Difference between revisions of "Bartholomew Ruspini"
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[[File:Bartholomew Ruspini portrait by Ridley 1800.jpg|thumb|right|240px|alt=Engraved oval portrait of Bartholomew Ruspini, wearing a coat, waistcoat and cravat.|Bartholomew Ruspini, engraved by W. Ridley and published in 1800. Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0.]] | [[File:Bartholomew Ruspini portrait by Ridley 1800.jpg|thumb|right|240px|alt=Engraved oval portrait of Bartholomew Ruspini, wearing a coat, waistcoat and cravat.|Bartholomew Ruspini, engraved by W. Ridley and published in 1800. Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0.]] | ||
| − | '''Bartholomew Ruspini''' ( | + | '''Bartholomew Ruspini''' (1730–1813)<ref name="hillam">Christina Hillam, [https://culturabrembana.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf%20quaderni%20brembani/Quaderni%20Brembani%2005.pdf “Bartolomeo Ruspini”], ''Quaderni Brembani'', 5, pp. 74–75.</ref>, also known as '''Chevalier Ruspini''', was an Italian-born dentist and Freemason who established the school that became the [[Royal Masonic School for Girls]]. His charitable work combined professional contacts, royal patronage and fundraising through concerts and prints.<ref name="museum">Museum of Freemasonry, [https://museumfreemasonry.org.uk/whats-on/generous-dentist-bartholomew-ruspini Generous Dentist: Bartholomew Ruspini], exhibition description.</ref><ref name="campbell">Wellcome Collection, [https://wellcomecollection.org/works/z5bskmp7 catalogue record for J. Menzies Campbell's study of Ruspini], reprinted from ''Dental Magazine'', December 1953.</ref><ref name="charity">Museum of Freemasonry, [https://museumfreemasonry.org.uk/node/1231 Charity as tradition]. Accessed 30 September 2026.</ref> |
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| + | == Origins and early career == | ||
| + | The dental historian Christina Hillam identifies Ruspini's birthplace as Ca Bonoré at Romacolo, in the parish of Grumello de' Zanchi near Bergamo. Her account gives 1730 as his birth year, also used in the Science Museum Group's catalogue.<ref name="hillam" /><ref>Science Museum Group, [https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp129364/bartholomew-ruspini Bartholomew Ruspini, 1730–1813], person record.</ref> The frequently repeated date 1728 is discussed in the school's history blog, which contrasts it with Hillam's research and a reported baptism in February 1730.<ref>''RMSG History Extra'', [https://rmsghistoryextra.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/bartholomew-ruspini/ Bartholomew Ruspini], 26 June 2020.</ref> | ||
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| + | Ruspini was practising dentistry in England by 1752. Much of his early work was in Bath and Bristol, and he also travelled to Scotland and Ireland. His professional business later involved members of his family: his son James Bladen became his partner in 1787.<ref name="hillam" /> | ||
== Dentistry and London society == | == Dentistry and London society == | ||
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Wellcome Collection holds editions of his ''Treatise on the Teeth'' and a 1787 publication about his styptic, a preparation intended to stop bleeding. These publications document his professional practice and the promotion of his remedies.<ref>Wellcome Collection, [https://wellcomecollection.org/concepts/ysezx4ak works by and about Bartholomew Ruspini], including editions dated 1784, 1797 and 1802 and the 1787 styptic publication.</ref> | Wellcome Collection holds editions of his ''Treatise on the Teeth'' and a 1787 publication about his styptic, a preparation intended to stop bleeding. These publications document his professional practice and the promotion of his remedies.<ref>Wellcome Collection, [https://wellcomecollection.org/concepts/ysezx4ak works by and about Bartholomew Ruspini], including editions dated 1784, 1797 and 1802 and the 1787 styptic publication.</ref> | ||
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| + | == Lodge connections == | ||
| + | Ruspini joined a Bristol lodge in 1762 and helped found the Lodge of the Nine Muses in 1777. Its membership included artists such as Francesco Bartolozzi and Johann Christian Bach. Although associated with the Moderns, he joined the Antients' Grand Master's Lodge in 1788. In 1791 he became Grand Sword Bearer, an office he held for life.<ref name="hillam" /> | ||
== The school and its funding == | == The school and its funding == | ||
Latest revision as of 14:31, 2 October 2026
Bartholomew Ruspini (1730–1813)[1], also known as Chevalier Ruspini, was an Italian-born dentist and Freemason who established the school that became the Royal Masonic School for Girls. His charitable work combined professional contacts, royal patronage and fundraising through concerts and prints.[2][3][4]
Origins and early career
The dental historian Christina Hillam identifies Ruspini's birthplace as Ca Bonoré at Romacolo, in the parish of Grumello de' Zanchi near Bergamo. Her account gives 1730 as his birth year, also used in the Science Museum Group's catalogue.[1][5] The frequently repeated date 1728 is discussed in the school's history blog, which contrasts it with Hillam's research and a reported baptism in February 1730.[6]
Ruspini was practising dentistry in England by 1752. Much of his early work was in Bath and Bristol, and he also travelled to Scotland and Ireland. His professional business later involved members of his family: his son James Bladen became his partner in 1787.[1]
Dentistry and London society
Ruspini settled in England during the 1750s and became a surgeon-dentist to the Prince of Wales. He supplied dental preparations to poor Londoners as well as treating wealthy patients. His Pall Mall home was a meeting place for artists, including visitors from Italy.[2]
Wellcome Collection holds editions of his Treatise on the Teeth and a 1787 publication about his styptic, a preparation intended to stop bleeding. These publications document his professional practice and the promotion of his remedies.[7]
Lodge connections
Ruspini joined a Bristol lodge in 1762 and helped found the Lodge of the Nine Muses in 1777. Its membership included artists such as Francesco Bartolozzi and Johann Christian Bach. Although associated with the Moderns, he joined the Antients' Grand Master's Lodge in 1788. In 1791 he became Grand Sword Bearer, an office he held for life.[1]
The school and its funding
In 1788, Ruspini founded a school for daughters of Freemasons whose families needed financial help. Its first premises were at Somers Place East, near Euston, under the name Royal Cumberland School for the Daughters of Indigent Free Masons.[8]
The Duke and Duchess of Cumberland supported the school. Ruspini arranged ticketed musical performances to raise money, drawing on his Masonic and professional connections. The Museum of Freemasonry connects these activities with the development of Masonic charity festivals.[4]
An 1802 engraving by Francesco Bartolozzi, after Thomas Stothard, shows Ruspini leading schoolgirls through Freemasons' Hall. Copies were sold to support the school. The Museum explains that the scene brings together patrons and visitors from concerts in the 1790s, rather than recording a single gathering.[9]
Related articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Christina Hillam, “Bartolomeo Ruspini”, Quaderni Brembani, 5, pp. 74–75.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Museum of Freemasonry, Generous Dentist: Bartholomew Ruspini, exhibition description.
- ↑ Wellcome Collection, catalogue record for J. Menzies Campbell's study of Ruspini, reprinted from Dental Magazine, December 1953.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Museum of Freemasonry, Charity as tradition. Accessed 30 September 2026.
- ↑ Science Museum Group, Bartholomew Ruspini, 1730–1813, person record.
- ↑ RMSG History Extra, Bartholomew Ruspini, 26 June 2020.
- ↑ Wellcome Collection, works by and about Bartholomew Ruspini, including editions dated 1784, 1797 and 1802 and the 1787 styptic publication.
- ↑ Museum of Freemasonry, Royal Masonic Institution for Girls archive collection, AIM25, reference GBR 1991 RMIG, biographical history.
- ↑ Museum of Freemasonry, Generous Dentist: Who's in the picture and Celebrity spotting 18th century style!.
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