Publisher's Synopsis
A book commemorating the 160th anniversary of the Beaumont gift, a key moment in the history of the National Gallery.;Sir George Beaumont (1753-1827) was a painter, patron and connoisseur. He was a close friend of Reynolds, Wordsworth and other leading figures of his age and a tireless protagonist for the establishment of a national gallery.;His gift of 16 paintings, including such works as Rubens's "View of Het Steen" and Claude's "Hagar and the Angel", spurred the government of the day to take positive action to found a National Gallery.;The book provides an insight into 19th-century patronage and connoisseurship.
