Thursday 31 December 2009
Acknowlements
I would like to thank Scott Thomas Buckle for the illustration of 'Sappho' and others for sending me images of paintings by either Richard Westall or William Westall. Any further images gratefully received. Acknowledgements will be posted when I can manage.
Genealogical musings
An intriguing possibility exists that could take us far back into Westall heritage. Geoffrey Chaucer's grandmother, variously known as Mary de Westhale, Mary Westhall or Mary Westall is said to be in our family history to have been the model for the Wife of Bath in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'. This accords with the westall's inheritance in the seventeenth century of the Kerdistone estate, just north of Reepham, near Norwich. (See will of William Heyward P.C.C. Coke 18) Earlier owners of the estate in the fifteenth century had been the family of Lord Kerdistone. The daughter of the third Lord Kerdistone, Maud (d 1437) married Thomas, the son of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Very early pictures exhibited by Richard Westall, who was born in Reepham, were 'The Wife of Bath's Tale'. (RA 1785 no 598 and 1788 no 123).
Another genealogical gleaning is that the two artist's paternal grandmother, known only as Sarah, may have been Sarah Ireland. This suggestion is backed by the baptism record of one Richard Ireland Westoll with parents given as Benjamin & Sarah the same names as the grandparents of the two artists. This Richard Ireland Westoll, baptised on 21 May1734 paid land taxes in the parish of All Saints, where Richard Westall RA was baptised.
The Houghton Library, Harvard University, have a portrait of Wiliam Henry Ireland (1777 - 1835) as a youth drawn by Richard Westall and a tri-fold illustration by Richard of a theatrical scene where two sisters of William Henry Ireland are depicted together with Jane & William Linley, Thomas Sheridan, John & William Carr and Westall himself as the central figure.
I was William Henry Ireland who admitted forging the work he attributed to William Shakespeare entitle 'Vortigern'. His father Samuel was a biographer of Hogarth and etched his illustrations. There is another biographer of Hogarth, one John Ireland and his portrait, drawn by Richard Westall, is in the Department of Prints & Drawings at the British Museum. It is not known if the two Ireland biographers of Hogarth were related.
A more certain artistic link for the Westall brothers was with their first cousin Anne Carr, third wife of William Hodges RA (1744 - 1797). Sir John Carr, Anne's brother, was a close friend of Richard Westall's and a portrait of Carr by Westall was painted and engraved. Richard Westall also drew a portrait of William Hodges and 'Portraits of a lady and her daughter (Mrs Hodges)' were exhibited at the RA. Carr helped the Hodges children after they became orphans.
It is very likely that William Westall saw Hodges' picturesque views of the South Pacific and set out to emulate him through his own journey to the area.
For a family tree outlining the family relationships between the Westalls, the Carrs and Hodges see 'William Westall in India' by Richard J. Westall in 'Journal of the Families in British India Society' No 13 Spring 2005 p5.
Very early pictures exhibited by Richard Westall, who was born in Reepham, were 'The Wife of Bath's Tale'. (RA 1785 no 598 and 1788 no 123).
Another genealogical gleaning is that the two artist's paternal grandmother, known only as Sarah, may have been Sarah Ireland. This suggestion is backed by the baptism record of one Richard Ireland Westoll with parents given as Benjamin & Sarah the same names as the grandparents of the two artists. This Richard Ireland Westoll, baptised on 21 May1734 paid land taxes in the parish of All Saints, where Richard Westall RA was baptised.
The Houghton Library, Harvard University, have a portrait of Wiliam Henry Ireland (1777 - 1835) as a youth drawn by Richard Westall and a tri-fold illustration by Richard of a theatrical scene where two sisters of William Henry Ireland are depicted together with Jane & William Linley, Thomas Sheridan, John & William Carr and Westall himself as the central figure.
I was William Henry Ireland who admitted forging the work he attributed to William Shakespeare entitle 'Vortigern'. His father Samuel was a biographer of Hogarth and etched his illustrations. There is another biographer of Hogarth, one John Ireland and his portrait, drawn by Richard Westall, is in the Department of Prints & Drawings at the British Museum. It is not known if the two Ireland biographers of Hogarth were related.
A more certain artistic link for the Westall brothers was with their first cousin Anne Carr, third wife of William Hodges RA (1744 - 1797). Sir John Carr, Anne's brother, was a close friend of Richard Westall's and a portrait of Carr by Westall was painted and engraved. Richard Westall also drew a portrait of William Hodges and 'Portraits of a lady and her daughter (Mrs Hodges)' were exhibited at the RA. Carr helped the Hodges children after they became orphans.
It is very likely that William Westall saw Hodges' picturesque views of the South Pacific and set out to emulate him through his own journey to the area.
For a family tree outlining the family relationships between the Westalls, the Carrs and Hodges see 'William Westall in India' by Richard J. Westall in 'Journal of the Families in British India Society' No 13 Spring 2005 p5.
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Monday 28 December 2009
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