Benjamin Ferrers (–1732) was an English

portrait painter Portrait Painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and pr ...

Life

The Court of Chancery during the reign of George I by Benjamin Ferrers

Christened in late 1667 in Cookham, Berkshire, Ferrers was deaf from his birth and appears to have lived in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. An account record of a court case in 1720 records: He was related to

William Beveridge William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge, (5 March 1879 – 16 March 1963) was a British economist and Liberal politician who was a progressive and social reformer who played a central role in designing the British welfare state. His 194 ...

, bishop of St. Asaph. Beveridge refused to sit for a portrait during his lifetime, but following his death at Westminster on 5 March 1706–7, Ferrers painted one from his corpse. The picture, which is in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

at Oxford, was engraved by William Sherwin (both in mezzotint and line), by

Michael van der Gucht Michael Vandergucht or Michiel van der Gucht (c. 1660 – 16 October 1725) was a Flemish engraver and painter who worked for most of his career in England. Ferrers also painted a picture of the Court of Chancery under

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

, which included portraits of Macclesfield, Sir Philip Yorke and

Sir Thomas Pengelly ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

. This picture was owned by Dr. Lort of Cambridge, who gave it to the Earl of Hardwicke, and at the 5th Earl of Hardwicke's 1888 sale of pictures at Wimpole Hall it was bought by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

. His painting ''Three Ladies of the Leman Family and their Dogs on a Terrace'' (1728) is in the collection of the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

Ferrers painted a portrait of

Thomas Cockman Revd Dr Thomas Cockman, Doctor of Divinity (1675–1745) was an Oxford academic and administrator. He was Master of University College, Oxford. Cockman was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford, matriculated in 1692, then a Fellow of th ...

, Master of University College, Oxford, his brother John Cockman, and five Fellows of the college. The painting remained in the Cockham family until 2008, when it was auctioned at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

and acquired by University College. Ferrers died in 1732; a Latin

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

on him was written by his friend, Vincent Bourne, of Westminster School.''Dictionary of National Biography''

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrers, Benjamin 1732 deaths English portrait painters 18th-century English painters English male painters Artists from Westminster Deaf artists English deaf people Year of birth uncertain 18th-century English male artists British artists with disabilities