Rothwell, Richard

PAINTER (IRELAND)
BORN 20 Nov 1800, Athlone, Westmeath - DIED 13 Sep 1868, Roma, Lazio
GRAVE LOCATION Roma, Lazio: Cimitero Acattolico, Via Caio Cestio 6 (Zona Seconda, 16.20 (1558))

Rrichard Rothwell studied painting at Dublin Society's school from 1814 to 1820. He won a silver medal and in 1824 he became a member of the new Royal Hibernian Academy. He exhibited there from 1826 to 1829. Then he moved to London where be was a studio assistant to Thomas Lawrence and was successful as a portrait painter. After Lawrence's death in 1830 he completed several of his unfinished works.

From 1831 to 1834 he toured in Italy to study art. Back in Britain his popularity had faded, although he was able to exhibit his work in several countries. Under the influence of Benjamin Haydon he wanted to paint subject pictures, but these were not popular. In 1840 he painted Mary Shelley. He married Rosa Marshall in 1842 and had children with her. In 1847 he left London and settled at Rose Cottage in Willbrook near Dublin. In 1852 he returned to London.

He visited the USA in 1854 and 1855. In 1855 his pictures were exhibited there. After a long stay in Rome with his family they moved to Leamington in 1858. "The Student's Aspiration" was the last contribution to the Royal Academy in 1862. He left his family in Belfast and left for Brussels and Paris, where his work found more recognition than in the UK. He moved on to Rome, where he still hoped to become more famous. In 1868 he died there from a fever. The painter Joseph Severn arranged his funeral at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.

Related persons
• painted Huskisson, William
• has a connection with Severn, Joseph
• painted Shelley, Mary

Images

Portrait of Mary Shelley by Richard Rothwell.
(1841)

 

The grave of Richard Rothwell at the Cimitero Acattolico, Rome.
Picture by Androom (23 Jan 2010)

 

Sources
Richard Rothwell - Wikipedia
Richard Rothwell, Portrait and Subject Painter - Irish Artists


Rouart, Ernest

Published: 08 Sep 2019
Last update: 05 Mar 2023