John Opie

John Opie was discovered and patroned by John Wolcot 

John Opie was born on 16 May 1761 in Harmony Cottage, Trevellas between St Agnes and Perranporth in Cornwall. The youngest of five children of a master carpenter demonstrated a pronounced talent for drawing and mathematics at an early age, had mastered the teachings of Euclid by the age of 12 and was giving lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic to other children from socially deprived backgrounds. The local doctor and satirist John Wolcot (1738-1819), known under the pseudonym Peter Pindar, became aware of John Opie’s special talent during a visit to the sawmill and encouraged the boy, even though Opie’s father would have preferred his son to follow in his footsteps. Wolcot took Opie into his house in Truro and provided a comprehensive education. He encouraged the boy to pursue a career as an artist and provided him with his first commissions. 

Meteoric rise to celebrated artist in London

In 1871, John Opie followed his mentor Wolcot to London. Although the young artist had already garnered great experience as a portraitist by that time, Walcot slyly presented his ward as a divinely gifted child prodigy from Cornwall and presented him to important personalities of the art scene such as the painter Joshua Reynolds (1732-1792), who was lulled into writing a eulogy and somewhat hastily placed John Opie in line with Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Diego Velázquez (1599-1660). The profits from this clever marketing strategy were divided between artist and agent, until Opie wished to stand on his own two feet, which resulted in a falling out. Opie subsequently created a portrait of the English painter Mary Delaney (1700-1788) for King George III and was also commissioned to paint various royal ladies-in-waiting. Opie’s residence was the centrepoint of all those of status and name in London, and was the focus of social gossip. He exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts for the first time in 1782 and married Mary Bunn, who soon left him. 

History painting brought fame and recognition

John Opie felt compelled to expand his painting skills when interest in his art waned as suddenly as it had blossomed. He intensified his education and polished his manners, and turned increasingly to history painting. He was able to build on his early success with his paintings Assassination of James I and Murder of Rizzio, was accepted into the Royal Academy, painted five scenes for John Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery (1719-1804), and went on to oscillate between portrait and history painting. In 1798, John Opie married his second wife, the writer and abolitionist Amelia Alderson (1769-1853), who, as Amelia Opie, lobbied the British Parliament for the abolition of slavery. 

John Opie died in Westminster on 9 April 1807.