John Francis RigaudRA (18 May 1742 – 6 December 1810) was a British painter who specialised inhistory painting andportrait painting. Of French descent, he was born inTurin and spent most of his career in England.
Rigaud was born inTurin on 18 May 1742 andbaptised on 9 September. He was the second son of James Dutilh or Rigaud and Jeanne Françoise Guiraudet. His father came from a family ofProtestant merchants; his grandfather Jacques Dutilh had fled fromLyon toGeneva with his family after therevocation of the Edict of Nantes. Jacques died on the journey, and his widow assumed her maiden name – Rigaud – by which the family became known.[1] John had a brother Jacques Etienne Rigaud born 16 Jan 1741 and died 7 Mar 1767 at Turin.[2]
Having demonstrated an artistic ability, Rigaud studied withClaudio Francesco Beaumont of Turin, a historical painter to theking of Sardinia. He left Beaumont to travel to Italy and study painting inFlorence andBologna, where he was made a member of theAccademia Clementina in 1766. He then travelled toRome, but had to return home due to family considerations. In January 1768, he set off once again, this time toPiacenza,Parma, Bologna, and then, once again, to Rome. He settled there and studied the city's art, particularly theold masters, and participated in life-drawing schools. There, he produced what theDictionary of National Biography describes as "one of his most important works":Hercules Resting from his Labours.[1] While in Rome, Rigaud became friends with the Swedish sculptorJohan Tobias Sergel and the Irish painterJames Barry.[1]
In April 1770, he and Barry travelled together to Florence, Bologna, and Turin. Rigaud then spent a short time inParis before leaving forLondon in December 1771. He exhibited hisHercules at theRoyal Academy in 1772 and was elected an associate of the Academy in the same year.[1] Also in 1772 he lodged at Mr. Luther's,20 Frith Street (now no. 25), Soho.[3]
While Rigaud consistently exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy – showing a total of 155 works there between 1772 and 1815[4] – "his most lucrative and engrossing employment was decorative painting for the town and country houses of the nobility, includingLord Gower,Lord Sefton, and theEarl of Aylesford".[1] Some of his exhibits at the Academy were studies for ceiling paintings, and in 1797 he showed three works described as "specimen[s] of fresco painting onPortland stone.[5] The architectWilliam Chambers offered him work in London atMelbourne House in Piccadilly (1772 and 1774) and atSomerset House (1780). He also helped decorate the Common Council Chamber of theGuildhall in London (1794) andTrinity House (1796). According to theDictionary of National Biography, all these works were "executed in the fashionable Italian style ofG. B. Cipriani andBiagio Rebecca, being mostly classical figures and imitations of bas-reliefs".[1] His works at theGuildhall, representing "Providence", "Innocence", "Wisdom" and "Happiness" were painted at the expense of AldermanJohn Boydell.[6] They did not last: a guidebook to the building, published in 1819, recorded that "these Paintings never dried perfectly and turned black. They exist no longer..."[6]
Rigaud also produced history paintings, such asEntry of the Black Prince into London with his Royal Prisoner (1775), and several works for the galleries ofThomas Macklin andRobert Bowyer, and for theShakespeare Gallery of John Boydell in the late 1780s. According to theDictionary of National Biography, "his historical paintings were not well received".[1] He was also commissioned to paint two religious works: aDescent from the Cross for theRoman CatholicSardinian Embassy Chapel in London in 1780[1] and a fresco of theAscension for the newly rebuilt church ofSt Martin Outwich[7] in 1797.[1] This last painting soon fell into poor condition and was destroyed during alterations to the building in 1827.[7][8] His "descent from the Cross," painted in 1780 is now visible in the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia which was built after the destruction of theSardinian Embassy Chapel during theGordon riots.
Rigaud was also a portrait painter, and painted a group portrait of the artistsFrancesco Bartolozzi,Agostino Carlini, andGiovanni Battista Cipriani in 1777 and another of SirJoshua Reynolds, Sir William Chambers, andJoseph Wilton in 1782. He also painted a series of naval heroes, includingLord Nelson. According to theDictionary of National Biography, his portraits "tend to be strongly characterized and boldly conceived, even occasionally eccentric".[1]
On 10 February 1784 Rigaud was formally elected to the Royal Society, withSamson Breaking his Bands as his diploma work. In 1795, he was appointed historical painter toGustavus IV of Sweden and was made a member of theRoyal Academy of Stockholm. However, after 1800, according to theDictionary of National Biography, his career as a painter seems to have declined. He translatedLeonardo da Vinci'sA Treatise on Painting (1802) and he restored painted decorations such as those inGreenwich Hospital andMontague House.[1]
Rigaud married Mary Williams (1740? – 1808) on 21 July 1774. They had three daughters and one son,Stephen Francis Dutilh Rigaud, who also became a painter.
After his wife's death, Rigaud lived with his son.[1]
He died fromapoplexy on 6 December 1810 atPackington Hall inWarwickshire and was buried inSt James' Church, Great Packington.[1]
Media related toJohn Francis Rigaud at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or aboutJohn Francis Rigaud atWikisource