Page:Dictionary of Artists of the English School (1878).djvu/374

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pupil of Sir William Chambers, and in 1781 first appears as a contributor of archi- tectural designs to the Royal Academy exhibition. In 1785 he was m Rome, and from thence sent to the. Academy a design for a theatre. In 1789 he contributed a design for a metropolitan church ; and in 1793 exhibited for the last time. He travelled in Greece with Athenian Stuart, and edited the third volume of Stuart's ^Antiquities of Athens/ He made many drawings and studies in Greece, had a good knowledge of classic antiquity, and great professional attainments, added to a high opinion of his profession. But he was eccentric, expressed his opinions sar- castically, and did not succeed to the mea- sure of ms abilities. His principal work was the new Church of All Saints, South- ampton, in which his design was. however, curbed of its full merits. He submitted to Parliament plans for wet docks on the Thames, which showed great professional ability. He died, after a few hours' illness, in the prime of lite, at his house in Oxford Street, July 6, 1799.

« RE VETT, ft ioholas, architect. He was descended from an old county family in Suffolk, where he was bora in 1721. He had a fine natural taste, and had gained so much knowledge of art that he determined to follow it as a profession, and went to Italy, in 1742, to pursue his studies. He was practising as a painter in Rome when he formed a friendship with Athenian Stuart, and, in 1748, accompanied him to Naples, and then to Greece, to study the Greek monuments of art, which the Turks seemed bent upon destroying. He arrived at Athens, with Stuart, m 1751, and was occupied there till 1754, measuring and drawing the ancient remains, when he left to pursue his studies in other parts of Greece, and was seized by corsairs, to whom he paid a ramsom of 600 dollars, and was able to continue his researches, but under great difficulties, till 1755. He then re- turned to London, and was occupied with the arrangement of his materials till 1764, when he was induced by the Dilettanti Society to visit Ionia, with Dr. Chandler and William Pars, A.R.A., where for two years he was engaged in drawing the anti- quities. His cmef architectural work was the Church of Ayott St. Lawrence, Herts, which he designed after the style of the early buildings of Asia Minor. The ' Anti- quities of Ionia,' in which he had so large a share, was published, the first part m 1769, the concluding part in 1797. He also published ' Baalbec and Palmyra.' He died in June 1804.

„ REYNELL (or RENNELL), Thomas. portrait painter. Born 1718, of a good family, near Chudleigh, Devon. He was educated at the Exeter Grammar School,

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and, showing some genius for art, was sent to London as the pupil of Hudson. He returned to Exeter, and, with a wife and family, settled, residing there many years. His works found admirers in the neigh- bourhood, and the Duke of Kingston, at- tracted by his ability, offered him some assistance to come again to London for his improvement ; but he was too indolent to avail himself of this offer; and he then went to Dartmouth, where he lived in great poverty. He was known to have lain idly in bed for a week together, with no other sustenance than a bit of cake and water. He did little in art, and he no sooner re- ceived any money for his work than he purchased any stray object that attracted him, though he was at the time in want of both food and clothing. An asylum was at last provided for him by the generosity of a friend. He died at Dartmouth, October 19, 1788. He painted portraits and some few indifferent landscapes. His portrait of Dr. Huxham, M.D., of Plymouth, was mezzo-tinted by Fisher. He had several scientific acquirements. He was a chemist, a musician, and composed some pieces, and he published some poetry. He also in- vented and constructed a musical instru- ment for himself.

• REYNOLDS, Sir Joshua, Knt.,P.R. A., portrait painter. Was born July 1 6, 1723, at Plvmpton, where his father, who was in the Church, was master of the Free Gram- mar School. He was educated under him, but never made much progress in classics. He was intended to be a physician, but a love of art prevailed, and in 1741, at the age of 18, he was sent to London and placed under Hudson, the fashionable painter of the day, with whom he con- tinued three years. He then returned to Plympton, ana found employment in paint- ing portraits at a low price. He does not at this time appear to have gone much be- yond the common-place manner of his master, and he had a very weak knowledge of drawing, which stood in his way during his whole career ; but he had now a great opportunity of improvement. He was in- duced by Captain, afterwards Lord Keppel, to accompany him in his vessel to the Mediterranean, and landing at Leghorn in 1749, he proceeded at once to Rome, where he studied nearly two years, and afterwards visited Florence, Venice, and the other great art cities of Italy.

The works of Titian, Correggio, Raphael, Michael Angelo, were his favourite study, but he made few copies, filling up his time most probably in portrait painting, on which he must have depended mainly for his support. He returned to London in October 1752, and in 1765 his name ap- pears as a member of the St. Martin's Lane Academy. After a short residence A A 353