Exactly 200 years ago this year, Julia Pentreath of Mousehole (wife of the schoolmaster and Parish Clerk, Richard Pentreath) gave birth to a son who became one of the most accomplished artists of his generation: Richard Thomas Pentreath.
This Christmas, in honour of Pentreath’s bicentenary, Penlee House is holding what is believed to be the first major retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work since 1884, seeking to bring back recognition for his substantial talent.
The exhibition includes examples of his work in all media and covering all his subjects, and will come as a revelation to all but his most ardent admirers. His oil paintings and watercolours record, with elegant composition, the details of life in and around Penzance in the mid-Victorian era, while his pastels, few of which have been seen publicly for over a century, have an astonishing freshness and vitality.
R. T. Pentreath’s painting career had a humble start, working at first as a sign writer, but he soon began painting portraits, quickly becoming recognised for producing good likenesses.Today, Pentreath is best known for his lithographic prints, an early series of which was published by Vibert of Penzance in 1829. He produced prints throughout his career, ranging from the very popular set of views of Devon and Cornwall published by Besley of Exeter, to large-scale prints, such as his famous depiction of Queen Victoria’s visit to St Michael’s Mount in 1846.
Although the multiplicity and affordability of prints has meant that it is the medium in which most people will have encountered Pentreath, he was a master of a wide range of media, including oils, watercolours and pastels. In his day, he was greatly acclaimed for his paintings, although there was no consensus as to whether he was best at portraits or landscapes, since he excelled in both subjects.
Pentreath was not only honoured in his lifetime, his influence extended for several decades. In January 1884, fifteen years after Pentreath’s death, the Penzance Fine Art Exhibition was dedicated to his memory, and although the show included works by Walter Langley, Henry Scott Tuke, Percy Craft and many others, it was dominated by Pentreath, incorporating over 100 of the artist’s works.
