SUPPLY—NATIONAL GALLERY. (Hansard, 24 July 1840)

§ Mr. Hume
wished to know under whose taste and judgment these pictures were bought? He had heard very severe critiques made on the pictures that were last purchased.

§ Mr. R. Gordon
said, the pictures that were last bought were purchased at a public sale, on the recommendation of the trustees of the National Gallery.

§ Sir R. Peel
said, if the hon. Gentleman would state what the pictures were, he had no doubt he could give him a satisfactory explanation. He had no objection whatever to these questions being put; on the contrary, he thought they tended to public advantage. But let them take the case of the pictures they had just bought. In this case, Sir Simon Clark's pictures were advertised for sale. The trustees of the National Gallery met and considered whether they should advise the purchase of any of them. They had not a shilling at their disposal, and they therefore were obliged to apply to the Treasury for permission to purchase certain of the pictures. The collection was attended by circumstances that were peculiar, as it was made during the French revolution. As to the condition of the pictures, the trustees had the opportunity of referring to a person of high authority—he meant Mr. Seymour, the secretary of the National Gallery. There were in the collection two Murillos which were perfectly well known to connoisseurs and artists, and the trustees advised the Treasury to make a certain offer for them. But they did not ask much from the Treasury, for all they asked to be allowed to purchase out of the whole collection were three pictures, two being the Murillos he had mentioned, and the third a Guido—all works of very great excellence, and such as the trustees thought it desirable to procure for the National Gallery. For one of the Murillos, a picture known by the name of "The Good Shepherd," they proposed to offer 2,500 guineas. It was purchased, however, by Messrs. Rothschild for 3,000 guineas. For the other Murillo they also proposed to offer 2,500 guineas, but Lord Ashburton, one of the trustees, purchased it at 2,000 guineas for his own private collection. Finding, however, there was some misapprehension on the subject, he very handsomely ceded it to the National Gallery at the price he had given for it. For the Guido they gave only 410 guineas, 970 and he believed that if they were to offer it for public competition now, it would obtain double the price they gave for it. He only mentioned this to show that the pictures were not purchased for the National Gallery without care, or without being considered to be works of the highest merit.

§ Mr. Hume
wished to know whether there was any report made on the subject; for, if the right hon. Gentleman were not in the House, who was to give any account of it?

§ Sir R. Peel
said, these things were all matters of record, and he would ask the right hon. Gentleman opposite whether these matters did not pass between the trustees and the Treasury. There were some arrangements now going on; and he really hoped the hon. Gentleman would not oblige any premature disclosures to be made.

§ Sir De L. Evans
wished the right hon. Baronet and his colleagues would direct their attention to the exterior of the building of the National Gallery, for certainly it was not satisfactory to the public taste.

§ Sir R. Peel
said, he quite agreed with the gallant Officer that the building, standing in the situation it did, was not very creditable. When the estimates for it were brought forward, the House was in an economical fit, and the first sum voted was 40,000l. That was afterwards extended to 70,000l. And there the building stood. But whether they should pull it down and erect one that was really worthy of the arts on its site, which was the finest in London, he must leave it to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to say.

§ Mr. Hume
doubted what the right hon. Baronet said, on the score of economy; because when the estimates were brought forward, he was not aware of any objection being made to them.