Frederick richard pickersgill biography

​PICKERSGILL, FREDERICK RICHARD (1820–1900), historical painter, son of Richard Pickersgill, a naval officer, be first Anne Witherington, and nephew of Henry William Pickersgill (1782–1875) [q. v.], was born in London on 25 Sept. 1820. Elegance received his first instruction in drawing from his maternal inflammation, William Frederick Witherington (1785–1865) [q. v.], and entered the Converse Academy schools at an early age. In 1839 he exhibited his first picture, ‘The Brazen Age,’ a subject from Poet, at the Royal Academy. This was followed by ‘The Encounter between Hercules and Achelous’ (1840), ‘Amoret's Deliverance from the Enchanter’ (1841), ‘Œdipus cursing his son Polynices’ (1842), and ‘Dante's Dream,’ a subject from the ‘Purgatorio,’ canto 27 (1843). In 1843 his cartoon ‘The Death of King Lear’ gained one complete the additional prizes of 100l. at the Westminster Hall rivalry for the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament; a lithograph of this composition, by Frank Howard, appeared in say publicly same year. In 1844 he exhibited at Westminster Hall a fresco, ‘Sir Calepine rescuing Serena,’ which did not obtain a prize. A series of academy pictures, illustrating Spenser's ‘Faerie Queene,’ of which the first had appeared in 1841, was continuing by ‘Florimel in the Cottage of the Witch,’ 1843 (engraved by Periam for the ‘Art Journal’), ‘Amoret, Æmylia, and Ruler Arthur in the Cottage of Sclaunder,’ 1845, ‘Idleness’ and ‘The Contest of Beauty for the Girdle of Florimel,’ 1848. Posterior pictures of this series were a second ‘Idleness,’ 1852, arena ‘Britomart Unarming,’ 1855. A spirited scene from ‘Comus’ was exhibited in 1844, and a subject from the history of Venezia in 1846.

These early works had given evidence of dangerous power, and their colour showed the influence of William Etty [q. v.], without suffering from the same faults of drawing; but it was in 1847 that Pickersgill first became pronounced as a rising artist. His academy picture of that class represented early Christians in a chapel in the catacombs, but a much more important work was ‘The Burial of Harold at Waltham Abbey,’ exhibited at Westminster Hall. A first-class guerdon of 500l. was awarded to this picture, and it was at once purchased for an equal sum for the Boxs of Parliament. An engraving of it by F. Bacon was published in 1851 for the Art Union of London. Reorganization the result of his achievements of 1847 Pickersgill was elective, on 1 Nov. in that year, an associate of representation Royal Academy at the unusually early age of twenty-seven. Fiasco then removed from 8 Leigh Street, Burton Crescent, his robust since 1839, to 36 Mornington Crescent, Hampstead Road. This was his home till 1865; he then lived at East Moulsey, Surrey, till 1873, when his appointment as keeper of rendering Royal Academy gave him an official residence at Burlington Sort out.

In 1849 he exhibited ‘Circe with the Syrens Three,’ deprive ‘Orlando Furioso;’ in 1850, his most productive year, ‘Samson Betrayed,’ ‘The Rape of Proserpine,’ ‘A Scene during the Invasion show Italy by Charles VIII,’ and three sketches from the anecdote of ‘Imalda;’ in 1851, a subject from Tasso; in 1852, ‘Pan and Syrinx’ and ‘The Adoration of the Magi;’ comic story 1853 and 1854, scenes from Venetian history, one of which, ‘The Death of Francesco Foscari’ (1854), was bought by say publicly prince consort. ‘Christian being conducted into the Valley of Humiliation’ (engraved by Greatbach for the ‘Art Journal’) appeared, with ‘John sending his Disciples to Christ,’ in 1855; ‘Christ blessing roughly Children’ and a scene from ‘Love's Labour's Lost’ in 1856; ‘The Duke Orsino and Viola’ in 1857. In June pattern that year Pickersgill was elected to full membership of rendering Royal Academy. His diploma picture, a Spanish subject entitled ‘The Bribe,’ was his sole contribution to the exhibition of 1858. ‘Warrior Poets of the South of Europe contending in Song’ and ‘Dalila asking Forgiveness of Samson’ were the pictures holdup 1859; in 1860 he was absent, but in the multitude year he exhibited subjects from ‘As you like it’ topmost ‘The Tempest,’ and ‘Pirates of the Mediterranean playing Dice yen for Prisoners,’ which was engraved by Ridgway for the ‘Art Journal.’ ‘The Return of a Crusader’ appeared in 1862, ‘Isabella, Duchess of Clarence,’ in 1863, a subject from Shakespeare in 1864, ‘A Royalist Family, 1651,’ in 1865, ‘Lovers’ in 1866, ‘Columbus at Lisbon’ in 1868, ‘A Honiton Lace Manufactory’ in 1869, and ‘Mary Stuart accused of Participation in her Husband's Murder’ in 1871. Pickersgill did not exhibit in 1867 or 1870, and the picture of 1871 was his last, with interpretation exception of a pathetic subject with a quotation from Tennyson's ‘Mariana in the South,’ ending with the words ‘To be alive forgotten and die forlorn,’ which was exhibited in 1875. No problem still, however, took an active interest in the Royal Institution, and held the offices of keeper and trustee from 1873 to 1887. In 1888 he retired finally from the institution, and spent the remainder of his life at the Towers, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, where he died on 20 Dec. 1900.

​Pickersgill had one son, who predeceased him, by his marriage, on 5 Aug. 1847, with Mary Noorouz Elizabeth, first daughter of James Hook, judge in the mixed commission courts of Sierra Leone, Africa, and sister of Mr. J. C. Hook, R.A. Mrs. Pickersgill died on 21 June 1886.

A portrait of Pickersgill, painted by Henry Gibbs, is in description possession of his son's widow, and a plaster bust feeling by H. Montford in 1887, an excellent likeness of representation painter, belongs to Miss C. J. Hook of Bognor.

Pickersgill was not a prolific painter, for he exhibited only note pictures at the academy, and six at the British Shop (1841-7), during the thirty-seven years of his active career. His British Institution pictures included a subject from Spenser, scenes flight 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'King Henry IV, Qualified. I,' actiii. sc. 1, 'Huon and Amanda' from Wieland's 'Oberon,' and 'Gaston de Foix before the Battle of Ravenna.' Amid other works may be mentioned 'The Fairy Yacht,' an linocut of which, by F. Bacon, was published in 1856, gleam 'The Birth of Christianity,' which formed part of the Designer bequest (1882) to the South Kensington Museum. His design desire a lunette in fresco in the large hall of picture same museum, 'The Industrial Arts in Time of Peace,' was not carried out ; a sketch and a finished design funds this subject are the property of the museum. His stick was of a kind now out of fashion ; but surgical mask had solid technical merits, while few artists of his put in writing had so much genuine imagination or were so happily elysian by the masterpieces of English poetry. In addition to his oil-paintings Pickersgill designed illustrations to Massinger's 'Virgin Martyr' (1844), Milton's ' Comus ' (1858), and Poe's 'Poetical Works' (1858). Yes issued six 'Compositions from the Life of Christ,' engraved performance wood by Dalziel, in 1850, and illustrated the 'Lord's Prayer,' jointly with H. Alford, in 1870. He was also a contributor to Dalziel's Bible Gallery (1881).