Gustavus Hamilton (c. 1739–16 December 1775) was an Irish miniature painter.

Life and family

Gustavus Hamilton was born circa 1739. He was the son of Rev. Gustavus Hamilton,

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Errigal Errigal () is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and the tallest peak in County Donegal. Errigal is also the most southern and the highest of the mountain chain called th ...

and rector of Gallon,

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and his wife Jane (née Cathcart). Hamilton was one of the couple's younger children. The Hamiltons claimed descent from the Hamiltons of Priestfield,

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. Hamilton lived in Dublin at Parliament Street from 1765 to 1768, 1

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, and Cork Hill. He died at his home on Cork Hill on 16 December 1775 age 36, and is buried at St Werburgh's, Dublin on 18 December. A plaque was later erected in his memory there.

Career

One of Hamilton's teachers was Irish painter Robert West at his school on George's Lane, Dublin. Hamilton received awards for drawing in 1755 and 1756. He was also an apprentice or pupil of

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Capel Street Capel Street ( ) is a predominantly commercial street in Dublin, Ireland, laid out in the 17th century by Humphrey Jervis. History Capel Street takes its name from the nearby chapel of St Mary's Abbey (from the Latin Capella – Chapel) altho ...

, Dublin, where he was employed in colouring the basso-relievo prints of birds and flowers produced by DixonA Dictionary of Irish Artists. Walter G. Strickland. 1913. http://www.libraryireland.com/irishartists/gustavus-hamilton.php alongside miniaturists James Reily and Daniel O'Keefe. Reily and Hamilton painted miniatures in the 1750s and 1760s, working in watercolour on ivory in the "modest" manner of Nathaniel Hone. Along with other artists like Thomas Boulger (''fl.'' 1761–88) and Luke Sullivan, Hamilton was a link between the earlier miniaturists in style and technical skill and those from the later 18th century. This period and group are seen as formative in the development of ivory and watercolour miniature painting. His paintings are typically signed with his initials, with "ham." coupled with date, or as "Gus. Hamilton, sometimes with and sometimes without a date. His draftsmanship has been criticised as sometimes poor. He is known for his portrait's faces sometimes having a bluish cast. His miniatures are small, with the intention of being worn as jewellery. An exemplar of Hamilton's work is his portrait of Rev. Joshua Nunn held in the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland () houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street, Dublin, Clare Street. It ...

. The portrait bears stylistic similarities with the work of English miniaturist, Samuel Collins, who lived in Dublin from 1762 to 1768. Hamilton continued to refine his technique, with ''Portrait of an unknown gentleman'' showing this development. Hamilton exhibited his miniatures between 1765 and 1773 at the Society of Artists in Ireland in Dublin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Gustavus (painter) 1730s births 1775 deaths 18th-century Irish painters 18th-century Irish male artists Irish male painters