John Downman Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, b. 1749 - d. 1824

John Downman ARA (1749 – 24 December 1824) was an English portrait and subject painter.

Downman was almost certainly born in Eynesbury, Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire) in the summer of 1749 where he was baptised at St Mary’s that September together with his elder brother Hugh who had been born there in about 1747 or 1748. John was the youngest son of Francis Downman, attorney, of Eynesbury, and Charlotte (née Goodsens), eldest surviving daughter of Francisco Goodsens, a Huguenot bass viol player and member of the Chapel Royal (who played privately for George 1 and under Handel) and his wife Judith Hauduroy; his grandfather, Hugh Downman (abt 1673–1729), had been Storekeeper to the Royal Navy’s Office of Ordnance at Sheerness. The Downman family is usually known as a Devonshire one, but the exact connexion between the artist and the Devonshire ranch has not been traced. He completed his education at the Royal Academy schools where he enrolled in 1769, and was for a while in the studio of Benjamin West.

Downman and his wife (probably Elizabeth the mother of his 3 children) set off in 1773 with Joseph Wright of Derby, a pregnant Ann Wright and Richard Hurleston for Italy. Their ship took shelter for three weeks in Nice before they completed their outward voyage in Livorno in Italy in February 1774. Downman returned to Britain in 1775.

He settled down for a while in Cambridge (1777), eventually coming to London, where he contributed to various art exhibitions. In 1804 he moved to Went House in the village of West Malling in Kent where other members of his family, notably his elder brother Lieutenant Colonel Francis Downman, owned various properties. In 1806, Downman visited Plymouth in the West Country, between 1807 and 1808 he practised at Exeter, and where he had, in 1806, married Mary Jackson (1758-1808) the daughter of William Jackson the organist and composer, afterwards working in London for some years, settling at Chester in 1818-19, then finally moving to Wrexham, where his only daughter Isabella Chloe (1786-1840) married Richard Mellor Benjamin and where he died on 24 December 1824. He left a large collection of his paintings and drawings to Isabella. He was also the father of Damon, born 22nd February 1785 of whom there is, so far, no more trace and Charles John (1789-1815). Both Isabella and Charles have numerous descendants down to modern times

He exhibited 148 works in the Royal Academy between 1769 and 1819, mainly portraits, but often fancy subjects, such as 'Rosalind,' painted for the Shakespeare Gallery; 'The Death of Lucretia; The Priestess of Bacchus;' 'Tobias;' 'Fair Rosamond;' 'The Return of Orestes;' 'Duke Robert,' etc. In 1795 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy. Thomas Williams, A Black Sailor, chalk and graphite on paper, 1815.

His first work at the Royal Academy (1769) was ‘A small portrait in oil,' and the last (1819), A late Princess personifying Peace crowning the glory of England reflected on Europe, 1815. In 1884 the trustees of the British Museum acquired, by purchase, a volume containing numerous coloured drawings by Downman, among which were several portraits, now separately mounted. He also left several volumes of exquisite drawings, executed in red and black chalk, of which Ralph Neville Grenville published a catalogue (Taunton, 1865). He also painted some miniature portraits. Engravings were also made by Bartolozzi and others. Many of his portraits have attached to them remarks of considerable importance respecting the persons represented.

Biography Provided by Peter Cope (Relative of the Artist) 23.01.23