Hoare, William - self portrait in pastel

William Hoare of Bath (c. 1707 – 12 December 1792) was a British

portraitist A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this re ...

, painter and printmaker. From c. 1740 to 1759, he was the leading

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

portraitist at

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, until

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

arrived in the town. Noted for his

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

s, he was a foundation member 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 ...

.Newby (2006a)

Life

Born near Eye, Suffolk, Hoare received a gentleman's education in

Faringdon Faringdon is a historic market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, south-west of Oxford, north-west of Wantage and east-north-east of Swindon. It extends to the River Thames in the north; the highest ground is on the Ridg ...

. He showed an aptitude for drawing and was sent to London to study under

Giuseppe Grisoni Giuseppe Pierre Joseph Grisoni (''bapt.'' 24 October 1699–1769), also known as Grifoni or Grison, was an Italian painter and sculptor, noted for his landscapes and historical tableaux. Biography Born in Mons, he studied in Florence under ...

, who had left

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

for London in 1715. When Grisoni returned to Italy in 1728, Hoare went with him, travelling to Rome and continuing his studies under the direction of Francesco Imperiali. He remained in Rome for nine years, returning to London in 1737/8. Failing to establish himself in London, Hoare settled in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, an expanding spa town popular with the wealthier classes. He obtained numerous commissions, the most important being for official portraits of social leaders of the day (including

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

) and political men (e.g., Prime Ministers

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lea ...

and

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, c.1754). There are several versions of most of these, suggesting that he had a studio, and they were further publicised by the production of mezzotints by leading engravers of the day. Hoare himself was a delicate etcher and published a number of private plates, mostly of family and friends, including a Miss Hoare (probably Mary),

Christopher Anstey Christopher Anstey (31 October 1724 – 3 August 1805) was an English poet who also wrote in Latin. After a period managing his family's estates, he moved permanently to Bath and died after a long public life there. His poem, ''The New Bath Gui ...

and the 3rd Duke of Beaufort. His pastels were influenced by

Rosalba Carriera Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was a Venetian Rococo painter. In her younger years, she specialized in portrait miniatures. Carriera would later become known for her pastel portraits, helping popularize the medium in eight ...

. William Hoare was the first fashionable portraitist to settle in Bath, and he was the leading portraitist there until the arrival of

in 1759. He remained the favourite of his powerful patron the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle ...

, his family, followers and political associates. Included amongst his other important patrons were the Earls of Pembroke and Chesterfield, and the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of S ...

. With Gainsborough and

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 depend ...

, he was a founding member of the

. Hoare was closely involved with the running of the

Royal Mineral Water Hospital The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases is a small, specialist NHS hospital on the Royal United Hospital (RUH) site in the northwestern outskirts of Bath, England. The hospital was founded in 1738 as a general hospital for the poor i ...

in Bath from 1742. He served as a governor of the hospital, and became acquainted with Bath's notable visitors and the neighbouring landed families. Chalmers described him as 'an ingenious and amiable English painter'. He died at

on 12 December 1792. His son, Prince Hoare, achieved fame as a painter and

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. His daughter Mary Hoare was also a noted painter.

Works

Hoare's oil painting ''Dr Oliver and Mr Pierce examining patients with Paralysis, Rheumatism and Leprosy'' hung prominently at the Royal Mineral Water Hospital until 2019, when it was transferred to a new building at Bath's

Royal United Hospital The Royal United Hospital (RUH) is a major acute-care hospital in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately west of the city centre. The hospital has 565 beds and occupies a site. It is the area's major accident and emergency ...

site. File:George Brudenell-Bruce, Lord Bruce, (1762-1783) by William Hoare of Bath.jpg, George Brudenell-Bruce (Lord Bruce) File:Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple by William Hoare.jpg, Richard Grenville-Temple File:William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham by William Hoare.jpg, William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham File:William Hoare of Bath - Portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, (1701-1773).jpg, Portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo File:Portrait of a Lady by William Hoare.jpg, Portrait of a Lady File:Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke (1690-1764) by William Hoare of Bath.jpg, Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke File:William Hoare (1707-1792) - Lady Frances Shirley (1705-1706–1778) - 1430474 - National Trust.jpg, Lady Frances Shirley,

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

File:Richard ('Beau') Nash by William Hoare.jpg, Richard ('Beau') Nash File:Henry Fiennes Pelham-clinton, Earl of Lincoln (1750-1778), by William Hoare of Bath.jpg, Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton File:Frances Elizabeth Brudenell-Bruce (1765-1836) by William Hoare of Bath.jpg, Frances Elizabeth Brudenell-Bruce

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * Newby, Evelyn (2006a)
William Hoare (of Bath)
, ''

Grove Art Online ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', Oxford University Press, retrieved on 15 August 2007 (subscription required) * Newby, Evelyn (2006b)
Hoare, William (1707/8–1792)
, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, online edn, accessed 15 Aug 2007
Neil Jeffares, Dictionary of pastellists before 1800, online edition

External links

* * *
William Hoare's portraits
– National Portrait Gallery
Hoare's work held by the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
– Art at the Royal United Hospital
Evelyn Newby Archive
- Research on William Hoare of Bath (1707–1792) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoare, William 1707 births 1792 deaths 18th-century English painters 18th-century English male artists Artists from Bath, Somerset English male painters English portrait painters People from Eye, Suffolk Royal Academicians