Forbes, James, 1749-1819, Collection of British portraits, circa 1700-1817
- Title(s):
- Collection of British portraits.
- Additional Title(s):
- Spine title: Portraits
- Published/Created:
- Great Britain, circa 1700-1817.
- Physical Description:
- approximately 550 prints in 3 volumes ; 54 x 40 cm
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsFolio A 2023 73Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon CollectionView by request in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/4517388
- Classification:
- Prints
- Notes:
- Title devised by cataloger.
Provenance: Elizabeth Rosée, comtesse de Montalembert (née Forbes); Charles Forbes, comte de Montalembert; St. Mary's College, Oscott, Birmingham; Paul Mellon.
Bound in contemporary red half morocco and red cloth.
The volumes were previously numbers 48-50 (of 50) in "The Forbes Collection" in the library of St. Mary's College, Oscott. The collection was presented to Oscott by Charles Forbes, comte de Montalembert, upon the death of his mother, Eliza Rosée Montalembert (née Forbes). Yale Center for British Art collections include the following volumes from the material previously at Oscott: A voyage from England to Bombay with descriptions in Asia, Africa, and South America, 1765-1800, 13 volumes (Folio A 2023 69); Travels in Italy, Germany, and Switzerland, in 1796 and 1797, 1796-1799, 2 volumes (Folio A 2023 70); Views in England, Wales, and Scotland, circa 1787-circa 1819, 3 volumes (Folio A 2023 71); Birds, insects, flowers, and fruits, circa 1788-1817, 1 volume (Folio A 2023 72); Collection of British portraits, circa 1700-1817, 3 volumes (Folio A 2023 73).
Prints are affixed to leaves of the three volumes. Most are cropped closely, frequently with loss of imprint or artists' names. Forbes captions the majority in manuscript, occasionally with extended biographical details. A small number of simple watercolor portraits by Forbes are also interspersed.
Subjects include British royalty, nobility, religious figures, military leaders, politicians, antiquaries, scientists, authors, artists, and dramatists. There is no apparent organizational scheme. Subjects are rarely repeated. Women are present, but segregated in all three volumes. Volumes two and three include small clusters of non-British subjects.
Almost all of the prints are intaglio, with the exception of two lithographs in volume 1, by E.C. Ashburner and Denon (i.e., Dominique Vivant Denon?). In both cases, Forbes notes that they were presented to him by the artist. - Subject Terms:
- Montalembert, Charles Forbes, comte de, 1810-1870 -- Ownership.Montalembert, Eliza Rosée, comtesse de, -1839 -- Ownership.Oscott College -- Ownership.
- Form/Genre:
- Portraits.
Mezzotints.
Stipple engravings.
Etchings.
Lithographs.
Watercolors. - Export:
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