Jonathan Spilsbury
(baptised 1737-1812), Printmaker and portrait painterArtist associated with 52 portraits
Jonathan Spilsbury was the elder brother of printmaker John Spilsbury, and the brothers' careers were closely connected. From 1750 to 1757, Spilsbury was apprenticed to his cousin George Spilsbury of Birmingham. He then moved to London where he established himself as a painter of portraits in oils, watercolour and chalk, and as a printmaker. Spilsbury worked chiefly in mezzotint but also used etching, dry point and stipple techniques. He exhibited three works at the Society of Artists between 1763 and 1771, and thirteen paintings at the Royal Academy between 1776 and 1784. From 1763 until 1769, he worked from his brother John's shop in Covent Garden; his brother frequently acted as his publisher.
Related People
- John Spilsbury (brother)
- (Rebecca) Maria Ann ('Mary') Spilsbury (later Taylor) (daughter)
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.