George Morland's Pictures. Note 6

There is a small shop in Shaftesbury that cannot be described as an Antique Shop - perhaps a collectors' shop (regimental badges, postcards, a few pieces of small china and silverware) are better words but, importantly, it has three large bookcases in it. There are shelves for local history, guides, sporting books illustrated by Lionel Edwards, and of many other subjects, as well as a shelf of Art books. The last category is limited, but I discovered a slender, cloth-bound octavo volume of "George Morland's Pictures" by Ralph Richardson (1897). For all I know, it may be found quite commonly, but I had not seen it before yesterday. Since neither I nor the owner of the shop had the right change, he kindly reduced the price by one third!

George Morland (1763-1804) was a wayward genius painting what we would describe today as 'rustic scenes': carthorses in barns, sheep sheltering beneath a hedge, pigs snugly in their styes, a winter pond, and shore-scapes with wreckers and smugglers; all beautifully painted and usually in quite small scale. He was not a sporting painter in the normal sense, but painted many hunting and shooting scenes, the latter being particularly charming. By the age of ten Morland was exhibiting at the Royal Academy. In a newspaper advertisemnt of a sale to be held by "Mr Greenwood, at his Rooms in Leicester Square, this day [18 February 1791] at 12 o'Clock. A small collection of Cabinet Pictures of the Foreign and English Schools, particularly the Chef D'Oeuvre of ..... ", Morland's name heads the distinguished list of artists. Elsewhere, in a similar advertisement, George Stubbs's name lies in fifth place behind Morland's second. He lived at a fast pace, initially invigorated and later incapacitated by drink. He was prolific, for the most part to keep his creditors at bay. While in a debtors' prison from 1800 until shortly before his death, he is said to have produced 192 pictures.

Within a few years of his death no less than four authors had written their biographies of his life: William Collins in 1805; F.W. Blagdon (1806); J. Hassell (1806); and the artist's friend George Dawe RA (1807). I once had Ralph Richardson's book titled: "George Morland, Painter, London" that was published in 1895. Like many reference books that one possesses I had not read it from cover to cover. In failing to do so I was not aware of the possibility of the publication of my Shaftesbury purchase. The Preface to the latter explains that Richardson had invited the owners of paintings and prints by Morland "to communicate to me the details of their collections." He was particulalry interested in discovering the original paintings for the many prints made after Morland's work, often engraved in mezzotint by the artist's brother-in-law, William Ward (who had married Morland's sister, and brother of James Ward RA whose sister was married to Morland!). The results of this request led to the publication of "George Morland's Pictures" two years later. This 'supplement' contains over 90 pages of details of individual paintings and similarly nine pages of prints - all with the owners' names and and addresses supplied!

Times have changed, but even now I hesitate to (re)publish some items from this burglars' directory of potential swag. Sir Walter Gilbey of Elsenham Hall, Essex was a well-know early collector of sporting and other paintings and he had 24 pictures by Morland. On the other hand, like many others named, G.A. Blackburn of Northgate, Halifax had a single "Winter Scene: oak tree; farmer; young man with hay under his arm going towards three sheep, 17 x 26 inches. Signed." Some entries have a note of provenance. Mrs E. Blathwayt of Huntspill Rectory, Bridgewater owned: "Morland's Last Sketch (that of a bank and a tree). Pencil. Morland's mother gave this sketch to the grandfather of Rev. Mr Blathwayt, Rector of Huntspill, Bridgewater who purchased from Morland 'The Rutland Fencibles'". The holdings by Public Galleries are included. The Corporation Galleries of Art, Glasgow had (and hopefully still have) four of Morland's paintings. Their Superintendant, James Paton, had a painting of "Gipsies. 19 x 24 inches, unsigned and undated, that was engraved by William Ward in 1792". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Asiatic Society, Calcutta each reported holding a single picture by Morland. A more tenuous note shows that while visiting Prince Hohenlohe at Castle Duino, near Trieste, Princess Mary of Thurn and Taxis in her "Travels in Unknown Austria (MacMillan, 1896) mentions: "There are two pictures here that I am convinced are by Morland". But she does not describe them.

For those searching for the provenance of a sporting picture this kind of listing of Morland's work (rarely seen for other artists) is of great interest, although by no means complete due to his immense output during his short life. As well as providing glimpses of contemporary collectors' enthusiasms, this book demonstrates Morland's standing at the turn of the eighteenth century and for many years afterwards, compared to that of, say, George Stubbs - a 'ranking' now reversed.