Ramsay Richard Reinagle

Self-portraitin graphite by Ramsey Richard Reinagle

Ramsay Richard ReinagleRA(19 March 1775 – 17 November 1862) was an English portrait, landscape, and animal painter, and son ofPhilip Reinagle.

Biography

Ramsay Richard Reinagle was a pupil of his fatherPhilip Reinagle,whose style he followed, and he exhibited at theRoyal Academyas early as 1788. He afterwards went to Italy, and was studying inRomein 1796. Subsequently, he visited Holland in order to study from theDutch masters.After his return home he painted for a time atRobert Barker's panorama inLeicester Square,and then entered into partnership with Thomas Edward Barker, Robert's eldest son, who was not himself an artist, in order to erect a rival building in theStrand.They produced panoramas of Rome, theBay of Naples,Florence,Gibraltar,Bay of Gibraltar,andParis,but in 1816 disposed of their exhibition toHenry Aston Barkerand John Burford.

In 1805 Reinagle was elected an associate of theSociety of Painters in Watercolours,and in 1806 a member. He became its treasurer in 1807, and was president from 1808 to 1812 Between 1806 and 1812 he sent to its exhibitions sixty-seven drawings, mostly Italian landscapes and scenery of the English lakes. During the same period he exhibited portraits and landscapes in oil at the Royal Academy, of which he became an associate in 1814, and an academician in 1823. He was a clever copyist of the old masters, and is said to have been much employed by a picture-dealer in restoring and "improving" their works.

In 1848 he sent to the Royal Academy exhibition as his own work a small picture ofShipping a Breeze and Rainy Weather off Hurst Castlepainted by a young artist named J. W. Yarnold, which he had purchased at a broker's shop, and to which he had made some slight alterations. Attention was called to the deception, and a full inquiry made by the academy resulted in his being called upon to resign his diploma as a royal academician. In 1850 he unsuccessfully endeavoured to exculpate himself in two letters published in theLiterary Gazette.

He continued to exhibit at the academy until 1857, but in his later years sank into poverty, and was assisted by a pension from the funds of the academy. He died atChelseaon 17 November 1862.

"Water Spaniel" (1815)

Works

Three plates,Richmond,Sion House,andThe Opening of Waterloo BridgeinWilliam Bernard Cooke'sThe Thameswere engraved after him byRobert Wallis,and many of the illustrations in Peacock'sPolite Repositoryfrom 1818 to 1830, were engraved byJohn Pyefrom his designs. There is also a view of Haddon Hall, engraved by Robert Wallis, in theBijoufor 1828, and one of Bothwell Castle, engraved byEdward Finden,in John Tillotson'sAlbum of Scottish Scenery,1860. Reinagle wrote the scientific and explanatory notices toTurner'sViews in Sussexpublished in 1819, and the life ofAllan RamsayinAllan Cunningham'sLives of the British Painters.

Reinagle's paintings are included in the collections of several British institutions including Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster andDerby Art Galleryand in theGovernment Art Collection.

Family

Reinagle married Oriana Bullfinch in 1801. They had three sons, of whomGeorge Philip Reinaglethe painter, who was the youngest. There was one daughter, Oriana Jane, who marriedPhilip Dottin Souper.

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Lee, Sidney,ed. (1896). "Reinagle, Ramsay Richard".Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 48. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links

• 45 artworks by or after Ramsay Richard Reinagleat theArt UKsite
• Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections