George Vertue
Encyclopedia
George Vertue was an English
engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art
of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period.
, his father, perhaps a tailor and mother are noted as 'Roman Catholic'. At the age of 13, he was apprenticed to a prominent heraldic engraver of French origin who became bankrupt and returned to France.
Vertue worked seven years under Michael Vandergucht
, before operating independently. He was amongst the first members of Godfrey Kneller
's London Academy of Painting, who had employed him to engrave portraits. It was there that he became a pupil of Thomas Gibson
, the leading portrait painter.
Vertue had a deep interest in antiquarian
research, and much of his labour was given to this subject. From 1713 on, Vertue was a keen researcher on details of the history of British art, accumulating about forty volumes of notebooks. He was a member of the Rose and Crown Club
, with William Hogarth
, Peter Tillemans
and other artists and connoisseurs, and kept some records of it. His travels to sites across England, with enthusiasts such as Edward Harley
(Earl of Oxford), Lord Coleraine and others, was recorded in Vertue's highly detailed drawings and notes. In 1717 he was appointed official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries
, the same year as its formal foundation. Most of the illustrations in Vetusta Monumenta
, up to his date of death, are his work.
After the death of the Earl of Oxford in 1741, Vertue was patronised by the Duchess of Portland and others. The Duke of Norfolk
commissioned a work after Van Dyck of the Earl of Arundel and his family. He produced a catalogue detailing the collections of the royal family, at the request of Frederick, Prince of Wales
, an avid buyer of the engraver's work.
A portrait of Vertue was painted in 1715 by Gibson, his widow donated this to The Society of Antiquaries; Vertue had produced an engraving of this. A later painting, of the artist aged around 50, by Jonathan Richardson was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, a plate of this by Thomas Chambers
was engraved for the Walpole's Anecdotes. A 1849 edition of Walpole's book contained an engraving, by George Thomas Doo
, of a self-portrait—sitting in a library—that shows him displaying a portrait of the Earl of Oxford; this was previously published in 1821 as a lithograph. Another self portrait, with his wife on their wedding-day, was etched by William Humphrey.
Richardson also draw the profile used in James Basire
's plate in Nichols's Literary Anecdotes.
Vertue died in London on July 24, 1756, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
.
Vertue's brother James (d. 1765) was an artist in Bath who produced the interior view of the abbey
that was engraved him. The second of his three brothers, Peter, was a dancing master of Chelmsford.
, most are regarded as accurate representations of the subject and many are not without artistic merit.
Vertue's works of portraiture include:
As official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries, and works relating to this field of natural history, Vertue was prolific: Richard II at Westminster; a view of Waltham Cross; the shrine of Edward the Confessor are notable mentions from his works in Vetusta Monumenta
He executed a series of nine Historic Prints in 1740, imitations of works from the Tudor period
, these included Visit of Queen Elizabeth to Blackfriars (miscalled the Procession to Hunsdon House); Henry VII and his Queen, with Henry VIII and Jane Seymour; The Cenotaph of Lord Darnley; and Edward VI granting a Charter to Bridewell Hospital. The copperplates of these were acquired by the Society of Antiquaries, and reprinted in 1776.
His publications include A Description of the Works of Wenceslaus Hollar, 1745 (reprinted 1759); and Medals, Coins, Great Seals, Impressions from the Works of Thomas Simon, 1753 (reprinted 1780).
Vertue was also involved with the pre-production of surveys of royal collections, Vanderdoort's catalogue of the collection of Charles I, Chiffinch's James II collection and his on that of Queen Caroline at Kensington; these saw print after his death, prefaced by Walpole.
Horace Walpole purchased Vertue's notebooks after his death. Although disorderly and mainly unreflective, Walpole based his Anecdotes of Painting in England (5 vols., 1762-1771) on these notes. The original wording of the manuscripts was only published in the 20th century by the Walpole Society
.
The Dictionary of National Biography
, 1900, makes special note of one reproduction by Vertue, in the article on Ralph Agas
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art
British art
British art could refer to:* Art of the United Kingdom - post 1707* English art* Irish art* Scottish art* Welsh art...
of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period.
Life
Vertue was born in 1684 in St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, his father, perhaps a tailor and mother are noted as 'Roman Catholic'. At the age of 13, he was apprenticed to a prominent heraldic engraver of French origin who became bankrupt and returned to France.
Vertue worked seven years under Michael Vandergucht
Michael Vandergucht
Michael Vandergucht was a Flemish engraver who worked for most of his career in England.Vandergucht was born in Antwerp, where he became a pupil of Philibert Bouttats. He joined the Antwerp artists' guild, the Guild of St Luke, in 1673...
, before operating independently. He was amongst the first members of Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
's London Academy of Painting, who had employed him to engrave portraits. It was there that he became a pupil of Thomas Gibson
Thomas Gibson (artist)
Thomas Gibson was an English painter and copyist. He was an established portrait painter by 1711, when he was appointed a founding director of Godfrey Kneller's Academy in London; among his pupils there was George Vertue...
, the leading portrait painter.
Vertue had a deep interest in antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
research, and much of his labour was given to this subject. From 1713 on, Vertue was a keen researcher on details of the history of British art, accumulating about forty volumes of notebooks. He was a member of the Rose and Crown Club
Rose and Crown Club
The Rose and Crown Club was a club for artists, collectors and connoisseurs of art in early 18th-century London, England.-History:The Rose and Crown Club "for Eminent Artificers of this Nation" was formed by 1704, when the engraver George Vertue was admitted; while it lasted, the club was among...
, with William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
, Peter Tillemans
Peter Tillemans
Peter Tillemans was a Flemish painter, best known for his works on sporting and topographical subjects. Alongside John Wootton and James Seymour, he was one of the founders of the English school of sporting painting....
and other artists and connoisseurs, and kept some records of it. His travels to sites across England, with enthusiasts such as Edward Harley
Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , styled Lord Harley between 1711 and 1724, was a British politician, bibliophile, collector and patron of the arts.-Background:...
(Earl of Oxford), Lord Coleraine and others, was recorded in Vertue's highly detailed drawings and notes. In 1717 he was appointed official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, the same year as its formal foundation. Most of the illustrations in Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta is the title of a published series of illustrated antiquarian papers on ancient buildings, sites, and artefacts, mostly those of Britain, published at irregular intervals between 1718 and 1906 by the Society of Antiquaries of London...
, up to his date of death, are his work.
After the death of the Earl of Oxford in 1741, Vertue was patronised by the Duchess of Portland and others. The Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
commissioned a work after Van Dyck of the Earl of Arundel and his family. He produced a catalogue detailing the collections of the royal family, at the request of Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
, an avid buyer of the engraver's work.
A portrait of Vertue was painted in 1715 by Gibson, his widow donated this to The Society of Antiquaries; Vertue had produced an engraving of this. A later painting, of the artist aged around 50, by Jonathan Richardson was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, a plate of this by Thomas Chambers
Thomas Chambers
Thomas Chambers was an English administrator and factor of the Honourable East India Company who served as the Agent of Madras from 1658 to 1661 or 1662.- Tenure as Agent of Madras :...
was engraved for the Walpole's Anecdotes. A 1849 edition of Walpole's book contained an engraving, by George Thomas Doo
George Thomas Doo
George Thomas Doo George Thomas Doo George Thomas Doo (January 6, 1800, Surrey - November 13, 1886, Sutton, London was an English engraver.His teacher was Charles Heath. In 1824 he published his first plate, after a portrait of the Duke of York by Thomas Lawrence. In 1925 he went to Paris and...
, of a self-portrait—sitting in a library—that shows him displaying a portrait of the Earl of Oxford; this was previously published in 1821 as a lithograph. Another self portrait, with his wife on their wedding-day, was etched by William Humphrey.
Richardson also draw the profile used in James Basire
James Basire
James Basire , also known as James Basire Sr., was an English engraver. He is the most significant of a family of engravers, and noted for his apprenticing of the young William Blake....
's plate in Nichols's Literary Anecdotes.
Vertue died in London on July 24, 1756, and was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Vertue's brother James (d. 1765) was an artist in Bath who produced the interior view of the abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
that was engraved him. The second of his three brothers, Peter, was a dancing master of Chelmsford.
Works
Approximately five hundred portraits are attributed to Vertue, a similar number of published plates were devoted to antiquarian subjects. Many of the portraits were printed as frontispiecesBook frontispiece
A frontispiece is a decorative illustration facing a book's title page. The frontispiece is the verso opposite the recto title page. Elaborate engraved frontispieces were in frequent use, especially in Bibles and in scholarly books, and many are masterpieces of engraving...
, most are regarded as accurate representations of the subject and many are not without artistic merit.
Vertue's works of portraiture include:
- A portrait of Archbishop Tillotson, after Kneller, commissioned by John Somers, 1st Baron SomersJohn Somers, 1st Baron SomersJohn Somers, 1st Baron Somers, PC, FRS was an English Whig jurist and statesman. Somers first came to national attention in the trial of the Seven Bishops where he was on the their defence counsel. He published tracts on political topics such as the succession to the crown, where he elaborated his...
- The head of George I of Great BritainGeorge I of Great BritainGeorge I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
, produced on his accession to the throne, a work that established his reputation. - Twelve Heads of Poets, set of plates issued 1730
- Rapin's History of England, Knapton Brothers edition, 1736. A task that took three years. The same publisher commissioned plates for Thomas BirchThomas BirchThomas Birch was an English historian.-Life:He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell....
's Heads of Illustrious Persons, though his contribution is submerged by the popularity of HoubrakenJacobus HoubrakenJacobus Houbraken was a Dutch engraver, who was born in Dordrecht.-Biography:Jacobus learned the art of engraving from his father, Arnold Houbraken...
's "brilliant but less truthful productions".
As official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries, and works relating to this field of natural history, Vertue was prolific: Richard II at Westminster; a view of Waltham Cross; the shrine of Edward the Confessor are notable mentions from his works in Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta is the title of a published series of illustrated antiquarian papers on ancient buildings, sites, and artefacts, mostly those of Britain, published at irregular intervals between 1718 and 1906 by the Society of Antiquaries of London...
He executed a series of nine Historic Prints in 1740, imitations of works from the Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
, these included Visit of Queen Elizabeth to Blackfriars (miscalled the Procession to Hunsdon House); Henry VII and his Queen, with Henry VIII and Jane Seymour; The Cenotaph of Lord Darnley; and Edward VI granting a Charter to Bridewell Hospital. The copperplates of these were acquired by the Society of Antiquaries, and reprinted in 1776.
His publications include A Description of the Works of Wenceslaus Hollar, 1745 (reprinted 1759); and Medals, Coins, Great Seals, Impressions from the Works of Thomas Simon, 1753 (reprinted 1780).
Vertue was also involved with the pre-production of surveys of royal collections, Vanderdoort's catalogue of the collection of Charles I, Chiffinch's James II collection and his on that of Queen Caroline at Kensington; these saw print after his death, prefaced by Walpole.
Horace Walpole purchased Vertue's notebooks after his death. Although disorderly and mainly unreflective, Walpole based his Anecdotes of Painting in England (5 vols., 1762-1771) on these notes. The original wording of the manuscripts was only published in the 20th century by the Walpole Society
Walpole Society
The Walpole Society, named after Horace Walpole, was formed in 1911 to promote the study of the history of British art.From 1762 on, Walpole had published the first history of art in Britain, based on the manuscript notebooks of George Vertue, the most important source of information concerning...
.
The Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
, 1900, makes special note of one reproduction by Vertue, in the article on Ralph Agas
Ralph Agas
Ralph Agas , English land surveyor, was born at Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk, about 1540, and entered upon the practice of his profession in 1566....
,
"In 1737 George Vertue, the engraver and antiquary, published a pretended copy of Agas's map of London [Civitas Londinum], stating that it was executed in 1560, and that it gave a true representation of the metropolis as it existed at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Vertue crowned his pretended copy with the date 1560 in Roman numerals, made palpable alterations and omissions in order that he might retain the delusive date, and took other unwarrantable liberties with the object of disguising the fraud. The unhappy result of this tinkering of the original design was that numerous subsequent antiquaries were victims of the deception. Mr. Overall is of opinion that Vertue, having become possessed of the parts of a copy of the map made by some unknown Dutch engraver in the reign of William III, caused them to be "tinkered," probably for the purpose of deceiving his antiquarian friends. Of course the numerous copies of the spurious map issued by Vertue are of little or no value; …"
External links
- Images of works
- Portrait of Thomas Sackville Earl of Dorset}}}}
- Civitatis Londinum Ani Dni Circiter MDLX./ Londinum Antiqua This plan shews the ancient extent of the famous Cities of London and Westminster as it was near the beginning of the Reign of Queen Elisabeth… Vertue, Soc. Antiq. Lond. Excudit 1737. 27 x 75 inches reproductions