0:00:05 > 0:00:09Imagine a world that is very different from today.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11A world where there are no public galleries
0:00:11 > 0:00:14full of colourful paintings,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17where the names of great men like Leonardo da Vinci
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and Michelangelo are hardly known -
0:00:19 > 0:00:23where art is considered purely decorative
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and the artist a mere craftsman.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It's astonishing, yet this was Britain 400 years ago.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Since then, great works of art have flooded onto British shores
0:00:35 > 0:00:39and our appreciation of art and artists has been transformed.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42This is the story of the private collectors who brought
0:00:42 > 0:00:45a wealth of treasures from overseas,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48whose patronage encouraged British-born artists and whose
0:00:48 > 0:00:52personal passion for art and individual taste helped create this
0:00:52 > 0:00:56cultural revolution and shaped the artistic direction of our nation.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03In this programme,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07I'll be looking at the golden age of collecting in the 18th century.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12Before this, just a handful of privileged men and women had travelled abroad,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15developing a pioneering passion for art.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21But now, this enthusiasm spread throughout the entire aristocracy,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26who began importing the very best European paintings by the ship-load.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29They've got gold and they've got silver
0:01:29 > 0:01:31and, you know, people are quite happy to take that.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I'll explore how the appreciation of art offered a new
0:01:35 > 0:01:37form of cultural currency.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40And as their collections grew,
0:01:40 > 0:01:46art-lovers like Thomas Coke created grand country seats to display them.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Houses like this were built for show.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54I'll see how the rich and powerful Dukes of Richmond at Goodwood House
0:01:54 > 0:01:58supported the revolutionary idea that the view from a window
0:01:58 > 0:02:00could be a worthy subject for a painting.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07And how Petworth House, and the third Earl of Egremont,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11its bohemian owner, helped establish the painters who would become
0:02:11 > 0:02:13the great masters of British art.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38London, at the dawn of the 18th century.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45The Act of Union between England and Scotland
0:02:45 > 0:02:48had created a new nation - Great Britain -
0:02:48 > 0:02:52poised to enjoy a period of peace and prosperity.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04In this newly affluent age, the leading patrons of the arts
0:03:04 > 0:03:07would not be the monarchy, but Britain's landed gentry -
0:03:07 > 0:03:11more numerous and more wealthy than ever before.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23A powerful new breed of connoisseur collector was emerging -
0:03:23 > 0:03:29a culturally informed aristocrat, who would use art to define status.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31It was their money, and their taste,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35that would shape the artistic direction of this nation.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47This was a time when young aristocrats were expected
0:03:47 > 0:03:51to earn their cultural credentials with a Grand Tour of Europe -
0:03:51 > 0:03:54often lasting several years.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59With a tutor to keep them on the straight and narrow,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Italy was a favourite destination.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06They took in all the major sights and art galleries -
0:04:06 > 0:04:10including the Uffizi in Florence and the Colosseum in Rome.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16It was essential to return with an enviable collection of artwork,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20as proof you'd matured into a person of taste and discernment.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31And there was one man who, more than any other,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35embodied this new, culturally confident age.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Celebrated by his peers as England's Apollo of the Arts,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Richard Boyle, third Earl of Burlington,
0:04:43 > 0:04:48returned from his Grand Tour with enough treasures to fill 800 trunks.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Inspired by the work of the Italian Renaissance architect, Palladio,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01he built this magnificent Thames-side villa, not to live in,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but to house his newly acquired collection.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Burlington's neo-Palladian style,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15with its restrained facades and rational planning,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18became a hallmark of 18th-century Britain.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27This unique marriage of art and architecture
0:05:27 > 0:05:31set the benchmark for every serious British collector.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39The tasteful display of your art would become a sign of social status
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and intellectual sophistication.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50While most of Burlington's collection has now been dispersed,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53numerous British aristocrats would follow his example
0:05:53 > 0:05:55on a much grander scale -
0:05:55 > 0:06:00showing off the highlights of their collection in country retreats
0:06:00 > 0:06:04often extended, or even specially built for the purpose.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Agricultural wealth pouring into East Anglia at this time
0:06:27 > 0:06:30funded the construction of Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35This great Palladian villa was created in the 1730s,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38under Burlington's supervision, for Thomas Coke,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41who later became first Earl of Leicester.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The house was conceived as the perfect setting
0:06:48 > 0:06:50for Coke's art collection.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And it embodies the taste of a new generation
0:06:53 > 0:06:55of 18th-century connoisseurs.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Today, great works by the 17th-century masters,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05such as Rubens, hang at Holkham.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Because Coke's Grand Tour lasted six years -
0:07:09 > 0:07:11making it the longest in history.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16He bought Van Dycks and picked out the very best paintings
0:07:16 > 0:07:20and statues by the Italian artists like Guido Reni.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26There were many great collections being built up at this time,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28but what makes Holkham stand out for me
0:07:28 > 0:07:31is the way that house and collection grew together.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34It's the perfect Grand Tour house,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37built in the style and spirit of the age.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50But Thomas Coke wasn't always a studious and refined art lover.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53His parents died when he was just ten years old,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and Coke was adopted by his grandparents,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59who took his education very seriously.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04When he became a little too keen on hunting and cockfighting,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08they sent him off on the obligatory cultural tour overseas.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The current Viscount Coke and his family still live here at Holkham
0:08:14 > 0:08:18where the archives contain a fascinating personal account
0:08:18 > 0:08:23of how the boisterous young Coke was seduced by the art of Italy.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26You get the impression that he really caught
0:08:26 > 0:08:28the Grand Tour bug in a big way.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29Yes, absolutely.
0:08:29 > 0:08:36This is a letter which we have which he wrote in 1714,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40so a year in, from Rome, to his uncle.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45"I have become since my stay at Rome a perfect virtuoso
0:08:45 > 0:08:50"and a great lover of pictures, even so far as to venture
0:08:50 > 0:08:55"to encroach on the kindness of my guardians in having bought some few."
0:08:55 > 0:08:59So it really sounds as though he was asking for more pocket money!
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Yes! And thankfully it was given,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03because he was able to buy yet more treasures.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07And I suppose then at this point he realised that he needed
0:09:07 > 0:09:10to create somewhere to put all the things that he bought?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Yes. I mean, houses like this were built for show.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17To show off to the public and to visitors and to your guests
0:09:17 > 0:09:23your collection and vis-a-vis your learning and your knowledge.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35The pioneering collectors that travelled to Europe
0:09:35 > 0:09:37100 years previously,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39favoured the great Renaissance artists,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41like Titian and Leonardo da Vinci.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47But demand soon out-stripped supply,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50inflating prices beyond what most buyers were prepared to pay.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55To prevent Italy being completely stripped of its treasures,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Italian authorities imposed laws
0:09:57 > 0:10:00making old masters almost impossible to export.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So the art lovers of Thomas Coke's generation
0:10:05 > 0:10:08began to develop broader tastes.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15By the time Coke set off on his Grand Tour, the art market was
0:10:15 > 0:10:18leading prospective picture-buyers in a new direction,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and certain previously over-looked artists
0:10:21 > 0:10:24were becoming the new collectables.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Rome, with its ancient ruins,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33was one of the highlights of the Grand Tour.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36And here, British travellers were enchanted by the work of
0:10:36 > 0:10:39the 17th-century classical painter Claude,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43who had long been a favourite among Roman cardinals.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And no-one more so than Thomas Coke.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56The Landscape Room here at Holkham is a real gem of British collecting.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03It contains one of the finest groups of Claude's work in private hands -
0:11:03 > 0:11:07still hung exactly as it was in Thomas Coke's day.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13At first glance, we might think these are simply pastoral scenes.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18But in Coke's day, collectors wanted more than that.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22The narrative aspect of a painting was still very important
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and each of these actually depicts a scene from classical mythology.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Claude was a very methodical painter,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35using certain building blocks, such as the lone tree, the classical ruin
0:11:35 > 0:11:39and the distant mountains again and again in his paintings.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43His skill was in arranging these into a different composition
0:11:43 > 0:11:48each time, creating a series of imaginary landscapes.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Claude had really stumbled across the perfect formula
0:11:53 > 0:11:56to appeal to the 18th-century English aristocrat.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Because his paintings combine the viewer's desire
0:11:59 > 0:12:02for intellectual content - by their all-important references
0:12:02 > 0:12:07to classical narratives - with the beautiful landscape background.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Claude's carefully composed images of nature
0:12:14 > 0:12:19inspired a new fashion for landscape gardening amongst the aristocracy
0:12:19 > 0:12:23who tried to emulate these scenes on their country estates.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30As an early collector of Claude's work, Thomas Coke was paving the way
0:12:30 > 0:12:33for the new genre of landscape painting,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37which would become such an important part of the story of art in this country.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Thomas Coke continued to collect art for the house
0:12:44 > 0:12:47right up until his death in 1759.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50At a time when Britain had no National Art Gallery,
0:12:50 > 0:12:56the cultural influence of private collections like this was significant.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01A personal invitation to visit somewhere like Holkham was
0:13:01 > 0:13:05the only opportunity most people would ever get to see
0:13:05 > 0:13:08really first-class art in this country.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13The house, and the influential collection that remains here,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16are Thomas Coke's lasting legacy.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The remarkable thing about the 18th century
0:13:21 > 0:13:25was that passionate art-lovers like Thomas Coke were not a one-off.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28This has become known as the golden age of British collecting
0:13:28 > 0:13:30with very good reason.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It was a time when our pursuit of art reached fever pitch,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and many wealthy aristocrats were dedicating themselves,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and their considerable fortunes, to the cause.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52In a boom year like 1725, the British imported
0:13:52 > 0:13:57over 750 paintings and 6,000 prints from Italy alone.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Such was the enthusiasm for art, there was
0:14:06 > 0:14:09even a new gentleman's club founded by and for British collectors.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16The Society of Dilettanti, of which Thomas Coke was an early member,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19allowed Grand Tourists to develop the artistic knowledge
0:14:19 > 0:14:22they'd gained abroad upon their return home.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It was also a riotous all-male club.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Horace Walpole observed that, "The nominal qualification is
0:14:31 > 0:14:35"having been in Italy, and the real one, being drunk in Rome."
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Historian Jeremy Black
0:14:42 > 0:14:46has spent many years studying this particularly vibrant period.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So here we are at the Uffizi and you really get the idea
0:14:49 > 0:14:51it's the golden age of collecting, don't you?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53They all look so passionate about what they're doing.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55They're certainly passionate!
0:14:55 > 0:14:57In fact, you'll notice them all gazing there at the nude!
0:14:57 > 0:14:59You see a number of features.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01First of all, you have a lot of people here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03You've got a literal account of what was on the walls.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06This is one of the reasons people purchased paintings like this.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Because it, as it were, was a record of the art.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12There's several different forms of art co-existing
0:15:12 > 0:15:15when the British buy art in Italy.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17So it's the very richness,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20the multiplicity of cultural worlds and the opportunities,
0:15:20 > 0:15:25therefore, for collectors, as collectors, to both educate
0:15:25 > 0:15:28themselves in different styles, and to basically acquire what they like.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31They are really the big international collectors
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- by this point, aren't they? - Yes. The British are the great international collectors.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Many of the aristocratic Grand Tourists not only use
0:15:37 > 0:15:39agricultural wealth, but also used
0:15:39 > 0:15:42the wealth from the coal that is dug up from their estates.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44They've got gold and they've got silver
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and, you know, people are quite happy to take that.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49One of the ways you show your taste,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and of course spend the family money,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55is by going round Europe, purchasing things, seeing things,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57acquiring what they called virtu.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And you really want to bring back a few pictures to show that
0:16:00 > 0:16:01you've been there, don't you?
0:16:01 > 0:16:03You bring back pictures to show you've been there.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05You bring them back because, also, you want things
0:16:05 > 0:16:08to hang on your walls, which is very important.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11All of these people are building nice houses in Britain,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13these grand 18th-century houses,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17with these high ceilings, many more spaces for paintings.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19So they need paintings to go in there.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And there are some cases of people actually specifying
0:16:22 > 0:16:24the size of painting they wanted.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28But also, even if you've got paintings already,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31some of the old paintings might be gloomy, they might be
0:16:31 > 0:16:33damaged by water or the years,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37so to have some bright painting, splashed in colour,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40- showing where you had been, that was great.- Yes.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50By the mid-18th century, Venice had usurped Rome
0:16:50 > 0:16:54as the favourite destination of British Grand Tourists.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01A cosmopolitan centre of trade where anything was possible,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05then as now, the city thoroughly seduced British visitors.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11And all were all keen to take home a visual record of their trip.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17This spawned a whole new art market as Venetian painters supplied
0:17:17 > 0:17:21city views for the endless streams of foreign visitors.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25And one artist's output
0:17:25 > 0:17:28particularly caught the eye of British collectors -
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Giovanni Antonio Canal, who we now know as Canaletto.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Canaletto had begun his career painting theatrical scenery.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42It was a training ground that served him well.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48He often took a view from two perspectives
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and then combined them into a single, more expansive image -
0:17:52 > 0:17:55rather like using a wide-angle lens.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Long before the Impressionists, Canaletto was painting out of doors,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10recording scenes from everyday life.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23From the carefully observed view before him,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Canaletto created an enhanced, augmented Venice of his own.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29And it was Canaletto's version of Venice
0:18:29 > 0:18:33that the British Grand Tourists wanted to hang on their walls -
0:18:33 > 0:18:35to remind them of their travels in Italy
0:18:35 > 0:18:38during the long, cold winters back home.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Canaletto soon became Venice's most popular contemporary painter.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02But behind many a great artist, there's a canny agent.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Canaletto would not have enjoyed such success without
0:19:05 > 0:19:09the help of British entrepreneur, Joseph Smith.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Smith started out in Venice as a fish merchant, but soon realised
0:19:13 > 0:19:17there was much more money to be made in pictures than in fish.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21He had the three main attributes of any successful dealer -
0:19:21 > 0:19:25a good eye, an instinct for what the market wanted
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and a natural ability to negotiate.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It was not for nothing that he became known
0:19:30 > 0:19:32as The Merchant of Venice.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47In many ways, it was Joseph Smith that made Canaletto's career.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49As Canaletto's main agent,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Smith kept a close eye on the artist's output,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and used his British connections to their mutual benefit.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Joseph Smith knew everyone who was anyone in Venice,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05and he often held soirees to entertain visiting British aristocrats.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08During the course of the evening, he would ply them with wine and then
0:20:08 > 0:20:12produce a catalogue containing examples of Canaletto's work.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19It proved to be a very successful formula.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Together, Smith and Canaletto enjoyed a roaring trade.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26There are now more of Canaletto's Venetian views in Britain
0:20:26 > 0:20:29than there are in Venice itself.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34And it was Joseph Smith that introduced Canaletto
0:20:34 > 0:20:38to the Englishman who would become a pivotal figure in his career -
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Charles Lennox, the second Duke of Richmond.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Richmond was born on the family estate at Goodwood,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58in West Sussex, in 1701.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04His father, the illegitimate son of Charles II,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07had used his family connections to amass
0:21:07 > 0:21:10one of the art collections of the 17th century.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18So, like many young aristocrats of his generation,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20the second Duke had grown up surrounded by
0:21:20 > 0:21:23a significant collection of paintings -
0:21:23 > 0:21:25including beautiful works by Van Dyck.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Richmond inherited the family passion for art.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41But when the 18-year-old set off on his Grand Tour,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43it was more than a cultural trip -
0:21:43 > 0:21:46there was an added incentive to escape.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51He'd been forcibly married off to Sarah Cadogan,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55the 13-year-old daughter of a British ambassador,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57in order to settle his father's gambling debt.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03He spent the next three years enjoying all the delights
0:22:03 > 0:22:07of the Continent, including those of an Italian mistress!
0:22:07 > 0:22:10On his return, he decided to spend his last night of freedom
0:22:10 > 0:22:13at the theatre, where he was bowled over
0:22:13 > 0:22:17by the beauty of one of the young ladies in the audience.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21On enquiring who she might be, he was delighted to discover
0:22:21 > 0:22:24that she was, in fact, his own wife.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33The shy teenager he'd spurned three years previously
0:22:33 > 0:22:36had blossomed into a vivacious young woman.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38And their forced marriage matured into
0:22:38 > 0:22:41one of the great love affairs of the century.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Shortly after he returned home,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Richmond commissioned some Venetian views by Canaletto
0:22:50 > 0:22:53as a souvenir of his adventures in Italy.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00The paintings were a great success with the Duke,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04who proudly displayed them at Richmond House, his home in London.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10In Richmond, Canaletto had gained a very useful English admirer,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14because his lucrative Venetian market would not last for ever.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27In 1740, the War of Austrian Succession plunged
0:23:27 > 0:23:31the Continent into a period of political turmoil,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34which discouraged all but the most determined British tourists.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Canaletto's art market in Venice crashed,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and he needed to look elsewhere.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Hoping the British aristocrats who had commissioned him
0:23:48 > 0:23:52so abundantly in Italy would do the same back home,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Canaletto travelled to England.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Entering London in 1746, he found himself in the largest
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and fastest growing city in Western Europe,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08a vibrant artistic centre,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12where careers could be re-launched and fortunes repaired.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Armed with a letter of recommendation from Joseph Smith,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21the artist was pinning his hopes on one particular patron.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Canaletto went straight to the Duke of Richmond's house in London.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And it was Richmond who would give the artist
0:24:29 > 0:24:33his first commission on British soil, AND an all-important
0:24:33 > 0:24:35introduction to the English social scene.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41But the Duke was not alone in supporting Canaletto.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47In the Goodwood archives, an intriguing letter from Richmond's
0:24:47 > 0:24:51former tutor, Thomas Hill, reveals several people had been
0:24:51 > 0:24:56working behind the scenes to secure Canaletto's first London commission.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03The idea was hatched over a drunken dinner attended by Hill
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and a flamboyant character called Owen McSwiney -
0:25:06 > 0:25:09who would become Canaletto's main agent in London.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15We have this wonderful letter, in the archive, which is dated
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Tuesday May the 20th, 1746.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21So that's interesting cos that was before Canaletto came to England
0:25:21 > 0:25:25- for the first time.- Yeah, so this is sort of preparing the way.
0:25:25 > 0:25:31And in it he mentions sort of our old friend McSwiney.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33McSwiney, this wonderful Irish agent.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Yes, the rogue who in many ways performed these introductions,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41but you never quite know what was going on in the background.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43- Certainly he was friendly to the Duke.- Yes.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46And he says, Hill says to the Duke,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50"I told him, the best service I thought you could do him,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54"would be to let him draw a view of the river from your dining room,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57"which in my opinion would gain him as much reputation
0:25:57 > 0:26:01"as any of his Venetian prospects."
0:26:01 > 0:26:05This commission then, from the Duke of Richmond, was pretty
0:26:05 > 0:26:08instrumental in starting Canaletto's career in England, wasn't it?
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Yes, and I think that's why Canaletto took
0:26:11 > 0:26:16so much trouble over the two paintings from Richmond House,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20where he really pulled out all the stops to produce superb paintings.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Because once they'd been given the seal of approval by
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- the Duke of Richmond, he'd really arrived.- Yes.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29And they would be seen by all the most important people in the country.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33He was really trying to sell himself by doing this commission.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The paintings captured the view from the Duke's townhouse in London.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51But they were specifically conceived
0:26:51 > 0:26:53for the walls of his estate at Goodwood
0:26:53 > 0:26:55where they still hang today.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Canaletto's paintings are subtly balanced compositions,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05using unusual angles and fragments of buildings
0:27:05 > 0:27:08to create the impression that we're just looking out of a window,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11catching a glimpse of life going on outside.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Like in his Venetian scenes, he's also enhanced the view here -
0:27:17 > 0:27:20enlarging the sweep of the Thames to add a feeling of grandeur
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and to bring St Paul's into view centre-stage.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Another charming thing about Canaletto's paintings is
0:27:29 > 0:27:31his use of figures in the foreground.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35They're so minutely observed and meticulously painted.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Look at those men with their frock coats
0:27:37 > 0:27:41and ladies with their full skirts, promenading along the terrace.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Richmond's commission was a pivotal moment, not just for Canaletto,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56but for the development of art in Britain.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Up to this point,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01landscape paintings had always included
0:28:01 > 0:28:04historical or mythological references,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06to give them intellectual appeal.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12But Canaletto took the revolutionary step of leaving this out altogether.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16These are pure cityscapes,
0:28:16 > 0:28:21celebrating the beauty of buildings and the joys of city life.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Canaletto showed us that it was quite acceptable
0:28:30 > 0:28:34to paint places as a subject in their own right.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41The idea that art could simply capture the contemporary view
0:28:41 > 0:28:45from a window would gather momentum as the 18th century progressed.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52At this point, Britain's aristocracy were riding high.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56They controlled the government, owned most of the land
0:28:56 > 0:28:59and enjoyed enormous personal wealth.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06And as the population of the capital swelled,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10those lucky enough to own country estates increasingly spurned
0:29:10 > 0:29:14the booming city for the quieter pleasures of rural life.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21The shift in focus from city to country went hand-in-hand
0:29:21 > 0:29:25with the increasing popularity of country pursuits.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32And this would present a great opportunity for a new genre in art
0:29:32 > 0:29:37that reflected the favourite pastimes of wealthy British patrons.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Suddenly, the land-owner wanted not only a portrait of himself,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44but of his horses and hounds too.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57The estate at Goodwood was already famed for its hunting parties.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01When Charles Lennox succeeded his father,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03becoming the third Duke of Richmond,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07he proved an equally passionate animal-lover.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10An early portrait shows him caressing his favourite dogs.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16With peace restored on the Continent,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19the Duke was able to follow in his father's footsteps,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22embarking on an extensive Grand Tour.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27As well as the usual stopping points in France and Italy,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30the Duke spent several months in Holland,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33studying anatomy at Leiden University.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37It was a very formative time.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41The scientific grounding that he gained here
0:30:41 > 0:30:45would profoundly influence his artistic tastes in later life.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50On his return home, the Duke threw himself into making his mark
0:30:50 > 0:30:54on Goodwood House, and the art collection it contained.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12With his love of animals and country pursuits,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15it's not surprising that the third Duke was quick to embrace
0:31:15 > 0:31:18the newly popularised sporting portrait.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21And, in being the first to spot the potential of an unknown
0:31:21 > 0:31:25equestrian painter who would go on to define the genre,
0:31:25 > 0:31:27the Duke would have a major influence
0:31:27 > 0:31:30on the development of British art.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41In the 1750s,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44the Duke began a palatial new stable block at Goodwood.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Observers commented that his horses lived in greater luxury than he did.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56It was here, in the stable-boys' quarters,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59that a little-known English artist stayed for nine months
0:31:59 > 0:32:03while he worked on his first major commission.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10George Stubbs was the Liverpool-born son of a leather worker.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15Like the third Duke, he had also studied anatomy from an early age.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20His early career had been unremarkable -
0:32:20 > 0:32:23a few run-of-the-mill portraits of local dignitaries -
0:32:23 > 0:32:25but not much else!
0:32:26 > 0:32:28But at the age of 32,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33Stubbs immersed himself in a project that would transform his art.
0:32:34 > 0:32:40Striving to emulate the anatomical accuracy of Leonardo da Vinci,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43who he so admired, Stubbs spent 18 months
0:32:43 > 0:32:47holed up in a remote farmhouse, dissecting horses
0:32:47 > 0:32:50to study the intricacies of their bones and muscles.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Even before Stubbs published his ground-breaking
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Anatomy Of The Horse,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18his drawings were already being circulated, and admired.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28It was while he was working on this that he first
0:33:28 > 0:33:31came into contact with the third Duke of Richmond.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34In fact, it was probably their shared passion for horses
0:33:34 > 0:33:37and anatomy that brought them together.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47The Duke was taking a huge risk in commissioning
0:33:47 > 0:33:51a totally unknown painter, but he recognised
0:33:51 > 0:33:54that Stubbs' drawings had life-like accuracy
0:33:54 > 0:33:56that no other artist had achieved.
0:33:59 > 0:34:06And in 1759, Richmond gave Stubbs his first major commission -
0:34:06 > 0:34:11to produce a series of equestrian portraits for Goodwood House.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16The paintings that Stubbs created
0:34:16 > 0:34:19still form part of the family collection today.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27They feature views of racehorses in the park,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29as well as hunting and shooting parties in the grounds.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34They're a fascinating historical record of daily life
0:34:34 > 0:34:37on a landed estate.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40And they're full of intriguing details.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46The main figure in this picture is Henry Fox,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50with whom the Duke's sister scandalously eloped.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Stubbs also features servants, indicating the Duke's status
0:34:54 > 0:34:57as a gentleman in charge of a large household.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Stubbs raised the status of sporting painting to become
0:35:02 > 0:35:05a form of country group portrait.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14This celebration of rural life heralded a new direction in art.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Before long, British collectors would fall in love with landscape
0:35:22 > 0:35:24as a subject in its own right.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29STAG ROARS
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Following the success of his work for the Duke of Richmond,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36commissions from other landed gentry came flooding in.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43With Richmond's support and backing,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Stubbs was able to realise his full potential.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49He cast aside his days as a struggling portraitist,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53and emerged as the artist that defined a genre in painting
0:35:53 > 0:35:57and captured a particular moment in British rural life.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02And Stubbs' enduring popularity
0:36:02 > 0:36:05would not be the third Duke's only contribution.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15By the mid-18th century, many British collectors were
0:36:15 > 0:36:20beginning to recognise and support our home-grown talent.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23But Richmond realised that our artists were still
0:36:23 > 0:36:26struggling against their foreign competitors.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35France and Italy had art academies that recognised rising talent
0:36:35 > 0:36:37with medals and prizes.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42They also had sculpture galleries and life-drawing classes -
0:36:42 > 0:36:44allowing students to study the human form.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50But Britain still had no national art school,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and no public sculpture galleries.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57While Richmond could visit the collections of other
0:36:57 > 0:37:00art-loving aristocrats, these were in private homes
0:37:00 > 0:37:03and we're not easily accessible to budding artists.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08With his scientific background, Richmond understood
0:37:08 > 0:37:14the artistic importance of anatomical study better than most.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18So he came up with a plan to give young British painters
0:37:18 > 0:37:22the same facilities enjoyed by their continental counterparts.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27The Duke of Richmond created a new purpose-built sculpture gallery
0:37:27 > 0:37:31at his London home, to give British painters a rare opportunity
0:37:31 > 0:37:33to study and draw the human form.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36The venture began with the best intentions.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40But it was not long before the Duke was called away to the Continent
0:37:40 > 0:37:41on military matters.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45On his return home, he found a sarcastic note pinned to the door,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48complaining about the lack of prizes.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Rather disgruntled, the Duke closed his gallery immediately.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Richmond's scheme may have been imperfectly realised,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08but the idea behind it was symptomatic of a growing awareness
0:38:08 > 0:38:10that artists needed a formal school.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Such schemes paved the way
0:38:13 > 0:38:16for the foundation of London's Royal Academy a decade later.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27The academy offered public lectures on art,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30as well as drawing classes and an annual exhibition
0:38:30 > 0:38:32where potential patrons could view the work
0:38:32 > 0:38:35of the most promising contemporary artists.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42The first meeting was held on December 14th 1768,
0:38:42 > 0:38:47chaired by the academy's first president, Joshua Reynolds.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52The son of a clergyman,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Reynolds studied art in London before travelling to Rome,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58where he absorbed the work of the great masters.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03Reynolds returned to London
0:39:03 > 0:39:07inspired to raise British portrait painting to a whole new level.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13His unrivalled draftsmanship,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16combined with his ability to flatter,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20soon made him a great favourite amongst the English aristocracy.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Everyone who was anyone was painted by Reynolds,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26including the third Duke of Richmond.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Reynolds was the perfect choice for the first
0:39:31 > 0:39:33president of the Royal Academy.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38Not only was he a great artist, but he was also very socially confident,
0:39:38 > 0:39:43and a smooth operator - which stood him in very good stead at a time
0:39:43 > 0:39:47when the social status of the artist was still highly questionable.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50The Royal Academy, with Reynolds at its head,
0:39:50 > 0:39:55raised the whole profession of painting in Britain.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00It also changed the way collectors saw art and artists.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04The Royal Academy quickly established itself
0:40:04 > 0:40:07at the heart of the London arts scene,
0:40:07 > 0:40:12and became an essential destination for every serious art collector.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15What's quite fascinating about the Royal Academy is obviously
0:40:15 > 0:40:19it was an institution where artists could learn, could study.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21But it gave them a lot more than that, didn't it?
0:40:21 > 0:40:23It did. I mean, at its heart it was a school.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26But it also brought in the marketplace.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29And so the unusual aspect of the academy is that you had
0:40:29 > 0:40:30everything under one roof.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33You had the schools, you had the annual exhibition
0:40:33 > 0:40:36and that became the great shop window for all of the artists
0:40:36 > 0:40:39associated with the academy and any other professional painter
0:40:39 > 0:40:42that wanted to send their work - and sculptor -
0:40:42 > 0:40:45to the exhibition, held every year in May.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47They all took part,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49very enthusiastic to hang their paintings.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51I mean, it's a wonderful sight, isn't it!
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It's incredible! It's spectacular, really!
0:40:54 > 0:40:56This room was designed to be a gallery by William Chambers,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00so it's the first purpose-built gallery, as such, in London.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03- Certainly of this scale. - And look at them all.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07I mean, you can why understand some of the artists were a bit peeved
0:41:07 > 0:41:09if theirs were hung right at the top of the wall.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11- It's called skying.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14You get lots of comments from people in letters saying,
0:41:14 > 0:41:15they skied my picture.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Which meant that they'd hung it up certainly near the ceiling there.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21But equally, it could be hung near the skirting board,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25and that was even more risky, because you would often find
0:41:25 > 0:41:29your canvas was damaged by umbrellas and hobnail boots and suchlike.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- I see.- But it was an incredibly crowded space.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35And in this image, you have the Prince of Wales here,
0:41:35 > 0:41:39being escorted by Joshua Reynolds. You can see his ear-trumpet.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Being a shop window, that's a lovely idea.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44And how did they go about introducing the artists
0:41:44 > 0:41:45to the patrons?
0:41:45 > 0:41:48The most important night of the year was, without doubt,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50the annual dinner, the banquet that the academy held
0:41:50 > 0:41:52at the beginning of each exhibition.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- They swiftly realised its potential as a networking event.- Yes.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58And the artists mingled amongst their guests
0:41:58 > 0:42:03and so you could position yourself next to the person that you
0:42:03 > 0:42:07were desperately hoping would become your patron, and so really
0:42:07 > 0:42:11this was a golden opportunity to rub shoulders and get some business.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14That's a lovely moment for British art, actually, because it's
0:42:14 > 0:42:17British artists taking themselves seriously for the first time.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18It is.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22And so that's obviously the social side of what went on at the academy.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26But this is very much the more studious side, isn't it?
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Is that the Royal Academy schools?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31This is a representation of the Life Academy,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34as it was called, which was the service that the academy
0:42:34 > 0:42:37brought that really no-one else was able to offer.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41You had access to the living human nude figure to draw from,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43both male and female,
0:42:43 > 0:42:45which was highly unusual in Europe at that time.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Most countries - France, for instance -
0:42:47 > 0:42:51wouldn't have provided female nude models to draw from for the schools.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- Very forward-looking! - Very forward-looking.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56But again, I think this shows the ambition
0:42:56 > 0:42:58of what was going on with the academy.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00They thought, right, we can do what no-one else is doing.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03The British School is going to be the best.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05They're going to have the best materials to study from.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07We're going to have the best school in Europe.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10And so this is almost like an official group portrait
0:43:10 > 0:43:14of the very early academy, painted by Zoffany for the King.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23British artists now enjoyed the recognition
0:43:23 > 0:43:25and social status they had lacked for so long.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32And a central space to show and market their work.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39The public could see brand-new output by rising British artists.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44By the late 18th century, the enjoyment of art had become
0:43:44 > 0:43:47a respectable form of popular entertainment.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51And not just in London.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56Visiting the private collections in our great country houses was
0:43:56 > 0:44:01now a favourite national pastime, and newly published guidebooks
0:44:01 > 0:44:04outlined the many remarkable art works that could be seen.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Where once Britain's collections had been accessible to just
0:44:14 > 0:44:19a select few, increasingly, owners were willing to open their doors
0:44:19 > 0:44:23and share their homes with an inquisitive and appreciative public.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29And there was one man who, perhaps more than any other,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32moved the story of art patronage into the modern age.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Rather than employ artists to do his bidding,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37he invited them into his home
0:44:37 > 0:44:42to enjoy his collection and explore their own creative talents.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46He gave them the freedom to paint whatever they wanted.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59This forward-thinking patron was George Wyndham,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01third Earl of Egremont -
0:45:01 > 0:45:04the bohemian owner of Petworth House in West Sussex.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Petworth, and the art collection it contained,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14was a place of inspiration for a young British painter who would
0:45:14 > 0:45:20become the star of his generation - Joseph Mallord William Turner.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27Petworth Park, glowing with the colours of sunset,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30would be immortalised in some of his finest work.
0:45:44 > 0:45:50Egremont was just a 12-year-old boy when his father died, in 1763.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54But his 70-year term at Petworth is often described as
0:45:54 > 0:45:58a golden age in the history of the house and its collection.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Egremont grew up to be a forward thinking and benevolent landlord,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11allowing local villagers to use his parkland as they pleased.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14One French visitor observed with surprise,
0:46:14 > 0:46:19"He suffers the peasants of his village to play bowls and cricket
0:46:19 > 0:46:21"on the lawn before the house,
0:46:21 > 0:46:25"to scribble on the walls, and even on the glass of his windows."
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Egremont was also a liberal and generous host.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38Petworth became home-from-home for many contemporary British artists,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41who were free to explore the house and grounds,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44as well as Egremont's extensive art collection.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48One aspiring English painter,
0:46:48 > 0:46:52wrote home excitedly of dining in a room full of Van Dycks.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00By the end of the 18th century, great houses like Petworth
0:47:00 > 0:47:04were bearing the fruits of 150 years of art collecting in Britain.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06Thanks to our many passionate collectors,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10it was no longer necessary to travel abroad to experience
0:47:10 > 0:47:14first-class works of art. They could now be enjoyed at home.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21When it came to art,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Egremont was known as a man who thought for himself.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29During his lifetime, he expanded the family collection
0:47:29 > 0:47:35to over 600 paintings - particularly favouring contemporary British talent.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42In his North Gallery here at Petworth, Egremont radically
0:47:42 > 0:47:46chose to allow paintings and sculpture to inter-mingle.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50And hung paintings by old masters of the past
0:47:50 > 0:47:54alongside new works by British artists - as equals.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Egremont was, of course,
0:48:01 > 0:48:06a regular guest at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10And it was here that he first spotted a strikingly original piece
0:48:10 > 0:48:13by the young English artist, Turner.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Egremont snapped up the painting for his collection, and it was
0:48:18 > 0:48:23the start of a lifelong friendship between artist and patron.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26For the current Lady Egremont,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29it remains a particularly powerful painting.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31So this is your favourite painting in the whole collection.
0:48:31 > 0:48:36Yes, it is. It was the first picture that Lord Egremont bought.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40He bought it in 1802, from the Royal Academy,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42before he really knew Turner.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44And what's interesting about the picture is that there's
0:48:44 > 0:48:47a huge amount of sky, a huge amount of sea.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49And the actual incident of what's going on
0:48:49 > 0:48:51is in quite a narrow band in the middle.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Yes, you're right, that's fascinating.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56It's a very patriotic picture, in the sense that there's
0:48:56 > 0:49:00a great British warship, right here, in the background,
0:49:00 > 0:49:03which would have been flying - right in the middle of the picture -
0:49:03 > 0:49:06the red ensign, which is the naval flag
0:49:06 > 0:49:11because this is 1802, and it's three years before
0:49:11 > 0:49:16the battle of Trafalgar, and we were petrified of the French.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19We thought they might invade.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23And so this ship would have been patrolling the Channel,
0:49:23 > 0:49:28and Turner's put it there as a sort of calm, silent ship at anchorage.
0:49:28 > 0:49:29Giving it pride of place.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31And it's a sort of contrast to the drama that's
0:49:31 > 0:49:35- happening on the right-hand side. - Yes, that's beautiful, that balance.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37So do you find you come and look at this picture quite often?
0:49:37 > 0:49:41I do. This is the one I'm drawn to the most. Yes, I do.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43I'm not surprised. I can see that.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46You must almost feel that you know Turner, living here.
0:49:46 > 0:49:51I do believe the atmosphere of Turner's time is still here a bit.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52And that was its moment, really?
0:49:52 > 0:49:56It was the most important moment in the history of this house,
0:49:56 > 0:49:58I think, the most interesting moment.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00It was when the house really came to life.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12The unique atmosphere at Petworth during Egremont's day is
0:50:12 > 0:50:15captured in the hundreds of watercolour sketches
0:50:15 > 0:50:18that Tuner painted during his time here.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22INDISTINCT CHATTING
0:50:22 > 0:50:25The house came to feel like a luxurious art academy,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29where Turner and many other artists, including his contemporary,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32John Constable, were welcomed as house guests.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39The opportunity to spend time with these great works -
0:50:39 > 0:50:43to study and enjoy them - inspired the artists that came here
0:50:43 > 0:50:46to take their own art to a new level.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Egremont gave the artists their own space,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54to socialise, to sketch and to paint.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58This was the old library.
0:50:58 > 0:51:03Now in a disused wing of the house, closed to the public,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06it has hardly changed since Turner's day.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11And you can sense at once that it's a very special place.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22This space here is just so magical!
0:51:22 > 0:51:25You get such a sense of being, you know, somehow behind the scenes,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28away from the formal collection.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33Very much so. This room, the old library, was effectively
0:51:33 > 0:51:36converted into an artists' studio during that period.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40And artists of the generation of Turner were at liberty
0:51:40 > 0:51:42to use the room as a studio.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45And, of course, it has this fabulous east-facing window.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Which is presumably this one shown here, is it?
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Yes, in some of the watercolours that Turner made
0:51:52 > 0:51:55at Petworth in 1827, several of those show the old library,
0:51:55 > 0:51:59and one or two of them actually show artists working here.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02And yes, you can clearly see the shape of the window.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04These are great, aren't they, because they give you such
0:52:04 > 0:52:07an idea of life going on here with the artists.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09And look at this one, people just hanging out!
0:52:09 > 0:52:14They really do, because they weren't intended for anyone else to see.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16They were Turner's own private records,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19so he really does show the place in the raw.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22And of course, we've got these people in wonderful Regency costumes,
0:52:22 > 0:52:24with their shoes off and lounging about on the furniture
0:52:24 > 0:52:26in a way that we would today.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29Of course, one of the things that we tend to forget is that there weren't
0:52:29 > 0:52:31that many places where artists could go and see
0:52:31 > 0:52:35- wonderful painting collections like this, were there?- Absolutely not.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39And in order for artists of this generation to see great works of art,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42they very often had to go abroad or make use of collections like this.
0:52:42 > 0:52:46And of course, Petworth's was, and still is, one of the finest.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49And we certainly know that many of the artists who came here,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53Turner included, made great use of the collection here.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56The third Earl allowed the artists to have paintings
0:52:56 > 0:52:58removed from the major rooms
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and brought to their bedrooms or to here, the old library.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- That's incredible! That's really lovely.- Completely.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06When an inventory of the collection was done
0:53:06 > 0:53:08after the third Earl's death in 1837,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11there were over 50 paintings in the old library, most of which had been
0:53:11 > 0:53:14brought here by artists, presumably for the purposes of study.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16- Of course! - He was just very generous like that.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Very generous! No sense of treating everything with kid gloves.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23- It was a living collection. - Very much so. Very much so.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30The relaxed, bohemian atmosphere at Petworth suited Turner well.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34Freed for a time from financial constraints,
0:53:34 > 0:53:40he could experiment - something that few of his predecessors had the opportunity to do.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Our modern concept of an artist
0:53:45 > 0:53:47is of someone driven by their own creativity -
0:53:47 > 0:53:50giving expression to the ideas inside their head.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54But you have to remember that this is a relatively recent thing.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57And Turner was the first British painter
0:53:57 > 0:53:59to be given the freedom to do this.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03In that sense, he's our first truly modern artist.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16It was Turner's sheer brilliance that finally succeeded
0:54:16 > 0:54:20in doing what previous British artists had struggled to do -
0:54:20 > 0:54:24to raise the status of landscape painting from second rate,
0:54:24 > 0:54:26to an object of desire in its own right.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Turner painted four works for the dining room at Petworth House.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43It is perhaps the finest group of estate views he ever created,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46and it shows his skill as a mature artist.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54The fact that Egremont hung Turner's new scheme alongside revered
0:54:54 > 0:54:57artists of the past, like Holbein,
0:54:57 > 0:55:01shows just how highly he regarded the British painter.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10When I see these paintings in here,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13I get the really strong sensation that they must have been
0:55:13 > 0:55:17painted by someone who'd lived and breathed Petworth.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21Because look at them, these aren't just views of a park,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23they're paintings of an atmosphere -
0:55:23 > 0:55:27that magic moment when you look out of a window for the last time,
0:55:27 > 0:55:30before the shutters are closed for the day.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33And if you think about what Turner's done with his canvas,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36he's devoted three quarters of it to light,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39and the effects of light that he witnessed on the landscape.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45This was a landmark in the story of commissioning,
0:55:45 > 0:55:49because here was a patron, Lord Egremont, who said to a painter,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Turner, come and stay in my house for as long as you like
0:55:53 > 0:55:57whenever you like and paint your impressions of my parkland,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59and I will hang them on my walls.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03And that's quite a brave thing to do.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13As a patron, Egremont is most famous for his friendship with Turner,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16by whom there are 20 paintings at the house.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24But the breadth of the collection here is testimony to the boldness of
0:56:24 > 0:56:29his taste, and his support for the fledgling school of British artists.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40Egremont died at the distinguished age of 85 - after catching
0:56:40 > 0:56:44a chill attending the young Queen Victoria at Brighton.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51His obituary stated,
0:56:51 > 0:56:55"Many of the finest pictures produced in our day in England,
0:56:55 > 0:56:58"and certainly the very finest works of sculpture,
0:56:58 > 0:57:01"were the results of his unlimited commissions".
0:57:15 > 0:57:20During the eventful 18th century, a century of British confidence,
0:57:20 > 0:57:24our collectors had transformed the visual culture in this country.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28They had brought the best of European art to these shores.
0:57:28 > 0:57:33As well as some of the greatest European artists.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37They boldly supported a rising school of British talent
0:57:37 > 0:57:41and encouraged the stars of the next generation to produce
0:57:41 > 0:57:43some of their finest work.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47In this golden age of art collecting,
0:57:47 > 0:57:49we had gone from being the poor relation of Europe,
0:57:49 > 0:57:53to boasting some of the richest collections in the world.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58But these collections were still in the hands
0:57:58 > 0:58:01of a few wealthy individuals.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05In an era of emerging democracy, there was a growing recognition
0:58:05 > 0:58:10that art should move out of private rooms and into public galleries.
0:58:11 > 0:58:16Next week, I'll be meeting a new generation of art collectors,
0:58:16 > 0:58:20whose purchasing power came from finance and industry.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Their highly individual tastes would introduce
0:58:23 > 0:58:27a profusion of different styles to Britain.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Many of the paintings collected and commissioned by great
0:58:30 > 0:58:33British collectors are now in public ownership.
0:58:33 > 0:58:35To find out more, visit...
0:58:53 > 0:58:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd