John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811), was an
English painter of
portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of
Richard Cosway
Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821) was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Cros ...
,
George Engleheart, William Wood and
Richard Crosse.
Biography
Smart was born in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...
, but not much is known of his early life. It is recorded that in 1755 he was runner up to
Richard Cosway
Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821) was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Cros ...
in a drawing competition for under-14s held by the
. In the same year he began attending the new drawing school of
William Shipley in London, along with Cosway and
Richard Crosse.
He exhibited at the
Society of Artists, in London, from 1762 onwards; and became its president in 1778. He went to
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
in 1788 and obtained a number of commissions in that country. He settled down in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
in 1797, latterly in Fitzroy Street, and died there in 1811.
He was a man of simple habits, and a member of the
Society of Sandemanians.
Work
Smart mainly painted watercolour
miniatures on
ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals ...
, and often clearly signed and dated his work. A number of his preparatory drawings and sketches survive.
His work is entirely different from that of Cosway, quiet and grey in its colouring, with the flesh tints elaborated with much subtlety and modelled in exquisite fashion. He possessed a great knowledge of
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
, and his portraits are drawn with greater anatomical accuracy and possess more distinction than those of any miniature painter of his time.
The most important collection of Smart's work was given by John W. and Martha Jane Phillips Starr to th
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Starr collection includes a signed and dated miniature for each year of Smart's career, from 1760 to 1811, enabling scholars to view the full progression of Smart's style and technique as well as the changing fashions of the period.
Many of his pencil drawings still exist in the possession of the descendants of a great friend of his only sister. Several of his miniatures are in
Australia and belong to a cadet branch of the family.
Smart taught portrait painting to
Isabella Beetham,
who was one of Britain's finest silhouette artists in the 18th century.
Personal life
Smart married Edith Vere, and is believed to have had only one son, who died in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...
in 1809.
Gallery
Image:John Smart - Portrait of the Hon Miss Eliza Booth - Dated 1766 - Victoria & Albert Museum.jpg, Portrait of Hon. Miss Eliza Booth, dated 1766. Victoria & Albert Museum
Image:John Smart - Portrait of Unknown Man - Dated 1767 - Victoria & Albert Museum.jpg, Portrait of Unknown Man, dated 1767. Victoria & Albert Museum
Image:John Smart - Portrait of Unknown Woman - Dated 1779 - Victoria & Albert Museum.jpg, Portrait of Unknown Woman, dated 1779. Victoria & Albert Museum
Image:John Smart - Portrait of Unknown Woman - Dated 1780 - Victoria & Albert Museum.jpg, Portrait of Unknown Woman, dated 1780. Victoria & Albert Museum
Image:Watercolor on ivory portrait miniature of a lady by John Smart, 1782, 5.1 x 4.1 cm, Cincinnati Art Museum.jpg, Watercolor on ivory portrait miniature
A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, an ...
of a lady, 1782, 5.1 x 4.1 cm, Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ...
Image:John Smart - Portrait of a Member of the Tayler Family - Dated 1787 - Victoria & Albert Museum.jpg, Portrait of a Member of the Tayler Family, dated 1787. Frame with bracelet fitting. Victoria & Albert Museum
Image:Sir-robert-brooke-st-helena.jpg, Sir Robert Brooke, probably
References
Further reading
* GC Williamson, ''The History of Portrait Miniatures'', vol. ii. (London, 1904).
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, John
1740 births
1811 deaths
18th-century English painters
English male painters
19th-century English painters
English portrait painters
Portrait miniaturists
Glasites
19th-century English male artists
18th-century English male artists