New-York tribune., 1920-04-21
Briton Riviere,
Noted Painter, Is
Dead in England
Distinguished Artist Was
Born in London in 1910;
Animal Pictures Accepted
by Academy at Early Age

LONDON, April 2o.--The death was
announced to-day Of Briton Riviere,
R. A., D. C. L., the distinguished
painter, whose eightieth birthday an
niversary would have been celebrated
in August next.
The "prince of English animal paint
crs" was born in London on August ID,
1840, almost literally. n an atmosphere
of art. His father, William Riviere,
was for some years drawing master at
Cheltenham College, and afterward
teacher Of art at Oxford. The boy re-
enham and at Oxford where he took
his degree. His art training was con-
fined to his fathers studio. When
only eleven years old he had two pct-
ures accepted and shown at the British
Institution, and at the age of seven
teen he had three works exhibited at
the Royal Academy. These were
Tired Out" "Sheep on the Cotswolds"
and "M Monkey and Grapes" his inclina-
ready manifested itself. For a few
years thereafter he followed after the
pre- Raphaelites, not greatly to his ad-
vantage: Then, in 1863, he found his
true meter and became regular an
nual exhibitor at the Academy.
After his life at Cheltenham and Ok
ford he lived for some years in Kent,
where, in addition to painting in oils
and water colors, he did much illus
ttrating for English and American
notable work for punch" 'I In 1870 he e
settled permanently in London. He
was elected an A. r. A. in 1878, r. a.
in 1881, and received Oxford's highest
honorary degree, d. C. L., in 1891. He
married in 1867 sister of the poet
| Sydney Dobell, who bore him five sons
and two daughters. One Of his sons is
Give Riviere, the eminent London
physician, and another is Hugh Gold
win Riviere, one of the foremost por-
trait painters of England.
Mr. Rivieres works have been made,
many of them, familiar to the world
through engravings and photographs.
Perhaps the best known and, according
to many critics, the best Of them, is
his famous Daniel" depicting the
prophet statesman standing in the
lions den, his hands tied behind him,
quite fearless and Indifferent toward
the brutes which harmlessly cringe at
his feet. This was exhibited at the
great attention His "Ruins of Per
sepolis,' "Rizpah," "In Manus Tuas,
Domino" "A Mighty Hunter Before
the Lord" Beyond Mans Footsteps"
and ITO the Hills" are among the most
notable. One Of his latest was "Hark.
Hark, the Lark" in 1909. He painted
few portraits, including those of
Lord Tennyson (the present PEER,
Lady Tennyson, Lady Vantage, Mrs. F.
Methold and J. F. H. Read
Mr.. Rivicre never worked more than
three hours a day, but then with al
most incredible speed. However, he
sometimes thought. over his pictures
for months, and even years, before he
put them on canvas. His we'll known
picture Of SYMPATHY little girl
and big dog sitting on stair, lean
ing against each other-was thus the
fruit of several years mental growth.
His "Persepolis" was suggested by
! Omar's lines:
They say the lion and the lizard keep
Inc courts where Jamshyd ,gloricd-and
drank deep
1t is night scene, and a critic once
objected to it that lizards never crawl
! out by moonlight. Mr: Riviere asked
Professor Huxley if that was so, and
if he would better repaint it, climinat-
ing the lizards. "No," said Huxley,
Its all right. A big lion walking over
its nest would make any lizard come
out to see what was up, moonlight or
no moonlight