James Jefferys (19 May 1751 – 31 January 1784) was a British engraver and painter. His work was reassessed in the 1970s following the discovery of a lost set of drawings in Maidstone.

Life

Jefferys was born in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

in 1751 to William and Parnell Jefferys; his father was a coach painter and artist. He spent time working under

William Woollett William Woollett (15 August 173523 May 1785) was an English engraver operating in the 18th century. Life Woolett was born in Maidstone, of a family which came originally from the Netherlands. He was apprenticed to John Tinney, an engraver in F ...

who was also born in Maidstone. Jefferys enrolled at the Royal Academy and his talent was marked with a gold medal for a drawing titled ''Seleucus and Stratonice'' in 1773. That year he started exhibiting at the Society of Artists and the following year he gained a prize from the Society. The Dilettante Society underwrote the expense of three years in Rome after a recommendation by

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depen ...

. Jefferys stretched this to four years and returned with a number of well regarded classical drawings of violent subjects, but no paintings are known. Jefferys was known to have had a wild time and some reported his behaviour as odd. Jefferys' drawings were in the style of James Barry and

John Hamilton Mortimer John Hamilton Mortimer (17 September 1740 – 4 February 1779) was a British figure and landscape painter and printmaker, known for romantic paintings set in Italy, works depicting conversations, and works drawn in the 1770s portraying war ...

(Jefferys may have worked with Mortimer whilst he was at the Royal Academy). Gibraltar explosion des batteries avec fuite des equipages et chaloupes 1782

Gibraltar explosion des batteries avec fuite des equipages et chaloupes 1782

When he returned to England he established his own studio at Meard's Court in Soho. His most important work was ''The Scene before Gibraltar on the morning of 14 Sept. 1782'' which he exhibited at the ''Royal Academy'' in 1783. The subject of the painting took place during the Great Siege of Gibraltar when the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

built purpose built ships that were floating batteries designed to be unsinkable. Jefferys' past master, William Woolett, undertook an engraving of the painting but

John Emes John Emes (1762–1810) was a British engraver and water-colour painter. His wife Rebecca Emes ran a successful silver business after his death.Anne Pimlott Baker, 'Emes, John (1762–1808)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Un ...

had to complete the task after Woolett died. Jefferys died in

Soho, London 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 develo ...

, unmarried, from a cold at the end of January 1784.Timothy Clifford and Susan Legouix
"James Jefferys Historical Draughtsman (1751-84)"
''The Burlington Magazine'', Vol. 118, No. 876 (March 1976), pp. 148–155+157, retrieved September 2013.

Legacy

Jefferys' Gibraltar painting was exhibited at the European Museum in 1804. Many drawings by Jefferys were erroneously attributed to James Barry and John Hamilton Mortimer until they were reassigned in the 1970s. This came about following the discovery of a collection of his drawings in Maidstone. Jefferys has work in the National Portrait Gallery and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, and his painting of the battle at Gibraltar is at

Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery Maidstone Museum is a local authority-run museum located in Maidstone, Kent, England, featuring internationally important collections including fine art, natural history, and human history. The museum is one of three operated by Maidstone Bor ...

. His work is regarded as important but derivative.Martin Myrone
"Jefferys, James (1751–1784)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, accessed 15 September 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferys, James 1751 births 1784 deaths People from Maidstone 18th-century English painters English male painters 18th-century engravers English engravers 18th-century English male artists