, General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

Royal Academy of Arts. 6th March 1860
at a General Assembly of Academicians
present. The President
The Secretary
The Keeper
The Librarian

Sir E. Landseer. G.T. Doo. Wm. Mulready
Rd. Westmacott. J. Phillips. C. Stanfield
Rd. Redgrave. D. Roberts. E.H. Baily
W.T. Witherington. A. Elmore. P. Mac Dowell
W.P. Frith. J.R. Herbert. F.R. Pickersgill
S. Smirke. S. Cousins. C.W. Cope
D. Maclise. E.M. Ward. W. Dyce
Geo. Jones. T. Creswick. S.A. Hart

Read and conferred the minutes of last meeting.

The President announced that he had submitted to
the Queen, and that Her Majesty had approved to
appointment of Dr. Milman as Professor of Ancient Literature
in the room of the late Lord Macaulay, and the

, General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

That the lowering of "the Line" by 8 . inches, should be tried
as an experiment in the middle room, before its adoption
in the larger room._ the amendment was carried by
Ten votes to Eight._

Accordingly to recommendation of Council it was agreed
that the Question on the proposed increase in the number of
Associates should be referred to open discussion in a meeting
of General Assembly, previous to the Council taking any
further proceedings in the matter>_ The General Assembly
for that purpose to be summoned for the 20th. Inst._

Mr. Redgrave gave notice of motion at the next meeting
to recommend to the Council the expediency of
so far as relates to associates, the application of Law_
Section 1._ Art: 4._ which declares that "they shall
not be members of any other Society of Artists established
in London._

C.L. Eastlake Pr.
John P. Knight RA. Sec.

, General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

Turner Gold medal, and the present meeting unanimously
confirming the resolution _ the piece of plate selected - An
Antique vase in oxidised silver was introduced and
present by the President in the name of the Royal Academy
to Mr. Maclise _ who received and acknowledged the same
with thanks._

The Secretary read the resolutions of Council of the 20th. of Jany.
and of the 3rd. of February, on the new mode of registration to
be required of candidates for Associateship, which were adopted
paragraph by paragraph nem: dis: _ omitting on the motion
of Mr. Cope in the last paragraph the necessity of the show
of hands, and that two members proposing the re-insertion
of a name shall be deemed sufficient._

The resolutions of the 24th of February, restricting the
size of Frames sent to exhibition, were then submitted to the
meeting, and carried, with one dissentient._

The resolution to lower "the line" by eight inches, was
discussed and put from the chair, when Mr. Redgrave
moved and Mr. Herbert seconded, by way of amendment

, General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

Read letters, from Messrs. P. Hardwick _ Geo. Jones _ and
H.W. Pickersgill stating their inability to attend the meeting
from severe indisposition, and suggesting the postponement
of the meeting._

Mr. Cope opened the discussion as appointed to take place
this Evening, on the propose extension of the number of
Associates._

Mr. Hart moved as an amendment and was seconded
by Mr. Maclise _ That it is at present inexpedient to
increase the number of Associates of the Royal Academy.

Mr. Dyce moved the adjournment of the discussion
till Monday the 2nd of April, which was seconded by
Mr. Grant and being put from the chair the motion for
adjournment was carried._

The President addressed the meeting on the subject of the
Copyright Committee, requesting permission to propose to the
Council to subscribe in aid, of the expenses incident to
passing the the Copyright Bill through parliament.
C.L. Eastlake Pr.
John P Knight

General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

RA Collection: Archive

Reference code

RAA/GA/1/6

Title

General Assembly minutes, vol. 6

Date

31 Jan 1859 - 05 Dec 1868

Level

Item

Extent & medium

1 vol., 424pp., with appendix, 22pp., of important letters referred to in the minutes.

Content Description

Volume of minutes of the General Assembly, including the following selected entries: meeting at which Sir Charles Barry was elected architect for the new Royal Academy building, 25 March 1859; the concerns of the President, Sir Francis Grant at the state of the Schools, and Richard Westmacott’s proposal to appoint a permanent teacher in the Antique School, 14 June - 23 July 1860; Sir Edwin Landseer’s suggestion that the Council consider “some means of rendering the study of the nude model less offensive to decency and morality”, 10 December 1864; note that a discussion was held concerning the vagueness of the terms of the Government’s offer of a new site for the Royal Academy, 5 July 1865, and the approval of Sir Francis Grant’s letter of reply to the First Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Works, which is transcribed in full and culminates in an assertion of the Royal Academy’s independence, 17 July 1865; voting on resolutions to create an indefinite number of Associates and whether to accept the Government’s offer of Burlington House as the new site of the Royal Academy building, 20 February 1866; a note that members were urged by the President, Sir Francis Grant, to consider the offer of a site on the Kensington Gore Estate made by the Commissioners of the Great Exhibition of 1851 as a site for the new Royal Academy building, “as offering advantages not to be found elsewhere”, 19 May 1866; changes to the laws, providing for the creation of an indefinite number of Associates and a minimum of twenty, 31 July 1866; the moving of a vote of thanks to Sir Francis Grant, on the role he had played in bringing negotiations with the Government about the Royal Academy’s move to Burlington House to a successful conclusion, 29 August 1866; the estimate of the Treasurer, Sydney Smirke, that the cost of erecting galleries, the Schools and the additional storey at Burlington House would be £70,000, 21 March 1867; General Assembly approval for the institution of an order of Honorary Foreign Academicians, 28 January - 2 June 1868; J. C. Horsley’s proposal to hold a winter centenary exhibition withdrawn after it became apparent that Burlington House would not be ready to stage it, 2 June 1868; Richard Redgrave’s motion that the Council define accurately the new office of Registrar in view of proposed increases in salaries for other officers, 16 November 1868, and the proposal that every salaried officer except the President should be asked to provide a statement of his duties, 1 December 1868; first meeting in Burlington House, 24 November 1868; and John R. Herbert’s motion that one or more shorthand writers be engaged at every General Assembly, “to preserve a more complete record of the proceedings of the Royal Academy than the minutes can furnish”, 5 December 1868.

Physical Characteristics

Contains pasted in newspaper cuttings, p 304.