Missing portraits of English and Scottish divines

Status
Not open for further replies.

Reformed Covenanter

Cancelled Commissioner
Does anyone have any idea why portraits of the divines listed below appear not to have survived? All the men listed below were fairly prominent, thus making it appear odd that no portrait of them was taken during their lifetime.

John Arrowsmith
Lewis Bayly
Anthony Burgess
Cornelis Burgess
Michael Bruce
David Dickson
John Dove
George Downame
James Durham
James Fergusson
Edward Fisher
Thomas Gataker
William Gurnall
Stephen Marshall
John Reading
Alexander Shields
Thomas Vincent

Those are all the names that I can think of for the time being.
 
Last edited:
Was there some who were reticent (modesty, some other reason) to have a portrait done? Was it that commonplace? Or considered extravagant? Durham may not have had the money. I recently learned he's buried in the crypt in Glasgow Cathedral; or at least is said to be but it is under renovations so was not a 100% confirmation.
Does anyone have any idea why portraits of the divines listed below appear not to have survived? All the men listed below were fairly prominent, thus making it appear odd that no portrait of them was taken during their lifetime.

John Arrowsmith
Lewis Bayly
Anthony Burgess
Michael Bruce
David Dickson
John Dove
George Downame
James Durham
James Fergusson
Edward Fisher
Thomas Gataker
William Gurnall
Stephen Marshall
John Reading
Alexander Shields
Thomas Vincent

Those are all the names that I can think of for the time being.
 
Was there some who were reticent (modesty, some other reason) to have a portrait done? Was it that commonplace? Or considered extravagant? Durham may not have had the money. I recently learned he's buried in the crypt in Glasgow Cathedral; or at least is said to be but it is under renovations so was not a 100% confirmation.

Those sound like plausible explanations. In the case of Alexander Shields and others, it may have been to evade persecution. I still find it odd that men like Burgess and Marshall, who preached in front of parliament, did not have even a pencil sketch taken of them.

P.S. I have added Cornelis Burgess to the list.
 
Chris said something about money. Since some of them died so young, it would make sense that could be an issue.
 
Wasn't Edward Fisher unknown until Thomas Boston made him famous? I think he died in debt.
 
It is the one that my friend, Crawford Gribben chose to use on the front cover of his recent biography of John Owen. I wonder if there are pictures of some of the above-mentioned divines in the Oxford libraries or colleges?

Indeed. That is how I became aware of this photo.

There have to be some paintings collecting dust in an attic or in someone's private collection. Please let me know if you happen upon one of Anthony Burgess and John Arrowsmith.
 
The Great Fire and others; there is the parliament fire that destroyed records and manuscripts like any original Westminster Assembly papers in 1834. It is possible I suppose some portraits survive in private hands or just put away, though I suspect being art less likely than manuscript. There are a lot of manuscripts hidden in plain sight. The descriptions tend to be inadequate so you never know what may be hiding in a nondescript "contains sermons" etc. volume.
Some also could have been lost in the great fire.
Indeed. That is how I became aware of this photo.

There have to be some paintings collecting dust in an attic or in someone's private collection. Please let me know if you happen upon one of Anthony Burgess and John Arrowsmith.
 
I have many that I purchased in print shops in Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, and London. I was also able to find many in the National Portrait Gallery in London. If they exist and anybody knows about them, they'll likely be there.
 
I have many that I purchased in print shops in Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, and London. I was also able to find many in the National Portrait Gallery in London. If they exist and anybody knows about them, they'll likely be there.
Do you have any of Anthony Burgess?
 
George Swinnock is another one that has slipped through the net. I was sure that I had seen a portrait of him before, but when I went to search for one it was nowhere to be found.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top