck, and yet may be called an original genius, as he was the firft who gave the ftrength and freedom of oil to miniature. Oliver's works are touched and re- touched with fuch careful fidelity that you cannot help perceiving they are nature in the abftract Cooper's are fo bold that they feem per- fect nature only of a lefs ftandard. Magnify the former, they are ftill diminutively conceived : if a glafs could expand Cooper's pictures to the fize of Vandyck's, they would appear to have been painted for that proportion. If his portrait of * Cromwell could be fo enlarged, I don't know but Vandyck would appear lefs great by the comparifon. To make it fairly, one mud not meafure the Fleming by his moft admired piece, cardinal Bentivoglio : The quick finefie of eye in a florid Ita- lian writer was not a fubject equal to the protector but it would be Vol. III. an * This fine head is in the pofTeflion of the lady Frankland, widow of Sir Thomas, a defcendent of Cromwell. The body is unniufhed. Vertue engraved it, as he did another, in profile, in the collection of the duke of Devonfhire.
62 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
an amufing trial to balance Cooper's Oliver and Vandyck's lord Straf- ford. To trace the lineaments of equal ambition, equal intrepidity, equal art, equal prefumption, and to compare the fkill of the mailers in reprefenting the one exalted to the height of his hopes, yet perplex- ed with a command he could fcarce hold, did not dare to relinquifh, and yet dared to exert ; the other, daftied in his career, willing to avoid the precipice, fearching all the receffes of fo great a foul, to break his fall, and yet ready to mount the fcaffold with more dignity than the other afcended the throne. This parallel is not a picture drawn by fancy \ if the artifts had worked in competition, they could not have approached nigher to the points of view in which I have traced the characters of their heroes.
Cooper with fo much merit had two defects. His flcill was confi- ned to a meer head \ his drawing even of the neck and moulders fo incorrect and untoward, that it feems to account for the numbers of his works unMniflied. It looks as if he was fenfible how fmall a way his talent extended. This very poverty accounts for the other, his want of grace : A fignal deficience in a painter of portraits — yet how feldom polTdfed ! Bounded as their province is to a few tame atti- tudes, how grace atones for want of action ! Cooper, content, like his countrymen, with the good fenfe of truth, neglected to make truth engaging. Grace in painting feems peculiar to Italy. The Flemings and the French run into oppofite extremes. The firfl: never approach the line, the latter exceed it, and catch at moft but a lelfer fpecies of it, the genteel, which if I were to define, I mould call familiar grace, as grace feems an amiable degree of majefty. Cooper's women, like his model Vandyck's, are feldom very handfome. It is Lely alone that excufes the galantries of Charles II. He painted an apology for that Afiatic court. The
Painters m the Reign of Charles II. 63
The anecdotes of Cooper's life are few; nor does it fignify; his works are his hiftory. He was born in 1609 and inftructed, with his brother Alexander, by their uncle Hofkins, who, fays Graham, was jealous of him, and whom he foon furpafled. The variety of tints that he introduced, the clearnefs of his carnations, and loofe management of hair exceed his uncle, though in the Iaft Hofkins had great merit too. The author I have juft quoted mentions another capital work of Cooper, the portrait of one Swingfield, which recommended the artift to the court of France, where he painted feveral pieces larger than his ufual fize, and for which his widow received a penfion during her life. He lived long in France, and Holland, and dying in London 1672 at the age of 63 was buried in Pancras-church, where is a monument for him. The infcription is in Graham, who adds that he had great fkill in mufic, and played well on the lute.
His works are too many to be enumerated, feven or eight are in queen Caroline's clofet at Kenfington one of them, a head of Moncke, is capital ; but unfinifhed. Lord Oxford had a head of archbifhop Sheldon •, and the bull of lord chancellor Shaftfbury on his monument by Ryfbrach was taken from a picture of Cooper.
It is an anecdote little known, I beleive, and too trifling but for fuch a work as this, that Pope's mother was filler of Cooper's wife. Lord Carleton had a portrait of Cooper in crayons, which Mrs. Pope faid was not very like, and which, defcending to lord Burlington, was given by his lordfhip to Kent. It was painted by one Jackfon, a re- lation of Cooper, of whom I know nothing more, and who, I fup- pofe, drew another head of Cooper, in crayons, in queen Caroline's clofet, faid to be painted by himielf ; but I find no account of his ef- &ys in that way. He did once attempt oil, as Murray the painter
told
64 Painters in the Reign of Charles IL
told Vertue, and added, that Hayles thereupon applied to miniature, which he threatened to continue, unlefs Cooper defifted from oil, which he did --- but fuch menaces do not frighten much, unlefs fe- conded by want of fuccefs. Among Orinda's poems is one to Cooper on drawing her friend Lucafia's picture, in 1660.
RICHARD GIBSON,
The Dwarf, being page to a lady at Mortlack, was placed by her with Francefco Cleyne, to learn to draw, in which he fucceeded, per- fecting himfelf by copying the works of Sir Peter Lely, who drew Gibfon's picture leaning on a buft, 1658, another evidence of Sir Peter being here before the reftoration. It was in the porTefTion of Mr. Rofe* the jeweller, who had another head of the dwarf by Dob- fon, and his little wife in black, by Lely. This diminutive couple were married in the prefence of Charles I. and his queen, who be- fpoke a diamond ring for the bride, but the troubles coming on me never received it. Her f name was Anne Shepherd. The little pair were each three feet ten inches high. Waller has celebrated their nuptials in one of his prettied poems. The hufband was page to the king, and had already attained fuch excellence, that a picture of the man and loft meep painted by him, and much admired by the king, was the caufe of Vanderdort's death, as we have feen in the pre- ceding volume. Thomas J earl of Pembroke had the portraits of the
dwarfs
* He married Gibfon's daughter, a paintrefs, that will be mentioned hereafter, t See notes to Fenton's Waller.
X Gibfon had been patronized by Philip earl of Pembroke, and painted Cromwell's picture feveral times. Mrs. Gibfon is reprefented by Vandyck in the picture with the duchefs of Richmond at Wilton.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 65
dwarfs hand in hand by Sir Peter Lely, and exchanging it for another picture, it fell into the pofleflion of Cock the auctioneer, who fold it to Mr. Gibfon the painter in 171 2. It was painted in the ftyle of Vandyck. Mr. Rofe had another fmall piece of the dwarf and his matter Francefco Cleyne, in green habits as archers, with bows and arrows, and he had preferved Gibfon's bow, who was fond of archery. Gibfon taught queen Anne to draw, and went to Holland to inftruct her fifter the princefs of Orange. The fmall couple had nine chil- dren, five of which lived to maturity, and were of a proper fize. Richard the father died in the 75th year of his age, and was buried * at Covent-garden : his little widow lived till 1709, when me was 89 years old.
WILLIAM GIBSON,
Nephew of the preceding, was taught by him and Sir Peter Lely, and copied the latter happily; but chiefly practiced miniature. He bought great part of Sir Peter's collection, and added much to it. Dying of a lethargy in 1702 at the age of 58, he was buried at Rich- mond, as was
EDWARD GIBSON,
I fuppofe, fen of the dwarf. This young man began with painting portraits in oil, but changed that manner for crayons. His own pic- ture done by himfelf in this way 1690, was at Tart-hall. Edward died at the age of 33.
Vol. III. R JOHN
* From the regifter, Richard Gibfon died July 23> 1690.
66 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
JOHN DIXON
Scholar of Sir Peter Lely, painted both in miniature and crayons, but moftly the former. In the latter was his own head. In water-colours there are great numbers of his works above fixty were in lord Oxford's collection, both portraits and hiftories, particularly, Diana and her Nymphs bathing, after Polenburg, and a fleeping Venus, Cupids, and a Satyr. Thefe were his beft works. He was keeper of the king's picture-clofet and in 1698 was concerned in a bubble Lottery. The whole fum was to be 40,000/. divided into 12 14 prizes, the higheft prize in money 3000/. the lowed 20/. One prize, a collection of limnings, he valued fo highly, that the perfon to whom it fhould fall, might, in lieu of it, receive 2000/. each ticket twenty-fhillings. Queen Anne, then princefs, was an adven- turer : This affair turned out ill, and Dixon, falling into debt, re- moved for fecurity from St. Martin's-lane, where he lived, to the King's-bench-walks in the Temple, and latterly to a fmall eftate he had at Thwaite near Bungay in Suffolk, where he died about 1715 ; and where his widow and children were living in 1725. Dixon, adds Vertue, once bought a picture for a trifle at a broker's, which he fold to the duke of Devonfhire for 500/. but does not fpecify the hand or fubject.
ALEXANDER MARSHAL
Another performer in water-colours, who painted on velom a book of Mr. Tradefcant's*choiceft flowers and plants. At Dr. Friend's Vertue
faw
* V. Mufeum Tradefcantianum. It is a fmall book containing a cata- logue of the rarities in that collection at Lambeth, with two prints by Hollar of the father and fon.
M*SBE ALE , fcher S on C HAELE S .
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 67
faw feveral pretty large pieces after Vandyck, the flefli painted very carefully. He mentions too one Jofhua Marfhall, a fculptor, who in 1 664, executed the monument of Baptift lord Noel and his lady in Glouceflerihire.
WILLIAM HASSEL
Another painter known only to the induftry of Mr. Vertue, who faw an oval miniature of a Scotch gentleman, which being engraved by P. Vanderbank was falfely infcribed lord Marr. The mark on the picture was W. H. 1685. This, fays Vertue, I think, was William Haflel.
MATTHEW SNELLING
A gentleman who painted in miniature, and that (being very galant) feldom but for ladies. In Mr. Rofe's fale 1723 was a head of Snelling by Cooper 1644, finely painted, but the hands and drapery poor. Mr. Beal mentions him in one of his pocket-books *, for fend- ing prefents of colours to his wife in 1654, and 1658 ; and that in 1678, Mr. Snelling offered him thirty guineas for a Venus and Cupid after Rottenhamer, for which he alked forty guineas and was worth fifty. I do not know whether this perfon was related to Thomas Snelling, a poet recorded in Wood's Athenae, vol. ii. p. 135.
MARY BEALE
Was daughter of Mr. Cradock, minifter of Walton f upon Thames,
and
* See the next article.
f Where Mr. Bealc afterwards erected a monument for him.
68 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
and learned the rudiments of painting from Sir Peter Lely, and had fome inftructions, as Vertue thought, from Walker. She painted in oil, water-colours and crayons, and had much bufinefs her portraits were in the Italian ftyle which fhe acquired by copying feveral pic- tures and drawings from Sir Peter Lely's and the royal collections. Her matter was fuppofed to have had a tender attachment to her, but as he was referved in communicating to her all the refources of his pencil, it probably was a galant paflion, rather than a fuccefsful one. Dr. Woodfali wrote feveral poems to her honour, under the name of Belefia; but the fulleft hiftory of her life and works was re- corded by her own hufband, who, in final 1 almanac-pocket-books minuted down almoft daily accounts of whatever related to himfelf, his bufinefs, and his wife's pictures. Of thefe almanacs there were above thirty, which with moft of Mr. Beale's papers came into the hands of Carter, colourman, to whom Beale bequeathed them. Some were fold to Mr. Brooke a clergyman. His fhare Carter lent to a low painter, whofe goods being feized the pocket-books were loft, but feven of them a friend of Vertue's met with on a ftall, bought, and lent to him. Moft of his extracts I fhall now offer to the reader, without apprehenfion of their being condemned as trifling ortirefome. If they are fo, how will this whole work efcape ? When one writes the lives of Artifts, who in general were not very eminent, their pocket-books are as important as any part of their hiftory — I fhali ufe no farther apology — if even thofe that are loft fhould be regretted !
" The firft is 1672. 20 April. Mr. Lely was here with Mr. Gib- fon and Mr. Skipwith, to fee us, and commended very much her (Mrs. Beale's) coppy after our Saviour praying in the garden, &c.
after
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 69
after Anto. da Correggio : her coppy in little after Endimion Porter his lady and three fons he commended extraordinarily, and faid (to ufe his own words) it was painted like Vandyke himfelf in little, and that it was the beft coppy he ever faw of Vandyke. Alfo he very well liked her two coppyes in great of Mr. Porter's little fon Phil. He commended her other works, coppyes and thofe from the life. Both he and Mr. Gibfon both commended her works.
" Mr. Lely told me at the fame time as he was mod fludioufly looking at my bifhop's picture of Vandyke's, and I chanced to afk him how Sir Antony cou'd poflibly divife to finifh in one day a face that was fo exceeding full of work, and wrought up to fo extraordinary a perfection — I believe, faid he, he painted it over fourteen times. And upon that he took occafion to fpeake of Mr. Nicholas Laniere's picture of Sr. Anto. V. D. doing, which, faid he, Mr. Laniere him- felf told me he fatt feaven entire days for it to Sr. Anto. and that he painted upon it of all thofe feaven dayes both morning and afternoon, and only intermitted the time they were at dinner. And he faid like- wife that tho' Mr. Laniere fatt fo often and fa long for his picture, that he was not permitted fo much as once to fee it, till he had per- fectly finifhed the face to his own fatisfaction. This was the picture which being ftiow'd to king Charles the firft caufed him to give order that V. Dyck ftiou'd be fent for over into England.
* " 20 Feb. 1671-2. My worthy and kind friend Dr. Belk caufed the excellent picture of Endimion Porter, his lady and three fons altogether done by Sr. Anto. Vandyke, to be brought to my houfe that my deare heart might have opportunity to ftudy it, and coppy what fliee thought fitt of itt. Alfo at the fame time wee re-
Vol. III. S turn'd
* This tranfcript mould have preceded the former, but I give them exactly as I find them in Vertue's extract.
70 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
turn'd Mrs. Cheek's picture of Mr. Lely's painting back to my lord Chamberlain.
" Pink remaining in ftock Sept. 1672. Some parcells containing fome pds. weight of tryalls made July 1663.
" 19 April, 1672. My deareft painted over the third time a fide face. This Mr. Flatman liked very well.
u 24 April, 1 672. My moft worthy friend Dr. Tillotfon fat to Mr. Lely for his picture for me, and another for Dr. Cradock. He drew them flrft in chalk rudely, and afterwards in colours, and rubbed upon that a little colour very thin in places for the fhadows, and laid a touch of light upon the heightning of the forehead. He had done them both in an hour's time.
" Lord biftiop of Chefter's picture painted by Mrs. Beale for lord George Berkeley.
" Sunday May 5th, 1672. Mr. Samuel Cooper, the moft famous limner of the world for a face, dyed.
" 18 May, 1672. Pd. Mr. Tho. Burman in part, due for my honoured father and mother's monument fet up for them at Walton in Bucks, at the expence of my brother Henry Beale and myfelf, the whole coft paid in full 45/.
" 23. Ld. and lady Cornbury's pictures dead colour'd. Dr. Si- denham's picture began.
" 5 June> Dr. Tillotfon fat about three hours to Mr. Lely for him to lay in a dead colour of his picture for me. He apprehending the colour of the cloth upon which he painted was too light before he began to lay on the flefh-colour, he glazed the whole place, where the face and haire were drawn in a colour over thin, with Cullen's- earth, and a little bonn black (as he told us) made very thin with varnifh. " June
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 71
" June 1672. Received for three pictures of Sir Rob. Viner, his lady and daughter 30/.
" 20 June. My moft worthy friend Dr. Tillotfon fat in the morn- ing about three hours to Mr. Lely, the picture he is doing for me. This is the third fetting.
" Mr. Fuller the painter died 1 7 July, 1 672, as Mr. Manby told me.
"22 July. Mrs. Beale painted her own picture, fecond fetting.
<c 23 July. Received of Col. Giles Strangeways *for Dr. Pierce's, Dr. Cradock's, Dr. Tillotfon's, Dr. Stillingfleet's, Mr. Crumholem's pictures 25/. f
" 1 Aug. 1672. Dr. Tillotfon fat to Mr. Lely about three hours for the picture he is doing for me, this is the fourth time, and I be- lieve he will paint it (at lean: touch it) over again. His manner in the painting of this picture this time efpecially, feem'd ftrangely dif- ferent both to myfelf and my deareft heart from his manner of paint- ing the former pictures he did for us. This wee thought was a more conceiled mifterious fcanty way of painting then the way he ufed form- erly, which wee both thought was a far more open and free, and much more was to be obferved and gain'd from feeing him paint then, then my heart cou'd with her moft carefull marking learn £ from his
painting
* Thefe five heads and three more, are ftill at the earl of Ilchefter's at Melbury in Dorfetfhire, the fine old feat of the Strangways. Each head is in- clofed in a frame of ftone-colour; a mark that very generally diftinguimes Mrs. Beale's works.
f Mrs. Beale had 5/. for a head, and 10 L for a half-length, in oil, which was her moil common method of painting.
% I think it clear from this whole pafTage, that what I have aflerted in the text from Graham of Mrs. Beale being fcholar to Lely, is a miftake of that writer. Beale does not hint at it — on the contrary they feeni
to
72 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
painting either this, or Dr. Cradock's picture of his doing for Dr. Patrick.
" Delivered to Mr. Lely one ounce of Ultramarine at 2/. 10 s» one ounce towards payment for Dr. Tillotfon's picture for me.
" 30 Sept. I carryd my two boys Charles and Batt. to Mr. Lely's and mewed them all his pictures, his rare collection. 1 Octob. I went again to Mr. Lely's, and fhewd Mr. W. JJoneft the fame excel- lent pictures. This perfon was a learner then.
" I have paid Mr. Lely towards the pictures of Mr. Cof. Brooke Bridges and Dr. Tillotfon which he is doing for me, by feveral par- cells of Lake of my own makeing which he fent for 17 Aug. 1671, and Ultramarine and money, 13/. 12s.
" Received this year 1672 moneys at intereft, rents, or for co- lours, upon Mrs. Beale's account, 101 /. 11s. Received this year for pictures done by my deareft heart 202/. $s.
Then follows a lift done from the life by Mrs. Beale fince 1671-2, with the months in which they were painted. There were thirty- five paid for, befides feveral begun and not paid for ; among the former were, portraits of Sr. Rob. Viner and his daughter in one piece, Dr. Tillotfon, and Dr. Stillingfleet, Dr. Outram, Dr. Patrick, Col. Strangways ; and a Magdalen painted from Moll Trioche, a young woman who died 1672. Among the latter, his fitter's, his wife's own, lady Falconberg, and lady Eliz. Howard's pictures.
From the almanac of 1674, were the following memorandums :
" In Auguft Mr. Lely had one ounce of Ultramarine the richeft at 4/. 10 s. per oz. in part of payments betwixt us for dean of Cant. Tillotfon, and Dr. Stillingfleet, which he has done for me, and by
Lakes
Paintefs in the Reign of Charles II. 73
Lakes and Ultramarins, according to account of the particulars
1673 - - - 24 9 o 4100
28 19 o So there is due to him 1/. u. in full payment for the two fore-mentioned pictures.
" Aug. 1674. Mr. Lely dead-colour'd my fon Charles picture — took a drawing upon paper after an * Indian gown which he had put on his back, in order to the finifliing the drapery of it.
" Nov. Borrowed of Wm. Chiffinch efq; eleaven of his majefties Italian drawings.
" 1 674. Received this yeare for pictures doneby my deareft, 2 1 61. §jr. At the end of this book are more lifts of pictures begun or finifhed by Mrs. Beale.
From the almanac of 1677.
" June 4. Mr. Comer the painter being at our houfe told my deareft as a fecret that he ufed black chalk ground in oil inftead of blue black and found it much better and more innocent colour.
"22 May. Mr. Francis Knollys came himfelf and fetched away the original picture of the old earl of Strafford and Sr. Philip Man- waring which had been left here for fome years. It was carried away by two of the lord Hollis's fervants whom Mr. Knollys brought with him for that purpofe.
" April. I faw at Mr. Bab May's lodgings at Whitehall thefe pictures of Mr. Lely's doeing; 1. The king's picture in buff half- Vol. III. T length,
to have procured their friends to fit to Sr. Peter, that fhe might learn his method of colouring; — and Sr. Peter feems to have been aware of the intention.
* This was fo eftablifhed a famion at that time, that in Chamberlain's Pre- fent-ftate oFEngland for 1684, I find, P.obert Croft Indian-gown maker to the king, Mrs. Mary Mandove, Indian- gown- maker to the queen.
74 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
length. 2. Firfl dutches of York, h. I. 3. Dutches of Portfmouth, h. L 4. Mrs. Gwin with a lamb. h. I. 5. Mrs. Davis with a gold pot, h. 1. 6. Mrs. Roberts, h. L 7. Dutches of Cleveland being as a Madonna and a babe. 8. Mrs. May's fifter, h. L 9. Mr. Wm. Finch, a head by Mr. Hales. 10. Dutches of Richmond, h. 1. by Mr. Anderton.
" Jan. 1676-7. Mr. Lely came to fee Mrs. Beale's paintings, fe- veral of them he much commended, and upon obfervation faid Mrs. Beale was much improved in her painting.
" Mrs. Beale painted Sr. Wm. Turner's picture from head to foot for our worthy friend Mr. Knollys. He gave it to be fett up in the hall at Bridewell, Sr. Wm. Turner haveing been prefident in the year he was lord- mayor of London.
" Feb. 16. I gave Mr. Manby two ounces of very good lake of my making, and one ounce and half of pink, in confideration of the landfkip he did in the Countefs of Clare's picture.
" Feb. Borrow'd fix Italian drawings out of the king's collection for my fons to practice by.
" Monday 5th March. I fent my fon Charles to Mr. Flatman's in order to his beginning to learne to limine of him. The fame time I fent my fon's Barth. picture done by my deareft for Charles to make an efTay in water-colours. Lent my fon Charles 3/. which he is to work out.
" Moneys paid my fon Barth. for work, laying in the draperys of his mother's pictures, from the beginning of this year i6y6-j. About twenty-five half-lengths, and as many more heads layd in. Paid my fon Charles upon the fame account, near as many. The father, Charles Beale had fome employment in the board of Green-cloth. This year
Mrs.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 75
Mrs. Beale had great bufinefs, and received for pictures 42 9 J. among others whole portraits fhe drew were, the earl of Clarendon, lord Cornbury, Bp. Wilkins, Countefs of Derby, Sr. Stephen Fox, lord Halifax, duke of Newcaftle, Lady Scarfdale, earl of Bolinbroke, lady Dorchefter, lady Stafford, Mr. Th. Thynne, Mr, fecretary Coventry, feveral of the family of Lowther, earl of Clare, Mr. Finch fon of the chancellor, and Mr. Charles Stanley, fon of the Countefs of Derby.
In the almanac of 166 1 are no accounts of portraits painted by her, as if fhe had not yet got into bufinefs, but there are memorandums of debts paid, and of implements for painting bought, and an inventory of valuable pictures and drawings in their poffeffion. Mention too is made of three portraits by Walker, her own, her hufband's and her father's-, of Sr. Peter Lely's by himfelf, half-length, price 20/. Han- neman's picture and frame 18/. Item, Given feveral ways to Mr. Flatman for limning my own picture, my daughter Mall's, father Cradock, and the boys, 30/. It concludes with an inventory of their goods, furniture, colours, plate, watches, &c.
Another pocket-book.
cc May 19, 1676, Mr. Greenhill the painter dyed.
" gd of May. I made an exchange with Mr. Henny, half an ounce of Ultramarine for four pound of his Smalt which he valued at eight millings a pound, being the bed and fined ground Smalt that ever came into England.
" Sep. Lent to Mr. Manby a little Italian book II Partito di Donni * about painting.
" 26. Sent Mr. Lely an ounce of my richeft Lake in part of pay- ment for Mr. Dean of Cant. Dr. Stillingfieet's and my. fon Charles picture which he did for me. Then • * Sic Orig,
76 Painters in the Reign of Charles II.
Then follow lifts of lives of painters which he thought to tranflate, and of pictures begun that year, as, the earl of Athol's, lady Nor- thumberland's, &c. and of pictures copied from Sr. Peter, as the duchefs of York, lady Cleveland, lady Mary Cavendifh, lady Eliz. Percy, lady Clare, lady Halifax, Mrs. Gwin, &c. and of others from which fhe only copied the poftures.
Another book, 1681.
" The king's half-length picture which I borrowed of Sir Peter was fent back to his executors, to Sr. Peter Lely's houfe.
" March. Dr. Burnet * prefented the fecond volume of the Hiftory of the Reformation to Mrs. Beale as he had done the firft volume.
" April. Lent Mr. Tho. Manby my Leonardo da Vinci, which I had from Mr. Flatman.
" July. My dear heart finilht the firft copy of the half-length of lady Ogle's picture, after Sr. P. Lely at Newcaftle-houfe — 3d paint- ing — both lord and lady Ogle's pictures.
M Nov. My dear heart and felf and fon Charles faw at Mr. f Walton's the lady Carnarvon's picture half-length, by Vandyk in blue fatin, a mod rare complexion exceeding flelhy done without any fhadow. It was lately bought by Mr. Riley for 35/. alfo another lady in blue fatin, another lady, black ; others, and a rare head by Holben of the lord Cromwell Hen. VIII. dayes.
" Feb.
* This and other circumftances in thefe notes confirm Graham's account of the regard the Clergy had for Beale and his wife. There are feveral prints of Tillotfon and other divines from her paintings, which have much nature, but the colouring is heavy and ftiff, her ufual merit and faults.
f Keeper of the King's pictures.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II. 77
« Feb. 11, 16S0-1. Mr. Soefl the painter died. Mr. Fleffiere the frame-maker faid he believed he was neare 80 years old when he died.
" April 1 68 1. Paid by Mr. Hancock's order for two quarters expence at Clare- hall for my fon for half a year's charges ending at Lady-day 12/. is. 6d paid the fame fum at Clare-hall.
" Paid my fon Charles for what he had done to the pictures of lord and lady Ogle at Newcaftle-houfe, after Sr. P. Lely.
" Our worthy friend the dean of Peterburgh Moor's picture, one of the bed pictures for painting and likenefs my dearefl ever did.
" Dec. 1 68 1. Mr. Flatman's picture finifht. Lent Thomas Flat- man, e(q-, my wive's coppy in little half-length of the countefs of Northumberland's picture after Sr. P. Lely.
" Pictures begun in 1681. Lady Dixwell. Dr. Nicholas. Earl of Shaftfbury half-length for lord Paget. Dutchefs of Newcaftle h. I. Lord Downe, &c. in all amounting to 209/. ijs. At the end of this book fome notes in fhort characters of monies put into the poor's- box for charitable ufes, thefe good people bellowing this way about two {hillings in the pound.
Mrs. Beale died in Pall-mall at the age of 65, Dec. 28, 1697, and was buried under the communion-table in St. James's- church. Her fon Bartholomew had no inclination for painting, and relinquifhing it, ftudied phyfic under Dr. Sydenham, and practiced at Coventry where he and his father died. The othir fon
Vol. III. U C H A R L E S
j 8 Painters in the Reign of Charles II. CHARLES BEALE,
Who was born May 28, 1660, painted both in oil and water-colours., but moftly in the latter, in which he copied the portrait of Dr. Til- lotfon. His cypher he wrote thus on his works CB. The weaknefs in his eyes did rfbt fuffer him to continue his profefilon above four or five years. He lived and died over-againft St. Clement's at Mr. "Wilfon's a banker, who became pofTelTed of feveral of his pictures for debt \ particularly of a double half-length of his father and mother, and a fingle one of his mother, all by Lely. I have Mrs. Beale's head and her fon Charles's, in crayons by her they were Venue's : And her own and her fon's, in water-colours, ftrongly painted, but not fo free as the crayons.
ELIZABETH NEAL
Is only mentioned in De Bie's Golden Cabinet, publifhed in 1 66*2 ; he fpeaks of her as refiding in Holland, and fays me painted flowers fo well, that Ihe was likely to rival their famous Zeghers : but he does not fpecify whether me worked in oil or water-colours.
ANEC-
Anecdotes of PAINTING, &c.
TT S only known by being the matter of Buftinell, and by his epi- i taph in the church-yard of Covent-garden
" Here lyes interred Thomas Burman, fculptor, of the parim of St. Martin's in the Fields, who departed this life March 17th.- 1673-4, aged 56 years."
He is mentioned above in Mr. Beale's notes for executing a tomb at Walton upon Thames.
BOWDEN, LATHAM and BONNE,
Three obfcure ftatuaries in this reign, of whom I find few particu- lars ; the firft was a captain of the trained-bands, and was employed at Wilton \ fo was * Latham j his portrait leaning on a buft was-
* I fuppofe this is the fame psrfon who petitioned the council of ftate after the death of Cromwell, for goods belonging to the king, which he had purehafed, and the protector detained. See Vol. II. p. 69. of this work.
CHAP. II.
THOMAS BURMAN
painted
80 Statuaries , Carvers Ar chit eBs^ and Medallijls^
painted by Fuller. Latham and Bonne worked together on the mo- nument of Archbifliop Sheldon. The figure of John Sobiefki which was bought by Sr. Robert Vyner and fet up at Stock's- market for Charles II. came over unfinifhed, and a new head was added by Latham, but the Turk on whom Sobiefki was trampling remained with the whole groupe, till removed to make way for the lord-mayor's manfion-houfe.
WILLIAM EMMETT
Was fculptor to the crown before Gibbons, and had fucceeded his uncle, one Philips. There is a poor mezzotinto of Emmett by
himfeif.
CAIUS GABRIEL CIBBER, or CIBERT,
: on of a cabinet-maker to the king of Denmark, was born at Flenf- burg in the duchy of Holftein, and difcovering a talent for fculpture was fent at the king's expence to Rome. More of his early hiftory is not known. He came to England not long before the Revolution,
worked for John Stone, fon of Nicholas, who going to Holland an9 beingfeteed with a paliey, Cibber his foreman was fent to con- duct him home. We are as much in the dark as to the reft of his life \ that fmgulaidy-pleafing biographer his fon, who has dignified fomany
trig Anecdotes of players by the expreffive energy of his ftyle, has recorded nothing of a father's life who had fuch merit in his profeflion. J- can only find that he was twice married, and that by his fecond wife deicended from the ancient family of Colley in Rutlandshire, he
had
in the Reign of Charles II. 8 I
had 6000 /. and feveral children, among whom was the well-known laureat, born in 1671 at his father's houfe in Southampton-fireet facing Southampton-houfe. Gabriel Cibber the ftatuary was carver to the king's clofet and died about 1700 at the age of 70. His fon had a portrait of him by old Laroon, with a medal in his hand. I have one in water-colours with a pair of compafTes, by Chriftian Richter probably a copy from the former, with a flight variation. What is wanting in circumftances, is more than compenfated by his works. The moil capital are the two figures of melancholy and raving madnefs before the front of Bedlam. The bafreliefs * on two fides of the monument are by his hand too. So are the fountain in Soho-fquare and one of the fine vafes at Hampton-court, faid to be done in competition with a foreigner who executed the other, but no- body has told us which is Cibber's. He carved moft of the ftatues of kings round the Royal-exchange, as far as king Charles, and that of Sir Thomas Grefham in the piazza beneath. The firft duke of Devon- mire employed him much at Chatfworth •, where two fphinxes on large bafes, well executed and with ornaments in good tafte are of his work, and till very lately there was a ftatue of Neptune in a fountain, ftill better. He carved there feveral door-cafes of alabafter with rich fo- liage, and many ornaments in the chapel ; and on each fide of the altar is a ftatue by him, Faith and Hope ; the draperies have great merit, but the airs of the heads are not fo good as that of the Neptune. Cibber built the Danifh church in London and was buried there him- felf, with his fecond wife, for whom a monument was erected in 1 696. The fon will be known as long as the Carelefs Hufband and the Me- Vol. III. X moires
* A defcription of them may be feen in the new account of London and the environs. Vol. V, p. 3.
82 Statuaries , Carvers ^ ArchiteSts, andMedallijls^
moires of his own Life exift, and fo long the injuftice of calling the figures at Bedlam
- his brazen brainlefs brothers,
and the peevifh weaknefs of thrufting him into the Dunciad in the room of Theobald, the proper hero, will be notorious.
FRANCIS DU SART
Of Hanau, is mentioned in De Bie's Golden Cabinet, who fays, he was employed by the king of England to adorn his palace with works in marble and models in clay, and that he died in London 1661. It is uncertain whether this king was Charles the firft, or whether Du Sart came over and died foon after the Revolution.
GRINLING* GIBBONS,
An original genius, a citizen of nature confeqxiently, it is indifferent where me produced him. When a man ftrikes but novelty from himfelf, the place of his birth has little claim on his merit. Some become great poets or great painters becaufe their talents have capital models before their eyes. An inventor is equally a mafler, whether born in Italy or Lapland. There is no inftance of a man before Gibbons who gave to wood the loofe and airy lightnefs of flowers, and chained together the various productions of the elements with a free diforder natural to each fpecies : Vertue had received two different accounts of his birth •, from Murray the painter, that he was born in Holland of Englifli parents, and came over at the age of nineteen ;
from
* So he wrote his name hinifeJfa and not Grlnlin^ as it> is on his print.
GBXNXrffG GlBBOlS.
in the Reign of Charles II. 83
from Stoakes (relation of the Stones) that his father was a Dutchman, but that Gibbons himfelf was born in Spur-alley in the Strand. This is circumftantial, and yet the former teftimony feems moil: true, as Gibbons is an Englifh name, and Grinling probably Dutch. He afterwards lived, added Stoakes, in Belfavage-court on Ludgate-hill, where he carved a pot of flowers which fhook furprizingly with the motion of the coaches that paffed by. It is certain that he was em- ployed by Betterton on the decorating of the Theatre in Dorfet- garden, where he carved the capitals, cornices and eagles. He lived afterwards at Deptford, in the fame houfe with a mufician, where the beneficent and curious Mr. Evelyn found and patronized them both. This gentleman, Sir Peter Lely, and Bap. May, who was fomething of an architect himfelf, recommended Gibbons to Charles II. who though too indolent to fearch for genius, and too indifcriminate in hit bounty to confine it to merit, was always pleafed, when it was brought ,home to him. He gave the artift a place in the board of works, and employed his hand on the ornaments of molt tafte in his palaces, particularly at Windfor, where in the chapel the fimplicity of the carver's foliage at once fets off and atones for the glare of Verrio's paintings. Gibbons in gratitude made a prefent of his own burl: in wood to Mr. Evelyn who kept it at his houfe in Dover-ftreet. The piece that had (truck fo good a judge was a large carving in wood of St. Stephen {toned, long preferved in the fculptor's own houfe, and afterwards purchafed and placed by the duke of Chandos at Cannons. At Windfor too, Gibbons, whofe art penetrated all materials, carved *hat beautiful pedeftal in marble for the equeftrian*ftatue of the king
in
* Under the ftatue is an engine for raifing water contrived by Sir Samuel Morland alias Morley; he was fon of Sir Samuel Morland of Sulhamfted Ba-
nifter
84 Statuaries, Carvers, Ar chit efts, and Medallijts,
in the principal court. The fruit, fifli, implements of Hupping are all exquifite : the * man and horfe may ferve for a fign to draw a paffenger's eye to the pedeftal. The bafe of the figure at Charing- crofs was the work of this artift ; fo was the -f ftatue of Charles II. at the Royal-exchange — but the talent of Gibbons, though he prac- ticed in all kinds, did not reach to human figures, unlefs the brazen ftatue of James II. in the Privy- garden be, as I have reafon to believe it, of his hand. There is great eafe in the attitude, and a claffic Cm* plicity. Yertue met with an agreement, figned by Gibbons himfelf, for a ftatue of James II. the price 300/. half to be paid down on fign- ing the agreement 50 /. more at the end of three months, and the reft when the ftatue mould be compleat and erected. Annexed were
receipts
n-ifter in the county of Berkfhire, created a baronet by Charles II. in confidera- tion of fervices performed during the king's exile. The fon was a great me- chanic j and was prefented with a gold medal, and made Magifter Mechanico- rum by the king in 1681. He invented the drumcap-ftands for weighing heavy anchors ; and the fpeaking trumpet, and other ufeful engines. He die4 and was buried at Hammerfmith in Middlefex 1696. There is a monu- ment for the two wives of Sir Samuel Morland in Weitminfter- abbey. His arms were fable a leopard's head jeflant a fieur de lys, or. There is a print of the fon by Lombart after Lely* This Sir Samuel built a large room in his garden at Vaux-hall, which was much admired at that time ; on the top was a punchinello holding a dial. See Aubrey's Survey Vol. I. p. 12.
* On the. hoof of the horfe, fays Pote, is caft Jofias Ibach Stada, Bramenfis. This laft word mould be Bremenfis. I know -nothing more of this Ibach Stada* V. Hiftory a»nd Antiq. of Windfor-caftle, p 38. Gibbons made a defign for the ftatues in the intended Maufoleum of Charles I. by Sir Chr. Wren, V. Parentalia. p. 332. in the margin.
t Vertue fays, the king gave Gibbons an exclufive licence for the, fole print- ing of this ftatue, and prohibiting all perfons to engrave it without his leave ; and yet, adds my author, though undertaken by Gibbons, it was actually exe* cuted by Quellin of Antwerp, who will be mentioned hereafter*
in the Reign of Charles II. 85
receipts for the firft 200/. Aug. ii, 1687. The paymafter Tobias Ruftat *,
Gibbons made a magnificent tomb for Baptift Noel Viicount Camden, in the church of Exton in Rutlandshire ; it cod 1000/. is 22 feet high, and 14 wide. There are two figures of him, and his lady, and bafreliefs of their children. The fame workman performed the wooden throne at Canterbury, which coft 70 /. and was the dona- tion of archbifhop Tenifon. At Burleigh is a noble profufion of his carving, in picture-frames, chimney-pieces, and door-cafes. At Chatf- worth, where a like tafte collected ornaments by the inoft eminent living matters, are many by Gibbons, particularly in the chapel \ in the great anti-chamber are feveral dead fowl over the chimney, finely executed, and over a clofet door, a pen not diftinguifhable from real feather. When Gibbons had finifhed his works in that palace, he prefented the duke with a point cravat, a woodcock, and a medal with his own head, all preferved in a glafs-cafe in the gallery. I have another point cravat by him, the art of which arrives even to decep- tion. At Houghton two chimneys are adorned with his foliage. At Mr. Norton's at Southwick in Hamplhire was a whole gallery en> broidered in pannels by his hand — but the mod fuperb monument of his fkill is a large chamber at Petworth enriched from the cieling, between the pictures, with feftoons of flowers and dead game, &c. Vol. III. Y all
* One might afk whether Vertue did not in hafte write James II. for Charles II. The ftatue of the latter at Chelfea-college is faid to be the gift of this Ruftat ; and one mould doubt whether he paid for a ftatue of the king in his own garden — but as Charles II. permitted fuch an acl: of loyalty in the court at Windfor, perhaps his brother was not more difficult. I am the rather in- clined to attribute the ftatue at Whitehall to Gibbons, becaufe I know no other artift of that time capable of it.
86 Statuaries > Carvers , ArchlteBs^ and Medallijls^
all in the higheft perfection and prefervation. Appendant to one is an .-antique vafe with a bafrelief, of the pureft tafte, and worthy the Grecian age of Cameos. Selden, one of his difciples and aftiftants — for what one hand could execute fuch plenty of laborious produc- tions ? loft his life in faving this carving when the feat was on fire. The font in St. James's-church was the work of Gibbons.
If thefe encomiums * are exaggerated, the works are extant to con- tradict me. Let us now fee how well qualified a man, who vaunts his having been in England, was, to fpeak of Gibbons. It is the author of the Abrege whom I have frequently mentioned. " Les Anglois, f fays he, n'ont eu qu'un bon fculpteur, nomme Gibbons, mais il n'etoit pas excellent. La figure de marbre de Charles II. pla- cee au milieu de la bourfe a Londres eft de fa main." What would this author have faid of him, if he had wafted his art on ribbands and ringlets flowing in one blended ftream from the laurel of Louis XIV. to the tip of his horfe's tail J ?
Gibbons died Aug. 3d, 1721, at his houfe in Bow-ftreet, Covent- garden, and in November of the following year, his collection, a very confiderable one, of pictures, models, &c. was fold by auction. Among other things, were two chimney-pieces of his own work, the one valued at 100/. the other at 120; his own buft in marble, by him- felf, but the wig and cravat extravagant •, and an original of Simon the engraver by Sir Peter Lely, which had been much damaged by the fall of Gibbons's houfe.
There are two different prints of Gibbons by Smith, both fine ; the one with his wife, after Clofterman ; the other from a picture at
Houghton
* Tate wrote a poem on the fight of a buft in marble of Gibbons, f Vol. II. p. 216.
% This is laterally the cafe in the equeftrian flatue at Lyons.
in the Reign of Charles II. 87
Houghton by Sir Godfrey Kneller, who has mown himfelf as great in that portrait as the man was who fat to him.
Gibbons had feveral difciples and workmen ; Selden I have men- tioned ; Watfon affifted chiefly at Chatfworth, where the boys and many of the ornaments in the chapel were executed by him. Dievot of BruiTels, and Laurens of Mechlin were principal journeymen — Vertue fays they modelled and caft the ftatue I have mentioned in the Privy-garden, which confirms my conjecture of it's being the figure intended in the agreement. If either of them modelled it, and not Gibbons himfelf, the true artift deferves to be known. They both retired to their own country on the Revolution ; Laurens performed much both in ftatuary and in wood, and grew rich. Dievot lived till 171 5 and died at Mechlin.
LEWIS PAYNE
Engraved two fignet feals for Charles II. to be ufed in Scotland by the duke of Lauderdale. Dr. Rawlinfon had the original warrant for them figned by the king ; one was to have been in fteel, the other in filver. At top was the draught and magnitude, neatly drawn, and a memorandum that they were finifhed and delivered in Oft. 1678.
ARCHITECTURE,
Though in general the tafte was bad, and corrupted by imitations of the French, yet as it produced St. Paul's, may be faid to have flourimed in this reign : whole countries, an age often gets a name for one capital work. Before I come to Sir Chriftopher Wren, I muft difpatch his feniors.
JOHN WEBB,
88 Statuaries Carvers^ Archite&s, and 'Medaltijls,
JOHN WEBB,
A name well-known as a fcholar of Inigo Jones, and yet I cannot find any particulars of his life *. He built the feat of lord Mountfort at Horfeheath in Cambridgelhire, and added the portico to the Vine in Hampftiire for Chaloner Chute, fpeaker to Richard Cromwell's par- liament, and now belonging to his defcendent John Chute, efq-, Am- brefbury in Wiltfhire was executed by him from the defigns of his m after. Mr. Talman had a quarto volume, containing drawings in Indian-ink of capitals and other ornaments in architecture, whicit Webb had executed in feveral houfes. The frontifpiece (contain- ing architecture and figures) to Walton's Polyglot Bible, was defigned by Webb, and etched by Hollar. Vertue fays that Mr. Mills, one of the four furveyors appointed after the fire of London built the large houfes in Queen-ftreet Lincoln's-inn-fields — but this muft be a mif- take, as we have feen in the preceding volume, that Gerbier a cotem- porary and rival, afcribed them to Webb. Gerbier's own fcholar was
Captain WILLIAM W I N D E,
Who was born at Bergen-opzoom. His performances were the houfe at Cliefden, the duke of Newcaftle's in Lincoln's-inn-fields, Coomb- abbey for lord Craven, and he finifhed Hempftead Marfhal for the fame peer, which had been begun by his mafter. and in the plans of which he made feveral alterations. In his fon's fale of drawings and prints in 1741, were feveral of the father's defigns for both thefe latter houfes. They were dated from 1663 to 1695.
- MARSH,
* He left a fon named James, who lived at Butleigh in Somerfetfhire. The father died in 1672, aged 61.
in the Reig?i of Charles II.
89
MARSH,
Says Vertue, defigned the additional buildings at Bolfover, erected after the Reftoration, and was the architect of Nottingham-caftle.
Monfieur P O U G E T,
A French architect, conducted the building of Montagu-houfe in 1678. What it wants in grace and beauty, is compenfated by the fpacioufnefs and lofty magnificence of the apartments. It is now the Britifh Mufeum.
Sir CHRISTOPHER WREN,
Is placed here, as his career was opened under Charles II.— The length of his life enriched the reigns of feveral princes — and difgraced the * laft of them. A variety of knowledge proclaims the univerfality, a multiplicity of works the abundance, St. Paul's the greatnefs of Sir Chriftopher's genius. The nobleft temple, the largeft palace, the moft fumptuous hofpital in fuch a kingdom as Britain are -J- all works of the fame hand. He J reftored London, and re- corded it's fall. I do not mean to be very minute in the account of Wren even as an architect. Every circumftance of his ftory has bjeen written and repeated. Biftiop Sprat, Antony Wood, Ward in his Vol. III. Z lives
* At the age of 86 he was removed from being furveyor general of the works by George I. !
f St. Paul's Hampton-court, and Greenwich.
J He built above fifty pariih churches, and defigned the monument.
90 Statuaries , Carvers, Archite&s, and Medallifts,
lives of the Grelham Profefibrs, the General Dictionary, and the New Defcription of London and the Environs, books in the hands of every body, are voluminous on the article of Sir Chriftopher : above all a defcendent of his own has given us a folio, called Parentalia, which leaves nothing to be defired on this fubject. Yet in a work of fuch a nature as this, men would be difappointed, mould they turn to it, and receive no fatis faction. They muft be gratified, though my province becomes little more than that of a meer tranfcriber.
Sir Chriftopher Wren, of an ancient family in the Bilhoprick of Durham, was fon of a dean of Windfor, and nephew of Matthew, bifhop, fiiccemvely, of Hereford, Norwich, Ely. He was born at London in 1632, and educated at Oxford. His mathematical abili- ties unfolded themfelves fo early, that by twenty he was elected pro- feflbr of aftronomy at Grefham-colloge, and eight years afterwards Savilian profefibr of aftronomy at Oxford. His difcoveries in philo- fophy, mechanics, &c. contributed to 'the reputation of the new eftablifhed Royal-fociety, and his fkill in architecture had raifed his own name fo high, that in the firft year of the Reftoration he was ap- pointed coadjutor to Sir John Denham furveyor of the works, whom he fucceeded in 1668. Three years before that he had vifited France — and unfortunately went no farther — the great number of drawings he made there from their buildings, had but too vifible influence on fome of his own — but it was fo far lucky for Sir Chriftopher, that Louis XIV. had erected palaces only, np churches. St. Paul's efcaped, but Hampton-court was facrificed to the god of falfe tafte. In 1680 he was chofen prefident of the Royal-fociety ; was in two parliaments, was twice married, had two fons and a daughter, and died * in 1723,
at
* Elkanah Settle published a funeral poem on him, called Threnodia Apollinaris ; there is another in Latin in the Parentalia.
in the Reign of Charles II. 9 1
at the age of ninety-one, having lived to fee the completion of Sr. Paul's a fabric, and an event, which one cannot wonder left fuch an imprefllon of content on the mind of the good old man, that being carried to fee it once a year, it feemed to recall a memory that was almoft deadened to every other ufe. He was buried under the dome, with four words that comprehend his merit and his. fame fi quadras monumentum, circumfpice !
Befides from his works * in architecture, which I am going to men- tion,Wren is intitled to a place in this catalogue by his talent for defign. He drew a view of Windfor, which was engraved by Hollar ; and eight or ten plates for Dr. Willis's anatomy of the brain 1664. Vertue thinks they were engraved by Loggan. He found out a fpeedy way of etching, and was the inventor of drawing pictures by mifcrofcopic glalfes. His other difcoveries may be feen at large in the authors I have quoted. His principal buildings were,
The Library of Trinity-college Cambridge, and a piece of architec- ture oppofite to it, to difguife the irregularity of that end.
The Chapel of Emanuel-college.
The Theatre at Oxford.
The Tower of St. Dunftan's-church, attempted in the Gothic ftyle with very poor fuccefs.
The Church of St. Mary at Warwick, in the fame manner, but ftill worfe. Yet he was not always fo wide of his mark ;
The great Campanile at Chrift-church Oxford is noble, and though not fo light as a Gothic architect would perhaps have formed it, does not difgrace the modern. His want of tafte in that ancient ftyle is
the
* He wrote a poem, publifhed in a collection at Oxford, on the revival of Anne Green.
92 Statuaries > Carvers Architefts^ andMedalliftsj
the beft excufe for another fault, the union of Grecian and Gothic. The Ionic Colonade that crofTes the inner quadrangle of Hampton- court is a glaring blemifti by it's want of harmony with the reft of Wolfey's fabric. Kent was on the point of repeating this incongruity in the fame place in the late reign, but was over-ruled by my father.
Chrift-church-hofpital London, re-built, and the old Cloyfter re- paired by him.
St. Mary-le-bow. The fteeple is much admired — for my part I never faw a beautiful modern fteeple. They are of Gothic origine, and have frequently great merit either in the folid dignity of towers, or in the airy form of taper fpires. When broken into unmeaning parts, as thofe erected in later times are, they are a pile of barbarous uglinefs, and deform the temples to which they are coupled. Sir Chriftopher has mown how fenfible he was of this abfurdity, impofed on him by cuftom, by avoiding it in his next beautiful work,
St. Stephen Walbroke — but in vain -:- the Lord-mayor's Man- fion-houfe has revenged the caufe of fteeples.
The new royal apartments at Hampton-court.
Greenwich- hofpital.
Chelfea-hofpital.
The palace at Winchefter — one of the uglieft piles of building in the ifland. It is a royal manfion running backward upon a preci- pice, and has not an inch of garden or ground belonging to it. Charles II. chofe the fpot for health, and preffed * Sir Chriftopher to have it iimfhed in a year. The impropriety of the fituation and the hafte of the execution are fome excuie for the architect — but Sir Chriftopher was not happy in all kind of buildings. He had great abilities rather than tafte. When he has ftiewed the latter, it was indeed to advan- tage.
* V. Life of Sir Dudley North.
in the Reign of Charles II. 93
rage. The circular porticos and other* parts of St. Paul's are truly gracefull and fo many great architects as were employed on St. Peter's, have not left it upon the whole a more perfect edifice than this work of a fmgle mind. The gawdinefs of the Romilh religion has given St. Peter's one of it's chief advantages. The excefs of plainnefs in our cathedral difappoints the fpectator after fo rich an ap- proach. The late prince of Wales, I have heard, intended to intro- duce tombs into it, and to begin with that of his grandfather. Con- fidering that Weflminfler- abbey is overflocked, and that the mofl venerable monuments of antiquity are daily removed there to make room for modern (a precedent that one mould think would difcourage even the moderns from dealing with the chapter) St. Paul's would afford a new theatre for flatuaries to exert their genius — and the Abbey would ftill preferve it's general cuftomers, by new recruits of waxen puppets. The towers of the laft mentioned fabric, and the propofed fpire were defigned by Sir Chriflopher.
The Monument. The architect's intention was to erect the flatue of Charles II. on the fummit, inftead of that filly pot of flames ; but was over-ruled, as he often was by very inferior judgments.
The Theatre in Drury-lane and the old Theatre in Salifbury- court. The reft of his churches, publications, defigns, &c. may be feen at large in the Parentalia. Among the latter was the maufo- leum of Charles I. It was curious piety in Charles II. to erect a mo- nument for the imaginary bones of Edward V. and his brother, and to fink 70,000/. actually given by parliament for a tomb for his father !
Many drawings by Sir Chriflopher, particularly for St. Paul's, wire fold in his fan's auction a few years ago.
Vol. III. A a The
94 Statuaries ) Carvers , Architects^ and Medallifisj
The medallifts in this reign lie in a narrow compafs, but were not the word Artifts.
The R O T I E R S
Were a family of medallifts. The father3 a goldfmith and banker, aflifted Charles II. with money during his exile, in return for which the king promifed, if he was reftored, to employ his fons, who were all gravers of feals and coins. The Reftoration happened ; and Charles, difcontent with the inimitable Simon, who had ferved Crom- well and the Republic, fent for Rotier's fons. The two eldeft, John and Jofeph, arrived (not entirely with their father's confent who wifhed to have them fettle in France, of which I fuppofe he was a native) They were immediately placed in the mint, and allowed a falary and a houfe, where they foon grew rich, being allowed 200/0 for each broad feal, and gaining 300/. a year by vending great num- bers of medals abroad. On their fuccefs, Philip the third brother came over, and worked for the government too. He is the only one of the three, though John was reckoned the beft artift, who has left his name or * initials on any of our medals -9 and he it was I believe* who, being in love with the fair Mrs. Stuart, duchefs of Richmond, f reprefented her likenefs, under the form of Britannia, on the re- verie of a large medal with the king's head, Simon, difcontent with fome reafon at the preference of fuch* inferior performers, made the famous crown-piece, which, though it did not explode the others, re- covered
* Unlefs a medal which I have mentioned in the fecond volume of this work, p. 38. was executed- by Norbert. t V. Evelyn, p. 27, and 137.
in the Reign of Charles II. 95
covered his own falary, and from that time he and his rivals lived amicably together. It was more than they themfelves did. John had three ions, the eldeft of which he loft, but James and Norbert, being much employed by him, their uncles grew jealous and left England, Jofeph going to France, Philip to Flanders, where each being entertained by the refpective governments, the three brothers were at the fame time in the fervice of tjiree kings of England, France and Spain. James Rotier being hurt by a fall from his horfe, and retiring to Bromley for the air, caught cold and died. Norbert and his father remained working for the crown till the Revolution, when, though offered to be continued in his poft, no follicitation could pre- vail on John the father to work for king William. This rendering him obnoxious, and there being fufpicions of his carrying on a trea- fonable correfpondence, guards were placed round his houie in the Tower, and lord Lucas, who commanded there, made him fo uneaiy that he was glad to quit his habitation. He was rich and very infirm, labouring under the ftone and gravel, additional reafons for his re- tiring. He took a houfe in Red-lion-fquare. Norbert, lefs difficult, executed fome things for the government, particularly, as Vertue thinks, the coronation medal for William and Mary, and lbme dies for the copper money. On the proofs were the king's and queen's heads on different fides, with a rofe, a fliip, &c. but in 1 694 it was refolved, that the heads mould be coupled, and Britannia be on the reverfe. Hence arofe new matter of complaint — Some penetrating eyes thought they difcovered a Satyr's head * couched in the king's. ■ , This
* I remember fuch a vifion about the firft half-penny of the late king George II. The knee of Britannia was thought to reprefent a rat (a Hanoverian one) gnawing into her bowels.
g6 Statuaries > Carver ArchiteEls^ and Medallifts>
This made much noife, and gave rife to a report that king James was in England, and lay concealed in Rotier's houfe in the Tower. Nor- bert on thefe diffatisfa&ions left England, and retiring into France, where he had been educated in the academy, was received and em- ployed by Louis XIV. where, whatever had been his inclinations here, he certainly made feveral medals of the young chevalier.
John, the father, furvived king William. A medal being ordered of the new queen, Harris a player who fucceeded Rotier, and was in- capable of the office, employed workmen to do the bufinefs, among whom was Mr. Croker, who afterwards obtained the place. Sir Godfrey Kneller drew a profile of the queen, and Mr. Bird the ftatu- ary modelled it. Her majefty did not like the efTay, and recollected Rotier, but was told the family had left England or were dead. Sir Godfrey being ordered to infpect the work, and going to the Tower, learned that John Rotier was ftill living, whom he vifited and ac- quainted with what had happened. The old man, in a paflion, began a die, but died before rie could finifli it, in 1703, and was buried in the Tower. The unfinifhed die, with others of the twelve caefars, were feat to France to his relations, whence two of them arrived, hoping to be employed. One of them modelled the face of Sir Hans Sloane, and ftruck a filver medal of the duke of Beaufort ; but not meeting with fuccefs, they returned. This entire account Vertue re- ceived in 1745 from two furviving filters of Norbert Rotier. Their mother, who had a portrait of her hufband John, which the daughters fent for, died in Flanders about 1720.
Of the works of the Rotiers, fome may be feen in Evelyn. John made a large milled medal of duke Lauderdale in 1672, with the graver's own name. Norbert* a medal of Charles I. (ftruck about the
time
in the Reign of Charles II. 97
time of the Revolution) and another of his queen. One of them, I know not which, graved a large medal of a Danifh admiral, in the reign of king James. A cornelian feai with the heads of Mars and Venus, which Vertue faw, was cut by John Rotier. Of Jofeph, there is a print, while he was in the fervice of the French king, and calling him, " Cydevant graveur de la monoye de Charles II. d'Angleterre."
d u FOUR.
Nothing is known of his hand, but a filver medal of lord Berkeley's head in a peruke, reverfe his arms, 1666. Du Four f.
GEORGE BOWER,
Probably a volunteer artift, ftruck a large filver medal of Charles II, profile in a peruke, the queen's head on the reverfe. G. Bower f.
Another on the duke of York's ftiipwreck. V. Evelyn.
Another of James, as king, and one of his queen, rather fmaller.
Medals of the dukes of Albemarle, Ormond, and Lauderdale, and of the earl of Shaftibury — this laft is one of Bower's beft works.
Vol. III.
1
ANEC-
Anecdotes of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. III.
Artijls in the Reign of James II.
TH E fliort and tempeftuous reign of James, though he him- felf feems to have had much inclination to them, afforded fmall encouragement to the arts. His religion was not of a complexion to exclude decoration ; but four years, crouded with in- furredtions, profecutions, innovations, were not likely to make a figure in a hiflory of painting. Several performers, that had refided here in the preceding reign, continued through that of James : fuch as may peculiarly be afcribed to his fhort period, I fhall recapitulate.
WILLIAM FERGUSON
A Scot, who lived long in Italy and France, painted ftill life, dead fowl, &c. while in Italy he compofed two pictures, fold in Andrew Hay's fale, reprefenting bafreliefs, antique flones, &c. on which the light was thrown, fays Vertue, in a furprizing manner. His name and the date 1679 were on them. On another was the year 1689 ;
for
Artifts in the Reign of jfames II. 99
for which reafon I have placed him between thefe periods. He worked very cheap and died here.
J A C Q^U E S ROUSSEAU*
Of Paris, ftudied firft under Swanevelt, who had married one of his relations, and then improved himfelf by a journey to Italy, practicing folely in perfpective, architecture and landfcape. On his return home he was employed at Marly, but being a Proteftant, he quitted his work on the perfecution of his brethren, and retired to SwifTerland. Louvois invited him back ; he refufed, but fent his defigns, and re- commended a proper perfon to execute them. After a fhort flay in SwifTerland, he went to Holland, whence he was invited over by Ralph duke of Montagu to adorn his new houfe in Bloomfbury, where he painted much, and had the fupervifal of the building, and even a hand in it. His work amounted to 1500/. in lieu of which the duke allowed him an annuity for his life of 200 /. a year. He received it but two years, dying -fin Soho-fquare at the age 68 about 1694. Some of his pictures, both in landfcape and architecture, are over doors at Hampton-court •, and he etched after fome of his own defigns. He left a widow, but bequeathed moft of what he had to his fellow- fufferers, the Refugees. Lord Burlington had a portrait of him by Le Fevre.
CHARLES DE LA FOSSE,
A name little known in England, but of great celebrity in France.
The
* V. Graham's Englifh School, f He was buried in St. Anne's.
ioo Artijis in the Reign of J * antes II.
The author of the Abrege calls him Un des plus gram cohrijtes de /V- cole Francoife. He might be fo, and not very excellent : colouring is the point in which their bell matters have failed. La FofTe was in- vited to England by the duke of Montagu, mentioned in the preced- ing article, and painted two cielings for him, the Apotheofis of Ills, and an AfTembly of the Gods. The French author fays that king William prelTed him to flay here, but that he declined the offer, in hopes of being appointed firft painter to his own monarch. Parmen- tiere amfled La Fofie in laying the dead colours for him, in his works at Montagu-houfe. La FofTe who arrived in the reign of James, re- turned at the Revolution, but came again to finifli what he had begun9 and went back when he had finifhed.
N. h e u D E
Lived about this time, and painted in the manner of Verrio, to whom he is faid to have been afliftant. He painted a ftair-cafe at the lord Tyrconnel's in Arlington-ftreet, now demolimed, and a cieling at Bulftrode, in both which he placed his own portrait and name. He was mailer of Mr. Carpenter, the ftatuary.
WILLIAM DE KEISAR,
Of Antwerp, was bred a jeweller, in which profefllon he became very eminent, but having been well educated and taught to draw, he had a ftrong bent towards that profeflion, and employed all his leifure on it, practicing miniature, enamel, and oil-colours, both in fmall and large. Vertue fays he fixed at laft wholly on the former : Graham that he
painted
Artifts in the Reign of James II. 101
painted in little after the manner of Elfheimer, that he imitated va- rious manners, drew cattle and birds, and painted tombs and bafre- liefs in imitation of Vergazon, and that he worked fome time with Loten the landfcape-painter. This laft circumftance is not very pro- bable ; for Vertue, who was acquainted with his daughter, gives a very different account of his commencing painter by profeffion. Having painted fome altar-pieces at Antwerp, his bufinefs called him to Dunkirk, where he drew a picture for the altar of the Englifh nuns. They were fo pleafed with it, that they perfuaded Keifar to go to England, and gave him letters of recommendation to lord Melfort, then in favour with king James. The enthufiaftic painter could not refill the propofal \ he embarked on board an Englifh veffel, and without acquainting his wife or family, failed for England. His re- ception was equal to his willies. He was introduced to the king who promifed to countenance him, and feveral perfons of rank, who had known him at Antwerp, encouraged him in his new vocation. Tran- fported with his profpect, he fent for his wife, ordering her to difmifs his workmen, and convert his effects into money. — Within half a year the bubble burft •, the Revolution happened, Keifar's friends could no longer be his protectors, his bufinefs decreafed, and the purfuit of the Philofopher's ftone, to which he had recourfe in his defpair, compleated his ruin. He died at the age of 45 in four or five years after the Re- volution. He left a daughter whom he had taken great pains to in- llrucl; in his favorite ftudy, and with fuccefs. She painted fmall por- traits in oil and copied well-, but marrying one Mr. Humble a gen- tleman, he would not permit her to follow the profeflion. After his death me returned to it, and died in December 1724. She had feve- ral pictures by her father's hand, particularly a St. Catherine, painted Vol. III. C c for
102 Artifis in the Reign of fames II.
for the queen dowager's chapel at Somerfet-houfe, and his own head in water-colours by himfelf.
LARGILLIERE
A French portrait-painter was in England in this reign, but went away on the Revolution. He drew the king and queen, Sir John "Warner, his daughter, and grand-daughter, and Vander Meulen and Sybrecht the painters. Vertue mentions a fmall piece (about two feet and an half high) highly finilhed by him, reprefenting himfelf, his wife and two children. The painter is (landing and leans on a pedef- tal ; his wife is fitting \ one of the children ftands, the other fits play- ing with fruit and flowers : there is a peacock, and a landfcape be- hind them.
JOHN SYBRECHT*
Of Antwerp, painted landfcapes, and had ftudied the views on the Rhine, his drawings of which in water-colours are more common than his pictures. The duke of Buckingham returning through Flanders from his embaiTy to Paris, found Sybrecht at Antwerp, was pleafed with his works, invited him to England and employed him at Clief- den. In 1686 he made feveral views of Chatfworth. At Newftede- abbey, lord Byron's, are two pieces by this hand ; the firft, a land- fcape in the ftyle of Rubens's fchool ; the other, which is better, a
profpedfc
* Vertue faw a pi&ure at the duke of Portland's by this matter, on which he wrote his name J. Siberechts, 1676. I have writ it as it is commonly fpelt, to prevent confufion.
John Sybiecht.
V<rC. m. ft. 203.
HENRY TIL SON".
Artijls in the Reign of James II. 103
profpeft of Longleate, not unlike the manner of Wouverman. Sy- brecht died in 1703, aged 73, and was buried in St. James's.
HENRY TILSON
Was grandfon of Henry Tilfon bifhop of Elphin, born in Yorkfhire, and who died in 1655. Young Henry was bred under Sir Peter Lely, after whofe death he went to Italy in company with Dahl, and ftaid feven years, copying the works of the beft mafters with great di- ligence. He fucceeded in portraits, both oil and crayons, and was likely to make a figure, when he grew difordered in his fenfes and mot himfelf at the age of 36. He was buried at St. Dunftan's in the Weft. He painted his own portrait two or three times ; once with a pencil in his hand leaning on a buft. Behind it was written H. Til- fona. Roma. 1687. He drew a large family-picture, of his father, mother, a younger brother, a fifter and himfelf. Dahl gave Tilfon his own picture, infcribed behind, " Memoria per mio caro amico Henri Tilfon fatto Roma 1686.
F A N C A T I
An Italian, copied the portraits of James and his queen with a pen, from the originals of Kneller. They were highly laboured, and came into the pofTeflion of Mr. George Clarke of Oxford.
THOMAS BENIERE,
A young ftatuary who flouriflied in this reign, was born in England of French parents in 1663. His models and fmall works in marble
are
104 Artifts in the 'Reign of James II.
are much commended. The anatomic figure commonly feen in the fhops of apothecaries was taken from his original model. He carved portraits in marble from the life for two guineas. He lived and died near Fleet-ditch in 1693.
Q_UE LLIN
elded fon of a good ftatuary of Antwerp, fettled here and was con- cerned in feveral works which by the only fpecimen Vertue mentions, I mould think were very indifferent, for he carved Mr. Thynne's mo- nument in Weftminfter-abbey. He lived in a large old houfe in Tower-ftreet St. Giles's, near the Seven-dials, and died at the age of 33. His widow married Van Oft of Mechlin, another ftatuary. Quel- lin's younger brother, who followed the fame bufinefs, worked at Copenhagen, Dantzick and Hamburgh, and in ten years made a con- fiderable fortune ; and died at Antwerp.
In a book called the Art of Painting by Marmall Smith, fecond edit. fol. 1693, mention is made of William De Ryck, a difciple of Quellin, who feems to have been a painter, and to have come to England, for recapitulating fome of this man's works, the author fpe- cifies, " a Magdalen, or the lady of Winchelfea •," and adds, "his daughter Mrs. Katherine comes behind none of her fair fexin the art." There is a large fheet print, the condemnation of St. Catherine, de- figned, painted and engraved by William De Ryck 1684, and dedica- ted to a biihop of Antwerp.
THOMASEAST
Was engraver of the feals to James II. and had learned of Thomas Simon. Eaft was fucceeded by his nephew Mr. John Roos, who con- tinued in that office till the acceflion of George L
A N E C-
Anecdotes of PAINTING, &c
CHAR IV.
Painters in the Reign of King William.
THIS prince, like moftofthofein our annals, contributed nothing to the advancement of arts. He was born in a country where tafte never flourimed, and nature had not given it to him as an embellifhment to his great qualities. He courted Fame, but none of her minifters. Holland owed it's prefervation to his heroic virtue, England it's liberty to his ambition, Europe it's independence to his competition with Louis the fourteenth; for, however unfuccefsful in the conteft, the very ftruggle was falutary. Being obliged to draw all his refources from himfelf, and not content to acquire glory by proxy, he had no leifure, like his rival, to prefide over the regifters of his fame. He fought his own battles, inftead of choofmg mottoes for the medals that recorded them ; and though my lord Halifax promifed him that his wound in the battle of the Boyne
Should run for ever purple in our looms, His majefty certainly did not befpeak a fingle fuit of tapeftry in me- mory of the a&ion. In England he met with nothing but difgufts. Vol. III. D d He
io6 Painters in the Reign of King William.
He underftood little of the nation, and feems to have acted too much upon a plan formed before he came over, and however neceflary to his early fituation, little adapted to fo peculiar a people as the Englifh. He thought that valour and taciturnity would conquer or govern the world, and vainly imagining that his new fubjedte loved liberty better than party, he trufted to their feeling gratitude for a blefling which they could not help feeing was conferred a little for his own fake. Referved, unfociable, ill in his health, and fowered by his fituation, he fought none of thofe amufements that make the hours of the happy much happier. If we muft except the palace at Hampton-court, at leaft it is no monument of his tafte ; it feems erected in emulation of, what it certainly was meant to imitate, the pompous edifices of the French monarch. We are told that
Great NafTau to Kneller's hand decreed To fix him gracefull on the bounding deed ;
In general I believe his majefty patronized neither painters, nor * poets, though he was happy in the latter — but the cafe is different; a great prince may have a Garth, a Prior, a Montagu, and want Titians and Vandycks, if he encourages neither — You muft addrefs yourfelf to a painter, if you wifh to be flattered — a poet brings his incenfe to you. Mary feems to have had little more propenfity to the arts than the king : the good queen loved to work and talk, and con- tented herfelf with praying to God that^her hufband might be a great hero, fince he did not chufe to be a fond hufband. A few men of genius flourifhed in their time, of whom the chief was
Sir
* King William had fo little leifure to attend to, or fo little difpofition to men of wit, that when St. Evremont was introduced to him, the king faid coldly, " I think you was a major-general in the French fervice."
Painters in the Reign of King William. 107
Sir GODFREY KNELLER,
A man leflened by his own reputation, as he chofe to make it fubfer- vient to his fortune *. Had he lived in a country where his merit had been rewarded according to the worth of his productions, inftead of the number, he might have fhone in the roll of the greateft mas- ters \ but he united the higheft vanity with the molt confummate ne- gligence of character — at leaft, where he offerred one picture to fame, he facrificed twenty to lucre ; and he met with cuftomers of fo little judgment, that they were fond of being painted by a man, who would gladly have difowned his works the moment they were paid for. Ten f fovereigns fat to him ; not one of them difcovered that he was fit for more than preferving their likenefs. We however, who fee king William, the Czar Peter, Marlborough, Newton, Dry- den, Godolphin, Somers, the duchefs of Grafton, lady Ranelagh, and fo many ornaments of an illuftrious age, tranfmitted to us by Kneller's pencil, muft not regret that his talent was confined to portraits — Perhaps the treafure is greater, than if he had decorated the chambers of Hampton-court with the wars of iEneas or the enchanted palace of Armida : and when one confiders how feldom great matters are wor- thily
* The author of the Abrege fays, that Kneller preferred portrait-painting for this reafon. " Painters of hiftory, faid he, make the dead live, and do not begin to live themfelves till they are dead, — I paint the living and they make me live."
f Charles II. James II. and his queen ; William and Mary, Anne, George I. Louis XIV. Peter the Great, and the emperor Charles VI. For the Lift portrait Leopold created Kneller knight of the Roman empire — by Anne he was made gentleman of the privy- chamber, and by the Univerfity of Oxford a doctor,
io8 Painters in the Reign of King William.
thily employed, it is better to have real portraits, than Madonnas without end. My opinion of what Sir Godfrey's genius could have produced, muft not be judged by the hiftoric picture of king William in the palace juft mentioned : it is a tame and poor performance. But the original fketch of it at Houghton is flruck out with a fpirit and fire equal to Rubens. The hero and the horfe are in the heat of battle : In the large piece, it is the king riding in triumph, with his ufual phlegm. Of all his works, Sir Godfrey was moft proud of the con- verted Chinefe at Windfor ; but his portrait of Gibbons is fuperior to it. It has the freedom and nature of Vandyck, with the harmony of colouring peculiar to Andrea Sacchi \ and no part of it is neglected. In general, even where he took pains, all the parts are affectedly kept down, to throw the greater force into the head — a trick unworthy fo great a m after. His draperies too are fo carelefly finilhed, that they refemble no filk or ftuff the world ever faw. His airs of heads have extreme grace; the hair admirably difpofed, and if the locks feem un- naturally elevated, it muft be confidered as an inftance of the painter's art. He painted in an age when the women erected edifices of three ftories on their heads. Had he reprefented fuch prepofterous attire, in half a century his works would have been ridiculous. To lower their drefs to a natural level when the eye was accuftomed to pyra- mids, would have Ihocked their prejudices and diminimed the refem- blance. --- He took a middle way and weighed out ornament to them of more natural materials. Still it muft .be own'd, there is too great a famenefs in his airs, and no imagination at all in his compofitions. Sec but a head, it interefts you — uncover the reft of the canvafs, you wonder faces fo expreflive could be employed fo infipidly. In truth, the age demanded nothing corredt, nothing compleat. Capable of
tailing
Painters in the Reign of King William. 109
tafting the power of Dryden's numbers, and the majefty of Kneller's he.ids, it overlooked doggrel and daubing. What pity that men of fortune are not bleft with fuch a pen or fuch a pencil ! That a genius inuft write for a bookfeller, or paint for an alderman !
Sir Godfrey Kneller was born at Lubec, about the year 1648. His * grandfather had an eftate near Hall in Saxony was furveyor gene- ral of the mines and infpe&or of count Mansfeldt's revenues. By his wife, of the family of Crowfen, he had one fon Zachary, educated at Leipfic, and for fome time in the fervice of Guftavus Adolphus's- widow. After her death, he removed to Lubec, married, profefTed architecture, and was chief furveyor to his native City. He left two fons, John Zachary, and Godfrey. The latter, who at firfb was de- figned for a military life, was fent to Leyden, where he applied to mathematics and fortification •, but the predominance of nature deter- mining him to painting, his father acquiefced and fent him to Amfter- dam, where he ftudied under Bol, and had fome inftructions from Rembrandt. Vertue nor any of his biographers take notice of it, nor do I affert it, but I have heard that one of his mafters was Francis Hals. It is certain that Kneller had no fervility of a difciple, nor imitated any of them. Even in Italy whither he went in 1672, he mimicked no peculiar ftyle, not even at Venice, where he reilded moft and was efleemed and employed by fome of the firft families, and where he drew cardinal BalTaJonna. If he caught any thing, it was inftrucYions not hints. If I fee the leafl refemblance in his works to any other matter, it is in fome of his earheft works in England, and thole his beft, to Tintoret. A portrait at Houghton of Jofeph Vol. III. E e Carreras
* V. Buckeridge's edition of De Piles, and of Graham's Englifh School, in which he has inferted a new life of Sir Godfrey, p. 393.
i to Painters in the Reign of King William.
Carreras, a poet and chaplain to Catherine of Lifbon, has the force and fimplicity of that matter, without owing part of it's merit to Tin- toret's univerfal black drapery, to his own, afterwards, neglected draperies, or to his mafter Rembrandt's unnatural Chiaro Scuro. Latterly Sir Godfrey was thought to give into the manner of Rubens •, I fee it no where but in the fketch of king William's equeftrian figure, evidently imitated from Rubens's defign of the cieling for the Banquetting-houfe, which, as I have faid, in the life of that painter, was in Kneller's poffeffion. The latter had no more of Rubens's rich colouring, than of Vandyck's delicacy in habits ; but he had more beauty than the latter, more dignity than Sir Peter Lely. The latter felt his capacity in a memorable inftance; Kneller and his brother came to England in 1674 without intending to refide here, but to re- turn through France to Venice. They were recommended to Mr. Banks, a Hamburgh-merchant, and Godfrey drew him and his family. The pictures pleafed. Mr. Vernon, Secretary to the duke of Mon- mouth, faw them, and fat to the new painter, and obtained his mas- ter's picture by the fame hand. The duke was fo charmed, that he engaged the king his father to fit to Kneller, at a time that the duke of York had been promifed the king's picture by Lely. Charles un- willing to have double trouble, propofed that both the artifts ihould draw him at the fame time. Lely as an eftablifhed mafter, chofe the light he liked: the ftranger was to draw the picture as he could ; and performed it with fuch facility and expedition, that his piece was in a manner finiflied, when Lely's was only dead-coloured. The novelty pleafed — - yet Lely deferved mod honour, for he did juftice to his new competitor ; confefled his abilities and the likenefs. This fuc- cefs fixed Kneller here, The feries of his portraits prove the continu- ance of his reputation. Charles
Painters in the Reign of King William. 1 1 1
Charles II. fent him to Paris to draw Louis XIV. but died in his abfence. The fuccelTor was equally favorable to him, and was fitting for his picture for fecretary Pepys, when he received the news that the prince of Orange was landed.
King William diftinguiflied Kneller Hill more ; for that prince he painted the beauties at Hampton-court, and was knighted by him in 1692, with the additional prefent of a gold medal and chain weighing 300/. and for him Sir Godfrey drew the portrait of the Czar ; as for queen Anne he painted the king of Spain, afterwards Charles VI. fo poor a performance that one would think he felt the fall from Peter to Charles. His works in the gallery of* admirals were done in the fame reign, and feveral of them worthy fo noble a memorial. The Kit-cat-club, generally mentioned as a fet of wits, in reality the patri- ots that faved Britain, were Kneller's laft works in that reign, and his laft public work. He lived to draw George L was made a baronet by him, and continued to paint during the greater part of his reign ; but in 1722 Sir Godfrey was feized with a violent fever, from the im- mediate danger of which he was refcued by Dr. Meade. The hu- mour however fell on his left arm ; and it was opened. He remained in a languifhing condition and died Oct. 27, 1723. His body lay in ftate, and was buried at Witton, but a monument was erected in Weftminfter- abbey -f, where his friend Mr. Pope, as if to gratify an extravagant vanity dead, which he had ridiculed living, bellowed on him a tranflation of Raphael's epitaph — - as high a compliment as ^ even poetry could be allowed to pay to the original ; a filly hyperbole
when
* Seven of thofe heads are by Kneller, the reft by Dahl. f His monument, executed by R) fbrach, was directed by himfelf j he left 300/. for it.
ii2 Painters in the Reign of King William.
when applied to the modern. This was not the only inftance in which the poet incenled the painter. Sir Godfrey had drawn for him the ftatues of Apollo, Venus and Hercules > Pope paid for them with thefe lines,
What god, what genius did the pencil move, When Kneller painted thefe !
'Twas friendfhip, warm as Phasbus, kind as love, And ftrong as Hercules. He was in the right to fupprefs them — what idea does mufcular friendfhip convey ? It was not the fame warmth of friendfhip that made Pope put Kneller's vanity to the ftrongeft trial imaginable. The former laid a wager that there was no flattery fo grofs but his friend would fwallow. To prove it, Pope faid to him as he was painting, " Sir Godfrey, I believe if God Almighty had had your affiftance, the world would have been formed more perfect." " Fore God, Sir, replied Kneller, I believe fo." This impious anfwer was not extraor- dinary in the latter. — His convention on religion was extremely free. — - His paraphrafe on a particular text of fcripture, Angular. " In my father's houfe are many manfions •," which Sir Godfrey interpre- ted thus. " At the day of judgment, faid he, God will examine mankind on their different profeflions : to one he will fay, Of what feci; was you ? I was a Papift — go you there. What was you ? A Proteftant — go you there. --And you ? — A Turk — go you there. --- And you, Sir Godfrey ? — I was of no feci:-— then God will fay, Sir Godfrey, chufe your place." His wit was ready ; his bon- mots defervedly admired. In great Queen* ftreet * he lived next door to Dr. Ratcliffe \ Kneller was fond of flowers, and had a fine collec- tion.
* He firft lived in Durham-yard, then 21 years in Covent-garden, and laftly in great Queen-ftreet, Lincoln's- inn- field*.
Painters in the Reign of King William. 113
tion. As there was great intimacy between him and the phytician, he permitted the latter to have a door into his garden, but Ratcliffe's fervants gathering and deftroying the flowers, Kneller fent him word he muft fhut up the door. — Ratcliffe replied peevifhly, " Tell him he may do any thing with it but paint it. --And I, anfwered Sir Godfrey, can take any thing from him but phytic."
He married Sufannah Cawley, daughter of the minifter of Henley upon Thames. She out-lived him and was buried at Henley, where are monuments for her and her father. Before his marriage, Sir Godfrey had an intrigue with a Quaker's wife, whom he purchafed of her hufband, and had a daughter, whofe portrait he drew like St. Agnes with a lamb ; there is a print of it by Smith. Kneller had amalTed a great fortune, though he lived magnificently, and loft 20,000/. in the South-fea yet he had an eftate of near 2000 /. a year left. Part he bequeathed to his wife, and entailed the reft on Godfrey Huckle, his daughter's fon, with orders that he fliould afllime the name of Knel- ler. To three neices at Hamburgh, the children of his brother, he left legacies and an annuity of 100/. a year to Bing, an old feivant, who with his brother had been his AlTiftants. Of thefe he had many, as may be concluded from the quantity of his works, and the badnefs of fo many. His chief performers were, Pieters, Vander Roer, and Bakker— fometimes he employed Baptift and Vergazon. His prices were fifteen guineas for a head, twenty if with one hand, thirty for a half, and fixty for a whole length.
Kneller frequently drew his own portrait ; my father had one, a head when young, and a fmall one of the fame age, very mafterly; it is now mine. It was engraved by Becket. Another in a wig by Smith. A half-length fent to the Tufcan-gallery. A half-lengch Vol. III. F f in
114 Painters in the Reign of King William.
in a brocaded waiftcoat with his gold chain \ there is a mezzctinto of it, adjoined to the Kit-cat- heads. Another head with a cap ; a half- length prefented to the gallery at Oxford, and a double piece of him- felf and his wife. Great numbers of his works have been engraved, particularly by Smith, who has more than done juftice to them ; the draperies are preferable to the originals. The firft print taken from his works was by White of Charles II. He had an hiftoric piece of his own painting before he went to Italy, Tobit and the Angel. At his feat at Witton were many of his own works, fold fome years after his death. He intended that Sir James Thornhill Ihould paint the ftaircafe there, but hearing that Sir Ifaac Newton was fitting to Thorn- hill, Kneller was offended, faid, no portrait-painter mould paint his houfe, and employed Laguerre.
Pope was not the only bard that foothed this painter's vain-glory. The moft beautiful of Addifon's poetic works was addreffed to him : the fingular happinefs of the allufions, and applications of fabulous theology to the princes drawn by Kneller, is very remarkable :
Great Pan, who wont to chafe the fair, And love the fpreading oak was there.
For Charles II. And for James,
Old Saturn too with upcaft eyes Beheld his abdicated fkies.
And the reft on William and Mary, Anne, and George L are all ftamped with the moft juft refemblance.
Prior complimented Kneller on the duke of Ormond's picture ; Steel wrote a poem to him at Witton ; and there is another in the third part of Mifcellaneous Poems 8vo. Lond, 1693, on the portrait
of
Painters in the Reign of King William. 115
©f the lady Hyde. Jofeph Harris dedicated to him his Tragi-comedy of the Miftakes or Falfe Report in 1690, in which Dryden, Tate* and Mountford had aflifted. On his death was written another Poem printed in a Mifcellany publilhed by D. Lewis, 8vo. in 1726. His Brother
JOHN ZACHARY KNELLER,
Who was thirteen years older than Sir Godfrey, came to England with him, and painted in frefco, architecture, and ftill-life, fmall pieces in oil, and laftly in water-colours, in which he copied feveral of his bro- ther's heads. Sir Godfrey drew his portrait, one of his beft works. Of John's was a piece of ftill-life with a great tankard in the mid- dle ; and a fmall head of Wyck, almoft profile in oil, in the pofleflion of Dr. Barnard bifhop of Derry, with the names of both artifts, dated 1684. John Kneller died in 1702 in Covent-garden and was buried in that church:
JOHN JAMES BAKKER
Painted draperies for Kneller, and went to Bruffels with him in 1697, where Sir Godfrey drew the elector of Bavaria on a white horfe. I don't know whether Bakker ever practiced for himfelf. He was bro- ther of Adrian Bakker, who painted hiftory and portraits at Amfter- dam and died in 1686.
JACOB VANDER ROER,
Another of Kneller's afliftants, was fcholar of J. De Baan, and lived
many
r 1 6 Painters in the Reign of King William.
many years in London died at Dort. See an account of him in the third volume of Defcamps.
JOHN PIETERS
Was born at Antwerp, and learned of Eykens, a hiftory-painter. He came to England in 1685, at the age of eighteen % and was recom- mended to Sir Godfrey, for whom he painted draperies, and whom he quitted in 17 12, and was employed in the fame fervice by others; but his chief bufinefs was in mending drawings and old pictures, in which he was very + fkilfulL Pieters and Bakker were both kind to Venue in his youth, and gave him inftru&ions, which he acknow- ledges with great gratitude. Pieters loved his bottle, and was impro- vident, and towards the end of his life was poor and gouty. He died in 1727, and was buried in the church-yard of St. Martin's.
JOHN BAPTIST MONOYER+,
One of the greateft matters that has appeared for painting flowers. They are not fo exquifitely finifhed as Van Huyfum's, but his colour- ing and compofition are in a bolder ftyle. He was born at Lifle in 1635, and educated at Antwerp as a painter of hiftory, which he foon changed for flowers, and going to Paris in 1 663 was received in the
academy
* He was fo poor that he engaged himfelf as a domeftic in the fervice of cardinal Dada, the pope's nuntio; but quitted him before night.
•f He excelled in copying Rubens, and even pafled off feveral prints, which, he had warned, for original drawings of that matter. But this cheat is not fo great a proof of Pieters's abilities, as of the ignorance of our collectors, who at every au&ion are ftill impofed upon by fuch grofs frauds.
X V. Graham, and the Abrege.
Johu Baptist Monoyer.
Painters in the Reign of King William. 117
academy with applaufe ; and though his iubjedts were not thought elevated enough to admit him to a profeflbrfhip, he was in confidera- tion of his merit made a counfellor ; a filly diftinction, as if a great painter in any branch, was not fitter to profefs that branch, than give advice on any other. He was employed at Verfailles, Trianon, Marly, and Meudon and painted in the hotel de Bretonvilliers at Paris, and other houfes. The duke of Montagu brought him to England, where much of his hand is to be feen, at Montagu-houfe, Hampton-court, the duke of St. Albans's at Windfor, Kenfington, lord Carlifle's, Bur- lington-houfe, Sec. The author of the Abrege fpeaking of Baptift., La Fofle and RoufTeau, fays, thefe three French painters have extort- ed a fincere confeflion from the Englifli, " Qu'on ne peut aller plus loin en fait de peinture." Baptift is undoubtedly capital in his way--- but they muft be ignorant Englilhmen indeed, who can fee any thing mafterly in the two others. Baptift palled and repaired feveral times between France and England, but having married his daughter to a French painter who was fuffered to alter and touch upon his pictures, Baptift was offended and returned to France no more. He died in Pallmall in 1699. His fon Antony, called young Baptift, painted in his father's manner, and had merit. There is a good print by "White from a fine head of Baptift by Sir Godfrey Kneller. At the fame time with Baptift, was here Montingo, another painter of flowers but I find no account of his life or works.
HENRY VERGAZON*
A Dutch painter of ruins and landicapes, with which he fometimes Vol. III. u g was
* V. Graham.
1 1 8 Painters in the Reign of King William.
•was called to adorn the back-grounds of Kneller's pictures, though his colouring was reckoned too dark. He painted a few fmall portraits, and died in France.
PHILIP BOUL,
A name of whom I find but one note. Vertue fays he had feen a pocket-book almoft full of fketches and views of Derbyfhire, the Peak, Chatfworth, &c. very freely touched and in imitation of Salvator Rofa, whofe works this perfon ftudied. Whether he executed any thing in painting I know not.
EDWARD DUBOIS,
Was born at Antwerp, and ftudied under Groenwegen, a landfcape- painter, who had been in Italy, and feveral years in * England — a courfe of travels purfued by the difciple, who after a flay of eight years in the former, where he ftudied the antique, and painted for Charles Emanuel duke of Savoy, came to England, where he profeifed landfcape and hiftory-painting. He died here about 1699, at the age of 77, and was buried at St. Giles's. His younger brother,
SIMON DUBOIS,
Was a better mailer. He had lived 25 years at home, but came to England as early as 1685, feveral fmall heads in oil being dated in that year \ they are commonly diftinguilhed by the falhion of that
time,
t So Graham. I find no other account of this Groenwegen, nor of his works here.
Painters in the Reign of King William. 119
time, laced cravats. Portrait however was not his excellence; origi- nally he painted battles, fmall, and in the Italian manner ; afterwards, horfes * and cattle, with figures, the faces of which were fo neatly finifhed, that a lady perfuaded him to try likenefTes, and fat to him herfelf. He fold many of his pieces for originals by Italian hands, faying fenfibly, that fince the world would not do him juftice, he would do it himfelf ; his works fold well, when his name was con- cealed. Lord Somers diftinguifhed better-, he went unknown and fat to Dubois; and going away gave him 50 guineas, ordered the robes of chancellor, and when the picture f was finifhed, gave him as much more. The two brothers lived together in Covent-garden without any fervant, working in obfeurity, and heaping up money, both being avaricious. When Edward died, Simon, left without: fociety, began to work for Vandevelde, and one day in a fit of gene- rofity, offered to draw the portrait of his eldeft daughter. This drew on a nearer acquaintance, and the old man married her, but died in a year, leaving her his money, and a fine collection of pictures, and naming his patron lord Somers executor; he was buried May 26, 1708. His young widow married again, and diffipated the fortune and collection. Dubois drew a whole length of archbifhop Tenifon, now at Lambeth, and Vandervaart the painter had his own head by himfelf.
HENRY COOKE
Was born in 1642, and was thought to have a talent for hiftory. He went to Italy, and ftudied under Salvator Rofa. On his return,
neither
* He had received fome inftruclions from Wouverman. f Elfum has an epigram on this picture.
120 Painters in the Reign of King William.
neither rich nor known, he lived obfcurely in Knave's-acre, in part- nerfhip with a houfe-painter. Lutterel introduced him to Sir Godfrey Copley, who was pleafed with his works, and carried him into York- Ihire where he was building a new houfe, in which Cooke painted, and received 150/. He then lived five years with the father of Antony Ruffe], whom I have mentioned in the preceding volume, but quarrel- ling with a man about a miftrefs whom Cooke kept, by whom he had children, and whom he afterwards married, Cooke killed him and fled. He then went to Italy and ftaid feven years, and returning, lived privately, till the affair was forgot. Towards the end of his life he was much employed. By order of king William he repaired the * Cartoons, and other pictures in the royal collection, though Walton had the falary. He finifhed the equeftrian portrait of Charles II. at Chelfea-college, and painted the choir of New-college-chapel, Oxford, the ftaircafe at Ranelagh-houfe, the cielingof a great room at the water- works at Iflington, and the ftaircafe at lord Carlifle's in Soho-fquare, where the affemblies are now keptf. He had fometimes painted portraits, but was foon difgufted with that bufinefs, from the caprices of thofe that fat to him. He died Nov. 18, 1700, and was buried at St. Giles's. I have his own head by him, touched with fpirit, but too dark, and the colouring not natural.
PETER BERCHETT
Was born in France, 1659, and beginning to draw at the age of 15
under
* Graham fays he copied the Cartoons in turpentine oil, in the manner of diftemper, a way he invented, t Among Elfum's epigrams is one on a liftening faun by Cooke.
Painters in the Reign of King William* 121
under La FofTe, he improved fo faft, that in three years he was em- ployed in the royal palaces. He came to England in 168 1, to work under Rambour, a French painter of architecture, who, fays Vertue, was living in 1721, but then ftaid only a year, and returned toMarli. He came again, and painted for fome perfons of rank in the weft. King William building a palace at Loo, fent Berchett thither, where he was engaged fifteen months, and then came a third time to England, where he had fufEcient bufinefs. He painted the cieling in the cha- pel of Trinity-college, Oxford, the ftaircafe at the duke of Schom- berg's in Pallmall, and the fummer-houfe at Ranelagh. His drawings in the academy were much approved. Towards the end of his life, being troubled with a ptyfic, he retired to Marybone and painted only fmall pieces of fabulous hiftory ; his laft was a bacchanalian, to which he put his name the day before he died ; it was in January 1720, at Marybone, where he was buried. He left a fon that died foon after him at the age of feventeen.
LOUIS CHERON,
Born at Paris in 1 660, was fon of Henry Cheron, an enamel painter, and brother of Elizabeth Sophia Cheron, an admired paintrefs, and who engraved many ancient gems; Louis went to Italy, and fays the * author of his life, " A toujours cherche Raphael & Jules Romain." — A purfuit in which he was by no means fuccefsfull. He came to England on account of his religion in 1695, and was employed at the duke of Montagu's at Boughton, at Burleigh, and at Chatfworth, where he painted the fides of the gallery, a very poor performance. Vol. III. H h He
* Abrege de la Vie des plus fameux Peintres. Vol. II. p. 371.
122 Painters in the Reign of King Willi am.
He had before fallen into difefteem, when he painted at Montagu- houfe, where he was much furpafled by Baptift, RoufTeau and La FofTe. On this ill-fuccefs he turned to painting fmall hiftorics ; but his beft employment was defigning for the painters and engravers of that time few books appeared with plates, but from his drawings. Vanderbank, Vandergutch, Simpfon, Kirkall, &c. all made ufe of him. Some time before his death,