Bowes Museum: Difference between revisions

The Bowes Museum was purpose-built as a public art gallery for [[John Bowes (art collector)|John Bowes]] and his wife [[Joséphine Benoîte Coffin-Chevalier|Joséphine ChevalierChevallier]], Countess of [[San Marino#Curacies|Montalbo]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-03-25|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=San Marino#Curacies|reason= The anchor (Curacies) [[Special:Diff/1206202532|has been deleted]].}}, who both died before it opened in 1892. Bowes was the illegitimate son of [[John Bowes, 10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne|John Bowes]], the [[Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne|10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne]], although he did not inherit the title as he was deemed illegitimate under Scottish law. His grandmother was [[Mary Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne]].

It was designed with the collaboration of two architects, the French architect {{Interlanguage link multi|[[Jules Pellechet|fr}}]] and [[John Edward Watson]] of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bowesmuseum.org.uk/about/building/|title=The Building|website=bowesmuseum.org.uk|access-date=2012-02-07|archive-url=https://archive.istoday/20120801145714/http://www.bowesmuseum.org.uk/about/building/#|archive-date=2012-08-01|deadurl-url=yes|dfstatus=dead}}</ref> The building is richly modelled, inwith alarge grandwindows, engaged columns, projecting bays, and mansard roofs typical of the [[Second Empire architecture in Europe|French styleSecond Empire]], set within landscaped gardens,. an earlyAn account in 1901 described it as "... some 500 feet in length by 50 feet high, and is designed in the French style of the First Empire. Its contents are priceless, consisting of unique Napoleon relics, splendid picture galleries, a collection of old china, not to be matched anywhere else in the world, jewels of incredible beauty and value; and, indeed, a wonderful and rare collection of art objects of every kind."<ref>{{cite news |title = A Museum Buried in a Forest, and some other Strange Things in Strange Places |url = http://46.32.255.219/pdf/1901/May-22/May-22-1901-05.pdf |year = 1901 |periodical = [[Sir Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet|Pearson's Weekly]]}}</ref>

Among those with less favourable opinions was [[Nikolaus Pevsner]], who considered it to be "... big, bold and incongruous, looking exactly like the town hall of a major provincial town in France. In scale it is just as gloriously inappropriate for the town to which it belongs (and to which it gives some international fame) as in style".<ref>{{cite book | last = Pevsner | first = Nikolaus | authorlinkauthor-link = Nikolaus Pevsner |author2=revised by Elizabeth Williamson | title = County Durham | origyearorig-year = 1953 | edition = 2nd | year = 1983 | publisher = Penguin Books | location = London | isbn= 0-14-071009-4}}</ref>

TheConstruction on the building was begunbegan in 1869 and was reputed to have cost £100,000 (equivalent to [[British pound|£]]{{Inflation|UK|0.10|1869|r=1|cursign=£}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}). Bowes and his wife left an endowment of £125,000 (£{{Inflation|UK|0.125|1869|r=1|cursign=£}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|UK}}) and a total of 800 paintings.<ref>Sir [[Frank Douglas MacKinnon]], "On circuit, 1924-19371924–1937", Cambridge, The University Press, 1940</ref> Their collection of European fine and decorative arts amounted to 15,000 pieces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/ne000011|title=The Bowes Museum &#124; Culture24}}</ref>

[[File:Olivia Boteler Porter before and after restoration.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|''[[Portrait of [[Olivia Boteler Porter]]'' by [[Anthony van Dyck]] before and after restoration. The version on the left was the photograph originallyphoto posted to the [[Your Paintings]] website, where it was spotted by Dr [[Bendor Grosvenor]].]]

The museum hostsholds an internationally significant programme oftemporary exhibitions, recentlyand has featuringshown works by [[Monet]], [[Raphael]], [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]], [[Alfred Sisley|Sisley]], [[Émile Gallé|Gallé]], [[William Morris]], and [[Toulouse-Lautrec]].

The BBC announced in 2013 that a ''[[Portrait of Olivia Boteler Porter]]'' was a previously unknown [[Anthony van Dyck]] painting. It had been found in the Bowes Museum storeroom by art historian Dr. [[Bendor Grosvenor]] who had observed it on-line at the [[Your Paintings]] web site.<ref name=found>{{cite news|title=Van Dyck painting 'found online'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21712209|accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=9 March 2013}}</ref> The painting itself was covered in layers of varnish and dirt, and had not been renovated.<ref name=found/> It was originally thought to be a copy,<ref name=guardian>{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Maev|title=Original Van Dyck unearthed at Bowes Museum in Durham|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/mar/09/van-dyck-olivia-boteler-porter|accessdateaccess-date=11 March 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 March 2013}}</ref> and valued at between £3,000 to £5,000.<ref name=found/> [[Christopher Brown (museum director)|Christopher Brown]], director of the [[Ashmolean Museum]], confirmed it was a van Dyck after it had been restored.<ref name=guardian/>

File:Anselm van Hulle - Family Portrait Group.jpg|[[Anselm van Hulle]], ''Family Portrait Group'' (1640-16501640–1650)

* Charles E. Hardy -– ''John Bowes and the Bowes Museum'' (1970, reprinted 1982) {{ISBN|0-9508165-0-7}}

* Caroline Chapman -– ''John and Josephine: The Creation of The Bowes Museum'' (2010)

* [http://www.vads.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=advsearch&words=Bowes+Museum%2C+Barnard+Castle&field=vads_collection_title&oper=or&field2=all&mode=boolean&NIRP=1 Paintings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102082149/https://vads.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=advsearch&words=Bowes+Museum,+Barnard+Castle&field=vads_collection_title&oper=or&field2=all&mode=boolean&NIRP=1 |date=2017-01-02 }} from the Bowes Museum on [[VADS (organisation)|VADS]]

* [https://wwwartsandculture.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/the-bowes-museum The Bowes Museum at Google Cultural Institute]

[[Category:Former private collections in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1892]]