May 2016 / No. 3 paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk

Conversations and Conservation

PMC Staff

Director of Studies Mark Hallett

Deputy Director for Grants and Publications Martin Postle

Deputy Director for Finance and Administration Sarah Ruddick

Deputy Director for Research Sarah Victoria Turner

Librarian Emma Floyd

Archivist and Records Manager Charlotte Brunskill

Archives and Library Assistant Frankie Drummond Charig

Assistant Archivist and Records Manager Jenny Hill

Fellowships and Grants Manager Mary Peskett Smith

Digital Manager Tom Scutt

Events Manager Ella Fleming

Operations Manager Lyndsey Gherardi

Education Programme Manager Nermin Abdulla

Picture Researcher Maisoon Rehani

Finance Officer Barbara Ruddick

Editor, Special Projects Guilland Sutherland

Office Administrator and Director’s Assistant Harriet Fisher

Receptionist Bryony Botwright Rance

Buildings Officer Harry Smith

Editorial Assistant Postdoctoral Fellow Hana Leaper

Brian Allen Postdoctoral Fellow Jessica Feather

Senior Research Fellows, Special Projects Hugh Belsey Elizabeth Einberg

Advisory Council

Iwona Blazwick, Whitechapel Gallery Alixe Bovey, Courtauld Institute of Art Christopher Breward, University of Edinburgh David Peters Corbett, University of East Anglia Anthony Geraghty, University of York Michael Hatt, University of Warwick Richard Marks, Art Historian and Curator Martin Myrone, Tate Britain Andrew Saint, English Heritage MaryAnne Stevens, Art Historian and Curator Shearer West, University of Sheffield Alison Yarrington, Loughborough University

Board of Governors

Peter Salovey, President of Yale University Ben Polak, Provost for Yale University Amy Meyers, Director of Yale Center for British Art Stephen Murphy, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Yale University

Design

Cultureshock Media

Contact us

Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art 16 Bedford Square London, WC1B 3JA United Kingdom T: 020 7580 0311 F: 020 7636 6730 www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk

ContentsMay 2016 — No.3

2 Director’s Note3 Launching the Refurbished

Paul Mellon Centre4 British Art Studies8 Fellowships & Grants:

Magnificent Martian-like Monsters & From Bradford to Benares

12 Spotlight on the RWA14 PMC Country House Project update16 Outreach: Research Collections18 Drawing Room Display20 A Closer Look: Art on the Walls24 Uncovering Hogarth26 A Catalogue Raisonné of Francis Towne 29 PMC Events Calendar31 Public Lecture Course 201632 PMC Profile: Ardis Butterfield33 YCBA Events Calendar

Director’s Note

I hope you enjoy this issue of PMC Notes, which is, as always, packed with features and information about the various strands of research we support from our base in Bedford Square.

Our newsletter also features, on its inside back cover, some exciting news regarding our sister institution, the Yale Center for British Art, which is officially reopening this spring after an extensive building conservation project. We would like to wish the warmest of congratulations to the Center’s Director, Amy Meyers, and to her team, for the fantastic job they have done in ensuring that Louis Kahn’s iconic building, like the great collection it houses, faces the future in the best possible condition. The newly conserved building features a fresh and stimulating installation of the Center’s permanent holdings of paintings and sculpture, and the first in a compelling series of temporary exhibitions, Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting. We very much hope that at least some of our readers will have the opportunity of visiting New Haven, exploring the re-opened Center, and enjoying one of the most wide-ranging and fascinating collections of British art in the world.

The London and New Haven centres—both of which owe their existence to the generosity and vision of Paul Mellon—have now been working together for nearly forty years. Following our own recent re-launch, we look forward to collaborating even more closely with our colleagues at the re-opened Yale Center for British Art in future. As always, our jointly-developed research projects will have as their primary aim the promotion of the most original, rigorous and thrilling scholarship on British art and architecture: just as importantly, they will be underpinned by our shared belief that scholarship thrives on dialogue and debate, whether between individuals or institutions. On the occasion of this exciting moment in the history of the YCBA, I’d like to raise a glass, to the prospect of many more such conversations in the years to come.

Mark HallettDirector of Studies

2

Officially Launching the Refurbished Paul Mellon CentreOn the evening of Thursday 3rd March, the Paul Mellon Centre hosted a party to celebrate the launch of the newly refurbished building

Among those who joined us to toast the newly refurbished premises, we were very pleased to welcome Amy Meyers, Director of the Yale Center for British Art, and Jules Prown, Paul Mellon Professor Emeritus of the History of Art at Yale University. In the Public Study Room guests were serenaded by a string trio from the Royal Academy of Music, while elsewhere images were projected highlighting the activities of the

Yale in London programme, the Events programme and the recent refurbishment and expansion of the Centre. After welcoming guests to the party, PMC Director Mark Hallett invited everyone to explore the new Centre, including the Drawing Room, lecture and seminar rooms, the Yale in London teaching facilities, and the newly installed art collection. A good time was had by all.

Rory Lindsay Photography

May 2016 — No. 3 3

BRITISH ART STUDIESSarah Turner previews the content of the second issue of British Art Studies

4

The first issue of British Art Studies went live just over three months ago and, as I write, we are busily preparing for the launch of Issue 2. In this short space of time, we know that nearly 10,000 readers have accessed the journal around the world. As with the first issue of the journal, much of the content of issue 2 has been specifically created and designed to make the most of British Art Studies’ open-access digital platform. We are committed to developing new ways of publishing art historical research and our recent issue contains a rich mixture of text, images, film and audio across all the articles.

The dynamic ‘cover’ of the journal presents a series of animated images created by David Lewis which are inspired by the renovation of Louis Kahn’s building for the Yale Center of British Art, designed to house Paul Mellon’s collection in New Haven. Once inside the journal, articles and features encompassing a wide variety of topics will contribute to an ever-expanding body of research on art, architecture and visual culture in Britain. Taken from an open call for submissions, certain themes are coming to the fore in articles included in thisissue. Collecting and patronage is one such topic. John Chu’s article explores the ‘risky approach’ of Joshua Reynolds’s painting in relation to the collection of John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset. Anne Nellis Richter examines the experience of viewing and visiting a collection at one particular site, Cleveland House, that was renowned as London’s most luxurious and cosmopolitan venue for looking at art in the early nineteenth century.

Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)St Paul’s Cathedralca. 1754, oil on canvas, 52.1 × 61.6 cmYale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut (B1976.7.95)

May 2016 — No. 3 5

British Art Studies

Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)The Thames from the Terrace of Somerset House, Looking toward St Paul’sca. 1750, oil on canvas, 38.6 × 72.9 cmYale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut (B1976.7.96)

Opposite: Cross-section from the skyGiovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)London: The Thames from Somerset House Terrace towards the City1750—51, oil on canvas, 107.9 × 188 cmRoyal Collection, London, UK (RCIN 400504)Image courtesy of Roxanne Sperber

Right: Detail showing compass incision lines on arch of Westminster BridgeGiovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor’s Procession on the Thames1747, oil on canvas, 95.9 × 127.6 cmYale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut (B1976.7.94)

6

A major theme of the second issue of British Art Studies is the relationship between art historical research and conservation projects and technologies. Roxy Sperber and Jens Stenger’s article takes changes in grounds, pigments and paint applications to probe Canaletto’s use of colour in his work after his relocation to England in 1746. Inspired by research funded by a PMC grant, conservator Rebecca Hellen and art historian Elaine Kilmurray take Sargent’s Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose as their ‘One Object’, using x-radiograph technology to explore beneath the artist’s ‘big picture’, which he sent to the Royal Academy’s annual summer exhibition in 1887.

Conversation and collaboration are at the very heart of British Art Studies. Following on from the success of the lively debate generated by the ‘There’s No Such Thing as British Art’ Conversation Piece in Issue 1, Patricia de Montfort and Robyn Calvert have convened a similarly lively conversation ‘Still Invisible?’ in which they tackle the issue of the lack of visibility of work by women artists at art galleries and museums. The ‘comments’ function encourages readers to join in this debate. Matthew Craske’s article examines the representation of conversation itself as represented in eighteenth-century painting. Jules Prown and Mark Hallett offer a conversation on John Singleton Copley’s prints and Katy Barrett takes us on an interactive exploration of the ‘Longitude Problem’ which uses a detail from the final plate of Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress as its starting point and then opens out to discuss a range of connected images and objects, including a Twitter tour of associated places and sites.

Read Issue 2 at www.britishartstudies.ac.uk/issue2 May 2016 — No. 3 7

Fellowships and GrantsMargaret J. Schmitz reports on the doctoral thesis she completed with a Paul Mellon Research Support Grant

Around thirty students and scholars receive Research Support Grants every year to help support specific travel and subsistence costs. Margaret Schmitz is a doctoral student at the University of Kent and received her grant in October 2015.

Alvin Langdon Coburn’s Magnificent Martian-Like MonstersMargaret J. SchmitzPh.D. Candidate at the University of Kent, History of Art

My doctoral thesis explores Anglo-American artistic exchange in the early-twentieth century (1900–1930), with a comparative focus on how American and British artists represented the emerging modern metropolis. I analyze the treatment of the evolving New York cityscape specifically in the work of American artists who spent extended periods in Britain and disseminated imagery of their homeland in British magazines and galleries (Joseph Pennell and Alvin Langdon Coburn) and of British artists who travelled to America (C.R.W. Nevinson and Alfred Wolmark), in addition to investigating the links and continuities between Vorticism and Precisionism.

With the support of a Paul Mellon Centre Research Grant I was able to conduct research imperative to my chapter on Anglo-American photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn. This funding allowed access to three major U.S. archives: Alfred Stieglitz’s papers, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Coburn’s archive at George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; and H.G. Wells’ papers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL. Findings from this research will be incorporated into my doctoral thesis as well as an academic paper to be presented this year at the Association of Art Historians Annual Conference.

Coburn’s New York photographs represented the cityscape’s inherent temporality and contingency, capturing a sense of the future gestating in the present. I argue that these photographs are connected to Wellsian utopian thought and served as visual projections of H.G. Wells’ 1906 book The Future in America: A Search After Realities. I also aim to explore how Wells’ science fiction influenced Coburn’s symbolist subject matter, illuminating a new facet of Coburn’s artistic development.

Alvin Langdon Coburn, The Octopus, (1909, sometimes incorrectly dated 1912), gelatin silver print, 20.6 × 15.7 cm, courtesy of George Eastman House Archive, Rochester, NY / United States Public Domain May 2016 — No. 3 9

From Bradford

The PMC offers Publication Grants to both authors and publishers each Autumn. Sam Shaw, Post-Doctoral Associate in Prints and Drawings at the Yale Center for British Art, was awarded a Publication Grant (Author) in October 2014. He writes

here about From Bradford to Benares: The Art of William Rothenstein

to Benares

From Bradford to Benares: the Art of Sir William Rothenstein, which ran at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Gallery from March–July 2015, was the first major exhibition of Rothenstein’s work for over forty years. A partial version of the exhibition travelled to the Ben Uri Gallery in London from September–January, under the title Rothenstein’s Relevance: Sir William Rothenstein and his circle. Both exhibitions substantially raised the profile of this much-neglected artist, whose life and work have been attracting increasing scholarly interest for some years now, but whose paintings, prints and drawings are rarely seen on gallery walls.

The Bradford exhibition focussed on a series of cultural encounters that shaped Rothenstein’s career, including his upbringing in Bradford, his education in Paris in the early 1890s, his exploration of his Jewish identity in

turn-of-the-century London, an influential trip to India in 1910, and his move to rural Gloucestershire just before the First World War. Around fifty works were exhibited, supplementing Bradford’s own collection with loans with other public galleries and private collections. Though far from comprehensive, the exhibition covered a wide variety of work, highlighting the richness and depth of the artist’s oeuvre.

Having studied Rothenstein’s work for almost ten years now, the experience of putting together this show with Bradford curator Jill Iredale was a very rewarding one. When I started researching the artist as a Ph. D. student at the University of York, many of Rothenstein’s works could only be studied in black and white reproductions. Of the one hundred and ten paintings in public ownership, only a very small proportion were on view and, before the appearance of Art UK, many of these

10

were inaccessible to researchers. It was very important to me, therefore, that the Bradford exhibition came with a catalogue, bringing together recent scholarship with full colour images of Rothenstein’s major works. The award of a Publication Grant from the Paul Mellon Centre proved critical, and allowed us to publish a book containing thirty-five images, which serves as a valuable record of the exhibition.

Samuel Shaw is currently working on the first major critical study of William Rothenstein. This essay on Rothenstein’s painting The Doll’s House, was published by Tate Online in February of this year.

Sir William Rothenstein, Carrying the Law, 1907 (Bradford

Museums and Galleries)

May 2016 — No. 3 11

Spotlight on the RWA

Inquisitive Eyes (generously supported by the Paul Mellon Centre and the Foyle Foundation) is a ground-breaking exhibition in more than one sense. Based on meticulous research by Gwen Yarker, it uncovers a lost chapter in British art and highlights both the talent and the catalytic impact of the artist John Everett (1876–1949).

The show also marks a declaration of intent on behalf of its host venue, the RWA (Royal West of England Academy) in Bristol—the city’s oldest art gallery, described by Andrew Lambirth as “a jewel in the crown of England’s exhibiting venues”.

Over the last two years, the RWA has been honing its own unique exhibition profile and Inquisitive Eyes and its complementary exhibitions of contemporary art epitomise its aim of offeringintellectually stimulating, art-historically significant, regionally relevant displays that can be enjoyed on many levels.

Alongside famous names—in this case including Augustus John, William Orpen, Vanessa Bell—the RWA displays the work of less well-known artists from the past and present, here ranging from John Everett to Veronica Vickery. Such variety has led to the most regular visitor comment being along the lines of “I came for xxxx, but I was blown away by yyyy”, with audiences for historic work being introduced to contemporary artists and vice-versa.

Following on from Inquisitive Eyes will be an equally trailblazing show looking at a completely different area of art. Jamaican Pulse: Art and Politics from Jamaica and the Diaspora is the first major exhibition of Jamaican visual art to be held in the UK. Supported by Arts Council England and presented in partnership with the Jamaican High Commission, Jamaican Pulse will demonstrate the strength and international impact of the island’s visual culture.

The RWA is a fitting venue for both Inquisitive Eyes and Jamaican Pulse in celebrating the artistic heritage of its region, from the inspiration of Edwardian Dorset to the immense impact of Jamaican culture on Bristol.

For further information on these and other exhibitions at the RWA, visit www.rwa.org.uk

The PMC supports a wide array of museum and gallery projects, including exhibitions. Alison Bevan, Director of The Royal West of England Academy reports on the Inquisitive Eyes exhibition, supported by a PMC grant

12

Above: Augustus John, The Blue Pool, 1911 © estate of Augustus John/Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, Scotland/Bridgeman Images

May 2016 — No. 3 13

THE COUNTRY

HOUSE: COLLECTIONS AND DISPLAY

Martin Postle provides an update on a new PMC research project

In the previous edition of PMC Notes I reported on a new flagship research project, ‘The Country House: Collections and Display’, which aims to explore various facets of the collection and display of works of art in the country house in Britain and Ireland from the sixteenth century to the present day. In addition to working on the development of a research portal using the Paul Mellon Centre’s collections as a hub, digitally photographing selected country house collections, hosting related lectures, workshops and networking events, and facilitating scholarly visits to country house collections, we are planning several other related activities. These include a course of introductory evening public lectures on aspects of the Country House to be held at the Centre in the autumn of 2016, for details see page 31. As with the previous autumn series, these lectures will be free of charge and enrolment will be on a first come first

served basis. At a more specialist level, we will also be announcing details shortly of a scholarly symposium to be held at the Centre in the autumn on collecting and display in the Country House. Speakers at the symposium will be selected through a Call for Papers, to be advertised on the Centre’s website. Looking forward, we are planning a new course on collecting and display in the Country House as part of our Yale in London programme aimed at undergraduates at Yale University and Yale-NUS College in Singapore. The course will comprise lectures, gallery visits, and field trips to a range of properties in private and public ownership. Finally, as part of the Country House project, we are keen to know more about what others are doing—especially early career scholars and museum curators. If you would like to submit details of projects and research in which you are engaged, please contact me at mpostle@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk

The Long Gallery, Castle Howard, Yorkshire14

Outreach: Research Collections

The Centre has always been keen to promote its rich research resources to the widest possible audiences. To this end, Research Collections staff offer group visits to interested parties, particularly those who may be unfamiliar with this part of the Centre’s activities and might benefit from use of the Library, Archive and Photographic Archives.

In the past we have hosted a wide variety of visits: from curators and conservators to students and independent societies. The most recent students were all studying at Masters degree level: Adrian Tinniswood’s English Country House 1485–1945, University of Buckingham; Jeremy Howard & Adriano Aymonino’s Art Market and the History of Collecting, University of Buckingham and Rebecca Lyon’s History of Art students from Christie’s Education, London.

As well as including practical information about how to register and use the Centre’s resources, we aim to tailor tours to the specific requirements of those attending. This often involves retrieving material of particular relevance and giving individuals the opportunity to browse and ask questions about it during the tour.

The Centre’s Collections are particularly strong with regard to the Country House, Collecting and the Grand Tour. As such, Adrian, Jeremy and Adriano’s students

Since re-opening, hosting introductory group visits is an activity which Research Collections staff have enjoyed resuming. Frankie Drummond Charig discusses the research interests of the most recent groups to visit the Centre

Christie’s MA students examine material from the PMC Research Collections © Courtney Flood

were given an introduction to the most relevant resources including our extensive collection of country house guide books; rare books; the Brinsley Ford, Oliver Millar and Frank Simpson Archives and sections of the Decorative Painting section of the Paul Mellon Centre Photographic Archive.

When the Christie’s students visited the Centre, they were concentrating on developing topics for their theses, which meant we ensured their visit incorporated time to discuss a range of the strengths of the Centre’s Research Collections as well as providing general examples of how one might use all three collections to research a topic in depth.

With all the visits, the groups had a chance to ask questions about their personal research areas. For the students who had no experience of the Centre previously, the visit was additionally an opportunity to learn more about the PMC’s activities and about the events they may wish to attend.

Since these visits, a large number of individuals have registered as readers and some are becoming familiar faces in the Public Study Room.

We are always keen to encourage visits from researchers who may benefit from using our research resources. If you are part of a group that may wish to arrange an organised visit to the Centre’s Research Collections, please feel free to contact Research Collections staff about doing so: collections@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk.

May 2016 — No. 3 17

Drawing Room DisplaysYale in London 1977–2016: ‘A Remarkable Opportunity’

The third Drawing Room Display, curated by the Education Programme Manager and Research Collections staff, will explore the history of the Yale in London programme and the core aspects that have made it a unique opportunity for students. The display will run from Monday 6 June–Friday 26 August 2016.

Founded in 1977, Yale in London is the Paul Mellon Centre’s longest running academic programme. It was established under the aegis of Christopher White as a means to connect the Centre to the Yale campus in New Haven. Yale in London was initially part of Yale’s Summer Session programme. However, the success of the programme necessitated its growth into a fully comprehensive study abroad programme in 1981, running during both the academic year as well as in the summer.

Since the 1970s, the programme’s structure, courses, student body and branding have all changed to fit the times,

A Yale in London logo from the 1990s

yet its core ethos has remained the same; to provide Yale students with high-quality teaching and significantly, first-hand experience of the architecture and artworks they have chosen to study. Jules Prown elucidated this in a letter to the dean of Yale College, Horace Taft, in 1978. He wrote: ‘Imagine being able to give a background lecture on Hogarth for an hour and then to proceed to examine the best examples of his work within easy walking distance of the Centre at the Foundling Hospital, the Soane Museum and the National Gallery.’

The new Drawing Room Display will feature a wide variety of material held within the Institutional Archive of the Centre to illustrate this aspect of the programme. It will also show how the experience of living and studying in London had a significant impact on many of the students.

To find out more about the Research Collections holdings, please consult the online catalogue on our website: www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/collections/our-resources. Please note that most, but not all, material is catalogued online so please contact Research Collections at collections@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk for more information.

18

A photograph of the first students of the Yale Summer Programme, with Christopher White, Ronald Paulson, Brian Allen and Deborah Howard, taken in 1977 on the steps of the PMC at 20 Bloomsbury Square

To find out more about Yale in London, please see our website: paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/yale-in-london/overview. 19 May 2016 — No. 3

A Closer Look

Art on the Walls of the PMCHarriet Fisher takes a closer look at the art hung on the walls at the Paul Mellon Centre

A Closer Look

Art on the Walls of the PMCHarriet Fisher takes a closer look at the art hung on the walls at the Paul Mellon Centre

The expansion and redecoration of the Paul Mellon Centre gave us the perfect opportunity to adorn our walls with a new, larger range of paintings and prints. These works, which come from a variety of sources, can now be enjoyed throughout the Centre’s public areas.

The Public Study Room and Drawing Room display two fascinating portraits. On loan from Lowell Libson Ltd and keeping watch over the readers in the Public Study Room is a seventeenth-century portrait of the English dramatist Thomas Killigrew, which bears the signature of the artist William Shepperd and a date of 1650. Known for his wit and once described by Samuel Pepys as ‘the King’s fool’, Killigrew was fiercely loyal to Charles II, whom he followed into exile in 1647.

In a similarly prominent position in our Drawing Room is Edward George Lind and His Son, Montague, executed in around 1800 by the eminent portraitist William Beechey. The Lind family wealth derived from a drapery business and Edward George commissioned portraits of himself and his family by notable painters of the day, including William Beechey and George Romney. The child in the painting, Montague Lind, died in a ‘destructive charge’ whilst fighting as Captain of the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The oil paintings found in the Paul Mellon Centre are complemented by a range of engravings and etchings that reproduce the works of prominent English painters such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and JMW Turner, and that portray artists such as William Hogarth, Richard Wilson and Benjamin West.

Among the engravings on display include over thirty architectural prints bequeathed to the Centre by the distinguished architectural historian Dr. Terry Friedman, who died in 2013. Dr. Friedman was one of the finest architectural historians of his generation, dedicating his life to the education and promotion of art and architecture, specialising particularly in eighteenth-century ecclesiastical architecture. His publications included the seminal book The Eighteenth-Century Church in Britain, published for the Paul Mellon Centre by Yale University Press, and for which he won the 2012 Berger Prize for British Art History.

Dr. Friedman lived in Leeds for the majority of his life, becoming principal keeper at Leeds Art Gallery in 1984. Some of the highlights of his decade working for the Gallery included an influential exhibition on the

William Beechey (1753–1839) Edward George Lind and His Son, Montague Oil on canvas, c.1800 Courtesy of the Yale Center for British Art May 2016 — No. 3 21

A Closer Look: Art on the Walls of the PMC

sculptor Jacob Epstein, which then travelled to the Whitechapel Gallery in London. He also identified and purchased important works by the sculptor Joseph Gott for the Gallery. After taking early retirement, Dr. Friedman dedicated himself to the study of eighteenth-century British church architecture; his other publications on this topic included The Georgian Parish Church: Monuments to Posterity (2004). Dr. Friedman was a generous donor of works of art throughout his life, making substantial gifts to the Leeds City and University collections and to the Middlesbrough Institute of Contemporary Art.

The works of art that hang in the public areas at the Paul Mellon Centre can be viewed during the Centre’s opening hours.

Giuseppe Zocchi (1711–1767) Veduta Della Piazza Della SS. Nunziata, Statua Equestre Di Ferdinando Primo, Fonti, E Loggie Laterali T.X.V Coloured engarving, Florence 1754 Part of the Dr. Terry Friedman Bequest

22

May 2016 — No. 3 23

Publications & Events

Uncovering HogarthWilliam Hogarth: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings is due to be published later this year. Author Elizabeth Einberg reports on some of the new information she has discovered about the restored portrait of Thomas Western

In researching this catalogue, I have been fortunate in being able to draw upon much new information on the artist’s pictures, not least insights resulting from the cleaning and restoration of some of his works.

One such recently restored work is a portrait of Thomas Western, this charming picture of a scholar in his study was painted in 1734 for the sitter’s friend and fellow student William Cole, the famous antiquary and correspondent of Horace Walpole. Cole eventually bequeathed the picture to Western’s grandson and inscribed the exact circumstances of the gift on the back of the canvas.

For the last sixty years, the picture has remained in the Canton Museum of Art, Ohio, little known and rarely studied

apart from some x-rays which confirmed the existence of the original inscription underneath. De-accessioned by the museum in 2015 and sold at Christie’s London last December, it was immediately consigned for cleaning and restoration by its new owners.

As can be seen, the results reveal Hogarth’s original sparkling colours, as well as many formerly hidden details. These serve to convey the pensive mood of a wealthy student at work in his rooms, wearing the opulent robes of his rank. As well as unveiling Hogarth’s vibrant palette, the restoration also uncovered the original inscription and colourful Western coat of arms on the back: ‘This Picture of Mr. Western | was Finish’d by Mr: Hogarth Oct | 16. 1734. | AEt : Suae. 20 years 10 m[onths] | and given by him to me. Wm. Cole th[is] | 18 day Nov: 1734’. The precise dating of the portrait, a rarity in Hogarth’s oeuvre, is a scholarly bonus that enriches vivid and colourful results of Rica Jones’s restoration.

William Hogarth (1697–1764), Thomas Western at Clare Hall, Cambridge, (pre-restoration) 1734, Oil on canvas, 54 × 42 cm. Formerly Canton Museum of Art, Ohio

William Hogarth (1697–1764), Thomas Western at Clare Hall, Cambridge, (post-restoration) 173424

A Catalogue Raisonné of Francis Towne(1739–1816)by Richard Stephens

Francis Towne, Windermere at Sunset, 1786, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection

Publication date: May URL: francistowne.ac.uk Price: Free, open access

This online publication catalogues over 800 pictures made by Francis Towne (1739–1816) about which information can be found, as well as over 100 contemporary copies and imitations from which the existence of works now lost can be inferred. Over 700 entries are illustrated, many with new photography commissioned by the Paul Mellon Centre.

Towne's biography is described in far greater detail here than ever before using original research that establishes the facts of his birth, parentage and artistic training, as well as describing many previously unobserved friends, family, pupils and patrons.

The analytical texts in this catalogue reject the characterisation of Towne as an unsuccessful, unconventional figure working against the grain of the mainstream art world themes of his day; rather, Towne's work and career are seen as responses to widely-felt economic, cultural and social conditions that should be considered typical of artists and other comparable figures.

The Paul Mellon Centre continues to lead efforts to support open-access digital publishing. The catalogue will be freely available to all: there are no subscriptions, no passwords and no fees to pay. The publication of the

Below left: The Claudian Aquaduct, Rome, 1785, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection

Below right: Francis Towne, Entrance to the Grotto at Posilippo, Naples, 1781, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection

May 2016 — No. 3 27

A Catalogue Raisonné of Francis Towne (1739-1816)

Towne catalogue coincides with the exhibition Light, Time, Legacy: Francis Towne's watercolours of Rome at the British Museum until 14 August.

Richard Stephens was awarded a Ph. D. at Birkbeck College, London, in 2006 for his thesis A Catalogue Raisonné of The Works of Francis Towne, on which this website is based. In 2016 he curated the exhibition Light, Time, Legacy: Francis Towne's watercolours of Rome at the British Museum, London. He edits the online publication The art world in Britain 1660 to 1735, published by the University of York (artworld.york.ac.uk).

Francis Towne Online Catalogue Raisonné

28

w

PMC Events CalendarAll events are at the Paul Mellon Centre unless otherwise indicated

May

4 May 2016, 18.00–20.00 Research Seminar Manufacturing Giants: A Material History of Gogmagog and Corineus from the 15th century to the present Alixe Bovey

6 May 2016 Conference Transforming Topography The British Library

18 May 2016, 18.00 -20.00 Research Seminar Aquatint Empires Douglas Fordham

20 May 2016, 12.30–14.00 Research Lunch Ambitious Architecture: Rethinking the Meanings of Blenheim Palace James Legard

27 May 2016, 12.30–14.00 Research Lunch Inquisitive Eyes. Recovering a Lost Chapter in British Art Gwen Yarker

Thomas and William Daniell, A Picturesque voyage to India;

by the way of China, 1810

To book a ticket to any of our events please visit www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/whats-on/forthcoming or contact Events Manager Ella Fleming on efleming@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. May 2016 — No. 3 29

PMC Events Calendar

June

6 June–26 August 2016 Display Yale in London 1977–2016: ‘A Remarkable Opportunity’ Drawing Room

10 June 2016, 12.30–14.00 Research Lunch Philip Alexius de László: A Catalogue Raisonné in Progress Katherine Field

15 June 2016, 18.00–20.00 A panel discussion Multiple meanings: the photographic double exposure in the work of Francis Bacand Daniella Zalcman Speakers will include: Daniella Zalcman, Paul Rousseau, James Boaden, Richard Hornsey and Katharina Guenther

24 June 2016, 12.30–14.00 Research Lunch Collecting watercolours: questions of landscape and Englishness, c. 1890–1914 Jessica Feather

29 June 2016, 18.00–20.00 Research Seminar The Conditional Image? Art and labour in India and the Indian Ocean, 1800–1947 Natasha Eaton

30 June–1 July Symposium Showing, Telling, Seeing: Exhibiting South Asia in Britain Paul Mellon Centre

2 July, 14.00–16.00 Bhupen Khakhar: Truth is Beauty Public Panel Discussion Tate Modern

The upper part of the south tower of Blenheim Palace by James Legard

30

Announcing the Public Lecture Course for 2016 After the popular first Public Lecture Course series in Autumn 2015, a new course has been developed for Autumn 2016 entitled ‘The English Country House: Art, Politics and Taste’

We are pleased to announce the 2016 Public Lecture Course, ‘The English Country House: Art, Politics and Taste’. The course has been developed in conjunction with the research project, ‘Country House: Collections and Display’, and both will explore various facets of the collection and display of art in the country house in Britain and Ireland from the sixteenth century to the present day. ‘The English Country House’ course is being organised by Martin Postle, Deputy Director of Grants and Publications at the Paul Mellon Centre.

Following the success of last year’s Public Lecture Course, the programme will now expand to eight sessions rather

than five, which will allow the lecturers and the participants to fully explore various aspects of the country house. The course will run from 13 October–1 December on Thursday evenings, starting with an informal reception at 18.30 followed by a lecture and a lively discussion session concluding at 20.30.

Registration will begin on 1st August. For more information please see our website where regular updates on the Public Lecture Course and our other events can be found.

Llannerch, Denbighshire, Wales, Unknown Artist, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut May 2016 — No. 3 31

PMC Profile

Ardis ButterfieldArdis Butterfield, John M. Schiff Professor of English, and Professor of French and Music at Yale University, talks about her experience of teaching this semester at the Paul Mellon Centre

It has been an extraordinary pleasure for me, as a medieval literary specialist, to teach two courses on the medieval period in the heart of London: 'Chaucer and Medieval London' and 'Medieval Biography'. Whereas in far away Yale I have had to show students digital images of medieval artefacts, reading Chaucer in his own city of London has been deeply enriched by the opportunity to visit the very streets and buildings that he walked down, saw and worked in. We have seen the ancient white tower of the Tower of London in the famous 15th Century manuscript illumination in Charles d’Orléans’ book of poetry and then walked into the same

tower, shuddered at Traitors’ Gate, and stood on the hill where executions took place. We have been treated to a private viewing of exquisite ivories in the Victoria and Albert Museum; looked up at the huge hammer beam roof of Westminster Hall; been shown the collection of mayoral silver regalia by the current Lord Mayor of Westminster in the Mayor’s Parlour overlooking the Thames; seen the 14th century portrait of Richard II in Westminster Abbey; and on trips outside London, watched the bird debate in the Parliament of Fowls come to life in the 16th century falconry of Holdenby House; and studied the medieval domestic architecture of Norwich, Long Melford, and Lavenham. In the British Library, we were able to study a huge 13th c Bible, Bernard of Clairvaux’s condemnation of Abelard, a range of Chaucer and Lydgate manuscripts and two early lives of St Thomas Becket and St Francis. Such experiences offer a vivid, material perception of an older city and an older state of English language and literature, and have enabled us to think hard about how the past continues to exist in our present, and about the kinds of interpretive strategy we might adopt towards it.

All this alongside the fun of eating and drinking in the 16th c inn adjacent to Chaucer's Tabard Inn in Southwark, and discussing the many plays we have enjoyed each week in London’s great theatres.

Ardis Butterfield with Yale in London students at the Tower of London

32

YCBA Programmes and Events1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 USA

The Yale Center for British Art will reopen to the public on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, after completing a comprehensive project to conserve its landmark building, designed by the architect Louis I. Kahn. Visitors to the renovated building will experience a stimulating new installation of the Center’s renowned collections. Showcasing the newly refurbished gallery spaces, the display focuses on an exploration of Britain in the World. Featuring more than five hundred works, largely the gift of the institution’s founder, Paul Mellon (Yale College, Class of 1929), the exhibition will present the complex story of the development of British art from the time of the Protestant Reformation to the present, seen within a wider global context.

To stay connected and learn more about the Center’s programs, visit britishart.yale.edu.

Richard Caspole, Yale Center for British Art

Center Events

11 May 2016, 10.00–20.00 Extended Museum Hours Tours of the collection, Study Room, and Founder’s Room

12 May 2016, 10.00–20.00 Extended Museum Hours

14 May 2016, 10.00–17.00 Community Day Featuring art, music, dance, gallery tours, food, family activities and more!

18 May 2016, 17.30 Exhibition Opening Lecture Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting Ian Collins, independent writer and curator

15 June 2016, 17.30 Exhibition Opening Lecture Artistic Bookbinding in the Twenty-First Century James Reid-Cunningham, bookbinder and conservator

Special Exhibitions

11 May–21 August 2016 Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting

11 May–14 August 2016 Art in Focus: Relics of Old London

16 June–21 August, 2016 “The Poet of Them All”: William Shakespeare and Miniature Designer Bindings from the Collection of Neale and Margaret Albert