Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 14

George Richmond
'Portrait of a Gentleman Reading', Regency Dandy, William Blake, Royal Academy

Circa 1855

$6,500
£4,991.72
€5,720.45
CA$9,150.39
A$10,250.46
CHF 5,331.51
MX$125,034.51
NOK 67,877.28
SEK 64,003.43
DKK 42,695.87

About the Item

Signed lower right, 'Richmond' for George Richmond, RA (British, 1809 – 1896) and painted circa 1845. Displayed in a period, carved and giltwood frame. (Framed dimensions: 22.75 x 21.5 x 1.0) This English painter and portraitist was a founding member of The Ancients, a group of followers of William Blake. Later in life, he established himself as a successful society portrait painter of the British gentry, nobility and royalty. George Richmond was the son of Thomas Richmond the miniature-painter and, also, the father of the painter William Blake Richmond. For a short time, he attended a day school in Soho, before became a student at London's Royal Academy. Here he was much impressed by Henry Fuseli, his professor of painting, and formed a lifelong friendship with Samuel Palmer, and had as fellow-students and companions Edward Calvert, Thomas Sidney Cooper, esq., R.A., and Frederick Tatham, whose sister he married. When Richmond was sixteen, he met William Blake, of whom Palmer and Calvert were devoted admirers, at the house of John Linnell at Highgate. The same night Richmond walked across the fields to Fountain Court with Blake, who left on Richmond's mind a profound impression, ‘as though he had been walking with the prophet Isaiah.’ From this time until Blake's death, Richmond followed Blake's guidance and inspiration in art. Traces of Blake's influence are seen in all of Richmond's early works, especially in 'Abel the Shepherd' and 'Christ and the Woman of Samaria' which were both exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1825. In 1827, he was present at William Blake's death and had the sad privilege of closing the poet's eyes and taking his death mask. He and his wife Julia followed Blake to his grave in Bunhill Fields. Along with Palmer, Calvert, Tatham and others, Richmond formed the Blake-influenced group known as "The Ancients". This influence faded in later life, when he turned his attention to portraiture. In 1828, Richmond went to Paris to study art and anatomy, the expenses of the journey being met from money earned by painting miniatures in England before leaving and in France during his stay. He spent a winter in the schools and hospitals, and saw something of the social life of the Paris of Charles X. On his return to England, Richmond spent some time at the White Lodge, in Richmond Park, with Lord Sidmouth whose portrait by him now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. In 1830, his contributions to the Academy comprised two poetical subjects, 'The Eve of Separation' and 'The Witch, from Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherdess' in addition to three portraits. Over the course of a long career, Richmond exhibited widely and with success and was the recipient of numerous medals, prizes and juried awards. We are pleased to offer this outstanding and elegant example of his mature portraiture style, painted when the artist was in his thirties.
  • Creator:
    George Richmond (1809 - 1896, British)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1855
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Width: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    painting: minor restoration, minor losses; frame: minor restoration; shows well.
  • Gallery Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU34412192242

More From This Seller

View All
'Young Man in a Yellow Brocade Waistcoat', Paris, Munich, Danish Royal Academy
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Monogrammed lower right, 'DM' for David Monies (Danish, 1812-1894) and dated 1849. Provenance: By descent in the family of the sitter, Peter Andreas Löser (1834–1857). Framed in a su...
Category

1940s Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Masonite, Oil

'Lady in a Satin Dress', Neo-Classical Female Portrait Oil, Victorian Hairstyle
By E. Brown
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, "E. Brown' and dated 'May, 1844'. A fine, mid-nineteenth century portrait of a lady of quality wearing the hairstyle made popular by Queen Victoria in the early years of her reign; the lady shown with a relaxed and informal posture, standing beside a velvet-draped, Neo-Classical column and wearing a satin ball...
Category

1840s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'A Fashionable Young Woman in a Chiffon Ball-Gown', Scandinavian Oil Portrait
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
A delicately-observed, three-quarter length oil portrait of a young woman in society, fashionably dressed in a pinch-waisted, embroidered chiffon ball-gown and wearing a gold pendant and teardrop earrings with tea roses in her hair; the subject shown gazing towards the viewer with candor and good humor. Displayed in a period, black-walnut frame with period gilt liner. Danish School...
Category

1860s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Young Lady Seated', Royal Academy London, PAFA, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed upper left, 'C. J. Turrell' for Charles James Turrell (British-American, 1845-1932) and dated 1876. Framed dimensions: 12 x 1 x 10 inches Charles James Turrell was one of the most talented miniaturists of his age. Born in London, he studied under a Mr. Sargeant, perhaps Frederick Sargeant who exhibited at the Royal Academy, before visiting the United States in 1867 where he painted miniatures at the studio of photographer Napoleon Sarony. During this time, Turrell had distinguished sitters including members of the Vanderbilt, Whitney, and Morgan families. While in America, Turrell married and would go on to maintain successful careers in both New York and London where, in 1869, he opened a studio on Bond Street. Turrell exhibited widely and with success including annually at the Royal Academy (1873-1904), the Society of Miniaturists (1873 – 1932), the Brooklyn Art Association (1868), the Pennsylvania Academy of Art (1901) and at the Paris Salons. His sitters included Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and Queen Alexandra, when she was Princess of Wales (1884). In 1890, he was appointed official miniature painter to Queen Victoria. Turrell's work is held in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace as well as in the permanent collections of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, London's Victoria & Albert Museum and the Mount Vernon Collection in Washington D.C., among others. Reference: E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 13, page 863; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 3, page 3354; Mallett’s Index of Artists, Daniel Trowbridge Mallett, Peter Smith: New York 1948 Edition, R.R. Bowker Company 1935, page 444; The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, J. Johnson and A. Greutzner, 1980 Edition, Antique Collectors’ Club 1976, page 511; Dictionary of British Miniature...
Category

1870s Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Laid Paper

'Portrait of a Young Woman', 19th Century Academic Realism
By Mary Gunn
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
A compelling and period mid-19th century portrait of a young woman with braided hair, wearing a shawl and shown three-quarters on. Signed lower right, "Mary Gunn" (American, 19th cen...
Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Graphite, Paper

'The Young Courtesan', 19th Century French School, French Romanticism, Large Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'P. Lagiere' (French, 19th century) and dated, '1868'. After 'La Jeune Courtisane', 1821, by Xavier Sigalon (French, 1787–1837), held in the permanent collection o...
Category

1860s Romantic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Large Mid Victorian Oil Painting Portrait of Seated Gentleman with Newspaper
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Gentleman reading the 'London Journal', English school (mid 19th century) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 36 x 28 inches condition: some minor surface abrasion...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Very Large 1840s English Portrait of a Country Gentleman Holding Times Newspaper
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"The Corn Bill" English Artist, circa 1840's, unsigned oil on canvas, framed in antique gilt scrolled and swept frame framed: 45 x 37 inches canvas: 36 x 28 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition; please note the frame is very vulnerable and fragile and as such we are happy to include it free of charge with the painting but cannot warranty its condition on arrival. Historically significant portrait of this early Victorian...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of a Gentleman in pastel and Charcoal by Thomas Price Downes
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Portrait of a Gentleman in pastel and Charcoal by Thomas Price Downes A Beautifully executed piece of an unnamed Gentleman sitting in a chair at his desk The Drawing is in fair cond...
Category

Antique 19th Century Beaux Arts Paintings

Materials

Paper

Portrait of a Young Gentleman English circa 1860's Period Framed Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
19th century English school Portrait of a young gentleman (a scholar?) in dress suit oil on canvas, framed framed: 21 x 19.5 inches canvas: 14 x 1...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Dandy a Salon in Paris 19th Century portrait of a young man French painting
Located in Norwich, GB
A wonderful depiction of a dapper Parisian dandy, dating from 1848. I love his air of decadence! It is a work by F de Korff, a mysterious French aristocratic portrait artist who had ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman in a Landscape, Scottish Portraiture, Portrait, Wealthy
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
John Pairman (Scottish, 1788 - 1843) Signed: J Pairman 1820 (Lower, Right) " Portrait of a Gentleman ", 1820 Oil on Canvas 22 1/4" x 18 5/8" Housed in a 2 3/4" Husar Frame Ove...
Category

Early 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil