(b. c.1700 - after 1762), merchant and dealer; b. Dublin; m. before 1739; in Montpellier 1739, afterwards in Vienna and London; called 'de Gaven' 1762.
1731 - 2 Rome (Aug. 1731 - by 17 Jan. 1732)
1744 - 5 Rome (1744), Venice (1745)
'Mr Gaven about 30 years old a merchant from Dublin' arrived in Rome in August 1731; 'he has applyed to ye P[retend]ers Court for to have procured for Him from ye Pope a Patent for to have all ye priviledges of a Crown Consull (except ye Caractere) in the Pap[al] state'.1 Since his father owned eight ships it was thought the son might attract trade to Civitavecchia from Leghorn, but he was not a Catholic and Thomas Chamberlain was appointed, initially on the understanding that Gaven would take the profits, see Chamberlain. By 17 January 1732 Gaven had left Rome for 'England or Ireland'.2
By 1744 Gaven was on good terms with Cardinal Albani, implying he had already spent some time in Rome. That year he was sent from Rome by Albani and Count de Thun as an envoy extraordinary to Admiral Thomas Mathews in the Mediterranean, to seek help from the British fleet for the Queen of Hungary. In 1745 Gaven was in Venice acting as Maria Theresa's agent to the British fleet, while Albani was seeing his wife and daughter in Rome.3 Gaven's later activity as a dealer in works of art seems to have been in London, Vienna and Dresden;4 he remained in correspondence with Albani until 1762.
1. SP 98/33 (J. Dixon, 28 Aug. 1731). 2. SP 98/33 (Colman, 17 Jan. 1732). 3. See Lewis 1961, 23, 121 - 2, 184, 199, and add. notes by Mrs Lewis. 4. G. Perini, Burl.Mag., 135[1993]:554, 556 - 7.