Christopher William Hunnemann or Christopher Wilhelm Hanneman (May 1755 – 21 November 1793) was a British portrait painter.

Life

Christopher Wilhelm Hanneman was born in May 1755 presumably near Hanover where his father was a court physician. He joined the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in December 1773 and three years later he was awarded the academy's silver medal. He established himself as a portrait painter creating a half length portrait for Sir

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professo ...

in 1776 (Some say 1779), which he called ''Portrait of a Young Artist''. He gained work copying paintings in the collection of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

including work by

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

. From 1777 he was a habitual exhibitor of his work every year at the Royal Academy. The work was usually in miniature but could be in oils or crayon.L. H. Cust, ‘Hünnemann , Christopher William (1755–1793)’, rev. Annette Peach, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 7 Sept 2013
/ref> Hunneman was living in

Frith Street Frith Street is in the Soho area of London. To the north is Soho Square and to the south is Shaftesbury Avenue. The street crosses Old Compton Street, Bateman Street and Romilly Street. History Frith Street was laid out in the late 1670s an ...

in Soho in 1790. He died in 1793 on 21 November in Soho. Causes of death are unclear, though some contemporary reports mention he died masturbating.Will of Christopher William Hunneman, Portrait and Miniature Pointer of Soho , Middlesex
National Archives, London, accessed 7 September 2013

References

1755 births 1793 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters 18th-century English male artists {{England-painter-stub