9781800089006
9781800088993
The first detailed account of Alfred Morrison, the enigmatic Victorian collector and patron of the arts.
Although his fame has faded with time, Alfred Morrison was one of the most influential and avid collectors and patrons of the arts in Victorian England. Morrison was an obsessive and comprehensive collector, using his extravagant wealth to accumulate old master paintings, autograph manuscripts, coins and medals, imperial Chinese porcelain, and other treasures, and his commissions were equally eclectic. Millionaire Shopping includes contributions by contemporary museum curators, scholars, and dealers in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, with each chapter dedicated to a particular aspect of Morrison’s collecting and patronage. Extensive illustrations, including many never-before-seen images from private archives, help bring his impressive artistic footprint to life.
Although his fame has faded with time, Alfred Morrison was one of the most influential and avid collectors and patrons of the arts in Victorian England. Morrison was an obsessive and comprehensive collector, using his extravagant wealth to accumulate old master paintings, autograph manuscripts, coins and medals, imperial Chinese porcelain, and other treasures, and his commissions were equally eclectic. Millionaire Shopping includes contributions by contemporary museum curators, scholars, and dealers in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, with each chapter dedicated to a particular aspect of Morrison’s collecting and patronage. Extensive illustrations, including many never-before-seen images from private archives, help bring his impressive artistic footprint to life.
Table of Contents
List of figures
Contributors
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
Caroline Dakers
Part I: Context
2 Alfred Morrison (1821-1897) the making of a collector
Caroline Dakers
3 Alfred Morrison as a patron of architecture
Neil Burton
4 Alfred Morrison’s Old Master painting collection in context
Susanna Avery-Quash
Part II: Focus
5 Alfred Morrison at the 1862 London International Exhibition
Martin P. Levy
6 From Yuanmingyuan to Fonthill: buying Chinese ceramics in 1860s and the invention of provenance
Stacey Pierson
7 Alfred Morrison and his Summer Palace collection: sources and interpretations
Katrina Hill
8 Alfred Morrison’s furniture for Fonthill and 16 Carlton House Terrace: designed by Owen Jones and manufactured by Jackson and Graham
Clive Edwards
9 Stampeding cattle, absurd horses and high-bred sheep: Alfred Morrison as patron and collector of animal art
Alison E. Wright
10 ‘Fine old pictures’: on the trail of Alfred Morrison’s Old Masters
Emily Burns
11 Reconstructing Alfred Morrison’s sculpture collection
Alex Kader
12 Alfred Morrison’s print collection
David Alexander
13 Alfred Morrison’s autograph manuscripts
Philip S. Palmer and Daria Rose Foner
14 ‘Lost if you leave me’: Alfred Morrison, Placido Zuloaga, collecting, and not-knowing
Dror Elkvity
15 Richard Dadd and the Morrison family
Nicholas Tromans
16 Mabel Morrison: patron and collector of lace and textiles
Molly-Claire Gillett
Part III: Dispersal
17 Alfred Morrison’s numismatic collection; recollecting the mid-twentieth century sales
Richard Falkiner and Caroline Dakers
18 Treasures from the Alfred Morrison collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide
19 Dispersal, an overview
Caroline Dakers
Appendix: List of Morrison sale catalogues
Index
Contributors
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
Caroline Dakers
Part I: Context
2 Alfred Morrison (1821-1897) the making of a collector
Caroline Dakers
3 Alfred Morrison as a patron of architecture
Neil Burton
4 Alfred Morrison’s Old Master painting collection in context
Susanna Avery-Quash
Part II: Focus
5 Alfred Morrison at the 1862 London International Exhibition
Martin P. Levy
6 From Yuanmingyuan to Fonthill: buying Chinese ceramics in 1860s and the invention of provenance
Stacey Pierson
7 Alfred Morrison and his Summer Palace collection: sources and interpretations
Katrina Hill
8 Alfred Morrison’s furniture for Fonthill and 16 Carlton House Terrace: designed by Owen Jones and manufactured by Jackson and Graham
Clive Edwards
9 Stampeding cattle, absurd horses and high-bred sheep: Alfred Morrison as patron and collector of animal art
Alison E. Wright
10 ‘Fine old pictures’: on the trail of Alfred Morrison’s Old Masters
Emily Burns
11 Reconstructing Alfred Morrison’s sculpture collection
Alex Kader
12 Alfred Morrison’s print collection
David Alexander
13 Alfred Morrison’s autograph manuscripts
Philip S. Palmer and Daria Rose Foner
14 ‘Lost if you leave me’: Alfred Morrison, Placido Zuloaga, collecting, and not-knowing
Dror Elkvity
15 Richard Dadd and the Morrison family
Nicholas Tromans
16 Mabel Morrison: patron and collector of lace and textiles
Molly-Claire Gillett
Part III: Dispersal
17 Alfred Morrison’s numismatic collection; recollecting the mid-twentieth century sales
Richard Falkiner and Caroline Dakers
18 Treasures from the Alfred Morrison collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide
19 Dispersal, an overview
Caroline Dakers
Appendix: List of Morrison sale catalogues
Index