Joseph Archer Crowe
Encyclopedia
Sir Joseph Archer Crowe was an English
consular official and art critic, whose volumes of the History of Painting in Italy, co-written with the Italian critic Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle
(1819–1897), stand at the beginning of disciplined modern art history
writing in English, being based on chronologies of individual artists' development and the connoisseurship of identifying artist's individual manners or "hands".
, and brother of Eyre Crowe
, a painter of historical subjects and genre, the friend and amanuensis of William Makepeace Thackeray
. His father was Paris correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle whose home, with a London interlude 1844–1851, was the centre of a liberal and artistic circle that mixed French and expatriates.
At an early age Joseph Archer Crowe showed considerable aptitude for painting and entered the studio of Paul Delaroche
in Paris, with his brother.
During the Crimean War
he was the correspondent of the Illustrated London News
, and during the Austro-Italian War
represented The Times
in Vienna
.
He was British consul-general in Leipzig
from 1860 to 1872, and in Düsseldorf
from 1872 to 1880, when he was appointed commercial attaché in Berlin, being transferred to Paris in 1882. In 1883 he was secretary to the Danube Conference in London; in 1889 plenipotentiary at the Samoa Conference in Berlin; and in 1890 British envoy at the Telegraph Congress in Paris, in which year he was made K.C.M.G
.
During a visit to Italy
in 1846-7, he cemented a lifelong friendship with the connoisseur Cavalcaselle, who was forced to flee to London after the Revolutions of 1848
and moved in with Crowe. Together they produced several important historical works on art, notably Early Flemish Painters (1857) and A New History of Painting in Italy from the Second to the Sixteenth Century (1864–1871, 5 vols.). Together he and Crowe issued biographies Titian: His Life and Times (1877) and Raphael: His Life and Works (1882–85). The division of labour in the partnership was seamless; though Crowe produced most of the final edited text, Cavalcaselle's eye and notes, and, in the age before photographic reproductions, his quick sketches of compositions, were essential.
In 1895 Crowe published Reminiscences of Thirty-Five Years of My Life. He died at Schloss Gamburg in Franconia
on the 6 September 1896.
Crowe and Cavalcaselle's History of Painting was under revision by Crowe up to the time of his death, and then by S.A. Strong (d. 1904) and Langton Douglas, who in 1903 brought out first and second volumes of Murray
's new six-volume edition; the third volume, edited by Langton Douglas, appeared in 1909. A reprint of the original edition, brought up to date by annotations by Edward Hutton's
, was published by Dent in 3 volumes in 1909.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
consular official and art critic, whose volumes of the History of Painting in Italy, co-written with the Italian critic Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle
Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle
Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle was an Italian writer and art critic.-Biography:Cavalcaselle was born in Legnago, Veneto. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Cavalcaselle participated in the Revolution of 1848 and in the Roman Republic.After the latter's fall, he lived in England for...
(1819–1897), stand at the beginning of disciplined modern art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
writing in English, being based on chronologies of individual artists' development and the connoisseurship of identifying artist's individual manners or "hands".
Life
He was the son of the expatriate Eyre Evans CroweEyre Evans Crowe
Eyre Evans Crowe was an English journalist and historian.He commenced his work as a writer for the London newspaper press in connection with the Morning Chronicle, and he afterwards became a leading contributor to the Examiner and the Daily News...
, and brother of Eyre Crowe
Eyre Crowe (painter)
Eyre Crowe was an English painter, principally of historical art and genre scenes, but with an interest in social realism. He was born in London but grew up in France. He was the eldest son of the journalist Eyre Evans Crowe and brother of the journalist, diplomat and art historian Joseph Archer...
, a painter of historical subjects and genre, the friend and amanuensis of William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
. His father was Paris correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle whose home, with a London interlude 1844–1851, was the centre of a liberal and artistic circle that mixed French and expatriates.
At an early age Joseph Archer Crowe showed considerable aptitude for painting and entered the studio of Paul Delaroche
Hippolyte Delaroche
Hippolyte Delaroche , commonly known as Paul Delaroche, was a French painter born in Paris. Delaroche was born into a wealthy family and was trained by Antoine-Jean, Baron Gros, who then painted life-size histories and had many students.The first Delaroche picture exhibited was the large Josabeth...
in Paris, with his brother.
During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he was the correspondent of the Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
, and during the Austro-Italian War
Italian Independence wars
The Wars of Italian Independence were three wars fought between Italian states and the Austrian Empire between 1848 and 1866, ending with the conquest of the entire Italian Peninsula...
represented The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
He was British consul-general in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
from 1860 to 1872, and in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
from 1872 to 1880, when he was appointed commercial attaché in Berlin, being transferred to Paris in 1882. In 1883 he was secretary to the Danube Conference in London; in 1889 plenipotentiary at the Samoa Conference in Berlin; and in 1890 British envoy at the Telegraph Congress in Paris, in which year he was made K.C.M.G
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
.
During a visit to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1846-7, he cemented a lifelong friendship with the connoisseur Cavalcaselle, who was forced to flee to London after the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
and moved in with Crowe. Together they produced several important historical works on art, notably Early Flemish Painters (1857) and A New History of Painting in Italy from the Second to the Sixteenth Century (1864–1871, 5 vols.). Together he and Crowe issued biographies Titian: His Life and Times (1877) and Raphael: His Life and Works (1882–85). The division of labour in the partnership was seamless; though Crowe produced most of the final edited text, Cavalcaselle's eye and notes, and, in the age before photographic reproductions, his quick sketches of compositions, were essential.
In 1895 Crowe published Reminiscences of Thirty-Five Years of My Life. He died at Schloss Gamburg in Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
on the 6 September 1896.
Crowe and Cavalcaselle's History of Painting was under revision by Crowe up to the time of his death, and then by S.A. Strong (d. 1904) and Langton Douglas, who in 1903 brought out first and second volumes of Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
's new six-volume edition; the third volume, edited by Langton Douglas, appeared in 1909. A reprint of the original edition, brought up to date by annotations by Edward Hutton's
Edward Hutton (writer)
Edward Hutton was a British author of travel books and various Italian subjects.-Life and Work:Edward Hutton was born on April 12, 1875 in Hampstead, London, his father being a businessman with interests in Sheffield...
, was published by Dent in 3 volumes in 1909.