Joseph Maiden (artist)

For the botanist, see Joseph Maiden.

Joseph Maiden (1813–1843) was an English painter of livestock and hunting scenes.

Early life

Maiden was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1813 to Henry Maiden, a coachman to Ellen Yates, widow of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet.[1] Maiden moved to Manchester to study under Charles Calvert, while his brother Joshua (also an artist) studied under Henry Calvert (no relation).[1][2] He became a painter of new breeds of animals—particularly horses and dogs—and he also captured scenes from a series of hunts across Lancashire.[1]

Career

Maiden made his debut in 1832 at the Royal Manchester Institution, where he showcased Horses in a Thunderstorm. In 1840, he returned to the Institution, exhibiting Alpine Mastiffs. The piece was well-received, including one critic who indicated that "few artists could paint a dog with more force and truth;” the critic predicted that Maiden would have a successful career. The following year, he showcased his best-known work, The Bury Hunt, which he completed in collaboration with his brother-in-law, Charles Agar. The piece was sold at a raffle in 1841 with a ticket price of one guinea franc.[1]

Though Maiden died in 1843, his work continued to be exhibited. In 1894, The Bury Hunt was shown at Bury Technical School, where it was described as "the most important local oil painting extant." The piece was sold in 1896 for 150 guinea francs.[1]

In 1852, pictures of several pieces were showcased at the Bury Athenaeum, and in 1857 several pictures were showcased at the Peel Park Local Art Exhibition.[1][3]

Personal life and death

Maiden married one of his patron's lady's maids. The couple settled in Manchester and had one child.[1]

He died from typhoid fever on 26 November 1843 in Manchester, at the age of 31.[4] Following his death, a group of fellow local artists in Lancashire, as well as the president of the Royal Academy, came together to raise funds to support his widow.[5] He is buried at St Luke's Church, Cheetham.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Gilbey, Sir Walter (1911). Animal Painters of England from the Year 1650: A Brief History of Their Lives and Works. Illustrated with Twenty-eight Specimens of Their Paintings, Chiefly from Wood Engravings by F. Babbage. Vol. 3. Vinton. pp. 179–186.
  2. ^ Child, Dennis (2002). Painters in the northern counties of England and Wales. Internet Archive. Leeds : Dennis Child. ISBN 978-0-9523247-1-3.
  3. ^ Heywood, Abel (1857). The Pictorial Guide to Manchester and Companion to the Art Treasures Exhibition. A. Heywood.
  4. ^ Axon, William Edward Armytage (1886). The Annals of Manchester: A Chronological Record from the Earliest Times to the End of 1885. J. Heywood, Deansgate and Ridgefield.
  5. ^ "Answer. Joseph Maiden, artist". The Manchester City News. 27 Jan 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 22 Oct 2023.


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