Page:Dictionary of Artists of the English School (1878).djvu/376

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

REY

KHO

had never before enjoyed. His name will never be forgotten in the English school.

Following his last sad attack his sight was suddenly affected, and he soon found that he had lost the use of his left eye, and dreading the loss of the other, he sorrow- fully determined, what was indeed too apparent, that he could paint no more. He was not, however, without resources. He was surrounded by friends, and able to enjoy their society till the latter part of the year 1791, when some painful symp- tomsWring, he sank in J despondency. His complaint had now developed itself. After suffering about three months from an enlarged liver, he died, unmarried, at his house in Leicester Fields, on February 23, 1792. His body lay in state at the Royal Academy, and was buried with unusual pomp at St. Paul's Cathedral. He left a good collection of pictures, many paintings of his own finished and unfinished, and about 80,000/., the bulk of which, on the death of his sister Frances, reverted to his niece Miss Palmer, who became, by marriage, Marchioness of Thomond. Far- ington, R.A., published * Memoirs of the Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds/ 1819 ; Malone, an account of his life and writings; Mr. Cotton, in 1858, a list of his portraits ; and in 1859, his notes and observations on pictures; and in 1865, Leslie, R.A., and Mr. Tom Taylor ? his 'Life and Times. ' In 1813 the British Institution had a Reynolds commemoration, and exhibited 113 of his works, but in 1867, no less than 155, including many of his finest, were included in the National Portrait Exhibi- , ,j tion of that year. a/>A/A ^REYNOLDS, Miss Frances, amateur. Born at Plympton, May 10, 1729. Was the youngest surviving sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and for many years kept his house in Leicester Fields. She painted miniatures, and found great pleasure in copying her brother's pictures. It has been said, that she practised professionally, but it seems more probable only as an amateur; and we learn that the Duke of Marlborough made her a present of a gold snuff-box — not a mode of professional payment — for her copy in miniature of Sir Joshua's painting of the Duke's children. Dr. Johnson wrote of her, in 1758, 'Miss is much employed in miniatures ; ' and many years later, in 1783, * I sat for my picture, a three-quarter, painted in oil, to Miss Reynolds, perhaps for the tenth time, and I sat for near three hours with the patience of mortal born to bear. At last she declared it finished, and seems to think it fine ! ' But he did not think so himself, for he told her it was ' Johnson's grimly ghost.' Yet one of the last occupations of his life was to sit to her. She does not, indeed, seem to have met with much encouragement, for Goldsmith

A

offended by telling her she loved pictures better than she understood them; and Northcote says, * Nothing made Sir Joshua so mad as Miss Reynolds' portraits, which were an exact imitation of all his defects. Ifideed, she was obliged to keep them out of his way. He said (jestingly) they made everybody else laugh and huh cry.' But upon his death she took a large house in Queen Square, Westminster, and here she exhibited her own works ? decorating her rooms with them. She died November 1, 1807.

REYNOLDS, Samuel William, en- graver. Was descended f rom a family who possessed property in the West Indies, and was born in 1773. He studied in the schools of the Royal Academy, and was a pupil of Hodges, R.A. He commenced art as a painter, and painted in oil many portraits, some genre subjects and land- scapes of great merit, contributing his works to the Academy exhibitions from 1797 to 1811. His landscapes were spoken of by his contemporaries as boldly painted and rich in tone and colour. Aiterwards he tried engraving, and became distin- guished by his fine plates in mezzo-tint, as well as by some excellent works in aqua- tint, he brought his work on steel to great perfection. He gave some lessons in draw- ing to the daughters of George III., and engraved a fine mezzo-tint portrait of the king from a small etching which he had made and touched from the life. He en-

f raved many portraits after Reynolds, >ance, Northcote, Jackson, Owen, Dawe, Phillips, and some fine plates after Rem- brandt; also some subject pictures after G. Morland, Northcote, and Stephanoff. In 1826 he went to Paris, where he resided some time, and engraved several important works after the French painters, by whom his art was highly esteemed. His engrav- ings are spirited, brilliant, powerful, excel- lent in expression and drawing, but rather wanting in refinement in the tints. He died in 1835 at Bays water, and was buried in Paddington churchyard. He brought out in six folio volumes the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, to whom he believed that his family was collaterally related. They are engraved in a small size in mezzo- tint, and were at that time supposed to comprise all Sir Joshua's known works. His landscapes in oil have many of the characteristics of his great namesake, and have been sought for in Paris on that account. His daughter Elizabeth was an artist. See Elizabeth Walker.

RHODES, John N., landscape and animal painter* Was born at Leeds, in 1809, and was the son of Joseph Rhodes, a self-taught painter, who practised nearly half a century in Leeds, and died there in 1854. He was brought up to art under his A 2 355