Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President 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 ...

Life

Poynter was the son of architect

Ambrose Poynter Ambrose Poynter (16 May 1796 – 20 November 1886) was a British architect. He was one of the founding members of the Institute of British Architects in 1834. Early life Born in London on 16 May 1796, he was second son of Ambrose Lyon Poynter ...

. He was born in Paris, France, though his parents returned to Britain soon after his birth. He was educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

and

Ipswich School Ipswich School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. North of the town centre, Ipswich School has four parts on three adjacent sites. The Pre-Prep and Nur ...

, but left school early for reasons of ill health, spending winters in

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

and Rome. In 1853, he met

Frederick Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and clas ...

in Rome, who made a great impression on the 17-year-old Poynter. On his return to London he studied at

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in Newman Street and the Royal Academy Schools, before going to Paris to study in the studio of the

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

painter

Charles Gleyre Marc Gabriel Charles Gleyre (2 May 1806 – 5 May 1874), was a Swiss artist who was a resident in France from an early age. He took over the studio of Paul Delaroche in 1843 and taught a number of younger artists who became prominent, including He ...

where

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

and

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Trilby (novel), Trilby'', featuring the char ...

were fellow-students. In 1866 Poynter married the famous beauty Agnes MacDonald, daughter of the Rev. G. B. MacDonald of Wolverhampton, and they had three children. Her sister Georgiana married the artist

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

; her sister

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

was the mother of writer

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

; and her sister Louisa was the mother of three-times

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

. Poynter's sister

Clara Bell Clara Courtenay Bell ( Poynter; 1835–1927) was an English translator fluent in French, German, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, and Spanish,''The Illustrated American'': 22 November 1890, p. 500''The Author: A Monthly Magazine fo ...

became a noted translator of literary and scientific works.

Career

He became best known for his large historical paintings such as ''Israel in Egypt'' (1867;

Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...

, London), followed by ''St George for England'' (1869), a mosaic for the Central Lobby of the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

, depicting

St George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianity—defeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a huma ...

and perhaps culminating with '' The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon'' (1884–90; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney). He was admitted as an associate of the

in 1869.

Sir Edward John Poynter - The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon - Google Art ProjectFXD

Poynter held a number of official posts: he was the first Slade Professor at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

from 1871 to 1875, principal of the

National Art Training School The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

from 1875 to 1881 and director of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

from 1894 to 1904 (overseeing the opening of the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

). He became a full

Royal Academician 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 ...

in 1876. In 1896, on the death of Sir John Millais, Poynter was elected President of the Academy. He received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the same year and an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1898. It was announced that he would receive a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902 for the (subsequently postponed) coronation of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, and on 24 July 1902 he was created a Baronet, of Albert Gate, in the city of Westminster, in the county of London. Poynter's old school,

, held an exhibition of Poynter's paintings and drawings entitled ''Life at Arms Length'' in its Burstow Gallery in November–December 1995.

Works

Paintings

File:At low tide.jpg, ''At Low Tide'' File:The Siren by Edward John Poynter (1864).jpg, ''The Siren'' (1864) File:Sir Edward John Poynter — Cave of the Storm Nymphs.jpg, '' The Cave of the Storm Nymphs'' (1903; Private collection) File:Edward John Poynter - Psyche in the Temple of Love - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Psyche in the Temple of Love'' File:1869 Edward Poynter - Andromeda.jpg, '' Andromeda'', Edward Poynter, 1869 File:Edward Poynter - The Fortune Teller.jpg, '' The Fortune Teller'' (1877) File:Lillie Langtry00.jpg, Portrait of

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

, 1878 File:Corner of the marketplace, by Edward John Poynter.jpg, ''Corner of the Marketplace'' (1887) File:Pea Blossoms.jpg, ''Pea Blossoms'' File:1867 Edward Poynter - Israel in Egypt.jpg, ''Israel in Egypt'' (1867) File:Catapulta by Edward Poynter.jpg, ''Catapulta'' File:Edward John Poynter - Barine.jpg, ''Barine'' (1894) File:Edward John Poynter - The Vision of Endymion, 1902.jpg, ''The Vision of Endymion'' (1902) File:Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) - A Visit to Aesculapius - N01586 - National Gallery.jpg, ''

A Visit to Aesculapius ''A Visit to Aesculapius'' is an 1880 history painting by the British artist Edward Poynter. It depicts a scene from a poem by the Elizabethan writer Thomas Watson, inspired by Greek mythology. Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing is visit ...

'' (1880) File:Wild Blossoms.jpg, ''Wild Blossoms'' (c. 1880) File:The Ides of March Edward John Poynter (1836–1919).jpg, '' The Ides of March'' (1883)

Stained glass

Early in his career, Poynter designed some works in stained glass.Brooks, Alan. The Stained Glass Designs of Sir Edward Poynter. Victorian Society Annual, 1996, pp 27–36. Parts of the original designs were sometimes re-used in later windows. Six scenes from the life of Dorcas by Edward Poynter

Six scenes from the life of Dorcas by Edward Poynter

Written works

* * with Buxton, H. J. Wilmot (co-author) * with Percy Head (co-author)

References

Citations

Sources

* * Calinski, Tobias (2021): ''Edward J. Poynter "Lesbia and her Sparrow"'', in: ''Catull in Bild und Ton'', WBG Darmstadt, 223-261 * *