James Sant (1820–1916) was one of the most eminent English painters of the Victorian era, specialising in portraiture and known particularly for images of aristocratic women and children,
Biography
Sant was born in
Croydon, Surrey, England, on 23 April 1820. He was taught first by the watercolourist John Varley, then by Sir A. Callcott RA,
then from the age of twenty was taught by the Royal Academy Schools.
He lived to the age of 96 and exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery as well as producing nearly three hundred canvases for exhibition at the Academy. The first of these, a portrait of his father, William Sant,
In 1851 he married Elizabeth (Eliza) Thomson, daughter of Dr R.M.M. Thomson, a surgeon and member of the Agri Horticultural Society of India,
His 1853 picture of The Infant Samuel was his first popular success, and engravings of this by Samuel Cousins and of Little Red Riding Hood and The Soul's Awakening sold in great numbers.
In 1861, twenty-two portraits of friends and relatives of Frances, Lady Waldegrave, known as the Strawberry Hill Collection, were exhibited by Ernest Gambart at his French Gallery in Pall Mall and at the Paris Salon. This enhanced his reputation, and he was elected ARA and later RA; in 1871 he was appointed Principal Painter in Ordinary (official portraitist) to Queen Victoria, having become known for his portraits of the royal children and in particular his 1870 Portrait of Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice.
Sant is best known for his portraits, particularly of aristocratic women and of children; he was "the emperor of children", in the words of the Athenaeum. Nevertheless, many of his pictures were landscapes and particularly gardens; he also painted seascapes, landscapes with animals, and other subjects, including The Wish Tower,
He became a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1914 and resigned from the RA in the same year to "make room for younger men". He died in Lancaster Gate, London, on 12 July 1916. His work can be found at the National Gallery, Tate and the National Portrait Gallery in London.
At auction, Sant's work can achieve hundreds of pounds sterling or hundreds of thousands of pounds depending on size, quality and subject matter.
His The Schoolmaster's Daughter (1870) and Miss Martineau's Garden (1873) are illustrated in Victorian Painters by Jeremy Maas;
Sant's work can also be seen at the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and the Yale Center for British Art.
Family
Sant's brother, George Sant RBA (Royal Society of British Artists) (1821–1877), was a landscape painter, and the two brothers occasionally collaborated on paintings. Both James and George Sant were among the notable artist acquaintances of Charles Dodgson (
Lewis Carroll); James Sant, his daughter Sarah Fanny
and son Jemmy were the subjects of photographic studies by Dodgson.
His sister, Sarah Sherwood Clarke (1825–1906), was also an accomplished artist but all that is presently known of her work is a collection of 48 different views of Scotland from 1854;
Gallery
File:Captain Colin Mackenzie.jpg| Capt. Colin Mackenzie, Madras Army, lately a hostage in Caubool, in his Affghan Dress, c.1842 (National Army Museum Sandhurst, Indian Army Memorial Room)
File:James Sant Selbstporträt 1844.jpg| Self-Portrait, 1844
(National Portrait Gallery, London)
File:James Sant - The Fairy Tale - Google Art Project.jpg| Fairy Tale, c.1845-1870
(Walker Art Gallery)
@Google Arts & Culture
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Wigram Money (1784–1856), Bengal Civil Service - F1052 - British Library.jpg| Wigram Money, Bengal Civil Service, c.1840-1845 British Library
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Ernest Augusutus, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (1791–1861) - Plymm.047 - Mount Edgcumbe House.jpg| Ernest Edgcumbe, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, c.1847 (Mount Edgcumbe House)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Ernest Augusutus, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (1791–1861), in Peers Robes - Plymm.046 - Mount Edgcumbe House.jpg| Ernest Edgcumbe,3rd Earl of Edgcumbe, in Peers Robes, c.1847 (Mount Edgcumbe House)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Caroline, 3rd Countess of Mount Edgcumbe (1808–1881) with Her Two Youngest Children, Charles and Ernestine - Plymm.048 - Mount Edgcumbe House.jpg| Caroline, 3rd Countess of Mount Edgcumbe with her Children, c.1847 (Mount Edgcumbe House)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Wild Flowers - OP402 - Wolverhampton Art Gallery.jpg| Wild Flowers, 1849
(Wolverhampton Art Gallery)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Richard Berens (1781–1849) - ASC-011 - All Souls College.jpg| The Bursar (Richard Berens), 1849,
commissioned by (All Souls College, Oxford)
File:James Sant Astronomy.jpg| Astronomy, 1850
(Private Collection)
File:Anne Warburton, died 1876.jpg| Anne Warburton, c.1850,
(National Library of Wales)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - John Singleton Copley, Baron Lyndhurst (1772–1863), Lord Chancellor - 316 - Government Art Collection.jpg| John Singleton Copley, Baron Lyndhurst, Lord Chancellor (Government Art Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Sentiment - P602 - The Wallace Collection.jpg| Sentiment, 1852
(The Wallace Collection)
File:James Sant Frau und Tochter.jpg| Maternity
Portrait of the artist's wife Elizabeth and daughter, 1852
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Frances Talbot (1782–1857), Countess of Morley - 872271 - National Trust.jpg| Countess of Morley, c.1852
(National Trust)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Infant Samuel - 0104-1901 - Bury Art Museum.jpg| The Infant Samuel, 1853
(Bury Art Museum)
File:James Sant - The Novice.jpg| The Novice, 1856
(Harris Museum)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Princess Helena (1846-1923) ^ Princess Louise (1848-1939) - RCIN 402508 - Royal Collection.jpg| Princess Helena and Princess Luise, 1857
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Enigma - 484 - Southampton City Art Gallery.jpg| Enigma
(Southampton City Art Gallery)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Contemplations - SOPAG-565 - The Atkinson.jpg| Contemplations (Atkinson Art Gallery and Library)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Thought Folded Over - DONMG , 774.77 - Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.jpg| Thought Folded Over
(Danum Gallery, Library and Museum)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800–1870), Diplomat - 317 - Government Art Collection.jpg| George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (Government Art Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Bride - VIS.605 - Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust.jpg| The Bride (Sheffield Museums Trust)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - A Lady - 1391 - Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.jpg| Portrait of a Lady
(Glasgow Museums)
File:Sant-Ophelia.jpg| Ophelia
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Student ('Lo^ Where the stripling, wrapt in wonder roves') - DUNUC ARTS-136 - University of Dundee Fine Art Collections.jpg| The Student
University of Dundee Fine Art Collections) (Government Art Collection)
File:James Sant Russell sisters.jpg| The Russell Sisters, 1858
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Henri, duc d'Aumale (1822-1897) - RCIN 405450 - Royal Collection.jpg| Prince Henri, Duke of Aumale, c.1848-1860
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Marie Caroline, duchesse d' Aumale (1822-1869) - RCIN 405451 - Royal Collection.jpg| Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, c.1848-1860
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Bride of Abydos - 11979 - Government Art Collection.jpg| The Bride of Abydos
(Government Art Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The First Sense of Sorrow - 53 - Touchstones Rochdale.jpg| The First Sense of Sorrow, 1862
(Touchstones Rochdale)
File:James Sant, Mary Fothergill and her children Richard and Mary c. 1864.jpg| Mary Fothergill and her children Richard and Mary of Lowbridge House, c.1864
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Archibald Campbell Tait - NPG 4580 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg| Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury, c.1865
(National Portrait Gallery, London)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Duet - N04856 - National Gallery.jpg| The Duet
(Tate Britain)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Prince Leopold (1853-1884) - RCIN 404258 - Royal Collection.jpg| Prince Leopold, 1869
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Princess Beatrice (1857-1944), later Princess Henry of Battenberg - RCIN 404297 - Royal Collection.jpg| Princess Beatrice, later Princess Henry of Battenberg, 1869
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Schoolmaster's Daughter - 03-1317 - Royal Academy of Arts.jpg| The Schoolmaster's Daughter , 1870
(Royal Academy)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Prince Albert Victor of Wales (1864-1892) - RCIN 404996 - Royal Collection.jpg| Prince Albert Victor of Wales, 1871
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Queen Victoria with three grandchildren - RCIN 406763 - Royal Collection.jpg| Queen Victoria, 1872
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Princess Louise of Wales (1867-1931) - RCIN 404995 - Royal Collection.jpg| Princess Louise of Wales, 1872
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Prince Ernest of Hesse (1868-1937) - RCIN 400773 - Royal Collection.jpg| Prince Ernest of Hesse, c.1872
(Royal Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Major Dennistoun as a Boy - 3437 - Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.jpg| Major Dennistoun as a Boy, 1873
(Glasgow Museums)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Miss Martineau's Garden - N03671 - National Gallery.jpg| Miss Martineau's Garden, 1873
Tate
File:James Sant the children of major h. barrett of moredon, taunton.jpg| The Children of Major Barrett, of Moredon, Taunton, 1875
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Walker Sisters - 0666-1955 - Bury Art Museum.jpg| The Walker Sisters, c.1875
(Bury Art Museum)
File:The Royal Portrait of H.M. Queen Victoria.png| Queen Victoria, 1876
(Palace of Westminster)
File:Spencer-churchills.jpg| Lord Almeric Athelstan and Lady Clementina, the Children of George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, 1876
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - A Young Child - RCIN 401322 - Royal Collection.jpg| A Young Child
(Royal Collection)
File:Frances Bushby.jpg| Lady Frances Bushby, née Lady Frances North, daughter of Francis North, 6th Earl of Guilford, 1879
File:Misses Wilson by James Sant.jpg| Susannah Holford, 1880 (Royal Academy Exhibition of 1881)
File:Sant-Lesbia.jpg| Lesbia, c.1881
(Art Gallery of New South Wales)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Ida (c.1863–1941), and Ethel (c.1863–1888), Twin Daughters of J. Searlight, Esq. - BORGM 01930 - Russell-Cotes Art Gallery ^ Museum.jpg| Ida and Ethel, Twin Daughters of J. Searlight, Esq., 1884
(Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Adelina Patti - NPG 3625 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg| Adeline Patti, 1886
(National Portrait Gallery)
On display at The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, Canterbury
File:Sant-Thorn.jpg| A Thorn Amidst the Roses, 1887
(Manchester Art Gallery)
File:The Soul's Awakening.jpg| The Soul's Awakening, 1888
(Victoria & Albert Museum)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Sterne's Maria - WAG 297 - Sudley House.jpg| Sterne's Maria, c.1889 (Sudley House)
File:James Sant - Courage, Anxiety and Despair - Watching the Battle.jpg| Courage, Anxiety and Despair: Watching the Battle
(Private Collection)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Infant Timothy - 0105-1901 - Bury Art Museum.jpg| The Infant Timothy
(Bury Art Museum)
File:James Sant - Rosalind.jpg| Rosalind
Tate
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - A Pastoral - 06-4389 - Royal Academy of Arts.jpg| A Pastoral, 1892
(Royal Academy)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - The Honourable Arthur Victor Agar-Robartes (1887–1974), and the Honourable Edith Violet Kathleen Agar-Robartes (1888–1965), as Children - 884932 - National Trust.jpg| Arthur Agar-Robartes, 8th Viscount Clifden with his sister Edith, 1893 (National Trust)
File:Colonel Mount Batten.jpg| Colonel Batten, C.B.
c.1895
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - St Helena, the Last Phase - 1198 - Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.jpg| ; commissioned by Lord Rosebery, c.1895 (Glasgow Museums)
File:James Sant Julie Gollan.jpg| Julie Gollan, daughter of Spencer Gollan, 1898
(Harris Museum & Art Gallery)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Dame Emily Frances Smyth - K907 - Bristol City Museum ^ Art Gallery.jpg| Ashton Court, c.1900
(Bristol Museum & Art Gallery)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - At the Opera - AH 231-63 - Abbot Hall Art Gallery.jpg| At the Opera, 1900
(Abbot Hall Art Gallery)
File:Linnean Society of London First Formal Admission of Women Fellows.jpg| , 1906
(Linnean Society of London)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Meditation - VIS.282 - Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust.jpg| Meditation
(Sheffield Museums Trust)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Contemplation - 0103-1901 - Bury Art Museum.jpg| Contemplation
(Bury Art Museum)
File:James Sant (1820-1916) - Self Portrait - 03-649 - Royal Academy of Arts.jpg| Self-portrait, 1916
(Royal Academy)
Legacy and offices
Sources
External links
