The Monument to Richard Weston,
First Earl of Portland (1577 - 1635),
Winchester Cathedral.
c. 1635 - 45.
Part one - a look at the works of the Besnier family.
The Marble elements by Isaac Besnier, Sculptor in Ordinary and Keeper of the Statues to Charles I until 1643, when he was superseded by his son Peter; the bronze elements perhaps cast by Hubert le Sueur.
With some notes here and in my next post on the Besnier family of sculptors.
I intend to publish a much more detailed study on the work of Hubert Le Sueur in forthcoming blog entries looking specifically at the bronze bust of Charles I in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and its variants.
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Richard Weston, First Earl of Portland.
Children - Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland,
Thomas Weston 4th Earl of Portland.
For a reasonably accurate and short biog of Richard Weston. see -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Weston,_1st_Earl_of_Portland.
for an excellent overview of 16th / 17th century monumental sculpture made in London see -
A Biographical Dictionary of Tomb Sculptors..... Adam White. Pub. Walpole Society Journal, 1999.
For a good introduction to the subject of 16th and 17th Century funeral Monuments see - Funeral Monuments in Post Reformation England - Nigel Llewellyn, pub. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
For the Besnier Family of Sculptors see Biographical Dict... White
For an in depth look at the Besnier family in England see 'Isaac Besnier, Sculptor to Charles I and his work for Court Patrons, c. 1624 - 1634' by Ronald W Lightbown, an essay in Art and Patronage in Caroline Courts, edited by David Howarth, Cambridge University Press, 1993. Lightbown makes the case for the design and execution of the Weston, the Buckingham and Lennox monuments as being the brainchilds of the 'creative mind' of Isaac Besnier.
Adam White in his review of this work in Renaissance Studies, Vol. 8, no 1 March 1994, goes some way to refute this theory.
For the most up to date researches on the Besniers see the Essay by Charles Avery p.158 - 177 in Ham House, 400 years of Collecting.... Pub. Yale and National Trust, 2013.
Charles Avery has written extensively on European Sculpture and completed some extremely detailed research into the works of Hubert Le Sueur.
See especially Hubert Le Sueur the 'Unworthy Praxiteles' of King Charles I. pub in the Walpole Society Journal, Vol. 48. Available on line see -
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41827698.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
‘Hubert le Sueur: the Unworthy Praxiteles of King
Charles I’, Studies in European sculpture, 2 (1988), pp. 145–235
and in National Trust Studies -
'Hubert le Sueur’s portraits
of King Charles I in bronze, at Stourhead, Ickworth and elsewhere' Studies in European Sculpture 1 (1981),
pp.189-204
'Hubert le Sueur’s portraits
of King Charles I in bronze, at Stourhead, Ickworth and
elsewhere' National Trust Studies 147 (1979),
pp.128-47.
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All colour photographs of the monument taken by the Author.
Monument to Richard Weston, First Earl of Portland.
Winchester Cathedral.
Anonymous Engraving.
undated - 18th century.
213 x 165 mm.
British Museum.
This engraving is slightly different in detail to the monument at Winchester,
mainly in the details of the niches for the busts and the busts themselves (three of the busts pictured below) from an old file at the Conway Library.
I am in contact with the Jo Bartholomew the archivist at Winchester Cathedral, who has promised smartphone photographs of the busts shortly and has kindly provided the following brief descriptions.
'A bust of a man, bearded and dressed in a
broad-collared shirt and an armoured jerkin decorated with a grotesque
Antique mask and lion's head epaulettes. Minor losses from the face;
left shoulder missing.
The headless bust of a man wearing a sleeved, fur-trimmed gown and a scarf or stole.
Head of a young, clean-shaven man. Losses from the nose and chin.
Bust of a young, clean-shaven man wearing a crumpled, broad-collared shirt, fastened by a single button at the neck.
At some time in the past the wrong head was attached to the wrong body but this was rectified about 25 years ago'.
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Some notes on the Besnier family
Current thinking is that Isaac Besnier fl. 1630 - 42 was responsible for these busts and the marble elements of the monument.
Isaac Besnier was a Frenchman possibly originally from Le mans who arrived in England in about 1630, his name appears on rate books for the Parish of St Martin in the Fields, Westminster from 1630/1 - to 1643 listed as of the Landside Ward until 1636/7 and at Longacre until his name was crossed off the list. He was probably still in England in 1642 when his wife witnessed a baptism at The French Church in Threadneedle Street.
King Charles I employed him to look after 'moulds, statues and modells' in the Royal Collection
A letter of 1631/2 exists from Besnier to Sir Balthazar Gerbier, the English Agent to the Spanish Court in Brussels (discovered by Sir Howard Colvin) which states that he was in the process of executing the marble parts of this monument to his own design.It also states that he had work in hand for 'Madame La Duchesse' identified as Katherine Manners, the widow of George Duke of Buckingham - almost certainly the Dukes memorial in Westminster Abbey (see engraving below ), which he was working on in collaboration with Hubert le Sueur.
The letter also includes a sketch of the sculpture as the latest drawing which Weston had approved (see te drawing and transcription below).
Isaac Besnier appears to have left England in 1643 and was succeeded by his brother Peter Besnier d.1691, who was appointed Sculptor to Charles I with the additional task of looking after the 'moulds statues and modells' formerly in the care of his brother. Unfortunately the civil war intervened and he was not re employed until after the Restoration of Charles II. On his death he was succeeded by Caius Gabriel Cibber
This information and more about Isaac Besnier (Besneire(e)) Benyer(e) fl 1631 - 1642, and his brother Peter Besneir, (Bennier), (Bannier), see A Biographical Dictionary of London Tomb Sculptors..... Adam White, Walpole Society Journal, 1999.
Once again I am most grateful to Adam White for his input.
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The Isaac Besnier Letter to Balthasar Gerbier of 7/17 February 1631/2.
The only known document signed by Isaac Besnier is the letter to the Huguenot Balthasar Gerbier (1591 - 1663) of 7/17 February 1631/2. Gerbier had been in Brussels since arriving with his family in June 1631, acting as agent for Charles I staying there until 1641.
Here is probably not the place to dwell on Gerbier - he was a very interesting character diplomat, spy
artist, architect, art dealer and confident of the great and the good, born in Middleburg in Zeeland, arriving in England in 1616 with the Dutch Ambassador - intimate with Charles I who was godfather to his son - Rubens stayed with him when he visited London in May 1629. Rubens painted the portrait of his wife Deborah Kip and his children. Portrait painted by van Dyck. He was later employed as Master of Ceremonies in charge of the Royal Shows and Entertainments. He was adviser to Sir Richard Weston and was instrumental in designing his house in Putney Park, Roehampton. He also supervised the construction and putting up of the bronze Equestrian Statue of Charles I by Hubert le Sueur (now at Charing Cross) in 1633 - see my blog entry -
Gerbier left for France under a cloud in 1643 - he returned to England in 1648 and established an Academy for Young Gentlemen in Bethnal Green
Some information here gleaned from The Evolution of the Grand Tour: Anglo-Italian
Cultural Relations Since the ... By Edward Chaney
'I will take the liberty to present to you my humble service, as does also Mr Killet, who tells me that you desired to know how the work(I am making for My Lord Treasurer proceeds. Assuring you that I have been working on the marble busts by desire of Mr Guesches, and yet the bargain is not concluded, nor have I recieved any money, which Mr Gueshes every day defers to pay.. This scribbled sketch here is the last that the Lord trasurer approved. The qualities of the marble will be as follows, the cornices and the sculpture will be of white marble, with grounds of Rance marble, and the steps of Portland. I have been to the spot, the site is sixteen feet wide by twenty feet high. As regards the works(I am making0 for the Lady Duchess, God be thanked I am still continuing, as I promised. Mr St Gillis visits me often. Mr Balcan has not yet started for Paris. I make an end praying the Eternal to continue to you his grace, and to grant you a long and happy life, and I remain always
Sir,
your very humble, obedient servant
Isaac Besnier
PRO, SP77/21 no 69 (fo.52).
Information here from Isaac Besnier, Sculptor to Charles I and his work for Court Patrons, c. 1624 - 1634' by Ronald W Lightbown, an essay in Art and Patronage in Caroline Courts, edited by David Howarth, Cambridge University Press, 1993.
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Photograph of the Busts from the Richard Weston Monument.
The photographs here appear to be cropped from a photograph prepared for an article in the Burlington Magazine, by Mrs Katherine Esdaile published in January 1928.
The published photograph only showed the main effigy and base.
I am very grateful to Adam White for providing me with the photographs below and for his help and suggestions for compiling this blog entry.
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Some more recent photographs of the busts.
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Photographs above taken by the author.
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There appears to be some confusion with the portraits of Richard Weston
particularly with the engravings, which seem to refer erroniously to Jerome Weston, the 2nd Earl.
They are based on a version of the full length van Dyck portrait (a version below).
Richard Weston, Ist Earl of Portland.
After van Dyck.
219 x 137 cms.
no provenance had been on display at 10 downing Street since 1888.
Currently with the Treasury.
Government Art Collection
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Richard Weston, Ist Earl of Portland.
After van Dyck
73.5 x 61 cms.
Government Art Collection.
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Richard Weston called here Hieronymus Weston.
after van Dyck.
Wenceslaus Hollar.
pub J Meyssens.
1645.
Engraving and etching
241 x 192 mm.
One of several versions of this engraving at the museum.
British Museum.
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Richard Weston, Ist Earl of Portland.
Illustration from Ward's History of the Grand Rebellion
Attrib. George Vertue.
c. 1713.
Engraving.
168 x 96 mm.
Repeating the mistaken identification.
British Museum.
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Engraving of the monument to Ludovic Stuart, the Duke of Richmond and Lennox.
J. Cole.
Page 159.
from Westmonasterium or The History and Antiquities of The Abbey Church of St Peter's Westminster.
by John Dart.
Pub. 1742.
The bronze caryatids representing Hope, Truth, Charity and Faith with the figure of Fame on top of the openwork bronze canopy by Hubert le Sueur, The marble work is by Isaac Besnier.
see -
No thanks are due to Westminster Abbey for their failure to provide good photographs on their website and for not allowing any photography in the Abbey - anyone interested can obtain photographs from them for a price!
Illustrations of the Westmonasterium from -
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The Monument to Ludovic Stuart, the Duke of Richmond and Lennox.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel" etched by J.Buck
after a picture by T.Uwins, published by R.Ackermann in The History of The
Abbey Church of St. Peter's Westminster ..., 1812. Aquatint.
The bronze caryatids representing Hope, Truth, Charity and Faith with the figure of Fame on top of the openwork bronze canopy by Hubert le Sueur.
These images from -
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/london/vol1/plate-120
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Engraving of the Monument to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and his wife,
put up c. 1628.
The bronze work by Hubert le Sueur and marble work by Isaac Besnier.
Westminster Abbey.
Engraved by J. Cole.
Page 165.
Westmonasterium or The History and Antiquities of The Abbey Church of St Peter's Westminster.
by John Dart.
Pub. 1742.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015026728926;view=1up;seq=4;size=150
The Supporters on the Monument to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and his wife,
Westminster Abbey.
These images from -
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/london/vol1/plate-120
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Monument to Sir Robert Aiton (Aytoun). 1637/8
Westminster Abbey.
The Marble work by Isaac Besnier, the bronze attributed to Francesco Fanelli.
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Robert Aiton.
Monument Westminster Abbey
Low resolution photograph from the Westminster Abbey website.
182 x 200 mm.
Image courtesy NPG.
Unidentified drawing.
courtesy.
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The Busts of Sir William Fermor (1621 - 61) and Mary Fermor (1628 - 70).
currently attributed to Peter Besnier, brother of Isaac Besnier.
Plaster.
Male bust 72 cms.
From Easton Neston.
Sold by Sotheby's May 2005.
Peter Besnier Busts of Sir William Fermor and his wife c. 1658,
See my next post.
