Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical,

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

, and classical subject matter in an academic style. His paintings were enormously popular and expensive, during his lifetime, but fell out of critical favour for many decades in the early 20th century. Leighton was the bearer of the shortest-lived

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in history; after only one day, his hereditary peerage became extinct upon his death.

Biography

Leighton was born in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

to Augusta Susan and Dr. Frederic Septimus Leighton (1799–1892), a medical doctor. Leighton's grandfather, Sir James Boniface Leighton (1769–1843), had been the primary physician to two Russian tsars Alexander I and Nicholas Iand their families, and amassed a fortune while in their service. Leighton's career was always cushioned by this family wealth, with his father paying him an allowance throughout his life. He had two sisters; one of them,

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

, was

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

's biographer. He was educated at

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

, London. He then received his artistic training on the European continent, first from Eduard von Steinle and then from Giovanni Costa. At age 17, in the summer of 1847, he met the philosopher

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...

in Frankfurt and drew his portrait, in graphite and gouache on paper—the only known full-length study of Schopenhauer done from life. When he was 24 he was in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

; he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti, and painted the procession of the

Cimabue Giovanni Cimabue ( , ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian p ...

Madonna through the Borgo Allegri. From 1855 to 1859 he lived in Paris, where he met Ingres, Delacroix,

Corot CoRoT (French: ; English: Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits) was a space telescope mission which operated from 2006 to 2013. The mission's two objectives were to search for extrasolar planets with short orbital periods, particularly t ...

, and

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

. Travel was an important part of Leighton's life from childhood. By his late teens, he was living with his family in Frankfurt, Germany and had already visited many of Europe's major cities, including Florence and Rome, places which he would return to on a great many occasions over the next decades. By his late twenties, extended periods had been spent living in Rome and then Paris and Leighton had made his first trip outside Europe, travelling to north Africa in 1857. Once settled in London, he continued to make extensive trips every year until shortly before his death. The countries that Leighton visited on at least one occasion include Austria, Algeria, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, The Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, and Turkey. In 1860, he moved to London, where he associated with the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

s. He designed Elizabeth Barrett Browning's tomb for

in the

English Cemetery, Florence The English Cemetery in Florence, Italy (Italian, ''Cimitero degli inglesi'', ''Cimitero Porta a' Pinti'' and ''Cimitero Protestante'') is an Evangelical cemetery located at Piazzale Donatello. Although its origins date to its foundation in 1827 ...

in 1861. In 1864 he became an associate of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and in 1878 he became its President (1878–96). His 1877 sculpture, '' Athlete Wrestling with a Python'', was considered at its time to inaugurate a renaissance in contemporary British sculpture, referred to as the New Sculpture. American art critic Earl Shinn claimed at the time that "Except Leighton, there is scarce any one capable of putting up a correct frescoed figure in the archway of the Kensington Museum." His paintings represented Britain at the great 1900 Paris Exhibition. He was the first President of the Committee commissioning the Survey of London which documented the capital's principal buildings and public art. Leighton remained a bachelor; rumours of him having an illegitimate child with one of his models, in addition to the supposition that Leighton may have been homosexual, continue to be debated.Emanuel Cooper, ''The Sexual Perspective: Homosexuality and Art in the Last 100 Years in the West'', 2005 He certainly enjoyed an intense and romantically tinged relationship with the poet Henry William Greville whom he met in Florence in 1856. The older man showered Leighton in letters, but the romantic affection seems not to have been reciprocated. Enquiry is further hindered by Leighton leaving no diaries, and his letters lack reference to his personal circumstances. No definite primary evidence has yet come to light that effectively dispels the secrecy that Leighton built up around himself, although it is clear that he did court a circle of younger men around his artistic studio. Leighton was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

in 1878, and was created a

baronet 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 ...

eight years later. He was the first painter to be given a

, in the 1896 New Year Honours. The patent creating him Baron Leighton of Stretton, in the County of Shropshire, was issued on 24 January 1896; Leighton died the next day of

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of part ...

. On his death his

hereditary peerage The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

was extinguished after existing for only a day; this is a record in the

. His house in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and largely surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park. Colloquially referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', ...

, London has been turned into a museum, the

Leighton House Museum The Leighton House Museum is an art museum and historic house in the Holland Park area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London. The building was the London home of painter Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (1830–189 ...

. It contains many of his drawings and paintings, as well as some of his former art collection, including works by

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

and his contemporaries, such as a painting dedicated to Leighton by Sir John Everett Millais. The house also houses many of Leighton's inspirations, including his collection of Iznik tiles. Its centrepiece is the magnificent Arab Hall, which is featured in issue ten of ''

Cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...

''. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

commemorates Leighton at Leighton House Museum.

Artists Rifles

Leighton was an enthusiastic volunteer soldier, enrolling with the first group to join the 38th Middlesex (Artists') Rifle Volunteer Corps (later to be known as the Artists Rifles) on 5 October 1860. His qualities of leadership were immediately identified, and he was promoted to command a Company within a few months. On 6 January 1869

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Leighton was elected to command the Artists Rifles by a general meeting of the corps. In the same year he was promoted to major and in 1875 to lieutenant colonel. Leighton resigned as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

in 1883. The painter James Whistler famously described the then Sir Frederic Leighton, the commanding officer of the Artists Rifles, as the: "Colonel of the Royal Academy and the President of the Artists Rifles – aye, and he paints a little!" At his funeral, on 3 February 1896, his coffin was carried into

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, past a

guard of honour A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

formed by the Artists Rifles.

Honours

* 1864: Associate of the

* 1868: Royal Academy

Academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. Accor ...

* 1878: President of the Royal Academy * 1878:

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Officer * 1878:

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

* 1886: Created a baronet in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

* 1889: Associate member of the

Institute of France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately 1 ...

* 1896: Created a baron in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great B ...

Selected works

* ''Death of Brunelleschi'' (1852), oil on canvas * '' The Fisherman and the Syren'', () * '' Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna Is Carried in Procession Through the Streets of Florence'' (1853–55), oil on canvas. * ''The Discovery of Juliet Apparently Lifeless'' () * ''The Villa Malta, Rome'' (1860s), oil on canvas * '' The Painter's Honeymoon'', () * ''Mother and Child'', () * '' Actaea, the Nymph of the Shore'' (1868), oil on canvas (),

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

, Ottawa. * ''Daedalus and Icarus'', () * ''Hercules Wrestling with Death for the Body of Alcestis'' (1869–71) () * ''After Vespers'', 1871 (), Princeton University Art Museum * ''Greek Girls Picking up Pebbles by the Sea'', 1871 () * ''Teresina '' () Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu,

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand * ''Music Lesson'', () * '' An Athlete Wrestling with a Python'' (1877), bronze sculpture * ''Nausicaa'', () * ''Winding the Skein'', () * ''Light of the Harem'', () * ''Idyll'', * ''Wedded'', () () * '' Cymon and Iphigenia'' (1884)

Art Gallery of New South Wales 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 ...

* '' Captive Andromache'', () * '' The Bath of Psyche'' () ()

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 UK ...

* ''The Garden of the Hesperides'', (), Lady Lever Art Gallery * ''

Flaming June ''Flaming June'' is a painting by Sir Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a square canvas, it depicts a sleeping woman in a sensuous version of his classicist Academic art, Academic style. It is Leighton's most reco ...

'' (1895), oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico () * ''The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Fresco)'' * ''The armlet'' * ''Phoebe'' () * ''A Bather'' * The Leighton Frescoes, ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to War'' and ''The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace'' * ''Phoenicians Trading with the Early Britons on the Coast of Cornwall'', 1895. Mural at the Royal Exchange, London * ''The Return of Persephone'', 1891, oil on canvas, Leeds Art Gallery

Gallery

File:Lord Frederick Leighton FLL006.jpg, ''

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; , ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of King Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, Minos suspected that Icarus and Daedalu ...

and

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

'', File:Frederic Leighton - The Garden of the Hesperides.jpg, ''The Garden of the

Hesperides In Greek mythology, the Hesperides (; , ) are the nymphs of evening and golden light of sunsets, who were the "Daughters of the Evening" or "Nymphs of the West". They were also called the Atlantides () from their reputed father, Atlas (mytholog ...

'', oil on canvas painting, 1892, Lady Lever Art Gallery File:Frederic Lord Leighton-The Sluggard-Victoria and Albert Museum.jpg, ''The Sluggard'', 1885 File:An athlete wrestling with a python, white marble sculpture by Frederic, Lord Leighton, 1888-1891, private collection.jpg, '' Athlete wrestling with a Python'', white marble sculpture, 1888–1891 (Private collection: on loan to the

) File:Leightonhero.jpg, ''The Last Watch of

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

'', 1880 File:Frederic, Lord Leighton - Perseus and Andromeda - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Perseus and Andromeda'', 1891,

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 ...

, Liverpool. File:Leighton Moses views the Promised Land.jpg, ''

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

views the Promised Land'' File:Leighton The Painter-s Honeymoon 1864.jpg, '' The Painter's Honeymoon'', 1864 File:Frederick Leighton - Memories.jpg, ''Memories'', 1883 File:1890s Frederick Leighton - Bath of Psyche.jpg, ''The Bath of Psyche'', 1879 File:Leighton Captive Andromache.jpg, ''Captive

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; , ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means "man battler", "fighter of men" or "m ...

'', oil on canvas painting, 1886–1888,

Manchester City Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

File:Lord Frederic Leighton - Cymon and Iphigenia - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Cymon and Iphigenia'', oil on canvas painting, 1884,

File:Frederic Leighton - Portrait of May Sartoris - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of May Sartoris'' File:Frederick Leighton - Biondina.jpg, ''Biondina'', 1879 File:Frederic Leighton - The Return of Persephone (1891).jpg, ''The Return of Persephone'', 1891 File:Frederic Leighton Kittens.jpg, ''Kittens'', 1883 File:Leighton, Frederick - A Girl Feeding Peacocks.jpg, ''A Girl Feeding Peacocks'', File:Frederick Leighton - Solitude.jpg, ''Solitude'', File:Lord Frederic Leighton - Winding the skein - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg, Winding the skein, 1878

Citations

General references

External links

Frederic-Leighton.org
��114 works by Frederic Leighton
Advice to Young Artists by Frederick Lord Leighton
��high resolution images
Scarborough, Birthplace of Lord Frederic Leighton

Leighton House Museum

from ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''
Leighton Gallery
at MuseumSyndicate *
Portrait of Sir Frederick Leighton, PRA
by

Alphonse Legros Alphonse Legros (; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist. He moved to London in 1863 and later was naturalized as British. He was important as a teacher in the British etching ...

University of Michigan Museum of Art The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with . Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alu ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leighton, Frederic 1830 births 1896 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom English sculptors English male sculptors English history painters People of the Victorian era Prix de Rome for painting Artists from Scarborough, North Yorkshire Royal Academicians People educated at University College School Knights Bachelor Artists' Rifles officers Academic art Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Royal Gold Medal Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) 19th-century English sculptors 19th-century English painters English Orientalist painters English male painters Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Military personnel from Scarborough, North Yorkshire 19th-century British Army personnel Volunteer Force officers