John Hoppner (4 April 175823 January 1810) was an English portrait painter, much influenced by Reynolds, who achieved fame as a brilliant colourist.

Early life

Hoppner was born in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, London, the son of German parents – his mother was one of the German attendants at the royal palace. King George showed a fatherly interest and patronage of the young boy that gave rise to rumours, quite unfounded, that he may have been his illegitimate son. Hoppner became a chorister at the royal chapel, but, showing strong inclination for art, in 1775 he entered the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

. In 1778 he took a silver medal for drawing from life, and in 1782 the Academy's highest award, the gold medal for historical painting, his subject being

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

Career

Hoppner first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1780. His earliest love was for landscape, but necessity obliged him to turn to the more lucrative business of portrait painting. At once successful, he had throughout life the most fashionable and wealthy sitters, and was the greatest rival to the growing attraction of

Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at ...

. He rarely attempted ideal subjects, though a ''Sleeping Venus'', ''Belisarius'', ''Jupiter and Io'', a ''Bacchante'' and ''Cupid and Psyche'' are recorded among his works. The

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

visited him especially often, and many of his finest portraits were hung in the state apartments at

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...

, notably those of the prince himself, the

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

and

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore t ...

, Lord Rodney and

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

. His other sitters included Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

, the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister ...

Henry Bartle Frere Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (29 March 1815 – 29 May 1884) was a Welsh British colonial administrator. He had a successful career in India, rising to become Governor of Bombay (1862–1867). However, as High Commissioner for ...

and Sir George Beaumont.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 1911 According to the 1911 edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'':

Competent judges have deemed his most successful works to be his portraits of women and children... He was confessedly an imitator of Reynolds. When first painted, his works were much admired for the brilliancy and harmony of their colouring, but the injury due to destructive mediums and lapse of time which many of them suffered caused a great depreciation in his reputation. The appearance, however, of some of his pictures in good condition has shown that his fame as a brilliant colourist was well-founded. His drawing is faulty, but his touch has qualities of breadth and freedom that give to his paintings a faint reflection of the charm of Reynolds.

In 1803 he published ''A Series of Portraits of Ladies'', engraved after his paintings by Charles Wilkin, and in 1805 a volume of translations of Eastern tales into English verse. Unusually Hoppner painted the background and perhaps more of a full-length portrait of

Charlotte, Countess Talbot John Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot (25 February 1749 – 19 May 1793), known as John Talbot until 1782 and as The Lord Talbot between 1782 and 1784, was a British peer and politician. Background A member of Talbot family headed by the Earl of Shr ...

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

in 1788, the year in which Gainsborough died. It is now in the

Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Dunedin Public Art Gallery holds the main public art collection of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located in The Octagon in the heart of the city, it is close to the city's public library, Dunedin Town Hall, and other facilities such as ...

Personal life

Hoppner was a man of great social power, and had the knowledge and accomplishments of a man of the world. He married Phoebe Wright, the daughter of American-born sculptor Patience Wright. They had five children, although little is known about the youngest: * Catherine Hampden Hoppner (1784–1828),

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

* Richard Belgrave Hoppner (1786–1872), British

Consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

, Venice, and friend of Byron (ref: Oxford DNB, entry on RBH in entry on John Hoppner) * Wilson (sometimes known as William) Lascelles Hoppner (1788-?), artist * Henry Parkyns Hoppner (1795–1833), officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

, draughtsman/artist * youngest unknown Hoppner

Death

In his later years Hoppner suffered from a chronic disease of the liver. He died on 23 January 1810.

Gallery

File:MatthiasHoffmanByJohnHoppner.png, Dr. Matthias Hoffman,

Province House (Nova Scotia) Province House ( gd, Taigh na Roinne) in Halifax is where the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, known officially as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has met every year since 1819, making it the longest serving legislative building in Canada. T ...

File:LordNelsonByJohnHoppner.png,

File:1800 Hoppner Mädchen mit Kaninchen anagoria.JPG, Girl with rabbit, 1800, Städelsches Kunstinstitut File:Ix001199 1024x1024.jpg, Georgiana St Leger and her son

Pascoe St Leger Grenfell Pascoe St Leger Grenfell (5 November 1798 — 27 March 1879) was a British businessman and patron, and a key backer of the South Australian Company. He was a committee member of the South Australian Church Society, and is known for donation of ...

c1800

References

External links

*

* ttp://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/53.59.3 The Sackville children(1796 painting)
Portrait of William Locke
(1783 painting)
Portrait of Anne, Lady Grenville
(Christie's) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoppner, John 1758 births 1810 deaths People from Whitechapel Painters from London 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English people of German descent English portrait painters Royal Academicians 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists