Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.419
Gallery Label:
The Belisario family was involved in the art market, buying and selling both old masters and contemporary works. This is unsurprising, given Isaac's artistic inclinations and the family's mercantile interests, though because of confusion over their names, it is unclear whether this was the sole preserve of Isaac's uncle Jacob Mendes Belisario, or whether Isaac also worked as a dealer. Given Isaac's likely range of artistic contacts, it is probable that he would have been involved. A Belisario, mostly likely Jacob, made several purchases at auctions in London in 1811, 1815, and 1816, buying mainly works attributed to old masters, including Canaletto and Ruisdael. In 1818, the portrait and landscape painter John Linnell recorded in his account book that "Mr Belisario" had purchased one of two versions of Evening, Bayswater, indicating a move into the contemporary market. This may have been the Yale Center for British Art's picture, exhibited here. A member of the Belisario family, probably also Jacob, commissioned works from Linnell in 1819, and two letters to the artist relating to the commission are shown in the adjacent floorcase. Gallery label for Art and Emancipation in Jamaica: Isaac Mendes Belisario and his Worlds (Yale Center for British Art, 2007-09-27 - 2007-12-30)
