William Holwell Carr
Encyclopedia
Rev. William Holwell Carr, (1758–1830) was an English art dealer, art collector and painter.
He was born William Holwell in Exeter, Devon the son of Edward Holwell, an apothecary, and educated from 1776 at Exeter College, Oxford
, where he graduated BA in 1783, MA in 1784 and BD in 1790, remaining as a Fellow until 1793, though apparently spending most of his time on art.
In 1781 he was "allowed to travel" and went to Italy where he studied art and began the picture buying which was to become his lifelong passion. In 1791 the rich benefice of Menheniot in Cornwall, in the gift of the Dean of Exeter College and only available to Fellows, fell vacant and he hastily took holy orders. He never lived there, paying a curate £100 per year to fulfil his duties for him, but his income from the living helped fund his art collecting. He lived at Devonshire Place at the top of Wimpole Street
.
He married in 1797 Lady Charlotte Hay, daughter of the 15th Earl of Errol
and his wife Isabella, daughter of Sir William Carr of Etal. His wife inherited her father's property in Etal
and they took the name Carr by royal consent. They had one son who died young. He was a founding member of the British Institution
in 1805, and of the Athenaeum Club
He practised landscape painting as an amateur and exhibited twelve untraced landscapes at the Royal Academy
from 1804 and 1821 as an "Honorary Exhibitor", a designation for gentleman amateurs. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1806. He was sometimes accused of touching up paintings that passed through his hands. He was for a while in a consortium organized by William Buchanan
, and may have been in a partnership with the retired admiral William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock
. He seems to have been a difficult and rather unpopular figure, not beyond some rather sharp practice in his dealings, and "possessing the dreadful gift of total recall for past prices of works of art".
He died at Withycombe Raleigh, near Exmouth. He had bequeathed his entire collection of paintings to the nation. Shortly after his death the collection of thirty-five paintings was delivered to the National Gallery, London. They are mostly Italian or French, including Saint George and the Dragon by Tintoretto
, the Holy Family with a Shepherd by Titian
, the Dead Christ Mourned by Two Angels by Guercino, and works by Guido Reni
, Annibale Carracci
, Canaletto, Rubens and many others, as well as Carr's own portrait by Jackson
. As with most collections of this date, not all the contemporary attributions have survived; in his day the masterwork of the collection and the bequest was thought to be the Christ Among the Doctors, which had long been called a Leonardo da Vinci
, but is now attributed to Bernardino Luini
, although the composition may be by Leonardo. He also left £500 to the poor of Menheniot. It was arguably the Holwell Carr Bequest that finally made it clear that the Government would have to build a home for the National Gallery, then still in the Angerstein
house in Pall Mall.
Paintings in the Holwell Carr Bequest
He was born William Holwell in Exeter, Devon the son of Edward Holwell, an apothecary, and educated from 1776 at Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, where he graduated BA in 1783, MA in 1784 and BD in 1790, remaining as a Fellow until 1793, though apparently spending most of his time on art.
In 1781 he was "allowed to travel" and went to Italy where he studied art and began the picture buying which was to become his lifelong passion. In 1791 the rich benefice of Menheniot in Cornwall, in the gift of the Dean of Exeter College and only available to Fellows, fell vacant and he hastily took holy orders. He never lived there, paying a curate £100 per year to fulfil his duties for him, but his income from the living helped fund his art collecting. He lived at Devonshire Place at the top of Wimpole Street
Wimpole Street
Wimpole Street is a street in central London, England. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian baroque architecture, completed in 1912 by architect John Belcher as the home of the...
.
He married in 1797 Lady Charlotte Hay, daughter of the 15th Earl of Errol
James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll
James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll was the son of William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock.He was born with the name of James Boyd but legally changed it to James Hay in 1758, when he succeeded his great-aunt as Earl of Erroll .In 1749, he married Rebecca Lockhart In 1762,...
and his wife Isabella, daughter of Sir William Carr of Etal. His wife inherited her father's property in Etal
Etal
Etal is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England which shares a parish with nearby Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, and can boast the substantial ruins of a medieval castle currently owned by English...
and they took the name Carr by royal consent. They had one son who died young. He was a founding member of the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
in 1805, and of the Athenaeum Club
Athenaeum Club
Athenaeum Club may refer to:*Athenaeum Club, London, a private gentlemen's club situated in London, England.*Liverpool Athenaeum, a private gentlemen's club situated in Liverpool, England...
He practised landscape painting as an amateur and exhibited twelve untraced landscapes at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
from 1804 and 1821 as an "Honorary Exhibitor", a designation for gentleman amateurs. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1806. He was sometimes accused of touching up paintings that passed through his hands. He was for a while in a consortium organized by William Buchanan
William Buchanan
William Buchanan was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party....
, and may have been in a partnership with the retired admiral William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock
William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock
William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock GCB was the Governor of Newfoundland and an Admiral in the Royal Navy.Waldegrave was the second son of John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave and Elizabeth...
. He seems to have been a difficult and rather unpopular figure, not beyond some rather sharp practice in his dealings, and "possessing the dreadful gift of total recall for past prices of works of art".
He died at Withycombe Raleigh, near Exmouth. He had bequeathed his entire collection of paintings to the nation. Shortly after his death the collection of thirty-five paintings was delivered to the National Gallery, London. They are mostly Italian or French, including Saint George and the Dragon by Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
, the Holy Family with a Shepherd by Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, the Dead Christ Mourned by Two Angels by Guercino, and works by Guido Reni
Guido Reni
Guido Reni was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Bologna into a family of musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that...
, Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
, Canaletto, Rubens and many others, as well as Carr's own portrait by Jackson
John Jackson (painter)
John Jackson was an English painter.Jackson was born in Lastingham, Yorkshire, and started his career as an apprentice tailor to his father, who opposed the artistic ambitions of his son...
. As with most collections of this date, not all the contemporary attributions have survived; in his day the masterwork of the collection and the bequest was thought to be the Christ Among the Doctors, which had long been called a Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, but is now attributed to Bernardino Luini
Bernardino Luini
Bernardino Luini was a North Italian painter from Leonardo's circle. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described to have taken "as much from Leonardo as his native roots enabled him to comprehend". Consequently many of his works were...
, although the composition may be by Leonardo. He also left £500 to the poor of Menheniot. It was arguably the Holwell Carr Bequest that finally made it clear that the Government would have to build a home for the National Gallery, then still in the Angerstein
John Julius Angerstein
John Julius Angerstein , was a London merchant, Lloyd's under-writer, and patron of the fine arts. The imminent prospect that his collection of paintings was about to be sold by his estate, in 1824, galvanized the founding of the National Gallery, London.Angerstein was born in St Petersburg, Russia...
house in Pall Mall.
Paintings in the Holwell Carr Bequest