Thomas Gibson (artist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Gibson was an English
painter and copyist. He was an established portrait painter by 1711, when he was appointed a founding director of Godfrey Kneller
's Academy in London
; among his pupils there was George Vertue
. Gibson's sitters included a number of important public figures: Dr Henry Sacheverell
(1710; Oxford, Magdalen Coll.), John Flamsteed
(1712; Oxford, Bodleian Lib.), Sir Robert Walpole
(untraced; engr. G. Bockman), Archbishop William Wake
(Oxford, Christ Church Pict. Gal.) and Archbishop John Potter (London, Lambeth Pal.). His most constant patron was John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
(1663-1743), who commissioned a great number of originals and copies. Gibson's career was interrupted in 1729-31 by serious illness, and he was obliged to sell his collection and for a time retire to Oxford. After resuming his practice he was patronized by Augusta, Princess of Wales, who in 1742 commissioned a group portrait of her four children, as well as her own portrait (both British Royal Col.).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter and copyist. He was an established portrait painter by 1711, when he was appointed a founding director of Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
's Academy in 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...
; among his pupils there was 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:...
. Gibson's sitters included a number of important public figures: Dr Henry Sacheverell
Henry Sacheverell
Henry Sacheverell was an English High Church clergyman and politician.-Early life:The son of Joshua Sacheverell, rector of St Peter's, Marlborough,...
(1710; Oxford, Magdalen Coll.), John Flamsteed
John Flamsteed
Sir John Flamsteed FRS was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars.- Life :Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed...
(1712; Oxford, Bodleian Lib.), Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
(untraced; engr. G. Bockman), Archbishop William Wake
William Wake
William Wake was a priest in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 until his death in 1737.-Life:...
(Oxford, Christ Church Pict. Gal.) and Archbishop John Potter (London, Lambeth Pal.). His most constant patron was John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett KG was the son of John Poulett, 3rd Baron Poulett and his wife Susan Herbert, daughter of Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke....
(1663-1743), who commissioned a great number of originals and copies. Gibson's career was interrupted in 1729-31 by serious illness, and he was obliged to sell his collection and for a time retire to Oxford. After resuming his practice he was patronized by Augusta, Princess of Wales, who in 1742 commissioned a group portrait of her four children, as well as her own portrait (both British Royal Col.).