Anthony R. Montalba
Encyclopedia
Anthony Rubens Montalba was a Swedish-born, naturalised British painter and the head of a family of renowned artists that based itself in Venice in the later part of the nineteenth-century. Montalba edited and published The Famous Fairy Tales of all Nations, illustrated by Richard Doyle
, in 1849.
, in 1849. In the introduction to his book, Montalba declared that the folly of declaring fairy tales to be immoral had now been "cast off".
The London Athenaeum
described Montalba's book in the following terms:
The 1871 British census shows Montalba living at 19 Arundel Gardens
, Notting Hill
, London
, with four daughters, all artists.
Richard Doyle (illustrator)
Richard "Dickie" Doyle was a notable illustrator of the Victorian era. His work frequently appeared, amongst other places, in Punch magazine; he drew the cover of the first issue, and designed the magazine's masthead, a design that was used for over a century.Born at 17 Cambridge Terrace, London,...
, in 1849.
Career
Montalba edited and published The Famous Fairy Tales of all Nations, illustrated by Richard DoyleRichard Doyle (illustrator)
Richard "Dickie" Doyle was a notable illustrator of the Victorian era. His work frequently appeared, amongst other places, in Punch magazine; he drew the cover of the first issue, and designed the magazine's masthead, a design that was used for over a century.Born at 17 Cambridge Terrace, London,...
, in 1849. In the introduction to his book, Montalba declared that the folly of declaring fairy tales to be immoral had now been "cast off".
The London Athenaeum
Athenaeum (magazine)
The Athenaeum was a literary magazine published in London from 1828 to 1921. It had a reputation for publishing the very best writers of the age....
described Montalba's book in the following terms:
- Mr Montalba has put a girdle round the earth, and brought home a sprite from most countries under the moon, to gambol upon our clean-swept hearths, in a Christmas night, or on our garden terraces when the midsummer sun is sinking, and there is scarce light enough left to read by. Mr Doyle's illustrations do their full part in making the book attractive".
Family life
Montalba married an English woman Emeline Davies in 1839. The couple had five children, four daughters and a son:- Clara FredericaClara MontalbaClara Federica Montalba RWS was a British artist, chiefly known for her watercolour paintings of Venice. She was the eldest of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist Anthony Rubens Montalba, all of whom achieved considerable artistic success, though Clara was arguably the most accomplished and...
(1842–1929) Clara studied in Paris under Eugene IsabeyEugène IsabeyEugène Louis Gabriel Isabey was a French painter, draftsman, and printmaker.-Career:Born in Paris, the son of Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a painter as well, Eugène Isabey studied and worked at the Louvre Museum. Early in his career his paintings consisted of mostly watercolor landscapes...
and later in VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where her family moved, at the Accademia di Belle Arti. She attained international recognition following exhibitions in Europe and America. She specialized in watercolors, most notably scenes from her family's home in Venice, where she lived at the end of the 19th century. Her work was exhibited at the 1893 exposition of British Women Painters. - Ellen EmelineEllen MontalbaEllen Emeline Montalba was a British artist. She was born in Bath, England in 1842, one of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist Anthony Rubens Montalba and Emeline . She and her three sisters all attained high repute as artists...
(1842–1902), who studied at the Royal College of ArtRoyal College of ArtThe Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
and in Europe, being based in Venice along with her family. She painted a number of portraits and landscape paintings. Among the portraits she exhibited was one of her sister ClaraClara MontalbaClara Federica Montalba RWS was a British artist, chiefly known for her watercolour paintings of Venice. She was the eldest of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist Anthony Rubens Montalba, all of whom achieved considerable artistic success, though Clara was arguably the most accomplished and...
. - Edward Augustus (1843–1938), whose house in Venice became a gathering place for artists.
- Hilda MontalbaHilda MontalbaHilda Montalba was a British artist.-Early life:Hilda Montalba was born in England in the mid 1840's, one of four daughters of the Swedish-born artist Anthony Rubens Montalba and Emeline...
(d.1919). Like her sisters, Hilda painted many landscape subjects, including scenes of Venice. Like Clara she painted fishing boats, and also painted close-up studies of Venetian people. One notable example of her work is a painting now in the Graves Art GalleryGraves Art GalleryGraves Art Gallery is in the centre of Sheffield above the Central Library and close to the Millennium Galleries. It shows permanent displays from the city’s collections of 19th and 20th century British and European art as well as a programme of temporary exhibitions.The collection encapsulates the...
in SheffieldSheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Boy Unloading a Venetian Market Boat. - Henrietta Mary Ann SkerrettHenrietta Montalba-Early life:Henrietta Montalba was born in 1856, the youngest of four daughters of Anthony Rubens Montalba and Emeline , all of whom would attain considerable success as artists. She was born in London. The 1871 British census shows Anthony Montalba living at 19 Arundel Gardens, Notting Hill,...
(1856–1893). Henrietta was a noted sculptor who studied first at what was to become the Royal College of ArtRoyal College of ArtThe Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in South KensingtonSouth KensingtonSouth Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, and then in the AccademiaAccademiaThe Accademia is a museum gallery of pre-19th century art in Venice, northern Italy. Situated on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro, it gives its name to one of the three bridges across the canal, the Ponte dell'Accademia, and to the boat landing station for the...
at VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Later she became a pupil of Jules DalouJules DalouAimé-Jules Dalou was a French sculptor, recognized as one of the most brilliant virtuosos of nineteenth-century France, admired for his perceptiveness, execution, and unpretentious realism.-Life:...
, the French sculptor, during his residence in London. She was on terms of friendship with her fellow-student Princess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllPrincess Louise, Duchess of ArgyllThe Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
, who painted a portrait of her and presented it to the Canadian Academy of ArtsRoyal Canadian Academy of ArtsThe Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...
in OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
(now in the collection of the National Gallery of CanadaNational Gallery of CanadaThe National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
).
The 1871 British census shows Montalba living at 19 Arundel Gardens
Arundel Gardens
Arundel Gardens is a street in Notting Hill, London, located between Ladbroke Grove and Kensington Park Road. It was built in the 1860s, towards the later stages of the development of the Ladbroke Estate, until that time a largely rural area west of the expanding suburbs of London.-History:In 1852...
, Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
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...
, with four daughters, all artists.
External links
- Biography of the Montalba sisters Retrieved August 2011
- Obituary of Edward Montalba Retrieved August 2011