Rue des Fontenelles has dated this piece to the 18th Century.
Francis Wheatley trained at William Shipley's Academy in London. In 1762, 1763 and 1765 he won prizes for drawing from the Society of Artists, and in 1769 he enrolled in the newly established Royal Academy Schools. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Artists in 1770 and became a director in 1774.
Wheatley was born at Wild Court, Covent Garden, London, the son of a master tailor. He studied at William Shipley's drawing school and the Royal Academy, and won several prizes from the Society of Arts. He assisted in the decoration of Vauxhall, and aided John Hamilton Mortimer in painting a ceiling for Lord Melbourne at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.
He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1778, built up a good practice and was praised by the critics. He then fell in with extravagant company and was forced to flee his creditors: so he eloped to Ireland with Elizabeth Gresse, wife of a fellow artist John Alexander Gresse.
Whilst in Ireland he established himself as a portrait painter, however, once the circumstances of his private live were revealed he returned to London where he painted small landscapes, portraits, or street scenes. He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1790, and an academician in the following year.
Dimensions 79 x 64 cms including frame
Rue des Fontenelles has dated this piece to the 18th Century.
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The Shooting Party - Antique Oil Painting
