Starting a sequence of Victoria's Vibes posts on my September 2022 in England...
On September 8, 2022, unaware of the tumultuous events about to unfold in London, Kristine and I decided to visit the National Gallery, on the left above, across Trafalgar Square. We would head to Apsley House for a reception later, but we took the opportunity to browse again among some of Britain's treasured paintings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries
The galleries were full of people, many of them young and vigorous. We went first to the wonderful 1762 painting by George Stubbs (1724-1806) of Whistlejacket, the championship racehorse owned by the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham. Originally, it hung in his former home, Wentworth Woodhouse, in Yorkshire, but it came to the nation in 1997. The house (below, left), now managed by a trust, exhibits a copy (below, right), which we saw in 2017. Please click on the thumbnail pictures for larger versions.
In the tradition of royal portraiture, Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) painted Queen Charlotte in 1787, on the left above. Perhaps less elegant was his 1804 canvas of Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick, right, estranged wife of the Prince Regent, later George IV.
Below left, The Morning Walk by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), his 1785 portrait of Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett; right, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Coltman, 1770-72, by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797).
Below left, The Morning Walk by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), his 1785 portrait of Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett; right, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Coltman, 1770-72, by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797).
Above, left, the Milbanke & Melbourne Families, 1765, by George Stubbs (1724-1806); right, Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) painted Lady Cockburn and her Three Eldest Sons, in 1773.
Below, left, Canaletto (1697-1760) portrayed Eton College c. 1754; right, The Hay Wain, 1821 by John Constable (1776-1837).
Below, left, Canaletto (1697-1760) portrayed Eton College c. 1754; right, The Hay Wain, 1821 by John Constable (1776-1837).
Above left, Sir Thomas Lawrence painted The Red Boy,1825, Charles William Lambton; right, Sarah Siddons, 1785, by Thomas Gainsborough.
Below, Joseph Mallord William Turner's (1775-1851) Dutch Boats in a Gale, also known as The Bridgewater Sea Piece, 1801, on the left. Right, The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, 1838-39. The painting shows the famous warship which did heroic service in the British Navy particularly in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, and has been named the favorite painting of the British people.
Below, Joseph Mallord William Turner's (1775-1851) Dutch Boats in a Gale, also known as The Bridgewater Sea Piece, 1801, on the left. Right, The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, 1838-39. The painting shows the famous warship which did heroic service in the British Navy particularly in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, and has been named the favorite painting of the British people.
Turner's Rain, Steam & Speed--The Great Western Railway, 1844, above left, shows his atmospheric best. Right, peering into another gallery.
These paintings are among the treasures of British art, including most of the major figures working in "our" era, the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The National Gallery exhibits hundreds more outstanding works in its many galleries, but these were the gems to which we wanted to briefly pay our respects.
Off we went to Apsley House for the reception, covered in the next post.
These paintings are among the treasures of British art, including most of the major figures working in "our" era, the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The National Gallery exhibits hundreds more outstanding works in its many galleries, but these were the gems to which we wanted to briefly pay our respects.
Off we went to Apsley House for the reception, covered in the next post.
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