Gratuitous Bertie Dog Picture: Guerrilla My Dreams

"Let's just wait until he departs and we'll see if this guerrilla left any bananas behind."

Original Painting:

The Guerrilla's Departure

Creator: Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841) (artist)

Creation Date: 

Signed and dated 1828

Materials and techniques: 

Oil on canvas

Acquirer: George IV, King of the United Kingdom (1762-1830)

Provenance: 

Purchased by George IV

Crown Copyright

The Royal Collection

via The Royal Collection Trust

Image courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To learn more about this painting by Sir David Wilkie, visit its official entry in the Royal Collection.  

You, too, could have a cup of tea with Bertie. Or, you could wear his picture proudly. Visit our online store to see our range of Gratuitous Bertie Dog products.

Painting of the Day: The Stray Kitten, 1835

Click Image to Enlarge
"The Stray Kitten"
William Collins, 1835
The Victoria & Albert Museum

William Collins (1788-1847) a student of the Royal Academy of Arts quickly became a celebrated and fashionable painter whose landscapes and rustic genre paintings (especially those of children—a favorite subject of Collins) were eagerly collected. The art-buying public gobbled up Collins’ scenes, drawn-in by his ability to convey emotion and feeling without being overtly sentimental. Prints created after Collins’ paintings were big sellers. Collins remained popular even after his death due, in large part, to the loving biography written by his equally famous son, author Wilkie Collins.

Here’s one of Collins’ typical works. This one is the second version of the same scene. The original was commissioned by one Mr. Holden and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1833. This 1835 version is nearly identical to the original painting. Since the original had been so well-received, Collins knew he had a hit. However, Mr. Holden was not keen on continuing to exhibit the original version, preferring to keep it in his own collection. And, so, Collin’s created this second canvas to display at the Royal Academy. I don’t think anyone really ever noticed the difference. 

Called “The Stray Kitten,” (happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr)  both versions of the painting drew large crowds who were attracted to its easily-relatable theme and content. In May of 1833, “The Athenaeum” critic wrote of the original version of the painting that it was, “in his best manner; it is a picture that many will covet, for it cannot but be felt by all.”

Painting of the Day: The Misers, 1548-1551

The Misers
A Follower of Marinus can Reymerswaele
c. 1550
Acquired by Queen Anne
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Historians believe that Queen Anne (the second daughter of King James II) added this handsome and strange painting to the Royal Collection. The scene was painted between 1548 and 1551 by an unknown student artist who is believed to have been a follower of Marinus van Reymerswaele (c. 1490/95-c. 1567). Painted on board, the painting also mimics a 1440 work by Jan van Eyck which depicted a banker in conference with his client. While this painting by van Eyck is believed lost, it is credited as having launched a genre of works which showed businessmen in Fifteenth Century dress engaged in money matters. Of the sixty variations of the scene, most of them are composed in a style which hints at a strong Dutch influence. Most of these compositions can trace their stylistic roots to the works of van Eyck. Still, others are clearly inspired by the paintings of van Reymerswaele and, also, another Dutch master Quinten Massys.

Let’s take a closer look at this piece which is entitled, “The Misers.” This follower of van Reymerswael has taken great pains to show the nature of the men. Their faces are masks of avarice and greed and their claw-like hands nod at the common conception of those involved in the changing of money. The scene is meant to be amusing and the visages of the men purposefully lean toward caricature. Despite the piles of coins in front of them, we’re reminded that this wealth will not aid them for long. The brevity of life is suggested by the candle which burns near them—it is almost spent, just as their lives are. 

What I find most interesting about this work is that the ledger on the table has been inscribed in French, indicating that this piece was likely a copy by a student—commissioned by a French patron who much admired the original by van Reymerswaele.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Kitchen at Elmswell Hall, York

Click image to enlarge
The Kitchen at Elmswell Hall, York
Mary Ellen Best, 1834
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mary Ellen Best (1809-1891), a watercolorist, excelled in creating views of domestic interiors and tender genre paintings. She often created the interiors which she painted and was famous for some of the makeshift details in her scenes which were accurate representations of a typical home. She didn’t glamorize her scenes and took great pains in beings a true to life as possible, making sure that the furnishings matched the setting. For example, in this scene, Eighteenth Century chairs are shown, neatly depicting the fact that, in most great homes, the servants’ halls were furnished with pieces which were considered too out of fashion for the main house.

Here, we see one of Best’s creations—a watercolor view of the kitchen of a great country house, showing a woman inspecting bread dough as it is rising in a dough trough which is humorously supported by a chair. The piece was painted in Little Driffield, England in 1834.

Painting of the Day: Feeding Ducks, c. 1850

Feeding Ducks
Bocion, after 1850
The Victoria and Albert Museum

This handsome genre scene/landscape is a harmony of small figures, naturalism and fancy.  The architecture of the house belies the naturalistic roots of the scene with it's unusual stylistic nod to the medieval.

"Feeding Ducks," is the work of François Bocion (1828-1890) who was born in Lausanne.  Bocion started his career as a history painter, and the architecture of the house may, in fact, be an offshoot of those early stylistic beginnings.  In the 1840s Bocion emerged as a fancier of the rustic subject matter which characterized Realist and Naturalist works, two styles which were quite the mode in France at the time.  By the 1850s, Bocion found his muse, Lake Leman, a them which was repeated frequently in his oeuvre, and is clearly represented here.

Masterpiece of the Week: Rustic Civility, 1833

Rustic Civility
William Collins, 1833
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the early to mid Nineteenth Century, oil paintings with sentimental or genre scenes of children in the countryside became popular with Victorian collectors. Two of the most prolific collectors of these kinds of paintings were the celebrated John Sheepshanks and the famous Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend (whose collection of jewels we’ve examined many times).

This painting from 1833 is by William Collins who trained at the Royal Academy and went on to become a popular painter of landscapes and rustic genre scenes like this one. Collins had a special fondness for depicting children and did so with an unrivaled skill and tenderness.

This painting is actually a smaller version of a larger original by Collins. John Sheepshanks subsequently commissioned this smaller replica from the artist so that he could add it to his collection.

Collins often incorporated a simple puzzle into his works.  Here, the puzzle is: for whom have the children opened the gate?

The answer to this question is given by the shadow of a horseman on the ground. The children have assisted the horseman—for whom opening the gate would have been difficult while atop his steed—demonstrating the “rustic civility” for which the painting is named.

Both large and small prints of this and other similar works were highly collectible and very much in fashion with the Victorian public.  Often these sorts of genre paintings were printed in polychrome on trade cards and calling cards which would be collected in albums. 

Painting of the Day: Interior of a Tavern with a Five Peasants and a Woman, 1646

"Interior of a Tavern with Five Peasants."
Adriaen van Ostade
Dutch, 1646
Purchased by King George IV, 1814
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection

Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The work of Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685), this painting comes from Haarlem and dates to 1646. The canvas was purchased by King George IV from one Sir Thomas Baring and was one of a lot of eighty-six Flemish and Dutch works which the King had wanted for Carlton House in 1814.

Van Ostade, with this work, borrows from the artistic ideals of Adriaen Brouwer who was the first Dutch painter to introduce this sort of interior scene of comical peasant characters in a muddy setting.

These scenes were painted with hasty, loose brushstrokes which the artist used to suggest a variety of details. For example, in this composition, the tavern is obviously set up in a domestic setting as indicated by the bed at the rear of the scene. Furthermore, a child’s potty is visible behind the patron who holds his nose. This sort of appeal to all of the senses was typical of these genre paintings of the early Seventeenth Century. Most often, the senses that were at play were not entirely pleasant, but, rather strove to convey some sense of realism.

Painting of the Day: The Reverend Townshend's Dog

The Reverend Townshend's Dog
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Over the past three years, we have had a nice long look at the Reverend Chauncey Hare Townshend's magnificent collection of jewels which is on display in the V&A. Now, let's look at his beloved dog. Here, we see the Reverend's dog, A black King Charles spaniel as he chases a dragonfly in a plush interior which also shows, at right a pedestal table with a bowl laden with flowers before a window, and curtains on the left.

This is the work of François Bocion (1828-1890) who was born in Lausanne. He trained with Christian Gottlieb Steinlen (1779-1847) in Vevey and subsequently with François Bonnet (1811-1894) in Lausanne. Later, he became a teacher at the Ecole moyenne et industrielle of Lausanne, a position he held until his death.

The Revered Townshend's dog, called Bully, is mentioned and described in the correspondence of Charles Dickens who knew Townshend since the 1840s. I'm glad he is still remembered today.

The Home Beautiful: A Dinner Party, 1725

A Dinner Party
Marcellus Laroon, the Younger
French, 1725
First recorded in The Royal Collection, 1818,
but probably purchased by King George I earlier.
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Elegance and opulence weren’t just the stuff of our Victorian and Edwardian forebears. No. In fact, many a historical figure from many a century was known to “glitz it up” quite often. In this 1725 painting by French painter Marcellus Laroon, the Younger, we see the conclusion of a posh dinner party. Many have conjectured as to the identities of the subjects, but I think that’s irrelevant. What is important is the representation of the antics of an upper class household.


The dinner guests have retired from the main dining room after consuming a meal which probably consisted of a lot of peculiarly stuffed birds, gammon and organ meats. They’ve moved on to the fashionable “Banquet House.” It was in the banquet house that ladies and gentlemen enjoyed sweets, wine and succulent cheeses. Take a look at the background. It would appear that one of the gardeners is trying to convince a servant to slip him a little wine. It’s just a lovely, fun painting and it makes me smile.

During this time period, the French often complained of the blandness of the English, stating that “in England one can hardly tell the servants from the masters” because they considered British fashions to be too reserved. I see nothing at all reserved about this scene. Considering we presently live in a world in which people wear shorts to the opera, I think this scene is all sorts of opulent.

Painting of the Day: Minding Baby, 1857

Minding Baby
Alfred Provis
English, 1857
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This 1857 painting by Alfred Provis depicts the wholly Victorian concept of “the respectable poor”—members of the lower class who were perceived as industrious and thrifty, and who were applauded for making the best of their situations.

Provis has represented this idea by showing us the interior of a humble cottage and its plain but well-maintained contents. A young woman watches over an infant while she’s knitting. Unlike wealthier women, this woman is not knitting as a hobby, but most likely as a means of bringing in extra income or to make durable clothing for her family. Odds are, this is an older daughter of the family watching a sibling, and not the child’s mother. In families such as this, a mother would have to go back to work immediately to help keep food on the table. An older child or sometimes a neighbor would be charged with watching the smaller children. She is barefooted and her clothes show signs of having been mended. Still, she’s clean and well-groomed and carries a dignified expression.

The cottage is depicted as being hewn of rough stone with few furnishings. A large book is prominently placed on the window ledge. Provis likely means for us to assume that this is a bible—probably the only book owned by most families and the book from which most learned to read, if at all. The only other visible items are those of pure necessity. A kitchen grate is visible in the distance up the stairs.

This is not the painting’s original frame, but rather a modern reproduction for the original which was too badly damaged to maintain.

Painting of the Day: Girl with a Fan, 1864

Young Woman with a Fan
William Dobson, 1864
The Victoria & Albert Museum

One of the most popular artistic subjects of the Victorian era was the idealized representation of young femininity. Queen Victoria’s accession as a handsome young lady was the start of this English fascination with representations of youthful women as wholesome innocents without a trace of sensuality.

This painting from 1864 is a great example of the genre. The work of William Dobson (1817-1898), known for his religious paintings, this piece marks Dobson’s transition to lighter subject matter in an attempt to attain wider appeal. 

The painting is pure studio fantasy. The sitter has been attired in a turban and silk robe in the style of Syrian costumes of the era. However, her ensemble is that of a man, not a woman—a fact Dobson couldn’t have known. 

Masterpiece of the Week: Children Playing with a Lamb, 1840

Children Playing with a LambSwiss, 1840
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The painter Barthélemy Menn (1815-1893) was born in Geneva where he studied with some of the greatest Swiss and French painters of the Nineteenth Century.  Menn later studied with the famed Ingres and followed him in Rome where he produced portraits and landscapes similar in style to those of the school of Barbizon.

This 1840 painting, “Children Playing with a Lamb,” is a great example of Menn's transitional style when he ceased historical painting in favor of a freer approach based on natural themes. 

The genre scene depicts two women and two children playing with a lamb, which may be understood as a symbolic representation of the traditional image of Mary and Anne with the Infants Jesus and St John the Baptist.

It’s very Easter-y.  So, there you are.  

This painting was part of the collection of Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend whom we know largely for his important collection of jewels.  The work was listed in the 1868 post-mortem register of the contents of his villa in Lausanne as “Oil on millboard. Children playing with a Lamb. By B. Menn. In frame. Signed. Swiss. Present century.”  It was bequeathed by Townshend to the V&A in 1868.

Print of the Day: "Hush," by Charles West Cope, 1878

Hush
Charles West Cope
England, 1878
The Victoria & Albert Museum

No one loved sentimental images of children more than a Victorian audience. While they were popular with the people, art critics often were quick to dismiss these sorts of paintings and prints, deeming them “intellectually undemanding.” Still, prints of children and scenes of motherhood proved to be big sellers.

The artist Charles West Cope was described as the “Poet Laureate of the nursery.” Cope was applauded by art lovers (but not so much by art critics) for his depictions of mothers with babies. The artist was always able to capture the intimacy of motherhood and excelled at showing tender moments between mother and child. 

Take this image from 1878, for example. In this etching after Cope, we see a woman cradling her child. All of the emotions inherent in motherhood are clearly felt in this simply, yet, effective scene. 

Painting of the Day: Sickness and Health by Thomas Webster, 1843

Sickness and Health

Thomas Webster
1843
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Click Image to Enlarge

This tender painting by Thomas Webster shows the early Victorian passion for peaceful family scenes. Young girls dance to the music of a hurdy gurdy while they are watched by other generations of the same family, one of whom is a young lady who is clearly infirm and watching with sadness. It’s a simple subject of real family life which a critic said was, “treated with infinite grace and pathos.”

When exhibited at the Royal Academy, Thomas Webster asked that a quotation from Wordsworth's poem “The Three Cottage Girls” should be placed next to it. It read, “The cheerfulness of innocence survives to mitigate distress.”

Unusual Artifacts: A Polychrome Wax Model, c. 1791

Click image to wax poetic.

Wax Model
Samuel Percy
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The work of Samuel Percy (1750-1820), this wax model was made around 1791 and was displayed in the famous Racksrow’s Museum in Fleet Street, London. At the museum, it was one of only a few models of daily life amongst a collection of mostly anatomical figures.

The scene depicts a woman with three children who are engaged in playing under an apple tree. One of the children is seated in the tree. Another catches applies in his hat and the third screams and cries because she wants an apple. A landscape of a river has been set against a painted background.

The polychrome wax scene is set into a wooden frame. 

Painting of the Day: Children Blowing Bubbles, 18th C.

Children Blowing BubblesItalian School
Eighteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

When first given to the V&A, this attractive genre painting was originally thought to be French, however it has subsequently been reattributed to the Italian School largely based on the fact that it features a poplar wooden support.

The subject is neither Italian nor French, and is actually derived from the Dutch 17th century Genre and Vanitas traditions such as Caspar Netscher's Two Boys Blowing Bubbles ca. 1670 (London, National Gallery).

Scenes of children blowing bubbles were often used as a symbol of the transience of human life according to the ancient motto 'homo bulla' (man is a bubble).  Bubbles are fragile and have a brief moment of beauty before they burst—rather like people.  Well, people don’t burst.  Mostly.  But, you get it.  The brevity of youth, beauty and life, etc.

This painting is in the same spirit.  Here, we see children play in an Arcadian landscape ofwith flowers, ribbons, little dogs and sunshine.  Ah, but mortality lurks…yes.   The crumbling ruin in the background reminds us of  the passage of time.  

I can see why this painting was hard to place.  It had no documentation and is a Dutch subject in a French style using Italian materials and a pale color palette which was rather out of place in the time period in which it was painted—sometime in the 18^th Century.

Painting of the Day: Playing with Baby, 1795

Click Image to Enlarge
Playing with Baby
John Cranch, 1795
From the Townshend Collection at
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted in 1795 by John Cranch (1751-1821), this work of oil on panel was bequeathed to the V&A by the Reverend Chauncey Hare Townshend in 1868.

Townshend (1798-1868), the son of a landowner, was educated at Eton and Oxford, and took holy orders although he never practiced his vocation. Instead, Townshend worked as an essayist, poet and writer on mesmerism.

However, we remember Townshend today not for his work, but for his collections of jewels and paintings. Townshend’s dear friend Charles Dickens dedicated “Great Expectations” to him, and it is believed that Townshend was the inspiration for the character of the collector Mr. Fairlie in “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins (1824-1889). According to the V&A, in addition to the monumental collection of 154 flawless gemstones, “At his death he left his collection of over 350 oil paintings, watercolours and prints to the then South Kensington Museum [now the V&A].” This painting by Cranch typifies the Reverend’s collection. He favored, rather as I do, genre paintings and portraits. John Cranch worked principally as a genre painter, especially of rural and interior scenes which allowed him to portray different qualities of light in one composition. This painting depicts an intimate family moment, showing a woman by a fire entertaining a baby by shaking a rattle above its head. Various family members punctuate the scene which is set in a favored setting of the artist—a rustic room with a low-beamed ceiling and plastic walls which are slightly crumbling.

Cranch became associated with somewhat eccentric and highly detailed compositions. It was the quirkiness and attention to detail of the artist’s paintings which appealed to the Reverend Townshend whose collection is filled with similarly unique and charming works.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Familiarity Breeds Contempt, c. 1880

"Familiarity Breeds Contempt"
Joseph Clark, Nineteenth Century
Watercolor study for a larger composition.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Ah, Joseph Clark…his name may not be immediately familiar to you, but I bet you’ve seen a print of at least one of his paintings (I assume this because, if you’re on this web site, you have some familiarity with antiques and art). Clark (1834-1926) painted many, many, many sentimental oil paintings of children, which were hungrily gobbled up by the Victorian public who had a genuine fascination with images of healthy children (mortality rate and all that, what). Clark may have been popular with the public, but, I suspect that his frequent showings at the Royal Academy were met with a few tongue clucks of “too sentimental.”

Clark was a very precise painter and, before starting any canvas, made series after series of studies, sketches and watercolor tests of the composition before working in oils. You may see that his paintings often depict very similar-looking subjects. He typically used his own family members and pets as models.

Here’s one of his many pre-painting sketches. This watercolor shows a mother and her daughter in the kitchen of their cottage. They appear to be witnessing an awkward encounter between a chicken and a curious kitten. The drawing is undated. However, it has been given an appropriate title: “Familiarity Breeds Contempt.”