L631: Sir Thomas William Holburne's 'passport'
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© The Holburne Museum of Art, Bath
| Museum number | L631 |
| Title | Sir Thomas William Holburne's 'passport' |
| Object type | In category: Library and Archive » Document |
| Date | Between 1824 and 1825 |
| People |
Unknown - Author(s) |
| Place of origin | Europe » Northern Europe » British Isles » Great Britain » England |
| Condition |
Good |
| Dimensions |
31.0 cm width whole 70.0 cm height whole |
| Materials & techniques |
In categories: Book/Document » Leaves » Paper Pictures: Medium » Ink Pictures: Support » Paper |
| Description |
A series of visas permitting Sir William Holburne through the Italian states, Switzerland, France, Germany, Belgium and Holland during his Grand Tour of 1824-25. |
| Subject |
Document |
| Notes | Between January 1824 and August 1825, Sir William Holburne's travels on the continent were recorded in detail in his passport. This curious document started life as a single sheet on which Lord Burghersh, British Consul in Florence, authorised 'Sir William Holburne et Suite' to proceed to Rome and Naples via Leghorn. Not so much the equivalent of modern passport as a series of visas, most of its entries begin with 'Visto' (seen) or its equivalent, followed by place, date and authorisation, extra sheets being pasted on for each half-year. Its 111 entries and 80 official stamps clearly document Sir William's movements and record a bureaucracy that frustrated many English visitors to Italy at the time. Already at Turin in early January 1824, Sir William paused for a few weeks in Florence, heading south to Rome in early February, then Naples at the end of the month. After four weeks there he returned to Rome but by mid-May was off again, making for Switzerland by way of Venice, Verona and Milan; he was in Zurich by 23 June. He spent the Summer touring Switzerland. At the end of September he was in Geneva where he was authorised to return to Italy. Travelling via south-east France, in late December he was in Chambry and headed once again for Turin. 1825 saw a different pattern: pausing in Florence in January, Sir William made straight for Rome and was there until the beginning of May. Pausing briefly in Venice, he then pursued a breathless itinerary by way of Austria (visiting Salzburg) and Germany (where he travelled from Munich to Mainz in ten days) to Belgium and the Netherlands. By 8 July he had reached Amsterdam and on 13 August he reported at Ostend in order to catch the boat for England. |
| Literature |
Lisa White 'A Collector of Distinction: Sir William Holburne (1793-1874)', Apollo, September 2003, pp. 48-9 and n. |
| Muse theme | The Art of Collecting |
| Muse chapter |
The History of the Holburne Collection » Sir William Holburne and his Collection » Establishing taste: Sir William' s Grand Tour, 1824-5
The History of the Holburne Collection » The Collection » Library and Archive |
| Gallery Label |
Sir William Holburne’s “Passport” Ink on paper, 1824-5. The document is a series of visas permitting Sir William Holburne to pass through the independent Italian states that existed before Unification. One hundred and eleven entries and eighty official stamps record a bureaucracy that frustrated many English visitors to Italy at the time. Holburne’s journey can be traced roughly as follows: 1824 January: Turin, Florence; February: Rome, Naples; March: Naples; April - mid May: Rome; Late May – June: Venice, Verona; Milan, Zurich; July, August: Switzerland; Late September: Geneva; October, November: South-East France; December: Turin; 1825 January: Florence, Rome; February – May: Rome; June – July: Venice, Salzburg, Munich, Mainz, Antwerp, Brussels; July: Amsterdam August: Ostend
Holburne Archive. (Unknown) |
| Method of acquisition | Bequest |
| Provenance | Sir T. W. Holburne (1793-1874); by whom bequeathed to Mary-Anne Barbara Holburne (1802-1882); by whom bequeathed to the Museum |
| Exhibition history |
Title of exhibition: Holburne One hundred: an exhibition to commemorate the Centenary of the Museum’s opening and the Bicentenary of Sir William Holburne’s birth Title of exhibition: Town House Treasures: Sir Thomas William Holburne of Bath |
