Capella Imperfeita; The Towers, seen from the Interior
Photograph
1867 (photographed), 1868 (published)
1867 (photographed), 1868 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Charles Thurston Thompson was the V&A's first Official Museum Photographer, in charge of the Museum's photographic operations from 1856 until his death in 1868. In addition to photographing museum objects and objects on loan, he also photographed great works of art and architecture on dedicated photographic campaigns abroad. These views were made during a 1867 campaign to Spain and Portugal.
This is one of seven sets of Thurston Thompson's series of photographs of the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal in the V&A collection. A selection of views from the series was published shortly after his death by the Arundel Society, sanctioned by the Science and Art Department, (under the authority of which the V&A was originally established). Available to artists, amateurs and collectors these volumes were available for purchase at a dedicated sales stall in the museum and were also circulated by the Science and Art Department for the use of schools of art.
Of these seven sets, five are bound. The other two sets are composed of loose plates, with some additional plates not included in the bound volumes and marked as proofs. The various stamps and presentation formats demonstrate the multiple ways photographs were circulated not only throughout the museum, but to the larger community of scholars, artists and connoisseurs.
This is one of seven sets of Thurston Thompson's series of photographs of the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal in the V&A collection. A selection of views from the series was published shortly after his death by the Arundel Society, sanctioned by the Science and Art Department, (under the authority of which the V&A was originally established). Available to artists, amateurs and collectors these volumes were available for purchase at a dedicated sales stall in the museum and were also circulated by the Science and Art Department for the use of schools of art.
Of these seven sets, five are bound. The other two sets are composed of loose plates, with some additional plates not included in the bound volumes and marked as proofs. The various stamps and presentation formats demonstrate the multiple ways photographs were circulated not only throughout the museum, but to the larger community of scholars, artists and connoisseurs.
Object details
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| Materials and techniques | Albumen print in bound album |
| Brief description | Photograph by Charles Thurston Thompson, 'Capella Imperfeita; The Towers, seen from the Interior', albumen print, 1867, from the album 'The Sculptured Ornament of the Monastery of Batalha in Portugal' published by the Arundel Society for Promoting the Knowledge of Art, London, 1868 |
| Physical description | A sepia-coloured photograph of the upper portions of two ornately carved arches with a view of two towers. Plate 19 in an album, bound in red leather, of 20 photographs and letterpress title page, essay and order form. |
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| Summary | Charles Thurston Thompson was the V&A's first Official Museum Photographer, in charge of the Museum's photographic operations from 1856 until his death in 1868. In addition to photographing museum objects and objects on loan, he also photographed great works of art and architecture on dedicated photographic campaigns abroad. These views were made during a 1867 campaign to Spain and Portugal. This is one of seven sets of Thurston Thompson's series of photographs of the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal in the V&A collection. A selection of views from the series was published shortly after his death by the Arundel Society, sanctioned by the Science and Art Department, (under the authority of which the V&A was originally established). Available to artists, amateurs and collectors these volumes were available for purchase at a dedicated sales stall in the museum and were also circulated by the Science and Art Department for the use of schools of art. Of these seven sets, five are bound. The other two sets are composed of loose plates, with some additional plates not included in the bound volumes and marked as proofs. The various stamps and presentation formats demonstrate the multiple ways photographs were circulated not only throughout the museum, but to the larger community of scholars, artists and connoisseurs. |
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| Bibliographic reference | Thompson, Charles Thurston. The Sculptured Ornament of the Monastery of Batalha in Portugal: Twenty Photographs by the late Charles Thurston Thompson with a Descriptive Account of the Building. Under the Sanction of the Science and Art Department, for the Use of Schools of Art and Amateurs. London: Arundel Society for Promoting the Knowldege of Art and Bell and Daldy, 1868. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 59625 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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