JOHN ROGERS HERBERT R.A., H.R.I. (1810 – 1890)
EARLY 19th CENTURY WATERCOLOUR
Portrait of Three Young Ladies on a Balcony
Watercolour heightened with white
Signed & dated 1834 on fragment of original border attached to
reverse of frame
24" x 18" (with arched top)
In antique style gold frame IMAGE
John Rogers Herbert was a painter of portraits, historical genre,
biblical scenes and landscapes. He
studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1826 to 1828 and became one of the
first masters at the Government School of Design at Somerset House. At first he was a
painter of portraits, which he began to exhibit at the Royal Academy
in 1830. He then turned to painting
romantic genre. His picture The
Rendezvous was engraved for one of the Keepsake books. As well as the Royal Academy,
he also exhibited at the British Institute, the New Watercolour Society, the
Royal Institute (of which he was an Honorary Member), Thomas Agnew and Sons Gallery, The
Royal Society of Artists Birmingham, the Fine Art Society, Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool, Manchester
City Art
Gallery and the Suffolk Street Galleries. In 1841 he was elected Associate Member of
the Royal Academy, rising to full membership in
1846. Following a visit to Italy,
he painted many Italian historical subjects.
A keen admirer of Pugin, Herbert was converted to Catholicism in
about 1840. Thereafter his subjects were
predominantly biblical, although he continued to paint some charming landscapes
and genre scenes. Herbert's biblical
scenes show familiarity with the work of Dyce and the Nazarenes. His picture Our Saviour Subject to
his Parents at Nazareth (Guildhall Art Gallery Exhibition 1847), seems to
anticipate Millais's Christ in the House of his Parents, painted three
years later, but Herbert used far more conventional Italian style figures. He
lived at The Chimes, West End Lane,
Kilburn, London
and his sons Arthur John, Cyril Wiseman and Wilfred Vincent were all painters.
Examples of work by John Rogers Herbert are in the British Museum
and the Victoria
and Albert Museum.
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