Stephen Francis Dutilh Rigaud (

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 ...

26 December 1777 – 1861) was an English painter.

Life

He was the only son of

John Francis Rigaud John Francis Rigaud (18 May 1742 – 6 December 1810) was an eighteenth-century history, portrait, and decorative painter. Of French descent, he was born in Turin and spent most of his career in England. Early life Rigaud was born in Turin on ...

, born at 44

Great Titchfield Street Great Titchfield Street is a street in the West End of London. It runs north from Oxford Street to Greenwell Street, just short of the busy A501 Marylebone Road and Euston Road. It lies within the informally designated London area of Fitzrovia ...

, London. He was not closely related to

Stephen Peter Rigaud Stephen Peter Rigaud (12 August 1774–16 March 1839) FRAS was an English mathematical historian and astronomer. Rigaud was born into a French Protestant family. His father, Stephen (also known as James Stephen) Rigaud, was Observer at ...

, but was godson of his father Stephen. Rigaud was brought up by his father as an artist, and in 1792 was admitted a student 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 ...

. In 1794 he gained the silver palette from the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

for a classical group and in 1799 the gold palette for a historical painting. In 1801 he gained the gold medal of the Royal Academy for a historical painting of ''Clytemnestra''. In 1798, while on a visit to the Rev. Robert Nixon at Foot's Cray in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, he accompanied Nixon and

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

on a sketching tour. He was the assistant of his father in many of his decorative paintings at

Packington Packington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire.OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) : It is situated close to the A42 road and the towns of Ashby de la Zouch and Measham. The population o ...

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 ...

, and elsewhere. In 1805 he was one of the first six members added to the foundation members of the

Old Society of Painters in Water-colours The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wat ...

. After the temporary dissolution of the water-colour society in November 1812, he dropped out. In 1814 he was a member of a rival water-colour society which held exhibitions in that and the following years. He exhibited with the

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 ...

and

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

. Rigaud had, on 1 January 1808, married Margaret Davies of

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

, and in 1817, because of his wife's health, he gave up professional work as an artist and moved to

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

. After his wife's death, on 1 January 1839, he returned to London but had little success as artist. He died in 1861, at the age of 84, and was buried in

Abney Park cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

. He left no family.

Works

As well as pictures at the Royal Academy, Rigaud exhibited drawings with the Old Society and

. His subjects were sacred, classical, or drawn from

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

, and other poets.

Notes

External links

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Rigaud, Stephen Francis Dutilh 1777 births 1861 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English watercolourists 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists