Jeffrey Hamet O'Neal
Irish painter
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Jeffrey Hamet O'Neal, sometimes written Jefferyes Hammett O'Neale, (1734-1801) was an Irish miniature-painter, pottery painter, and satirical printmaker.
Jeffrey Hamet O'Neal | |
|---|---|
portrait by E. Miles c. 1790 | |
| Born | 1734 Ireland |
| Died | 1801 (aged 66–67) |
| Occupations | miniature and pottery painter |
Life
O'Neal was born in 1734,[1] possibly the son of a landowner in County Antrim. His name is occasionally spelt O'Neil. The lack of detail known on his life has been attributed to his "retiring personality and elusiveness".[2] He practised for many years in London as a miniature-painter, and exhibited occasionally with the Incorporated Society of Artists, of which he was a member, being one of the artists who signed the declaration roll in 1766. O'Neal is also stated to have painted landscapes and natural history.[3] He produced ‘Japan’ pieces for a printseller, Smith, in Cheapside.[4]
O'Neal also painted pottery, known as Chelsea porcelain,[5] for a factory in Worcester, living there between 1767 and 1768 and returning to London in March 1770.[6] However, some historians have questioned his direct employment at a Worcester factory, as such painters were generally not allowed to sign their work.[2] This work was described as "incorrect but very charming figure, animal and landscape subjects."[7] He primarily known for painting scenes from Fables of Aesop[8] by Samuel Croxall during the 1750s.[9] From 1750 to 1766, he appears to have lived at the same address as Thomas Bryand, one of the first manufacturers of porcelain in England.[2]
By the 1760s, O'Neal was designing pattern book sheets for Robert Sayer, Fleet Street. Sayer credited O'Neal on his work, indicating that he was well-known. He created numerous satirical prints with Sayer and others about events such as the resignation of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, in 1763.[10]
In 1772 he was living in Lawrence Street, Chelsea.[3] George Augustus Walpole described him as "the most capital painter in Ireland" in 1784.[2] He died in 1801.[1]
External links
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