Philip James de Loutherbourg, RA (born Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg; 31 October 174011 March 1812) was a French-born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invention of a mechanical theatre called the "Eidophusikon". He also had an interest in faith-healing and the occult, and was a companion of the confidence-trickster Alessandro Cagliostro.

Early life

thumb|The [[Battle of Camperdown (1799)]]

thumb|Landscape with cows, [[Wilanów Palace, Warsaw]]

thumb|[[Battle of Maida. Engraving based on Loutherbourg's painting.]]

Loutherbourg was born in Strasbourg in 1740, the son of a Swiss miniature painter. Intended for the Lutheran ministry, he was educated at the University of Strasbourg.

Paris

Rejecting a religious calling, Loutherbourg decided to become a painter, and in 1755 placed himself under Charles-André van Loo in Paris, and later under Francesco Giuseppe Casanova. His talent developed rapidly, and he became a figure in the fashionable society of the day. He first exhibited at the Salon of 1763 where his Landscape with Figures and Animals attracted praise from Denis Diderot. He followed this up with further success at the Salon of 1765 with two paintings including Morning After the Rain. In 1767 he was elected to the French Academy, although below the age required by the rules of the institution, and painted landscapes, sea storms, and battles, all of which work had a celebrity above those of the specialists then working in Paris. He made his debut with the exhibition of twelve pictures, including Storm at Sunset, Night, and Morning after Rain. He continued to work at the theatre until 1785.

He was made a member of the Royal Academy in 1781.

Publications

Two sets of drawings by de Loutherbourg were published, reproduced in aquatint, under the title Picturesque English Scenery in 1801 and 1805. He also contributed illustrations to a Bible published by Thomas Macklin in 1800. After his death Cadell and Davies published a volume of the Apocrypha. All 110 of his drawings for the vignettes (but not the Apocrypha) are pasted in the Bowyer Bible in Bolton Museum in Greater Manchester.

Esoteric interests

In 1789 Loutherbourg temporarily gave up painting, in order to pursue an interest in alchemy and the supernatural.

Death

Loutherbourg died in Chiswick in west London in 1812.

There are paintings by him in the collections of many British institutions including Tate Britain, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy of Art, Leicester, Farnham and Derby Art Gallery.

Loutherbourg was buried in Chiswick Old Cemetery, adjoining the graveyard of St Nicholas Church, Chiswick. Buried nearby are the artists William Hogarth and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

Further reading

  • Burden, Michael. "The Making and Marketing of the Georgian Apotheosis: Carter, Strange, Rebecca, Tresham, and de Loutherbourg". The British Art Journal, 22/1 (2021) pp. 10–17.
  • Joppier, Rudiger (1973). Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, R.A., 1740-1812. London: Greater London Council.
  • Dobson, Austin. At Prior Park and Other Papers. London: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, 1923. Print.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">

File:Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg - Landscape with Figures and Animals - Google Art Project.jpg|Landscape with Figures and Animals, 1763

File:Loutherbourg-Un navire maltais attaqué par des pirates algériens.jpg|Maltese Ship Attacked by Algerian Pirates, 1765

File:Morning After the Rain.png|Morning After the Rain, 1765

File:Philippe-Jacques Loutherbourg - Musée des Bx-Arts Strasbourg-Troupeau.jpg|Landscape with Animals, 1767

File:Loutherbourg-La Mangeuse de cerises.jpg|The Cherry Eater, 1771

File:Loutherbourg-La Petite Laitière.jpg|The Little Milkmaid, 1771

File:Loutherbourg paysage clair lune mba mb.jpg|Moonlight, 1777

File:Philipp Jakob de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - Warley Camp, The Review - RCIN 406349 - Royal Collection.jpg|Warley Camp, 1780

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - A Cottage in Patterdale, Westmoreland - 2525 - Government Art Collection.jpg|A Cottage in Patterdale, Westmoreland, 1783

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - Dovedale in Derbyshire - YORAG , 995 - York Art Gallery.jpg|Dovedale in Derbyshire, 1784

File:Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg - A View near Matlock, Derbyshire with Figures Working beneath a Wooden Conveyor - Google Art Project.jpg|A View near Matlock, Derbyshire, 1785

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - A River Scene with a Ferry - L.F4.1882.0.0 - Leicester Museum ^ Art Gallery.jpg|A River Scene with a Ferry, 1786

File:Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg - Snowdon from Capel Curig - Google Art Project.jpg|Snowdon from Capel Curig, 1787

File:Philippe J De Loutherbourg - Hampstead Heath, Summer - 1885P2589 - Birmingham Museums Trust.jpg|Hampstead Heath, Summer, 1787

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg - The Falls of the Rhine at Schaffhausen.jpg|The Falls of the Rhine at Schaffhausen, 1788

File:Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg - Visitor to a Moonlit Churchyard - Google Art Project.jpg|Visitor to a Moonlit Churchyard, 1790

File:Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, II - The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army - 1991.5 - Art Institute of Chicago.jpg|The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army, 1792

File:The Shipwreck (Loutherbourg).png|The Shipwreck, 1793

File:The Grand Attack on Valenciennes.png|The Grand Attack on Valenciennes, 1794

File:Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg - The Great Fire of London - Google Art Project.jpg|The Great Fire of London, 1797

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - A Distant Hail-Storm Coming On, and the March of Soldiers with their Baggage - N05389 - National Gallery.jpg|A Distant Hail-Storm Coming On, 1799

File:Phillip James De Loutherbourg - The Battle of Camperdown - Google Art Project.jpg|The Battle of Camperdown, 1799

File:Phillip James De Loutherbourg - The Battle of the Nile - Google Art Project.jpg|The Battle of the Nile, 1800

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - A Fishing Boat Brought Ashore near Conway Castle - BHC2496 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg|A Fishing Boat Brought Ashore near Conway Castle, 1800

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg - The Battle of Alexandria, 21 March 1801 - Google Art Project.jpg|The Battle of Alexandria, 1802

File:The landing of British troops at Aboukir, 8 March 1801 (1802).jpg|The Landing of British Troops at Aboukir, 1802

File:Philip James de (1740 1812) Loutherbourg - The Cutting-Out of the French Corvette La Chevrette.jpg|The Cutting-Out of the French corvette La Chevrette, 1802

Image:Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg d. J. 003.jpg|An Avalanche in the Alps, 1803

File:Philipp Jakob de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - Banditti in a Landscape - RCIN 400217 - Royal Collection.jpg|Banditti in a Landscape, 1804

File:Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - Storm and Avalanche near the Scheidegg in the Valley of Lauterbrunnen - 486258 - National Trust.jpg|Storm and Avalanche near the Scheidegg in the Valley of Lauterbrunnen, 1804

File:Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg - The Evening Coach, London in the Distance - Google Art Project.jpg|The Evening Coach, 1805

File:Loutherbourg-L'Abbaye de Tintern, sur la rivière Wye.jpg|The River Wye at Tintern Abbey, 1805

File:Loutherbourg-Richard Coeur de Lion à la bataille de Saint-Jean d'Acre.jpg|Richard the Lionheart at Saint-Jean d'Acre, 1807

Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg.jpg|Self portrait, 1805–10

</gallery>

References

  • Adventures in Cybersound: Philippe Jacques de Loutherberg