| At time of writing, the Brisbane Art Gallery states that: 'The European collection was established with a bequest of 17th century Dutch paintings to the state of Queensland in 1892 by pastoralist and legislative councillor Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior.' (({{https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/learn/collection/international}})) For further context, click on [[Gallery notice]]. What is the story behind his bequest?\\ | At time of writing, the Brisbane Art Gallery states that: 'The European collection was established with a bequest of 17th century Dutch paintings to the state of Queensland in 1892 by pastoralist and legislative councillor Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior.' (({{https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/learn/collection/international}})) For further context, click on [[Gallery notice]]. What is the story behind his bequest?\\ |
| Though TLM-P was clear that his father's habit of buying fine art left his mother battling to provide for the family, he shared his father's and his brother [[william|William]]'s love of art, though not necessarily the latter's artistic talent. This is particularly clear from his diary when in England in 1882 when he took every opportunity to view art, and regularly complained that he needed more time. One example was his comment that the statues at the [[wp>The_Crystal_Palace|Crystal Palace]], 'want more than a passing look'.((TLM-P, Diary, 29 June 1882)) He found the [[https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/|National Gallery]] too crowded with both paintings and people - 'so much better to go alone and be able to have a good look at those one likes'. When he did go back by himself, he regretted that he had not taken his opera glasses which would have allowed a closer look.((TLM-P, Diary,310 August 1882)) He felt the same when he visited the [[https://www.grosvenorgallery.com/|Grosvenor Gallery]] with his daughter Rosa Praed: it was too crowded and he too rushed. He later enjoyed the Doré Gallery where he had time to linger over the paintings and analyse their qualities in his diary, but even then he planned to go again by himself 'and have a long look at these paintings'. His careful appreciation of art is particularly seen in a long diary entry about a painting he saw in London on 21 June 1882. Despite regularly complaining he had insufficient time to write up his 'log' (diary) and send letters home, he gives a long and detailed description of it and its merits.((TLM-P, Diary, 9, 13, 15, 21 June 1882)) The painting was almost certainly //Christ in front of Pilate// by [[wp>Mihály_Munkácsy|Mihály Munkácsy]]. It created a sensation in London when first exhibited in 1882.\\ | Though TLM-P was clear that his father's habit of buying fine art left his mother battling to provide for the family, he shared his father's and his brother [[william|William]]'s love of art, though not necessarily the latter's artistic talent. This is particularly clear from his [[TLM-P's diaries|1882 diary]]. When in England that year, he took every opportunity to view art, and regularly complained that he needed more time to do so. \\ |
| Rosa stated her father loved his own collection of paintings. While Kerry Heckenberg suggests they may have been collected by TLM-P when he was at Brussells, this is unlikely given the family's modest means and that TLM-P was still only 19 when he emigrated to Australia. Her other suggestion, that the collection originally belonged to TLM-P's art-collecting father, is much more likely.((Kerry Heckenberg, 'A taste for art in colonial Queensland: The Queensland Art Gallery Foundational Bequest of Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior', //Queensland Review//, 25:1, June 2018, pp.119-136; Rosa Praed, //My Australian Life//, p.28.)) We know that TLM-P acquired at least one painting that his father bought in the early 1860s, shortly before he died. His daughter Jemima gave it to her brother in 1882. It had been painted in 1829 by [[wp>Thomas_Sidney_Cooper|Thomas Cooper]], the artist who had taught painting to their brother William. Jemima told TLM-P that Cooper had told their father that it was painted when he had 'a name to make', so he had spent more time on it that he could later afford to do, laying 'the colours on to make the desired effect'. As it was one of the few landscapes Cooper had done, he stated it would be valuable after his death compared to his more common animal paintings. Its whereabouts is now unknown but probably with a descendant as TLM-P had it packed up to take back to Australia with him.((TLM-P, Diary, 9-10 August 1882, ML. Jemima signed her best 'wishes' on the back of the painting, and they affixed a testament from Edmund Ashford that he had seen Cooper painting it.)) The whereabouts of at least two others of his paintings are now also unknown. One was a painting by [[wp>Abraham_Mignon|Abraham Mignon]]. TLM-P wrote in 1882 that he had seen one by Mignon which he thought was 'like mine'.((TLM-P, Diary, 24 August 1882, ML.)) A little later, back in London, he was in the National Gallery and saw a painting of the Holy Family by [[wp>Federico_Barocci|Federico Barocci]], writing 'of which __mine is a copy__'.((TLM-P, Diary, 30 August 1882, ML))\\ | Rosa stated her father loved his own collection of paintings. While Kerry Heckenberg suggests they may have been collected by TLM-P when he was at Brussells, this is unlikely given the family's modest means and that TLM-P was still only 19 when he emigrated to Australia. Her other suggestion, that the collection originally belonged to TLM-P's art-collecting father, is much more likely.((Kerry Heckenberg, 'A taste for art in colonial Queensland: The Queensland Art Gallery Foundational Bequest of Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior', //Queensland Review//, 25:1, June 2018, pp.119-136; Rosa Praed, //My Australian Life//, p.28.)) We know that TLM-P acquired at least one painting that his father bought in the early 1860s, shortly before he died. His daughter Jemima gave it to her brother in 1882. It had been painted in 1829 by [[wp>Thomas_Sidney_Cooper|Thomas Cooper]], the artist who had taught painting to their brother William. Jemima told TLM-P that Cooper had told their father that it was painted when he had 'a name to make', so he had spent more time on it that he could later afford to do, laying 'the colours on to make the desired effect'. As it was one of the few landscapes Cooper had done, he stated it would be valuable after his death compared to his more common animal paintings. Its whereabouts is now unknown but probably with a descendant as TLM-P had it packed up to take back to Australia with him.((TLM-P, Diary, 9-10 August 1882, ML. Jemima signed her best 'wishes' on the back of the painting, and they affixed a testament from Edmund Ashford that he had seen Cooper painting it.)) The whereabouts of at least two others of his paintings are now also unknown. One was a painting by [[wp>Abraham_Mignon|Abraham Mignon]]. TLM-P wrote in 1882 that he had seen one by Mignon which he thought was 'like mine'.((TLM-P, Diary, 24 August 1882, ML.)) A little later, back in London, he was in the National Gallery and saw a painting of the Holy Family by [[wp>Federico_Barocci|Federico Barocci]], writing 'of which __mine is a copy__'.((TLM-P, Diary, 30 August 1882, ML))\\ |