Katheryn of Berain 10 October 2011 The life of Katheryn of Berain is laden with intrigue. This wealthy heiress from Denbighshire had Tudor blood in her veins, and was a distant relative to Queen Elizabeth I. The story of her and her many husbands has become one of the chief romances of north Wales. She had six children and over thirty grandchildren who all went on to form some of the country's richest families, earning her the title 'the Mother of Wales'. In Katheryn's age people married for money, land and power, not love. As a wealthy heiress of royal descent, Katheryn was considered a bit of a catch! She married four times to high-profile Welshmen, and became related to the richest, most important families of north Wales. Wealthy sitters would often have their portraits painted to flaunt their richness and social status. But in this religious time it was just as important to appear humble in front of God. The portrait is attributed to the Dutch artist Adriaen van Cronenburgh, who often painted portraits of the Friesian nobility. His work demonstrates the sophisticated Netherlandish oil painting technique of the time. Explore the Painting Click on the links below to find out what Katheryn's portrait reveals about her, the fashions of the time, and the tradition of portraiture in the sixteenth century. Head-dress Facial features Jewellery Background Inscription Velvet Dress Prayer Book Chain belt Skull Head-dress Married women traditionally covered their hair with a head-dress. These were often decorated with jewels to draw attention to the forehead, which was considered an area of beauty. Facial features Katheryn's pale skin was seen to be a sign of nobility and delicacy – only the poor who worked in the sun all day had tanned skin. Smiling was equated with foolishness, which explains Katheryn’s solemn expression. Jewellery Jewellery was worn for personal decoration, much like today, but was also a sign of wealth, and some were tokens of loyalty and love. Background By using a flat area of dark colour as a background, the artist has made sure that nothing detracts our attention from Katheryn. She is our main object of focus, and her luminous skin and the rich gold of her costume stand out against this plain backdrop. Inscription This faint inscription reads ‘Katherine Tudor of Beren’. Such inscriptions were often added after the portrait was painted, and not necessarily by the artist. Multiple spellings of Katheryn’s name exist. She herself has spelt her name Katherin, Katryn then eventually Katheryn. This was a common peculiarity of the period. Beren (or Berain) was the name of her home in Denbighshire. Velvet Dress Katheryn's long black velvet dress may seem sombre to us, but in 1568 this was the latest in Spanish-style fashion. Black costumes considered formal, dignified - and very expensive, as black dye was difficult to find. Katheryn's dress is enlivened by intricate embroidery on her sleeves and ruff. Prayer Book Legend has it that this is a casket containing the ashes of her second husband, Richard Clough. But he was alive in 1568 when this was painted, and the pair had recently married. It is more likely to be a prayer-book, which Katheryn holds to portray herself as a devoted Christian woman. Chain belt Katheryn wears a fashionable chain belt, looping it up to show us what looks like a locket at the bottom, but could be a pomander or some valued possession. The antiquarian Thomas Pennant wrote 'I was told that in the locket... was the hair of her second and favourite husband,' while Art Historians have said that the chain around her waist symbolized her obedience as a wife. Skull Folklore says that Katheryn murdered her many lovers. But this skull is not one of theirs! The skull was a familiar prop in early portraiture. It is known as a memento mori device, an object symbolic of human destiny. It is an acknowledgement of the fleeting nature of life, and a statement of humility before God. When Katheryn's second husband died abroad, she returned to Denbighshire with this portrait, where it remained for almost four hundred years. Just before the Second World War it was sold and taken to the Netherlands. From there it was sold to a collector who brought the work back to Britain. Finally, it was purchased by the Friends of National Museum Wales who presented it to the Museum in 1957. Kathryn of Berain can be seen in the Historic Art galleries at National Museum Cardiff
Francsesco Guardi's View of the Palazzo Loredan Anne Pritchard, 6 September 2011 Partially restored View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice Ultra-violet light shows areas of previous retouching This small painting by Francesco Guardi depicts in exquisite detail the embassy of the Holy Roman Empire in Venice. It is set amid the bustle of daily life on the Grand Canal. Washing hangs from balconies, Gondoliers take their boats to and fro, and finely dressed diplomats peer from windows and promenade on the quayside. Among the many figures a gentleman in a blue coat — probably the ambassador himself — stands at the entrance to the palazzo grandly holding a gold sceptre. Above him hangs the imperial crest of the powerful regime which for centuries dominated most of central Europe. Guardi is renowned as one of the great eighteenth century Venetian landscapists known as veduta painters. His works were highly popular and influential among the British artists and collectors who visited Venice on their Grand Tour. This work is a fine example of his mature technique. It combines the detailed precision mastered under the influence of the artist Canaletto with an increasingly expressive use of brushwork, atmosphere and light. Cleaning of the painting by the museum's conservators has revealed the stunning luminosity of these original effects. When this painting initially entered the museum's collection, the brilliance of Guardi's technique was not fully visible. The top layer of varnish which covered the painting had severely discoloured, turning brown with age. Excessive retouching of the sky area had also been carried out, made visible under ultra-violet light. The museum's conservator cleaned the paint surface, removing the old varnish and previous restorations. Tiny black spots in the paint, initially thought to be dirt, were found to be granules of pigment. Similar spots can be seen in other works by the artist, who would have ground and mixed his own paints. With the full clarity and radiance of Guardi's original work revealed, the painting was re-varnished and placed on display. Before and after cleaning Museum conservators have been busy cleaning the image, here is a before and after view of the image: View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice [before cleaning] View of the Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore on the Grand Canal, Venice [after cleaning]
Wales 1678: Reconstructing the earliest on-the-spot sketches of Wales Emily O'Reilly, 11 February 2011 Pembroke Castle Boat at Tenby Amgueddfa Cymru has in its collection fifteen views of Wales drawn by Francis Place (1647-1728). Of these, ten are from a single sketchbook. These ten sketches, dated 1678, are the earliest images that the Museum holds of Wales that were drawn on-the-spot. In addition to revealing sketches hidden for 200 years, recent conservation work by the Museum has enabled sketches to be digitally stitched together - creating complete panoramic views that have never been viewed before. The Museum purchased the sketches from a dealer in 1931. The dealer had bought them at Sotheby's in a sale of the collection of Patrick Allan-Fraser Art College in Arbroath, Scotland. The collection included drawings, prints, pottery and the only known oil painting, a self portrait, descended directly through the family from Place. The drawings are all made from at least two separate sheets joined together and then stuck to a secondary support, which appears to be early wove paper, suggesting the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Some drawings that obviously extended over the page had been left 'loose', allowing the viewer to lift the page and view the other side, but others had been stuck down to the secondary support — with the 'inconsequential' sketch on the verso hidden from view. Hidden sketches During conservation work, Museum staff decided to remove all the sketches from their secondary supports, and with all the sketches detached from the album pages it was revealed that a drawing on the back of one page joined up with the drawing on the back of another page, creating a new double-page spread. The images could then be matched up, revealing sketches unseen since the original sketchbook had been taken apart at least 200 years ago. The original order of the sketches could also be determined. Cardiff Many of the sketches have crosses or arrows showing where the panorama is extended over the page. Cardiff is two double-page sketches that join in the middle. There is a cross on the church tower in both sketches, which is where the two overlap. Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 1 Cardiff (1678) Francis Place. Double-page sketch 2 Cardiff (1678) Francis Place, digitally stitched together. This complete panorama has never been viewed before. Never seen before panoramic views As there was limited potential in showing these historical views of Wales in a traditional gallery setting, the images were scanned and digitally 'stitched together', and the panoramas could be viewed as complete images for the very first time. During this process some insights into Place's working methods were discovered. When putting the separate pages together, no manipulation was required to match up the horizons as they already did perfectly — testimony to Place's ability as a draughtsman. Although technology has not changed the way these objects are treated, it has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the works by giving deeper insight into the artist's working methods. Oystermouth Oystermouth has two crosses on the very left edge, indicating that the drawing extends over the page. On the reverse side of the sheet there are two corresponding crosses on the right edge. Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 1 Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 2 Oystermouth (1678) Francis Place, digitally stitched together Research The bulk of Place's original work comes from the Sotheby's sale in 1931. Various lots from this sale are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, including a number of mounted drawings and two sketchbooks. These items suggest that the drawings in Amgueddfa Cymru and the Victoria and Albert Museum originally came from one sketchbook. The first Victoria and Albert Museum sketchbook consists of eighteen sheets, exactly the same size as the one at Amgueddfa Cymru and also bearing the same watermarks; there is a list at the front of the sketchbook corresponding to the views in the sketchbook, and the list continues with places in Wales that correspond with the order established from the Amgueddfa Cymru sketches. The list is not in Places's handwriting, but is still of some age. Maybe it was a descendant of Place's, who made the list before they removed the best sketches to mount in a separate album? More evidence is found in the second sketchbook from the Victoria and Albert Museum, where there is a sheet pasted inside the back cover. This sheet matches up with the last sketch in the first sketchbook. Unfortunately, this last page is pasted down but on the one small part that can be lifted there is a definite pencil line, which could match up with that on one of sketches at Amgueddfa Cymru... Tenby Another example of folding over can be seen Tenby. The crease over on the left of the drawing shows the reverse. Tenby (1678) Francis Place - Sketchbook sheet 1 Tenby (1678) Francis Place. Sketchbook sheet 2 Tenby (1678) Francis Place. Digitally stitched together
Francis Place (1647-1728) Emily O'Reilly, 10 February 2011 Amgueddfa Cymru has in its collection fifteen views of Wales drawn by Francis Place (1647-1728). Of these, ten are from a single sketchbook. These ten sketches, dated 1678, are the earliest images that the Museum holds of Wales that were drawn on-the-spot. But who was Francis Place? Francis Place was a Yorkshire man, born into a wealthy family in 1647 and the youngest of ten children. His lawyer father decided that he should follow in his footsteps and at the age of seventeen or eighteen Francis entered Gray's Inn in London to study Law. However he disliked law and the Great Plague in 1665 gave him his excuse to finish with his studies and return home. A short time later he returned to London and worked with Wenceslaus Hollar, who introduced him to printmaking and print selling in London. There is some suggestion that Place received some or all of his inheritance before his father died in 1681, and it would have been this that enabled him to follow his passion for art and angling. Royalty and the age of the Virtuosi The seventeenth century was the age of the Virtuosi — likeminded men with money and leisure interested in art, science and philosophy, many of whom went on to form the Royal Society in 1660. In the first half of the century only royalty and those closely associated with royalty learned and practised the art of drawing and painting. Towards the end of the century it began to be taken up by the landed gentry and their sons and daughters. They studied to acquire knowledge, which was very different from those who had to make a living from it. There is evidence that, although ostensibly an amateur, Place was paid for work, particularly early on. So Place fits in very well with the gentlemen of the time; he had the time and the money and, from what survives of his work, he dabbled in many media including early experiments in porcelain. He was a member of the York Virtuosi who included Martin Lister, Henry Gyles, Thomas Kirke FRS and William Lodge. It may have been through this group that he earned commissions. With his fathers money Place travelled far and wide in the UK to sketch and practise the art of angling. We know from correspondence of the period that the sketches at Amgueddfa Cymru were carried out on a tour of Wales and the West Country in 1678. He was travelling with his friend and fellow York Virtuosi William Lodge. Travelling at this time was not without its dangers as this was the time of the Popish plots, and it is known that while in Wales they both spent one night in jail under suspicion of being Jesuit spies. Tenby Cliffs Tenby cliffs original stetchbook and after digital restoration:
Becoming an Artist in the Eighteenth Century 8 October 2010 Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792), Charlotte (Grenville), Lady Williams-Wynn (1754-1830) and her Children, oil on canvas, purchased with assistance of the Art Fund and the National Heritage Lottery Fund 1998, NMW A 12964 William Hogarth (1697 - 1764), The Jones Family Conversation Piece, 1730, oil on canvas, Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 1996, NMW A 3978 Richard Wilson (1714 - 1782), Dolbadarn Castle, oil on panel, purchased 1937, NMW A 72 The social status of artists had traditionally been low. To earn the respect of his future clients, an artist needed a good general education, including some knowledge of geometry and of classical history and literature. Many were therefore the sons of middle-class professionals or tradesmen. An artist's training was still largely based on the traditional apprenticeship system. He became a pupil of an established artist, to whom he paid a fee. In return he was taught the technical skills of preparing paints and canvases, and learnt through example and by carrying out routine tasks. It was realised that more formal and structured training was also needed, and London had a number of drawing schools. The Welsh painter Thomas Jones attended two of these for eighteen months before beginning a two-year pupilage with Richard Wilson. Once he had achieved an acceptable level of skill, an artist might find work as a paid assistant, but eventually he had to establish his own practice. If he could afford it, a period of study abroad was a vital stage in developing a career. Nearly two hundred British and Irish artists travelled in Italy during the eighteenth century. Specialization Eighteenth-century British artists had to develop a particular skill that would attract customers. They did so by specializing in one of a number of 'branches' of painting. Theorists regarded history paintings, works with morally uplifting messages, often drawn from ancient history, as the 'highest' form of art. In practice the demand for history painting was largely met by the European Old Master paintings collected by the very wealthy. Most British painters were portraitists, as almost anyone who could afford it had their image taken — in miniature or in chalks or pencil, if an oil painting was too expensive. Reynolds cleverly flattered his aristocratic clients by giving their great portraits a touch of Old Master glamour. Some artists, notably Hogarth, developed the conversation piece of figures interacting in a domestic setting or painted 'fancy' or genre paintings of modern life. Others found a niche in painting animals, ships or flowers Landscape painting became increasingly popular as people's attitudes to nature changed. From being images of a place, it became a way of expressing ideals and emotions. Richard Wilson specialized in landscapes that conveyed the serenity of the classical world. Others sought to convey the beauty and grandeur they found in nature. The Emergence of a Profession To gain status and financial reward, artists had to leave their craft origins behind and establish themselves as professionals. They did this by becoming more highly skilled, but particularly by forming clubs and societies. These promoted members' interests, particularly through exhibitions, and kept out those felt not to be good enough. A number of leading artists, dissatisfied with the much larger Society of Artists, set up the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. Membership was limited and by election. Its first President was Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), portrait painter and theorist, who mixed easily with the elite of the day. The Academy promoted professional status of artists and provide training. Success in its annual exhibition could make an artist's reputation. The Royal Academy's exhibitions were held in the 'Great Room' at Somerset House from 1780. Pictures were hung from floor to ceiling, and artists schemed to get their works 'on the line' — the potential purchaser's eye level. An artist also needed suitable premises in a fashionable area, to receive clients and show off his work. These were expensive but the prices that a successful artist could charge also increased sharply. Reynolds at the height of his success charged £200 for a full-length portrait, a sum which was then a middle-class annual salary.
