Charles West Cope (28 July 1811, in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
– 21 August 1890, in
Bournemouth) was an English,
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
painter of
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
and history scenes, and an
etcher. He was responsible for painting several frescos in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
in London.
Life and work
Early life and training
Cope was born at Park Square in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, the son of Charles Cope, a watercolour landscape painter and art teacher. He was given the name 'West' after that of a celebrated painter,
Benjamin West
Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
, and his only sister Ellen, given the middle-name 'Turner', after
J. M. W. Turner – both painters being friends of his father. His mother was "a gifted amateur" artist in watercolours who died shortly after Charles' birth.
Charles was sent as a child to a boarding school in
Camberwell, London, and afterwards to "Terry's school" (sic) at
Great Marlow
Great Marlow is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the English county of Buckinghamshire, lying north of the town of Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the hamlets of Bovingdon Green, Burroughs Grove, Chisbridge Cro ...
, where he was bullied and his elbow broken, which left him with a crooked arm for life. He then went to
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physicall ...
, where he suffered from the attentions of a cruel teacher.
In 1827, Cope's father was killed in a
stage coach accident. That same year he entered
Sass's Academy in
Bloomsbury, London, and in 1828 became a student of the
Royal Academy. He earned a
silver medal from the
Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
in 1829, a second medal in the Royal Academy Life School, and therefore a life studentship. While at Sass's he established life-long friendship with
Francis Cary and
Charles Stonhouse. About 1830 he lived at lodgings in
Great Russell Street
Great Russell Street is a street in Bloomsbury, London, best known for being the location of the British Museum. It runs between Tottenham Court Road (part of the A400 route) in the west, and Southampton Row (part of the A4200 route) in the east ...
, Bloomsbury close to the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
In 1832 Cope went to Paris and practiced his art by copying
Old Masters at the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
such as
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...
,
Rembrandt and others. In 1833 he exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time – a picture called ''The Golden Age''. In September of the same year he travelled to Italy, where he spent two years – earning a living for part of the time by painting pictures on commission. His painting ''The Firstborn'' was completed in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
and exhibited at the
British Institution.
Early career
After returning to England, Cope took lodgings in Newman Street, London, then moved to 1 Russell Place, where his landlord and family became his artist's models. Here he painted ''Paolo and Franceses'' and ''Osteria di Campagna'', which were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1837 and 1838 respectively, and sold shortly thereafter for a considerable sum. In 1839–40 he painted a large altar-piece (16 feet by 10) for
St George's Church, Leeds
St George's Church, Leeds is a Church of England parish church based in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The church building is near to Leeds General Infirmary. Although based in the city centre, the congregation is drawn from all p ...
, which was exhibited at the
Royal Academy in 1840.
Cope founded an artists' society called '
The Etching Club' which included artists such as
William Holman Hunt,
Richard Redgrave
Richard Redgrave (30 April 1804 in Pimlico, London – 14 December 1888 in Kensington, London) was an English landscape artist, genre painter and administrator.
Early life
He was born in Pimlico, London, at 2 Belgrave Terrace, the second son o ...
and
Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer Hon.RE (Hon. Fellow of the Society of Painter-Etchers) (27 January 180524 May 1881) was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and pr ...
. The club published several books of etchings illustrating various themes by well-known authors such as
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...
's
The Deserted Village, Sonnets by
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
and
Milton's "L'Allegro" and "Il ponseroso".
On 1 September 1840, Cope married Charlotte Benning, the daughter of a surgeon with a large country practice. They lived first in rented furnished lodgings in
Lisson Grove
Lisson Grove is a street and district in Marylebone, City of Westminster, London. The neighbourhood contains a few important cultural landmarks, including Lisson Gallery, Alfies Antique Market, Red Bus Recording Studios, the former Christ Chu ...
, London, then moved to a house in
Kensington (which Cope himself had commissioned) in 1841. In that same year his painting ''Poor Law Guardians: Board-day application for bread'' was exhibited at the Royal Academy.
Painting frescos for the Houses of Parliament
Cope submitted designs for a competition to decorate the interior of the
Houses of Parliament
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...
. In 1843, his drawing
The First Trial by Jury earned him a prize of 300 pounds. In 1844 he submitted a further design called 'Meeting of Jacob and Rachel,' and was one of the six painters commissioned in July of that year to prepare preliminary drawings, coloured sketches, and specimens of fresco painting for the decoration of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
. He also received 400 pounds for his design of
Prince Henry Acknowledging the Authority of Judge Gascoigne'. Cope received a commission to execute this design in fresco, and also another of
Edward the Black Prince receiving the Order of the Garter'. These commissions, and others, engaged Cope in fresco painting in the House of Lords for several years. He was also elected an associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1843.
In 1848 he became a Royal Academician (RA) after exhibiting a large work ''Cardinal Wolsey's Reception at Leicester Abbey''. In this year he was engaged on the frescos of
Griselda' and
Lara' on the wall of the upper waiting hall of the House of Lords. In 1849 he exhibited a painting ''The First-born'' which was subsequently engraved for the
Art Union of London.
Art Union of London
In that year he travelled to Italy and Germany to improve his knowledge and technique of fresco painting. He visited Peter von Hess in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, who was working on a fresco in the Basilica of St. Boniface
In 1850, Cope showed 'King Lear and Cordelia' at the RA, and, in 1851, 'The Sisters,' and 'Laurence Saunders's Martyrdom'. In 1852, he painted the 'Marriage of Griselda' and in 1853, 'Othello relating his Adventures to Dessdemona'. In the same year he became seriously ill with an internal tumour. In 1854 he exhibited 'The Friends', and in 1855 'Royal Prisoners'. In 1856 he painted 'The Embarkation of a Puritan Family for New England' for the peers' corridor in the House of Lords, for which a fresco was afterwards substituted. The main painting was sent to America, and Cope was made an honorary member of the Philadelphian Society of Arts.
In 1857 Cope exhibited ''Affronted'' and executed a fresco of
The Burial of Charles I
' in the peers' corridor (House of Lords). In 1858 came ''The Stepping Stones'', and in 1859 a picture of ''Cordelia receiving the News of her father's Ill-treatment'', and the fresco of ''The Parting of Lord and Lady William Russell'' in the peers' corridor.
In 1861 the fresco of
Raising the Standard
was placed in the peers' corridor. In 1862 he painted (using the "water-glass method") the fresco of 'The Defence of Basing House,' and in 1863–64 that of the
Expulsion of Fellows from Oxford for refusing to sign the Covenant
' In 1865 he exhibited a study of Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...
in oil, afterwards executed in mosaic on a larger scale at the South Kensington Museum. In the year his large posthumous portrait of Prince Albert was hung in the large room of the Society of Arts.
In 1865 and 1866 Cope finished his best frescoes in the House of Lords –
Meeting of Train Bands to relieve the Siege of Gloucester
and ''Speaker Lenthall asserting the Privileges of the Commons''. In 1867 he was appointed professor of painting at the Royal Academy, and delivered six lectures a year till 1875. In 1867 also he painted a third scene (moonlight) from ''Othello'' (exhibited 1868). Cope's wife, Charlotte, died in 1868.
Final years
Cope continued to exhibit at the Royal Academy until 1882, his most important painting of that period being
The Council of the Royal Academy selecting Pictures for the Exhibition
', shown in 1876. In that same year he went to America as one of the representatives of the RA at the centennial exhibition in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.
In 1879 Cope married his second wife Eleanor Smart. They settled at Maidenhead in Berkshire (on the Thames). In 1883 he retired as a professional artist though he continued to paint for his own enjoyment and also took up boating and cycling. He wrote his autobiography, ''Reminiscences'', which was completed in October 1889.
Cope died in Bournemouth in 1890 after a brief illness. He has a memorial tablet in St Mary Abbots
St Mary Abbots is a church located on Kensington High Street and the corner of Kensington Church Street in London W8.
The present church structure was built in 1872 to the designs of Sir George Gilbert Scott, who combined neo-Gothic and early ...
church in Kensington, London. The artist's son from his first marriage, Arthur Stockdale Cope RA (1857–1940), became a well-known and successful portrait painter.
Works
There is a full date-order catalogue of Cope's works, which stretch over 50 years from 1832–82, in Appendix II (p. 375 ff.) of his "Reminiscences" (see "further reading").
References
;Attribution
Further reading
*Cope, Charles West & Cope, Charles Henry.
Reminiscences of Charles West Cope, R. A.
' (London: Bentley, 1891).
External links
*
(ArtCyclopedia)
C W Cope biography and paintings
(allpaintings.org)
C W Cope paintings
(Art Renewal Center Museum)
The first piano lesson
(c. 1860 painting)
Self portrait and photos of the artist
( National Portrait Gallery)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cope, Charles West
19th-century English painters
English male painters
British genre painters
English etchers
English illustrators
English muralists
Royal Academicians
People educated at Leeds Grammar School
1811 births
1890 deaths
19th-century English male artists