John Preston Neale (1780–1847) was an English architectural and landscape draughtsman. Much of his work was drawn, although he produced the occasional watercolour or oil painting. His drawings were used on a regular basis by engravers. A major work, th
''Views of the seats, Mansions, Castles, etc. of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland''
was published in 6 volumes between 1819-23.

Biography

Neale's earliest works were drawings of insects. While in search of specimens in Hornsey Wood in the spring of 1796, Neale met

John Varley John Varley may refer to: * John Varley (canal engineer) (1740–1809), English canal engineer * John Varley (painter) (1778–1842), English painter and astrologer * John Varley (author) (born 1947), American science fiction author * John Silvest ...

the water-colour painter. Together they projected a work to be entitled ''The Picturesque Cabinet of Nature'', for which Varley was to make the landscape drawings, and Neale was to etch and colour the plates. No. 1 was published on 1 September 1796, but no more appeared. Neale was a clerk in the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...

, but eventually resigned his appointment to devote his time to art. Neale died at

Tattingstone Tattingstone is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England on the Shotley peninsula about south of Ipswich. The 2011 Census recorded the population as 540. History The Domesday Book of 1086 records the toponym as ''Tatituna'' or ''Tatist ...

, near Ipswich, aged 67, on 14 November 1847.

Works

John Preston Neale Melford church interior

In 1797 Neale 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 ...

two drawings of insects, and sent others in 1799, 1801, and 1803. In 1804 he sent to the Royal Academy a drawing of the Custom House, Dover, and continued to exhibit topographical drawings and landscapes until 1844. He contributed also to the exhibitions of the Society of Painters in Oil and Water Colours in 1817 and 1818, and from time to time to those of 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 of the

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 ...

. Some of his works were in oil-colours; but he is best known for his architectural drawings, which are executed in pen and tinted with water-colours. In 1816 he began the publication of the ''History and Antiquities of the Abbey Church of St Peter, Westminster'' which was completed in 1823, in two quarto volumes, with descriptive text by

Edward Wedlake Brayley Edward Wedlake Brayley (177323 September 1854) was an English historian and topographer. Brayley collaborated with his life-long friend, John Britton, on the first 6 volumes of '' The Beauties of England and Wales''. Early life Brayley wa ...

. He next began, in 1818, his ''Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland'', of which the first series, in six volumes, was completed in 1824. The second series, in five volumes, was published between 1824 and 1829, and the entire work comprised 732 plates. He also in 1824–5 undertook, in collaboration with

John Le Keux John Le Keux (4 June 1783 – 2 April 1846) was a British engraver. Life Born in Sun Street, Bishopsgate, London, on 4 June 1783, and baptised at St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, in September of that year, he was son of Peter Le Keux and Anne Dyer ...

, the engraver, the publication of ''Views of the most interesting Collegiate and Parochial Churches in Great Britain'', but the work was discontinued after the issue of the second volume. Besides these works he published ''Six Views of Blenheim, Oxfordshire'', (1823); ''Graphical Illustrations of Fonthill Abbey'', (1824); and ''An Account of the Deep-Dene in Surrey, the seat of Thomas Hope, Esq.'', (1826). Many other works contain his pen and pencil illustrations.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neale, John Preston 1780 births 1847 deaths 19th-century English artists British mixed media artists English artists