William Holwell Carr facts for kids
William Holwell Carr (born in 1758, died in 1830) was an interesting English person. He was a priest, but he spent much of his time buying and selling art. He was also a painter himself and a big art collector. His amazing gift of paintings helped start the famous National Gallery in London.
William Holwell Carr's Life
William Holwell was born in Exeter, England. His father was an apothecary, which is like a pharmacist. William went to Oxford University in 1776. He studied there for many years, but he was always very interested in art.
In 1781, he traveled to Italy. This is where he really started to study art and buy paintings. This became his biggest passion. In 1791, he became a priest. This job helped him earn money to buy more art. He lived in London and paid someone else to do his church duties.
In 1797, he married Lady Charlotte Hay. She inherited property from her family. William and Charlotte then changed their last name to Carr. They had one son, but he sadly died young.
Holwell Carr helped start important art groups like the British Institution in 1805. He also painted landscapes as a hobby. He showed twelve of his paintings at the Royal Academy. He was very good at remembering the prices of artworks.
He died in a place called Withycombe Raleigh, near Exmouth.
His Important Gift to the Nation
William Holwell Carr left all his paintings to the country when he died. This gift was called a "bequest." Soon after he passed away, his collection of 35 paintings went to the National Gallery in London. At that time, the gallery was still in a house.
Most of the paintings were from Italy or France. They included famous works like Saint George and the Dragon by Tintoretto. There was also the Holy Family with a Shepherd by Titian and the Dead Christ Mourned by Two Angels by Guercino. Other artists included Guido Reni, Annibale Carracci, Canaletto, and Rubens. The collection also had Carr's own portrait by Jackson.
One painting, Christ Among the Doctors, was thought to be by Leonardo da Vinci. Now, experts believe it was painted by Bernardino Luini, though Leonardo might have designed it. Holwell Carr also left £500 to help the poor people of Menheniot. His amazing gift of paintings made it clear that the government needed to build a bigger home for the National Gallery.
Paintings in the Holwell Carr Bequest
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Ecce Homo, now thought after, not by Correggio
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Saint George and the Dragon by Tintoretto
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Dead Christ Mourned by Two Angels by Guercino
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Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullam, 1658, Claude Lorrain
