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May 2020

EDWARD RATHBONE BACON (1848-1915)

Bacon is of interest because a catalogue of his collection published in 1919 included JMW Turner's Battle of the Nile.... The image below is from the Bacon catalogue (1919); Butlin and Joll (10) refers to the same provenance, without mentioning Bacon, and a photograph in the Witt Library. It is not known whether or not the Witt Library picture is the 1919 picture shown in Bacon's catalogue.

He lived in New York and had a 'country seat in Scotland'. Both venues housed his collection. He had an elder brother, Walter Rathbone Bacon and it appears that the 'country seat' was Netherdale estate , Turriff in Scotland (possibly owned by Walter)(info@netherdalehouse.co.uk). Turriff is a town in Aberdeenshire on the River Deveron, about 30 miles NW of Aberdeen.

Outstanding Issues

• There is an extensive Wikipedia entry to examine
• He had another Turner, Devil's Bridge; catalogue entry and B&J information below.

Page 46

JMW Turner; Blowing up of the Orient - Battle of the Nile.

JMW Turner; St. Gothard Pass - The Devils Bridge; oil on canvas, 31"x24½"; 1803/4
Butlin & Joll show this at No. 147 as 'The Devil's Bridge, St Gothard', 31¼"x24¾; the picture below is the same as B&J.
It descended to his grand-daughter in New York; aquired by Agnew 1976; Sold 1977.
First owner: John Allnutt.