Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical,

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, and classical subject matter in an academic style. His paintings were enormously popular, and expensive, during his lifetime, but fell out of critical favour for many decades in the early 20th century. Leighton was the bearer of the shortest-lived

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

in history; after only one day his hereditary peerage became extinct upon his death.

Biography

Lord Leighton, Frederic, After Vespers, 1871

Leighton was born in Scarborough to Augusta Susan and Dr. Frederic Septimus Leighton (1799-1892), a medical doctor. Leighton's grandfather, Sir James Boniface Leighton (1769-1843), had been the primary physician to two Russian tsars - Alexander I and Nicholas I - and their families, and amassed a fortune while in their service. Leighton’s career was always cushioned by this family wealth, with his father paying him an allowance throughout his life. He had two sisters, one of them being

Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...

who was

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

's biographer. He was educated at University College School, London. He then received his artistic training on the European continent, first from

Eduard von Steinle Eduard von Steinle (2 July 1810 – 19 September 1886) was a historical painter and member of the Nazarene movement. Life He was born 2 July 1810 in Vienna. Steinle came successively under the influence of the painters Leopold Kupelwieser, ...

and then from Giovanni Costa. At age 17, in the summer of 1847, he met the philosopher

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( , ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is best known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the prod ...

in Frankfurt and drew his portrait, in graphite and gouache on paper — the only known full-length study of Schopenhauer done from life. When he was 24 he was in Florence; he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, and painted the procession of the Cimabue Madonna through the Borgo Allegri. From 1855 to 1859 he lived in Paris, where he met

Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

Delacroix Delacroix is a French surname that derives from ''de la Croix'' ("of the Cross"). It may refer to: People * Caroline Delacroix (1883–1945), French-Romanian mistress of Leopold II of Belgium * Charles-François Delacroix (1741–1805), ...

, Corot and

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

. In 1860, he moved to London, where he associated with the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

s. He designed

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...

's tomb for

in the English Cemetery, Florence in 1861. In 1864 he became 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 in 1878 he became its President (1878–96). His 1877 sculpture, '' Athlete Wrestling with a Python'', was considered at its time to inaugurate a renaissance in contemporary British sculpture, referred to as the

New Sculpture New Sculpture was a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture with an emphasis on naturalistic poses and spiritual subjects. The movement was characterised by the production of free-standing statues and statuettes of 'ideal' figures from poe ...

. American art critic

Earl Shinn Earl Shinn (November 8, 1838 – November 3, 1886) was an American art critic and art historian who often wrote under the pseudonym "Edward Strahan." Early life and career Shinn was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of ...

claimed at the time that "Except Leighton, there is scarce any one capable of putting up a correct frescoed figure in the archway of the Kensington Museum." His paintings represented Britain at the great

1900 Paris Exhibition The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...

. Leighton was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

at Windsor in 1878, and was created a baronet, of Holland Park Road in the Parish of St Mary Abbots, Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, eight years later. He was the first painter to be given a

, in the

1896 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1896 were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1896. The recipients of honours are displayed here ...

. The patent creating him Baron Leighton, of Stretton in the County of Shropshire, was issued on 24 January 1896; Leighton died the next day of angina pectoris. Leighton remained a bachelor; rumours of him having an illegitimate child with one of his models, in addition to the supposition that Leighton may have been a homosexual, continue to be debated.Emanuel Cooper, ''The Sexual Perspective: Homosexuality and Art in the Last 100 Years in the West'', 2005 He certainly enjoyed an intense and romantically tinged relationship with the poet Henry William Greville whom he met in Florence in 1856. The older man showered Leighton in letters, but the romantic affection seems not to have been reciprocated. Enquiry is furthermore hindered by the fact that Leighton left no diaries and his letters are telling in their lack of reference to his personal circumstances. No definite primary evidence has yet come to light that effectively dispels the secrecy that Leighton built up around himself, although it is clear that he did court a circle of younger men around his artistic studio. On his death his

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

y was extinguished after existing for only a day; this is a record in the

Peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

. His house in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road ...

, London has been turned into a museum, the

Leighton House Museum The Leighton House Museum is an art museum in the Holland Park area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London. The building was the London home of painter Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (1830–1896), who commi ...

. It contains many of his drawings and paintings, as well as some of his former art collection including works by

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

and his contemporaries such as a painting dedicated to Leighton by

Sir John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...

. The house also features many of Leighton's inspirations, including his collection of Iznik tiles. Its centrepiece is the magnificent Arab Hall. The Hall is featured in issue ten of '' Cornucopia''. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

commemorates Leighton at Leighton House Museum.

Artists Rifles

Frederic Leighton, Baron Leighton by George Frederic Watts

Leighton was an enthusiastic volunteer soldier, enrolling with the first group to join the 38th Middlesex (Artists') Rifle Volunteer Corps (later to be known as the

Artists Rifles The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles is a regiment of the Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regimen ...

) on 5 October 1860. His qualities of leadership were immediately identified, and he was promoted to command a Company within a few months. On 6 January 1869

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Leighton was elected to command the Artists Rifles by a general meeting of the corps. In the same year he was promoted to major and in 1875 to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Leighton resigned as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

in 1883. The painter

James Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...

famously described the then Sir Frederic Leighton, the commanding officer of the Artists Rifles, as the: "Colonel of the Royal Academy and the President of the Artists Rifles – aye, and he paints a little!" At his funeral, on 3 February 1896, his coffin was carried into

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, past a

guard of honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

formed by the Artists Rifles.

Honours

* 1864: Associate of the

* 1868: Royal Academy Academician * 1878: President of the Royal Academy * 1878: Légion d'honneur Officer * 1878: Knight Bachelor * 1886: Created a baronet in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) James I of E ...

* 1889: Associate member of the

Institute of France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

* 1896: Created a baron in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

Selected works

* ''Death of Brunelleschi'' (1852), oil on canvas * ''The Fisherman and the Siren'', c. 1856–58 (66.3 × 48.7 cm) * ''

Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna ''Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna'', originally called ''Cimabue's elebratedMadonna sCarried in Procession through the Streets of Florence'', is an oil painting by English artist Frederic Leighton. Measuring more than two metres tall and more tha ...

Is Carried in Procession Through the Streets of Florence'' (1853–55), oil on canvas. * ''The Discovery of Juliet Apparently Lifeless'' (c.1858) * ''The Villa Malta, Rome'' (1860s), oil on canvas * ''

The Painter's Honeymoon ''The Painter's Honeymoon'' is an oil painting on canvas by the English painter Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, produced and now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. History This is an unusual composition for Leighton, who usually veere ...

'', c. 1864 (83.8 × 77.5 cm) * ''Mother and Child'', c. 1865, (48.2 × 82 cm) * ''Actaea, the Nymph of the Shore'' (1868), oil on canvas, (57.2 × 102.2 cm) National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. * ''Daedalus and Icarus'', c. 1869, (138.2 × 106.5 cm) * ''Hercules Wrestling with Death for the Body of Alcestis'' (1869–71) (132.4 × 265.4 cm) * ''After Vespers'' 1871, (111.5 × 71.5 cm), Princeton University Art Museum * ''Greek Girls Picking up Pebbles by the Sea'', 1871 (84 × 129.5 cm) * ''Teresina '' (c. 1874) Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch, New Zealand * ''Music Lesson'', c. 1877, (92.8 × 118.1 cm) * '' An Athlete Wrestling with a Python'' (1877), bronze sculpture * ''Nausicaa'', c. 1878 (145 × 67 cm) * ''Winding the Skein'', c. 1878, (100.3 × 161.3 cm) * ''Light of the Harem'', c. 1880, (152.4 × 83.8 cm) * ''Idyll'', c. 1880–81 * ''Wedded'', (c. 1881–1882) (145.4 × 81 cm) * '' Cymon and Iphigenia'' (1884)

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

* '' Captive Andromache'', c. 1888 (197 × 406.5 cm) * ''

The Bath of Psyche ''The Bath of Psyche'' is an oil painting by Frederic Leighton, first exhibited in 1890. It is in the collection of Tate Britain. Description The painting shows Psyche (mythology), Psyche disrobing in order to bathe before the arrival of Cu ...

'', (c. 1889–90) (189.2 × 62.2 cm) Tate Gallery * ''The Garden of the Hesperides'', c. 1892, (169 × 169 cm) * ''

Flaming June ''Flaming June'' is a painting by Sir Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a square canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton's magnum opus, showing his classicist nature. It is thought that the woman portrayed ...

'' (1895), oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico (120.6 × 120.6 cm) * ''The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Fresco)'' * ''The armlet'' * ''Phoebe'' (55.88 × 60.96 cm) * ''A Bather'' *

The Leighton Frescoes The Leighton Frescoes were commissioned in 1868 as the central feature of the elaborate decorations of the Victoria and Albert Museum's South Court. The artist of the two enormous works which each measure 10.7 metres across, was Frederic Leight ...

, ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'' and ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace'' * ''Phoenicians Trading with the Early Britons on the Coast of Cornwall'', 1895. Mural at the Royal Exchange, London * ''The Return of Persephone'' 1891, oil on canvas,

Leeds Art Gallery Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance" ...

Gallery

File:Lord Frederick Leighton FLL006.jpg, ''

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos suspe ...

and Daedalus'', c. 1869 File:Frederic Leighton - The Garden of the Hesperides.jpg, ''The Garden of the Hesperides'', oil on canvas painting, 1892,

Lady Lever Art Gallery The Lady Lever Art Gallery is a museum founded and built by the industrialist and philanthropist William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme and opened in 1922. The Lady Lever Art Gallery is set in the garden village of Port Sunlight, on the Wirral ...

File:Frederic Lord Leighton-The Sluggard-Victoria and Albert Museum.jpg, ''The Sluggard'', 1885 File:An athlete wrestling with a python, white marble sculpture by Frederic, Lord Leighton, 1888-1891, private collection.jpg, '' Athlete wrestling with a Python'', white marble sculpture, 1888–1891 (Private collection: on loan to the

) File:Leighton-The Fisherman and the Syren-c. 1856-1858.jpg, ''The Fisherman and the Syren'', c.1856–1858, private collection File:Leightonhero.jpg, ''The Last Watch of Hero'', 1880 File:Frederic, Lord Leighton - Perseus and Andromeda - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Perseus and Andromeda'', 1891, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. File:Leighton Moses views the Promised Land.jpg, ''

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

views the Promised Land'' File:Leighton The Painter-s Honeymoon 1864.jpg, ''

'', 1864 File:Frederick Leighton - Memories.jpg, ''Memories'', 1883 File:1890s Frederick Leighton - Bath of Psyche.jpg, ''The Bath of Psyche'', 1879 File:Leighton, Frederic - Idyll - c. 1880-81.jpg, ''Idyll'', c. 1880–81 File:Leighton Captive Andromache.jpg, ''Captive Andromache'', oil on canvas painting, 1886–1888,

Manchester City Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three c ...

File:Lord Frederic Leighton - Cymon and Iphigenia - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Cymon and Iphigenia'', oil on canvas painting, 1884,

File:Frederic Leighton - Portrait of May Sartoris - Google Art Project.jpg File:Frederick Leighton - Biondina.jpg, ''Biondina'', 1879 File:Frederic Leighton - The Return of Persephone (1891).jpg, ''The Return of Persephone'', 1891 File:Frederic Leighton Kittens.jpg, ''Kittens'', 1883 File:Leighton, Frederick - A Girl Feeding Peacocks.jpg, ''A Girl Feeding Peacocks'', c. 1863 File:Frederick Leighton - Solitude.jpg, ''Solitude'', c. 1890 File:Lord Frederic Leighton - Winding the skein - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg, Winding the skein, 1878

Citations

General references

Alphonse Legros Alphonse Legros (8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist. He moved to London in 1863 and later took British citizenship. He was important as a teacher in the British etching rev ...

at University of Michigan Museum of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron 1830 births 1896 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom English sculptors English male sculptors History painters People of the Victorian era Prix de Rome for painting People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire Royal Academicians People educated at University College School Knights Bachelor Artists' Rifles officers Academic art Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Pre-Raphaelite painters 19th-century British sculptors 19th-century English painters Orientalist painters English male painters Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria Pre-Raphaelite sculptors