Joseph Francis Nollekens - Children Playing with a Hobby Horse - Google Art Project

Josef Frans Nollekens'' or ''Joseph Frans Nollekens (1702–1748)Josef Frans Nollekens
at the British Museun was a Flemish painter who was principally active in England where he is often referred to as "Old Nollekens" to distinguish him from his famous son, the sculptor

Joseph Nollekens Joseph Nollekens R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 at 28 Dean Street, Soho, London, ...

. He painted

conversation piece A conversation piece refers to a group portrait in a domestic or landscape setting depicting persons chatting or otherwise socializing with each other.fêtes champêtres in the style of Watteau,

genre scenes Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

as well as portraits.Josef Frans Nollekens
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

Sam Segal, Klara Alen, ''Dutch and Flemish Flower Pieces'', BRILL, 2020, p. 211 He was also active as a picture restorer.Francis Nollekens
at the National Portrait Gallery

Life

He was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, the son of Jan Baptist Nollekens, a genre and still life painter from Antwerp who had practised for a while in the Dutch Republic and England, and eventually settled in

Roanne Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France. It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fren ...

in France. He started his art studies under his father Jan Baptist while he was living in Roanne. Some older sources claim that he also studied under

Antoine Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised October 10, 1684died July 18, 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, a ...

. There is no evidence for such training. It is now believed that it is more likely that during his stay in France he made copies after Watteau which explains why his own works are similar in style and subject matter to those of Watteau. While visiting England after 1618, he studied under and worked with the Flemish landscape painter

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 ...

who resided in England.Mary Kisler, ''Joseph Nollekens the Elder, At the Fair''
28 January 2004 Joseph Nollekens the Elder - At the Fair - 2003-44 - Auckland Art Gallery

Joseph Nollekens the Elder - At the Fair - 2003-44 - Auckland Art Gallery

In 1733 he returned to England where he settled. He married Mary Anne Le Sacq or Lesack on 3 May 1733. As they were Catholics, the wedding took place at the Sardinian embassy while their children were baptised at the chapel of the Venetian ambassador: John Joseph in 1735,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

in 1737, Maria Joanna Sophia in 1739, James 1741 and Thomas Charles in 1745.

became one of the most famous sculptors in England. Josef Frans Nollekens - Fête Champêtre

In England he began to paint conversation pieces. Nollekens found a major patron in

Richard Child, 1st Earl Tylney Richard Child, 1st Earl Tylney (5 February 1680 – March 1750), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1734. Initially a Tory, he switched to supporting the Whigs after 1715. He held no Office of State, ...

, for whom he painted conversation pieces, fêtes champêtres, and similar works, usually set in the gardens of

Wanstead House Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge. History Construct ...

. Several of these were included in the sale held at Wanstead in 1822, one, an ''Interior of the Saloon at Wanstead, with an assemblage of ladies and gentlemen'', fetching a high price for the time. This work may be identical with the ''Family Group in a Palladian Interior'' in the collection of

Fairfax House Fairfax House is a Georgian townhouse located at No. 27, Castlegate, York, England, near Clifford's Tower and York Castle Museum. It was probably built in the early 1740s for a local merchant and in 1759 it was purchased by Charles Gregory Fai ...

, York. There was reportedly a picture by him with portraits of

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

and his sisters at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. He also carried out decorative works at

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school and is owned by the Stowe House Preservation Trust who have to date (March 2013) spent more than £25m on th ...

for Lord Cobham, and painted pictures for the

Marquess of Stafford A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

Trentham Hall The Trentham Estate, in the village of Trentham, is a visitor attraction located on the southern fringe of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. History The estate was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. At th ...

. In 1742, he submitted a bill for cleaning and mending pictures for the Howard family. Nollekens lived in Dean St, near

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

Square, from 1737 to 1748. On 21 January 1748, he died at this house and was buried at

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

. His collection of prints, books of prints and drawings was sold in London in 1751. According to a contemporary story of

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 (surveying), surveyor who was land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, he was born in London. He was e ...

, he was a miser, or had a pathological fear of being robbed of property. This was likely caused by the fear he had felt during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

that he could be killed for being a Catholic.

Works

He painted principally conversation pieces and galant companies in the style of Watteau,

as well as portraits. The term ''conversation piece'' is used to refer to an informal group

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

, especially those painted in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

in the 18th century, beginning in the 1720s. They are distinguished by their portrayal of a group of people engaged in genteel conversation or some other activity, very often outdoors.Glossary: Conversation Piece.
The National Gallery The conversation piece was fashionable in England around 1725 by

Philippe Mercier Philippe Mercier (also spelled Philip Mercier; 1689 – 18 July 1760) was an artist of French Huguenot descent from the German realm of Brandenburg-Prussia (later Kingdom of Prussia), usually defined to French school. Active in England for mos ...

, an imitator of Watteau. It was quickly converted into an English idiom by

Bartholomew Dandridge Bartholomew Dandridge (25 December 1737 – 18 April 1785) was an early American planter, lawyer and patriot. He represented New Kent County in the House of Burgesses, all five Virginia Revolutionary Conventions, and once in the Virginia House ...

and

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...

. When first in England, Nollekens worked on making copies after Watteau and

Giovanni Paolo Panini Giovanni Paolo Panini or Pannini (17 June 1691 – 21 October 1765) was an Italian painter and architect who worked in Rome and is primarily known as one of the ''veduta, vedutisti'' ("view painters"). As a painter, Panini is best known for his vi ...

. His works sometimes include picturesque ruins in the manner of Panini.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nollekens, Joseph Francis 1702 births 1748 deaths Flemish genre painters 18th-century Flemish painters Artists from Antwerp