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Pastel Portrait is New Acquisition for the Barber Institute
A stunning 18th-century pastel portrait by the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera has been unveiled at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts– the first major acquisition to be made under the directorship of Professor Ann Sumner. The purchase comes after a successful £525,000 fundraising campaign.
Portrait of Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne, painted in about 1731/32 is only the third major work by a woman artist to enter the Barber collection – alongside paintings by the late 18th-century French portraitist, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, and the early 20th-century British artist, Gwen John.
Purchased from eminent art dealer Daniel Katz Ltd, the acquisition has been made possible thanks to a generous bequest from the estate of Elnora Ferguson, in whose memory the acquisition has been dedicated, to acknowledge her great love for the Barber. The purchase was supported by substantial additional financial assistance from the Henry Barber Trust, along with donations from independent charity The Art Fund, the Friends of the Barber Institute and the RD Turner Charitable Trust. Representatives from all these groups were present at the official unveiling by Hugh Carslake, chairman of the Henry Barber Trust, on Wednesday 3 February.
Rosalba Carriera was born in 1675 and originally trained as a designer of intricate lace patterns. She became a painter of miniatures and was admitted into Rome’s Academy of St Luke in 1705. She turned to working on a larger scale in pastel, and is credited with establishing the medium as suitable for finished portraiture rather than just informal sketches. Her subtle, sensitive portraits made her very popular with British, French and German Grand Tourists visiting Venice, and she was undoubtedly the best-known female artist of her generation, influencing both Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and Angelica Kauffman.
Gustavus Hamilton (1710-46) was an Irish peer and politician. Educated at Westminster School, after his father’s death he succeeded his grandfather as Viscount Boyne in 1723. He visited Venice from 1730 to 1731, before returning to pursue a political career, being sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of Ireland in 1736, and, the following year, as a Commissioner for the Irish Revenue.
Carriera’s portrait shows the young dandy in carnival attire, wearing a fine ermine-trimmed coat, a bauta or lace veil, a black tricorn hat and a white mask, pushed aside to show his face. The portrait is one of three of the same sitter by Carriera, which bear strong similarities in pose, but differ in detail. The other two – one in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the other in a private collection – show Viscount Boyne in a blue coat.
Professor Sumner said the Carriera was perfect for the Barber collection, which until now has lacked a major 18th-century pastel portrait. It would complement the later Degas pastel, Portrait of Mlle Malo, as well as relate to other 18th-century oil portraits, most notably the Vigée-Lebrun masterpiece, Portrait of Countess Golovine.
‘It is a fascinating work on many levels, and is perfect for a gallery that is also an academic institution,’ said Professor Sumner. ‘We are already planning a major exhibition of work by women artists painting male sitters, possibly for our 80th anniversary year, and see it as one of the key exhibits.’
‘We are extremely grateful to all the bodies who supported us financially to make this acquisition possible, and are particularly moved by the generous bequest left to the Barber by Elnora Ferguson. This came at a particularly welcome moment in the campaign and enabled us to purchase the work in a difficult economic climate for fundraising.’
For further information or images, or to arrange an interview with Professor Sumner, contact Barber Press and Marketing Officer Andrew Davies on 0121 414 2946/07769 958114 or email: andrewdavies@barber.org.uk