NORTHCOTE, James, a distinguished English painter, was born at Plymouth in the year 1746. He evinced a predilection for the arts at a very early period, but received no encouragement from his father, who was an eminent [7:16:252]watchmaker, and apprenticed him to his own trade. When the period of his indenture had expired, the strong bent of young Northcote’s genius prevailed; and being fortunate enough to obtain a recommendation to Sir Joshua Reynolds, that eminent artist received him as a pupil. Northcote had nearly reached his twenty-fifth year when he arrived in London; and having had comparatively little experience in painting previously to this period, his attainments were greatly inferior to those of other beginners much younger than himself. It was therefore with no great reliance on his talents that Sir Joshua gave him a trial; but diligence and native genius soon made amends for all deficiencies, and, much to the satisfaction of his master, with whom he became a favourite pupil, his improvement was rapid. He was also of an age to be a pleasant companion to Sir Joshua; and from his great natural talents, and extraordinary powers of conversation, he was enabled to avail himself of all the advantages of that polished society which assembled in the house of his master. Northcote remained domesticated for five years, on the most agreeable terms, in Sir Joshua’s family; and in 1776 he reluctantly quitted an abode which had in every way been rendered delightful to him. He commenced portrait painter, in which he would doubtless have attained great eminence; but his powerful intellect was scarcely satisfied with this limited branch of art, and he resolved to prosecute the more independent and pleasing, although much less lucrative, study of historical painting. In furtherance of this object, he, in 1777, repaired to Italy, where he remained three years, devoting his time alternately to the study of the great masters, and to original compositions. During his sojourn on the Continent, he was elected a member of the Imperial Academy at Florence, of the ancient Etruscan Academy at Cortona, and of the Accademia delle Arti at Rome. He was also requested to execute a portrait of himself, to be placed amongst those of distinguished artists which grace the gallery at Florence; and the picture which he presented is at once a faithful resemblance and an exquisite specimen of his professional skill.

On his return to England, Northcote pursued the study of design with all the ardour of an artist; and it was soon apparent that he had not mistaken his forte or miscalculated his powers. About this period Mr Boydell was engaged in procuring engravings from pictures by the old masters, whose works he had either obtained the use of, or had caused to be copied by skilful hands. His next experiment was to commission native artists of distinction to paint original composition from history and other subjects, and to cause these also to be engraved by Englishmen. Northcote being one of the most promising painters of the British school, was employed by Mr Boydell, and also by other printsellers; and prints from his designs were to be seen, framed and glazed, upon the walls of the higher order of dwellings in every part of the kingdom. One of the most admired, entitled the Village Doctress, had for several years a considerable sale. It was not, however, until the Shakspeare Gallery was opened, that the world was made fully aware of the powers of Northcote. Amongst the many-splendid efforts of British art which were thus collected together, none proved more attractive than his compositions. The scene of the smothering of the young princes in the Tower of London; that of removing their bodies secretly by torch-light for interment at the foot of the stone steps; the subject of Arthur and Hubert; the entrance into London of Richard II. and Bolingbroke, and others from his pencil, are undoubtedly to be reckoned amongst the best specimens of British art at this flourishing period of its history. These productions clearly proved how well he had studied the works of his illustrious master, and imbibed his feelings as a colourist. Northcote had now attained the zenith of his fame; and he received the reward of his abilities by being elected an associate of the Royal Academy on the 6th of November 1786, and a royal academician on the 13th of February 1787.

From this period Northcote divided his professional labours between historical compositions, fancy subjects, and portraiture. The dramatic style, however, attracted his attention for a time, and he painted a series of moral subjects, illustrative of virtue and vice, in the progress of two young women. This was trenching upon the ground' of Hogarth, and the attempt proved a failure; for although the main points of this graphic drama bore directly upon the subject, the characters were deficient in expression and individuality. In painting, Northcote kept the colouring of Sir Joshua Reynolds steadily in his eye; and> so little change in his style had his contemplation of the great masters in Italy wrought, that no one could discover the least approach to that severity of manner which is peculiar to the Roman and other Italian masters. His pictures are distinguished for their breadth of light and’ shade; and most of his historical works display a comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the subject, much study, and considerable force of conception. For a period of above thirty years his productions may be said to have borne a conspicuous part in the exhibitions at Somerset House; and, to the last year of his life, a season seldom elapsed without his presenting one or more efforts of his pencil at the British Institution or the Gallery of the British Artists.

That Northcote was an enthusiast in his art may be gathered from many anecdotes related of him whilst expatiating upon the merits of the great masters. A favourite pursuit of his was the painting of wild animals; and one day, whilst making a study from nature of a vulture, he laid down his palette, and clasping his hands, exclaimed, “I lately beheld an eagle painted by Titian, and if heaven would give me the power to achieve such a work, I would then be content to die.’' His conversational powers have been extolled by all who had an opportunity of knowing him; but he never allowed the fascinations of society to interfere with his professional avocations. It was his custom for many years to take an early morning walk, on his return from which he breakfasted, and then went to his studio. About eleven in the forenoon, unless he had an engagement with a sitter, his levee commenced. It seldom happened that he remained alone; one visitor succeeding another, and occasionally three or four at a time, holding him in conversation until the hour for dinner. AD the while he was proceeding with whatever picture he had on hand, working and talking at the same time. His conversation was distinguished by sagacity, acuteness, and great extent of information, as may be seen from a volume published by Mr Hazlitt, entitled Conversations with the late James Northcote, R. A. He had, however, much of that cynical spirit too prevalent amongst artists, of depreciating the works and characters of their rivals; but he was benevolent withal, and whatever he might say in disparagement of those who crossed his path, he was ever ready to befriend those who applied to him for assistance or advice. To young artists he was kind and condescending, and always easily accessible. Such traits in the pictures or drawings which they submitted to him as happened to display originality and talent, gave him delight; for he felt a patriotic pride in the arts of his country, and a personal interest in their advancement. In whatever company Northcote might be, he always maintained his opinions, which were often singular, with a manly independence, which secured him general respect. One day a royal duke, whilst attending at a sitting of Master Betty, the young Roscius, whom Northcote, with his usual sagacity, thoroughly despised, used some liberties with the ar [7:16:253]tist’s gray locks, observing, “You do not devote much time to the toilet, I perceive ?” Northcote instantly replied, “Sir, I never allow any one to take personal liberties with me; you are the first who ever presumed to do so, and I beg your royal highness to recollect that I am in my own house.” He then resumed his painting, and the royal personage, feeling the rebuke, shortly afterwards took his departure. Next day, however, the artist was surprised by a visit from his royal highness, who, in returning something of which he had obtained the loan, handsomely apologised to him for the liberty which had been thoughtlessly taken.

Northcote was naturally just, temperate, careful, and in the strictest sense of the word a philosopher. The system of life which he early prescribed for himself was founded on wisdom, and maintained with constancy. The frugal manner in which his table was served from principle might lead to the idea that he was parsimonious; but this is rendered nugatory by the facts, that he lent money freely without asking for interest, and sometimes not even for the principal, by which means he frequently lost it; that he was the most patient and long-suffering of creditors, not only feeling a horror at asking for what was justly due him for his works, but often having whole-lengths, halflengths, and bust portraits thrown upon his hands without his ever attempting to enforce payment. His prudence and foresight, however, enabled him to secure an independence for the evening of life, which so often overtakes artists in destitution and misery. The last years of Northcote’s life were spent in preparing for the press a volume of fables and a Life of Titian. He died on the 13th of July 1831, and his remains were deposited in the church of St Mary-le-Bone on the 20th of the same month.

Northcote was an author as well as a painter. His earliest productions were some papers inserted in a periodical work called The Artist. The subjects of these papers were, Originality in Painting, Imitators and Collectors, Disappointed Genius, a Character of John Opie, Letter from a Disappointed Genius, and the Imitation of the Stage in Painting. In the second volume of the same work, the History of the Slighted Beauty, an allegory, was also by him. He further contributed to the fine arts of the English school the biography of Sir Joshua Reynolds, which he afterwards expanded into a quarto volume, entitled Memoirs of Sir Joshua Reynolds, comprising anecdotes of many distinguished persons, his contemporaries, and a brief ana-ysis of his Discourses; to which are added, Varieties on Art, 1813. A supplement to the work appeared in 1815; and an octavo edition, with considerable additions, came aut in 1819. In 1828 he published^ in octavo, One Hun-lred Fables, original and selected, embellished with two aundred and eighty engravings on wood from his own designs. He likewise left materials for a second series, which )y directions given in his will was to be published after the leath of his sister. His last work, which appeared at the dose of the year 1830, in two volumes octavo, is the Life )f Titian, with anecdotes of the distinguished persons of us time; a work containing a vast mass of useful informa- .ion and reflection on the art of painting. (r. r. r.)