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- John Henderson
- Also known as
-
John Henderson
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primary name: Henderson, John
- Details
- individual; collector; British; Male
- Life dates
- 1797-1878
- Address
- 3 Montague Street, Russell Square
- Biography
- Son of John Henderson (1764-1843; q.v.), the patron of Girtin. Henderson was a collector of Old Master drawings and paintings, English watercolours, Islamic arms and armour, inlaid metalwork and ceramics. He also collected Italian and Spanish pottery, Russian enamels and metalwork, and Venetian glass. His collection in his house in 3 Montague Street, Russell Square was visited by Gustav Waagen ('Galleries and Cabinets of Art in Great Britain', London, 1857, pp. 202-13). He regularly exhibited pieces from his collection at the Society of Antiquaries (q.v.) and the Archaeological Institute. Made gifts and a large bequest to the BM. His bequest of watercolours by Girtin was exhibited in the King's Library 1881-2 (see 'The Builder', 6 May 1882, in Girtin Archive Cuttings Book, p. 70). Some of his Old Master paintings were bequeathed to the National Gallery, London.
- Bibliography
- See DNB entry and R. Pinder-Wilson, 'John Henderson (1797-1878)', British Museum Quarterly 18 (1953) 59-60. Henderson's will is printed in B. Webber, 'James Orrock', 1903, p.209. See also pp.210-223 for a lengthy controversy on the state of care of the bequest once received in the Print Room.
Rachel Ward in 'A W Franks', eds. Caygill & Cherry, 1997, pp.277-8.
A ms copy of Henderson's will is contained in AOA Ethdoc 1991B. One of his executors was A W Franks, a long-standing personal friend.
