Re-framing the Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery, 1824 – 2014

Re-framing the Italian Renaissance: Painting at the National Gallery, London, 1824-2014
by Harriet O'Neill (1980 – 2023)

This pioneering study examines how Italian Renaissance painting has been physically and conceptually framed and re-framed at the National Gallery, London, from its foundation in 1824 to the present day. Harriet O'Neill's research focuses primarily on historic, historicising, and Neo-Renaissance picture frames, while considering the changing appearance of the physical gallery spaces as a wider conceptual frame. Through six chapters, the author identifies the varied roles frames and framing have played in mediating the entry of Italian Renaissance panels into the museum environment.

• Chapter 1 situates the research within broader theoretical frameworks, bringing together literature on frames with conceptualisations of museums, decorative arts, and museological constructions of 'the Renaissance'.

• Chapters 2 and 3 examine the motivations for re-framing Renaissance panels under the Gallery's first Director, Sir Charles Eastlake, and his Keeper, Ralph Nicholson Wornum, exploring the connection between Neo-Renaissance frames and visitor experience alongside art historical practice.

• Chapter 4 analyses frames modelled on the portal ornament of the Venetian church of San Giobbe, commissioned under the Gallery's third Director, Sir Frederic Burton, comparing them with the widely deployed 'Watts' frames.

• Chapter 5 discusses the collection and adaptation of antique frames, contextualising this within international museological approaches pioneered in Berlin.

• Chapter 6 charts the recent re-framing of Italian Renaissance art at the National Gallery, particularly in the Sainsbury Wing, considering the types of narratives communicated to visitors through framing decisions.

This study reveals how re-framing has transformed dislocated panels into both art historical specimens and works for aesthetic pleasure while engaging with the establishment of the Renaissance artistic canon and making controversial works more acceptable to English taste.

Editors' Note

Following Harriet O'Neill's untimely passing in 2023, we sought to honour her scholarly legacy by making her doctoral research publicly available. Completed at the National Gallery and University College London in 2015, Harriet's thesis represents significant original scholarship that she had hoped to publish. While we cannot know how she might have revised her work for formal publication, we felt it vital to share her valuable contribution with the wider academic community.

To ensure the broadest possible reach without commercial constraints, the book is published on Zenodo with a unique DOI and distributed worldwide through platforms such as Google Books and Internet Archive under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Editorial Contributions

As editors, we have enhanced the original manuscript while preserving the integrity of Harriet's work and ideas:

• Standardised the text, redesigned the appendices, restructured the bibliography, and compiled a detailed new index

• Integrated over 150 illustrations—originally presented in a separate volume—into the main text at appropriate points

• Sourced high-resolution images without fees thanks to the generosity of various institutions, with approximately two-thirds provided by the National Gallery itself

This publication represents a collective effort from colleagues and friends, particularly from the National Gallery's Learning and National Programmes Department, who contributed their expertise through:

Editorial Team

• Proofreading: Fiona Alderton, Carlo Corsato, Anne Fay, Ed Dickenson, Josepha Sanna, Catherine Heath, George Fountain, Joseph Kendra, Georgios Markou

• Bibliography & Endnotes: Carlo Corsato, Chloe Cooke, Charlotte Dodson, Coco Lloyd, Demitra Procopiou, Caroline Miller, Caroline Smith, Katy Tarbard

• National Gallery Archival References: Zara Moran

• Index: Carlo Corsato, Peter Humfrey, Josie Wood

• Manuscript Review: Susanna Avery-Quash, Alison Wright, Carlo Corsato

• Design, Typesetting & Photo-Editing: Paolo Pirroni, Carlo Corsato

• Captions: Carlo Corsato, Susanna Avery-Quash, Joanna Conybeare, Isabella Kocum, Anna Murray

• National Gallery Image Permissions: Denise King, Rachael Fenton, Robin Vickers, Claudia Thwaites

This book stands as a lasting tribute to Harriet's exceptional scholarship and ensures her significant contribution to Renaissance studies endures.

Carlo Corsato & Susanna Avery-Quash

Access and Citation

If you use this research in your work, please cite it as: Harriet O'Neill, Re-framing the Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery, 1824 – 2014, eds Carlo Corsato and Susanna Avery-Quash. Independent Publishing Network, London, 2025. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13383617

Share this publication: We encourage you to share this open-access resource with colleagues, students, and anyone interested in Renaissance studies, museum practices, or art history.