Benjamin Vandergucht
Benjamin Vandergucht or Van der Gucht (1753–1794)[1] was a picture-dealer, restorer and painter.
Life
[edit | edit source]He was the thirty-second child of Gerard Vandergucht the engraver, and one of twins. He studied drawing in St Martin's Lane Academy, and on the foundation of the Royal Academy he became one of the first students in its schools.[2]
Vandergucht became better known as a picture-restorer and picture-dealer than as an artist, and had patrons in high society. He lived for some time in Pall Mall, London, on the site later occupied by the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. When he inherited his father's house in Upper Brook Street, he built a picture gallery onto his own house. There he stored the high-class pictures in which he dealt, charging one shilling for admission to view the collection.[2]
On 21 September 1794, while Vandergucht was returning from a visit on business to Lord George Cavendish at Chiswick House, the boat in which he was travelling was run down off Barnes Terrace. Though Vandergucht was a swimmer, he was drowned.[3] His collection was sold by auction at Christie's in March 1796.[2]
Works
[edit | edit source]Vandergucht painted a number of portraits. Most were of actors, such as David Garrick, John Henry Johnstone, John Moody, and Henry Woodward, and some of these were engraved.[2]
Family
[edit | edit source]In 1779 he married, at Lewes, Miss Egles, niece of Mr Robert Plumer, a churchwarden at St Thomas a Becket Church, Cliffe, Lewes.[4]
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ M.A. Michael (2019). "Not Exactly a Connoisseur A New Portrait of James Christie by Benjamin Vandergucht". The British Art Journal (London: Robin Simon). 19:76.
- ^ Woollgar, Thomas, Spicilegia II, 338, ‘Ornaments of Cliff Church and Benefactions’ (Sussex Archaeological Society).
External links
[edit | edit source]Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
- Attribution
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