Evening star., 1942-06-14
Art
Notes
National Gallery
Acquires Notable
Copley Paintings
By Leila MechHn.

gleton Copley which have just been
presented to the gallery by Mrs.
Gordon Dexter of Boston and placed
on view.
These are Red Gross Knight" a
large canvas presenting scene
from Spencer's "Faerie Queene" and
a three-fourths length seated por-
trait of Sir Robert Graham in his
e legal robes and curly gray wig. The
former is said to have been painted
about 1889. the latter some time be-
fore 1904. when it was exhibited in
the Royal Academy. The reason for
painting the former may have been
the 2o0th anniversary of the COM
pletion Of the first three books Of
the "Faerie Queene," which were
entered at Stationers' Hall Decem-
ber. 1889, although not published
until the following year.
Copley's son. named after him and
later to become Baron LyndhurSt,
three times Lord Chancellor of
England, and his two daughters,
Elizabeth. who married Gardiner
Greene of Boston, and her younger
sister, Mary, who lived to a great
age but did not marry at all. served
IN this painting as the artists mod
els. the Red Cross Knight, 'ycladd
in mighty armes' and wearing on
his breast a blonde crosse" being
imperSonated by John, and Faith
and Hope by his lovely sisters in
81, ocfn nr;ctir NF thA IaD
As Baron LyndhurSt was born in
Boston in l772 he could not have
been more than II at this time.
whereas Elizabeth was probab bly, two
years older and Mary the same
amount younger. Be that as 1t may,
they make a charming group, and
one cannot but believe that they
themselves found as much pleasure
In posing as their father did in por-
traying them in these characters.
Especially interesting is this paint
ing of The Red Cross Knight" when
seen as now in the National Gal
lery Of Art In connection with the
portrait of the Copley family paint
ed l3 or IA years earlier. which.
owned by a direct descendant, is
here on loan.
Copley was. according to family
tradition. born in Boston in 1877.
His father died about the time of
his birth. and his mother about 10
years later married Peter Pelham,
mezzotint engraver, to whom young
Copley owed later great debt for
instruction in drawings as we'll as
engraving. Copley was one of the
supertalented few, and by the time
he was II had established quite
reputation for himself as a portrait
ist. He was to a great extent self
taught as painter. and also few
opportunities came his way to see
works by great European masters.
but he was diligent, sincere and had
vision.
BY the time he was thirty he had
gained a great reputation in both
Boston and New York as a portrait
painter and in 1857 at the sugges-
ton Of friends he began sending
paintings to London for exhibition.
Benjamin West urged him to take
up his residence in London, recon-
mending, however, that he spend a
couple OF years studying the works
of the great masters in Italy. In
1774 Copley decided upon this plan,
going. however, first to London, then
to Vienna and Rome.
1t was the outbreak of the Revo-
lutionary War which cut Copley off
from returning to this country.
Instead, Mrs. Copley, her father,
Richard Clarke, An ardent tory, to
whom. by the way, the cargo of
tea dumped into Boston harbor at
the time of the famous Tea Party,
was consigned. Coplev's half brother,
Henry Pelham. and the three little
Copley children took passage to
England and were there awaiting
Copley upon his arrival from the
Continent. The fourth child in the
Copley Family Portrait" is the in
FAINT. that, because of delicate health
was left behind with her grand
mother Pelham and died when only
a few months old.
The style of painting The Red
Cross knight is very different from
that of the Family. In the first
place it is primarily illustrative, but
also it is rather overdramatic, forced.
Yet undoubtedly it was in the style
of the time 1t was engraved and SO
widely distributed. John Quincy
Adams who must have seen it at
Baron Lyndhurst's when in London,
honored it in poem which opened
with the lines:
~On Copley's canuas, Just and true,
Our Spencers happy thought is
giDen.'
In somewhat the same style,
though perhaps even more dramatic,
are Copley's paintings of The Death
of Chatham (painted about the
same tine), The Death of Mai.
Pierson Cof slightly later date, both
in the National Gallery of London.
He also painted the tragic battle of
Dunkirk, at which in 1893 the
British were defeated.
More characteristic of the Copley
known here through portraits
painted, in most instances before
he went abroad. is the portrait of
Sir Robert Graham. also the gift
of Mrs. Gordon Dexter. Sir Robert
served as Attorney General to the
Prince of Wales, as Kings Consul,
Baron of the Exchequer and finally
as a member of the Privy Council,
all of which Offices he dignified.
He was, for the artist a more than
worthy sitter and in this portrayal
Copley did him full justice. The fig
ure is admirably placed on the car
vas. The pose is easy but dignified.
The accessories are all that they
should be. The curly wig may seem
a bit too gray, the crimson and er-
mine of the robe a trif1e too fresh,
but the effect is excellent. Obviously
Copley could paint what he saw but
when 1t came to drawing on his
imagination he lost some OF his
power. A portrait such as this lends
not only to the painters lasting
reputation, but distinction to the
gallery in which 1t is shown. The
National Gallery is also fortunate