John Rogers Herbert 1810-1890
Helen Agatha Herbert married Thomas Rawson
Froes - this is the link to the Herbert Family. One of the King
Lear pictures was at the family home - Ditchfield Road for
quite a number of years - but has now badly disintigrated -
John Rogers Herbert was born at Malden in
Essex on 23rd Jan 1810. He came to London in 1826 and was
admitted as a Student at the Royal Academy. His first pictures
were mainly portraits , one of the first being exhibited at the
British Museum. A visit ti Italy induced him to paint
numerous from the history of that country.
About 1840 he
became a member of the Roman Catholic Church - also for some
time John held the appointment of Head Master in the School of
Design at Somerset House. In 1841 he became an Associate of the
Royal Academy , and was created R.A in 1846. In that year he
exhibited paintings in the vestibule of the House of Lords and
subsequently to paint a series of nine subjects illustrating
“Human Justice” for the Peer’s Robing
Room . In the Poet’s Hall of the Houses of Parliament he
was appointed to paint subjects from “King Lear”
which subsequently were fast decaying. Several drawings are
exhibited in the South Kensington Museum. All of his pictures
are the fruit of long study and most careful workmanship. He is
said to have cut out portions of his “Lear” picture
five times before he was satisfied with the result attained.
(from The History of The Royal
Academy)
Described by an apparent early critic
viewing it at an exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1878, as a
"sublime conception of one of the most stirring events of
sacred history," John Rogers Herbert RA's (1810-1890)
David the Future King of Israel while a Shepherd in Bethlehem,
is estimated to bring $50/70,000. This definitive oil version
of the composition is among the Maldon born artist's most important and
evocative works.
