A Guide to the National Gallery

174 Pages·2015·13.698 MB·English

by  Potterton, Homan

AGuideto
the National Gallery
Homan
Potterton

A
Guide to the National Gallery
I
A
Guide to
the National Gallery
Homan
Potterton
With a Foreword by Michael Levey
and over 160 Illustrations
Published by Order ofthe Trustees, The National
Gallerw London
o HomanPottertonandTheNational
Gallery
FrontCover
Giovannidi Paolo (d. 14O2) S.Johnthe
Baptistretiringtothedesert (detail)
BackCover
Rubens (1577-1640) A Roman Triumph
(detail)
Photographsonfrontand backcovers
taken in theNational Gallery
Frontispiece
JamesTissot (1836-1902) 'London
Visitors'
33x22
Toledo MuseumofArts, Ohio
Exhibitedat theRoyalAcademyin
1874 theviewis through theporticoof
theNational Gallerytowards the
ChurchofS. Martin-in-the-Fields.
Althoughprovidedwithaguidebook,
thecouplewouldseemto beleavingthe
Gallerybyasearlyasten-thirtyinthe
morning.
Acknowledgements
Landseer'sportrait ofQueen Victoriaand
PrinceAlbertand DavidAllan'sdrawing
ofan English TravellerinRomeare
reproduced bygraciouspermissionof
HerMajestytheQueen.
Tissot's 'London Visitors' isreproduced
bypermissionoftheToledo Museumof
Arts, Toledo, Ohio; giftofEdward
Drummond Libbey; Orpen'sHomageto
ManetbypermissionoftheCityArt
Gallery, Manchester. PortraitsofBoxall
byPittatore, PoynterbyBurne-Jones,
Holroyd byStrangand thesketchofSir
Robert Peel bypermissionofthe
National PortraitGallery, London.
Partridge'scartoon'HansacrosstheSea' is
reproducedbypermission oftheEditor
ofPunch. Oneofthephotographson the
coverbypermissionofAssociated
Newspapers Group Ltd.
Designed byJamesShurmer
Printed byT. and A. ConstableLtd,
Edinburgh
1
Contents
Foreword by Michael Levey
How to use the Guide 9
1. Introduction 1
2. The Early Italian Schools 23
3. The Early Netherlandish and German 39
Schools
4. The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century 55
Italian Schools
5. Rembrandt and the Dutch School 75
6. Flemish, French and Spanish Painters of 93
the Seventeenth Century
7. The Eighteenth Century 1 13
8. From 1824 to the present day 129
9. The Galleries on the Lower Floor 147
General Index 164
Index to Rooms and Schools ofPainting 168
Plan ofthe National Gallery, inside back cover
1 :
The first sixDirectorsoftheNational Gallery
Toprow,lefttoright:
SirCharlesEastlake
(i855-1865)
SirWilliamBoxall
(1866-1874)
h^ fjk
>f'm ~ jlw*
A^ 1
*?r
^\
^^HBcr ^r
sr~lSlr^>ss
Centrerow,lefttoright Subsequentdirectorshave
SirFrederickBurton been:
(1874- 894) SirAugustusDaniel
SirEdwardPoynter (1929-1933)
(1894- 904) SirKennethClark
1
SirCharlesHolroyd (I934-I945)
(1906-1916) SirPhilipHendy
(1945-1967)
Bottomrow: SirMartinDavies
SirCharlesHolmes (1968-1973)
(1916-1928)
Foreword by Michael Levey,
Director ofthe National Gallerv
Thesuperbandextensive treasures ofseveral centuries of
European painting in the National Gallery need some
guidance if they are to be fully enjoyed. This book is
planned to offer a friendly, helpful hand to the so-called
ordinary visitor who we do not think "ordinary' at all.
andwhoseeyeandappetitearelikelytobeatleastaskeen
as those ofthe expert or scholar. For the latter there are.
anyway, the Gallery's own detailed catalogues to study
and ponder on.
What Homan Potterton provides in his entertaining,
instructive text is at once a concentrated history of
European painting and a room-to-room commentary on
the Gallery's own finest examples ofit. He touches, too.
on how the Collection has been built up. until today it
can be claimed to be possibly the most sheerly balanced
and representativeofall national collectionsofEuropean
painting. Something of the secret of its strength lies. I
believe, in the fact that it remain* comparatively small.
That means that a guide to it is feasible. A guide to it
ought also to be enjoyable reading, reflecting thejoy of
walking through rooms ofgreat pictures, where each of
us may freely exercise his or her individual taste. Xo one
should try and like extry masterpiece by czcr, painter.
The percipient reader will detect places where Homan
—
Potterton hints at his own taste and thus encourages
reaction. Reaction is what all the painters ofthe pictures
intheGallerywouldhavewished theirwork tostimulate.
Looking at pictures is a complicated and active pre
prompting us to ask a myriad questions about why and
how the—yappearas theydo. Weshall neverobtain all the
answers which is onereason whywe go on looking: but
many ofthe questions a visitor may reasonably begin by
asking will be found unobtrusively answered in the crisp
company ofthis guide.
AviewoftheVestibuleintheNationalGallery
takenearlythiscentury.
Subsequentchangeshaveincludedtheinstallation
ofthemosaicpavements.