Edward Francis Burney – Portrait of Charles Parr Burney D.D. (painted c.1811-1821)

£750.00

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Portrait of Charles Parr Burney D.D. Watercolour over pencil with white highlights on paper, laid onto a contemporary wash-line mount. There are two paper labels which have been applied to the back of the original frame; the first is the framers label for Henry Hering of 137 Regent St. London. The second label is inscribed in pen and brown ink:

Charles Parr Burney D. D.
F. R. S (&?) son of Charles Burney
(…?) D Born 1758. Died 1817
Painted by E. F. Burney

The artist E. F. Burney and the sitter C. P. Burney were first cousins related, once removed. The print shown in the photos is in the collection of the RA and is not included in the sale.

Watercolour: 6 11/16 x 5 9/16 in. (17.1 x 14.2 cm.)
Backing Mount: 8 x 7 in. (20.3 x 17.8 cm.)
Frame: 14 7/8 x 13 7/8 in. (37.8 x 35.3 cm.)

Other Examples:

Engraved: by William Sharp (1749-1824) line engraving, published 1 December 1821, plate size; 14 1/2 in. x 12 1/2 in. (36.7 cm x 31.6 cm). Portrait Set Wheatley’s London (Vol 1, part 3)

The sitter is dressed in robes most likely to receive the doctorate awarded to him in 1822. A similar watercolour to ours in the collection of the British Museum shows Burney in the same pose wearing a coat instead of the robe, see below.

BM Collection: Watercolour by Charles Parr Burney (1760-1848): Registration number 1964,0613.2 / traditionally identified as Charles Burney, D.D. (1757-1817), head and shoulders. However, the curator remarks that a watermark of 1811 was found; ‘as the sitter appears to be younger than fifty-four, it is possible that the portrait is of Charles Burney’s son, the Reverend Charles Parr Burney (1786-1871), who took over his father’s school in 1813’. Charles Parr Burney’s dates should read (1785-1864).

PS: The inscription on the back of the original frame of our picture lends further proof that Charles Parr Burney can be positively identified as the sitter in our portrait.

Sir Thomas Lawrence: Some thought has been given to the idea that the original painting is by Sir Thomas Lawrence. His name has been given after the print in the collection at the Royal Academy. Again, the print has been listed as a portrait of Charles Burney, but this is incorrect. It may be possible that a portrait of Charles Burney was painted by Thomas Lawrence, but certainly not this one.

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Burney, Edward Francis (1760-1848)

Description

Charles Parr Burney (1785-1864), son of Charles Burney (1757-1817) schoolmaster, the grandson of Charles Burney (1726-1814) the musicologist and nephew of Fanny Burney (1752-1840) the novelist, was a wealthy schoolmaster and Archdeacon successively of St. Albans and of Colchester.

He was born in Chiswick, educated at Merton College, Oxford. He obtained his BA in 1808, MA 1811, BD and DD in 1822. From 1813 to 1833 he was headmaster of the school his father once ran at Greenwich. In 1838 he became the incumbent at Sible Hedingham, and in 1848 at Wickham Bishops. All these Essex parishes are near to each other.

He was Archdeacon of St Albans from 1840 to 1845; and then of Colchester until his death. As Archdeacon of Colchester, he attended the inaugural meeting of the Essex Archaeological Society at Colchester Town Hall in 1852.

He was a collector of watercolours and drawings which included Girtin’s fine study for a scene for Thomas Dibdin’s pantomime Harlequin’s Habeas showing la Rue Saint-Denis in Paris. The bulk of his drawings by or attributed to Girtin were, however, collaborations made with Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) for Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) such as An Unidentified Building and Column Set amongst Trees, Probably the Villa Negroni in Rome. These appear to have been acquired from Monro’s posthumous sale in 1833 and they passed by descent through the family. James Holland (1800–70) recorded how ‘At the sale of Dr Monro’s Drawings &c – Dr Burney and Turner met in the sale room’ and that Turner accused Burney of having ‘the bad taste to admire these things more than those I do now’ with Burney replying that on the contrary ‘I admire everything you do Mr Turner’. Burney was himself a distinguished amateur artist who’s carefully rendered topographical views deserve to be better known. Three of his etchings are in the collection of the British Museum.

He died on 1 November 1864: His son, also called Charles, was Archdeacon of Kingston-upon-Thames from 1879 to 1904.

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Burney, Edward Francis (1760-1848)

Edward Francis (also known as Francesco or Francisco) Burney was born in Worcester on September 7, 1760. He was the son of Richard Burney (1723-1792) and Elizabeth Humphries (c.1720-1771), the brother of Charles Rousseau Burney (1747-1819), the nephew of Charles Burney (1726-1814), and a favourite cousin of Frances Burney (1752-1840) In 1776, at the age of 16, Edward became a student at the Royal Academy School of Art. He received encouragement from Joshua Reynolds, then-president of the school. Edward exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art from 1780 through 1803. His collection included historical pieces and portraits of friends and family, including his cousin Frances (he was apparently too shy to paint other sitters). Though he was a capable oil portraitist, Edward worked mainly as an illustrator. In 1780, he exhibited three drawings to accompany Frances Burney's Evelina, one of which was later engraved and incorporated into a 1791 edition of the novel. He went on to do a series of illustrations for Milton's Paradise Lost, which are now held by the Huntington Library. Edward was influenced by the satirical style of Hogarth. In the 1820s, Edward did a set of four large watercolours which satirized musical and social life of the time: The Waltz and The Elegant Establishment for Young Ladies (held by the Victoria and Albert Museum), and Amateurs of Tye-Wig Music and The Glee Club, or, The Triumph of Music (held by the Yale Center for British Art). An oil version of Amateurs of Tye-Wig Music is available to view online at the Tate Gallery. Burney died in London on December 16, 1848, at the age of 88, and was buried in Marylebone. He was unmarried.

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