Henry Tresham (c.1751 – 17 June 1814) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born British

historical painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

active in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in the late 18th century. He spent some time in Rome early in his career, and was professor of painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 1807 to 1809.

Biography

Henry Tresham was born in about 1751. He received his first art instruction from W. Ennis, a pupil of Robert West at the Dublin Art School. He moved to England in 1775, but spent most of the next fourteen years in Rome.Hodgson and Eaton 1905, p.201 There he became a friend of the British painter, Thomas Jones and the artist and dealer, Gavin Hamilton. Like many other artists in Rome he also acted as a dealer, working with Gavin Hamilton and Thomas Jenkins, and negotiating sales of antiquities to Frederick Hervey and John Campbell. He also acted as an intermediary between Campbell and the sculptor,

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...

: a pastel by

Hugh Douglas Hamilton Hugh Douglas Hamilton ( – 10 February 1808) was an Irish people, Irish portrait-painter. He spent considerable periods in London and Rome before returning to Dublin in the early 1790s. Until the mid-1770s he worked mostly in pastel. His s ...

of ''Antonio Canova in his studio with Henry Tresham and a plaster model for Cupid and Psyche'', showing a work commissioned by Campbell, is in the collection of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London. Tresham returned to Britain in 1788. His reputation was gained primarily through large-scale

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s, somewhat similar in style to those of

Henry Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; German: Johann Heinrich Füssli ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as ''The Nightmare'', deal with supernatura ...

. These were based on his travels to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

In 1791 he was elected an Associate of 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 ...

, and became a full Academician in 1799. Soon afterwards he was at the centre of a dispute over the running of the institution, having complained to the king that the law in the "Instrument of Institution" – its founding constitution – under which all its members were supposed to serve on its council in turn, was being ignored, and the vacancies balloted for instead. His appeal to the monarch was ultimately successful, and the practice of the rotation of the council members reinstated.Hodgson and Eaton 1905, pp.171–2 He was professor of painting at the Academy from 1807 to 1809. He was involved in several of the major history painting ventures of late 18th-century London, including

Robert Bowyer Robert Bowyer (; bap. 18 June 1758 – 4 June 1834) was a British miniature painter and publisher. Bowyer was born in Portsmouth to Amos and Betty Ann Bowyer and baptized on 18 June 1758. His first job was as a clerk to a merchant in Portsmouth ...

's History Gallery, the

Boydell Shakespeare Gallery The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in London, England, was the first stage of a three-part project initiated in November 1786 by engraver and publisher John Boydell in an effort to foster a school of British history painting. In addition to the e ...

and

Thomas Macklin "The Cottagers" (inspired by Thomson) painted by Reynolds and commissioned by Macklin in 1788, featuring his daughter, Maria, (left), and his wife, Hannah (right) and friend (Jane Potts ( Edwin Landseer's mother), standing). Thomas Macklin (1752 ...

's ''Holy Bible''. He died in 1814.

References

Sources

External links

*
Henry Tresham online
(ArtCyclopedia)
Henry Tresham - artist of the month (April 2009)
(RA Collections)
Portrait of Henry Tresham
(National Portrait Gallery, London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tresham, Henry 1751 births 1814 deaths 18th-century Irish painters 19th-century Irish painters Irish male painters Royal Academicians Alumni of the National College of Art and Design 19th-century painters of historical subjects Irish emigrants to Great Britain 19th-century Irish male artists

Biography

References

Sources

Further reading

External links