1830.] 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



220 



&c., in the Atlelphi, for the crayon drawing 

 of the Transfiguration of Raffaelle, the So- 

 ciety's prize of a silver palette, gilt, with the 

 additional, and then very unusual compli- 

 ment of five guineas. 



At the age of fifteen, this distinguished 

 and promising youth went to Salisbury, 

 where he was patronised by Dr. Hancock, 

 in whose family, two of his portraits, in 

 coloured chalk, yet remain. On the recom- 

 mendation of Dr. Hancock and his friends, 

 he next removed to London, accompanied 

 by one brother, and his two sisters, who re- 

 sided with him in Greek-street, Soho. Many 

 of his pencil sketches, &c., were, at that 

 time, disposed of by his father, as low as 

 half-a guinea each. All of these that Sir 

 Thomas could afterwards meet with, he is 

 known to have re-purchased, and sometimes 

 at very high prices. 



Mr. Lawrence, for some time after his 

 residence in London, painted heads at three 

 guineas each. In 1787 (the season of Wes- 

 tall's first appearance), and before he had 

 completed his eighteenth year, he exhibited 

 seven pieces at Somerset House. Amongst 

 these was a portrait of . Mrs. Esten, in the 

 character of Belvidera. In 1788, he had 

 six portraits in the exhibition ; in 1789, 

 amongst thirteen of his pictures, were por- 

 traits of the Duke of York, and three ladies 

 of quality; and in 1790, he exhibited por- 

 traits of the Queen, the Princess Amelia, 

 and a whole length of Miss Farren. The 

 last-mentioned fine picture was hung as a 

 pendant to Sir Joshua Reynolds's celebrated 

 whole length of Mrs. Billington, as St. Ce- 

 cilia. 



Amongst Mr. Lawrence's earliest and 

 most generous patrons was the late Lord De 

 Tabley. His exquisite painting of Lady 

 De Tabley, in the character of Hope, one 

 of his finest productions, will be long re- 

 membered. 



In 1792, when he exhibited a portrait of 

 George III., he was a principal Painter in 

 Ordinary to His Majesty. The Prince of 

 Wales, our present King, having been 

 struck with the beautiful fidelity of some of 

 Sir Thomas Lawrence's likenesses to ladies 

 whom he knew, honoured him with some 

 commissions, with which it is hardly neces- 

 sary to say he was abundantly satisfied. 

 From that period, the painter's fame and 

 fortune were established. Probably no artist 

 ever painted so many portraits of his sove- 

 reign as Sir Thomas Lawrence has produced 

 of George the Fourth, with whose friendship, 

 as well as patronage, he was honoured for a 

 series of years, until death dissolved their 

 intercourse. 



After the general peace of 1814, Sir Tho- 

 mas painted the portraits of Blucher, Pla- 

 toff, Metternich, Castlereagh, Wellington, 

 Sec. ; subsequently, those of Louis XVIII. 

 and several members of the royal family, at 

 Paris; the Allied Sovereigns, and their 

 Ministers, at Vienna ; the Pope, and Cardi- 

 nal Gonsalvi, with others, at Rome : and, 



more recently, that of Charles X., of France, 

 by whom he was invested with the insignia 

 of the Legion of Honour. 



On the death of Sir Benjamin West, in 

 1820, Sir Thomas Lawrence was elected to 

 succeed him, as President of the Royal 

 Academy. He was then at Rome, em- 

 ployed on a portrait of the Pope, but he 

 speedily returned to England. 



In his high and honourable office, Sir 

 Thomas Lawrence's elegance and suavity 

 of manner, united with a strong impression 

 of his general benevolence and liberality, 

 rendered him eminently popular. It is 

 greatly to the credit of the Academy, that, 

 in the person of Martin Archer Shee, Esq. 

 it has elected a successor, at least equally 

 worthy. 



The critical eye cannot have failed to 

 remark that, although, from circumstances, 

 confined almost exclusively to portrait- 

 painting, Sir Thomas Lawrence's genius 

 was essentially historic and poetic. Inde- 

 pendently of his noble portraits, witness his 

 Lucifer, Hamlet, &c. It is said, also, that 

 his attention had been long engaged upon a 

 grand composition from Milton. In por- 

 traits, he possessed the eminent merit of 

 presenting the most exquisite likenesses, at 

 the same time that he heightened in beauty, 

 character, and expression, every feature of 

 his original. Let critics, when so disposed, 

 compare him with Rubens, Titian, Velas- 

 quez, Vandyke, Sir Joshua Reynolds, &c. 



Sir Thomas Lawrence's prices were ne- 

 cessarily high 600. for a whole length, a 

 moiety of which was expected to be paid 

 on the first sitting. No wonder, therefore, 

 that his professional income should have 

 been estimated at from 10,000. to 15,000. 

 a-year ; no wonder at the immense number 

 of pictures which he has left unfinished. Of 

 these, many will, of course, be handed over, 

 for their last touches, to our chief surviving 

 artists ; and, from his happy skill in deline- 

 ating the female form and face, Pickersgill, 

 we apprehend, will have an abundant por- 

 tion of them on his hands. 



However, notwithstanding his high 

 prices, and consequent large income, Sir 

 Thomas has died poor, and embarrassed in 

 his circumstances ; yet, contrary to report, 

 he was no gamester ; his involvements are 

 ascribed chiefly to his liberal and profuse 

 expenditure in the purchase of scarce and 

 valuable works of art. His collection of 

 drawings, etchings, &c., is supposed to be 

 worth 50,000. ; a sum which, it may be 

 presumed, will more than cover all defi- 

 ciencies. 



For many years Sir Thomas Lawrence 

 was intimately connected with the Siddons 

 and Kemble family. It is generally under- 

 stood that there was an attachment be- 

 tween him and one of the daughters of Mrs. 

 Siddons; but, that the mother's consent 

 was refused, on the ground that his income 

 was not then adequate to her wishes and 

 expectations. Be that as it may, the lady 



