Benjamin Robert Haydon 1786-1846
Pen, pencil and ink study of Prometheus chained. 15.5 by 9.5 cms image. 36.5 by 31.2 cms. Overall.
Haydon better known for his failures rather than his successes is much maligned as an artist. He specialised in grand historical pictures, which were becoming unfashionable in his own time and severely limited his market. His commercial success was often damaged by his tactless dealings with his aristocratic patrons, and by the enormous scale on which he preferred to work. A skilled draughtsman he was tutor to the Landseers, Bewick and Jackson. He had a talent for friendship counting Keats, Wordsworth and Hunt amongst his inner circle. His candid writings, Table Talk and diaries bring the age alive. A campaigner for Government support for the Arts he was a leading light behind the purchase of the Elgin Marbles for the Nation. Troubled by financial problems throughout his life, which led to several periods of imprisonment for debt. He died by suicide in 1846.