John Vanderbank stands as a notable, if sometimes overlooked, figure in the landscape of early 18th-century British art. Active during the reigns of George I and George II, he was a portrait painter of considerable talent and a skilled book illustrator, navigating the London art world in the shadow of giants like Sir Godfrey Kneller and amidst the rise of a new generation of native-born artists. His career, marked by both significant achievements and personal tribulations, offers a fascinating glimpse into the artistic and social currents of his time.
Early Life and Artistic Apprenticeship
Born in London on September 9, 1694, John Vanderbank was the eldest son of John Vanderbank the Elder, a respected weaver of Huguenot origin who had established a prominent tapestry workshop in Soho, known as "The Great Wardrobe." This familial connection to the decorative arts and textile design may have subtly influenced young Vanderbank's appreciation for pattern, texture, and composition, elements that would later find expression in his painted works. His upbringing in a household engaged in artistic production likely provided an early exposure to the world of craftsmanship and design.
Vanderbank's formal artistic training began around 1711 when he enrolled in Sir Godfrey Kneller's Academy of Painting and Drawing in Great Queen Street. Kneller, a German-born artist who had dominated British portraiture for decades, was the leading painter of his day, serving as Principal Painter to the Crown. Studying under Kneller would have immersed Vanderbank in the prevailing Baroque style of portraiture, characterized by its grandeur, rich colours, and often flattering depictions of aristocratic sitters. Kneller's studio was a hub of artistic activity, and Vanderbank would have learned by observing the master, copying works, and participating in the studio's output, as was common practice.
Following his time with Kneller, Vanderbank continued his studies for approximately two years under James Thornhill. Thornhill, an English artist, was renowned for his large-scale historical and allegorical decorative schemes, such as those at the Painted Hall in Greenwich and the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. This experience would have exposed Vanderbank to a different facet of artistic practice, one focused on complex multi-figure compositions and narrative art, contrasting with the more singular focus of Kneller's portraiture. Thornhill was also the first English-born artist to be knighted, a significant figure in elevating the status of native artists. His future son-in-law, William Hogarth, would also briefly study at Thornhill's academy.
Launching a Career and the St. Martin's Lane Academy
By 1720, John Vanderbank felt sufficiently equipped to establish his own independent practice. He opened a studio and quickly began to attract a distinguished clientele, which included members of the royal family, the nobility, and affluent merchants eager to have their likenesses captured by a fashionable painter. His style, which combined some of the robustness learned from Kneller with a fresher, more direct approach, found favour in a society increasingly valuing individual character.
In the same year, 1720, Vanderbank, in collaboration with the French artist Louis Chéron, took a significant step in art education by founding an academy in St. Martin's Lane. This institution was established as a more liberal and artist-run alternative to Kneller's academy, which had become somewhat moribund. The St. Martin's Lane Academy provided life drawing classes and became an important training ground for a new generation of artists. Among its students were figures who would later achieve prominence, such as William Kent, who became a leading architect, landscape gardener, and painter, and Joseph Highmore, another successful portraitist. Though this initial iteration of the St. Martin's Lane Academy was relatively short-lived, it laid the groundwork for later, more enduring institutions, including the one famously re-established by William Hogarth in the mid-1730s, which itself was a precursor to the Royal Academy of Arts.
Vanderbank's involvement in the academy demonstrated his commitment to the development of artistic skill and his standing within the London art community. It was a period of considerable activity and promise for the young painter.
Portraiture: Capturing the Elite and the Intellectuals
John Vanderbank's primary claim to fame rests on his portraiture. He was sought after by the fashionable society of his day, and his oeuvre includes likenesses of many prominent individuals. His portraits are often characterized by a certain boldness in handling, a confident brushwork, and an ability to convey the personality of the sitter. While influenced by the grand manner of Kneller and, more distantly, by the elegance of Sir Anthony van Dyck (whose works were still a benchmark for aristocratic portraiture in Britain), Vanderbank often imbued his subjects with a more contemporary, less formal sensibility.
Perhaps his most historically significant portraits are those of Sir Isaac Newton. Vanderbank painted the renowned scientist on at least two occasions. One notable portrait, dated 1725, depicts Newton in his old age and is now in the collection of Trinity College, Cambridge, Newton's alma mater. Another version, also from this period, was acquired by the Royal Society, where Newton had served as President. These portraits are valued not only as depictions of one of history's greatest scientific minds but also as examples of Vanderbank's skill in capturing intellectual gravitas. He also contributed the frontispiece portrait of Newton for the third edition of Principia Mathematica, published in 1726, further cementing his association with the celebrated physicist.
His sitters included Queen Caroline, George II, and numerous aristocrats. Works like "Portrait of a Lady in White" (1738) showcase his ability to handle fabrics with a painterly touch and to create an engaging presence. He was adept at capturing the textures of silks and velvets, a skill perhaps honed by his early exposure to his father's tapestry work. His male portraits often convey a sense of robust character, while his female portraits could achieve a delicate charm. He competed for commissions with other portraitists of the era, such as Charles Jervas, who succeeded Kneller as Principal Painter, and Jonathan Richardson the Elder, a respected painter and influential writer on art.
Ventures into Book Illustration
Beyond portraiture, John Vanderbank made significant contributions as a book illustrator, a field that was gaining increasing importance and sophistication in the 18th century. His most celebrated work in this genre is the set of sixty-eight illustrations he designed for the lavish 1738 London edition of Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote, published in Spanish by the brothers Jacob and Richard Tonson, with text revised by Pedro Pineda.
These illustrations are considered among the finest interpretations of Cervantes's masterpiece produced in the 18th century. Vanderbank's designs, engraved by Gerard van der Gucht, demonstrate a lively imagination, a keen understanding of the narrative, and a talent for dramatic composition and characterization. He captured both the humorous and the pathetic aspects of Don Quixote's adventures, bringing the characters vividly to life. The "Don Quixote" series showcases his versatility and his ability to work effectively in a narrative mode, a skill perhaps partly developed during his time with James Thornhill, who specialized in historical and mythological scenes. These illustrations were widely admired and were re-used in later English editions, attesting to their enduring appeal. His work in this field can be seen alongside that of other notable illustrators of the period, such as Hubert-François Gravelot, who also worked extensively in London and influenced a generation of British illustrators.
His earlier work for Newton's Principia Mathematica also falls into this category, though it was a single, highly symbolic frontispiece rather than a narrative series. These illustrative projects demonstrate a breadth of artistic engagement beyond the confines of society portraiture.
Artistic Style and Influences
John Vanderbank's artistic style was a product of his training, his personal inclinations, and the broader European artistic currents of his time. The influence of Sir Godfrey Kneller is evident in the confident handling and often the compositional formats of his portraits. However, Vanderbank often displayed a more vigorous, sometimes even impetuous, brushwork than his former master, leading to a more animated surface and a less polished finish, which could be both a strength and, to some contemporary critics, a weakness.
The enduring legacy of Sir Anthony van Dyck, who had revolutionized British portraiture in the 17th century, was still palpable. Vanderbank, like many of his contemporaries, studied and emulated Van Dyck's elegant poses, refined characterizations, and sophisticated handling of costume. Some of Vanderbank's drawings, in particular, show a clear debt to Van Dyck's fluid and expressive draughtsmanship.
He was also open to Italian influences, as was common for ambitious artists of the period. The art of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque, particularly figures like Raphael, was considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement. It is recorded that Vanderbank made copies after Old Masters, a standard practice for honing one's skills and absorbing classical principles of composition and form. For instance, he is known to have copied parts of Raphael's designs for the Farnesina Villa ceiling.
His Dutch heritage, though he was London-born, may have contributed to a certain realism and directness in his characterizations. The Dutch Golden Age painters, such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Frans Hals, were masters of capturing individual likeness and psychological depth, and though their direct influence on Vanderbank is less documented, the broader Dutch tradition of portraiture was part of the artistic air he breathed.
Vanderbank's use of colour was generally rich and harmonious, though sometimes criticized for a tendency towards muddiness in the shadows, possibly due to the use of bitumen or other unstable pigments, a common problem for artists of that era. He excelled at rendering the textures of fabrics, and his compositions, while generally conventional, could be enlivened by dynamic poses and a sense of movement. His work can be seen as transitional, bridging the late Baroque style of Kneller and the emerging Rococo sensibilities that would be more fully expressed by artists like Thomas Gainsborough and, in a different vein, the more robust realism of William Hogarth.
Other Artistic Endeavors: Tapestry Design
Given his father's profession as a tapestry weaver, it is not surprising that John Vanderbank also engaged in tapestry design. He is credited with designing a set of nine tapestries for Queen Anne, intended for Kensington Palace. These designs were reportedly in an "Indian style," reflecting the contemporary fashion for Chinoiserie and exotic motifs in the decorative arts. This venture demonstrates his versatility and his ability to apply his artistic skills to different media, connecting him to the tradition of artists like Raphael, who also designed celebrated tapestries. This work would have required a strong sense of decorative composition and an understanding of the technical requirements of tapestry weaving.
Personal Life: Extravagance and Financial Troubles
Despite his artistic talents and early success, John Vanderbank's life was plagued by financial instability, largely attributed to an extravagant and intemperate lifestyle. Contemporary accounts, including those by the art chronicler George Vertue, paint a picture of a man who lived beyond his means, indulging in luxuries and possibly excessive drinking. This profligacy led to recurrent debt and, at one point, forced him to seek refuge from his creditors by residing within the "Rules" of the Fleet Prison – an area around the prison where debtors could live with a degree of freedom provided they did not abscond.
Around 1729, his financial difficulties became so acute that he was compelled to flee to France to escape his creditors. He remained there for a period, likely continuing to paint, before eventually returning to England and resuming his career. However, his financial woes seem to have persisted, casting a shadow over his professional life. This pattern of talent undermined by personal indiscipline was not uncommon among artists of the period, but in Vanderbank's case, it significantly hampered his ability to consolidate his position and build a stable, prosperous career comparable to that of more prudent contemporaries like Joseph Highmore or Allan Ramsay, a slightly younger Scottish portraitist who later achieved great success in London.
Relationships with Contemporaries
Vanderbank was an active participant in the London art scene. His co-founding of the St. Martin's Lane Academy with Louis Chéron indicates his collaborative spirit and his desire to foster artistic community. He would have known most of the leading artists of his day.
His relationship with William Hogarth is of particular interest. Hogarth, a towering figure in British art, known for his "modern moral subjects" and satirical prints, also had connections to the St. Martin's Lane milieu. Vertue mentions that Vanderbank was one of the artists depicted in Hogarth's satirical painting "A Club of Artists" (sometimes identified with "A Consultation of Physicians" or "The Undertakers' Arms"), which, if true, suggests a degree of familiarity, though perhaps not always amicable, within the artistic circles of London. Hogarth's more disciplined and entrepreneurial approach to his career stands in stark contrast to Vanderbank's apparent lack of financial prudence.
Arthur Pond, an artist and print dealer, was a student of Vanderbank and reportedly inherited some of his master's practice or goodwill after Vanderbank's difficulties. Pond himself became known for his portraits and for his series of prints after Old Master drawings, "Italian Landscapes."
The competitive nature of the art market meant that Vanderbank was vying for commissions with artists like Michael Dahl, a Swedish-born portraitist who was a contemporary and rival of Kneller, and later with emerging talents. The London art world was a relatively small, interconnected community, and reputations, both artistic and personal, traveled fast.
Later Years, Demise, and Legacy
Despite his intermittent financial struggles, John Vanderbank continued to paint and illustrate throughout the 1730s. His work on the Don Quixote illustrations, published in 1738, represents a late career highlight. However, his health, possibly compromised by his lifestyle, began to decline.
John Vanderbank died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Holles Street, Cavendish Square, London, on December 23, 1739, at the relatively young age of 45. He was buried in St. Marylebone Parish Church. His early death undoubtedly curtailed a career that, despite its ups and downs, had shown considerable talent and versatility.
Historically, Vanderbank has often been overshadowed by his teacher Kneller, by his more famous contemporary Hogarth, and by the succeeding generation of British masters like Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, who would elevate British portraiture to new heights in the latter half of the 18th century. However, he remains an important figure in the transition period of the early Georgian era.
His contributions were threefold: as a portrait painter who captured the likenesses of many notable figures of his time with a distinctive, often vigorous style; as a talented book illustrator, particularly for his Don Quixote series; and as a co-founder of an early and influential art academy. His work reflects the artistic tastes and social dynamics of early 18th-century England. While his personal failings may have limited his ultimate success and reputation, his extant works provide valuable insight into the art of his period. His portraits can be found in major collections, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Tate Britain, and various university and private collections, ensuring that his artistic contributions are not entirely forgotten. He played a part in the ongoing development of a native British school of painting, moving away from the dominance of foreign-born artists like Kneller and Lely, and paving the way for the flourishing of British art in the decades that followed.
