HERBERT
250
HERBERT
1890. He was admitted as a student of the Royal
Academy in 1826, and in 1830 his first picture, "A
Country Boy", was exhibited at the Academy. For
some years he painted pictures, chiefly inspired by
Byron's poems. He visited Italy in 183G, and sent
several paintings to the Royal Academy, which at-
tracted general attention. On his return to London,
he made the acquaintance of Augustus VVelby Pugin,
the architect, who.se portrait he painted. They be-
came intimate friends, and through Pugin's influence
Herbert was received into the Church in 1840.
In 1841 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and exhibited a portrait of Cardinal Wise- man, whose close friend he remained until the cardi- nal's death. From this time forwanl he cho.se for his subjects only religious scenes. The first of these was "The First Introduction of Christianity into Britain", which at once established his reputation as a great his- torical painter. In the following year he exhibited ".Sir Thomas More and his Daughter observing from the prison window the Monks being led to execution ", a work which attracted general attention. His di- ploma picture, upon his election as a Royal Academi- cian in 1846, was "St. Gregory the Great teaching Roman boys to sing the Chant which received his name". At that date there was a strong feeling among Protestants against the Church, and much indignation was expressed by the press against the subjects chosen and the religious tone of their com- position. But Herbert was absolutely fearless and independent, for his works were recognized \>y con- nois.seurs as masterpieces. He was then .selected by the Government to paint a series of nine frescoes in the peers' robing room of the House of Lords, illustrative of human justice. The subjects cho.sen were: "The Fall of Man"; "His Condemnation to Labour"; " Moses bringing down the Tables of the Law " ; " The Judgment of Solomon"; "The Visit of the Queen of Sheba"; "The Building of the Temple"; "The Judgment of Daniel"; "Daniel in the Lions' Den"; "The Vision of Daniel". All of these were executed in stereochrome, a process which had been adopted by Maclise, but which Herbert subsequently recognized to have been a mistake, as not being durable. He therefore painted replicas of them in oil. In 1849 he was commissioned to paint in the Poets' Hall " King Lear disinheriting Cordelia", a replica of which he ex- hibited in the Royal Academy in 1849. In 1860 he painted for Queen Victoria a picture of the Blessed Virgin which Her Majesty highly valued and pre- served in her private apartments imtil her death. It is said that the last look of her husband, Prince Albert, on his death-bed was directed to this picture.
In the " History of the Royal Academy", Mr. Sandby writes of Herbert: "All his pictures are the fruit of long study and most careful workmanship; he paints slowly and minutely ; he is said to have cut out por- tions of his Lear picture five times before he was satis- fied. . . . Extreme simplicity, elaborate finish, deep and earnest expression, avoidance of accessories, ex- cept such as are suggestive of deeper meaning, and, in sacred subjects, a feeling of devotion and spirituality characterize his work, and a dignity in the human form rarely found in modern English artists." From the time of his conversion Herbert proved himself a zealous and practical Catholic. He .stood firmly by Cardinal Wiseman during the stormy peril >d which followed the establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England, and took a prominent part in all Catholic works. He was one of the founders of the English branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, of the St. Vincent's home for destitute boys, the patronage com- mittee, etc. He was also one of the founders of the Peter's Pence Association in England. W'ith failing health, he retired in 1886, having built a handsome house and studio at Kilburn, in the suburbs of London and adjoining the church of the Oblates of Mary Im-
maculate. He died there and was buried in the Cath-
olic cemetery at Kensal Green.
Redgr.^ve, .4 Cctitunj of Painters of 'he EiiQti-'ih School (Lon- don, 1S66): Sandby. liistory of the Hoyal Academy of Arts (London, 1862); Graves in Diet. Nat. Biog., a. v.
Archibald J. Dunn.
Herbert of Bosham, biographer of St. Thomas Bccket, dates of birth and death unknown. He was probably born in the County of Sus.sex at the place from wiiich he took his name, and he must have joined Becket's hou.sehold before 1162, as, on his elevation in that year, the new archbishop immedi- ately pi'omoted him to a responsible position. He was to give his master advice on the performance of his duties, and to assist and even direct his studies of Scripture. Herbert remained closely attached to St. Thomas during the arduous and troubled years of his episcopacy and exile down to the very eve of the final scene in Canterbury Cathedral. Of all the arch- liisliop's followers he was the keenest antagonist of the king and the royal "customs", f(uite ready on occasion to beard Henry II to his face or to undertake dangerous missions to England. After the martyr- dom Herbert .seems to have lived mainly on the Con- tinent, and he complains that he was neglected by the friends and adherents of the master whom he had served so faithfully; he records, however, a friendly interview with the king himself. We know nothing of him after the year 11S9. As a biographer Herbert hail many advantages. He shared St. Thomas's ideals and was an eyewitness of most of the incidents of his episcopacy. He had sat by him, for instance, during the stormy scenes of the trial at Northampton. On the other hand he did not begin to write till 1184, many years after the events which he records, and Dom L'Huillicr has given good reasons to doubt the accuracy of lierljert's reminiscences. The biographer certainly exaggerated his own per.sonal influence over St. Thomas. Herbert of Bosham's work has not, therefore, the historical value of that of Fitzstephen, and it is also extremely verbose. Besides the "Life of St. Thomas", he wrote a very lengthy "Liber Mel- orum" in praise of the martyr. The best edition of the "Life" is that contained in vol. Ill of the "Mate- rials for the History of Thomas Becket" (Rolls Series) edited by Canon Robertson; the volume also con- tains some extracts from the "Lilier Melorum".
Introduction to voL III of the Materials; Nohgate in Diet. Nai. Biog.. s. v.; L'Huillier, .S(. Thomas de Canterbury, I (Paris, 1891), note A.
F. F. Urquhaht.
Herbert of Derwentwater (Hereberht), Saint, date of birth unknown; d. 20 March, 087; an ancho- rite of the seventh century, who dwelt for many years on the little island still known as St. Herbert's Isle, in the Lake of Derwentwater. He was for long tlie friend and disciple of St. Cuthbcrt of Lindisfarne. Little is known about him. save that it was his custom every year to visit St. Cuthbert for the purpose of receiving his direction in spiritual matters. In the year 686, hearing that his friend was visiting Carlisle for the purpose of giving the veil to (Jueen Eormen- burg, he went to see him there, instead of at Lindis- farne as was usual. .Xfter they had spoken together, St. Cuthbert said "Brother Herbert., tell to me now all that you have need to ask or speak, for never shall we .see one anotlier again in this world. For I know that the time of my decease is at hand." Then Her- bert fell weeping at his feet and begged that St. Cuth- bert would obtain for him the grace that they might both be admitted to praise God in heaven at the same time. And St. Cuthbert prayed and then made an- swer, "Rise, my brother, weep not, but rejoice that the mercy of God has granted our desire." And so it happened. For Herbert, returning to his hermitage, fell ill of a long sickness, and, purified of his imperfec- tions, passed to God on the very day on which St.
