Public-domain ebook
Memoranda of art and artists, anecdotal and biographical
Language: en1,081 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Biographies·Art
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #74887.
About this book
The work is a compendium of brief, often witty sketches that illuminate the personalities and habits of notable painters, sculptors, and engravers. Its author, Joseph Sandell, explains that he has spent years gathering these anecdotes from a variety of sources, letters, memoirs, and personal recollections, arranging them alphabetically by artist and, where possible, citing the original authority. The opening pages already set the tone: a modest preface that acknowledges the difficulty of coaxing artists into sharing stories, followed by a succession of entries that range from Washington Allston’s self‑critical comment on a miniature to Francesco Bartolozzi’s amusing encounter with George III over a dubious Veronese copy. The volume promises a leisurely yet informative tour of the art world, offering both familiar episodes and material that may be appearing in print for the first time.
The prose reflects a Victorian sensibility, marked by a formal yet conversational voice that blends factual reporting with a light‑hearted curiosity. Its style is concise, occasionally peppered with the occasional anecdotal flourish, and the language is comfortably accessible to a modern reader while retaining the period’s diction. Readers who enjoy biographical sketches, art history enthusiasts seeking colorful side‑stories, or anyone fond of the occasional witty vignette about famous creators will find this collection engaging. It is especially suited to those who appreciate a catalog‑like arrangement that allows easy reference to specific artists while still delivering a pleasant read.
Who appears in Memoranda of art and artists, anecdotal and biographical
- Washington AllstonMiddle‑aged American painter, dark hair, trimmed beard, wearing a dark frock coat and waistcoat
- Francesco BartolozziItalian engraver, bald head, moustache, dressed in an 18th‑century velvet frock coat with lace cuffs
- George IIIBritish monarch, powdered white wig, regal blue coat with gold embroidery, holding a scepter
The opening · free to read
PREFACE.
The collection of the Anecdotes now offered to the public has been a work of some few years, but it has also been a pleasure. Loving Art, I have taken a deep interest in the light thrown by them on the character and career of the great artists whose works have done so much to elevate and refine mankind. These anecdotes have been culled from various sources; and though many of them have doubtless been several times related, yet some, it is believed, have never before been published in a collected form. Mr. Henry Ottley, in the Preface to his “Supplement to Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters,” remarks that many artists to whom he had applied for materials for biography, did not answer his letters, and that others declined from a feeling of diffidence to give him the required information. I have found a similar difficulty in obtaining anecdotes by applying to the artist friends with whom I have the honour of being acquainted. My work has, therefore, been to seek materials from other sources; to select, arrange, and, in some instances, abridge. Whenever it was possible to give the authority for a story, this has been done. The anecdotes are arranged in groups, according to the artist to whom they relate; and for convenience of reference, the names of artists are given alphabetically. It is hoped that this little volume, while serving to wile away a leisure hour, may at the same time do something to arouse the reader’s interest in the men who have devoted their lives to the service of Art, and so to the instruction and well-being of their fellow-men.
J. S.
WALHAM GREEN, LONDON, 1871.
CONTENTS.
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