Michael Kean (died 1823) was an Irish artist. He was a miniature painter, and for a period was owner of the porcelain factory in Derby later known as
Royal Crown Derby
The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company is the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England (disputed by Royal Worcester, who claim 1751 as their year of establishment). The company, particularly known ...
.
Life
Kean was born in Dublin; he entered the
Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
's drawing schools in 1771 and studied ornament, landscape and figure drawing. In 1779 he gained a silver medal of the Dublin Society for drawings of sculpture.
Intending to become a sculptor, he was apprenticed to the sculptor
Edward Smyth, but he established himself as a
miniature portrait painter, moving to London where he practiced successfully. He exhibited 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 ...
each year from 1786 to 1790, and at the exhibitions of the
Free Society of Artists
The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established ...
.
In 1795 Kean entered into a partnership with
William Duesbury II, proprietor of the porcelain factory in Derby later known as
Royal Crown Derby
The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company is the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England (disputed by Royal Worcester, who claim 1751 as their year of establishment). The company, particularly known ...
. After Duesbury's death in 1796 he became manager of the factory; in 1798 he married Duesbury's widow Elizabeth, and they had one son.
During his period of management he introduced improvements in manufacture, and standards of porcelain decoration improved; the reputation of the factory increased. Kean, a hot-tempered man, quarrelled with his wife and stepchildren over the business, and lawsuits resulted. In 1811 Kean disposed of the factory and Robert Bloor, his clerk, took over. He retired to London, and died there in November 1823.
[Kean, Michael](_blank)
''A Dictionary of Irish Artists'', 1913. LibraryIreland,
accessed 31 July 2017.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kean, Michael
1823 deaths
Artists from Dublin (city)
18th-century Irish painters
19th-century Irish painters
Irish male painters
Irish emigrants to Great Britain
19th-century Irish male artists