Watercolour, copy after The Transfiguration, Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco (Florence), Edward Kaiser, Arundel Society watercolour, 19th century

Arched on top watercolour of Christ with open arms in a white robe, standing on a rock. In the lower part, three Apostles are on their knees. Around Christ, there are two heads of bearded men. The Virgin Mary and St. Augustine stand at the sides of the drawing.

Acquired in 1995 from the National Gallery of London.
Watercolour copy made for the Arundel Society and published as a chromolithograph (Museum No.24748) in 1870 by Storch and Kramer.

Original work
This watercolour belongs to a series of copies after the frescoes in the Convento di San Marco in Florence painted by Fra Angelico (1395/1400 – 1455) in the 1440s. Founded in 1436 and designed by the architect Michelozzo (Michelozzo di Bartolomeo, 1396-1472), the Convento di San Marco was decorated by Fra Angelico in the 1440s, before his trip to Rome. The programme of the decoration included the altarpiece for the church and the entire cloister. The frescoes cover extensive parts of the dormitory for the monks, of which Fra Angelico was one.

Fra Angelico was one of the most popular of the ‘Primitive’ artists (art of Western Europ prior to the Renaissance). The interest in him was revived in the late 18th century, when Alois Hirt (1759-1836) a German art historian, discovered the frescoes in the Niccoline Chapel in Rome. Interest increased in the nineteenth century and the Arundel Society’s first publication in 1849 was a biography of Fra Angelico, taken from Vasari’s Lives of the most excellent painters, published in its entirety in 1850 with 20 lithograph including copies after Fra Angelico in Rome. Some of them are now in the V&A collection (see for example 23109 or 21100, from the second set of lithographs appeared from 1862 to 1869).

Arundel Society
The Arundel Society was founded in 1848 to promote knowledge of the art through the publication of reproductions of works of art. The Society was named after Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), important aristocratic patron and collector of the early Stuart period. The Society was intended to reach the largest possible audience through these reproductions. Subjects were chosen because of their instructive meaning rather than their popularity.

In addition to copies of famous paintings, the Society published an English translation of Giorgio Vasari’s (1511-1574; Florentine painter, draughtsman, architect, writer and collector) Lives of the most excellent painters, made in 1850 by Giovanni Aubrey Bezzi (1785-1789), one of the founding members of the Society.

The Arundel Society popularised Renaissance art, particularly that of the Italian Old Masters, echoing an growing interest for ‘primitives’ in the second half of the nineteenth century. The founding members of the Arundel Society were all acknowledge experts on Italian art. For instance, Sir Charles Eastlake (1793–1865; painter and art administrator), whose house was the meeting point of the Society, was Director of the National Gallery in London from 1855 until 1865 and during his tenure, he began one of the finest collections of Italian art in Britain.

Other preeminent members were John Ruskin (1819-1900, English writer, painter and collector), who supervised projects including the watercolours series of the Upper and Lower Church in Assisi, and Sir Austen H. Layard (1817-1894; English archaeologist, politician, diplomat, collector and writer). Layard lived and travelled in Italy for many years and his knowledge of the country’s art was extensive. It was thanks to Layard’s funding that the Society were able to publish copies of the watercolours made at their direction using chromolithography. Although photography was increasingly popular, as photographs could only be made in black and white, chromolithography was chosen as it was felt to be closer to the principals of the Arundel Society: they were coloured and had the aura of traditional prints. In this way, copies were more like the originals.

The Society reached the height of its popularity in the 1860s. However, by the end of the century, it faced mounting criticism with regards to the accuracy of its watercolour copies. The Society ceased its activities in 1897. In these years the availability of second hand prints had increased and the Society found it difficult to find market for its chromolithographs. Moreover, photographic reproductions had become more common than prints thanks to technical advances.

The last display of the Arundel Society’s watercolours took place at the National Gallery and when the Society was dissolved, some watercolours were given to that Institution, while other were acquired by the then South Kensington Museum (now V&A). The outstanding watercolours were transferred from the National Gallery to the V&A in the 1990s.

Copyist
This watercolour was painted by Edward Kaiser (1820 –1895), an Austrian artist. He studied in Vienna where he worked as an illustrator from 1850 to 1860. He arrived in Italy in 1867, spending his time in Rome and Florence. He came to the attention of the Arundel Society after his copies of ancient art, which were exhibited in Florence. He painted about 150 copies after old masters for the Arundel Society, in particular Giotto’s work in Padua and Assisi and frescoes in the Vatican. Kaiser lived in Italy for 20 years and travelled to England on numerous occasions to deal with the Arundel Society. He finally returned to Vienna in 1886, where he spent the rest of his life.

This watercolour is a copy made by Eduard Kaiser (Graz 1820 – Vienna 1895) after the frescoes in the Convento di San Marco in Florence by Fra Angelico (1395/1400 – 1455). It was painted for the Arundel Society, founded in 1848 to promote knowledge of the art through the publication of reproductions of works of art. The Arundel Society popularised Renaissance art, particularly that of the Italian Old Masters, echoing a growing interest for ‘primitives’ (art of Western Europ prior to the Renaissance) in the second half of the nineteenth century. This copy was published as chromolithograph in 1870 (Museum No.24748).

Founded in 1436 and designed by the architect Michelozzo (Michelozzo di Bartolomeo, 1396-1472), the Convento di San Marco was decorated by Fra Angelico in the 1440s. The frescoes cover extensive parts of the cloister, not only the public spaces but also the dormitory for the monks, of which Fra Angelico was one. The frescos show Fra Angelico’s characteristic use of colour and light, which was typical of his oeuvre.

E.6-1995