George Arnald
Encyclopedia
George Arnald ARA was a British
painter who specialised in landscapes, including topographical views
to illustrated county histories. He is best known for his celebrated painting depicting the Battle of the Nile
.
George Arnald was born in 1763. One account places his birth in the village of Farndip (now Farndish
) in Northamptonshire
(now Bedfordshire
), although others suggest he was born in Berkshire
.
There is little information about Arnald's early years, but it is believed that he began his working life as a domestic servant before turning to the study of art. He was a student of the landscape painter and engraver William Pether (c. 1738–1821).
Arnald first exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1788, and eventually had 176 works exhibited there. He also exhibited 63 works at the British Institution
. He was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy on 5 November 1810, but was never admitted to full membership. Speaking to Sir George Beaumont
, who was influential in the founding of the British Institution and the National Gallery, William Wordsworth
lamented Arnald's lack of literary education, stating that he
Probably his best-known and most acclaimed work was a departure from his usual subject-matter. The Destruction of L'Orient
at the Battle of the Nile
, 1 August 1798 is Arnald's only known maritime work, and was one of four paintings commissioned for £500 each as part of a British Institution competition for paintings to hang in the Painted Hall of Greenwich Hospital. It was exhibited at the British Institution in 1827 and is now displayed at the National Maritime Museum
in Greenwich
, London. It features as a "picture within a picture" in a work by Thomas Davidson
, hanging alongside the famous Lemuel Abbott
portrait of Lord Nelson in the gallery at Greenwich Hospital.
Arnald was a friend of fellow painter John Varley
, and in 1798 and 1799 the two toured Wales together. His students included the portrait painter Henry William Pickersgill
, who became a full Royal Academician and whose eminent sitters included William Wordsworth
, the Duke of Wellington
and Sir Robert Peel.
In addition to providing illustrations for a number of books, Arnald published on his own an album of views on the River Meuse in 1828 [The river Meuse : being delineations of the picturesque scenery on the river and its banks, from the city of Liége to that of Mezières. The drawings were made ... in ... 1818 / and are etched by George Arnald, engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds, C. Turner, W. Ward ... , T. Lupton, H. Dawe, J. P. Quilley, etc. ... and other eminent engravers]. In 1839 he published A practical treatise on landscape painting in oil: illustrated by various diagrams and with two original studies in oil painted on the principles given in the treatise.
Arnald died in Pentonville
, London
on 21 November 1841.
, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the collections of the University of Liège
in Belgium
. The Ferens Art Gallery
in Kingston upon Hull
has his painting of Charles I before Hull, and his scene of The Army under Cromwell marching to Winchester is in Winchester
City Museum.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
painter who specialised in landscapes, including topographical views
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
to illustrated county histories. He is best known for his celebrated painting depicting the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
.
Biography
Farndish
Farndish is a very small and rural village in northwest Bedfordshire, located about 500 metres east of the county border with Northamptonshire which is also the postal county. The village is near the Northamptonshire villages of Irchester and Wollaston and the Bedfordshire village of Wymington...
) in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
(now Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), although others suggest he was born in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
There is little information about Arnald's early years, but it is believed that he began his working life as a domestic servant before turning to the study of art. He was a student of the landscape painter and engraver William Pether (c. 1738–1821).
Arnald first exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1788, and eventually had 176 works exhibited there. He also exhibited 63 works at the British Institution
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
. He was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy on 5 November 1810, but was never admitted to full membership. Speaking to Sir George Beaumont
Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet
Sir George Howland Beaumont, 7th Baronet was a British art patron and amateur painter. He played a crucial part in the creation of London's National Gallery by making the first bequest of paintings to that institution....
, who was influential in the founding of the British Institution and the National Gallery, William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
lamented Arnald's lack of literary education, stating that he
Probably his best-known and most acclaimed work was a departure from his usual subject-matter. The Destruction of L'Orient
French ship Orient (1791)
The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
at the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, 1 August 1798 is Arnald's only known maritime work, and was one of four paintings commissioned for £500 each as part of a British Institution competition for paintings to hang in the Painted Hall of Greenwich Hospital. It was exhibited at the British Institution in 1827 and is now displayed at the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, London. It features as a "picture within a picture" in a work by Thomas Davidson
Thomas Davidson
Thomas Davidson was a British palaeontologist.-Biography:He was born in Edinburgh. His parents possessed considerable landed property in Midlothian...
, hanging alongside the famous Lemuel Abbott
Lemuel Francis Abbott
Lemuel "Francis" Abbot was an English portrait painter, famous for his likeness of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson and for those of other naval officers and literary figures of the 18th century.-Life and work:He was born Lemuel Abbott in Leicestershire in 1760 or 1761,...
portrait of Lord Nelson in the gallery at Greenwich Hospital.
Arnald was a friend of fellow painter John Varley
John Varley (painter)
John Varley was an English watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of William Blake. They collaborated in 1819–1820 on the book Visionary Heads, written by Varley and illustrated by Blake...
, and in 1798 and 1799 the two toured Wales together. His students included the portrait painter Henry William Pickersgill
Henry William Pickersgill
Henry William Pickersgill RA was an English painter specialising in portraits. He was a Royal Academician for almost fifty years, and painted many of the most notable figures of his time.-Biography:...
, who became a full Royal Academician and whose eminent sitters included William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and Sir Robert Peel.
In addition to providing illustrations for a number of books, Arnald published on his own an album of views on the River Meuse in 1828 [The river Meuse : being delineations of the picturesque scenery on the river and its banks, from the city of Liége to that of Mezières. The drawings were made ... in ... 1818 / and are etched by George Arnald, engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds, C. Turner, W. Ward ... , T. Lupton, H. Dawe, J. P. Quilley, etc. ... and other eminent engravers]. In 1839 he published A practical treatise on landscape painting in oil: illustrated by various diagrams and with two original studies in oil painted on the principles given in the treatise.
Arnald died in Pentonville
Pentonville
Pentonville is an area of north-central London in the London Borough of Islington, centred on the Pentonville Road. The area is named after Henry Penton, who developed a number of streets in the 1770s in what was open countryside adjacent to the New Road...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 21 November 1841.
Work in public collections and galleries
Arnald's work features in collections including the Tate Collection, the Royal Academy of Arts CollectionRoyal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the collections of the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The Ferens Art Gallery
Ferens Art Gallery
The Ferens Art Gallery is an art gallery in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. The site and money for the gallery were donated to the city by Thomas Ferens, after whom it is named. Opened in 1927,...
in Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
has his painting of Charles I before Hull, and his scene of The Army under Cromwell marching to Winchester is in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
City Museum.
Book illustrations
Arnald's work was used to illustrate books, including the following:- Scott, W. The Border Antiquities of England and Scotland. Edinburgh: 1814
- Dugdale, James. The New British Traveller. London: J Robins & Co, 1819
- Wright, Thomas. History and Topography of the County of Essex. London: G. Virtue, 1836
Further reading
- Houfe, Simon, "The Bedfordshire Prodigy: George Arnald ARA", Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol 2, (1990), pp. 135–41