Gustavus Hamilton (1739–16 December 1775) was an Irish

miniature painter A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

Life and family

Gustavus Hamilton was born circa 1739. He was the son of Rev. Gustavus Hamilton,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Errigal Errigal () is a mountain near Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and the tallest peak in County Donegal. Errigal is also the most southern and the highest of the mountain chain called the ...

and

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of Gallon,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

and his wife Jane (née Cathcart). Hamilton was one of the couple's younger children. The Hamiltons claimed descent from the Hamiltons of Priestfield,

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

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. Hamilton lived in Dublin at Parliament Street from 1765 to 1768, 1

Dame Street Dame Street (; ) is a large thoroughfare in Dublin, Ireland. History The street takes its name from a dam built across the River Poddle to provide water power for milling. First appears in records under this name around 1610 but in the 14th c ...

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, and Cork Hill. He died at his home on Cork Hill on 16 December 1775 age 36, and is buried at

St Werburgh's, Dublin St. Werburgh's Church is a Church of Ireland church building in Dublin, Ireland. The original church on this site was built in 1178, shortly after the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the town. It was named after St. Werburgh, abbess of Ely a ...

on 18 December. A plaque was later erected in his memory there.

Career

One of Hamilton's teachers was Irish painter Robert West at his school on George's Lane, Dublin. Hamilton received awards for drawing in 1755 and 1756. He was also an apprentice or pupil of

Samuel Dixon Samuel Dixon (born 1973, Adelaide, South Australia) is a record producer, songwriter and musician, based in London. Dixon has produced and written with artists including Adele, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Paloma Faith and Jack Savo ...

Capel Street Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On 20 May 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin. History Capel ...

, Dublin, where he was employed in colouring the basso-relievo prints of birds and flowers produced by DixonA Dictionary of Irish Artists. Walter G. Strickland. 1913. http://www.libraryireland.com/irishartists/gustavus-hamilton.php alongside miniaturists James Reily and Daniel O'Keefe. Reily and Hamilton painted miniatures in the 1750s and 1760s, working in watercolour on ivory in the "modest" manner of Nathaniel Hone. Along with other artists like Thomas Boulger (''fl.'' 1761–88) and Luke Sullivan, Hamilton was a link between the earlier miniaturists in style and technical skill and those from the later 18th century. This period and group are seen as formative in the development of ivory and watercolour miniature painting. His paintings are typically signed with his initials, with "ham." coupled with date, or as "Gus. Hamilton, sometimes with and sometimes without a date. His draftsmanship has been criticised as sometimes poor. He is known for his portrait's faces sometimes having a bluish cast. His miniatures are small, with the intention of being worn as jewellery. An exemplar of Hamilton's work is his portrait of Rev. Joshua Nunn held in the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

. The portrait bears stylistic similarities with the work of English miniaturist, Samuel Collins, who lived in Dublin from 1762 to 1768. Hamilton continued to refine his technique, with ''Portrait of an unknown gentleman'' showing this development. Hamilton exhibited his miniatures between 1765 and 1773 at the Society of Artists in Ireland in Dublin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Gustavus (painter) 1739 births 1775 deaths 18th-century Irish painters Irish male painters