Hoppner, JOHN, R.A.

Hoppner, JOHN, R.A. (1759-1810), was born at Whitechapel of German parents. At first a chorister in the Chapel Royal, he entered the schools of the Royal Academy in 1775; and under the patronage of the Prince of Wales he became a fashionable portrait-painter and the rival of Lawrence. Elected A.R.A. in 1792 and R.A. in 1795, he has been called 'the plagiarist of Reynolds.' His paintings have suffered from his use of bad mediums; but his repute has risen, and in May 1896 a portrait by him fetched 1800 guineas.