Thomas Uwins

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Henry VII chapel
(1812 engraving)

Thomas Uwins

Surveyor of Pictures to Queen Victoria and the Keeper of the National Gallery.[1][2][3]

Life and work

Early years and training

Portrait of Sir William Gell (1832 engraving)

Uwins was born at Hermes Hill,

medical writer, was his elder brother. Thomas showed talent as an artist from an early age, and had some instruction from the drawing-master at his sister's school. He was a day scholar at Mr. Crole's school in Queen's Head Lane, Islington, for 6 years, and in 1797, at the age of 15, was apprenticed to the engraver Benjamin Smith (d. 1833). While with Smith he engraved part of a plate for John Boydell's editions of 'Shakespeare' but had an attack of jaundice
, said to have been caused by overwork and dislike of the drudgery of engraving, and left without completing the apprenticeship.

In 1798, Uwins entered the schools of the

Faerie Queene
'.

Watercolour Society and travels to France

Illustration to George Herbert's "Mattens" (1834 engraving)

In 1809 Uwins joined the "

Wordsworth
.

In 1817, after the

Burgundy country to Bordeaux, where he stayed with the Cabareuss family, and visited the chateaux of all the principal growers. The result was seen in two drawings sent to the 'Old Watercolour' Society's exhibition of 1818. Some of his sketches later became the basis for the oil painting The Vintage (1847; Tate, London).[4]

Life in Scotland

In 1818 Uwins resigned from the Old watercolour society to concentrate on paying off a debt relating to a security given to the

George IV
to Edinburgh in 1822, be executed two transparencies, one of which was twelve feet high.

Seven years in Italy

In 1824 Uwins travelled to Italy for his health. There he settled for the winter in Rome where he met a number of English artists, including Charles Eastlake and Joseph Severn. Uwins and Eastlake became close friends. Eastlake influenced Uwins in his technique, encouraging him to lighten his palette and to work on a larger scale. He also encouraged his friend to adopt similar themes to his own for his paintings and Uwin’s subject matter began to include peasants and bandits in imitation of Eastlake.[5]

The following spring he visited Naples and met Richard Acton who commissioned him to paint a number of Italian scenes. He remained in Naples for several years painting portraits of British and Austrian visitors. While in Italy he kept up a correspondence with his two brothers Zechariah and David, which was published after his death in A memoir of Thomas Uwins.[6]

From 1829–30 Uwins sent his pictures of Italian subjects to the exhibitions of the British Institution and Royal Academy. In 1830 he exhibited "Neapolitans dancing the Tarantella", and, in 1832, The Neapolitan Saint Manufactury proved a great success in the RA exhibition. At about this time he returned to England and became gradually more involved in arts administration. He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1833, and a full academician (RA) in 1838.

Later work

In 1839 he exhibited one of his best pictures, Le Chapeau de Brigand.

Surveyor of pictures to Queen Victoria (completing the first catalogue raisonné of the Royal Collection), and from 1847–55, keeper of the National Gallery - succeeding Sir Charles Eastlake
.

In 1850 he married Sarah Kirby, and though without issue, the union was said to be a happy one. In 1854 he had a serious illness, and in 1855 gave up his various offices and retired to

Staines, in Middlesex
, an invalid. He carried on painting, however, until his death on 26 August 1857.

References

  1. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Uwins, Thomas" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 79–80.
  2. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004).
  3. ^ Biography (Answers.com).
  4. ^ Works by Unwins (Tate Collection, London).
  5. ISBN 9781857095074
    .
  6. ^ Sarah Uwins, vol. 2, p 3 ff. (1858).
  7. ^ Le Chapeau de brigand[permanent dead link] (Tate Collection).
  8. ISBN 9781843680208
    .

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Uwins.
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Surveyor of the King's / Queen's Pictures

1844-1856 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Keeper of the
National Gallery

1847-1855 		Succeeded by
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