John Cleveley the Elder

The 'Royal George' at Deptford Showing the Launch of 'The Cambridge' (1755) by John Cleveley the Elder
frigate and fishing boats in harbor in the collection at The Mariners' Museum

John Cleveley the Elder (c.1712 21 May 1777) was an English marine artist.[1]

Life

Cleveley was born in Southwark. He was not from an artistic background, and his father intended him to follow the family trade of joinery, so he set up as a carpenter or shipwright in around 1742 at the Deptford Dockyard. Continuing his work in that area throughout his life (indeed, he is referred to as ‘carpenter belonging to His Majesty’s Ship Victory, in the pay of His M[ajest]ys Navy’ in letters of administration granted by the Admiralty in 1778 to his widow, probably when she was first fitting out), from about 1745 he also worked as a painter, mostly ship portraits, dockyard scenes of shipbuilding and launches, and some other marine views. They combined his knowledge of shipbuilding with accurate architectural and topographical detail. Apparently mostly self-taught, it is possible that dockyard ship-painters also gave him some training in this area. He toured East Anglia, and produced some paintings from notes made on that trip.

Works

Children

References

  1. Artfortune bio - John the Elder Cleveley (c. 1712-1777). Accessed 2 August 2013
    • Biography (National Maritime Museum, London)

External links

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