John Knowles (1781 – 21 July 1841) was the English biographer of

Henry Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his successful works depict supernatural experiences, such as '' The Nightmare''. He pr ...

and an author of works on

naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and op ...

Life

Knowles, born in 1781, became a clerk in the surveyor's department of the navy office early in life. He attained the chief clerkship there about 1806, and held this post until 1832. He published two or three works on naval matters, including ''The Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture'' (1822). For his scientific researches he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. Knowles is best known, however, from his long, intimate friendship with

the painter, and with the circle to which Fuseli belonged. He was the executor of Fuseli's will, his biographer, and a devoted admirer of his art. Knowles died, unmarried, at Ashburton,

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

, on 21 July 1841, aged 60. He was one of the original members of the Athenæum Club, and his portrait, drawn by

Charles Landseer Charles Landseer (12 August 1799 – 22 July 1879) was an English painter, mostly of historical subjects. Life He was born in London on 12 August 1799, the second son of the engraver John Landseer, and the elder brother of the animal painter ...

, is No. 25 of the series of lithographs published as ''Athenæum Portraits'' by Thomas McLean. He was a corresponding member of the Philosophical Society of Rotterdam.

Works

In 1830 he published an edition of Fuseli's ''Lectures on Painting,'' and in 1831, in 3 vols. the life of Fuseli, written as a labour of love, to which was added an edition of the painter's writings on art.

References

;Attribution

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Gilbert 1781 births 1841 deaths English biographers Fellows of the Royal Society English male non-fiction writers 19th-century English writers 19th-century English biographers 19th-century English male writers