The Royal Academy of Arts, Instituted by the King, in the Year 1768

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Portrait and history painter Johann Zoffany was born Johannes Zauffaly in Frankfurt-am-Main. After training in Regensburg, he studied in Rome (1750-57), before moving to London in 1760. He was introduced to the royal family in 1764 and George III was so impressed by his royal portraits and groups that he nominated Zoffany a Royal Academician in 1769. Zoffany was in India from 1783 to 1789, where he portrayed British residents and native princes. After his return, he painted few pictures of consequence and by 1800 had given up painting altogether. Several of his Indian works are in the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta. One of his best-known works, ‘The Cock Match at Lucknow’ painted for Warren Hastings, was purchased by the Tate in 1994.
Engraver Richard Earlom was born and died in London. He studied under Italian artist Giovanni Battista Cipriani but later taught himself to engrave in mezzotint. In 1765 Earlom was employed by Boydell to make a series of drawings from paintings at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, which Earlom also engraved in mezzotint. His subjects include fruit and flower pieces after Dutch artists Van Os and Jan van Huysum, and historical and figure subjects, such as ‘Agrippina’ after Benjamin West and ‘Love in Bondage’ after Guido Reni. Earlom also engraved works after Johan Zoffany and Sir Joshua Reynolds. In addition, his series of 200 mezzotint facsimiles of the drawings and sketches of Claude Lorraine was published as ‘Liber veritatis’ between 1777 and 1819.

People

George Barret (1728/34 - 1784), Francesco Bartolozzi (1727 - 1815), Edward Burch (1730 - 1814), Agostino Carlini (c.1718 - 1790), Charles the elder Catton (1728 - 1798), Mason Chamberlin (1722 - 1787), Sir William Chambers (1722 - 1796), Giovanni Battista Cipriani ( - 1785), Richard Cosway (1742 - 1821), John Gwynn (1713 - 1786), Francis Hayman (1707/8 - 1776), William Hoare (c.1707 - 1792), Nathaniel Hone (1718 - 1784), William Hunter (1718 - 1783), Jeremiah Meyer (1735 - 1789), George Michael Moser (1706 - 1783), Mary Moser (1744 - 1819), Francis Milner Newton (1720 - 1794), Joseph Nollekens (1737 - 1823), Edward Penny (1714 - 1791), Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792), John Inigo Richards (1730/1 - 1810), Paul Sandby (1731 - 1809), Thomas Sandby (1721 - 1798), Dominic Serres (1722 - 1793), or Chet-Qua) Tan Che-Qua ( - c.1795), Peter Toms (1726 - 1777), William Tyler ( - 1801), Samuel Wale (1721 - 1786), Benjamin West (1738 - 1820), Richard Wilson (1713 - 1782), Joseph Wilton (1722 - 1803), Richard Yeo (c.1720 - 1779), Johann Zoffany (1733 - 1810), Francesco Zuccarelli (1702 - 1788)

Places

England, London

Subjects

paintbrush, palette, painter, life model, engraver (as Subject), architect (as Subject), artist (as Subject), medallist, sculptor (as Subject), bust (as Subject), statue (as Subject), urn, painting (as Subject), sculpture (as Subject), female portrait, male portrait, genre, nude, 18th century costume, stockings, breeches, shoe, physician, anatomist, academy, studio

Materials & Techniques

mezzotint

Artist

Johann Zoffany (1733 - 1810)
Richard Earlom (1743 - 1822)

Title

The Royal Academy of Arts, Instituted by the King, in the Year 1768

Date

published 2 August 1773

Medium

Mezzotint

Dimensions

height: 50.50 cm, width: 71.70 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Sanders of Oxford, May 2002

Provenance

Possibly collection of Jonathan Blackburne; Joseph Gulston collection; Sanders of Oxford (purchase, May 2002)

GAC number

17686