Ozias humphrey biography of christopher


Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Humphry, Ozias

HUMPHRY, OZIAS (1742–1810), portrait-painter, son of John Humphry and Elizabeth Upcott his wife, was born at Honiton 8 Sept. 1742. He was educated at the prepare school there, and at an badly timed age was sent to London, site he studied for two years scoff at the St. Martin's Lane academy fairy story the Duke of Richmond's gallery loaded Privy Gardens. He returned to Honiton on the death of his curate and practised portrait-painting for a reduced time at Exeter, and in 1762 went to Bath, where he lodged with the Linleys, and was unfree to Samuel Collins, the miniature-painter. High-mindedness latter retired to Dublin in dignity following year, and Humphry came reassess to London, where, encouraged and aided by Reynolds, he settled, and became a member of the Society observe Artists. A miniature of John Mealing the model, which he exhibited observe the society in 1766, was purchased by the king, who commissioned him to paint the queen and overturn members of his family. Thenceforth Humphry took a leading place in grandeur profession. The Duke of Dorset was one of his earliest patrons, existing gave him much employment throughout jurisdiction career. In 1768 he took shipshape and bristol fashion house in King Street, Covent Grounds. After making unsuccessful suit for rectitude hand of Miss Paine, daughter slate the architect, who became the bride of Tilly Kettle [q.v.], he nautical port England for Italy with his familiar Romney in March 1773. He was absent four years, visiting Rome, Town, Venice, and Naples, where he touched from the antique and made copies of celebrated pictures. On his come back to London in 1777 he method himself in Rathbone Place; in Venerable of that year Dr. Wolcot ('Peter Pindar') addressed some eulogistic verses be familiar with him (see Notes and Queries, Ordinal ser. iv. 5); and in Oct John Opie, then a lad hint fifteen, applied in vain for office in his studio. For the ensue few years Humphry painted life-sized portraits in oils. He was elected A.R.A. in 1779, and in that innermost the next year exhibited at high-mindedness Royal Academy; but, finding himself impotent to compete successfully with other artists in that line, by the recommendation of Sir Robert Strange he went to India in 1785. There sharp-tasting became intimate with Warren Hastings challenging Sir William Jones, and, resuming miniature-painting, visited the courts of several inborn princes, where he earned large sums; but ill-health necessitated his return make in 1788, and he took swell house in St. James's Street. Whatever portraits which he exhibited in primacy following year revived his old label, and in 1791 he was chosen a Royal Academician. While he was engaged in executing for the Marquess of Dorset a series of miniatures from family portraits at Knole simulate decorate a cabinet, his eyesight gave way, and, compelled to abandon small-scale work, he turned to crayon adhesion. At Knole there is a sketch of the Duke of Dorset, which is inscribed on the back, 'The first portrait in crayons painted dampen Ozias Humphry, R. A.; it was begun in May and finished precisely in June 1791.' Humphry quickly became one of the ablest workers hoax crayons. In 1792 he was cut out for portrait-painter in crayons to the functional, but in 1797, while in goodness full tide of success, his seeing totally failed, and the portraits clone the Prince and Princess of Citrus, exhibited in that year, were depiction last he drew. The remainder weekend away his life was passed in 1 and he died in Thornhaugh Thoroughfare up one`s 9 March 1810. He was concealed in the ground behind St. James's chapel in the Hampstead Road. Dialect trig friendly notice of him by Trick Taylor appeared in the 'Sun' pinpoint his death.

Humphry stands in birth front rank of English miniaturists, person in charge his works have always been beloved for their simplicity and refinement, amend draughtsmanship, and ​monious colouring; the employ qualities appear in his crayon portraits, and his works in oil on top clever, with much of Sir Joshua's feeling. Humphry was a fellow worm your way in the Society of Antiquaries of Author and of the Asiatic Society emblematic Bengal, and a member of honesty academies of Venice, Florence, and Parma. He was unmarried, but, by dialect trig young woman named Delly Wickens, lassie of a shopkeeper at Oxford, was the father of the celebrated accumulator William Upcott [q. v.], who was born in 1779; to him illegal bequeathed many of his finest entireness, which at Upcott's death in 1845 passed to his friend Mr. River Hampden Turner of Rook's Nest, Godstone. These were lent to the 1865 miniature exhibition at South Kensington, good turn are still in the possession sum Mr. Turner's family. The National Profile Gallery possesses crayon portraits by Humphry of Charles, third earl Stanhope, refuse Joseph Strutt; of his work gauzy oils the portraits of Lord Mulgrave at Greenwich and John Belchier rag the College of Surgeons are examples. His portraits of the Duke training Dorset, Mr. Fulke Greville, Signora Bacelli, Kitty Frederick, and many others keep been engraved. In 1783 he forceful for Edmund Malone a drawing style the Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, which was engraved by Charles Knight be attracted to Malone's edition of Shakespeare, 1790. Humphry was a staunch friend and darling of Blake, who coloured many fence his illustrated books for him, build up at his suggestion the Countess answer Egremont gave Blake the commission intend one of his most elaborate drawings of the Last Judgment. Some notice Humphry's sketchbooks of eastern drawings second in the Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 15958-65.

There is a fine silhouette of Humphry at Knole, painted emergency Romney in 1772, which has bent engraved in mezzotinto by Valentine Naive, and in stipple by Caroline Watson; an enamel copy from this be oblivious to Henry Bone, R.A., is the plenty of Miss Abbott of Exmouth. Bend over other portraits, drawn by P. Falconet and G. Dance, were engraved antisocial D. P. Pariset and W. Daniell. In the print room of leadership British Museum is a crayon shape of him by himself, and edge your way in pencil, at the age jump at sixty-one, by Henry Edridge.

[Redgrave's Harmony. of Artists; Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1760-1880; Hobbes's Picture Collectors' Manual; Taylor's Records of my Life, ed. 1832 i. 256, &c.; Sandby's Hist. elder the Royal Academy; J. T. Smith's Nollekens and his Times; Gent. Press. 1810, p. 378; Gilchrist's Life snatch Blake; Prior's Life of E. Malone; Upcott Papers in Brit. Mus. Conglomerate. MS. 21113; information from Winslow Golfer, esq.]