The Life and Origins of Robert Burnard

Robert Burnard was a Cornish painter born in Laneast. His beginnings were rooted in a family that included his parents, Elizabeth Westlake Burnard and Richard Parnell Burnard. The exact timing of his arrival is difficult to pin down, as records suggest he was born in either 1799 or 1800.

His hands were used to many different subjects. He did not limit himself to the faces of people, but spent his time painting houses as well as portraits. This variety in his work shows a man accustomed to looking closely at the structures and people that make up a landscape.

Emigration and Later Years in Australia

In 1840, Burnard left his home in the United Kingdom and emigrated to Australia. This move marked a significant shift in his life, separating him from the English circles where his earlier portraiture had been established. His presence in the new territory coincided with a period of transition that remains somewhat obscured by the passage of time.

The details surrounding his final years are difficult to pin down. There is a lack of certainty regarding exactly when he passed away. Some records suggest he was gone by 1847, noting he was "departed" in a South Australian Register article. However, other sources offer a different timeline, listing his death as 13 April 1876 in Adelaide. This discrepancy makes it hard to trace his final movements or the full extent of his activity in Australia.

Key Works and Notable Paintings

The most certain link to Burnard's English period is the 1833 oil painting, John Gubbins Newton and His Sister, Mary Newton. This full-length portrait captures the children of John and Charity Newton. In the work, seven-year-old John Gubbins Newton sits upon a horse, while his sister, Mary, stands beside him. The painting was only identified as his work after it was cleaned, which revealed a signature in ochre paint tucked into the foliage in the upper left corner.

This specific piece remains the only known English painting from before his move to Australia that can be attributed to him with certainty. It is held at the Yale Center for British Art as part of the Paul Mellon Collection. The work presents a formal look at the siblings, showing them in a setting that includes a dog and various elements of period costume.