Study for ‘Patrons and Lovers of Art’ by Pieter Christoffel Wonder is a preliminary study for Wonder’s painting of an imaginary gallery hung with pictures from famous British collections. The portraits depict the main art collectors of the period. The composition celebrates the role of individual benefactors in the much celebrated foundation of the National Gallery (1824). On the left, kneeling in front of Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne, is George Watson Taylor (1771-1841), a collector of Italian Renaissance paintings. On the right, top hat in hand, is Sir John Murray (1768?-1827) who commissioned Wonder’s painting. Next to him, leaning forward, is the Rev. William Holwell-Carr (1758-1830), a benefactor of the newly formed National Gallery. Behind them, holding his palette, is the artist himself.
THE PORTRAIT PROJECT 