Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lane, John Bryant
LANE, JOHN BRYANT (1788–1868), painter, born at Helston in Cornwall in 1788, was son of Samuel Lane, chemist and excise-man, and Margaret Baldwin his wife. Lane was educated at Truro until he was fourteen when his taste for art was noticed by Lord de Dunstanville of Tehidy, who afforded him the means to practise it in London. Lane obtained a gold medal from the Society of Arts for an historical cartoon of ‘The Angels Unbound.’ In 1808 he exhibited at the Royal Academy an altarpiece for Lord de Dunstanville’s church in Cornwall; in 1811 ‘Christ mocked by Pilate's Soldiers,’ for the guildhall at Helston; in 1817 'Eutychus,’ for a church in London. In 1817 his patron sent him to Rome, where he remained for ten years, engaged on a gigantic picture ‘The Vision Joseph,’ which he refused to show during progress. At last he completed it, and exhibited it at Rome. Certain details in it were offensive to the papal authorities, who expelled the artist and his picture from the papal dominions. Lane then sent the picture to London, where he exhibited it in a room at the royal mews, Charing Cross. Its huge size attracted attention, but from, an artistic point of view it was a complete failure. It was deposited in the Pantechnicon, where it mouldered to decay. Lane subsequently devoted himself to portrait-painting, and sent portraits occasionally the the Royal Academy, exhibiting for the last time in 1884. Among his sitters were Hussey Vivian, Mr. Davies-Gilbert, Mr. le Grice, and Lord de Dunstanville. Lane died, unmarried, at 45 Clarendon Square, Somers Town, London, on 4 April 1868, aged 80.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Boase and Courtney's Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: Boase's Collectanea Cornub.; Gent. Mag. xcviii. (1828) ii. 61; Royal Academy Catalogues.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.177
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
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| 77 | i | 9 | Lane, John B.: for 1884 read 1864 |