James Cranke
James Cranke | |
---|---|
Little Urswick, Cumbria, England | |
Died | 28 October 1780 Little Urswick, Cumbria, England |
Nationality | British |
Known for | Painting |
Notable work | Portrait of Miss Parker, Portrait of Miss Newnham, sister of Lady Ryder, Portrait of Catherine Fleming, Lady Leicester |
James Cranke (/kræŋk/; June 23, 1707 – October 28, 1780) was an English painter.
Biography
Born at
James Cranke taught the well-known artist George Romney (1734–1802) how to paint when he was a small boy. Romney was born at Beckside, Dalton-in-Furness, which was close to the home of the Cranke Family. James Cranke taught one of his sons, James Cranke Jr (1746–1826), to follow him as a portrait painter.
The success of James Cranke and his son as portrait painters helped their family to become important local landowners. Steelworks In 1854 the Furness Railway persuaded their descendants to sell their rural estate at Hindpool, and this enabled the development of Barrow as a town to begin in earnest.
James Cranke is also notable as the father of the mathematician John Cranke. An altar painting of the Last Supper by Cranke can be seen at St Mary and St Michael's Church, Great Urswick.
References
- Redgrave's Century of English Painters.