Thomas Moore Slade (born 1751) was an English art dealer and collector.

Life

He was the son of Thomas Slade who died in 1771. Inheriting a fortune, he set off on a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

in 1774. In Sicily Slade visited

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with a letter of introduction from Sir William Hamilton. In

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

he made significant art purchases from the estate of the collector Bartolomeo Vitturi (1719–1776), with

John Udny John Udny (21 March 1727 – 1800) was a Scottish diplomat who served as British Consul at Venice and Leghorn. Early life Udny was born into Clan Udny on 21 March 1727 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was the son of James Udny, advocate, and Jane ( Walk ...

. Udny had difficulty meeting his share of the price, so Slade made a financial arrangement meaning that the whole collection came to him. He also bought prints and drawings from

Giacomo Durazzo Count Giacomo Durazzo (27 April 1717 – 15 October 1794) was an Italian diplomat and man of theatre. Biography He was born into the House of Durazzo, one of the most important aristocratic families in Genoa. His older brother was the doge Marc ...

, and further paintings to sell on in Ferrara. Slade spent three years in Venice, and while there commissioned the 1775

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''Bird’s Eye View'' painting of the city. Initially, Slade displayed his collections in his house at

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about from London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rainham, Strood and Gillin ...

. He later lost all he had in speculation. He took a position working for the Victualling Office at Chatham. In the period after the

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, Slade bought the paintings by Flemish, Dutch and German artists from the Orleans Collection, in 1792. There were 147 pictures involved, and Slade was acting on behalf of a syndicate. These associates were connected to the London bank Ransom, Morland & Hammersley, founded in 1786: William Morland, Thomas Hammersley and

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. The following year, Slade put the paintings up for sale in London. Slade was a dealer based in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

in 1801, and a sales catalogue shows he stocked paintings by the English artists

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and James Thornhill, as well as many foreign masters. He lost all he had in speculation; he suffered

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

in 1803.

References

*Michael Levey, ''An English Commission to Guardi'', The Burlington Magazine Vol. 102, No. 689 (Aug., 1960), pp. 363-366, Published by: The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/873044

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slade, Thomas Moore 18th-century births 19th-century deaths English art dealers