John Doubleday (restorer): Difference between revisions
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John Doubleday (about 1798 – 25 January 1856) was a British craftsman, restorer, and dealer in antiquities who was variously employed by the British Museum for the last 20 years of his life. His "greatest triumph" was his restoration of the smashed Portland Vase,[1] suggesting that Doubleday—about whom little is known—was among "the forefront of the craftsmen-restorers of his time."[2]
British Museum
For some 20 years Doubleday worked in the Department of Antiquities in the British Museum, and was "was well known as one of the most valuable servants of that department."[3] There "[h]He was chiefly employed in the reparation of innumerable works of art, which could not have been intrusted to more skilful or more patient hands."[4] The highlight of Doubleday's career came after 7 February 1845 when a young man, having spent the prior week "indulging in intemperance", smashed the Portland Vase into hundreds of pieces.[5] By September 10 of that year Doubleday had glued it whole again,[6] demonstrating "skilful ingenuity" and "cleverness" "sufficient to establish his immortality as the prince of restorers".[7] Doubleday's restoration would for more than 100 years, until the vase was restored again in 1948.[8][9]
Personal life
Little is known about the life of Doubleday,[1] and nothing about his family or education.[2] The 1851 census describes him as a New York born "artist" who was nonetheless a British subject, married to one Elizabeth and father of five daughters.[1] He worked at a printer's shop for over 20 years "in his youth,"[3] after which he began copying coins, medals, and ancient seals; this latter vocation saw him also prepare casting for the Royal Mint. He lived close to the British Museum, and in 1832 was listed in directories as under the header "Curiosity, shell & picture dealers", and as a dealer in ancient seals.[1] Doubleday died "after a long illness" on 25 January 1856, "in the fifty-seventh year of his age".[3]
References
- ^ a b c d National Portrait Gallery 2017.
- ^ a b Panzeri & Gimondi 2006, p. 109.
- ^ a b c Athenæum 1856, p. 140.
- ^ Gentleman's Magazine 1856, p. 431.
- ^ Painter & Whitehouse 1990, p. 65.
- ^ Painter & Whitehouse 1990, p. 69.
- ^ Gentleman's Magazine 1846, p. 41.
- ^ Painter & Whitehouse 1990, pp. 82–84.
- ^ Williams 1989, pp. 5–6.
Bibliography
- "British picture restorers, 1600-1950 – D". National Portrait Gallery. January 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- "Obituary: Mr. John Doubleday". The Gentleman's Magazine. XLV: 431–432. 1856. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- "Our Weekly Gossip". The Athenæum (1475): 139–140. 2 February 1856. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- Painter, Kenneth; Whitehouse, David (1990). "The History of the Portland Vase". Journal of Glass Studies. 32. Corning Museum of Glass: 24–84. JSTOR 24188030.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - Panzeri, Matteo; Gimondi, Cinzia, eds. (2006). Amplius Vetusta Servare: First Results of the European Project. Saonara: Il Prato. ISBN 88-900741-7-5.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - "The Portland Vase and the Sarcophagus in which it was Found". The Gentleman's Magazine. XXV: 41–44. 1846. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- Williams, Nigel (1989). The Breaking and Remaking of the Portland Vase. London: British Museum Publications. ISBN 0-7141-1291-7.
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