![Michael Bryan - A Dictionary of Painters and Engravers - VII 1816](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Michael_Bryan_-_A_Dictionary_of_Painters_and_Engravers_-_VII_1816.jpg)
Michael Bryan (9 April 1757 – 21 March 1821) was an English art historian, art dealer and connoisseur. He was involved in the purchase and resale of the great French
Orleans Collection
The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723. Apart from the great royal-become-national collections of Euro ...
of art, selling it on to a British syndicate, and owned a fashionable art gallery in
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, London. His book, ''Biographical and Critical Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'', first published in 1813–1816, was a standard reference work (revised, and often under variant titles) throughout the 19th century, and was last republished in 1920; however it is now badly outdated.
Life and work
Bryan was born in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
(now
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastl ...
), and educated at the
Royal Grammar School under Dr. Moyce. He travelled to London in 1781, then to
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
with his eldest brother, where he lived from 1782 to 1790, possibly having some connection with the cloth trade, but also building up his art historical knowledge. In June 1784, he married Juliana Talbot (1759–1801), the sister of Charles Talbot, the 15th
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
, which gained him valuable aristocratic social connections.
Bryan moved back to London in 1790 establishing himself as an authority and dealer in Fine Art.
In 1793 or 1794, he again went to the continent in search of fine pictures. Among other places he visited
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
, and remained there until an order arrived from the French government to stop all English citizens then resident there. He was, amongst many others, detained at
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
. It was here that he met
Jean-Joseph de Laborde
Jean-Joseph, marquis de Laborde (29 January 1724 – 18 April 1794) was a French businessman, '' fermier général'' and banker to the king, who turned politician. A liberal, he was guillotined in the French Revolution.
Biography
Laborde was b ...
who, in 1798, sought his advice and assistance in disposing of the Italian part of the famous private "
Orleans Collection
The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723. Apart from the great royal-become-national collections of Euro ...
" of art which he had acquired. Bryan, in effect, became a middleman for the purchase, and contacted the
Duke of Bridgewater
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
, who authorised him to open negotiations. After three weeks, a syndicate consisting of the Duke of Bridgewater,
Marquis of Stafford, then Lord Gower, and the
Earl of Carlisle
Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England.
History
The first creation came in 1322, when Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay, was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliame ...
, became the purchasers of the collection from Bryan, at a price of £43,500. The collection was displayed in Bryan's
private art gallery in
Pall Mall, London, as well as at
The Lyceum in the
Strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
* Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
* Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street ...
.
In 1801 Bryan obtained, through the Duke of Bridgewater, the king's permission to visit Paris in order to purchase art from the
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
of
Monsieur Robit to bring back to England. Among other fine pictures, he returned with two by the baroque Spanish artist
Murillo - "''The infant Christ as the Good Shepherd''", and "''The infant St. John with the lamb''".
In 1804 Bryan retired from the art world, and settled at his brother's home in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, where he remained until 1811. In 1812 Bryan again visited London, and commenced writing his "magnum opus" - the ''Biographical and Critical Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'' in 2 volumes. The first part appeared in May 1813, and concluded in 1816. He owned a gallery in London's
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, which became a fashionable gathering place for artists and their patrons.
In 1818 he became involved with some speculative art purchases which proved a failure.
On 14 February 1821, Bryan suffered a severe paralytic stroke, dying at
Portman Square
Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by elegant townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal garden ...
, London on 21 March of the same year.
Bibliography
*''Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers'' ( London (George Bell & Sons), Cambridge (Deighton, Bell & Co), New York (The Macmillan Co) and Bombay (A. H. Wheeler & Co) Edition of 1903 - 1905:
Volume 1 (A to C)1903
Volume 2 (D to G)Volume 3 (H to M)Volume 4 (N to R)Volume 5 (S to Z)1905
References
*
External links
''Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers'' revised and enlarged by George C. Williamson, hathitrust.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Michael
1757 births
1821 deaths
People from Newcastle upon Tyne
English art historians
English art dealers