William Beechey

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Sir William Beechey, self-portrait around 1790

Sir Henry William Beechey RA (born December 12, 1753 in Burford , Oxfordshire , England , † January 28, 1839 in London ) was a British portrait painter .

Life

Henry William Beechey was the son of William Beechey (* 1732) and Hannah Read. Originally intended for legal training, his love of painting led him to enroll in the Royal Academy of Arts in London, which had only been founded four years earlier, in 1772 . There he was a student of the painter Johann Zoffany , whose influence can be seen in his early works. Beechey exhibited his first works in 1776 and some of his smaller portraits earned him great prestige. Various orders to make portraits for the English nobility followed. In 1782 he moved to Norwich , where he had received some commissions, but in 1787 he returned to London. In 1789 he made a portrait of John Douglas , Bishop of Carlisle, which is to be regarded as one of the highlights of his work. In 1793 he became an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts (ARA) and in the same year he became the portrait painter of Queen Charlotte . He painted portraits of members of the royal family and many famous people in the fashion of their time.

George III at the troop parade of the cavalry, copy in the National Army Museum

The painting Georg III, made in 1798, is considered to be his best work . and the Prince of Wales at the cavalry troop parade , a large composition with King George III in the foreground . , the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York are depicted surrounded by a brilliant staff on horseback. In recognition of this work, the artist was honored in the knighthood to be raised, and in 1798 a full member of the Royal Academy - to be elected (RA Royal Academician). This painting was destroyed by fire in the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle .

His numerous portraits include those of Lord Nelson , John Philip Kemble and Sarah Siddons .

William Beechey had married Mary Ann Jones (* around 1760; † 1793) in 1772 (according to another statement in 1778), with whom he had 5 children:

  • Emma Amelia Beechey (* 1784; † 1859)
  • Henry William Beechey (1788 - August 4, 1862) - British painter and Egyptologist
  • Charles Beechey (* 1789)
  • Caroline Beechey (* 1790)
  • Harriet Beechey (* 1792)
Lady Anne Beechey, portrait around 1800

On February 27, 1793, he married the miniature painter Anne Phyllis Jessop (* August 3, 1764 - December 14, 1833) with whom he had 16 children:

  • Ann Phyliss Beechey (1794 - December 1883)
  • Frederick William Beechey (February 17, 1796 - November 29, 1856) - British naval officer, polar explorer, politician and geographer
  • George Duncan Beechey (1798 - December 6, 1852) - British portrait painter
  • Ann Dodsworth Beechey (* 1800)
  • Charlotte Earle Beechey (August 3, 1801 - August 1, 1878)
  • William Nelson Beechey (born August 3, 1801 - † November 28, 1849)
  • Alfred Beechey (born June 24, 1803)
  • Saint Vincent Beechey (August 7, 1806 - August 19, 1899)
  • Richard Brydges Beechey (May 17, 1808 - March 14, 1895) - British marine painter and admiral in the Royal Navy
  • Jane Henrietta Frances Beechey (born December 19, 1809)
  • Augusta Beechey (* 1812)
  • Fredricka Anne Beechey (* 1814)
  • William Ernest Beechey (* 1816)
  • Frances Beechey (* 1818)
  • Phyliss Beechey (* 1820)
  • Daughter SR Beechey (* 1822)

Works (selection)

literature

  • William Roberts, William Beechey, RA , London, 1907 ( online )
  • Eva March Tappan, In the days of Queen Victoria , Boston 1903, with a picture by William Beechey ( online )
  • Mrs. Charles Cecil, New juvenile scrap book: a collection of most interesting tales and narratives, for the entertainment and instruction of young people London, with a picture by William Beechey ( online )

Web links

Commons : William Beechey  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Philadelphia Museum of Art : Portrait of Lady Beechey and Her Child , 2017
personal data
SURNAME Beechey, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beechey, Sir Henry William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British painter, portrait painter
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1753
PLACE OF BIRTH Burford
DATE OF DEATH January 28, 1839
Place of death London