Henry Thomson (painter)
Encyclopedia
Henry Thomson RA
(31 July 1773 – 5 April 1843) was an English
artist and Royal Academician who became Keeper of the Royal Academy
.
As a painter, he specialized in historical, mythological and literary subjects. He was also a translator.
, Thomson was the son of a naval purser
who encouraged his son's interest in art and took him to Paris
in 1787. They returned to England two years later, as a result of the French Revolution
. From 1791 to 1792, Thomson attended the Royal Academy Schools. He then continued to train under John Opie
, before travelling again in Europe with his father. They were in Italy
between 1793 and 1798, then in Austria
and Germany
in 1799. After his return to England later that year, Thomson's artistic career made speedy progress. In the Royal Academy exhibition
of 1800 he exhibited paintings of classical subjects. The following year he was elected an associate member of the Academy and in 1804 an Academician.
Although primarily a historical painter, like most of the artists of his time Thomson relied heavily on income from illustrating books. His reputation was established in 1801-02 with his work for Boydell
's Shakespeare Gallery
. He exhibited many mythological and domestic paintings, and also portrait
s, until 1825.
He was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy in 1825, succeeding Henry Fuseli
, but after only two years he resigned on the grounds of severe illness, when he was succeeded as Keeper by William Hilton
. He never recovered and took on no further significant work, retiring to Portsea and dying there on 6 April 1843. He was buried in the churchyard of the Portsmouth parish church
.
By his Will, he left his house, carriage, furniture, and £
300 to "the person who attended him during his last illness" and £700 to each of his household servants.
fastening wings on his son Icarus
. He specialized in "historical and fancy subjects", and between 1800 and 1825 he exhibited a total of seventy-six paintings at the Academy, most of which were portraits.
Thomson's principal works include Mercy interceding for a fallen Warrior (1804),Love Sheltered and The Red Cross Knight (1806),Love's Ingratitude (1808), The Distressed Family (1809),Titania(1810),Peasants in a Storm (1811),The Infancy of Jupiter and Lavinia (1812),Eurydice and Thais (1814),Cupid Disarmed and Icarus (1815),Christ raising Jairus's Daughter (1820),Perdita (1824),and Juliet (1825), which was his last work to be exhibited.
Love Sheltered and The Red Cross Knight were both engraved in mezzotint
, as were portraits of the Marquess of Normanby
, Lord Penrhyn
, Nathan Drake, Sir William Weller Pepys, Sir James Campbell
, and Emily St Clare and a depiction of Titania, the last engraved by William Say
and published by Richard Lambe in 1811. Thomson also illustrated Sharpe's Poets and other books.
into English Antoine-Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy
's The Destination of Works of Art and the Use to which they are Applied, published in London
in 1821.
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
(31 July 1773 – 5 April 1843) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
artist and Royal Academician who became Keeper of the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
As a painter, he specialized in historical, mythological and literary subjects. He was also a translator.
Life
Born in PortseaPortsea
Portsea is an area of the English city of Portsmouth, located on Portsea Island, within the ceremonial county of Hampshire.The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth...
, Thomson was the son of a naval purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
who encouraged his son's interest in art and took him to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1787. They returned to England two years later, as a result of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. From 1791 to 1792, Thomson attended the Royal Academy Schools. He then continued to train under John Opie
John Opie
John Opie was an English historical and portrait painter. He painted many great men and women of his day, most notably in the artistic and literary professions.-Life and work:...
, before travelling again in Europe with his father. They were in Italy
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
between 1793 and 1798, then in Austria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
and Germany
Kleinstaaterei
is a German word, mainly used for the political situation in Germany and neighbouring regions during the Holy Roman Empire and during the German Confederation...
in 1799. After his return to England later that year, Thomson's artistic career made speedy progress. In the Royal Academy exhibition
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the summer months of June, July, and August...
of 1800 he exhibited paintings of classical subjects. The following year he was elected an associate member of the Academy and in 1804 an Academician.
Although primarily a historical painter, like most of the artists of his time Thomson relied heavily on income from illustrating books. His reputation was established in 1801-02 with his work for Boydell
John Boydell
John Boydell was an 18th-century British publisher noted for his reproductions of engravings. He helped alter the trade imbalance between Britain and France in engravings and initiated a British tradition in the art form...
's Shakespeare Gallery
Boydell Shakespeare Gallery
The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London, England, was the first stage of a three-part project initiated in November 1786 by engraver and publisher John Boydell in an effort to foster a school of British history painting...
. He exhibited many mythological and domestic paintings, and also portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s, until 1825.
He was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy in 1825, succeeding Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli was a British painter, draughtsman, and writer on art, of Swiss origin.-Biography:...
, but after only two years he resigned on the grounds of severe illness, when he was succeeded as Keeper by William Hilton
William Hilton
William Hilton , was an English portrait and history painter.-Life and work:Hilton was born in Lincoln, the son of a portrait-painter; he may be known as "William Hilton the Younger"...
. He never recovered and took on no further significant work, retiring to Portsea and dying there on 6 April 1843. He was buried in the churchyard of the Portsmouth parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
.
By his Will, he left his house, carriage, furniture, and £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
300 to "the person who attended him during his last illness" and £700 to each of his household servants.
Work
The first picture Thomson exhibited at the Royal Academy was entitled DaedalusDaedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a skillful craftsman and artisan.-Family:...
fastening wings on his son Icarus
Icarus
-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
. He specialized in "historical and fancy subjects", and between 1800 and 1825 he exhibited a total of seventy-six paintings at the Academy, most of which were portraits.
Thomson's principal works include Mercy interceding for a fallen Warrior (1804),Love Sheltered and The Red Cross Knight (1806),Love's Ingratitude (1808), The Distressed Family (1809),Titania(1810),Peasants in a Storm (1811),The Infancy of Jupiter and Lavinia (1812),Eurydice and Thais (1814),Cupid Disarmed and Icarus (1815),Christ raising Jairus's Daughter (1820),Perdita (1824),and Juliet (1825), which was his last work to be exhibited.
Love Sheltered and The Red Cross Knight were both engraved in mezzotint
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
, as were portraits of the Marquess of Normanby
Constantine Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby
Constantine Henry Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby KG GCB GCH, PC , styled Viscount Normanby between 1812 and 1831 and known as The Earl of Mulgrave between 1831 and 1838, was a British Whig politician and author...
, Lord Penrhyn
Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn
Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn was a slave owner, anti-abolitionist Member of Parliament and Irish peer.Richard Pennant was educated at Newsome's academy in Hackney and Trinity College, Cambridge...
, Nathan Drake, Sir William Weller Pepys, Sir James Campbell
Campbell Baronets
There have been 19 Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Campbell, seven in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and twelve in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.-Campbell Baronets, of Glenorchy :...
, and Emily St Clare and a depiction of Titania, the last engraved by William Say
William Say
William Say was an English Member of Parliament and one of the regicides of King Charles I.Say was educated at University College, Oxford and the Middle Temple before being called to the Bar in 1631...
and published by Richard Lambe in 1811. Thomson also illustrated Sharpe's Poets and other books.
Translator
Thomson translated from the FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
into English Antoine-Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy
Quatremère de Quincy
Antoine-Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy was a French armchair archaeologist and architectural theorist, a Freemason, and an effective arts administrator and influential writer on art....
's The Destination of Works of Art and the Use to which they are Applied, published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1821.
External links
- Henry Thomson at artnet.com