John Thomas Serres (December 1759 – 28 December 1825) was an English maritime painter who enjoyed significant success, including exhibiting extensively at 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 was for a time Maritime Painter to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Life

Thomas Serres (circle of) - Battle of the Nile 1798

John Thomas Serres 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 ...

in December 1759 to

Dominic Serres Dominic Serres (1722–1793), also known as Dominic Serres the Elder, was a French-born painter strongly associated with the English school of painting, and with paintings with a naval or marine theme. Such were his connections with the Engli ...

, a prominent painter and a founder of the

. Instructed by his father, John was involved in the publication of the maritime painter's guide ''Liber Nauticus'' and the younger Serres had soon developed a successful independent painting career, the Royal Academy and

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...

exhibiting over 100 of his paintings over his lifetime. In 1790-1791 he recorded his impressions in sketches documenting a voyage he made along the French and Italian coasts on a tour taking in Paris, Lyons, Marseilles, Genoa, Pisa, Florence, and Rome, where he passed five months, and then Naples. He also became Master of Drawing at the Royal Naval College in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and in 1793 was made Marine Painter to the King after his father's death. Serres' successful career was badly damaged in the early 19th century by the activities of his wife

Olivia Serres Olivia Serres (3 April 1772 – 21 November 1834), known as Olive, was a British painter and writer, born at Warwick. She is also known as an English impostor, who claimed the title of Princess Olive of Cumberland. Origins and early career Ol ...

, who came to believe that she was the illegitimate daughter of the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedo ...

and publicly pressed her "claim" to his estate, insisting on being addressed as "Princess Olive of Cumberland". Consequently, out of favour at court, Serres was forced to attempt to recoup his losses by investing in the theatre, setting up the Royal Coburg Theatre in 1818 that eventually became known as the "Old Vic". However his wife's activities again ruined him and he died in December 1825 in a London debtors' prison. His daughter

Lavinia Ryves Lavinia Jannetta Horton Ryves (née Serres; 16 March 1797 – 7 December 1871), was a British woman claiming to be a member of the British royal family, calling herself "Princess Lavinia of Cumberland". Born in Liverpool, England, Lavinia was the ...

spent most of her life continuing to unsuccessfully press her mother's "claim" on the estate of

, even managing to take it to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

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External links

J T Serres online
(ArtCyclopedia) {{DEFAULTSORT:Serres, John Thomas 1759 births 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters British marine artists 1825 deaths People imprisoned for debt 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists

Life

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