Jacob Bell's contribution to art celebrated in new online exhibition
A new online exhibition, “Jacob
Bell and the artists”, has been launched by the museum of
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The
exhibition explores the life of the Society’s
founder, Jacob Bell, and his significant role as a patron of the arts
in the mid-1800s. The museum says that Bell was an important figure in
the Victorian art world: he acted as a patron, adviser and friend to
a network of artists.
His own art collection consisted of at least 156 paintings, eight sculptures
and a number of miscellaneous prints. Although most of his collection
was sold at auction after his death, 16 of his paintings were bequeathed
to the nation.With one exception, Bell’s collection is now owned
by the Tate.
The collection reflects his strong friendships with a number of artists,
notably Edwin Landseer and William Powell Frith. To Landseer, in particular,
Bell became more than just a patron, acting as his trusted adviser and
financial manager for 20 years. Bell commissioned Frith’s most
famous work, “Derby Day”, in the late 1850s.
The exhibition covers all aspects of Bell’s life in two primary
sections. “Jacob Bell: the man” moves from his pharmaceutical
family history, through his career and his many interests. “Jacob
Bell: the patron” looks at the artists in Bell’s circle through
the artworks that he owned.
Briony Hudson, keeper of the museum collections at the Society, commented: “We
are really excited to launch our latest online exhibition. Our constant
aim with these web-based resources is to provide people with a new insight
into pharmacy history. This topic has enabled us to couple an investigation
of Jacob Bell’s life with a chance to find out about his little
known, fascinating personal art collection.”
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal