Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the

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

in 1768, and later its first librarian.

Life and works

Born in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, Devon, Hayman begun his artistic career as a scene painter in London's

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

theatre (where he also appeared in minor roles) before establishing a studio in

St Martin's Lane St Martin's Lane is a street in the City of Westminster, which runs from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre. At its northern end, it becomes Monmouth Street, London, Mo ...

. A versatile artist influenced by the French

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style, he achieved some note during the 1740s through decorative paintings executed for the supper boxes at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London. Hayman was also a successful portraitist and history painter. Combining some of these, he contributed 31 pictures to a 1744 edition of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's plays by Sir Thomas Hanmer, and later portrayed many leading contemporary actors in Shakespearean roles, including David Garrick as

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

(1760). He also illustrated Pamela, a novel by Samuel Richardson, Milton's ''Paradise Lost'' and ''Paradise Regained'',

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (bapt. 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish writer and surgeon. He was best known for writing picaresque novels such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' ...

's translation of ''Don Quixote'', and other well-known works. In the 1760s Hayman was commissioned by Jonathan Tyers, proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens and the Denbies estate, to paint a series of large-scale history paintings depicting British victories in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. He was an able teacher. His pupils included Mason Chamberlin, Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Thomas Seton and Lemuel Francis Abbott, and he was also a strong influence on

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 o ...

. With

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, Hayman was actively involved in the formation of the Society of Artists, a forerunner of the

, during the early 1760s. Hayman died in 1776 and was buried in an unmarked grave in St Anne's Church, Soho.Peter Matthews, ''Who's Buried Where in London'', p.33.

Gallery

File:The play scene from 'Hamlet' (Hayman c. 1745).jpg, ''The play scene from''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, c. 1745 File:Francis Hayman 001.jpg, ''Dancing milkmaids'', c. 1735. The Milkmaid's Garland, Humours of May Day, Reigen der Milchmädchen, or das Manifest File:Francishayman.jpg, ''Print'', 1742, V&A Museum no. 26614:53 File:Sir Edward Vernon by Francis Hayman c.1755 (detail).jpg, Sir Edward Vernon by Francis Hayman c.1755 (detail) File:Lord Clive meeting with Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey.jpg, ''Lord Clive meeting with Mir Jafar at the Battle of Plassey in 1757'' File:Don Quixote Disputing with the Mad Cardenio - Francis Hayman - 5 1963 4.jpg, Don Quixote Disputing with the Mad Caredino, Francis Hayman, 1765 -70

References

* *Laurent Turcot
The Surrender of Montreal to General Amherst de Francis Hayman et l’identité impériale britannique
''Mens : revue d'histoire intellectuelle et culturelle'', Volume 12, numéro 1, automne 2011, p. 91-135. ;Notes

External links

*

(ArtCyclopedia)
Portrait of Hayman by Joshua Reynolds
(Philip Mould Fine Paintings) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayman, Francis 1708 births 1776 deaths 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists English male painters English illustrators Artists from Exeter Royal Academicians Burials at St Anne's Church, Soho