A beautiful and sensitively painted half-length portrait painting of a young woman holding a tray of fruit by John Robert Dicksee. The woman is posed in a panelled room as if having just emerged from a darkened entrance and walking towards the light of an unseen window, with her head turned to look directly out towards the viewer. She is depicted wearing a turquoise blue gown with lace edged sleeves and an orange beaded necklace illuminated by the light from the window. On the tray can be seen peaches and grapes, a wine flagon and two green glass goblets indicating she has guests. However, a black ribbon bracelet on her wrist appears in stark contrast to the light tones of her dress, suggesting she has not long come out of a mourning period.

John Robert Dicksee was born John Robert Cox on 25 Mar 1817 in Soho, London to Richard Cox and Margaret Badger. He came from an artistic family; his brother Thomas Francis Dicksee (1819-1895), nephew Sir Frank Dicksee (1853-1928), niece Margaret Isabel Dicksee (1858-1903) and his son Herbert Thomas Dicksee (1862-1942) were all artists. His father Richard reportedly had to change his name when he was press-ganged into the Navy along with his brother in 1807 and both later deserted. They used his nickname as their surname to hide themselves and worked as boot closers in secret until the amnesty in 1815. Although free to use his birth name he decided to change the family name to Dicksee. After 1819, the family moved from Soho to 27 Howland Street.

John and his brother showed an early talent for art and both studied under H. P. Briggs. John initially worked as a lithographer before setting up a studio with Thomas around 1842 at 53 Old Compton Street, where they established reputations as portrait painters. He began exhibiting at the Royal Academy from 1850, at the British Institute from 1852 and in 1857 made his debut at the Royal Society of British Artists. His success won him commissions for portraits of notable figures such as John Laird Mair, Viceroy of India, Sir Henry Edmund Knight, Warren Stormes, Founder of the City of London School and James WC Pennington. He also produced many portraits of elegantly dressed women, such as this fine example.

From 1852, he worked as drawing master at the City of London School and became the first curator of the works of art for the Corporation of the City of London. He married Mary Ann Bernard on 16 August 1855, at St Pauls Church Hammersmith and together lived at the family home in Howland Street where they started a family. As well as their son Herbert, one of their daughters Amy Mary (1857-1883) also studied art. He wrote a book on perspective in art ‘The School Perspective’, which was published in 1859 and in 1865 he was given the Freedom of the City for his work and contribution to the City.

From 1874, he had lived in 6 Fitzroy Square in Marylebone, later moving to 87, Canfield Gardens in Hampstead during the late 1880’s after the death of his wife. By 1900 he was living with his architect son Bernard and his family at Sheraton House, Platt’s Lane in Hampstead. Dicksee remained as drawing master at the City of London School until 1897 when his son Herbert took over. He also continued exhibiting right up until the year of his death. He died at his home in Platt’s Lane on 20 Sep, 1905 and was buried at St Mary’s cemetery in Barnes.

Examples of his paintings are held by public art collections including the Armagh County Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Brighton & Hove Museums, Guildhall Art Gallery, National Museum Cardiff, Salford Museum, Stoke Newington Town Hall, Victoria & Albert, Victoria Art Gallery Bath and West Northamptonshire Council.

© Benton Fine Art