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Description: | The important Riches Bequest to the Fitzwilliam Museum derived from the estate of Mr and Mrs T. H. Riches. Thomas Henry Riches also donated a series of items from the family collection to the museum during the 1930s. He died in 1935 and the Riches Bequest entered the Museum in 1950 on the death of his wife. Mrs Riches was the grand-daughter of John Linnell, a foremost patron of William Blake and an influential Victorian artist in his own right. It is particularly appropriate that the Fitzwilliam should have acquired the Archive in view of the Museum's close connections with the Linnell Family and its extensive holdings of William Blake.
The most significant items in the Riches Bequest of more than 200 objects include Blake works such as the illuminated manuscripts of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, The Songs of Innocence and Experience (including the book of Thel and the poem ÃLittle girl LostÃ'), The Visions of the Daughters of Albion, America, a Prophecy, the monotype of The Lazar House and the watercolour illustrations for MiltonÃ's Paradise Regained; all originally part of John LinnellÃ's own collection. However, the Riches Bequest also included a large number of drawings and items made by John Linnell as well as unrelated items such as a fine group of Japanese woodcuts.
The Riches also generously donated items to other institutions as appropriate, such as a gift of books, microscopes and apparatus to the National Marine Biological Library in 1935-1936. | Subjects: | Manuscripts Autographs Fine arts Prints Drawings Poetry | Source: | Cornucopia - Discovering UK Collections | FAX: | 01223 332 923 | Telephone: | 01223 332 900 | Identifier: | oai:www.cornucopia.org.uk:8444 | Go to resource |
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