The Art of Copying

We have all internalized the idea that copying art is wrong; but is it always? The Art of Copying is an exhibit that explores the world of copied artwork.

Why copy artwork?

The idea of copying works of art may make some people feel uneasy in this age of copyright
protection. However, this practice has been carried out for centuries, and proper copies are not forgeries.

Copying works of art is common for artists working to improve their skills and to gain a deeper understanding of the craft. Artists such as Manet, Degas and Chagall began as copyists themselves.

Today many galleries including the Louvre and the British National Gallery offer copyist programs. In order to copy works of art in these galleries artists must apply for a permit. The artists are required to:

work a certain distance away from the original painting,
use specific
materials and media,
ensure copies are of different dimensions than the original
and are limited to a certain number of hours they can work in the gallery at one time.

Who produced the copies at Glanmore?

Most of the copies were done by Bertram Couldery (1838 – 1911), with some being attributed to his brother Horatio Couldery. Bertram specialized in landscape painting and was an excellent copyist. Bertram and Cecilia Couldery visited Canada from England in the early 1880s. They had a second home in Belleville and were both painters. Glanmore houses a large collection of artifacts from their estate.

Check out these copies from Glanmore's Couldery Collection, and click the links to visit the original artworks online!

Copy

Copy of Shoeing (ca.1861-1870)
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Original

Shoeing (1844)
Sir Edwin Landseer, 1802–1873
Oil on canvas
Tate Collection in London, England

From Tate online collection text, "Shoeing was commissioned by the artist’s long-time friend, Jacob Bell. The painting was originally conceived in the 1830s as a portrait of Bell’s favourite horse, Old Betty, with her foal. By the time Landseer committed himself to the painting, however, years had elapsed and the two foals bred by Bell for the purpose of the picture had grown up."

Photo source: Tate Collection

Visit the original online

Copy

Copy of Self Portrait at the Age of 34
after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Original

Self Portrait at the Age of 34 (1640)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669
Oil on canvas
The National Gallery, London, England, United Kingdom

The original portrait was completed in 1640 and has been in the collection at The National Gallery in London, England since 1861. Rembrandt worked as an art teacher in Europe in the 15th century.

Photo source: Wikipedia/The National Gallery

Visit the original online

Copy

Portrait of Aechje Claesdr
after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Oil painting of an old woman wearing a white neck frill, by Rembrandt Harmensz Van Rijn in the collection of the National Gallery, London, UK.

Original

Portrait of Aechje Claesdr (1634)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669
Oil on canvas
The National Gallery, London, England, United Kingdom

The original portrait is of Aechje Claesdr, the widow of an Amsterdam brewer, and was painted in 1634. It was privately owned until The National Gallery purchased it in 1867. Rembrandt is revered for his ability to honestly portray the character of the subject of his portraits.

Photo source: Wikipedia/The National Gallery

Visit the original online

Copy

Elizabeth and Thomas Linley (1860)
after Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada.
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Bertram Couldery chose to do a study of Elizabeth Linley, making her the focal point of his copy.

An oil painting of young boy, Thomas Linley, leaning on woman, Elizabeth Linley painted by Thomas Gainsborough and in the collection of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA

Original

Elizabeth and Thomas Linley (1768)
Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788
Oil on canvas
The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts

The original painting depicts this image of Elizabeth Linley beside her brother Thomas, and was completed in 1768. Elizabeth Linley was a well-known singer and performer in England in the 18th Century. Her father Thomas Linley (the elder) was also a well-known singer, musician and composer. The artist Thomas Gainsborough befriended the Linley’s when he moved to Bath, England in 1759 and painted many likenesses of the family.

Photo source: Clark Art Institute, 1955.955

Visit the original online

Copy

The Parish Beadle (ca.1850s)
after Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Oil painting of the Parish Beadle by Sir David Wilkie from the collection of the Tate Britain.

Original

The Parish Beadle (1820-3)
Sir David Wilkie, 1785-1841
Oil on wood
Tate Collection, London, England, United Kingdom

The original was painted by Wilkie between 1820-23 and is in the collection at the Tate Britain in London, England. It depicts the arrest of a family of travelling performers and their animals.

Photo source: Tate Collection.

Visit the original online

Copy

The Blind Fiddler (ca.1870)
after Sir David Wilkie, (1785-1841), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

An oil painting depicting a man playing the fiddle in front of a group of people. The Blind Fiddler, by Sir David Wilkie is from the collection of the Tate Britain.

Original

The Blind Fiddler (1806)
Sir David Wilkie, 1785-1841
Oil on mahogany
Tate Collection, London, England, United Kingdom

The original was painted by Wilkie in 1806 and is in the collection at the Tate Britain in London, England. The scene depicts a blind fiddler playing for a group of adults.

Photo source: Tate Collection.

Visit the original online

An oil painting in an elaborate gold frame. The scene depicts a group of people gathered outside of a tavern. Attributed to Bertram Couldery this is a copy of The Village Holiday by Sir David Wilkie

Copy

The Village Holiday (ca. 1854-1881)
after Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

An oil painting showing a group of people gathered outside of a tavern. The Village Holiday by Sir David Wilkie from the collection of the Tate Britain.

Original

The Village Holiday (1809-11)
Sir David Wilkie, 1785-1841
Oil on canvas
Tate Collection, London, England, United Kingdom

The original was painted by Wilkie in 1806. The scene depicts a realistic English scene with revelers at tables behind a village tavern. The original is in the collection at the Tate Britain in London, England.

Photo source: Tate Collection.

Visit the original online

Copy

The Blind Beggar (ca.1907)
after Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans (1811-1888), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Original

The Blind Beggar (1853)
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans, 1811-1888
Oil on wood
The National Gallery, London, England, United Kingdom

The original painting was completed in 1853 and is in the collection at The National Gallery in London, England. This work was extremely popular for copyists in the 19th Century.

Photo source: The National Gallery.

Visit the original online

Copy

The Cornfield (ca.1907)
after John Constable (1776-1837), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

Original

The Cornfield (1826)
John Constable, 1776-1837
Oil on canvas
The National Gallery, London, England, United Kingdom

The original was painted by Constable in 1826 and exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, England that same year. It is in the collection at the National Gallery in London. It is often referred to as “The Drinking Boy” as it depicts a boy leaning over to drink from a stream in the foreground.

Photo source: The National Gallery.

Visit the original online

Copy

Time of War
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada.

A black and white version of Time of War by Sir Edwin Landseer, depicting a chaotic scene of ruin centering on a large black horse.

Print, ca. 1848-1850

Time of War (1848-1850)
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by Thomas Lewis Atkinson (1817-1898)
Print
The British Museum, London, England, United Kingdom

The original painting was exhibited with Time of Peace at the Royal Academy in London, England in 1846. It was believed to have been destroyed in a flood in 1928, however recently a version of the painting has come under investigation, as it may hold potential for being the original copy. The investigation is ongoing. Landseer studied at the Royal Academy Schools and had his first work exhibited at age 13.

Photo source: The British Museum.

Visit the Thomas Lewis Atkinson Print

Copy

Time of Peace
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada.
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

A black and white version of Time of Peace by Sir Edwin Landseer, depicting a peaceful scene of three people sitting surrounded by farm animals. In the background is a seascape and large cliffs.

Collotype, ca. late 19th century

Time of Peace (late 19th century)
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by unknown (1817-1898)
Collotype
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California, United States

This painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, England in 1846. It was paired with Time of War. The original painting was destroyed in a flood in 1928.

Photo source: J. Paul Getty Museum.

Visit the collotype

Copy

Dignity and Impudence
after Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), made by Bertram Couldery (1839-1911)
Oil on canvas
The Couldery Collection, Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada.
Belleville, Ontario, Canada

An oil painting by Sir Edwin Landseer of a blood hound and a small white dog. The painting is known as "Dignity and Impudence."

Original

Dignity and Impudence (1839)
Sir Edwin Landseer, 1802-1873
Oil on canvas
Tate Collection, London, England, United Kingdom

This copy is a study of the bloodhound pictured in the original painting completed in 1839. The original is in the collection at the Tate Britain in London, England.

Photo source: Tate Collection

Visit the original online