Sir William Beechey | |
|---|---|
 Self-portrait,c. 1800 | |
| Born | (1753-12-12)12 December 1753 Burford,Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 28 January 1839(1839-01-28) (aged 85) London, England |
| Known for | Painting |
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| Children | |
Sir William BeecheyRA (12 December 1753 – 28 January 1839) was a British portraitist during the golden age ofBritish painting.[1]
Beechey was born atBurford, Oxfordshire, on 12 December 1753, the son of William Beechey, a solicitor, and his wife Hannah Read. Both parents died when he was still quite young in the early 1760s, and he and his siblings were brought up by his uncle Samuel, a solicitor who lived in nearbyChipping Norton.[2]
The uncle was determined that the young Beechey should likewise follow a career in the law, and at an appropriate age he was entered as a clerk with a conveyancer nearStow-on-the-Wold. But asThe Monthly Mirror later recorded in July 1798, he was: "Early foredoomed his [uncle's] soul to cross/ And paint a picture where he should engross".[3]
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Beechey was admitted to theRoyal Academy Schools in 1772, where he is thought to have studied underJohan Zoffany. He first exhibited at the Academy in 1776. His earliest surviving portraits are small-scale full-length and conversation pieces which are reminiscent of Zoffany. In 1782, he moved to Norwich, where he gained several commissions, including a portrait ofJohn Wodehouse and a series of civic portraits forSt. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. By 1787, he had returned to London, and in 1789, he exhibited a celebrated portrait ofJohn Douglas, Bishop of Carlisle (now inLambeth Palace). Beechey's career during this period is marked by a succession of adept and restrained portraits in the tradition ofJoshua Reynolds.
Beechey's style perfectly suited the conventional taste of the royal family, and in 1793, he was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait ofQueen Charlotte and subsequently named as her official portrait painter. That same year, he was elected as an associate member of the Royal Academy.[4]
Following his royal appointment, the number of royal commissions he undertook increased markedly, and in 1797 he exhibited six royal portraits. In 1798, he was elected a full member of the Royal Academy[5] and paintedGeorge III and the Prince of Wales Reviewing Troops for that year's academy's exhibition. This enormous composition depicts KingGeorge III, thePrince of Wales and staff officers on horseback at an imagined cavalry review inHyde Park. The King was reported to be delighted with the painting and rewarded Beechey with a knighthood.[4]
Joseph Farington's Diaries give many accounts of Beechey's relations with the royal family during this period, including his temporary fall from favour in 1804, which Farington attributes to the vagaries of George III's mental condition.
Beechey's portraits of the turn of the century are considered to be his most colourful and lively. They are closer to the flamboyant and free techniques employed by his younger rivals,John Hoppner and SirThomas Lawrence.
Royal patronage resumed in around 1813, when Beechey was appointed portrait painter toPrince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, and culminated with his appointment in 1830 as principal portrait painter toWilliam IV. In 1830, he stood for election asPresident of the Royal Academy following the death of Thomas Lawrence, finishing second toMartin Archer Shee.[6] In 1836, Beechey retired toHampstead and on 9–11 June that year, the contents of his studio along with his collection were sold atChristie's.
Although capable of impetuousness and irascibility, Beechey was known for his generosity to students. In particular, he took a close interest in the career of the youngJohn Constable.
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During a prolific career spanning half a century, Beechey painted many of the leading figures of his day. His sitters included:
In his 1978 novelDesolation Island,Patrick O'Brian wrote that Capt.Jack Aubrey had been painted by Beechey. The portrait, which showed Aubrey inRoyal Navy uniform wearing the insignia of theOrder of the Bath, hung in his home, Ashgrove Cottage.
William Beechey's first marriage was to Mary Ann Jones (c. 1760–1793) in 1772 (other sources say 1778). Their children included British painter and EgyptologistHenry William Beechey (1788–1862).
Following his first wife's death, Beechey married the successful miniature painterAnne Phyllis Jessop (1764–1833) in 1793.[7] They had many children together, including: Royal Navy captain, geographer, and politicianFrederick William Beechey (1796–1856); painterGeorge Duncan Beechey (1798–1852); clergymanSt. Vincent Beechey (1806–1899); and painter and admiral in the British navyRichard Brydges Beechey (1808–1895).
Beechey'sPortrait of James Watt sold for £153,440 atSotheby's on 20 March 2003.[8] HisPortrait of Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of King George III sold for £181,600 atChristie's on 8 June 2006.[9] HisPortrait of George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton in the dress of the Royal Company of Archers sold for £481,250 at Christie's on 5 July 2011.[10] His portrait ofThe Dashwood Children sold at auction for $821,000 including premium at Christie's on 29 January 2014.[11]
Beechey's works are represented in many of the world's leading collections, including theLouvre, theSmithsonian Institution, theRoyal Collection, theRoyal Academy of Arts, theNational Portrait Gallery, London, theTate and theMetropolitan Museum of Art.
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Beechey was granted arms on 16 February 1829.[12]
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