William Hamilton (1751-1801), by Thomas Lawrence

William Hamilton (1751–1801) was an English painter and illustrator.

Life

Hamilton was born in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, but travelled and worked in Italy with

Antonio Zucchi Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi (1 May 1726 – 1 December 1795) was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassic period. Life Zucchi was born in Venice, he studied under his uncle Carlo Zucchi and later Francesco Fontebasso and Jacopo ...

for several years. He trained first as an architectural draftsman, but soon moved to theatrical portraits and scenes from plays. Hamilton became an associate member of the Royal Academy from 1784, and was made a full member in 1789.

Works

Hamilton became very well known for his paintings depicting episodes from the plays of Shakespeare and for his illustrations of poems. He was commissioned to create works for

John Boydell John Boydell (; 19 January 1720 (New Style) – 12 December 1804) was a British publisher noted for his reproductions of engravings. He helped alter the trade imbalance between Britain and France in engravings and initiated a British tradition i ...

's Shakespeare Gallery,

Thomas Macklin "The Cottagers" (inspired by Thomson) painted by Reynolds and commissioned by Macklin in 1788, featuring his daughter, Maria, (left), and his wife, Hannah (right) and friend (Jane Potts ( Edwin Landseer's mother), standing). Thomas Macklin (1752 ...

's Bible and

Robert Bowyer Robert Bowyer (; bap. 18 June 1758 – 4 June 1834) was a British miniature painter and publisher. Bowyer was born in Portsmouth to Amos and Betty Ann Bowyer and baptized on 18 June 1758. His first job was as a clerk to a merchant in Portsmouth ...

's ''English History''. These were widely reproduced in popular prints.

Francesco Bartolozzi __NOTOC__ Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727, in Florence – 7 March 1815, in Lisbon) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving. Early life Ba ...

engraved a number of Hamilton's best known works. He also painted modern events, such as the execution of

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

, in the manner of epic historical drama. Several battle scenes were also exhibited including ''The destruction of the Spanish battery ships before Gibraltar in the night of the 13th of Sept. last'' (1783) and ''Defence of the Breach at Jean d'Acre by Sir Sidney Smith'' (1800). Hamilton's style shows the influence of the cult of sentiment typical of the period, resembling the work of

Angelica Kauffman Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...

. He also sometimes adopts aspects of

Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; German: Johann Heinrich Füssli ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as '' The Nightmare'', deal with supernatu ...

's dramatic distortions in composition and figure drawing.

Gallery

File:John Philip Kemble as Richard III (Hamilton c. 1787).jpg, ''

John Philip Kemble John Philip Kemble (1 February 1757 – 26 February 1823) was a British actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on t ...

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'', c. 1787 File:Hamilton Vertumnus and Pomona.jpg, ''Vertumnus and Pomona'', 1789 File:The carousing of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Anthony Aguecheek (Hamilton, 1792).jpg, 'The carousing of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Anthony Aguecheek'', 1792 File:Isabella appealing to Angelo (Hamilton, 1793).jpg, ''Isabella appealing to Angelo'', 1793 File:Marie Antoinette being taken to her Execution, 1794.jpg, ''

being taken to her execution'', 1794 (

Musée de la Révolution française The Musée de la Révolution française (Museum of the French Revolution) is a departments of France, departmental museum in the French town of Vizille, south of Grenoble on the Route Napoléon. It is the only museum in the world dedicated to the ...

) File:William Hamilton painter - The Wolves Descending from the Alps.jpg, ''The Wolves Descending from the Alps'', 1794 File:Olivia's proposal (Hamilton, c.1796).jpg, ''Olivia's proposal'', c. 1796 File:William Hamilton Prospero and Ariel.jpg, ''Prospero and Ariel'', 1797 File:William Hamilton, A Scene from Twelfth Night.jpg, ''A Scene from

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'', c. 1797 File:The Duke of York discovering his son Aumerle's treachery (Hamilton, late 1790s).jpg, ''The Duke of York discovering his son Aumerle's treachery'', late 1790s

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, William 1751 births 1801 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters Royal Academicians 18th-century English male artists