Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy.

Life

Poynter was the son of architect

Ambrose Poynter Ambrose Poynter (16 May 1796 – 20 November 1886) was a British architect. He was one of the founding members of the Institute of British Architects in 1834. Early life Born in London on 16 May 1796, he was second son of Ambrose Lyon Poynter ...

. He was born in Paris, France, though his parents returned to Britain soon after his birth. He was educated at

Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...

and

Ipswich School Ipswich School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. North of the town centre, Ipswich School has four parts on three adjacent sites. The Pre-Prep and Nursery ...

, but left school early for reasons of ill health, spending winters in Madeira and Rome. In 1853, he met

Frederick Leighton 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, and classical subjec ...

in Rome, who made a great impression on the 17-year-old Poynter. On his return to London he studied at

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

in Newman Street and the Royal Academy Schools, before going to Paris to study in the studio of the

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

painter

Charles Gleyre Marc Gabriel Charles Gleyre (2 May 1806 – 5 May 1874), was a Swiss artist who was a resident in France from an early age. He took over the studio of Paul Delaroche in 1843 and taught a number of younger artists who became prominent, including H ...

where James McNeill Whistler and

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch'' and a Gothic novel ''Trilby'', featuring the character Svengali. His son was the actor Sir Gerald ...

were fellow-students. Edward John Poynter by J

In 1866 Poynter married the famous beauty Agnes MacDonald, daughter of the Rev. G. B. MacDonald of Wolverhampton, and they had three children. Her sister Georgiana married the artist

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman ...

; her sister Alice was the mother of writer

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

; and her sister Louisa was the mother of three-times

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

Stanley Baldwin.

Career

He became best known for his large historical paintings such as ''Israel in Egypt'' (1867;

Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...

, London), followed by ''St George for England'' (1869), a mosaic for the Central Lobby of the Palace of Westminster, depicting St George and the Dragon and perhaps culminating with ''

The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1884–90;

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 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 import ...

). He was admitted as an associate of the Royal Academy in 1869. Poynter held a number of official posts: he was the first

Slade Professor The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the oldest professorship of art and art history at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and University College, London. History The chairs were founded concurrently in 1869 by a bequest from the art collect ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

from 1871 to 1875, principal of the

National Art Training School The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

from 1875 to 1881 and director of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

from 1894 to 1904 (overseeing the opening of the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

). He became a full

Royal Academician 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 1876. In 1896, on the death of Sir John Millais, Poynter was elected President of the Academy. He received a

knighthood 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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in the same year and an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

in 1898. It was announced that he would receive a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902 for the (subsequently postponed) coronation of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

, and on 24 July 1902 he was created a Baronet, of Albert Gate, in the city of Westminster, in the county of London. It appears from the subjects of his paintings (King Solomon and King Solomon's Temple) and his association with Kipling that he was a Freemason. Prints of his painting ''The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon'' are to be found in many Masonic Lodges around the world. Poynter's old school,

, held an exhibition of Poynter's paintings and drawings entitled ''Life at Arms Length'' in its Burstow Gallery in November–December 1995.

Works

Paintings

File:At low tide.jpg, ''At Low Tide'' File:The Siren by Edward John Poynter (1864).jpg, ''The Siren'' (1864) File:Sir Edward John Poynter — Cave of the Storm Nymphs.jpg, '' The Cave of the Storm Nymphs'' (1903; Private collection) File:Edward John Poynter - Psyche in the Temple of Love - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Psyche in the Temple of Love'' File:1869 Edward Poynter - Andromeda.jpg, ''Andromeda'', Edward Poynter, 1869 File:Lillie Langtry00.jpg, Portrait of

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

, 1878 File:Corner of the marketplace, by Edward John Poynter.jpg, ''Corner of the Marketplace'' (1887) File:Pea Blossoms.jpg, ''Pea Blossoms'' File:1867 Edward Poynter - Israel in Egypt.jpg, ''Israel in Egypt'' (1867) File:Catapulta by Edward Poynter.jpg, ''Catapulta'' File:Edward John Poynter - Barine.jpg, ''Barine'' (1894) File:Edward John Poynter - The Vision of Endymion, 1902.jpg, ''The Vision of Endymion'' (1902) File:Women consulting Aesculapius. Colour reproduction of a paint Wellcome V0036062.jpg, ''Women Consulting Aesculapius'' File:Wild Blossoms.jpg, ''Wild Blossoms'' (c. 1880) File:The Ides of March Edward John Poynter (1836–1919).jpg, ''The Ides of March'' (1883)

Written works

* * with Buxton, H. J. Wilmot (co-author) * with Percy Head (co-author)

References

Citations

Sources

* * Calinski, Tobias (2021): ''Edward J. Poynter "Lesbia and her Sparrow"'', in: ''Catull in Bild und Ton'', WBG Darmstadt, 223-261 * *