James Sant (1820–1916) was a British painter specialising in portraits and known particularly for images of women and children and artistic exploration of the symbolism of childhood. He was a member 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 ...

. George Sant and Sarah Sant were also artists and are believed to have been his brother and sister.

Biography

Sant was born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

, Surrey, England, on 23 April 1820. He was taught first by the watercolourist John Varley, then by Augustus Wall Callcott, then from the age of twenty was taught by the

Royal Academy Schools 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 ...

. He lived to the age of 96 and exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery as well as producing nearly three hundred canvases for exhibition at the Academy. The first of these, a portrait of his father William Sant, was exhibited in 1840; the last was exhibited in 1915. In 1851 he married Elizabeth (Eliza) Thomson, daughter of Dr R.M.M. Thomson, a surgeon and member of the Agri Horticultural Society of India. His 1853 picture of the infant

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

was his first popular success, and engravings of this and of Little Red Riding Hood and The Soul's Awakening sold in great numbers. In 1861, his portraits of friends and relatives of Frances, Lady Waldegrave were exhibited by

Ernest Gambart Jean Joseph Ernest Theodore Gambart (12 October 1814 – 12 April 1902) was a Belgian-born Anglo-French art publisher and dealer who dominated the London art world in the middle of the nineteenth century. Life and career Gambart was born in Kor ...

at his Gallery in Pall Mall. This enhanced his reputation and he was elected ARA, and later RA; in 1871 he was appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary (official portraitist) to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, having become known for his portraits of the royal children and in particular his 1870 portrait of Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice. He was the last artist to hold the title. Sant is best known for his portraits, particularly of women and of children; he was "the emperor of children," in the words of the '' Athenaeum''. Nevertheless, many of his pictures were landscapes and particularly gardens; he also painted seascapes, landscapes with animals, and other subjects including the Wish Tower, a

Martello Tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

. His later pictures are freer in style; some have been favourably compared with the work of the French Impressionists and some have a visionary or

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

quality; his landscapes could include figures with blank or distorted features or simple silhouettes such as the nun in Convent Walls (1910). He continued painting into old age; All My Fancy! (1910), an Italian landscape with villa and hills, he painted in bed from memory. He became a Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(CVO) in 1914 and resigned from the RA in the same year to "make room for younger men." He died in

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. History It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between t ...

, London, on 12 July 1916. His work can be found at the Tate Gallery and at the National Portrait Gallery. His sister Sarah Sherwood Clarke was also an accomplished artist: but all that is presently known of her work is a collection of 48 different views of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

from 1854; these were exhibited for the first time at the "Watercolours & Works on Paper Fair" in London in February 2010. She married Frederick Clarke, Superintendent and later Secretary of the London and South Western Railway. His brother George Sant RBA ( Royal Society of British Artists)(1821–1877) was a landscape painter and the two brothers occasionally collaborated on paintings. Both James and George Sant were among the notable artist acquaintances of Charles Dodgson (

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

); James Sant, his daughter Sarah Fanny and son Jemmy were the subjects of photographic studies by Dodgson. At auction, Sant's work can achieve hundreds of pounds sterling or hundreds of thousands of pounds depending on size, quality and subject matter. Allegorical subjects remain popular; Courage, Anxiety and Despair: Watching the Battle (circa 1850) achieved £61,250 in 2012 and Astronomy almost twice this in 2008. His The Schoolmaster's Daughter (1871) and Miss Martineau's Garden (1873) are illustrated in Victorian Painters by Jeremy Maas; The Seventh Earl of Cardigan Relating the Story of the Cavalry Charge of Balaclava...(1854) is illustrated in the same volume and in Victorian Painters by Christopher Wood. Sant's work can be seen at Southside House, Wimbledon, and at the National Portrait Gallery. Many of his works were reproduced as prints during his lifetime; his Courage has since been reproduced as a greetings-card and his Hilda Pennington-Mellor, aged three (1880) as a post-card.

Gallery

File:James Sant Selbstporträt 1844.jpg, ''Self Portrait'', 1844 File:James Sant Frau und Tochter.jpg, ''Portrait of his wife Elizabeth and daughter'', 1852 File:Sant-Thorn.jpg, ''A Thorn Amidst the Roses'', 1887 File:James Sant Lady in Pearls.jpg, ''Lady in Pearls'', 1880 File:James Sant - The Novice.jpg, ''The Novice'', 1856 File:Sant-Ophelia.jpg, ''

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

'' File:James Sant Russell sisters.jpg, ''Russell Sisters'', 1858 File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Duet - N04856 - National Gallery.jpg, ''The Duet'' File:James Sant - The Fairy Tale - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Fairy Tale'', 1845 File:James Sant - Courage, Anxiety and Despair - Watching the Battle.jpg, ''Courage, Anxiety and Despair: Watching the Battle'' File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Prince Leopold (1853-1884) - RCIN 404258 - Royal Collection.jpg, Prince Leopold File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Princess Louise of Wales (1867-1931) - RCIN 404995 - Royal Collection.jpg, Princess Louise of Wales File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Princess Helena (1846-1923) ^ Princess Louise (1848-1939) - RCIN 402508 - Royal Collection.jpg, Princess Helena and Princess Louise File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Prince Ernest of Hesse (1868-1937) - RCIN 400773 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''Prince Ernest of Hesse'' File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Henri, duc d'Aumale (1822-1897) - RCIN 405450 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''Henri, duc d'Aumale''

Legacy and offices

Sources

Biography with photo

Acquaintance with Lewis Carroll

James Sant's son photographed by Lewis Carroll

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sant, James 1820 births 1916 deaths 19th-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English painters English portrait painters Principal Painters in Ordinary Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Royal Academicians Painters from the London Borough of Croydon People from Croydon 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists