Letter from John Gibson to John Udny, containing information for Henry Farnum

Author John Gibson British, born Wales

January 9, 1850

Not on view

Writing from Rome in 1850, the British sculptor Gibson here supplies price information on two marble statues, "Aurora" and "Cupid Disguised as a Shepherd," to John Udny in Livorno. The latter was acting as intermediary for a Philadelphia collector, Henry Farnum and addresses inscribed on the verso indicate that Udny forwarded the letter to Farnum via the Baring Brothers bank in Liverpool. Visitors to Italy arriving by sea often came through the Tuscan port of Livorno (called Leghorn by the British) and Gibson's correspondent may have been a marble dealer who descended from another John Udny (1755-1802), British vice consul at that port in the 1790s. Farnum did eventually acquire the version of Gibson's "Cupid Disguised" described and sketched in this letter (now Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum), offered at half price because of a dark line running through the marble. Gibson's first version was made in 1830 and proved so popular that he eventually produced eight repetitions and several reduced versions for European and American patrons. The donor of this letter was Farnham's great-grandaughter who also owned the related statue (now Harvard Art Museums/Fogg).

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Title: Letter from John Gibson to John Udny, containing information for Henry Farnum
Author: John Gibson (British, Gwynedd, Wales 1790–1866 Rome)
Subject: Henry Farnum (American, Rhode Island 1806–1855 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Date: January 9, 1850
Medium: Pen and black ink on blue paper
Dimensions: Sheet (folded in half): 9 11/16 × 7 3/8 in. (24.6 × 18.8 cm)
Classification: Manuscripts
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. John De Witt Peltz, 1977
Object Number: 1977.382.14
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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