Richard Cosway (5 November 1742 – 4 July 1821) was a leading English

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

painter of the Georgian and

Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 1810 and, by the Regency Act 1811, ...

, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse. He befriended fellow

Free-mason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

s and

Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had ...

ians

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

and Chevalier d'Éon. His wife was the Italian-born painter Maria Cosway, a close friend of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...

Early years

Richard Cosway was born in Tiverton,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, the son of a schoolmaster. He was initially educated at Blundell's School, where his father was master, but at the age of twelve he was allowed to travel to

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 ...

to take lessons in painting. Soon after his arrival, in 1754, he won a prize from the Society of Arts. He studied briefly with Thomas Hudson, then with William Shipley, and by 1760 had established his own business. He exhibited his first works at the age of 20 in 1762 and was soon in demand. He was one of the first group of associate members of the Royal Academy, elected in August 1770, and was elected a full member the following March, on the casting vote of the academy's president, Sir Joshua Reynolds. He is included in

Johan Zoffany Johan Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections, includin ...

's group portrait of the members of the academy (begun in 1771); a late addition to the composition, he was painted on an extra strip of canvas, attached to the right-hand side of the painting.

Career in art

He painted the future King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

in 1780 and was appointed Painter to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

in 1785—the only time this title was ever awarded. His subjects included the Prince's first wife, Maria Anne Fitzherbert, and various English and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

aristocrats, including Madame du Barry, mistress of King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. Cosway's pupils included

Andrew Plimer Andrew Plimer (baptized 29 December 176329 January 1837) was a British artist, whose brother was Nathaniel Plimer, also a painter of miniatures. Although originally stated in the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' to have been born in Bridgw ...

(1763–1837). From 1995 to 1996, the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

in London held an exhibition entitled ''Richard and Maria Cosway: Regency Artists of Taste and Fashion'', with 250 works on display.

Personal life

A smuggling machine or a convenient Cos(au)way for a man in miniature

On 18 January 1781, Cosway married the Anglo- Italian artist Maria Hadfield. Maria was a composer, musician and authority on girls' education and was much admired by

, who wrote letters to her decrying her marriage to another man and kept an engraving made from one of Cosway's paintings of Maria at Monticello. The Cosways' marriage is thought to be an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

of convenience, and not only due to his being 20 years her senior. Richard Cosway was an effeminate Macaroni with "a mincing, affected air" dressed in the height of fashion: "His small plain person was to be seen in all the public places clothed in a mulberry silk coated embroidered with scarlet strawberries, with a sword and bag and small three-cornered hat perched on the top of his powdered toupée."The Shilling Magazine, quoted in Weekly Dispatch (London), 18 March 1866, p38

/ref> It was also said he was "well known as a libertine and commonly described as resembling a monkey." In 1784, the Cosways moved into Schomberg House, Pall Mall, which became a fashionable salon for London society. They employed the former slave Ottobah Cugoano as a servant. In 1791 they moved to a larger house in Stratford Place. In 1821, after selling most of the treasures he had accumulated, he went to reside in

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman roads in Britain, Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road ...

. In later life, Cosway also suffered from mental disorders and spent some time in various institutions. He died in

in 1821 and was buried at St Marylebone Parish Church. Sir John Soane bought more than 30 objects put up for sale at auction after Cosway's death. Cosway's wife Maria survived him many years, and died in Italy in January 1838, in a school for girls which she had founded, and which she had attached to an important religious order devoted to the cause of female education, known as the . She had been created a baroness of the Empire on account of her devotion to female education by the emperor

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe ...

in 1834.

Examples of Cosway's work

File:Richard Cosway by Richard Cosway.jpg, Self-Portrait of Richard Cosway -

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

File:Arthur Wellesley1808, by Richard Cosway.jpg, Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, Dated 1808, by Richard Cosway, RA, 1742–1821, Watercolour on ivory V&A Museum no. P.6-1941

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and ...

File:Richard Cosway - Portrait of an Armenian - Google Art Project.jpg, Portrait of an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

File:John Braham with Harriet Abrams and her two daughters, Harriet and Theodosia Abrams.jpg, John Braham with Harriet Abrams and her two daughters,

Harriett Abrams Harriett Abrams ( 1762 – 8 March 1821, in Torquay) was an English soprano and composer. Particularly praised for her performances in the repertoire of George Frideric Handel, Abrams enjoyed a successful concert career in London during the 1780s. ...

and Theodosia Abrams File:Self-Portrait in Elizabethan Costume P6052.jpg, Self-Portrait in Elizabethan Costume, circa 1790

References

External links