Joseph Severn (7 December 1793 – 3 August 1879) was an English portrait and subject painter and a personal friend of the famous English poet John Keats.
During his early years he practised portraiture as a miniaturist. == Early years in London 1815-1820== In 1815, he was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools in London and exhibited his first work in oil, Hermia and Helena, a subject from A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with a portrait miniature, "J.
He probably first met the poet John Keats in the spring of 1816. In 1819, Severn was awarded the gold medal of the Royal Academy for his painting Una and the Red Cross Knight in the Cave of Despair which was inspired by the epic poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser.
The Keats Circle: Letters and Papers 1816-1878 (Cambridge, MA.: Harvard UP, 1948; rev.
Keats, Esq", in the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1819.
He probably first met the poet John Keats in the spring of 1816. In 1819, Severn was awarded the gold medal of the Royal Academy for his painting Una and the Red Cross Knight in the Cave of Despair which was inspired by the epic poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser.
31 Aug 1819) about a year before leaving England for Italy.
Although he was never able to match his early artistic success in Rome and eventually had to flee his creditors for the Isle of Jersey in 1853, between 1819 and 1857, Severn exhibited 53 paintings at the Royal Academy in London. In 1861 Severn was appointed British Consul in Rome during the ferment over Italian unification.
Scott, "Sacred Relics: A Discovery of New Severn Letters," European Romantic Review 16:3 (2005): 283-295. == External links == Website of the Keats Shelley house museum in Rome, Italy where Severn lived 1820-1821 Website of the Non Catholic cemetery in Rome, Italy where both Severn and Keats graves still stand today Transcripts of some of Severn's letters about Keats Detailed history about Severn and Keats in the years 1819-1821 Guardian newspaper article on Grant F.
It was the first time the prize had been awarded in eight years and the painting was exhibited at the Academy in 1820.
In 1826 there were plans for father and son to reunite, but Henry died, aged 11, before he could make the journey to Rome. == Journey to Italy with John Keats, 1820–1821== On 17 September 1820, Severn set sail onboard the Maria Crowther from England to Italy with the famous English poet John Keats.
The two men remained in Naples for a week before heading off to Rome in a small carriage, where they arrived mid-November 1820 and met Keats's physician, Dr.
While in Rome during the winter of 1820-21, Severn wrote numerous letters about Keats to their mutual friends in England, in particular William Haslam and Charles Armitage Brown, who then shared them with other members of the Keats circle, including the poet's fiancée, Fanny Brawne.
In reality, Severn launched his own successful artistic career soon after Keats died, becoming a versatile painter in Rome during the 1820s and 1830s.
Scott, "Sacred Relics: A Discovery of New Severn Letters," European Romantic Review 16:3 (2005): 283-295. == External links == Website of the Keats Shelley house museum in Rome, Italy where Severn lived 1820-1821 Website of the Non Catholic cemetery in Rome, Italy where both Severn and Keats graves still stand today Transcripts of some of Severn's letters about Keats Detailed history about Severn and Keats in the years 1819-1821 Guardian newspaper article on Grant F.
These journal-letters now represent the only surviving account of the poet's final months and as a consequence are used as the primary historical source for biographers of Keats's last days. Severn nursed Keats until his death on 23 February 1821, three months after they had arrived in Rome.
Shelley in the preface to his elegy, Adonais, which was written for Keats in 1821.
The most influential of Severn's early Italian genre paintings are The Vintage, commissioned by the Duke of Bedford in 1825, and The Fountain (Royal Palace, Brussels) commissioned by Leopold I of Belgium in 1826.
In 1826 there were plans for father and son to reunite, but Henry died, aged 11, before he could make the journey to Rome. == Journey to Italy with John Keats, 1820–1821== On 17 September 1820, Severn set sail onboard the Maria Crowther from England to Italy with the famous English poet John Keats.
The most influential of Severn's early Italian genre paintings are The Vintage, commissioned by the Duke of Bedford in 1825, and The Fountain (Royal Palace, Brussels) commissioned by Leopold I of Belgium in 1826.
He eventually retired as Consul in 1872. == Marriage and family == In 1828 Severn married Elizabeth Montgomerie, the natural (i.e.
In reality, Severn launched his own successful artistic career soon after Keats died, becoming a versatile painter in Rome during the 1820s and 1830s.
Perhaps the most dedicated patron of Severn's work in the 1830s was William Gladstone, who was drawn to Severn more for his reputation as a painter than as Keats's friend. On his return to England in 1841 Severn fell on hard times, trying desperately to earn enough money to support his growing family by painting portraits.
Severn made a sketch of Trelawny in 1838. == Life and work after the death of Keats == Until recently, it was believed that Severn's life culminated in his association with Keats and that he lived on this fame for the rest of his long life.
Scott, "After Keats: The Return of Joseph Severn to England in 1838," Romanticism on the Net 40 (November 2005).
Perhaps the most dedicated patron of Severn's work in the 1830s was William Gladstone, who was drawn to Severn more for his reputation as a painter than as Keats's friend. On his return to England in 1841 Severn fell on hard times, trying desperately to earn enough money to support his growing family by painting portraits.
Although he was never able to match his early artistic success in Rome and eventually had to flee his creditors for the Isle of Jersey in 1853, between 1819 and 1857, Severn exhibited 53 paintings at the Royal Academy in London. In 1861 Severn was appointed British Consul in Rome during the ferment over Italian unification.
Although he was never able to match his early artistic success in Rome and eventually had to flee his creditors for the Isle of Jersey in 1853, between 1819 and 1857, Severn exhibited 53 paintings at the Royal Academy in London. In 1861 Severn was appointed British Consul in Rome during the ferment over Italian unification.
The last picture he exhibited at the Royal Academy was a scene from Oliver Goldsmith's The Deserted Village in 1857. Links to images and descriptions of Severn's drawings and paintings A slideshow of paintings by Severn on the Art UK website Portraits by Severn at the National Portrait Gallery, London The Infant of the Apocalypse Saved from the Dragon at Tate Britain, London Ariel at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Ariel: 'Where the Bee Sucks...
In the 1860s Severn produced a number of copies and memory portraits as Keats's reputation continued to grow.
Although he was never able to match his early artistic success in Rome and eventually had to flee his creditors for the Isle of Jersey in 1853, between 1819 and 1857, Severn exhibited 53 paintings at the Royal Academy in London. In 1861 Severn was appointed British Consul in Rome during the ferment over Italian unification.
On several occasions, such as when he used his office to liberate Italian political prisoners in 1864, he was rebuked by the Foreign Office.
In 1871, Arthur Severn married Joan Ruskin Agnew, a cousin of the Victorian art and social critic John Ruskin.
He eventually retired as Consul in 1872. == Marriage and family == In 1828 Severn married Elizabeth Montgomerie, the natural (i.e.
Joseph Severn (7 December 1793 – 3 August 1879) was an English portrait and subject painter and a personal friend of the famous English poet John Keats.
He is buried between Keats and Severn in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome. == Death == Severn died on 3 August 1879 at the age of 85, and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery alongside John Keats.
The Keats Circle: Letters and Papers 1816-1878 (Cambridge, MA.: Harvard UP, 1948; rev.
The painting was purchased by Lord Houghton (Richard Monckton Milnes) the first biographer of Keats, although it was recorded sold by Christie's in June 1963, it has since disappeared from public view and there are no reproductions of it in the public domain. According to a new edition of Severn's letters and memoirs, Severn fathered an illegitimate child named Henry (b.
Modern critics have cast doubt on the accuracy of Sharp's transcriptions and noted important omissions and embellishments. In 1965, Sheila Birkenhead published Illustrious Friends: The story of Joseph Severn and his son Arthur. In 2005, Grant F.
Modern critics have cast doubt on the accuracy of Sharp's transcriptions and noted important omissions and embellishments. In 1965, Sheila Birkenhead published Illustrious Friends: The story of Joseph Severn and his son Arthur. In 2005, Grant F.
Joseph Severn: Letters and Memoirs (Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2005) Grant F.
Scott, "After Keats: The Return of Joseph Severn to England in 1838," Romanticism on the Net 40 (November 2005).
New Letters from Charles Brown to Joseph Severn (College Park, Maryland: Romantic Circles, 2007; revised 2010) Grant F.
Scott, "New Severn Letters and Paintings: An Update with Corrections," Keats-Shelley Journal 58 (2009): 114-138. Sue Brown, Joseph Severn, A Life: The Rewards of Friendship (London: Oxford UP, 2009) == Further reading == Hyder E.
New Letters from Charles Brown to Joseph Severn (College Park, Maryland: Romantic Circles, 2007; revised 2010) Grant F.
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