Original Portraits 1770-1820: 2314

Components of the work

Sheet Size Height 361 mm Width 292 mm
Coverboard Size Height 380 mm Width 304 mm

Inscription or legends present

• Text: ORIGINAL PORTRAITS / 1770-1820 / JOHN DOWNMAN
• Location: Outside front cover
• Method of creation: Embossed gold

• Text: BOUND BY HAMMOND.
• Location: Front endpaper, verso, bottom left
• Method of creation: Printed black ink

• Text: THE / ORIGINAL PORTRAITS / OF / Distinguished Persons / Painted and Drawn in the last half Century / to 1820 by John Downman. / With Notes, Dates, Costume. Many highly finished / and correct Studies, others slight in first Sittings. / The first Series, making eight Volumes. Volume Ist with a / DEDICATION in VERSE / to / The Prinece Regent / including the ORIGIN / of the / ROYAL FAMILY of ENGLAND and a Preface
• Location: F.2 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

Inscription present: surrounded by rectangular box, corners scalloped

• Text: FITZWILLIAM / MUSEUM
• Location: F.2 recto, bottom centre
• Method of creation: Black ink stamp

• Text: To His Royal Highness / The Prince Regent / Great Prince, dear Object of the Nation, / Appreciate my Dedication. Patron of Art, in every way, / Receive the tributary Lay. / To that of Painting, born the Heir, / Which thy blest Sire, made his care. / What he began, you give a magic Grace, / And anxious, to the greatest Good give place. / This Art divine, by fancy led / That brings to life, the long lost dead, / Is destined high delight to bring, / To realize what Poets Sing. / And in a closer Vein to trace, / Thy Love! thy Friends ! endearing Face. / No fine Art did ever grace the Earth. / Since first the Maid of Corinth gave it birth.
• Location: F.3 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Our Monarch founded in the Youth, / A school of Arts, to study Truth; / And you true Merit advocate, / In Genius of the highest rate: / By such examples droitly sought, / See excellence surpassing thought; / Alike in Arts, as Arms, and soaring high / To splendid Works of Immortality. / 'For Nations never were so great, / As where the Arts adorned the State; / And when Sublimity they claim, / All Ages will record their Name. / Here, they diffuse to Merchendise / The Taste that other Kingdoms prize; / Which makes our Traders rich in gold, / And Blessings o're the Land infold. / See Merchants noble in their Acts and Mind / With every Virtue to adorn, inclined. / Thus Arts and Science, Union blend, / And glory in the Prince their friend; / And Learning has your equal due, / 'Tis seen itself _ reflecting you. / So may accordance, coming from above, / Unite the Regent, and the Realm in Love.
• Location: F.4 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Hail Regent! in more arduous form, / When first you did the Helm adorn; / That filial Worth, declared the deed, / Your Fathers steps to tread with speed: / For Heaven but prolongs the day, / To guide us in the better way. / So do the Wife, a grateful offering give, / That's blest them with another day to live. / All banish thought of youthful freak, / When you so just a Council keep: / So have our greatest Men and Kings / Surveyed all false Enchanters slings; / But reason brought them quick to light / To spurn the ill, and chase the right. / In precious Acts proclaimed of highest State / You made your joyful Subjects Hearts elate. / Around the World your Glory stands, / Enthroned by matchless Britons hands / Whose Home so dear they freely leave, / Their Countrys safety to achieve: / That Home! where Liberty, chief good, / For Right and Virtue understood; / For fallen Poverty, and Innocence as great, / As others in the most exalted state.
• Location: F.5 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Our perfect Liberty is such / 'Tis truly for the Vile, too much; / And tho; a few with ireful hate, / Presume to stab the vital State / Our Constitutions envied Frame, / Brings all to Order _ right again / Ev'n Heavens self, was not secure from ill, And Devils dared to hold, a hellish will. / Digression here has taken place, / Pray pass it, as the Nations Face. / Resuming now to speak thy worth, / Progressive from thy blissful Birth. / By nature formed, to give delight, / And vanquish all within thy sight; / While sense, and graceful manners sit / Your Eloquence of polished Wit. / And distant Monarchs come to grace thy Realm, / To emulate the Prince, that guides the Helm.
• Location: F.6 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 3
• Location: F.7 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Now I invoke, my blithsome Muse to trace / And hail the Subject; thy immortal Race. / Come forth Renown _ with Light he quick descends / In bright gold clad, and graceful Form he bends. / HONI SOIT QUE MAL Y PENSE / The Origin of / The Royal Family of England / or the Guelphian Race. / 1. / I sing a Tale of ancient' date, / All Loyal is the Theme; / Of Brunswicks Race, I will relate, / Where Truth is like a Dream. / 2. / Fly Grecian - Sphinx, and Wolf of Rome, / And Englands Lion roar; / To hail transcendent Deeds to come, / In equal Realms to soar.
• Location: F.7 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 4
• Location: F.8 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 3. / They sprung from Ancestors, more far / Then Days of Charlemagne, / And Saxony, Bavaria / Then did them Sovereigns claim / 4. / From the rich Azo, and Berthold, / Wittikindus, Bruno, / Sigfrid, Ludoph, and Dietbold, Berewen, and Thimo. / 5. / From Cunegonda Princess fair, / And Fulk, and Hugo Strong, / And John the handsome, and his Heir, / William with Foot so long. / 6. Sophia praised, ah! dearest name, / Branching much nearer Home; / And brave Ernestus high in Fame / In splended Rank, they come. / 7. / A thousand Heroes, grace the page, / The boast of German Tribes: / And Females prized, adorn each age, / By their exalted sides.
• Location: F.8 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 5
• Location: F.9 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 8. / Prince Altorf too, of House of Este, / Is of this Line so famed. / Now of his Wife, one of the best, / She Jermentrudis named. / 9. / She was a Princess styled the good, / All people gave her praise; / When a poor Wife, before her stood / Charged with adulterous ways. / 10. / This Wench produced twelve Babes to feed, / All at one Birth thy came! / She strict condemned the wicked deed, / And had her whipped for shame. / 11. / The cruel Pain the Woman bore, / To God _ she prayed for aid: / When lo! before three Months were o'er / The Princess was Bed-laid! / 12. / Oh! the sad Princess _ her surprise! / To bring to Birth twelve Boys! / All active, and with sparkling Eyes, / Like heaps of Precious Toys.
• Location: F.9 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 6
• Location: F.10 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 13. / Conscience, oh! Conscience struck her mind, / Her husbands Rage she feared; / That like Chastisement she might find, / Which she herself had reared. / 14. / Quite agonized with Fear and Grief, / And dreadful thought of Shame: / In nothing could she find relief, / 'Gainst Superstions flame. / 15. / It chanced her Prince, was not at Home / So secret charged the Nurse, / A Hag to find, with Heart of Stone, / And promised her a Purse. / 16. / Eleven take this Instant out - / Destroy them quick I say - / The Hag was instantly about, / To take them far away. / 17. / Who should she meet, in lonely Dell, / But the dread Prince in Chace: / What have you there? come Hag me tell - / How came you in this Place?
• Location: F.10 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 7
• Location: F.11 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 18. / Please you my Prince, I've Whelps to drown / In yonder distant Lake, / Whelps do you say - undo your Gown / Or I will make you quake. / 19. / Down on her Knees _ the Hag now cryed / And spread her Charge to view! / Astonishment the Prince! now eyed - / The beauteous Babes so new! / 20. / The Truth she told without disguise, / Enraptured high _ he stood! / Your Secret keep, it will be wise, / And turn your guilt to good. / 21. / Beside yon Hill a Cottage stands, / Blest with a House-wife dear: / Come, take the lovely Babes to hands / That shall them fondly rear. / 22. / Six Years now passed in courtly State, / When at a Banquet large, / All Family connections wait, / To hear the Princes charge.
• Location: F.11 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 8
• Location: F.12 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 23. / Celestial Rays, shone clear and bright / On an approaching Group - / Eleven Cherubs, came to sight! / With bended Knees they stoop. / 24. / So beautiful! all clad in White - / The Group - eleven came: / Such Silence too! at such a sight! For none proclaimed their name. / 25. / The Princess blushed _ Confusion there / Stalked, with amazing tread! / Instinct itself, entranced her stare, / She sunk _ quite like one dead. / 26. / The Prince observed her motion quick / And caught her in his Arms - / She much of Pain, and Joy was sick, / From these such strange alarms _ / 27. / Behold the Twelth! the Group so like! / With haste he darts to kiss - / True Mirrors of himself they strike! / Emblems of mutual Bliss!
• Location: F.12 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 9
• Location: F.13 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 28. / Such Bliss! the Prince, could not retain, / But told the Tale aloud! / And Jermentrudis, now past pain, / With contrite Joy, bowed. / 29. / Glad Tidings spread their beauteous Fame! / What Throngs - the Guelphs to see? / The Prince proclaimed their destined name, / The highest in Degree. / 30. / Great England now, this Race prolongs / In mighty Georges Name! / Arise ye Nine! in glorious Songs / To their immortal Fame. / And now aloft Sublime _ in Grandeurs blaze! / Behold our Guardian of remotest days - / Hail! azure eyed Britania_ hail! confest (?) / Supreme of Isles terrestrial_ great and blest: / And by her side, august in strength profound, / The british Lion _ firm to guard around. / May it please your Royal Highness / your Royal Highnesses / most dutiful Servant / and most faithful Subject Jon Downman
• Location: F.13 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Jany. 17th 1820
• Location: F.13 recto, lower left
• Method of creation: Black ink
• Type: Date

• Text: 10
• Location: F.14 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: Preface / In these Volumes are a great part of my pleasant Employment / of many Years; and in this assemblage of Portraits, you will / see how much different Fashions change the appearance of / Persons - almost as much as putting a Judges [sic] Wig on an Infant; / or indeed the change that Dress gives the human Form; which / we see on Persons from distant Nations: and yet I perfectly / accord with Mr Horace Walpole that Costume in Portraits / should always be preserved, for Truth and obvious reasons. / It must be for the same reason that he enjoyed more / Pleasure in looking at Portraits than Historical Pictures - / because one was the real Representation of Persons and the / other only Ideal. In this view Nature truly drawn is / beyond Imagination: what is before you must be better / represented than if absent. But in Opposition to this, Nature, / by great Study, Knowledge and Genius, may be transcended, / by collecting beautiful parts from a many, to form one. / This has been exemplified in some justly celebrated and / exquisite Greek Statues now existing. This has made it / conjectured that they were equally great in all departments / of Art: but I do think the Greeks were not so great in Painting / as Sculpture, nor do any of their remains shew any thing / to prove it, for the Prints FROM them, are better than the / Originals: nor even do any ancient Descriptions give us the / Idea of a fine Historical Picture. The cause of their superiority / in Marble may be this - Only conceive how the Sculptor
• Location: F. 14 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: must be exalted - knowing that he was forming a God! to be / worshipped by his Country! and by too, the Woman of his Heart! / He must indeed by fired by the highest Enthusiasm human / Nature could possibly feel. The enamoured Pygmalion in / such an Age might be almost excused. let therefore the / Moderns have preeminance in Painting, and for the / same reason the Ancients have in Sculpture - for / have not Modern Pictures been worshipped? / It is a combination of those excellencies that constitute / a perfect Historical Picture - for it requires equal power / to represent either Angel or Devil, Splendour or Poverty, / and every assemblage of Objects either in Light of Shade; / that we must equally enrapture the Limners [sic] Imagination. / We do not say such does not exist, but that it may: and / tho' Painting is a visible fiction, yet its perfections / depends [sic] on its resemblance to reality. Study to transcend, / not to vilify nature. / This is equally applicable to Portraits, that shew / the best moments - such Portraits diffuse Friendship / and renew Affection, even after Death: for what is represented / faithfully, not only delights, but is ever a soothing / memoir, that revives the dearest Feelings. / In this Country the Fluctuation of Fashions is greater / than in any other, and therefore is as often monstrous / as graceful: and our Characteristic is whimsically
• Location: F.14 verso
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: 11
• Location: F.15 recto, upper right
• Method of creation: Black ink

• Text: well expressed by a naked man with a vast variety of / Dresses placed all around him, and by speaking these words, / "I am an Englishman, and naked stand I here / Musing in my Mind, what Raiment shall I wear." / I have divided my number of Portraits into different / Series. The first Series contains Heads all on the same / scale, in so many Volumes; the next Series Heads on a / larger scale, and so of others: which avoids the Awkwardness / of seeing together the Head of a small Person, larger than / that of a large Person, and the reverse. I regret that / some of these Portraits were not more finished at the / time, but I had no Idea of a Collection 'till I found / insensibly the Accumulation. / The Author
• Location: F.15 recto
• Method of creation: Black ink

References and bibliographic entries

• John Downman 1750-1824; Landscape, figure studies and portraits of 'Distinguished persons' page(s): 75-6

Identification numbers

Accession number: 2314
Primary reference Number: 32997
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 14 November 2023 Last processed: Tuesday 14 November 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints