Charles Shirreff

Place: None

Death: 1829

Biography:

Early Life and Education

, a deaf Scottish painter, specializing in portrait miniatures, was born in either 1749 or 1750. His father, Alexander Shirreff, was a wealthy wine merchant of South Leith in Edinburgh. At the age of three or four, Shirreff became deaf and mute. In 1760, his father approached Thomas Braidwood, owner of a school of mathematics in Edinburgh, seeking an education for the boy, then ten years old, in the hope that he could be taught to write.

Career Highlights

* At the age of 18, in August 1769, Shirreff left Braidwood's Academy to study art in London at the Royal Academy Schools. He graduated in 1772 with a silver medal, and took up a career as a miniaturist. * Notable associations with artists include Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Dance the younger, and Richard Cosway. * Shirreff successfully exhibited oil paintings, pastels, and pencil drawings at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1771, and at the Free Society of Artists from 1770 until 1773.

Notable Works and Associations

• Portrait Miniatures: Shirreff's specialty, which showcased his exceptional skill in capturing the essence of his subjects.
• Association with The National Trust for Scotland Montrose, a significant cultural institution in Scotland, where some of Shirreff's works are showcased.
• Exhibitions at La Galleria Nazionale di Moderne Arti Scozzesi nel Regno Unito, a prominent art gallery in Scotland.

Legacy and Later Life

* Charles Shirreff applied to go to India in 1778, stating in his application to the East India Company that he had no speech but was able to make himself understood by signs. * He returned from India in 1808 or 1809 and continued working in London until his death in 1829.

• View similar artists on Wikioo.org: Sir David Wilkie
• Read more about Charles Shirreff on Wikipedia: Charles Shirreff (painter)