George Clavering-Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper
Encyclopedia
George Nassau Clavering-Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738–1789) was an English
peer
who went on the grand tour
as a young man, but actually emigrated. Despite becoming a Member of Parliament
and inheriting lands and the title of Earl Cowper
in England, he remained in Italy. He amassed a valuable art collection and became a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
. He was a patron of the arts and science.
and the godson of George II. He was educated at Eton College
. His education was planned to be completed with a Grand Tour
. This rite of passage for British aristocrats required that they tour the continent in the company of a tutor.
Clavering-Cowper was at the time known as Viscount Fordwich. Accompanied by his tutor, they travelled through France
, the Netherlands
, and Germany
before Clavering-Cowper studied for two years in Switzerland
. Unlike other grand tourers, Fordwich was independent of his parents as he had inherited a fortune from his maternal grandfather in 1754. The tourers arrived in Florence
on 7 July 1759.
Fordwich's father was expectant of his return; he arranged for him to be elected as the Member of Parliament
for Hertford
in December, 1759. However Fordwich was establishing himself in Florentine society. By the following year his tutor, Jean Chastellain, asked for and was given permission to abandon his charge. The 2nd Earl gave Chastellain leave to return to his home town of Vevey
.
in Fiesole
which overlooks Florence. They had three children; the first two were the 4th and 5th Earl Cowper.
Although George Nassau Cowper had left his family's seats and his father in England he was not without connections. He had ambitions to be the British representative in Florence and he tried to increase his favour with the King. He sent a small painting to the King and also sent further copies of Italian works to England. The job he wanted was held by Sir Horace Mann
who despite not being as much in favour as Cowper was still the British Resident in Florence. Cowper was successful in other ways.
Cowper was able to get himself made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
. His title was Prince of Nassau d'Auverquerque (his mother had been born “Henrietta Nassau d'Auverquerque”) and he was given permission by George III to adopt this title.
Cowper only returned to England once, and this was only a brief visit after over thirty years' absence. His arrival was so remarkable that it was reported on by Horace Walpole. In a letter to Sir Horace Mann
he recounts that he was astounded to see...
. The first is known as the Small Cowper Madonna
and the other is the Niccolini-Cowper Madonna
. The latter is particularly remarkable in that he can be seen evaluating the painting in another painting. Tribuna of the Uffizi
shows Cowper looking at the painting as it is offered by Johann Zoffany
. Zoffany had purchased the painting from the Niccolini family in 1782 and sold it to Cowper in 1785.
Zoffany was in Italy on a mission by the English Royal Family to paint the Tribuna. Zoffany lost his role as a court painter due to including figures in this commission. Reputedly Cowper was thought acceptable but the others were considered unnecessary.
Cowper used Zoffany's expertise to increase the value of his art collection in addition to giving him commissions. Zoffany painted Cowper and his fiancée separately as well as including both of them in the painting commissioned by his father-in-law, Charles Gore. Artists Cowper collected included Giuseppe Antonio Fabrini, the landscape artist Francesco Zuccarelli
, Jakob Philipp Hackert
, and Hugh Primrose Dean. After 1778, Cowper purchased Fra Bartolommeo
's Holy Family in 1779 and he also supported Joseph Plura, Innocenzo Spinazzi
, Hugh Douglas Hamilton, and Jacob More
.
, a noted poet, received a generous annuity from him. Count Volta
also received a complete laboratory from Cowper and they also had continued correspondence as Cowper assisted Volta with translation for a paper presented to the Royal Society.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
who went on the grand tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
as a young man, but actually emigrated. Despite becoming a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and inheriting lands and the title of Earl Cowper
Earl Cowper
Earl Cowper was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 by George I for William Cowper, 1st Baron Cowper, his first Lord Chancellor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to his younger brother, Spencer Cowper...
in England, he remained in Italy. He amassed a valuable art collection and became a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
The term Prince of the Holy Roman Empire denoted a secular or ecclesiastical Imperial State, who ruled over an immediate fief directly assigned by the Holy Roman Emperor...
. He was a patron of the arts and science.
Biography
George Nassau Clavering-Cowper was the son of the 2nd Earl CowperWilliam Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper
William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper , styled Viscount Fordwich between 1718 and 1723, was a British peer and courtier....
and the godson of George II. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. His education was planned to be completed with a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
. This rite of passage for British aristocrats required that they tour the continent in the company of a tutor.
Clavering-Cowper was at the time known as Viscount Fordwich. Accompanied by his tutor, they travelled through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before Clavering-Cowper studied for two years in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Unlike other grand tourers, Fordwich was independent of his parents as he had inherited a fortune from his maternal grandfather in 1754. The tourers arrived in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
on 7 July 1759.
Fordwich's father was expectant of his return; he arranged for him to be elected as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Hertford
Hertford (UK Parliament constituency)
Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament from 1298 until 1974. It was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of...
in December, 1759. However Fordwich was establishing himself in Florentine society. By the following year his tutor, Jean Chastellain, asked for and was given permission to abandon his charge. The 2nd Earl gave Chastellain leave to return to his home town of Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
.
Florence
He married the sixteen year old Hannah Anne Gore, daughter of Charles Gore, on 2 June 1775. Their betrothal was commemorated with a painting by Zoffany commissioned by Fordwich's new father-in-law, Charles Gore. In 1780, He bought the Villa PalmieriVilla Palmieri, Fiesole
Villa Palmieri is a patrician villa in the Fiesole, central Italy, that overlooks Florence. The villa's gardens on slopes below the piazza S. Domenico of Fiesole are credited with being the paradisal setting for the frame story of Boccaccio's Decameron....
in Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
which overlooks Florence. They had three children; the first two were the 4th and 5th Earl Cowper.
Although George Nassau Cowper had left his family's seats and his father in England he was not without connections. He had ambitions to be the British representative in Florence and he tried to increase his favour with the King. He sent a small painting to the King and also sent further copies of Italian works to England. The job he wanted was held by Sir Horace Mann
Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet
Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet KB , diplomat, was a long standing British resident in Florence.-Biography:...
who despite not being as much in favour as Cowper was still the British Resident in Florence. Cowper was successful in other ways.
Cowper was able to get himself made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. His title was Prince of Nassau d'Auverquerque (his mother had been born “Henrietta Nassau d'Auverquerque”) and he was given permission by George III to adopt this title.
Cowper only returned to England once, and this was only a brief visit after over thirty years' absence. His arrival was so remarkable that it was reported on by Horace Walpole. In a letter to Sir Horace Mann
Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet
Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet KB , diplomat, was a long standing British resident in Florence.-Biography:...
he recounts that he was astounded to see...
... an English Earl who is more proud of a PinchbeckPinchbeck (alloy)Pinchbeck is a form of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, mixed in proportions so that it closely resembles gold in appearance the idea being that ordinary people could buy gold 'effect' gems when gold was only sold in 18 carats which pushed the price way over what people could afford to pay....
Principality and a paltry order from WirtemburgHistory of WürttembergWürttemberg developed as a political entity in south-west Germany, with the core established around Stuttgart by Count Conrad . His descendants managed to expand Württemberg, surviving Germany's religious wars, changes in imperial policy, and invasions from France. The state had a basic...
than he was of being a peer of Great Britain when Great Britain was something.
Art collection
Cowper's art collection absorbed a great deal of his time and money. Among his most notable possessions are two paintings by RaphaelRaphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
. The first is known as the Small Cowper Madonna
Small Cowper Madonna
The Small Cowper Madonna is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael, depicting Mary and Child, in a typical Italian countryside.-Story:It is thought that Raphael painted this as a wedding present for someone...
and the other is the Niccolini-Cowper Madonna
Niccolini-Cowper Madonna
The Niccolini-Cowper Madonna, also known as the Large Cowper Madonna, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael, depicting Mary and Child, against a blue sky.-The painting:...
. The latter is particularly remarkable in that he can be seen evaluating the painting in another painting. Tribuna of the Uffizi
Tribuna of the Uffizi (painting)
The Tribuna of the Uffizi by Johann Zoffany is a painting of the north-east section of the Tribuna room in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy.-Production:...
shows Cowper looking at the painting as it is offered by Johann Zoffany
Johann Zoffany
Johan Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England...
. Zoffany had purchased the painting from the Niccolini family in 1782 and sold it to Cowper in 1785.
Zoffany was in Italy on a mission by the English Royal Family to paint the Tribuna. Zoffany lost his role as a court painter due to including figures in this commission. Reputedly Cowper was thought acceptable but the others were considered unnecessary.
Cowper used Zoffany's expertise to increase the value of his art collection in addition to giving him commissions. Zoffany painted Cowper and his fiancée separately as well as including both of them in the painting commissioned by his father-in-law, Charles Gore. Artists Cowper collected included Giuseppe Antonio Fabrini, the landscape artist Francesco Zuccarelli
Francesco Zuccarelli
Francesco Zuccarelli was an Italian Rococo painter.He was born at Pitigliano, in southern Tuscany, where he initially apprenticed with Paolo Anesi...
, Jakob Philipp Hackert
Jacob Philipp Hackert
Jacob Philipp Hackert was a landscape painter from Brandenburg, who did most of his work in Italy....
, and Hugh Primrose Dean. After 1778, Cowper purchased Fra Bartolommeo
Fra Bartolommeo
Fra Bartolomeo or Fra Bartolommeo , also known as Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance painter of religious subjects.-Biography:He was born in Savignano di Prato, Tuscany...
's Holy Family in 1779 and he also supported Joseph Plura, Innocenzo Spinazzi
Innocenzo Spinazzi
Innocenzo Spinazzi was an Italian sculptor of the Rococo period active in Rome and Florence.-Biography:Born in Rome to a silversmith, he became the leading sculptor in Florence, where he died. He was trained by Giovanni Battista Maini...
, Hugh Douglas Hamilton, and Jacob More
Jacob More
Jacob More was a British landscape painter.-Biography:Jacob More was born in Edinburgh. He studied landscape and decorative painting with James Norie's firm...
.
Patron
Cowper's support was not limited to artists. His cousin William CowperWilliam Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
, a noted poet, received a generous annuity from him. Count Volta
Alessandro Volta
Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Gerolamo Umberto Volta was a Lombard physicist known especially for the invention of the battery in 1800.-Early life and works:...
also received a complete laboratory from Cowper and they also had continued correspondence as Cowper assisted Volta with translation for a paper presented to the Royal Society.