LAWRENCE. Mr Lawrence was then only in his twenty-third year, it soon became apparent that he was destined to bear away the palm from the most gifted artists with whom he had to contend. The Dilettanti Society unanimously chose him as their painter in the room of Sir Joshua; and his Majesty George III. also appointed him to succeed the deceased president, as his principal painter in ordinary. On the 10th of February 1794, Mr Lawrence was elected a royal academician; and employment now flowed upon him from all quarters. He made the most rapid progress in his profession, and his reputation grew steadily until he came to be generally considered as the first portrait-painter of the age. An enumeration of the works of this description which he executed would comprehend all the rank, fashion, and intelligence which distinguished the times in which he lived, including those of most of the crowned heads of Europe. The royal family, the nobility and gentry, distinguished men of letters and statesmen, actors and actresses, all sat for their portraits to Lawrence. It may be justly said of him as it was said of Sir Joshua Reynolds, that "he painted three generations of beauties." In 1815 the Prince Regent conferred on him the honour of knighthood; and in 1818, at the request of the same illustrious individual, he was induced to proceed to Aix-la-Chapelle, to take likenesses of the most distinguished statesmen who had there assembled for diplomatic purposes. Having executed his mission at Aix-la-Chapelle, Sir Thomas proceeded to Vienna, and thence to Rome, where he had an opportunity of contemplating, for the first time, the great masterpieces of ancient art. During the whole of his residence on the Continent, he was received by the sovereigns of the different countries he visited, and entertained with marked distinction; and the propriety and elegance of his deportment made an impression highly favourable to his character as an English artist and gentleman. After an absence of eighteen months he returned to England; but, before reaching his native country, he had been unanimously elected to succeed Mr West as president of the Royal Academy; and this office he continued to hold till his death, which took place on the 7th of January 1830.
In portrait-painting, the branch of art which he made his profession, Sir Thomas Lawrence was the most distinguished artist of the day. He was one of the few English painters who attained a proficiency in their art before visiting Italy, or without studying the old masters; a circumstance which must be attributed to his strong native genius and exquisite taste. The distinguishing characteristics of his style was the power of conveying a faithful resemblance, with, at the same time, a singularly delicate sense of beauty, grace, elegance, and dignity. An able writer thus speaks of him:—"No painter who ever lived seemed to have dived more deeply into individual character, as conveyed by the conformation of the visage, and the expression of the features; and none knew more skilfully how to avail himself of the changeable appearances which they betrayed in those conversations which were dexterously introduced during the sitting, and which destroyed or relaxed a rigidity of muscle assumed on such occasions, and which frequently baffles the utmost ingenuity of the artist. In his female portraits (the great test of talent) he had more grace and a greater variety of attitude than Vandyke, although he certainly did not equal him in colouring. It is a general opinion, also, among painters, that he had less nature and less breadth than Sir Joshua Reynolds; and that opinion is probably well founded. Sir Thomas, especially, in the latter periods of his practice, exhibited more detail in his portraits, and appeared to paint with a smaller pencil, than his illustrious predecessor, who, in his effects of light and shade, seemed to take Correggio as his model. The hair in Sir Thomas's pictures was painted in fine masses, in a way peculiar to himself; and his eyes, to the splendour of
which he sometimes made great sacrifices, were divine. The late Mr Fuseli, who was by no means a thorough-going admirer even of Sir Thomas, has been heard to say of him, "But he paints eyes better than Titian."
His drawing was admirable, and some of his chalk sketches are considered by the best judges as fine as Michael Angelo or Raffaele could have executed. Sir Thomas did not confine himself to portrait-painting alone, but executed paintings of a far higher order of art. Of these it has been observed by Mr Westmacott, "His illustrations of Cato, Coriolanus, and Hamlet, may be considered historical works, and examples of his creative genius, possessing a vigour of imagination, a propriety of sentiment, a breadth and chasteness of composition worthy to be ranked with the classical and distinguished efforts of the sixteenth century; whilst his more comprehensive powers were displayed in the admirable picture of Satan: all eminent proofs that he possessed talents equal to the accomplishment of the highest designs in the art." In private life Sir Thomas Lawrence was most exemplary, being kind and liberal to artists, and ready to encourage rising merit. In discharge of his duties connected with the high station which he filled in relation to the academy, he displayed unremitting diligence and zeal; "And no man," says an academician, "died with better claims to the respect of his brother members." (J. P. S.)