The museum, at the Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen Street in Covent Garden, has bought a rare Chinese reverse glass painting of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) as Grand Master.
The painting was hammered down at a mid-estimate £4000 by auctioneer Andrew Hilton at Berkshire’s Historical & Collectable on November 5.
The museum spotted the artwork ahead of the auction in ATG No 2265 and director Diane Clements made the trip to make the winning bid. It will now be put on display in its new gallery which opened in September.
Clements said: "The throne that features in the painting is a highlight of our new gallery. Finding another image of it, previously unknown to us, was a great opportunity to add to the collection."
Assistant curator of The Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London Andrew Tucker is pictured here with the museum’s new painting in front of the original chair which is now on display in the 'Three Centuries of English Freemasonry' gallery.
The painting is based on an engraving by Edmund Scott and shows the Prince in the ceremonial chair commissioned for him in 1791 in celebration of the first royal Grand Master.
This engraving by Edmund Scott shows the Prince in the ceremonial chair commissioned for him in 1791 in celebration of the first royal Grand Master. A painting bought by the Freemason museum in London is based on this engraving.
The new Three Centuries of English Freemasonry gallery was unveiled on September 29 by the current Grand Master, HRH The Duke of Kent.
Masonic History
The museum is set to celebrate the Freemason’s tercentenary. The beginning of modern freemasonry is recorded as 24th June 1717 when four London lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron tavern near St Paul’s Cathedral to form a Grand Lodge, the first in the world.
This became the Mason’s governing body and it elected its first Grand Master, Anthony Sayer. In 1813, two rival Grand Lodges amalgamated to form the United Grand Lodge of England and masonic ceremonies and regalia became more formalised.
The museum exhibition in Covent Garden details the changes of the organisation over time.
Clements said: “We have gained about 30% more space and that has given us the opportunity to show, sometimes for the first time, the most important, rare and often just amazing pieces to their best advantage. Using all these wonderful objects, books and documents we can tell the story of three hundred years of English freemasonry.”
The painting, dating from circa.1810, was sold by collector and theatre producer Sir Michael Codron. Historical & Collectable's Andrew Hilton said: "It is very unusual to find a picture of a member of the royal family in masonic regalia."
The painting was part of a 513-lot auction that achieved a total hammer price of £67,876. The buyer’s premium at Historical & Collectable is 20% including VAT.
