John Smybert
Encyclopedia
John Smybert (1688–1751), Scottish
American
artist
, was born in Edinburgh
and died in Boston, Massachusetts.
Smibert began drawing while apprenticed as a painter and plasterer, on moving to London he worked as a painter of coach carriage
s and a copyist.
He studied under Sir James Thornhill
at his academy, then travelled to Edinburgh and Europe seeking work as portraitist. He gained a reputation for his works copying old masters and receiving commissions for portraits in Italy and returned to England to capitalise on this.
Smibert painted a group portrait of the 'Virtuosi of London' society, of which he was a member; others in the group were John Wootton
, Thomas Gibson, George Vertue
, Bernard Lens
, and other artists. He did not complete the painting, but did produce portraits in London up to September 1728, including one of Bishop Berkeley
.
In 1728 he accompanied Berkeley to America, with the intention of becoming professor of fine arts in the college which Berkeley was planning to found in Bermuda
. The college, however, was never established, and Smybert settled in Boston, where he married in 1730. He lived at the corner of Brattle Street
and Queen-Street. He belonged to the Scots Charitable Society of Boston
.
In 1728 he began painting "Dean George Berkeley and His Family," also called "The Bermuda group", now in the Yale University Art Gallery
, Yale University
, a group of eight figures; it is maintained that the person farthest to the left is actually the artist himself. He painted portraits of Jonathan Edwards and Judge Edmund Quincy (in the Boston Art Museum), Mrs Smybert, Peter Faneuil
and Governor John Endecott
(in the Massachusetts Historical Society), John Lovell (Memorial Hall, Harvard University
), and probably one of Sir William Pepperrell
; and examples of his works are owned by Harvard and Yale Universities, by Bowdoin College
, by the Massachusetts Historical Society, and by the New England Historical and Genealogical Society.
Between 1740-42, he served as architect for the original Faneuil Hall
, which he designed in the style of an English country market. The hall burned down in 1761 but was restored, and then in 1806 greatly expanded and modified by Charles Bulfinch
.
His son Nathaniel
was also a painter. Smybert lies in an unmarked grave in the Granary Burying Ground
in Boston.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, was born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and died in Boston, Massachusetts.
Smibert began drawing while apprenticed as a painter and plasterer, on moving to London he worked as a painter of coach carriage
Coach (carriage)
A coach was originally a large, usually closed, four-wheeled carriage with two or more horses harnessed as a team, controlled by a coachman and/or one or more postilions. It had doors in the sides, with generally a front and a back seat inside and, for the driver, a small, usually elevated seat in...
s and a copyist.
He studied under Sir James Thornhill
James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition.-Life:...
at his academy, then travelled to Edinburgh and Europe seeking work as portraitist. He gained a reputation for his works copying old masters and receiving commissions for portraits in Italy and returned to England to capitalise on this.
Smibert painted a group portrait of the 'Virtuosi of London' society, of which he was a member; others in the group were John Wootton
John Wootton
John Wootton was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator.-Life:Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire , he is best remembered as a pioneer in the painting of sporting subjects – together with Peter Tillemans and James Seymour – and was considered the...
, Thomas Gibson, George Vertue
George Vertue
George Vertue was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period.-Life:...
, Bernard Lens
Bernard Lens III
Bernard Lens III was an English artist known primarily for his portrait miniatures. Lens was the miniature painter at the courts of kings George I and George II, instructor in miniature painting to prince William and princesses Mary and Louise and consultant in fine arts to upper-class...
, and other artists. He did not complete the painting, but did produce portraits in London up to September 1728, including one of Bishop Berkeley
George Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
.
In 1728 he accompanied Berkeley to America, with the intention of becoming professor of fine arts in the college which Berkeley was planning to found in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. The college, however, was never established, and Smybert settled in Boston, where he married in 1730. He lived at the corner of Brattle Street
Brattle Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Brattle Street was a street in Boston, Massachusetts located on the current site of City Hall Plaza, at Government Center.-History:Around 1853 former Virginia slave Anthony Burns worked for "Coffin Pitts, clothing dealer, no.36 Brattle Street."...
and Queen-Street. He belonged to the Scots Charitable Society of Boston
Scots Charitable Society of Boston
The Scots Charitable Society of Boston, Massachusetts, was established to provide relief for local, "needy Scotch people, after proper investigation." It "enjoys the distinction of being the oldest Scots society in America." It "became the prototype for thousands of other groups" of private...
.
In 1728 he began painting "Dean George Berkeley and His Family," also called "The Bermuda group", now in the Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, a group of eight figures; it is maintained that the person farthest to the left is actually the artist himself. He painted portraits of Jonathan Edwards and Judge Edmund Quincy (in the Boston Art Museum), Mrs Smybert, Peter Faneuil
Peter Faneuil
Peter Faneuil was a wealthy American colonial merchant, slave trader, and philanthropist who donated Faneuil Hall to Boston.-Childhood:...
and Governor John Endecott
John Endecott
John Endecott was an English colonial magistrate, soldier and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During all of his years in the colony but one, he held some form of civil, judicial, or military high office...
(in the Massachusetts Historical Society), John Lovell (Memorial Hall, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
), and probably one of Sir William Pepperrell
William Pepperrell
Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet was a merchant and soldier in Colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French garrison at Fortress Louisbourg during King George's War...
; and examples of his works are owned by Harvard and Yale Universities, by Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, by the Massachusetts Historical Society, and by the New England Historical and Genealogical Society.
Between 1740-42, he served as architect for the original Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
, which he designed in the style of an English country market. The hall burned down in 1761 but was restored, and then in 1806 greatly expanded and modified by Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
.
His son Nathaniel
Nathaniel Smybert
Nathaniel Smybert , was an artist in Boston, Massachusetts, in the mid-18th century. Born in Boston in 1734, he trained as a painter with his father, the artist John Smybert, and produced several portraits, notably of Ezra Stiles, architect Peter Harrison, and Dorothy Wendell...
was also a painter. Smybert lies in an unmarked grave in the Granary Burying Ground
Granary Burying Ground
Founded in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground in Massachusetts is the city of Boston's third-oldest cemetery. Located on Tremont Street, it is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Paul Revere and the five...
in Boston.
Further reading
- A.T. Perkins. Notes on portraits by Blackburn and Smibert. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. 17, May 1879.
- Richard H. Saunders. John Smibert: colonial America's first portrait painter. Yale University Press, 1995.