Robert Home
Born in Hull to a surgeon father, his talents as an artist were first noticed and employed by his brother-in-law, Dr John Hunter for whom he made anatomical drawings. Through Hunter he was introduced to Angelica Kauffmann RA (1741 -1807) who encouraged his talents. In 1770 and again in 1771 he submitted to the Royal Academy exhibition. Kauffmann's influence resulted in a trip to Rome following which Home returned to London and established himself as a portrait painter. Competition there led him to Dublin in 1779 where he established a large and fashionable practice and married Susanna Delane, daughter of Solomon Delane. www.whytes.ie Among his commissions in Dublin were eight portraits for Trinity College. Those depicted included Queen Elizabeth, Dean Swift and Henry Grattan (the latter done from life). He returned to London in 1789. He relocated to India the following year, the same year his wife Susanna died. During his time abroad he continued to submit work to the RA. In 1814 he accepted an appointment at the Court of Oude at Lucknow, as Historical and Portrait Painter to the Nawab, Asafud Daula. This resulted in an abundance of commissions. He married again in 1796 to Alice Patterson (d.1817). Home resigned from the role aged 73 years. He died in Cawnpore in 1834. For further reading and an extensive list of his sitters see Strickland Vol. I, p.500-508" www.whytes.ie