Born at Dalton-in-Furness, George Romney began his career in Kendal as the apprentice to local portrait painter, Christopher Steele, but soon rose from his provincial roots to become one of the most fashionable portrait painters of his time. After achieving early success in Kendal, he decided to pursue his career in London and in 1762 he left his family behind to seek his fortune in the capital.<\/p>\n
Romney\u2019s painting shows William Hayley, an immensely popular poet in his day, sitting at the table with his hand on Cicero\u2019s \u2018Essay on Friendship\u2019. To his left is his son, Thomas (or Tom) holding a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts \u2013 Tom was at the time apprenticed to the celebrated neo-classical sculptor John Flaxman. William Hayley was introduced to Romney by the painter Jeremiah Meyer and his son, William, is shown at the far left of the painting in his Trinity College gown. The last of the four friends is Romney himself, peeking out from the shadows at the far right of the picture.<\/p>\n
Born at Dalton-in-Furness, George Romney began his career in Kendal as the apprentice to local portrait painter, Christopher Steele, but soon rose from his provincial roots to become one of the most fashionable portrait painters of his time. After achieving early success in Kendal, he decided to pursue his career in London and in 1762 … Continue reading The Four Friends<\/span> ![\"Sponsored](\"https:\/\/vangoyourself.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Sponsored-with-love-by-Anders-Sundners-Lovlie-copy.jpg\")
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