Sunday, 4 December 2016

Bust of Archbishop Usher in the Long Room at Trinity College Library, Dublin.

A Marble Bust of Archbishop James Us(s)her (1581 - 1656).

Benefactor

in the Long Room at Trinity College Library,

Dublin.

by Peter Scheemakers.

Signed P.S. Ft.

Photographed by the Author - 4 October 2016.

For the busts at in the Library at Trinity See -

Anne Crookshank & David Webb. Paintings and sculptures in Trinity College Dublin. Dublin: Trinity College Dublin Press. 1990. [Includes pictures of all busts and brief biographies of the subjects].

W. G. Strickland. A descriptive catalogue of the pictures, busts and sculptures in Trinity College Dublin and in the Provost’s House. Dublin: The University Press. 1916. [Brief biographies of subjects, but no illustrations].

_____________________________

There are a surprisingly large number of engravings of the Archbishop, any one or a number of which could have been the source for the Scheemaker bust.

Below are a selection from the National Portrait Gallery.

James Ussher

Engraving

Robert Vaughan

183 x 127 Paper size

1644.

______________________________________

James Ussher

Engraving by George Glover

215 x 147 mm. Paper Size

1645.

____________________________________________

James Ussher

Engraving

William Marshall

107 x 61 mm.

1650

_____________________________________

James Ussher, published by Peter Stent, after Unknown artist, mid 17th century - NPG D33197 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Thomas Ussher

Engraving

Anon

Pub. Peter Stent

Mid 17th Century.

252 x 189 mm.

___________________________________

James Ussher

Engraving

William Faithorne

derived from the Lely Potrait (below)

195 x 133 mm.

1755

James Ussher

Engraving

William Faithorne

17 x 116 mm.

1656.

__________________________________

James Ussher, by John Dunstall, mid 17th century - NPG D26752 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

Dr James Usher

Engraving

John Dunstall

dated 1656

152 x 113 mm.

______________________________

James Ussher

Engraving Mid 17th Century

William Marshall

178 x 104 mm Paper Size.

_____________________________________

Archbishop James Ussher

Engraving

after Marshall

231 x 152 mm

1670

_________________________________

James Ussher

after the original oil painting by Lely

Engraving

by George Vertue

370 x 240 mm.

1738.

__________________________

James Ussher

after Lely

Engraving

anon - Mid 18th Century

160 x 115 mm.

________________________________

James Ussher

Engraving

after the original by Lely

In the possession of General Tyrrel at Shotover Park.

George Vertue

358 x 225 mm.

1738

from Birch's Heads

British Museum.

__________________________________________

Portrait, bust directed to left, looking towards the viewer, wearing dark clerical robe with ruf and skull cap over white hair, with a short beard, in a circular frame with papers inscribed in Greek above to right, crest, mitre, seals and books below and a scene of two women teaching a child the alphabet to right; after Lely. 1744 Mezzotint

James Ussher

Mezzotint

After Lely

356 x 247 mm

Pub. Dublin 1744

___________________________________________

James Usher

Sir Peter Lely

Oil on Canvas

781 x 654 mm.

____________________________________

Portrait of James Ussher, full-length, slightly turned to the left and looking to the right, seated on a chair with a book in his hand, dressed in a chimere over his rochet Engraving

Engraving by J, Fougeron

124 x 95 mm.

c. 1750

British Museum

Bust of the so Called Demosthenes, Long Room Trinity College Library, Dublin.

The Marble Bust of the so called Demosthenes.

in the Long Room Trinity College Library, Dublin.

Peter Scheemakers.

Signed P.S. Ft.

Photographed by the author.

Friday, 25 November 2016

Jonathan Swift by Roubiliac, Trinity College Library, Dublin.

The Marble Bust of Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745).

by Louis Francois Roubiliac,

circa 1748/49.

Trinity College Library, Dublin.

Photographs taken by the author 4 October 2016.

______________________________________________

Sources for Trinity College Library Roubiliac bust of Swift.

It is most unlikely that Roubiliac ever met Swift.

Swift was last in London in 1727 when he stayed with Alexander Pope.

Jonathan Swift.

after Charles Jervas.

engraved by Paul Foudrinier.

c.1718.

Plate 355 x 262 mm.

Jonathan Swift.

after Charles Jervas (1675 - 1739).

Engraved by George Vertue.

Plate size -372 x 262 mm.

First quarter of the 18th century.

The two engravings above are possibly the sources for the Roubiliac Busts of Swift.

__________________

Jonathan Swift.

Mezzotint after Markham.

signed Vanhaeken.

This engraving is much closer to the Cunningham bust and was probably the source for it.

Mezzotint after Markham.

Thomas Burford.

dated 1744.

Pub Bowles London.

Plate size - 351 x 249 mm.

__________________

For an Article by Malcolm Baker on the Trinity College Library busts

see - http://burlington.org.uk/media/_file/generic/886825.pdf

The Magnificent Baroque Plaster Ceiling of c. 1670/80.

removed from Armitage's Oriental Café.

Formerly the Sign of the Feathers.

6 Wheelergate, Nottingham

when demolished in 1961.

Rescued and restored by Peter Hone with the assistance of the author.

Currently in store and ready for installation with Messrs Taylor Pearce of New Cross, London.

The pivotal decision in the history of England to ally the northern aristocracy with the protestant William III and to depose the Catholic James II - The Glorious Revolution was made at The Sign of the Feathers on 23 November 1688.

for a full description and the researches into the ceiling see -

http://wheelergateceiling.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/introduction-wheelergate-ceiling.html

1950's photograph of the frontage of 4 - 6 Wheelergate, Nottingham.

6 Wheelergate on the left. The ceiling was in the ground floor room on the left.

The Corner building was destroyed by enemy action in 1941.

the bomb missed the ceiling by about 18 ft.

Late 19th Century photograph of 2 - 6 Wheelergate, on the corner of Friar Lane and Wheelergate showing the 2 Wheelergate - the Old Moot Hall Wine Vaults building prior to rebuilding in 1901.

The ceiling in Armitage's Oriental Café

Photographed in the late 1950's.

Press cutting from Nottingham Post 7 March 1960

Photograph Courtesy Nigel Waring.

The ceiling with the 30 layers of paint removed

Laid out at the workshop of Messrs Taylor Pearce, New Cross, London.

http://www.taylorpearce.co.uk/

Detail of the Ceiling showing the Coat of Arms of the Braddylls of Brockholes

Photographs - the author.

for a full description and researches into the ceiling see -

http://wheelergateceiling.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/introduction-wheelergate-ceiling.html

Tuesday, 15 November 2016

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley Marble Bust by Michael Rysbrack and an Anoymous Bust at Powis Castle

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley (1715 - 85).

Marble Bust.

Michael Rysbrack.

1727.

_________________________________

Both of these poor quality low resolution images above from the Bridgman Image Library.

Carefully edited so that the inscriptions are illegible

Available in higher resolution a mere snip at £50 + vat each.

http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-GB/search?filter_text=3248460+or+3248461+or+3248465&filter_group=all&filter_region=GBR

Margaret Cavendish Bentinck nee Harley

Duchess of Portland

Engraving by George Vertue

217 x 170 mm.

dated 1727.

An Engraved portrait of Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (1715-85), collector of art and natural history specimens and patron of the arts and sciences, after a bust sculpted by Rysbrack.

This engraving originally published as a plate to the poet Elijah Fenton's edition of Waller's 'Works' of 1729. Portland spent fifty years assembling an immense collection of natural history and the fine arts at her home at Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire, which became the largest in Britain, exceeding even that of Hans Sloane. The most famous item in her collection was the so-called Portland vase which she purchased from Sir William Hamilton (now in the British Museum). After the duchess' death, her collection was auctioneed in a sale lasting thirty-eight days.