William Dobson is the greatest painter England has had so far - this is how the philosopher and writer John Aubrey judged his contemporary. Even more than 350 years later, this is a statement that more than does justice to the work and life of the artist.
For William Dobson, the path to becoming an artist was not necessarily straight. For the son of a rather conservative lawyer, the desire to become an artist was anything but appropriate. If his father had been a little more serious and earnest, it probably wouldn't have worked either. But the father cultivated a standard of living far beyond his means. When William Dobson was 14 years old, the family was financially ruined and the young man had to provide for his own livelihood. He began an apprenticeship with a poster painter - today one would say with a commercial artist. He also learned about the commercial side of the business and acquired knowledge of the art trade. At the age of 21 Dobson changed profession and started working for the German artist Francis Cleyn. Cleyn had previously worked at the Danish royal court and had subsequently established himself as a successful tapestry designer in London. During this time Dobson had the great privilege of gaining access to the royal collection of paintings. It was an experience that had a decisive influence on his artistic development. Without the direct contact with works of Tizian, Tintoretto or Paolo Veronese, Dobson would probably not have been able to find his typical painting style. The choice of colours, their texture and the way they are applied are strongly reminiscent of Italian and especially Venetian painting.
In the turmoil of the English Civil War between 1642 and 1649, William Dobson was sent to the university town of Oxford. He moved to a studio in St. Johns College, where he earned his money with portrait painting. He painted an unusually large number of pictures of employees of the court and the university, he portrayed poets and philosophers, politicians and foreign diplomats. He preferred to paint the officers and followers of the royal "Cavaliers". The pictures from this eventful period are among the most magnificent works of the English Baroque. Since William was a fervent supporter of the monarchy and King Charles I, the victory of the "Roundheads", the parliamentarians, became a big problem for him. He lost all his privileges and his fortune. For a short time he even had to go to prison. In his far too short life, which lasted only 35 years, William Dobson was married twice. His first wife Elisabeth died early, his second wife Judith survived him for many years.
Of the artist's extensive oeuvre, only about sixty pictures have survived the ages. They are scattered all over England and hang at the National Gallery of Scotland, the Tate Gallery, Queens House in Greenwich and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, among others. Some are privately owned and adorn the prestigious halls of English country houses.
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_c1643_-_(MeisterDrucke-555143).jpg "Portrait of John, 1st Lord Byron (c.1600-52), c.1643 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Turkish Girl, 1864 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Charles II, 1630 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of Prince Rupert, Colonel William Legge and Colonel John Russell by William Dobson")
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_engraved_by_James_Posselwhite_(1798-1884)_-_(MeisterDrucke-269665).jpg "Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Engraved by James Posselwhite, pub. by William Mackenzie by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of John Hampden, English politician and MP by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of Abraham van der Doort, before 1640 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Family, Probably that of Richard Streatfeild by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Gentleman, Possibly the Artist, half-length, in a Brown Cloak and Blue Wrap, Beside a Marble Bust, in a Rocky Landscape by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Charles II, King of Scots, England and Ireland (When Prince of Wales, with a page) by William Dobson")
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.jpg "White pawn, chess piece, India, c.1820 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Lady, Half Length by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Richard Lovelace by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Inigo Jones, English architect, 17th Century by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose 1612-1650 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "The Happy Days of Job, Engraved by H. Bourne by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of John Hampden, English politician and MP, mid 17th century by William Dobson")
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.jpg "The First Bite by William Dobson")
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.jpg "The Student by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Meditation, 1873 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Richard Lovelace by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Unidentified family portrait, traditionally thought to be that of Sir Thomas Browne by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of the artist, with Nicholas Lanier and Sir Charles Cotterell, c.1636 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Charles, Prince of Wales, Age 12, c1642, 1936 by William Dobson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-312089).jpg "Portrait of Charles I by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Endymion Porter Around 1642-5 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir Charles Lucas by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Family, Probably that of Richard Streatfeild by William Dobson")
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_and_Colonel_John_Russ_-_(MeisterDrucke-1467430).jpg "Portrait of Prince Rupert, Colonel William Legge (Probably) and Colonel John Russell by William Dobson")
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.jpg "The Pond by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Family, Probably that of Richard Streatfeild by William Dobson")
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_artiste_hollandais_Peint_-_(MeisterDrucke-1320829).jpg "Portrait of Abraham van der Doort, Dutch Artist by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Baby")
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.jpg "Nursery Tales by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Wild Flowers by William Dobson")
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.jpg "The Executioner with the Head of John the Baptist by William Dobson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1519926).jpg "Portrait of a Musician, c.1644 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Jesus Returning to Nazareth with His Parents by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of King Charles I Wearing Armour and the Collage of the Order of the Garter by William Dobson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1498806).jpg "Portrait of a Royalist, c.1643 by William Dobson")
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.jpg "General Fairfax by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Forget-Me-Not! by William Dobson")
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_scenographer_and_architect_-_(MeisterDrucke-1498656).jpg "Portrait of Inigo Jones, scenographer and architect by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Richard Lovelace by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Prince Rupert of the Rhine engraved by William Faithorne by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Cottagers by William Dobson")
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.jpg "St John leading Mary home by William Dobson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1461627).jpg "Inigo Jones by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Woman by William Dobson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1457714).jpg "John Hampden by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Thomas Hobbes by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Babes in the Wood by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of a Man by William Dobson")
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.jpg "Portrait of John Milton by William Dobson")
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