View of the Naval Gallery in the Painted Hall, Greenwich  Hospital, in 1865<br><p>This fine perspective drawing appears to have been the basis of a wood-engraving in the 'Illustrated London News' for 22 April 1865, in an article advocating a visit to Greenwich entitled 'Illustrations of Greenwich Hospital' (pp. 375-77). The print has more and different figure groups and is signed 'L.H. Michael del' although nothing else is known of him. The Sandby signature on the drawing is false. 
</p><p>Both images give an excellent idea of the arrangement of the Naval Gallery 40 years after it opened in 1824. For this the Hall's main windows were blocked up and pictures originally hung in the resulting bays between the pilasters. However, in 1845-46, there were considerable renovations in the Hall supervised by its new Honorary Curator, Clarkson Stanfield RA (appointed October 1844). They included increasing hanging space by panelling over the lower pilasters up to a decorative cornice 'line', above which full-length portraits were placed, as before, between the upper pilasters. The panelled area, covered in crimson cloth (also as before) was rehung with smaller canvases and large landscape-format works, centring on the south wall (left) on Turner's 'Battle of Trafalgar'  and on the north its pendant, de Loutherbourg's 'Battle of 1 June 1794', which can be clearly seen here. These had both been presented by George IV in 1829 and previously hung in the Vestibule.
</p><p>Many of the other works shown can be identified. For example, on the far right, the full-length portrait above the line is H. P. Briggs's of Robert Blake, commissioned and presented to Greenwich Hospital by Sir Robert Preston in 1829. On the far left is Sir William Allen's 'Battle of Cape St Vincent', painted in 1845. 
</p><p>The bust in the centre of the Upper Hall is probably of William IV by Chantrey, presented by Queen Adelaide in 1841, while the marble statues flanking the archway are, on the left, Admiral Lord Exmouth by Patrick Macdowell (1846) and Admiral Sir Sidney Smith by Thomas Kirk (1845). The Naval Gallery continued to 1936, when its contents were transferred to the care of the National Maritime Museum. This drawing was presented to Greenwich Hospital by Messrs Dyer in 1895.<br></p>
View of the Naval Gallery in the Painted Hall, Greenwich  Hospital, in 1865 (signed with false Paul Sandby signature)
<div class="fn value">
L. H. Michael (but bearing a false Paul Sandby signature)</div>
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