George Vertue (1684-1756) stands as a pivotal figure in the landscape of British art history, not primarily as a revolutionary artist in his own right, but as an exceptionally skilled engraver and, more importantly, as a meticulous antiquarian and chronicler. His tireless efforts in documenting the lives and works of artists in Britain, alongside the nation's historical monuments, laid an indispensable foundation for subsequent art historical scholarship. Without Vertue's voluminous notebooks, our knowledge of British art from earlier centuries would be significantly impoverished.
Early Life and Artistic Formation
Born in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, in 1684, George Vertue's origins were modest. His early life pointed towards a career in the arts, though the path was not always smooth. Around the age of thirteen, he was apprenticed to a prominent, albeit unnamed, French engraver of plate. This initial foray into the craft was cut short after about three or four years when his master's financial difficulties led to his return to France. This interruption, however, did not deter young Vertue.
For the next two years, Vertue dedicated himself to the study of drawing, honing his foundational skills. This period of self-directed learning was crucial before he found a more stable apprenticeship. From approximately 1702 to 1709, he worked under Michael van der Gucht, a respected Flemish engraver who had established himself in London. Van der Gucht, known for his portrait and subject engravings, provided Vertue with rigorous training in the techniques of line engraving. This seven-year period was formative, equipping Vertue with the technical mastery that would define his professional life.
In 1709, having completed his apprenticeship, George Vertue embarked on an independent career. He quickly began to establish a reputation for his skill and diligence, attracting commissions and making connections within London's burgeoning artistic and intellectual circles.
The Engraver's Craft: Portraits and Beyond
Vertue's primary output as an artist was in the medium of engraving. He became one of the most prolific engravers of his time in England, producing a vast number of plates. His work encompassed various genres, but he was particularly noted for his portraits. In an era before photography, engraved portraits were crucial for disseminating the likenesses of notable individuals – royalty, nobility, scholars, writers, and fellow artists.
He produced a significant engraving of Sir Godfrey Kneller, the leading portrait painter in England at the time, based on Kneller's own self-portrait. This work, completed around 1713, helped to solidify Vertue's reputation. He also engraved portraits of historical figures, such as King Charles I, and contemporary luminaries. His engraved portrait of Alexander Pope, after a painting by Charles Jervas, is another well-known example, as is his series of "Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain."
Vertue's skill was not limited to reproducing the works of painters like Kneller, Michael Dahl, or Jonathan Richardson the Elder. He also undertook original compositions, though these were often based on existing likenesses or historical records. His plates were characterized by a clear, precise line and a concern for accurate representation rather than overt artistic flourish. This documentary quality was highly valued, particularly for historical and antiquarian subjects.
Beyond individual portraits, Vertue engraved frontispieces and illustrations for books, a vital source of income and visibility for engravers of the period. He contributed to projects like the Oxford Almanack, providing engraved views and allegorical scenes for many years, from 1723 to 1751. These almanacs were prestigious annual publications featuring elaborate engravings.
Association with the Society of Antiquaries
A defining aspect of George Vertue's career was his deep involvement with the Society of Antiquaries of London. This learned society, formally re-established in 1717 (though with earlier roots), was dedicated to the study and preservation of Britain's historical and archaeological heritage. Vertue was not only a founding member of its revived form but was appointed its official engraver in the same year, a post he held with distinction for the rest of his life. He was, for a long time, the only engraver who was also a Fellow of the Society.
His role within the Society was crucial. He produced a vast number of engravings for its publications, most notably for the series Vetusta Monumenta (Ancient Monuments). This ambitious project aimed to record and disseminate images of Britain's ancient buildings, archaeological sites, artifacts, and historical artworks. Vertue's engravings for Vetusta Monumenta included detailed depictions of cathedrals, castles, Roman remains, medieval tombs, and ancient seals.
These engravings were invaluable for several reasons. They preserved a visual record of monuments that were often in a state of decay or vulnerable to destruction. They also made these images accessible to a wider audience of scholars and interested individuals, fostering a greater appreciation for the nation's past. Vertue's meticulous approach ensured a high degree of accuracy, making his prints reliable historical documents. His work for the Society included depictions of subjects like the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey and various historical seals and charters. He also engraved architectural plans, such as the Ground Plan of St. Victoria Street, 1736, demonstrating his versatility.
The Kneller Academy and Artistic Circles
Vertue was also involved in early attempts to formalize art education in London. He was one of the first members of the academy of drawing and painting established by Sir Godfrey Kneller in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in 1711. This was one of London's earliest art academies, a precursor to the later Royal Academy of Arts. Other artists associated with this venture included Louis Chéron and Gerard van der Gucht (Michael's son). Vertue's participation indicates his standing within the artistic community and his interest in promoting the status of artists in Britain.
His connections extended into the literary world. Vertue was associated with the Scriblerus Club, an informal group of Tory writers and wits that included Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, John Gay, John Arbuthnot, and Thomas Parnell. While Vertue was not a writer in the same vein, his antiquarian interests and his work engraving portraits of these figures would have brought him into their orbit. His engraving of Pope's edition of Shakespeare, for instance, connected him directly with the literary giant.
He also maintained relationships with significant patrons and collectors. Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, and his wife Henrietta Cavendish Holles, were among Vertue's most important patrons. Harley was a great collector of manuscripts, books, and artworks, and Vertue had access to his extensive collections, which proved invaluable for his research. He also received patronage from Frederick, Prince of Wales, and other members of the nobility.
The Notebooks: A Monumental Legacy
Perhaps George Vertue's most enduring contribution to art history lies not in his engraved plates, accomplished as they were, but in the forty or so manuscript notebooks he meticulously compiled from around 1713 until his death in 1756. These notebooks are a treasure trove of information about British art and artists, spanning centuries.
Vertue was an indefatigable researcher. He scoured public records, visited private collections, interviewed artists and their descendants, examined parish registers, and meticulously transcribed inscriptions from tombs and monuments. He recorded details about paintings, sculptures, miniatures, and engravings, noting their locations, attributions, provenances, and any associated anecdotes. He jotted down biographical information about artists, from major figures like Hans Holbein the Younger, Anthony van Dyck, Peter Lely, and William Dobson, to lesser-known craftsmen.
His notes cover a vast range of topics: the lives of painters, sculptors, engravers, and architects; the history of art collections; the prices of artworks; the techniques of artists; and the social context of art production in Britain. He documented the works of artists such as Isaac Oliver, Nicholas Hilliard, Cornelius Johnson, Robert Peake the Elder, and many others whose careers might otherwise be obscure. He also took an interest in foreign artists who worked in Britain, such as Jan Gossaert (Mabuse) or Antonio Moro.
Vertue's ambition was to compile a comprehensive history of art in England, a "Museum Britannicum" or "Athena Britannicae." Although he never fully realized this project in published form during his lifetime, his notebooks represent the raw material for such a work. They are filled with observations, lists, sketches, and transcriptions, reflecting his methodical and empirical approach to art historical research. He recorded details about the collections of Charles I, the Earl of Arundel, and the Duke of Buckingham, providing insights into the great collections of the past.
Influence on Horace Walpole and the Anecdotes of Painting
After Vertue's death in 1756, his widow, Margaret, sold his extensive collection of prints and books. Crucially, the notebooks were acquired by Horace Walpole, the son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole, and a prominent writer, collector, and antiquarian in his own right. Walpole, residing at his Gothic Revival villa, Strawberry Hill, recognized the immense value of Vertue's research.
Walpole drew heavily upon Vertue's manuscripts to compile his own seminal work, Anecdotes of Painting in England, published in four volumes between 1762 and 1771 (with a fifth volume on engravers appearing in 1780). While Walpole organized and synthesized the material, adding his own elegant prose and critical judgments, the factual backbone of the Anecdotes is overwhelmingly derived from Vertue's painstaking labor. Walpole himself acknowledged his debt, stating that Vertue's notes were "a most valuable collection, and the only one of the kind, perhaps, in any country."
The Anecdotes of Painting in England became the first systematic history of British art and remained the standard work on the subject for many years. Through Walpole, Vertue's research reached a wide audience and profoundly shaped the understanding of British art history. Artists whose careers were illuminated by Vertue's notes and subsequently by Walpole include William Hogarth (though Hogarth was a contemporary Vertue outlived), George Gower, Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, and many miniaturists and early portraitists.
Collaborations and Other Works
Vertue was involved in several significant collaborative projects. One of the most notable was Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, published by John and Paul Knapton between 1743 and 1752. For this series, Vertue engraved many of the portraits, while the Dutch engraver Jacobus Houbraken, renowned for his brilliant technique, engraved others. The biographical texts were provided by Thomas Birch. This publication was a landmark in British portrait engraving.
He also produced engravings after the works of architects like James Gibbs, whose designs for buildings such as St Martin-in-the-Fields (Vertue's home parish) were influential. His interest in architecture extended to historical structures, as seen in his work for the Society of Antiquaries and his own research. He produced an engraving of the "Agas" map of London, showing the city before the Great Fire, and wrote a description of the works of Wenceslaus Hollar, the prolific Bohemian etcher who documented 17th-century London.
Vertue also published some smaller works based on his research, such as A Description of the Works of Mr. Wenceslaus Hollar (1745, revised 1759) and Medals, Coins, Great-Seals, Impressions, and Drawings; collected by Thomas Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery (1746), which cataloged part of that nobleman's collection. He also made copies of Hans Holbein's series of portrait drawings of the court of Henry VIII, which were then in the Royal Collection, intending to engrave them, a project later realized by Francesco Bartolozzi.
Personal Life and Final Years
George Vertue married Margaret Evans in 1720. Their marriage appears to have been a supportive one. They had at least one son, James Vertue, who also became an engraver, though he did not achieve the same level of prominence as his father and predeceased him. An anecdote concerning his grandson, John Stepan, involves a printing error, a minor historical curiosity.
Vertue was described by his contemporaries as a man of integrity, modest, and industrious. His Roman Catholic faith may have presented some obstacles in an era when Catholics faced certain civil disabilities, but it did not prevent him from achieving considerable success and respect. He was a devout man, and his faith was an important part of his life.
He continued his work as an engraver and his antiquarian research until late in his life. George Vertue died on July 24, 1756, in London. He was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, a fitting resting place for a man who had dedicated so much of his life to documenting England's historical and artistic heritage. His wife Margaret survived him by nearly twenty years, dying in 1776.
Vertue's Enduring Legacy
George Vertue's legacy is multifaceted. As an engraver, he produced a substantial body of work that documented the likenesses of his contemporaries and preserved images of historical and antiquarian importance. His plates, while perhaps lacking the artistic brilliance of some continental masters like Robert Nanteuil or the painterly qualities of mezzotints by artists like John Smith, are valued for their accuracy and clarity.
However, his most profound impact comes from his notebooks. These meticulously compiled records represent a foundational act of art historical scholarship in Britain. They provided the raw material for Walpole's Anecdotes and have continued to be an invaluable resource for art historians ever since. The Walpole Society, founded in 1911 to promote the study of British art history, has published Vertue's notebooks in a multi-volume edition, making his research accessible to modern scholars.
Vertue's work helped to establish a canon of British artists and to create a narrative for the history of art in Britain. He rescued many artists from obscurity and provided crucial data for understanding the development of artistic practice and patronage in the country. While art historical methodologies have evolved, the factual information gathered by Vertue remains indispensable. He was, in essence, one of Britain's first true art historians, driven by a passion for documentation and a deep respect for the artistic past. His life's work ensures that the artists and artifacts of Britain's history continue to be known and studied. His dedication laid a cornerstone for the entire discipline of British art history, influencing how we understand figures from the Tudor court painters to his own contemporaries like William Kent or the sculptor John Michael Rysbrack.
