Overview
A Glaswegian Scot, Mackelvie had lived in Auckland from 1865
until 1871, taking an active part in city life. He was one of the
original members of the Council of the Auckland Institute, later
the Auckland War Memorial Museum. After returning to London he set
about putting together an art collection, sending several
consignments to Auckland from 1876 onwards. Works included a
Saint Sebastian by Guido Reni, pencil drawings by J. M. W.
Turner and a bronze statue of a draped female figure, believed to
have come from the ruins of Pompeii. A few months before he died he
also produced a sixty-page record of the works titled Catalogue of
the Mackelvie Collection, for Auckland, New Zealand, 1885.
Image credit: Guido Reni, Saint Sebastian
Circa 1625, oil On Canvas, Mackelvie Trust Collection,
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, gift of James Tannock Mackelvie,
1882