Henry Perronet Briggs | |
|---|---|
 Henry Perronet Briggs, portrait byCharles Kemble (1832) | |
| Born | 1793 |
| Died | (1844-01-18)January 18, 1844 |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Romanticism |
Henry Perronet BriggsRA (1793 - 18 January 1844) was an English painter of portraits and historical scenes.[1][2]
Briggs was born atWalworth, the son of John Hobart Briggs, a post office official and Mary nee Oldham. He was a Great grandson ofVincent Perronet.His cousin wasAmelia Opie (née Alderson), the wife of artistJohn Opie (whose portrait was later painted by Briggs). While still at school inEpping he sent two engravings to theGentleman's Magazine and in 1811 he entered as a student at theRoyal Academy,London, where he began to exhibit in 1814. From that time onwards until his death he was a constant exhibitor at the annual exhibitions of the Academy, as well as theBritish Institution, his paintings being for the most part historical in subject. After his election as a Royal Academician (RA) in 1832 he devoted his attention almost exclusively to portraiture.
Briggs died oftuberculosis in London on 18 January 1844, aged 50 or 51. The lease to his home inBruton Street,Berkeley Square was subsequently purchased by the portrait painterThomas Henry Illidge.
Jacob Bell, founder of thePharmaceutical Society, was a cousin of Briggs, and took painting lessons from the artist as a child. Bell commissioned several art-works and it was his connections that enabled Briggs to paint the portraits of pharmacist John Bell (of John Bell & Co.),[3] andWilliam Allen, the Society's first President. Briggs also designed the society's membership certificate.[4]Thomas Francis Dicksee was a notable pupil of Briggs.
Two of Briggs' historical pictures, first exhibited at the Academy in 1826 and 1827, are now inTate Britain, London –The First Interview Between the Spaniards and the Peruvians,[5] andJuliet and her Nurse.[6] His large painting ofVisit of George III to Howe's Flagship the Queen Charlotte, 1828,[7] was initially purchased by theBritish Institution, presented toGreenwich Hospital, and is now in theNational Maritime Museum. Among the more successful of the various Shakespearean scenes painted by him may be mentioned hisOthello relating his adventures to Desdemona. Of his numerous portraits, the best perhaps was that ofLord Eldon. He also painted the portrait of the Indian leaderRaja Ram Mohan Roy.[8]
William Thackeray regarded Briggs as "out and out the best portrait-painter of the set";[1] though theDictionary of National Biography entry (1886), byWarwick William Wroth, was more circumspect, commenting that "the pictures painted by Briggs, though not without merits of construction, cannot be said to belong to the highest class of art".
_-_The_First_Interview_between_the_Spaniards_and_the_Peruvians_-_N00375_-_National_Gallery.jpg)
_-_Romeo_and_Juliet_-_Act_II_Scene_5_(%2527Juliet_and_her_Nurse%2527)_-_N00376_-_National_Gallery.jpg)
_-_Thomas_Lee%2c_Senior_(1756%25E2%2580%25931836)%2c_of_Barnstaple%2c_Devon_-_709306_-_National_Trust.jpg)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: "Briggs, Henry Perronet".Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
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