Weddell, William
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- Weddell, William
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(1736 - 92) of Newby Hall, Yorks, 2nd s. of Richard Elcock (later Weddell); educ. Hackney and St John's Camb. 1753; G.Inn 1753; Dilettanti 1766; MP 1766 - 92; m. 1771 Elizabeth Ramsden.
1764 - 5 [Geneva, Oct. 1764] Turin, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Florence (by 2 Dec.), Rome (23 Dec. 1764 - 9 Mar. 1765), Naples (Mar.), Rome (by 31 Mar. - May), Venice [England by Jul.]
Weddell set out for Italy with his friend and contemporary, the Rev. William Palgrave, as his Yorkshire house, Newby Hall, was being improved. There were designs for a new sculpture gallery,1 and in the course of his relatively brief stay in Rome Weddell rapidly acquired a collection of classical marbles which was to make it an outstanding museum.
They were at Geneva in October 17642 and, according to the Abb? Grant, their route to Rome lay through Turin, Milan, Genoa and Bologna.3 On 2 December they were in Florence, dining at Horace Mann's with Patch and James Martin,4 and on 23 December they arrived in Rome.5 They had an introduction from Mann to Cardinal Albani,6 but it was apparently the Abb? Grant who attended them. Palgrave wrote of the sights they had seen and the civilities they had observed: he had made his 'reverence to his Holyness, visited cardinals, bowed to princesses, [and] smiled at dutchesses'.5 Since Weddell and Palgrave were not much expert in French and had no Italian, 'the Society of the Inhabitants here did not give them much pleasure and therefor', the Abb? Grant told James Grant of Castle Grant, 'Mr Weddell chused to pass the greatest share of the evenings with your friend Signor Cassali'.7
But Weddell's visit to Rome was to have far more serious consequences. James Grant had given him letters of introduction to both Thomas Jenkins and Gavin Hamilton and, as Palgrave wrote, those letters 'were not in vain for Weddell is buying such a quantity of pictures, marbles etc as will astonish the West Riding of Yorkshire'.5 Thomas Robinson (later 2nd Baron Grantham), a kinsman of Weddell, had also provided him with an introduction to Jenkins.8 The Abb? Grant confirmed that Weddell had 'laid out a vast sum of money in purchasing pictures and statues. The person he dealt with most was Mr Jenkins'.7 Jenkins told James Grant that he had enjoyed a great share of Weddell's confidence 'in the choise of his Collection of Paintings and Sculpture; I flatter my Self when they are properly arranged at Newby that they will afford you pleasure',9 and on the same day Jenkins told Thomas Robinson 'your Relation Mr Weddell' had purchased 'the greatest part of the Paintings and Sculpture that I had'.8
Weddell's purchases are not well documented, but on 15 April he exported twelve cases of marbles and on 11 May 86 paintings,10 to be followed by Weddell's most celebrated purchase, the Barberini Venus (see Jenkins). 'My Venus is likewise Sold', Jenkins told Robinson, 'but I have orders not to say to whom'; he had experienced much difficulty in obtaining permission for export 'which would never have been obtained had it not been for the fortunate Circumstance of its being a Naked female'.8 Weddell acquired at least one piece, a marble tripod, from Piranesi; it remains at Newby and was engraved for the Vasi Candelabri, Cippi [1778]. Gavin Hamilton, meanwhile, had met Palgrave and Weddell by 9 January 176511 and Weddell commissioned from him two paintings illustrating Milton, the Penseroso and Allegro; they were engraved in 1768 but have since been lost.(12) Weddell's patronage of British painters echoed that of James Grant and Thomas Robinson; he sat to Nathaniel Dance with Palgrave and his servant J'Anson (Upton House) and commissioned three portraits of himself - bust, three-quarters and whole-length - from Batoni (respectively; Newby, YCBA and Newby; Clark/Bowron 291 - 3), the last dated 1766, completed after Weddell had left Rome.
On 9 March 1765 Palgrave and Weddell left Rome for a three-week visit to Naples,13 which Palgrave, at least, much enjoyed; 'what a climate, what air, what a situation, and what prospects!', but such delight was essential 'to compensate, as it does, for the trouble of getting at it'.5 They returned to Rome for Holy Week, and Sir William Farington met them there on 3 and 17 April.14 Early in May they set out for Venice,7 and they expected to be home in July.9
Back in England both joined Edward Gibbon's Roman Club15 and Thomas Robinson proposed Weddell as a member of the Society of Dilettanti. Weddell continued to have dealings with Jenkins, but the bulk of his collection had already been acquired. His celebrated sculpture gallery at Newby Hall was being built by 1767, the designs being completed by Robert Adam who also devised pedestals for the statues. Weddell's sculpture collection remains in situ, although his 86 paintings are no longer identifiable.
1. For Newby, see J. Cornforth, CL, 7, 14, 21 Jun. 1979, 1802 - 6, 1918 - 21, 2006 - 9. 2. G. de Beer, Annales de la soci?t? Rousseau, 33[1956]:265 - 6. 3. Seafield MSS, GD 248/99/3 (Abb? Grant, 3 Oct. 1764). 4. Martin jnl.MSS. 5. W. Fraser, Chiefs of Grant, 2:445 - 6 (Palgrave, 31 Mar. 1765). 6. SP 105/315, f.824 (Albani, 29 Dec. 1764). 7. Seafield MSS, GD 248/49/3/12 (Abb? Grant, 26 Jun. 1765). 8. Leeds Arts Calendar, 46 - 7[1961]:10 (Jenkins, 5 Jun. 1765). 9. Seafield MSS, GD 248/49/3/24 (Jenkins, 5 Jun. 1765). 10. ASR ABA, 11, ff.283 - 4. See Michaelis, 522 - 35 and 90 - 1. 11. Seafield MSS, GD 248/49/2 (G. Hamilton, 9 Jan. 1765). 12. D. Irwin, Art Bull. 44[1962]:97. 13. Seafield MSS, GD 248/99/3 (Abb? Grant, 9 Mar. 1765). 14. Farington jnl.MSS. 15. Gibbon, Misc.Works, 1:200.