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James Seymour (1702–1752) was an English painter, widely recognized for his 
Seymour was born in
Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, James 1702 births 1752 deaths 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists English male painters Equine artists Painters from London
James Seymour (1702–1752) was an English painter, widely recognized for his equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
.
Seymour was born 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 ...
. His father was an amateur artist and art dealer, whose other business dealings (as a banker, goldsmith, and diamond merchant) afforded young Seymour the leisure time to study art on his own, either his father's or the art at the Virtuosi Club of St. Luke - a gentleman's club his father belonged to, specializing in art. In a short time the boy was a self-taught artist, familiar with many of the prominent artists of the period.
Seymour's love of art was matched only by his love of horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s. He began spending time at racetracks
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also ...
early on, and before long found himself absorbed in the sport - drawing, painting, owning, breeding, and racing horses. His art proved popular among the prominent sporting families of the day, eventually garnering Seymour patrons in Sir William Jolliffe and Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (13 August 16622 December 1748), known by the epithet "The Proud Duke", was an English peer. He rebuilt Petworth House in Sussex, the ancient Percy seat inherited from his wife, in the palatial form which s ...
. Jolliffe's love for horses and art proved great, and his will would later establish an equestrian statue in Hampshire. In time, Seymour's work and fame had spread throughout Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Though ultimately his love for horseracing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
led to his financial ruin, Seymour still ranks among the most important early sporting artists, together with John Wootton
John Wootton (c.1686– 13 November 1764)Deuchar, S. (2003). "Wootton, John". Grove Art Online. was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator.
Life
Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire (near Stratfo ...
and Peter Tillemans
Peter Tillemans ( 1684 – 5 December 1734)Noakes, Aubrey, ''Sportsmen in a Landscape'' (Ayer Publishing, 1971, )pp. 47–56: ''Peter Tillemans and Early Newmarket''at books.google.com, accessed 7 February 2009. ONDB writes: "In 1733 Tillemans re ...
being considered one of the three founders of the sporting school.Ellis Waterhouse, ''Painting in Britain, 1530 to 1790'', Baltimore, MD: Penguin, 1953, p. 215. AOnline
References
External links
*{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, James 1702 births 1752 deaths 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists English male painters Equine artists Painters from London