John Hoppner

John Hoppner RA (4 April 1758 – 23 January 1810¹) was an English painter, very largely of portraits. He was much influenced by Joshua Reynolds, and was regarded as a fine colourist. He had a successful career painting the high society of his native London, including the Prince Regent.

Early life

Hoppner was born in Whitechapel, London, the son of German parents – his mother was one of the German attendants at the royal palace.² George III showed a fatherly interest and patronage of the young boy that gave rise to rumours, quite unfounded,² that he may have been his illegitimate son.

Hoppner became a chorister at the royal chapel, but, showing strong inclination for art, in 1775 he entered the Royal Academy. In 1778, he took a silver medal for drawing from life, and in 1782 the Academy's highest award, the gold medal for historical painting, his subject being King Lear.²

Career

Hoppner first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1780. His earliest love was for landscape, but necessity obliged him to turn to the more lucrative business of portrait painting. At once successful, he had throughout life the most fashionable and wealthy sitters, and was the greatest rival to the growing attraction of Thomas Lawrence, with whom he shared an assistant between 1803 and 1809, Samuel Lane, much to Lawrence's annoyance.³ He rarely attempted subjects from history painting or mythology, though a Sleeping Venus, Belisarius, , a and are recorded among his works. The visited him especially often, and many of his finest portraits were hung in the state apartments at , notably those of the prince himself, the and , and . His other sitters included Sir , the , and .