Perugini, Charles Edward (1839-1918)

Perugini, Charles Edward

PAINTER (ITALY)

BORN 1 Sep 1839, Napoli, Campania - DIED 22 Dec 1918, London
GRAVE LOCATION Sevenoaks, Kent: St. Nicholas churchyard, Rectory Lane (family grave)

Charles Perugini was born in Naples. His family - that had resided in England in the past - went back to England when he was six years old. When he was 17 he was sent to Italy by H. Vernet after the latter had seen his drawings. He studied under Guiseppe Bonolis and Guiseppe Mancinelli and in 1854 in France under Ary Scheffer. In France he met Dickens who sat for his portrait by Scheffer. Dickens daughter Kate was also there at the time but he didn't meet her.

A few years later Perugini returned to Engeland (encouraged by Frederic Leighton) and in 1863 he moved to London, where "Playing at Work" was his first painting that was exhibited at the Royal Academy. His work reminds of Leighton and of Alma-Tadema because of the classical settings ad the elegant women, but is is colder in nature. He was hardly able t osell his paintings but Leighton supported him financially.

After Kate Dickens' husband Charles Collins died in 1873 she secretly married Perugini in a registry office on 11 September 1873, perhaps because Kate thought she was pregnant. On 4 June 1874 they married 'officially' in front of a few members of the Dickens family. On 20 Decmber 1875 they had a son, but he died in July 1876.

Perugini painted Kate many times. He also frequently and successfully solved the chess problems that were published in The Times.

Work: "Girl Reading" (1878, Manchester Art Gallery); "Faithful" (1879, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool).

Family
• Wife: Dickens, Kate (1874-1918, London: St. Paul's Church, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge)

Related persons
• painted Dickens, Kate
• was pupil of Scheffer, Ary

Images
The grave of Kate Dickens and Charles Perugini at St. Nicholas churchyard, Sevenoaks, Kent. Picture by Androom (06 Feb 2012)	The grave of Kate Dickens and Charles Perugini at St. Nicholas churchyard, Sevenoaks, Kent. Picture by Androom (06 Feb 2012)	The grave of Kate Dickens and Charles Perugini at St. Nicholas churchyard, Sevenoaks, Kent. Picture by Androom (06 Feb 2012)
The grave of Kate Dickens and Charles Perugini (left) and the grave of Mary Dickens (right) at St. Nicholas churchyard, Sevenoaks, Kent. Picture by Androom (06 Feb 2012)	"Peonies". (Liverpool: Walker Art Gallery)