Colnaghi is an art dealership in St James's, central London, England, which is the oldest commercial art gallery in the world, having been established in 1760.
Foundation
The business that became the Colnaghi gallery was established by Italian firework manufacturer, Giovanni Battista Torre, in Paris, France, in 1760. Torre opened a shop with the name "Cabinet de Physique Expérimentale", where he sold scientific instruments, books and prints.
In 1767, Torre's son Anthony Torre moved to London where he opened a sister shop, specialising in prints, in partnership with another Italian immigrant, Anthony Molteno. Giovanni Torre died in 1780, and in 1784 Anthony Torre hired Paul Colnaghi—newly arrived in Paris from Milan—to manage a new shop in Palais Royal, Paris.
Paul Colnaghi (1751-1833) Paul Colnaghi was born in 1751 as Paolo Colnago, in the Brianza region of northern Italy. He was the younger child of the influential Milanese lawyer Dr Martino Colnago and Ippolita Colnaga (née Raggi). He arrived in Paris after his father's death in 1783, where he initially worked for a Milanese optician named Ciceri, before Ciceri recommended Colnaghi's services to his friend Anthony Torre. Paul Colnaghi served as Torre's Paris agent (1784-7), mainly selling prints from England, but he left Paris for London in May 1785.
Arriving in London, Colnaghi joined Torre and Molteno, who had become successful selling prints by leading engravers such as William Wynne Ryland and Valentine Green. The London business moved to 132 Pall Mall in 1786 and Colnaghi married Anthony Torre's sister-in-law Elizabeth Baker. Anthony Torre retired to Italy in 1788, and Molteno took over as senior partner. The firm operated as Molteno, Colnaghi & Co.
Colnaghi now ran the original firm with a succession of partners, concentrating on selling new prints and engravings of Old Master paintings. He published a very popular series of engravings, the Cries of London, from 1792 to 1797. He also moved premises to 23 Cockspur Street in 1799, and survived the disruption to his trade caused by the Napoleonic Wars.
Paul Colnaghi's elder son Dominic Charles (sometimes also given as Dominic Paul) became a partner in around 1810, and later his younger son Martin also became a partner. The firm held monthly levées at its premises for its customers, many from the British aristocracy. Colnaghi became the official print-seller to the Prince Regent, and he was asked to organise the Royal Collection, receiving a Royal Warrant when the Prince Regent became George IV. Colnaghi was also print-seller to George's sister, Charlotte, Princess Royal, later Queen of Württemberg.
Colnaghi's impending retirement to Italy was postponed when his son Martin sued both his father and his brother Dominic in 1824. The settlement of the lawsuit left Martin with the old shop. Martin became bankrupt in 1832 and 1843, and died in 1851, but his son Martin Henry Colnaghi, continued the separate business in Pall Mall.
Paul and Dominic Colnaghi moved to 14 Pall Mall East—near the nascent National Gallery. Dominic married Katherine Pontet (d.1881) on 15 October 1831, and settled at 62 Margaret street, Cavendish square. Paul Colnaghi continued to work in the business until he died at his home at St George's Place Hanover Square, on 26 August 1833.
Dominic Colnaghi (1790–1879) and John Scott (d.1864)
Caroline Scott's son, John Anthony Scott, joined his cousin Dominic Colnaghi in the business in 1839. Scott commissioned William Simpson to go to the Crimea in 1854 to make watercolour sketches of scenes from the Crimean War, published as a series of 81 lithographs in The Seat of War in the East. The gallery also sold photographs by Roger Fenton. After this early experience with photography, the gallery commissioned Leonida Caldesi and Mattia Montecchi to take photographs at the Art Treasures Exhibition in 1857, published in Gems of the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in 1858, and Colnaghi published artistic photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron from 1864.
The firm was associated with John Constable, assisting him to exhibit The Hay Wain at the Paris Salon in 1824, where it won a gold medal. The art dealership organised exhibitions for the British Institution, and of paintings by Eugène Delacroix in 1829.
After Scott died in 1864, and Dominic Colnaghi retired in 1865, Scott's cousin Andrew McKay (d. 1899) became sole proprietor. He was joined by his son William KcKay in 1879. "Old Dom" Colnaghi died the same year, on 19 December, and was buried in Brompton cemetery. He was survived by his wife Katherine (also spelled Catherine) and by his two sons.