Joseph Nash
Joseph Nash | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 December 1809 Great Marlow,Buckinghamshire |
| Died | 19 December 1878(aged 69) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Studied withAugustus Charles Pugin |
| Known for | Lithography |
Joseph Nash(17 December 1809 – 19 December 1878) was an Englishwatercolourpainter andlithographer,specialising in historical buildings. His major work was the 4-volumeMansions of England in the Olden Time,published from 1839–49.
Biography[edit]
Nash was born inGreat Marlowin Buckinghamshire, the oldest son of the Reverend Okey Nash who owned Manor House School inCroydonwhich Joseph went on to attend. He later studied with the artist and architectAugustus Charles Pugin,with whom he travelled to France to assist and prepare architectural drawings for a book entitledParis and its Environs,published in 1830.
In the early stage of his career Nash was engaged on figure subjects illustrating the poets and novelists, and exhibited many drawings with theSociety of Painters in Water Colours,of which he was elected an associate in 1834, and a full member in 1842. Of these pictures, some were engraved forThe Keepsakeand similar publications, but he later became well known for his picturesque views of late Gothic buildings, which he peopled with figures grouped to illustrate the everyday life of their owners in times gone by—somewhat in the manner ofGeorge Cattermole.Despite being involved in a number of disputes with the Society, he continued to exhibit his artwork there until 1875. He also exhibited at theRoyal Academy,British Institutionand theNew Society of Painters in Water Colours.[1]
Having mastered the art oflithography,Nash utilised it in the production of several excellent publications:Architecture of the Middle Agesappeared in 1838, and his four-volume masterpiece,Mansions of England in the Olden Timeover a 10-year period from 1839, which involved Nash's travelling all over the country drawing house interiors and exteriors.[2]He concentrated on the architectural aspects of the buildings, which, using the example ofJoseph Strutt,he brought to life with the inclusion of groups of people. The volumes were very popular, with the lithographs circulated widely by newspapers, architects and other artists. The book was so effective it was claimed in Parliament that it was causing an increasing number of people to visit historical buildings.[3]
In 1846 he lithographedDavid Wilkie'sOriental Sketchesand in 1848 a set of views ofWindsor Castlefrom his own drawings. Other works to which Nash contributed wereLawson'sScotland Delineated(1847–54),Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851,[4]McDermot'sThe Merrie Days of England(1858–59),[5]andEnglish Ballads(1864).
In 1854 he was described as suffering from "brain fever"and sold his studio later that year—the quality of his work declined dramatically from then on. He died at Hereford Road,Bayswater,London on 19 December 1878, a few months after being awarded a civil list pension of £100.
Joseph Nash Jr.[edit]
His only son,Joseph Nash Jr.,was a marine painter and a member of theRoyal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours.
References[edit]
- ^Biography of James Nash(Hargrave Fine Art).
- ^The mansions of England in the olden time(New York: B. Hessling Co., 1912).
- ^Mandler, Peter (2004)."Nash, Joseph (1809–1878)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19787.Retrieved2 October2009.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^Dickinsons' comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851: from the originals painted for H.R.H. Prince Albert(Dickinson, Brothers, 1854).
- ^Edward McDermott.The merrie days of England: sketches of the olden time(London: William Kent & Co., 1859).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:"Nash, Joseph".Dictionary of National Biography.London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
External links[edit]
- Works by Joseph NashatProject Gutenberg
- Joseph Nash on Artnet
- "Joseph Nash Gallery".Randall Antiques & Fine Art.Retrieved2 October2009.
- .New International Encyclopedia.1905.
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