Richard Suett as Bayes in The Rehearsal by George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

Date

1796 (made)

Artist/maker

Graham, John, born 1755 - died 1817 (attributed to, painter (artist))

Materials and Techniques

oil on canvas

Dimensions

Height: 55.9 cm, Width: 46.9 cm

Object history note

Bequeathed by Rev. Alexander Dyce, 1869

Bequeathed to the Department of Science and Art, South Kensington Museums in 1859 by the Reverand Alexander Dyce. The painting was bequeathed as part of the Dyce collection of 3347 works of art, including paintings, miniatures, watercolours and prints as well as his library of 14,000 volumes.

Reverend Alexander Dyce (1798-1869), literary scholar and art collector, was the son of a major, later lieutenant general in the Madras infantry of the East India Company. Raised by two maternal aunts in Aberdeen following his parent’s departure for India in 1799, Dyce read classics at Exeter College, Oxford. At his father’s insistence he was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1823, having rejected a career in the East India Company. He developed a career in publishing by translating Greek texts. However he is probably best known for his editions of sixteenth and seventeenth century poetry. Dyce collected many rare books covering English, Italian and Classical literature. His collection of paintings and works on paper is very varied. In his collection of paintings, Dyce indulged his enthusiasm for the theatre, acquiring portraits of leading actors, while his drawings collection focuses on Old Master drawings from European schools. The Dyce bequest was one of the earliest of a collection of fine art given to the museum. It followed the Sheepshanks collection, which was given to the museum two years earlier in 1857. While the Sheepshanks collection was mainly of contemporary Victorian art, Dyce’s collection focused on British eighteenth and early nineteenth art as well as paintings from Italian, Dutch and Flemish Schools. This bequest therefore helped to broaden the collection, which the museum was already beginning to do by purchasing works from British and Continental Schools.

Historical significance: John Graham, (1754-1817) painter. He was apprenticed to the leading coach painter of his native Edinburgh, Farquhar and afterwards pursued the same profession in London. He studied at the schools of the Royal Academy, London, where he exhibited from 1780 to 1797. He painted two works for Boydell's 'Shakespeare Gallery'. In 1793 Graham was appointed a teacher 'of the higher branches of design' at the recommendation of Sir William Forbes. He was a successful teacher. His pupils included David Wilkie (1785-1841) ,John Burnet(1784-1868) and his brother James (1788-1816). His academy was opened on 27th November 1799 in a room on St. Jame's Square, Edinburgh. One of his first pupils was David Wilkie. In 1800 the entire Trustee's Academy was placed under Graham's charge. He held this appointment until his death. His works combine a correct observation of detail with quite broadly handled paint.

Descriptive line

Portrait entitiled "Richard Suett as Bayes in 'The Rehearsal' by George Villiers, Second Duke of Buckingham.", John Graham,1796.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Ashton, Geoffrey. Catalogue of Paintings at the Theatre Museum, London. ed. James Fowler, London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. Cat.14, pp.22-3. ISBN 1851771026
The following is the full text of the entry:

"14 John Graham (1754-1817)

Richard Suett as Bayes in 'The Rehearsal' by George Vill iers , Second Duke of Buckingham

Graham's picture was engraved in line by William Skelton (10.85 X 7.5 cm.) and published by George Cawthorn on 8 October 1796. It appeared as the frontispiece to the text of The Rehearsa in Volume 29 of Bell's British Theatre which had been taken over by Cawthorn in 1795. Like many of the pictures painted for Bell's British Theatre, the vast majority by Samuel De Wilde, the actor portrayed never played the part he is shown performing. The only London performance of The Rehearsa in the 1790s was at the Haymarket on 9 August 1792 when the role of Bayes was taken by Richard Wilson, who played it as part of his benefit performance. Suett was a member of the Drury Lane company where the play had last been seen on 16 December 1777 with John Henderson as Bayes. At Covent Garden there had been three performances at the beginning of the 1785-6 season with Henderson again playing Bayes. Of course, since 30 October 1779 Sheridan's The Critic had largely replaced the play which had inspired it on the London stage, but Suett never seems to have had a part in this updated version of Buckingham's play.

A half-length version of (cat.) l4, engraved in stipple and line by J.Rogers after a drawing by]. Smith (6.8 X 5.05 cm.) was published by G. Virtue on 12 November 1825 as the frontispiece to a short biography of Suett in Oxberry's Dramatic Biography.

The costume dates from about 1725 and the matching cuffs and waistcoat must have been quite spectacular. It was evidently not made for Suett as the breeches are far too small; they should end below and not above the knee. The wig is a curiosity and was evidently a select item from Suett's famous collection of hair pieces.

Oil on canvas 55.9 x 46.9 cm.
1796

Provenance: George Daniel; Rev. Alexander Dyce; Dyce bequest, 1869

Literature: The Connoisseur VoI. LXXIX November 1928 p. 149 (repr. in colour)

Condition: Lined. Retouching around old tacking edges, especially where they are crossed by the edges of the oval image, and around the feet of the figure. There are other minor scattered retouchings, particularly in the lower half.

Technique: White or cream ground on tabby weave canvas. The image is painted in an irregular oval, the shape of which has been altered several times, probably by the artist. The spandrels are painted or varnished with cream or pale transparent yellow through which can be seen pencilled numbers and lines that evidently relate to a squaring-up process.

D.81 (Dyce 81) Neg: HF 4519/CT 16074"

Geoffrey Ashton

Materials

Oil paint; Canvas

Techniques

Oil painting

Subjects depicted

Suett, Richard; Bayes

Categories

Portraits; Paintings

Collection code

PDP