James Durno (c.1745–1795) was a British historical painter who spent most of his career in Rome.

Life

Durno was born in around 1745, the son of a brewery proprietor who lived the later part of his life in an area of West London then known as the "Kensington Gravel Pits" (approximately the current

Notting Hill Gate Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name. Location At Ossington Street/Ke ...

). In February 1769 Durno was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools, where he studied under Andrea Casali, and

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 ...

. He also worked as a copyist for West, and in around 1771 assisted

John Hamilton Mortimer John Hamilton Mortimer (17 September 1740 – 4 February 1779) was a British figure and landscape painter and printmaker, known for romantic paintings set in Italy, works depicting conversations, and works drawn in the 1770s portraying war ...

on his ceiling paintings at

Brocket Hall Brocket Hall is a neo-classical country house set in a large park at the western side of the urban area of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The estate is equipped with two golf courses and seven smaller listed buildings, apart fro ...

in Hertfordshire. He received a premium of 30 guineas 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 1771, and the next year was awarded 100 guineas for the best historical painting. He went to Italy in 1774, arriving in Rome by June of that year. During 1777-8 he lived with the sculptor

Thomas Banks Thomas Banks (29 December 1735 – 2 February 1805) was an important 18th-century English sculptor. Life The son of William Banks, a surveyor who was land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, he was born in London. He was educated at Ross-on-Wye ...

and his wife in the Casa Sopra Stalla di Mignanelli. As well as attempting to forge a career as a history painter, Durno worked as a copyist in Rome, his productions including a large copy of Raphael's '' Transfiguration''. This was completed by 1779.

Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke, 7th Earl of Montgomery (3 July 173426 January 1794) of Wilton House in Wiltshire, was an English peer, politician and courtier who served as a Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III in 1769. He was renown ...

, who saw it that year, wrote in a letter : "It is most likely the last copy that will ever be done, as the Monks of Montorio swear they will give no more permissions for fear some hurt may come to so valuable an original." Durno wanted £1000 for the painting, and it remained unsold until 1783, when it was bought by the Earl of Bristol, who also purchased at least two history paintings by Durno: ''The Mouming over the Dead Body of Hector'' and '' The Return of Priam with the body of Hector''. The copy of the ''Transfiguration'' probably the one now in the collection of 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 ...

, where it was long attributed to

Anton Raphael Mengs Anton Raphael Mengs (22 March 1728 – 29 June 1779) was a German painter, active in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, who while painting in the Rococo period of the mid-18th century became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting, which replace ...

. In Rome Durno painted two pictures for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. Both feature the character of

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

. In one, an illustration to '' Henry IV'', he is shown raising recruits in the company of Justice Shallow and Silence, while the other illustrates the scene in the

Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

in which he is disguised as the "Old Woman of Brentford". The latter work was bought by Sir

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

at the sale of the gallery in 1805, and is now in the collection of

Sir John Soane's Museum Sir John Soane's Museum is a house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of neo-classical architect, John Soane. It holds many drawings and architectural models of Soane's projects, and ...

in London. According to Edward Edwards in his ''Anecdotes of Painting'' (1808) "these works did not answer the expectations of those for whom they were painted." Durno died of fever in Rome on 13 September 1795. The ''Gentleman's Magazine'' reported that

He was buried according to the usual custom of interring Protestants in that country. All his brother artists (we mean British artists) attended; and Prince Augustus honoured his funeral by carrying a torch, as did his two gentlemen, and Lord Wycombe, Mr. Amherst, and Mr. Disney Fitch.

His painting ''Achilles after the Death of Patroclus'' is in the collection of the

Musée des beaux-arts d'Arras The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras is located in the old Abbey of St. Vaast in Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Collection Paintings The museum's collection includes paintings of the Flemish and Dutch schools including Jehan Belleg ...

: It is catalogued in French as ''Achille se préparant au combat après la mort de Patrocle''.

References

Sources

* (page 442)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durno, James 1745 births 1795 deaths 18th-century British painters British male painters