Exhibitions Huon Mallalieu

EXHIBITIONS HUON MALLALIEU THE VAUGHAN BEQUEST OF TURNERS National Galleries of Scotland and Ireland, both to 31st January

When it comes to the annual January Turner show in Edinburgh, we must pay homage to the benefactor, Henry Vaughan, a pioneer in cultural levelling-up.

His grandfather, father and brother, all called George, were successful London hatters, and the grandfather acted as an intermediary between the Prince of Wales and Sheridan’s Whigs during the 1788 Regency crisis.

The father built a large factory at Winterbourne, north of Bristol, but the family remained in Southwark, where Henry (1809-99) and his elder brother were born. It was a period when hats were de rigueur for gentlemen, worn by males of all classes. On his father’s death in 1830, Henry inherited enough to lead a leisured life, as a sleeping partner in the business.

He lived with his sister in a large house in Regent’s Park filled with works of art collected on Continental travels, as well as Old Master and British paintings, watercolours and prints.

In the 1840s, he met Turner, their acquaintanceship warmed by their similarly reclusive characters, and he formed one of the largest collections of Turner’s drawings and watercolours.

It was comprehensive in covering the artist’s whole career. Vaughan was unusual in that he valued preliminary sketches for the light they shed on working methods. Did Turner wear Vaughan hats, I wonder?

During his lifetime, Vaughan was generous in lending works for public exhibition, and he also donated treasures, notably Constable’s The Hay Wain, to the National Gallery in London in 1886. A year later, five Michelangelo drawings went to the British Museum. He stipulated that all loans and gifts be shown free of charge.

On his death, not only were the BM, V&A and University College London beneficiaries, but so too were the national galleries in Edinburgh and Dublin. Along with other drawings, Edinburgh received 38 Turner watercolours and Dublin 31.

Once again, Vaughan was ahead of his time in realising that many watercolours could be ruined by exposure to light (central heating can also be damaging),

Turner in a new light. From top: Harbour View (mid-1820s), The Piazzetta, Venice (1840), Loch Coruisk, Skye (1831-34)

and stipulated that they should be shown only together and in winter.

Every January since 1901, Edinburgh and Dublin have shown their Turners in carefully controlled conditions. Anyone paying a first visit will be thrilled to experience their true colours.

This year, Dublin has a double Turner burst. Until 6th February, nearly 90 more paintings and watercolours from Tate Britain are on display in Ireland for the first time – under the show title ‘Turner: The Sun Is God’.